t they do not know, these I think received their
naming from the Pelasgians, except Poseidon; but about this god the
Hellenes learnt from the Libyans, for no people except the Libyans have
had the name of Poseidon from the first and have paid honour to this
god always. Nor, it may be added, have the Egyptians any custom of
worshipping heroes.

51. These observances then, and others besides these which I shall
mention, the Hellenes have adopted from the Egyptians; but to make, as
they do, the images of Hermes with the phallos they have learnt not from
the Egyptians but from the Pelasgians, the custom having been received
by the Athenians first of all the Hellenes and from these by the rest;
for just at the time when the Athenians were beginning to rank among the
Hellenes, the Pelasgians became dwellers with them in their land, and
from this very cause it was that they began to be counted as Hellenes.
Whosoever has been initiated in the mysteries of the Cabeiroi, which the
Samothrakians perform having received them from the Pelasgians, that
man knows the meaning of my speech; for these very Pelasgians who
became dwellers with the Athenians used to dwell before that time in
Samothrake, and from them the Samothrakians received their mysteries. So
then the Athenians were the first of the Hellenes who made the images
of Hermes with the phallos, having learnt from the Pelasgians; and
the Pelasgians told a sacred story about it, which is set forth in the
mysteries in Samothrake.

52. Now the Pelasgians formerly were wont to make all their sacrifices
calling upon the gods in prayer, as I know from that which I heard at
Dodona, but they gave no title or name to any of them, for they had
not yet heard any, but they called them gods ({theous}) from some such
notion as this, that they had set ({thentes}) in order all things and
so had the distribution of everything. Afterwards, when much time
had elapsed, they learnt from Egypt the names of the gods, all except
Dionysos, for his name they learnt long afterwards; and after a time
the Pelasgians consulted the Oracle at Dodona about the names, for this
prophetic seat is accounted to be the most ancient of the Oracles which
are among the Hellenes, and at that time it was the only one. So when
the Pelasgians asked the Oracle at Dodona whether they should adopt the
names which had come from the Barbarians, the Oracle in reply bade them
make use of the names. From this time they sacrifice