Gylo and the Greek saints (1)

Text
The Greek Gylo derives ultimatively from Mesopotamian Gallû.

Leo Allatius, De Graecorum Hodie Quorundam Opiniationibus 126-129:
The saints of the Lord, Sisynios and Synidores, when they saw their sister crying, they wept bitterly, and they at once bent their knees and asked God to give them the power and the strength to catch the accursed Gylo. When they got this power from God they saddled their horses and began to follow Gylo and searched the road, asking whomever they met. … When the saints came to the shore of the sea they saw the accursed Gylo flying before them. When she beheld them, she changed into a fish; the saints changed into fishermen, and fished her up and caught her. Then she at once changed into swallow, and the saints into hawks, pursuing her. When she saw that she could not deceive the saints, she changed into a goat’s hair, and hid herself in the king’s beard so that they should not recognise her. The saints came to the king, and after having greeted him they said: ‘O king, we only ask one favour from your majesty, and one wish to be satisfied; if your majesty is willing to grant it, inform us quickly, so that our hearts may rejoice.’ The king replied and said to the saints: ‘Whatever you wish I will grant you, for I see that you are gentle and wise persons. The saints said to the king: “We do not ask anything in your kingdom but that goat’s hair which is in your beard; give it to us, and you will see and wonder.’ He replied: ‘Take it.’ The saints stretched out their hand and with extreme care they drew it out from his beard.

Gylo saw that she could no longer deceive the saints, and she at once changed into a woman. … The saints caught Gylo by the hair of her head, threw her on the ground, and smote her terribly, saying: ‘O accursed Gylo, an end be made with your killing of the children of Christians and of the children of the servant of the Lord.’ The accursed Gylo prayed and said: ‘O you saints of the Lord, do not beat me so cruelly and I will tell you all about it.’ The saints of the Lord, Sisynios and Synidores said: ‘Unless you promise us by an oath no more to touch the children of N., the servant of the Lord, and you return us the children our sister Melitena, whom you have killed, we will not grant you life.’ The accursed Gylo, seeing no way of escape, brought up those very children which she had killed in the tower. The saints of the Lord smiting her terribly, said: ‘An end must be made with your killing of the children of Christians, and of N. the servant of the Lord.’ Then Gylo prayed to the saints and said: ‘Leave me, O saints of the Lord, and do not beat me any longer, and I will tell you what to do, so that I, so that I shall no longer be able to enter their houses, and be kept away from them 75 miles. ‘ - ‘What shall we do then, O accursed Gylo?’ She replied: ‘If any one write down my twelve and a half names I will not enter his house nor the house of N. the servent of the Lord who keeps this prayer, nor the wife of N. nor his children, but I will keep 75 miles away from her. And the saints said: ‘Tell us then those most abominable names, before we kill you in a terrible manner.’ She said: ‘My first name is Gylo, the second Morrha, the third Byza, the fourth Marmaro, the fifth Betasia, the sixth Belagia, the seventh Bordona, the eighth Apleto, the ninth Chomodracaena, the tenth Anabardalea, the eleventh Psychoanaspastria, the twelfth Paedopnictria, the half Strigla.’

Holy Sisynios and Syniodores, help N. the servant of the Lord, his wife and their children, who hold this amulet, bind and tighten with leaden chains all earthly and airy spirits, and the accursed Gylo, so that she shall not have the power of coming near the house of N. the servant of the Lord, or his wife, or his children, either at night or at morning, either in the middle of the night, or in the middle of the day, that every unclean spirit, every earthly and airy demon and the abominable Gylo be kept 75 miles away from the house of N. the servant of the Lord, from his wife and his children.’

Source (list of abbreviations)
Leo Allatius, De Graecorum Hodie Quorundam Opiniationibus 126-129

Bibliography

Amar Annus

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