(8.27.6) was known to all the Arcadians and its reputation surpassed that of the city of
Lykosoura itself. Furthermore, when he describes the sanctuary, Pausanias does not
make reference to the inhabitants of Lykosoura in the way in which he usually records
local practices and traditions, but rather just to the ‘‘Arcadians.’’ It is the Arcadians
who ‘‘bring to the sanctuary the produce of their cultivated trees’’ (8.37.7) and ‘‘who
celebrate rites of initiation and sacrifice to Despoina’’ (8.37.8), and ‘‘the legend of
Anytos is Arcadian’’ (8.37.6). It should also be noted that the grandeur of the
sanctuary’s architectural program and the presence in it of a monumental cult-statue
group sculpted by Damophon of Messene are out of all proportion to the modest
importance of Lykosoura alone. We must accept the probability that Despoina’s
sanctuary was a pan-Arcadian one.
The deity worshiped, Despoina, was the daughter of Demeter, like Kore, and
Eleusinian symbols can be seen in the attributes that the goddess’ cult statue held
(8.37.4), the torch and the box (kiste ̄), but the goddess’ personality was very differ-
ent. By her side in the cult group was not just Demeter: Anytos, a strictly Arcadian
character, foster-father of Despoina and armedpropolosof Demeter, was there too, as
was the wild Artemis. The presence of this last goddess, presented as another
daughter of Demeter, is to be explained by the affinities she shares with Despoina.
Both goddesses are connected with the animal world. In the Lykosoura cult group
Artemis was represented as a huntress. As to Despoina, her relationship with the
animal world must have been revealed in the course of the mysteries. A series of votive
terracotta figurines found in the Megaron represents standing figures, dressed in
cloaks (himatia), the heads of which are those of rams or cows. They carry baskets
on their heads. These figurines are usually interpreted as representations of devotees
undertaking the role of sacred basket-carrier (kane ̄phoria) in a procession during
which they wore animal masks (Jost 1985:331–7, 2002a:158–9, figs 6.4, 6.5).
Other sculpted figures that decorate the hem of Despoina’s dress should be
compared. There are some fifteen characters, whose heads and, in many cases,
extremities belong to the animal world, but who are dressed and who bear themselves
like humans. Some play music, whilst others dance: a fox(?) plays the doubleaulosand
a horse plays thetrigo ̄non(?); we then have an equid on thekithara, and a horse blows
into a doubleaulos. The other characters, two pigs, three rams, and an ass, dance
along. We must be dealing with humans, no doubt initiates, disguised as animals: they
wear masks and their arms and legs are covered with or extended with animal feet.
Many of them display a whirling movement, which is expressed by the twisting of the
body, the head turned back. The animated dance that the masked figures perform
shows that we are in an orgiastic context (Jost 2002a:157–64 and figs 6.7, 6.8).
The rites we glimpse suggest that they belong to the mysteries of a deity of animals,
a deity associated not with one particular animal, like Artemis at Brauron, but one that
protects diverse domestic species (domestic apart from the fox[?], their predator).
The bulls, the rams, and the pigs are linked with the idea of fertility; the presence of
equids recalls the fact that Despoina was born from the union of Poseidon in the form
of a horse with Demeter in the form of a mare (Pausanias 8.25.5).
The sacrifice performed in the Megaron also belonged in the same environment as
the masked dances. The Arcadians, says Pausanias (8.37.8), ‘‘sacrifice victims many
and plentiful. Each man sacrifices the kind of animal he possesses; instead of cutting
the throat of the victims as in other sacrifices, each man chops off a limb at random
268 Madeleine Jost