Греки и демоны

[bouzyges]

"...One difference is striking indeed: For the Greeks these demons [Lamashtu/Gorgon] are not really demonic; they do not carry the association of some mysterium tremendum. At best they are apt to frighten little children. For Greek men Perseus has set an example of how to deal with such creatures, weapon in hand, even if an element of magic and some help from the gods is not lacking. A similar transformation can be established in still another instance, in the image of the snake strangler. This is quite an old and apparently important image in the Mesopotamian repertoire: a master of animals, a shamanistic figure, who has seized two large snakes in his hands; this type probably has an apotropaic function. The Greeks made this the first adventure of their Herakles, the heroic deed a baby performed in his cradle. In everyday life of course Herakles is the averter of evil, alexikakos, whose amulets are used for protection. But in myth, or rather in the accepted and representative form of Greek poetry, the fear of demons has been eliminated. The Greek hero is represented as trusting in his own strength, godlike even if in the shadow of death. Magical figurines are transformed into practical robots, not awe-inspiring but simply a source of wonder".

Burkert, "The Orientalizing Revolution"