μάρτυρες δʼ οἱ ποιηταὶ τῶν τοιούτων ὑπονοιῶν· ὅ τε γὰρ Πίνδαρος ἐν τῷ διθυράμβῳ οὗ ἡ ἀρχή πρὶν μὲν εἷρπε σχοινοτένεια τʼ ἀοιδὰ / διθυράμβων, / μνησθεὶς τῶν περὶ τὸν Διόνυσον ὕμνων τῶν τε παλαιῶν καὶ τῶν ὕστερον, μεταβὰς ἀπὸ τούτων φησί σοὶ μὲν κατάρχειν, / μᾶτερ μεγάλα, πάρα ῥόμβοι κυμβάλων, / ἐν δὲ κεχλάδειν κρόταλʼ, αἰθομένα τε / δᾲς ὑπὸ ξανθαῖσι πεύκαις, / τὴν κοινωνίαν τῶν περὶ τὸν Διόνυσον ἀποδειχθέντων νομίμων παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησι καὶ τῶν παρὰ τοῖς Φρυξὶ περὶ τὴν μητέρα τῶν θεῶν συνοικειῶν ἀλλήλοις. Εὐριπίδης τε ἐν ταῖς Βάκχαις τὰ παραπλήσια ποιεῖ, τοῖς Φρυγίοις ἅμα καὶ τὰ Λύδια συμφέρων διὰ τὸ ὅμορον ἀλλʼ ὦ λιποῦσαι Τμῶλον, ἔρυμα Λυδίας, / θίασος ἐμὸς γυναῖκες, / / / ἐμά θʼ εὑρήματα / καὶ πάλιν ὦ μάκαρ, ὅστις εὐδαίμων, βιοτὰν ἁγιστεύει. / τά τε ματρὸς μεγάλας ὄργια Κυβέλας θεμιστεύων / ἀνὰ θύρσον τε τινάσσων, κισσῷ στεφανωθεὶς / θεραπεύει. / ἴτε Βάκχαι, βρόμιον παῖδα θεὸν θεοῦ / Διόνυσον κατάγουσαι Φρυγίων ἐξ ὀρέων / Ἑλλάδος εἰς εὐρυχόρους ἀγυιάς. / πάλιν δʼ ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς καὶ τὰ Κρητικὰ συμπλέκει τούτοις ὦ θαλάμευμα Κουρήτων, ζάθεοί τε Κρήτας / διογενέτορες ἔναυλοι, / ἔνθα τρικόρυθες ἄντροις / βυρσότονον κύκλωμα τόδε / μοι Κορύβαντες εὗρον. / ἀνὰ δὲ βακχεῖα συντόνῳ / κέρασαν ἁδυβόᾳ Φρυγίων / αὐλῶν πνεύματι, ματρός τε Ῥέας / εἰς χέρα θῆκαν κτύπον εὐάσμασι Βακχᾶν, / παρὰ δὲ μαινόμενοι Σάτυροι / ματέρος ἐξανύσαντο Ῥέας. / εἰς δὲ χορεύματα / προσῆψαν τριετηρίδων, / αἷς χαίρει Διόνυσος. / καὶ ἐν Παλαμήδει φησὶν ὁ χορός Θύσαν Διονύσου / κόραν, ὃς ἀνʼ Ἴδαν / τέρπεται σὺν ματρὶ φίλᾳ / τυμπάνων ἐπʼ ἰακχαῖς. /
We have the testimony of the poets in favour of these opinions. Pindar, in the Dithyrambus, which begins in this manner; formerly the dithyrambus used to creep upon the ground, long and trailing. After mentioning the hymns, both ancient and modern, in honour of Bacchus, he makes a digression, and says, for thee, O Mother, resound the large circles of the cymbals, and the ringing crotala; for thee, blaze the torches of the yellow pine; where he combines with one another the rites celebrated among the Greeks in honour of Dionysus with those performed among the Phrygians in honour of the mother of the gods. Euripides, in the Bacchae, does the same thing, con joining, from the proximity of the countries, Lydian and Phrygian customs. “Then forsaking Tmolus, the rampart of Lydia, my maidens, my pride, [whom I took from among barbarians and made the partners and companions of my way, raise on high the tambourine of Phrygia, the tambourine of the great mother Rhea,] my invention. Blest and happy he who, initiated into the sacred rites of the gods, leads a pure life; who celebrating the orgies of the Great Mother Cybele, who brandishing on high the thyrsus and with ivy crowned, becomes Dionysus’ worshipper. Haste, Bacchanalians, haste, and bring Bromius Dionysus down from the Phrygian mountains to the wide plains of Greece. And again, in what follows, he combines with these the Cretan rites. Hail, sacred haunt of the Curetes, and divine inhabitants of Crete, progenitors of Jove, where for me the triple-crested Corybantes in their caves invented this skin-stretched circle [of the tambourine], who mingled with Bacchic strains the sweet breath of harmony from Phrygian pipes, and placed in Rhea’s hands this instrument which re-echoes to the joyous shouts of Bacchanalians: from the Mother Rhea the frantic Satyri succeeded in obtaining it, and introduced it into the dances of the Trieterides, among whom Dionysus delights to dwell. And the chorus in Palamedes says, Not revelling with Dionysus, who together with his mother was cheered with the resounding drums along the tops of Ida.
καὶ Σειληνὸν καὶ Μαρσύαν καὶ Ὄλυμπον συνάγοντες εἰς ἓν καὶ εὑρετὰς αὐλῶν ἱστοροῦντες πάλιν καὶ οὕτως τὰ Διονυσιακὰ καὶ Φρύγια εἰς ἓν συμφέρουσι, τήν τε Ἴδην καὶ τὸν Ὄλυμπον συγκεχυμένως πολλάκις ὡς τὸ αὐτὸ ὄρος κτυποῦσιν. εἰσὶ μὲν οὖν λόφοι τέτταρες Ὄλυμποι καλούμενοι τῆς Ἴδης κατὰ τὴν Ἀντανδρίαν, ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὁ Μυσὸς Ὄλυμπος, ὅμορος μὲν οὐχ ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ τῇ Ἴδῃ. ὁ δʼ οὖν Σοφοκλῆς ποιήσας τὸν Μενέλαον ἐκ τῆς Τροίας ἀπαίρειν σπεύδοντα ἐν τῇ Πολυξένῃ, τὸν δʼ Ἀγαμέμνονα μικρὸν ὑπολειφθῆναι βουλόμενον τοῦ ἐξιλάσασθαι τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν χάριν, εἰσάγει λέγοντα τὸν Μενέλαον σὺ δʼ αὖθι μίμνων που κατʼ Ἰδαίαν χθόνα / ποίμνας Ὀλύμπου συναγαγὼν θυηπόλει. /
Conjoining then Seilenus, Marsyas, and Olympus, and ascribing to them the invention of the flute, they thus again combine Dionysiac and Phrygian rites, frequently confounding Ida and Olympus, and making them re-echo with their noise, as if they were the same mountain. There are four peaks of Ida called Olympi, opposite Antandros. There is also a Mysian Olympus, bordering upon Ida, but not the same mountain. Sopholes represents Menelaus in the Polyxena as setting sail in haste from Troy, and Agamemnon as wishing to remain behind a short time, with a view to propitiate Minerva. He introduces Menelaus as saying, But do thou remain there on the Idaean land, / Collect the flocks on Olympus, and offer sacrifice. /
τῷ δʼ αὐλῷ καὶ κτύπῳ κροτάλων τε καὶ κυμβάλων καὶ τυμπάνων καὶ ταῖς ἐπιβοήσεσι καὶ εὐασμοῖς καὶ ποδοκρουστίαις οἰκεῖα ἐξεύροντο καί τινα τῶν ὀνομάτων, ἃ τοὺς προπόλους καὶ χορευτὰς καὶ θεραπευτὰς τῶν ἱερῶν ἐκάλουν, Καβείρους καὶ Κορύβαντας καὶ Πᾶνας καὶ Σατύρους καὶ Τιτύρους καὶ τὸν θεὸν Βάκχον καὶ τὴν Ῥέαν Κυβέλην καὶ Κυβήβην καὶ Δινδυμήνην κατὰ τοὺς τόπους αὐτούς. καὶ ὁ Σαβάζιος δὲ τῶν Φρυγιακῶν ἐστι καὶ τρόπον τινὰ τῆς μητρὸς τὸ παιδίον παραδοὺς τὰ τοῦ Διονύσου καὶ αὐτός.
They invented terms appropriate to the sounds of the pipe, of the crotala, cymbals, and drums; to the noise also of shouts; to the cries of Evoe; and to the beating of the ground with the feet. They invented certain well-known names also to designate the ministers, dancers, and servants employed about the sacred rites, as Cabeiri, Corybantes, Pans, Satyri, Tityri, the god Bacchus; Rhea, Cybele, Cybebe, and Dindymene, from the places where she was worshipped. [The god] Sabazius belongs to the Phrygian rites, and may be considered the child as it were of the [Great] Mother. The traditional ceremonies observed in his worship are those of Bacchus.
τούτοις δʼ ἔοικε καὶ τὰ παρὰ τοῖς Θρᾳξὶ τά τε Κοτύττια καὶ τὰ Βενδίδεια, παρʼ οἷς καὶ τὰ Ὀρφικὰ τὴν καταρχὴν ἔσχε. τῆς μὲν οὖν Κότυος τῆς ἐν τοῖς Ἠδωνοῖς Αἰσχύλος μέμνηται καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτὴν ὀργάνων. εἰπὼν γάρ σεμνὰ Κότυς ἐν τοῖς Ἠδωνοῖς / ὄρεια δʼ ὄργανʼ ἔχοντες, / τοὺς περὶ τὸν Διόνυσον εὐθέως ἐπιφέρει ὁ μὲν ἐν χερσὶν / βόμβυκας ἔχων, τόρνου κάματον, / δακτυλόδικτον πίμπλησι μέλος, / μανίας ἐπαγωγὸν ὁμοκλάν· / ὁ δὲ χαλκοδέτοις κοτύλαις ὀτοβεῖ. / καὶ πάλιν ψαλμὸς δʼ ἀλαλάζει· / ταυρόφθογγοι δʼ ὑπομυκῶνται / ποθὲν ἐξ ἀφανοῦς φοβεροὶ μῖμοι, / τυπάνου δʼ εἰκὼν ὥσθʼ ὑπογαίου / βροντῆς φέρεται βαρυταρβής. / ταῦτα γὰρ ἔοικε τοῖς Φρυγίοις· καὶ οὐκ ἀπεικός γε, ὥσπερ αὐτοὶ οἱ Φρύγες Θρᾳκῶν ἄποικοί εἰσιν, οὕτω καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ ἐκεῖθεν μετενηνέχθαι. καὶ τὸν Διόνυσον δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἠδωνὸν Λυκοῦργον συνάγοντες εἰς ἓν τὴν ὁμοιοτροπίαν τῶν ἱερῶν αἰνίττονται.
The rites called Cotytia, and Bendideia, celebrated among the Thracians, resemble these. The Orphic ceremonies had their origin among these people. Aeschylus mentions the goddess Cotys, and the instruments used in her worship among the Edoni. For after saying, O divine Cotys, goddess of the Edoni, / With the instruments of the mountain worship;” / immediately introduces the followers of Dionysus, / one holding the bombyces, the admirable work of the turner, with the fingers makes the loud notes resound, exciting frenzy; another makes the brass-bound cotylae to re-echo. And in another passage; The song of victory is poured forth; invisible mimes low and bellow from time to time like bulls, inspiring fear, and the echo of the drum rolls along like the noise of subterranean thunder; for these are like the Phrygian ceremonies, nor is it at all improbable that, as the Phrygians themselves are a colony of Thracians, so they brought from Thrace their sacred ceremonies, and by joining together Dionysus and the Edonian Lycurgus they intimate a similarity in the mode of the worship of both.
ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ μέλους καὶ τοῦ ῥυθμοῦ καὶ τῶν ὀργάνων καὶ ἡ μουσικὴ πᾶσα Θρᾳκία καὶ Ἀσιᾶτις νενόμισται. δῆλον δʼ ἔκ τε τῶν τόπων ἐν οἷς αἱ Μοῦσαι τετίμηνται· Πιερία γὰρ καὶ Ὄλυμπος καὶ Πίμπλα καὶ Λείβηθρον τὸ παλαιὸν ἦν Θρᾴκια χωρία καὶ ὄρη, νῦν δὲ ἔχουσι Μακεδόνες· τόν τε Ἑλικῶνα καθιέρωσαν ταῖς Μούσαις Θρᾷκες οἱ τὴν Βοιωτίαν ἐποικήσαντες, οἵπερ καὶ τὸ τῶν Λειβηθριάδων νυμφῶν ἄντρον καθιέρωσαν. οἵ τʼ ἐπιμεληθέντες τῆς ἀρχαίας μουσικῆς Θρᾷκες λέγονται, Ὀρφεύς τε καὶ Μουσαῖος καὶ Θάμυρις, καὶ τῷ Εὐμόλπῳ δὲ τοὔνομα ἐνθένδε, καὶ οἱ τῷ Διονύσῳ τὴν Ἀσίαν ὅλην καθιερώσαντες μέχρι τῆς Ἰνδικῆς ἐκεῖθεν καὶ τὴν πολλὴν μουσικὴν μεταφέρουσι· καὶ ὁ μέν τίς φησιν κιθάραν Ἀσιᾶτιν ῥάσσων, ὁ δὲ τοὺς αὐλοὺς Βερεκυντίους καλεῖ καὶ Φρυγίους· καὶ τῶν ὀργάνων ἔνια βαρβάρως ὠνόμασται νάβλας καὶ σαμβύκη καὶ βάρβιτος καὶ μαγάδις καὶ ἄλλα πλείω.
From the song, the rhythm, and the instruments, all Thracian music is supposed to be Asiatic. This is evident also from the places where the Muses are held in honour. For Pieria, Olympus, Pimpla, and Leibethrum were anciently places, and mountains, belonging to the Thracians, but at present they are in the possession of the Macedonians. The Thracians, who were settled in Boeotia, dedicated Helicon to the Muses, and consecrated the cave of the Nymphs, Leibethriades. The cultivators of ancient music are said to have been Thracians, as Orpheus, Musaus, Thamyris; hence also Eumolpus had his name. Those who regard the whole of Asia as far as India as consecrated to Bacchus, refer to that country as the origin of a great portion of the present music. One author speaks of striking forcibly the Asiatic cithara; another calls the pipes Berecynthian and Phrygian. Some of the instruments also have barbarous names, as Nablas, Sambyce, Barbitus, Magadis, and many others.
Ἀθηναῖοι δʼ ὥσπερ περὶ τὰ ἄλλα φιλοξενοῦντες διατελοῦσιν, οὕτω καὶ περὶ τοὺς θεούς. πολλὰ γὰρ τῶν ξενικῶν ἱερῶν παρεδέξαντο ὥστε καὶ ἐκωμῳδήθησαν· καὶ δὴ καὶ τὰ Θρᾴκια καὶ τὰ Φρύγια. τῶν μὲν γὰρ Βενδιδείων Πλάτων μέμνηται, τῶν δὲ Φρυγίων Δημοσθένης διαβάλλων τὴν Αἰσχίνου μητέρα καὶ αὐτὸν ὡς τελούσῃ τῇ μητρὶ συνόντα καὶ συνθιασεύοντα καὶ ἐπιφθεγγόμενον εὐοῖ σαβοῖ πολλάκις καὶ ὕης ἄττης ὕης. ταῦτα γάρ ἐστι σαβάζια καὶ μητρῷα.
As in other things the Athenians always showed their admiration of foreign customs, so they displayed it in what respected the gods. They adopted many foreign sacred ceremonies, particularly those of Thrace and Phrygia; for which they were ridiculed in comedies. Plato mentions the Bendidean, and Demosthenes the Phrygian rites, where he is exposing Aeschines and his mother to the scorn of the people; the former for having been present when his mother was sacrificing, and for frequently joining the band of Bacchanalians in celebrating their festivals, and shouting, Evoi, Saboi, Hyes Attes, and Attes Hyes, for these cries belong to the rites of Sabazius and the Great Mother.
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