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son Adonis in incestuous intercourse with his daughter Myrrha at a festival of the corn…goddess； at which women robed in white were wont to offer corn…wreaths as first…fruits of the harvest and to observe strict chastity for nine days。 Similar cases of incest with a daughter are reported of many ancient kings。 It seems unlikely that such reports are without foundation； and perhaps equally improbable that they refer to mere fortuitous outbursts of unnatural lust。 We may suspect that they are based on a practice actually observed for a definite reason in certain special circumstances。 Now in countries where the royal blood was traced through women only； and where consequently the king held office merely in virtue of his marriage with an hereditary princess； who was the real sovereign； it appears to have often happened that a prince married his own sister； the princess royal； in order to obtain with her hand the crown which otherwise would have gone to another man； perhaps to a stranger。 May not the same rule of descent have furnished a motive for incest with a daughter？ For it seems a natural corollary from such a rule that the king was bound to vacate the throne on the death of his wife； the queen； since he occupied it only by virtue of his marriage with her。 When that marriage terminated； his right to the throne terminated with it and passed at once to his daughter's husband。 Hence if the king desired to reign after his wife's death； the only way in which he could legitimately continue to do so was by marrying his daughter； and thus prolonging through her the title which had formerly been his through her mother。
Cinyras is said to have been famed for his exquisite beauty and to have been wooed by Aphrodite herself。 Thus it would appear； as scholars have already observed； that Cinyras was in a sense a duplicate of his handsome son Adonis； to whom the inflammable goddess also lost her heart。 Further； these stories of the love of Aphrodite for two members of the royal house of Paphos can hardly be dissociated from the corresponding legend told of Pygmalion； a Phoenician king of Cyprus； who is said to have fallen in love with an image of Aphrodite and taken it to his bed。 When we consider that Pygmalion was the father…in…law of Cinyras； that the son of Cinyras was Adonis； and that all three； in successive generations； are said to have been concerned in a love…intrigue with Aphrodite； we can hardly help concluding that the early Phoenician kings of Paphos； or their sons； regularly claimed to be not merely the priests of the goddess but also her lovers； in other words； that in their official capacity they personated Adonis。 At all events Adonis is said to have reigned in Cyprus； and it appears to be certain that the title of Adonis was regularly borne by the sons of all the Phoenician kings of the island。 It is true that the title strictly signified no more than lord； yet the legends which connect these Cyprian princes with the goddess of love make it probable that they claimed the divine nature as well as the human dignity of Adonis。 The story of Pygmalion points to a ceremony of a sacred marriage in which the king wedded the image of Aphrodite； or rather of Astarte。 If that was so； the tale was in a sense true； not of a single man only； but of a whole series of men； and it would be all the more likely to be told of Pygmalion； if that was a common name of Semitic kings in general； and of Cyprian kings in particular。 Pygmalion； at all events； is known as the name of the king of Tyre from whom his sister Dido fled； and a king of Citium and Idalium in Cyprus； who reigned in the time of Alexander the Great； was also called Pygmalion； or rather Pumiyathon； the Phoenician name which the Greeks corrupted into Pygmalion。 Further； it deserves to be noted that the names Pygmalion and Astarte occur together in a Punic inscription on a gold medallion which was found in a grave at Carthage； the characters of the inscription are of the earliest type。 As the custom of religious prostitution at Paphos is said to have been founded by king Cinyras and observed by his daughters； we may surmise that the kings of Paphos played the part of the divine bridegroom in a less innocent rite than the form of marriage with a statue； in fact； that at certain festivals each of them had to mate with one or more of the sacred harlots of the temple； who played Astarte to his Adonis。 If that was so； there is more truth than has commonly been supposed in the reproach cast by the Christian fathers that the Aphrodite worshipped by Cinyras was a common whore。 The fruit of their union would rank as sons and daughters of the deity； and would in time become the parents of gods and goddesses； like their fathers and mothers before them。 In this manner Paphos； and perhaps all sanctuaries of the great Asiatic goddess where sacred prostitution was practised； might be well stocked with human deities； the offspring of the divine king by his wives； concubines； and temple harlots。 Any one of these might probably succeed his father on the throne or be sacrificed in his stead whenever stress of war or other grave junctures called； as they sometimes did； for the death of a royal victim。 Such a tax； levied occasionally on the king's numerous progeny for the good of the country； would neither extinguish the divine stock nor break the father's heart； who divided his paternal affection among so many。 At all events； if； as there seems reason to believe； Semitic kings were often regarded at the same time as hereditary deities； it is easy to understand the frequency of Semitic personal names which imply that the bearers of them were the sons or daughters； the brothers or sisters； the fathers or mothers of a god； and we need not resort to the shifts employed by some scholars to evade the plain sense of the words。 This interpretation is confirmed by a parallel Egyptian usage； for in Egypt； where the kings were worshipped as divine； the queen was called the wife of the god or the mother of the god； and the title father of the god was borne not only by the king's real father but also by his father…in…law。 Similarly； perhaps； among the Semites any man who sent his daughter to swell the royal harem may have been allowed to call himself the father of the god。
If we may judge by his name； the Semitic king who bore the name of Cinyras was； like King David； a harper； for the name of Cinyras is clearly connected with the Greek cinyra； a lyre； which in its turn comes from the Semitic kinnor； a lyre； the very word applied to the instrument on which David played before Saul。 We shall probably not err in assuming that at Paphos as at Jerusalem the music of the lyre or harp was not a mere pastime designed to while away an idle hour； but formed part of the service of religion； the moving influence of its melodies being perhaps set down； like the effect of wine； to the direct inspiration of a deity。 Certainly at Jerusalem the regular clergy of the temple prophesied to the music of harps； of psalteries； and of cymbals； and it appears that the irregular clergy also； as we may call the prophets； depended on some such stimulus for inducing the ecstatic state which they took for immediate converse with the divin