X RELIGION A N" D £DLCATIO\ ^63
forms did not satisfy all wants and needs. Superstition and
magic can arise in other ages from excessive formalism of cult
and the consequent starving of certain spiritual desires, which
were probably little felt in Athens at this time, What caused
the growth of the lower forms in Athens was rather men's
attitude to the gods. The fact that the gods could be brought
down to a human or 'far too human' level is certainly rooted in
the very nature of Greek religion, and there is no doubt that
this attitude contributed to the gradual undermining of the
old belief in the gods. To make fun of the gods was originally
a proof of men's love for them and of their mutual intimacy.
To tell immoral and scandalous stones about the gods did not
offend average religious feeling; it troubled only advanced
spirits like Xenophanes and Pindar in their different — in feet,
almost opposite —- ways. Stories such as that of Zeus5 father-
hood of Herakles were to some people a fact proved by
Herakles' great deeds, to others a mere tale or rumour.1 The
successes of Zeus as a lover became a favourite excuse for
adultery, but that does not prove much.2 It is quite different
with the terrible archaic story of how Zeus killed Ms father;
for this had become a problem of the general principles of
justice, and it is clear that people no longer believed either in
the story or in Zeus.s Satire and derision progressively attacked
even the fundamental and most sacred facts of faith, above all
faith in the gods* power, and it was from this that doubt began
to grow.
The power of the gods, whose dignity and strength were
impressively reflected in most of the tragedies, however
different the religious attitudes of the tragic poets were, this
same power was on the same festival days belittled and ques-
tioned by the comic poets who made fun of the gods and repre-
sented traditional and sacred forms in a startling manner.4
Much, of course, of what comedy makes of the gods is Just
good-natured fun. Stupidity, for instance, is worshipped and
receives libations/ The Agathos Daimon, the good and luck-
bringing power to whom wine was poured, can become a
pretext for the opportunity of drinking some unmixed wine,
or is replaced by the Daman of the good Pramnian wine
1 Eur. Her. 803$; 826.
« C io79ff, B 558!; Eur Hipp 474, Her ijaoff. » €.90411
4 This is expounded in sckol. P 741 s K 221.