When Alexander the Great was laying the foundations of Alexandria a
snake was slain; Alexander establishes a hero cult for it as Agathos
Daimon
“And they began to build the city of Alexandria in the middle of the
plain. First the place was given a name so as to begin from there the
building of the city. And a serpent used to come to those who were busy
working, and it frightened the workers and put a stop to the work.
Because of the serpent’s raids, Alexander came and said, “Let it be
captured by the workmen wherever it is found tomorrow.” And upon
receiving the order, they subdued and slew the beast when it came to
the place which is now called Yark. And Alexander asked that a shrine
be built for it there, and they buried the serpent in it. And he
declared that the excavation for the foundations be made nowhere else
but on that same spot, where to this day the high mountain called the
Albiwrk appears …. And when the shrine had been built for this
divinity, he set it upon the pillar. And many serpents came out of it
and slithered into the houses that were now there. For Alexander was
still there on the twenty-fifth of Tybi, building the city and that
very shrine for the serpent. Thus, when these snakes came into the
houses, the gatekeepers worship them as kindly spirits, for they are
not poisonous, like wild animals, but rather, drive out poisonous
beasts. And sacrifices are made to him as being of the family of
serpents. And they wreathed all the beasts of burden and let them rest
on that day; for, by bearing burdens, they had done their share in the
building of the splendid city. And the king ordered that grain be given
the guards. And when they had ground the grain and made bread, this was
given to the inhabitants as in time of great rejoicing. On account of
this, to this day these customs are kept among the Alexandrians on the
twenty-fifth of Tybi. They garland all beasts of burden, and offer
sacrifices to the god, and render homage to the serpents who safeguard
the home, and make a distribution of bread.” – Pseudo-Kallisthenes, Alexander Romance (Armenian version) 86-87
Agathos Daimon protected the body of Cleomenes
"After Cleomenese of Sparta had fled to Egypt and there died by his
own orders, Ptolemy, fearing an insurrection, wished to dishonour the
king's body and ordered it to be impaled and hung up. A few days after,
those who were guarding the impaled body saw a huge snake (drakonta)
wound about the head and hiding the face so that no bird of prey should
light on it. Thereupon a superstitious fear fell on the king and such a
dread that it started
the women on various purification ceremonies, inasmch as a man had
been put to death who was dear to the gods and of more than mortal
nature. The Alexandrians came thronging to the place and saluted
Cleomenes as a hero and the child of the gods, till the learned men
put a stop to it by explaining that as oxen when they putrefy breed
bees, and horses wasps, and beetles come to life from decaying asses,
so human carcasses when some of the juices about the marrow congeal
and thicken substantially give rise to serpents. And it was because
they knew this that the men of old time associated the snake more
than any other animal with heroes." - Plutarch, Life of Cleomenes 34
Wine given to Agathos Daimon
Agathou Daimonos (Of the Good Spirit): The ancients had a custom after
dinner of drinking 'of the Good Spirit', by taking an extra quaff of
unmixed wine; and they call this 'of the Good Spirit', but when they
are ready to depart, 'of Zeus the Savior'. And this is what they called
the second of the month. But there was also in Thebes a hero-shrine of
the Good Spirit. Others say that the first drinking vessel was called
this." - Suidas s.v. Agathou Daimonos
Prophecy about Agathos Daimon
"And then Agathos Daimon will abandon the city being established and
will enter Memphis, and the foreign city which will be built will be
emptied. And these things will take place at the conclusion of the
evils when the falling of the leaves occurs in the Egypt of the
foreigners. The city of the Girdle-wearers will be laid waste as in my
furnace, because of the unlawful deeds which they executed in Egypt.
The statues transferred there will return to Egypt. The city by the sea
will become a drying place for fishermen because Agathos Daimon and
Knephis will have gone to Memphis, so that some who pass through will
say: "This city, in which every race of men dwelt, was all-nourishing."
- The Potter's Oracle
Invocation of Agathos Daimon
"Rejoice with me, You who are set over the East Wind and the World, for
whom all the Gods serve as Body-Guards at Your Good Hour and on Your
Good Day, You who are the Agathos Daimon of the World, the Crown of the
Inhabited World, You who arise from the Abyss, You who Each Day rise a
Young Man and set an Old Man, HARPENKNOUPHI BRINTANTE'- NO'PHRI
BRISSKYLMAS AROURZORBOROBA MESINTRIPHI NIPTOUMI CHMOUMMAO'PHI. I beg
You, Lord, do not allow me to be Over-Thrown, to be Plotted Against, to
receive Dangerous Drugs, to go into Exile, to fall upon Hard Times.
Rather, I ask to obtain and receive from You Life, Health, Reputation,
Wealth, Influence, Strength, Success, Charm, Favor with all Men and all
Women, Victory over all Men and all Women. Yes, Lord, ABLANATHANALBA
AKRAMMACHAMARI PEPHNA PHO'ZA PHNEBENNOUNI NAACHTHIP...OUNORBA,
accomplish this Matter which I want, by means of Your Power." - PGM
36.211-30
Magical spell invoking Agathos Daimon
"Taking Sulfur and Seed
of Nile Rushes, burn as Incense to the Moon and say, "I call on You,
Lady Isis, whom Agathos Daimon permitted to rule in the entire Black
Land [i.e., Egypt]. Your name is LOU LOULOU BATHARTHAR THARE'SIBATH
ATHERNEKLE'SICH ATHERNEBOUNI E'ICHOMO' CHOMO'THI Isis Sothis, SOUE'RI,
Boubastis, EURELIBAT CHAMARI NEBOUTOS OUE'RI AIE' E'OA O'AI. Protect
me, Great and Marvelous Names of the God (add the usual [i.e., the
protection you seek]); for I am the One Established in Pelusium,
SERPHOUTH MOUISRO' STROMMO' MOLO'TH MOLONTHE'R PHON Thoth. Protect me,
Great and Marvelous Names of the Great God! (add the usual)" - PGM
7.490-504
Invocation of Agathos Daimon, lord of the winds
"I invoke
You, the Greatest God, Eternal Lord, World Ruler, who are over the
World and under the World, Mighty Ruler of the Sea, rising at Dawn,
shining from the East for the Whole World, setting in the West. Come to
me, Thou who risest from the Four Winds, benevolent and lucky Agathos
Daimon, for whom Heaven has become the Processional Way. I call upon
Your Holy and Great and Hidden Names which You rejoice to hear. The
Earth flourished when You shone forth, and the Plants became fruitful
when you laughed; the Animals begat their Young when You permitted.
Give Glory and Honor and Favor and Fortune and Power to this, NN, Stone
which I consecrate today for NN. .... I conjure Earth and Heaven and
Light and Darkness and the Great God who created All, SAROUSIN, You,
Agathon Daimonion the Helper, to accomplish for me everything done by
the Use of this Ring or Stone!" - PGM 4.1596-1715
Giant snakes brought to Alexandria
"Egyptian histories relate
that in the time of Ptolemy Philadelphos there were brought from
Aithiopia to Alexandria two live Drakones and that one of them was
fourteen cubits long, the other thirteen; and in the time of Ptolemy
Euergetes three were brought, one was nine cubits long, the second
seven, and the third snake one cubit less. And the Aigyptians assert
that they were tended with great care in the temple of Asklepios.”
–Aelian On Animals 16.39
Serpents guide Alexander’s party in the desert
"The route is desolate; most of it is sand, and waterless. Alexander,
however, had plenty of rain, and this was attributed to the divinity.
And so was the following incident. Whenever a south wind blows in that
country, it makes a great heap of sand on the route and obscures its
marks, and one cannot get one’s bearings in a sort of ocean of sand,
since there are no marks along the route, no mountain anywhere, no
tree, no solid hillocks standing up, by which the wayfarers might judge
their proper course, as sailors do from the stars; in fact Alexander’s
army went astray, and the guides were in doubt as to the route. Now
Ptolemy son of Lagos says that two serpents preceded the army giving
voice, and Alexander told his leaders to follow them and trust the
divinity; and the serpents led the way to the oracle and back again.
But Aristobulus agrees with the more common and prevalent version, that
two crows, flying in advance of the army, acted as guides to Alexander.
That some divine help was given him I can confidently assert, because
probability suggests it too; but the exact truth of the story cannot be
told; that is precluded by the way in which different writers about
Alexander have given different accounts." - Arrian Anabasis 3.3.4-6
Serpent shows Alexander how to heal Ptolemy in a dream
"But let us now treat of those dreams which term clear and definite,
such as that of the Arcadian whose friend was killed by the inn-keeper
at Megara, or that of Simonides, who was warned not to set sail by an
apparition of a man whose interment he had kindly superintended. The
history of Alexander presents us with another instance of this kind,
which I wonder you did not cite, who, after his friend Ptolemy had been
wounded in battle by a poisoned arrow, and when he appeared to be dying
of the wound, and was in great agony, fell asleep while sitting by his
bed, and in his slumber is said to have seen a vision of the serpent
which his mother Olympias cherished, bringing a root in his mouth, and
telling him that it grew in a spot very near at hand, and that it
possessed such medicinal virtue, that it would easily cure Ptolemy if
applied to his wound. On awaking, Alexander related his dream, and
messengers were sent to look for that plant, which, when it was found,
not only cured Ptolemy, but likewise several other soldiers, who during
the engagement, had been wounded by similar arrows." - Cicero On Divination II. LXVI
