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And why is the thunderbolt worshipped? Because it burned up Semele. Now, the phrase *Just as the head was something else before*, is another story, but since it has been woven into this one, it is necessary to explain it as well. The head of Zeus became a head of birth pangs, just as his thigh also became a thigh of birth pangs when he stitched in Dionysus. So at one time his head became a head of birth pangs when he had Athena in it. For it is said that Athena was born from the head of Zeus. For there Zeus was in labor with her, and taking from Hephaestus an axe against his head, Zeus gave birth to Athena from it. 39.5 The fifth story is the one about Aphrodite and her shameful mysteries. For it is said that Aphrodite had her birth from the genitals of Ouranos. For Cronus, he says, the son of Ouranos, took the sickle and cut off his own father's genitals and threw them into the sea. And these genitals, having fallen and gathered foam, brought forth Aphrodite, for which reason she is also called Aphrodite, as having come from the foam (aphros) and the submersion. Therefore he said *Of one shamefully born and honored.* For likewise both the honors concerning her and the festivals were celebrated with shameful deeds and sensuality and fornication, as Aphrodite herself was the overseer of fornication. 39.6 The sixth story is *Neither certain phalluses nor erect phalluses.* And this one is clear. In the festival of Dionysus the Greeks would put on themselves leather phalluses shaped into a man's genitals in honor of the god. And some of the phalluses they would hang from their own necks, but others they would bind straight out around their loins, imitating an erect penis, which they also called ithyphalloi, so that of the phalluses, some were ithyphalloi (erect phalluses), and others plagio-phalloi (sideways phalluses). And they did this, honoring the lover of Dionysus. For it is said that a young man was loved by Dionysus, then this one, before he could succeed in the licentiousness, was drowned near Lerna and died. Dionysus therefore, wishing to fulfill his love for the dead youth, carved a phallus out of a fig tree and fastened it around his own neck, and thus went about. And from this, honoring Dionysus, the Greeks put the phalluses on themselves. 39.7 The seventh story is the one about the xenoktonia (killing of strangers) of the Tauri. And it is this. The Tauri, a Scythian nation, where there was a temple of Artemis, in which the priestess was Iphigenia the daughter of Agamemnon. In this temple they used to sacrifice to Artemis every stranger who came to their country. And concerning this story we have spoken clearly in the histories of the *Steliteutikoi*. 39.8 The eighth story is the altar-blood of the Laconian youths. And it is this. The Lacedaemonians, training for endurance, would hold a festival in which they whipped each other. And from this they were taught a certain manliness so that they might have endurance in wars. And the Laconians honored Artemis in the festival of the whips. For he calls this one a virgin goddess. For she is enduring and above all cowardice and passion. But he says that the Laconians honored Effeminacy (Malakia), either because they also held a certain festival—I mean the common meals (syssitia)—in which all ate together and feasted and became effeminate, or because there also the passion of pederasty was widespread, as we have it concerning Pausanias and Argilius, that Argilius was once the beloved of Pausanias. And the phrase *They revered Audacity* was about endurance and manliness. 39.9 The ninth story is the one about the butchering of Pelops. And it is this. Pelops was the son of Tantalus. To this Tantalus, then, the gods came as guests. Tantalus therefore, wishing to offer them hospitality, sacrificed his son, and having boiled him served him to them. But the gods, at once amazed and pitying Tantalus, gathering the flesh put Pelops together. And he came back to life and was found alive. But one of the gods, having eaten from the shoulder from the flesh of Pelops, in the reassembling of the body placed something of ivory on his shoulder. And thus was Pelops when he came back to life, having an ivory shoulder. And all the Pelopidae were recognized by the shoulder. for the descendants had the part of the shoulder

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τί δὲ ὁ κεραυνὸς προσκυνεῖται; ὅτι κατέφλεξε τὴν Σεμέλην. Τὸ δὲ Ὥσπερ ἄλλο τι κεφαλὴ πρότερον, ἑτέρα μέν ἐστιν ἱστορία, ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐμπέπλεκται ταύτῃ ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι καὶ αὐτὴν ἐξηγήσασθαι. Ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ ∆ιὸς γέγονε κεφαλὴ ὠδίνων, ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ μηρὸς αὐτοῦ γέγονε μηρὸς ὠδίνων ἥνικα ἔρραψε τὸν ∆ιόνυσον. ποτὲ οὖν γέγονεν ἡ κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ κεφαλὴ ὠδίνων ὅτε ἐν αὐτῇ εἶχε τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν. λέγεται γὰρ ὅτι ἡ Ἀθηνᾶ ἐκ τῆς κεφαλῆς τοῦ ∆ιὸς ἐγεννήθη. ἐκεῖ γὰρ αὐτὴν ὤδινεν ὁ Ζεύς, καὶ λαβὼν παρὰ τοῦ Ἡφαίστου μετὰ ἀξίνης κατὰ τῆς κεφαλῆς ὁ Ζεὺς ἔτεκεν ἐξ αὐτῆς τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν. 39.5 Πέμπτη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τῆς Ἀφροδίτης καὶ τῶν αἰσχρῶν αὐτῆς μυστηρίων. Λέγεται γὰρ ὅτι ἐκ τῶν αἰδοίων τοῦ Οὐρανοῦ ἔσχε τὴν γέννησιν ἡ Ἀφροδίτη. ὁ γὰρ Κρόνος, φησίν, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Οὐρανοῦ, λαβὼν τὸ δρέπανον ἀπέκοψε τοῦ ἰδίου πατρὸς τὰ αἰδοῖα καὶ ἔρριψεν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν. καὶ ταῦτα τὰ αἰδοῖα πεσόντα καὶ ἀφρὸν συνάξαντα ἀπεκύησαν τὴν Ἀφροδίτην, διὸ καὶ Ἀφροδίτη καλεῖται, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ ἀφροῦ καὶ τῆς καταδύσεως γενομένη. διὸ εἶπεν Αἰσχρῶς γεννωμένης καὶ τιμωμένης. ὁμοίως γὰρ καὶ αἱ τιμαὶ αἱ περὶ αὐτὴν καὶ αἱ ἑορταὶ δι' αἰσχρουργίας καὶ ἡδυπαθείας καὶ πορνείας ἐτελοῦντο, ὡς καὶ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς ἐφόρου τῆς Ἀφροδίτης. 39.6 Ἕκτη ἐστὶν ἱστορία Οὐδὲ φαλλοί τινες καὶ ἰθύφαλλοι. ἔστι δὲ σαφὴς αὕτη. Ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ τοῦ ∆ιονύσου φαλλοὺς δερματίνους ἐσχηματισμένους εἰς αἰδοῖα ἀνδρὸς περιετίθεσαν οἱ Ἕλληνες ἑαυτοῖς εἰς τιμὴν τοῦ θεοῦ. καί τινας μὲν τῶν φαλλῶν ἀπήρτων ἀπὸ τοῦ τραχήλου τοῦ ἑαυτῶν, ἄλλους δὲ περὶ τὴν ὀσφῦν ἰθυτενῶς περιεδέσμουν, μιμουμένους αἰδοῖον ὄρθιον, οὓς καὶ ἰθυφάλλους ἐκάλουν, ὡς εἶναι τῶν φαλλῶν, τοὺς μὲν ἰθυφάλλους, τοὺς δὲ πλαγιοφάλλους. τοῦτο δὲ ἐποίουν τιμῶντες τὸν ἐραστὴν τοῦ ∆ιονύσου. λέγεται γὰρ ὅτι ἠράσθη μειράκιον τοῦ ∆ιονύσου, εἶτα τοῦτο πρὶν ἐπιτύχοι τῆς ἀσελγείας ποντισθὲν περὶ τὴν Λέρνην ἀπέθανεν. ὁ οὖν ∆ιόνυσος ἀφοσιώσασθαι βουλόμενος τὸν ἔρωτα τοῦ ἀποθανόντος μειρακίου, σύκινον αἰδοῖον πελεκήσας περιῆψεν εἰς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ τράχηλον, καὶ οὕτως περιῄει. καὶ ἐκ τούτου τιμῶντες τὸν ∆ιόνυσον οἱ Ἕλληνες τοὺς φαλλοὺς περιετίθεσαν ἑαυτοῖς. 39.7 Ἑβδόμη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τῆς τῶν Ταύρων ξενοκτονίας. ἔστιν δὲ αὕτη. Ταῦροι ἔθνος Σκυθικόν, ἔνθα ἦν ἱερὸν τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος, εἰς ὂ ἦν ἱέρεια ἡ Ἰφιγένεια ἡ θυγάτηρ τοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος. ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ἱερῷ πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐπιδημοῦντα ξένον ἔθυον τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι. καὶ περὶ ταύτης τῆς ἱστορίας ἐν ταῖς ἱστορίαις τῶν Στηλιτευτικῶν σαφῶς εἴπομεν. 39.8 Ὀγδόη ἐστὶν ἱστορία τὸ τῶν Λακωνικῶν ἐφήβων ἐπιβώμιον αἷμα. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη. Οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι πρὸς καρτερίαν γυμναζόμενοι ἑορτὴν ἐποίουν ἐν ᾗ ἐμάστιζον ἀλλήλους. καὶ ἀνδρείαν τινὰ ἐκ τούτου ἐπαιδεύοντο ἵνα καρτερικῶς ἔχοιεν περὶ τοὺς πολέμους. ἐτίμων δὲ οἱ Λάκωνες ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ τῶν μαστίγων τὴν Ἄρτεμιν. ταύτην γὰρ λέγει παρθένον θεόν. καρτερικὴ γὰρ καὶ ὑπεράνω πάσης δειλίας καὶ ἐμπαθείας. Μαλακίαν δὲ λέγει τετιμηκέναι τοὺς Λάκωνας, ἢ ὅτι ἐποίουν καί τινα ἑορτήντὰ συσσίτια δὴ λέγωἐν ᾗ κοινῶς πάντες ἤσθιον καὶ εὐωχοῦντο καὶ ἐθηλύνοντο, ἢ ὅτι κἀκεῖ ἐπενέμετο τὸ τῆς παιδεραστίας πάθος, ὥσπερ ἔχομεν περὶ τοῦ Παυσανίου καὶ τοῦ Ἀργιλίου, ὅτι παιδικὰ ἦν ποτε ὁ Ἀργίλιος τοῦ Παυσανίου. τὸ δὲ Θρασύτητα ἐσεβάσθησαν, περὶ τῆς καρτερίας καὶ τῆς ἀνδρείας ὁ λόγος ἦν. 39.9 Ἐνάτη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τῆς Πέλοπος κρεουργίας. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη. Ὁ Πέλοψ Ταντάλου ὑπῆρχεν υἱός. τούτῳ οὖν τῷ Ταντάλῳ ἐπεξενώθησαν οἱ θεοί. ὁ οὖν Τάνταλος βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς ξενίσαι, ἔθυσε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἑψήσας παρέθετο αὐτοῖς. οἱ δὲ θεοὶ θαυμάσαντες ἅμα καὶ ἐλεήσαντες τὸν Τάνταλον, συναγαγόντες τὰ κρέα συνέθηκαν τὸν Πέλοπα. καὶ ἀνεβίω καὶ εὑρέθη ζῶν. εἷς δὲ τῶν θεῶν ἐκ τοῦ ὤμου φαγὼν ἐκ τῶν κρεῶν τοῦ Πέλοπος, ἐν τῇ συνθέσει τοῦ σώματος ἐλεφάντινόν τι ἐνέθηκε κατὰ τοῦ ὤμου. καὶ οὕτως ἦν ὁ Πέλοψ ἀναβιώσας, ἔχων τὸν ὦμον ἐλεφάντινον. καὶ πάντες οἱ Πελοπίδαι ἐκ τοῦ ὤμου ἐγινώσκοντο. εἶχον γὰρ οἱ ἀπόγονοι τὸ μέρος τοῦ ὤμου