nsuetudinis,
humanitatis, exempla hominibus, et civitatibus data, ac dispertita esse
dicantur. The Deity, to whom she was a substitute, was El, the Sun. He was
primarily worshipped in these temples: and I have shewn, that they were
from Achor denominated Acherontian; also temples of Ops, and Oupis, the
great serpent God. Hence it is said by Hesychius, that Acheron, and Ops,
and Helle, and [721]Gerys, and Terra, and Demeter, were the same. [Greek:
He] [722][Greek: Achero, kai Opis, kai Helle, kai Gerus, kai Ge, kai
Demeter,] [723][Greek: to auto.] Ceres was the Deity of fire: hence at
Cnidus she was called [Greek: Kura], [724]Cura, a title of the Sun. Her
Roman name Ceres, expressed by Hesychius Gerys, was by the Dorians more
properly rendered [725]Garys. It was originally a name of a city, called
[Greek: Charis]: for many of the Deities were erroneously called by the
names of the places where they were worshipped. Charis is Char-Is, the
[726]city of fire; the place where Orus and Hephastus were worshipped.
Hence as a personage she is made the wife of [727]Vulcan, on account of her
relation to fire. Her title of Damater was equally foreign to Greece; and
came from Babylonia, and the east. It may after this seem extraordinary,
that she should ever be esteemed the Goddess of corn. This notion arose in
part from the Grecians not understanding their own theology: which bad
originally, became continually more depraved, through their ignorance. The
towers of Ceres were P'urtain, or [Greek: Prutaneia]; so called from the
fires, which were perpetually there preserved. The Grecians interpreted
this [Greek: purou tameion]; and rendered, what was a temple of Orus, a
granary of corn. In consequence of this, though they did not abolish the
antient usage of the place, they made it a repository of grain, from whence
they gave largesses to the people upon any act of merit. [728][Greek: Topos
en par' Athenaiois, en hoi koinai siteseis tois demosiois euergetais
edidonto; hothen kai Prutaneion ekaleito, hoionei purotameion; puros gar ho
sitos;] In early times the corn there deposited seems to have been for the
priests and [729]diviners. But this was only a secondary use, to which
these places were adapted. They were properly sacred towers, where a
perpetual fire was preserved. Pausanias takes notice of such a one in
Arcadia. [730][Greek: Demetros, kai Kores hieron, pur de entautha kaiousi,
poioumenoi phrontida, me lathei sphisin aposbesthen.]