Palici

The Palici (Greek Παλικοί "returnees", latin Palici ) are twin chthonic deities of Sicily in the Greco- Roman mythology.

Myth

The Palici considered as children of Zeus and Thalia. In Macrobius is quoted from the lost previous piece Aitnaiai of Aeschylus. Thus, Thalia was (or Aitne / Aetna / Aetna ) sizilisches a girl pregnant by Zeus and - as so often - was then persecuted by the jealousy of Hera Zeusgattin such that they wished the ground might swallow them. That happened in this case too, but after the end of pregnancy, the earth opened up again and were the twin sons free (hence the name "returnees "). The then newly arrived in Sicily Aeschylus is said to have brought the piece to performance, to recommend to the tyrant Hiero, who had recently founded the city Aitne.

In another version of the Palici are considered sons of Hephaestus and the Oceanid Aetna, or the identified with Hephaestus Adranos. In Nonnus the Lemnian Kabiri with the Sicilian Palici be identified.

Originally the Palici deities of Siculi. The sanctuary, which was located near a lake, the Palicorum Lacus (Lake NAFTA ), was discovered in 1962 in a cave near Palagonia, which lies at the foot of a hill called today Rochitella. A cult was operating from the 6th century BC to the Imperial Age. The lake is indeed small, but it was already in the earliest times as sacred due to the keys located below the water surface volcanic outgassing, especially at two places where in heavy gas leak occurred geyser -like phenomena and shot the water fountains in the air. These two places are mentioned in Diodorus Krateras ( κρατῆρας " [ Volcano ] boiler ").

Layers of volcanic gases and sulfur fumes made ​​the stay uncomfortable but that Palici also were considered dark, subterranean deities. In Ovid, the lake is on the way of the god Pluto, which brings the freshly stolen Proserpina in the underworld. But granted the sanctuary asylum, gave oracles, and they sought it on to swear particularly reliable oaths, because it was believed that the twin gods everyone who swore a false oath in their place, would be blind on the spot ( as in Diodorus ).

It has a great fear of breaking a have given for the Palici sworn oath, as Diodorus, the sanctuary was in particular have been a refuge for runaway slaves, who knew otherwise not to save himself from the brutality of their masters. In the sacred precinct but they were safe and could stay until they had negotiated a humane treatment in question concessions with their masters, and they were backed up by sworn oaths at the Palici. So great was the awe of cruel masters, that no case is known in which such an oath was ever broken.

The reputation of the sanctuary as a refuge for runaway slaves may have been the reason that it was selected as the site of the negotiations in the Second Servile War 102 BC. Salvius, the "king " of the rebellious slaves, brought the Palici there as much for her has always been granted the slaves Help generous offerings;

Near the sanctuary of Sikulerführer Ducetius founded 453 BC as the center of his Sikulerreiches by transplanting the city Palike, the city was founded in 459 BC, also by him Menainon into the plane.

Swell

  • Diodorus Libraries 11.88f, 36.3.3 and 36.7.1
  • Macrobius Convivia primi diei Saturnaliorum ( " table talks at the Saturnalia festival" ) 5.19.15-31
  • Ovid Metamorphoses 5.406f
  • Servius commentarius in Vergilii Aeneida 9584
  • Strabo Geographica 6.2.9
  • Vergil 's Aeneid 9585.
Adranus Sicels Pluto (mythology) William Smith (lexicographer)
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