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particular one notes the apotropaic force of prayers calledlitai: they serve to avert
divine wrath following a human transgression (Pulleyn 1997:64).
Another taxonomy suggested by Pulleyn (1997:156–95) concerns the occasion of
prayer. There is relatively little evidence for daily prayers at certain times (as in Islam;
Pulleyn calls these ‘‘hour-glass’’ prayers); one might call prayers uttered in certain
standard situations which tend to recur, such as plague, drought, before marching
into battle, or before embarking on a ship, ‘‘situational’’; finally, prayers uttered in an
unforeseen, unique situation might be called ‘‘adventitious.’’ At one extreme we hear
of individuals who, like Theophrastus’ superstitious man, pray in all possible eventu-
alities to ward off harm (Characters16); at the other we hear of rogues who ridiculed
the gods’sacrain public to show their disdain for conventional behavior (Lysias,


Figure 7.2 ‘‘A prayer is heard.’’ Alkmene prays to Zeus for protection as Amphitryon and
Antenor light the pyre. Clouds answer her prayer by pouring (rain-)water from urns. Paestan
bell-krater from St. Agata dei Goti; ca. 340 BC. London, British Museum F 149


128 William D. Furley

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