through the ‘‘skylight’’ in its north porch, or even reflected in the pool of ‘‘sea
water’’ associated with the marks of Poseidon’s trident: ‘‘That there was some
connection between the markings in the rocky crypt below and the bright heavens
above seems inescapable’’ (Hurwit 1999:204; Parker 2005:254–5; Pausanias
1.26.5). Auriga also sets together with his daughters the Hyades in November,
these ‘‘deaths’’ finally resolving the struggle between Athena and Poseidon for
Attica, which formed the subject of the western pediment of the Parthenon, the
side from which one would view ‘‘Erichthonius’’ and his daughters going down
together. Another episode, the ‘‘vanishing’’ of Auriga with Hyades/Taurus in late
spring, a time of year closely linked to Artemis, seems to inform the myth of
Hippolytus, whom the Troezenians identified with Auriga (Pausanias 2.32), killed
when ‘‘a bull from the sea’’ got too close to his horses, who then vanished: ‘‘hidden
away along with the dreadful monstrous bull, in the rocky ground, I don’t know
where’’ (Euripides,Hippolytus1247–8).
Hyacinthus was himself depicted as an asterism (being ‘‘led up to heaven’’) on his
tomb beneath the late archaic Amyclae Throne (Pausanias 3.19.4), a scene that would
probably be read as an image of starry ‘‘Hyacinthus’’ rising into heaven during his
festival in Hecatombeus (¼Hecatombaeon). There was certainly opportunity for
stargazing during the Hyacinthia, for Euripides talks of Helen ‘‘rejoining the revels of
Hyacinthus for a night of gladness, he whom Apollo killed with the round discus
having contested for the furthest throw, the day of ox-sacrifice in the Laconian land’’
(Helen1465–74). A nocturnal epiphany would explain the celebrations, which
otherwise seem a bit callous.
The handbooks mention yet another identification with Auriga, Myrtilus the
Chariot-Driver, son of Hermes, son of the Pleiad Maia. It seems that the chariot he
was driving at the time of his death (catasterization) was that of Pelops, during a
country ride at Geraestus, at the southernmost tip of Euboea or even crossing the
Aegean: ‘‘Myrtilus, sunk in the deep sea, tossed headlong out of the all-golden
chariot in grievous outrage. .. ’’ (Sophocles,Electra508–12; cf. Euripides,Orestes
988–96). His body was washed ashore and taken inland to Pheneus in Arcadia where
Myrtilus received annual nocturnal offerings at his tomb by the temple of Hermes
(Pausanias 8.14.10). Many years later Pelops’ shoulder was fished from the Euboean
coast and taken to Olympia (5.13.5).
The chariot itself was a gift to Pelops from Poseidon, ‘‘a golden chariot, and horses
with untiring wings’’ (Pindar,Olympians1.87), ‘‘so that even when it ran through
the sea its axles were not wet’’ (Apollodorus,Epitome2.3). A golden chariot which
comes from the sea and flies sounds already very much like an asterism. The east
pediment of the temple of Zeus at Olympia showed not only the chariot and
Myrtilus/Auriga, but Myrtilus’ great aunt, the Pleiad ‘‘star-eye’’ Sterope, wife of
Oenomaus. During the Olympic festival Auriga will have risen majestically over the
nocturnal celebrations in honor of Pelops. But another figure on the pediment, a
mysterious crouching boy, seems, from parallels on coins, to have been Arcas, also
called ‘‘Nocturnal’’ Nyktimos, the constellation Boo ̈tes, founding hero of the Arca-
dians, legendary enemies of the Eleans. Boo ̈tes would have been seen setting during
the festival, preferably right over the mound ‘‘in the west’’ where Pausanias was told
Arcadians were buried; they had fled in panic in that direction, away from their
homeland, when a heroic baby, Sosipolis, turned into a snake (6.20.6).
Ogden / Companion to Greek Religion 1405120541_4_013 Final Proof page 208 17.11.2006 10:11am208 James Davidson