09

Appendix 9

As a matter of fact, Simrock already (Handbuch der Deutschen Mythologie, pp. 240f.) ventured to interpret Fengö (Amlethus’ evil uncle) as “the grinding,” and Amlethus as “the grain”; “wo selbst der Name mit Amelmehl (Greek amylon), Stärkemehl, Kraftmehl übereinstimmt.” He even thought of the possibility (although taking this thought for audacious, “gewagt”) to derive the family name of Thidrek’s clan, i.e., the name of the Amelunge, from “Amelmehl” We shan’t dwell upon the strange information given by Athenaeus (Deipnosophistai 3.1 14f.) about “Achilles, or very fine barley” (cf. Theophr. 8.4-2. Aristoph. Eq. 819: Achilles cake), or on the surname of Ningishzida, namely Zid-zi “Meal of Life” (K. Tallqvist, Akkadische Götterepitheta, p. 406; cf. Riemschneider, Augengott, p. 133), and we point only to Ras Shamra texts, where the lady Anat ground Mot. (See C. Gordon, Ugaritic Literature, p. 45.) H. L. Ginsberg (ANET, p. 140) translates I AB, col. II:

She seizes the Godly Mot

With swords she does cleave him

With fan she does winnow him

With fire she does burn him

With hand-mill she grinds him

In the field she does sow him.

Birds eat his remnants

Consuming his portions

Flitting from remnant to remnant.

An astonished footnote states: “But somehow Mot comes to life entire in col. VI, and Baal even earlier.” But there is absolutely nothing astonishing enough to shake the firm belief of experts in “chthonic” deities.