Upon the coast of Tyre, amid the rocks, Tuph also, in the antient language, was an hill; and Typhoeus is a masculine compound from Tuph-aia, and signifies a mound of earth. Typhon, Tupwv, was in like manner a compound of Tuph-On; and was a mount, or altar, of the same construction, and sacred to the sun. I make no doubt but both Typhon and Typhoeus were names by which the tower of Belus was of old denoted. But out of these the mythologists have formed personages; and they represent them as gigantic monsters, whom the earth produced in defiance of heaven. Hence Typhon is, by Antoninus Liberalis, described as " Fns vos &α10105 Γης ύιος εξαισιος Αρχαιη Βαβυλων Τυρια Βήλοιο πολισμα. This term Tupios has been applied to the city Tyre. But Tugios here is from 1n, Turris; and Belus Tupios signifies Belus of Babel, who erected the famous tower. This leads me to suspect, that in these verses of Nonnus there is a mistake; and that this Tithena, which the Giants built, was not in the vicinity of the city Tyre: but it was an high altar, ayxı. Tugs, near the tower of Babel, which was erected by the Titanians. Nonnus, imagining that by Tur was meant Tyre, has made the Tithena to be situate wagn wortor, by the sea; from which, I believe, it was far removed. Aaipay, the offspring of the earth, a baleful Dæmon. The tower of Babel was undoubtedly a Tuphon, or altar of the sun, though generally represented as a temple. For in those early times we do not read of any sacred edifices which can be properly called temples, but only of altars, groves, and high places. Hesiod certainly alludes to some antient history concerning the demolition of Babel, when he describes Typhon, or Typhous, as overthrown by Jove. He represents him as the youngest son of the Earth. 16 Οπλοτατον τεκε παίδα Τυφωεα 17 Γαια Πελωρα. Th' enormous Earth, Produc'd Typhoeus last of all her brood. The poet speaks of him as a deity of great strength, and immense stature; and says, that from his shoulders arose an hundred serpent heads, and that from his eyes there issued a continual blazing fire. And he adds, what is very remarkable, that had it not been for the interpo 16 Theogon. v. 821. "Typhoeus was properly Taia Пhwa, a Pelorian mound of earth; being, as I said above, a masculine from Tuphoa, which is a compound of Tuph-aia, a mound of earth. sition of the chief God, this Dæmon would have obtained an universal empire. 15 Και νυ κεν έπλετο έργον αμήχανόν ηματι κείνῳ, Αυταρ επει δε μιν δάμασε πληγησιν ἱμασσας, That day was teeming with a dire event; 18 Hesiod. supra. v. 836. Resounded with his thunder. mov'd, Heaven was And the ground trembled underneath his feet, Still with fresh vigour Jove renew'd the fight; With lightnings keen, and smouldering thunderbolts, Press'd on him sore; till by repeated wounds Typhon was the same personage as Typhoeus; and Antoninus 20 Liberalis describes him as a Giant, who was thunderstruck by Jupiter. But he fled to the sea, into which he plunged, and his deadly wounds were healed. The like has been said of Bacchus, that upon his flight he betook himself to the sea. And when Vulcan is cast down from the tower, he is supposed to fall into the same element, Juno is accordingly made to say, Ριψ' ανα χερσιν έλωσα, και εμβαλον ευρεῖ ποντῷ, I seiz'd him in my arms, And hurl'd him headlong downward to the sea, 20 Ο τυφων έκρυψεν έαυτον, και ηφάνισε την Ελογα, εν τη θαλάσση Fab. 28. Hesiod gives an account of the dispersion of the Titans, and of the feuds which preceded : and he says, that the Deity at last interposed, and put the Titans to flight, and condemned them to reside in Tartarus, at the extremities of the earth. The description is very fine; but he has confounded the history by supposing the Giants and Titans to have been different persons. He accordingly makes them oppose one another in battle; and even Cottus, Iapetus, Gyas, whom all writers mention as Titans, are by him introduced in opposition, and described as of another family. He sends them indeed to Tartarus; but supposes them to be there placed, as a guard over the Titans. His description, however, is much to the purpose ; and the first contest and dispersion is plainly alluded to. I shall therefore lay some part of it before the reader. 21 Τίτηνες δ' έτερωθεν εκαρτύναντο φάλαγγας Προφρόνεως χειρωντε, βιησθ' άλα εργον εφαίνον Φωνη δ' αμφοτέρων ίκετ' Ουρανον ασεροεντα 21 * Theogon. v. 676. |