Porphyry, The Philosophy from Oracles frags. 314 and 315 (= Eus. PE IV; 8, 4 – 9, 7.)
Frag 314
Following after what has been said concerning piety we shall record the responses given by [the gods] concerning their worship, part of which in anticipation we have set forth in the statements concerning piety. Here is an oracle of Apollo that also includes a reckoning of the order of the gods:
Friend who has entered on this heaven-taught path, perform your sacrifices and do not forget the blessed gods, slaying your sacrifices now to the gods upon the earth (epichthonioi), now again to the gods of heaven (ouranioi); sometimes to the kings of the aither themselves and to those of the watery aer, and to [the kings of] of the seas and all those who dwell beneath the earth (hypochthonioi). For everything is bound up in the fullness of their nature. I shall sing to you of how it is proper to perform the burnt offerings (kathagismous) of living creatures (be sure to write my oracle down on tablets): offerings to the gods upon the earth (epichthonioi) and to the gods of the heavens (ouranioi).
– Bright [victims] are for the gods of heaven (ouranioi); for the gods of the earth (chthonioi) use [victims] similar [to them] in color. Divide the sacrifices for the gods of the earth into three parts when you slay them.
– Bury the victims for the infernal gods (nerterioi) and pour the blood into a pit.
– For the nymphs, pour out honey and the gift of Dionysus.
– For those gods who fly around the earth constantly, having filled the flaming altar altogether with the blood of the victim, throw into the fire the body of a winged creature, sacrificing it.
– Then, having mixed honey with Deo’s grain, place [the mixture in the fire] and throw in as well the aroma of frankincense and sprinkle on the barley grains.
– But when you look upon the sandy shore, pouring out grey sea water, offer the victim’s head as a sacrifice and cast the rest of the animal, undivided, into the waves of the sea.
– Then, having done all of these things, make your way to the great company of the gods who live in the heavens (ouranioi) and those who live in the aer.
– Finally, for all the gods who dwell in the stars (astraioi) and those who dwell in the aither, let blood in fullest stream flow from the throat over the sacrifice. Make a banquet for the gods out of the limbs, giving the extremities to Hephaestus.
– The rest you can eat, filling the liquid aer with sweet aromas. When everything is done, send forth your prayers.
Frag 315
This is the method of sacrifices, which are accomplished according to the reckoning of the gods that I mentioned earlier. For whereas there are gods beneath the earth (hypochthonioi), and upon the earth (epichthonioi), and those beneath the earth are [also] called infernal gods (nerterioi) and those upon the earth are also called gods of the earth (chthonioi) – for all of these in common [Apollo] commands the sacrifice of black four-footed victims. But with regard to the manner of the sacrifice he makes distinctions: for to the gods upon the earth (epichthonioi) he commands the victims to be slain upon altars, but to the gods beneath the earth (hypochthonioi) he commands the victims to be slain over pits, and moreover after the offering to bury the bodies therein.
That four-footed animals are appropriate to all these deities, the god himself added, when he was questioned, Four-footed victims must be given only to gods of the earth (chthonioi) and gods beneath the earth (hypochthonioi). For gods of the earth (chthonioi) the new limbs of lambs [are appropriate].
But to the gods of the aer Apollo commands us to make holocaust offerings of winged creatures, letting the blood run round upon the altars; winged creatures are also [appropriate for] the gods of the sea, but they must be cast alive into the waves and must be black. For he says: Winged creatures for the gods, but for the sea gods black.
He names winged creatures for all of the gods except those of the earth (chthonioi), and he names black for the sea gods only, and therefore [he intends] white for the other gods. But to the gods of the heavens (ouranioi) and the gods of the aither he commands us to consecrate the extremities of white victims, and to eat the other parts: for these animals only are appropriate for eating, and not the others. But those whom in his classification he calls gods of heaven (ouranioi), here he calls gods of the stars (astraioi).
Will it then be necessary to explain the symbola of the sacrifices, clear as they are to those who are in-the-know? There are four-footed land animals for the gods of the earth (chthonioi) because like rejoices in like. And the sheep is of the earth (chthonios) and therefore dear to Demeter, and in heaven the ram, with the help of the sun, brings forth out of the earth its display of fruits. The ram must be black, for the earth is dark in nature. The victim must be divided into three parts because three is the symbol (symbolon) of the corporeal and earthy.
To the gods upon the earth (epichthonioi) one must make sacrifices high upon altars, for these gods dwell on earth; but to the gods beneath the earth (hypochthonioi) one must make sacrifices in a pit and in a grave, where they abide.
To the other gods we must offer birds, because all things are in swift motion. For the water of the sea is also in perpetual motion, and dark, and therefore victims of this kind are suitable.
But white victims are appropriate for the gods of the aer because the aer itself is filled with light, being of a translucent nature.
For the gods of heaven (ouranioi) and the gods of the aither, the parts of the animals that are lighter [in weight] are appropriate, and these are the extremities.
With these gods we must participate in the sacrifice; for they are the givers of good things, but the others are averters of evil.
Tagged: apollon, gods, greece, hellenismos, philosophy
