Barry Cunlife - The Scythians

of gods, beliefs, and art
of the scholarly mind, there is much scope for speculation. What is offered here is a
minimalist, though hopefully coherent, analysis; other interpretations are available.
The Origin Myth
Most societies create origin myths to explain the world and to distinguish themselves
from others. But myths, by their very nature and through constant retelling, evolve
into many versions. Herodotus records two variants of the Scythian myth (Hist. iv.
4–10). The first, which he says was told by the Scythians themselves, begins when the
countryside was a desert. Into this was born Targitaos, whose mother was the daughter
of the River Borysthenes and whose father was the god Zeus. Targitaos sired three
sons, Leipoxais, Arpoxais, and Colaxais, each of whom ruled a different part of the
kingdom. One day four gold objects fell from the sky, a plough, a yoke, a battleaxe,
and a drinking cup. Each brother in turn tried to pick them up. When Leipoxais
approached, the objects burst into flames. They did so again when Arpoxais made an
attempt, but when Colaxais walked towards them the flames were extinguished and
he was able to take charge of the sacred gold. Accepting this as a sign from the gods,
the other brothers agreed that Colaxais should become high king, king of the Royal
Scythians, while they would lead different branches of the Scythian race. The story
neatly explains why, thereafter, the Scythians were ruled by three kings, one of whom
served as the prime leader.
The second myth was the one favoured by the Greeks who lived on the Black Sea
coast. It begins with Hercules leading the cows of Geryon into the desert that was
to become Scythia. One night, while he was asleep, the mares that had pulled his
chariot were stolen by the mistress of the country, a cave-dwelling creature, human
female above the waist ‘while all below was like a snake’. Asked to return the animals
she agreed, subject to Hercules sleeping with her which, needing his horses back, he
felt compelled to do. The result of the union was three sons, Agathyrsus, Gelonus,
and Scythes. When Hercules was about to depart the land, the snake-tailed female
asked what to do with the boys when they were grown to manhood. Hercules replied
that they should each be asked to string a bow and put on a girdle in the correct way,
which he described to her. When, eventually the young men were put to the test, only
the youngest son, Scythes, was able to complete the task correctly. From him were
descended the Scythian kings.
Three other versions of the origin myth are recorded. Valerius Flaccus tells a story
similar to Herodotus’ first tale in which the father of the Scythians, Colaxais, was
born of Zeus and Hera, a semi-bestial water nymph living in the springs of Tibisis.
Diodorus Siculus has a similar story of Zeus and a viper-limbed woman giving birth
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