,,ancient ,,pagan ,,and ,,modern ,,christian ,,symbolism4 ,by ,thomas ,inman1 ,m4,d4 ,consulting ,physician ,to ,the ,royal ,infirmary1 ,liverpool2 ,late ,lecturer ,successively ,on ,botany1 ,medical ,jurisprudence1 ,materia ,medica ,and ,therapeutics1 ,and ,the ,principles ,and ,practice ,of ,medicine1 ,etc42 ,in ,the ,liverpool ,school ,of ,medicine2 ,author ,of ,foundation ,for ,a ,new ,theory ,and ,practice ,of ,medicine2 ,a ,treatise ,on ,myalgia2 ,on ,the ,real ,nature ,of ,inflammation1 ,atheroma ,in ,arteries1 ,the ,preservation ,of ,health1 ,the ,restoration ,of ,health1 ,ancient ,faiths ,embodied ,in ,ancient ,names1 ,second ,edition1 ,revised ,and ,enlarged1 ,,with ,,an ,,essay ,,on ,,baal ,,worship1 ,,on ,,the ,,assyrian ,,sacred ,,grove1 ,,and ,,other ,,allied ,,symbols4 ,by ,john ,newton1 ,m4,r4,c4,s4,e41 ,etc4 ,the woodcuts in the present volume originally appeared in a large work1 in two thick volumes1 entitled ,ancient ,faiths embodied in ,ancient ,names4 ,it has been suggested to me by many1 that a collection of these ,figures1 and their explanation1 are more likely to be generally examined than a very voluminous book4 ,the one is1 as it were1 an alphabet2 the other1 an essay4 ,the one opens the eyes2 the other gives them opportunities to use their vision4 ,the one teaches to read2 the other affords means for practice4 ,as the larger work endeavours to demonstrate the existence of a state of things almost unknown to the ,british public1 so it is necessary to furnish overwhelming proof that the allegations and accusations made against certain nations of antiquity1 and some doctrines of ,christianity1 are substantially true4 ,consequently1 the number of witnesses is greater than is absolutely necessary to prove the point4 #ab1 ,rodney ,street1 ,liverpool1 ,july #ahfi4 ,the demand which has sprung up for this work has induced the ,author to make it more complete than it was originally4 ,but it could not be made perfect without being expanded into a volume whose size would be incompatible with cheapness4 ,when every ,figure would supply a text for a long discourse1 a close attention is required lest a description should be developed into a dissertation4 ,in this work1 the ,author is obliged to confine himself to the explanation of symbols1 and cannot launch out into ancient and modern faiths1 except in so far as they are typified by the use of certain conventional signs4 ,a great many who peruse a book like this for the first time1 and find how strange were the ideas which for some thousands of years permeated the religious opinions of the civilised world1 might naturally consider that the ,author is a mere visionary--one who is possessed of a hobby that he rides to death4 ,such a notion is strengthened by finding that there is scarcely any subject treated of except the one which associates religion1 a matter of the highest aim to man1 with ideas of the most intensely earthly kind4 ,but a thoughtful reader will readily discern that an essay on ,symbolism must be confined to visible emblems4 ,by no fair means can an author who makes the crucifix his text introduce the subject of the ,confessional1 the ,eucharist1 or ,extreme ,unction4 ,nor can one1 who knows that ,buddha and ,jesus alike inaugurated a faith which was unmarked by visible symbolism1 bring into an interpretation of emblems a comparison between the preaching of two such distinguished men4 ,in like manner1 the ,author is obliged to pass over the difference between ,judaism1 ,christianity as propounded by the son of ,mary1 and that which passes current for ,christianity in ,rome and most countries of ,europe4 ,all these points1 and many more1 have been somewhat fully discussed in the ,author's larger work1 so often referred to in this1 and to that he must refer the curious4 ,the following pages are simply a chapter taken from a book1 complete perhaps in itself1 but only as a brick may be perfect1 without giving to an individual any idea of the size1 style1 or architecture of the house from which it has been taken4 ,if readers will regard these pages as a beam in a building1 the ,author will be content4 #h1 ,vyvyan ,terrace1 ,clifton1 ,bristol1 ,august1 #ahgd4 ,,introduction4 ,,pagan ,,and ,,christian ,,symbolism4 ,,appendix3 ,,the ,,assyrian ,,grove ,,and ,,other ,,emblems ,,introduction4 ,it may1 we think1 be taken for granted1 that nothing is1 or has ever been1 adopted into the service of ,religion1 without a definite purpose4 ,if it be supposed that a religion is built upon the foundation of a distinct revelation from the ,almighty1 as the ,hebrew is said to be1 there is a full belief that every emblem1 rite1 ceremony1 dress1 symbol1 etc41 has a special signification4 ,many earnest ,christians1 indeed1 see in ,judaic ordinances a reference to ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,i have1 for example1 heard a pious man assert that leprosy was only another word for sin2 but he was greatly staggered in this belief when ,i pointed out to him that if a person's whole body was affected he was no longer unclean 7,lev4 xiii4 #ac71 which seemed on the proposed hypothesis to demonstrate that when a sinner was as black as hell he was the equal of a saint4 ,according to such an interpreter1 the paschal lamb is a type of ,jesus1 and consequently all whom his blood sprinkles are blocks of wood1 lintels1 and side-posts 7,exod4 xii4 #bb1 #bh74 ,by the same style of metaphorical reasoning1 ,jesus was typified by the scape-goat1 and the proof is clear1 for one was driven away into the wilderness1 and the other voluntarily went there--one to be destroyed1 the other to be tempted by the devil6 ,hence we infer that there is nothing repugnant to the minds of the pious in an examination respecting the use of symbols1 and into that which is shadowed forth by them4 ,what has been done for ,judaism may be attempted for other forms of religion4 ,as the ,hebrews and ,christians believe their religion to be ,god-given1 so other nations1 having a different theology1 regard their own peculiar tenets4 ,though we may1 with that unreasoning prejudice and blind bigotry which are common to the ,briton and the ,spaniard1 and pre-eminently so to the mass of ,irish and ,scotchmen amongst ourselves1 and to the ,carlists in the peninsula1 disbelieve a heathen pretension to a divine revelation1 we cannot doubt that the symbols1 etc41 of ,paganism have a meaning1 and that it is as lawful to scrutinise the mysteries which they enfold as it is to speculate upon the ,urim and ,thummim of the ,jews4 ,yet1 even this freedom has1 by some1 been denied2 for there are a few amongst us who adhere rigidly to the precept addressed to the followers of ,moses1 viz41 ,take heed that thou enquire not after their gods1 saying1 ,how did these nations serve their gods8 7,deut4 xii4 #cj47 ,the intention of the prohibition thus enunciated is well marked in the following words1 #a which indicate that the writer believed that the adoption of heathen gods would follow inquiry respecting them4 ,it is not now-a-days feared that we may become ,mahometans if we read the ,koran1 or ,buddhists if we study the ,dhammapada2 but there are priests who fear that an inquiry into ecclesiastical matters may make their followers ,papists1 ,protestants1 ,wesleyans1 ,baptists1 ,unitarians1 or some other religion which the ,presbytery object to4 ,the dislike of inquiry ever attends those who profess a religion which is believed or known to be weak4 99 even so will ,i do likewise4 ,the philosopher of the present day1 being freed from the shackles once riveted around him by a dominant hierarchy1 may regard the precept in ,deuteronomy in another light4 ,seeing that the same symbolism is common to many forms of religion1 professed in countries widely apart both as regards time and space1 he thinks that the danger of inquiry into faiths is not the adoption of foreign1 but the relinquishment of present methods of religious belief4 ,when we see the same ideas promulgated as divine truth1 on the ancient banks of the ,ganges1 and the modern shores of the ,mediterranean1 we are constrained to admit that they have something common in their source4 ,they may be the result of celestial revelation1 or they may all alike emanate from human ingenuity4 ,as men invent new forms of religion now1 there is a presumption that others may have done so formerly4 ,as all men are essentially human1 so we may believe that their inventions will be characterised by the virtues and the failings of humanity4 ,again1 experience tells us that similarity in thought involves similarity in action4 ,two sportsmen1 seeing a hare run off from between them1 will fire at it so simultaneously that each is unaware that the other shot4 ,so a resemblance in religious belief will eventuate in the selection of analogous symbolism4 ,we search into emblems with an intention different from that with which we inquire into ordinary language4 ,the last tells us of the relationship of nations upon ,earth1 the first of the probable connections of mankind with ,heaven4 ,the devout ,christian believes that all who venerate the ,cross may hope for a happy eternity1 without ever dreaming that the sign of his faith is as ancient as ,homeric ,troy1 and was used by the ,phoenicians probably before the ,jews had any existence as a people2 whilst an equally pious ,mahometan regards the ,crescent as the passport to the realms of bliss1 without a thought that the symbol was in use long before the ,prophet of ,allah was born1 and amongst those nations which it was the ,prophet's mission to convert or to destroy4 ,letters and words mark the ordinary current of man's thought1 whilst religious symbols show the nature of his aspirations4 ,but all have this in common1 viz41 that they may be misunderstood4 ,many a ,brahmin has uttered prayers in a language to him unintelligible2 and many a ,christian uses words in his devotions of which he never seeks to know the meaning4 ,om manee pani ,om manee padme houm1 ,amen and ,ave ,maria purissima may fairly be placed in the same category4 ,in like manner1 the signification of an emblem may be unknown4 ,the antiquary finds in ,lycian coins1 and in ,aztec ruins1 figures for which he can frame no meaning2 whilst the ordinary church-goer also sees1 in his place of worship1 designs of which none can give him a rational explanation4 ,again1 we find that a language may find professed interpreters1 whose system of exposition is wholly wrong2 and the same may be said of symbols4 ,i have seen1 for example1 three distinctly different interpretations given to one ,assyrian inscription1 and have heard as many opposite explanations of a particular figure1 all of which have been incorrect4 ,in the interpretation of unknown languages and symbols1 the observer gladly allows that much may be wrong2 but this does not prevent him believing that some may be right4 ,in giving his judgment1 he will examine as closely as he can into the system adopted by each inquirer1 the amount of materials at his disposal1 and1 generally1 the acumen which has been brought to the task4 ,perhaps1 in an investigation such as we describe1 the most important ingredient is care in collation and comparison4 ,but a scholar can only collate satisfactorily when he has sufficient means1 and these demand much time and research4 ,the labour requires more time than ordinary working folk can command1 and more patience than those who have leisure are generally disposed to give4 ,unquestionably1 we have as yet had few attempts in ,england to classify and explain ancient and modern symbols4 ,it is perhaps not strictly true that there has been so much a laxity in the research1 of which we here speak1 as a dread of making public the results of inquiry4 ,investigators1 as a rule1 have a respect for their own prejudices1 and dislike to make known to others a knowledge which has brought pain to their own minds4 ,like the ,brahmin of the story1 they will destroy a fine microscope rather than permit their co-religionists to know that they drink living creatures in their water1 or eat mites in their fruit4 ,the motto of such people is1 ,if truth is disagreeable1 cling to error4 ,the following attempts to explain much of ancient and modern symbolism can only be regarded as tentative4 ,the various devices contained herein seem to me to support the views which ,i have been led to form from other sources1 by a careful inquiry into the signification of ancient names1 and the examination of ancient faiths4 ,the figures were originally intended as corroborative of evidence drawn from numerous ancient and modern writings2 and the idea of collecting them1 and1 as it were1 making them speak for themselves1 has been an after-thought4 ,in the following pages ,i have simply reprinted the figures1 etc41 which appear in ,ancient ,faiths embodied in ,ancient ,names 7second edition74 ,i make no attempt to exhaust the subject4 ,there are hundreds of emblems which find herein no place2 and there are explanations of symbols current to which ,i make no reference1 for they are simply exoteric4 ,for the benefit of many of my readers1 ,i must explain the meaning of the last word italicised4 ,in most1 if not in all1 forms of religion1 there are tenets not generally imparted to the vulgar1 and only given to a select few under the seal of secrecy4 ,a similar reticence exists in common life4 ,there are secrets kept from children1 for example1 that are commonly known to all parents2 there are arcana1 familiar to doctors1 of which patients have no idea4 ,for example1 when a lad innocently asks the family surgeon1 or his parent1 where the last new baby came from1 he is put off with a reply1 wide of the mark1 yet sufficient for him4 ,when ,i put such a question to the maids in the kitchen1 to which place for a time ,i was relegated1 the first answer was that the baby came from the parsley bed4 ,on hearing this1 ,i went into the garden1 and1 finding the bed had been unmoved1 came back and reproached my informant for falsehood4 ,another then took up the word1 and said it was the carrot bed which the baby came from4 ,as a roar of laughter followed this remark1 ,i felt that ,i was being cheated1 and asked no more questions4 ,then ,i could not1 now ,i can1 understand the esoteric sense of the sayings4 ,they had to the servants two distinct significations4 ,the only one which ,i could then comprehend was exoteric2 that which was known to my elders was the esoteric meaning4 ,in what is called religion there has been a similar distinction4 ,we see this1 not only in the mysteries of ,greece and ,rome1 but amongst the ,jews2 ,esdras stating the following as a command from ,god1 ,some things shalt thou publish1 and some things shalt thou show secretly to the wise 7#b ,esdras xv4 #bf74 ,when there exist two distinct explanations1 or statements1 about the signification of an emblem1 the one esoteric1 true1 and known only to the few1 the other exoteric1 incorrect1 and known to the many1 it is clear that a time may come when the first may be lost1 and the last alone remain4 ,as an illustration1 we can point to the original and correct pronunciation of the word --,hebrew--1 commonly pronounced ,jehovah4 ,known only to a select few1 it became lost when these died without imparting it2 yet what is considered to be the incorrect method of pronouncing the word survives until to-day499 99 ,it is supposed by some that ,jahveh is the proper pronunciation of this word1 but as the first letter may represent1 ja1 ya1 or e1 and the third u1 v1 or o1 whilst the second and fourth are the soft h1 one may read the word ,jhuh1 analogous to the ,ju in ,jupiter2 ,jehu1 the name of a king of ,israel2 ,tahu as it is read on ,assyrian inscriptions2 ,jeho1 as in ,jehoshaphat2 ,ehoh1 analogous to the ,evoe or ,ewe associated with ,bacchus2 and ,jaho1 analogous to the ,j4 ,a4 ,o4 of the ,gnostics4 ,the ,greek ,fathers give the word as if equivalent to yave1 yaoh1 yeho1 and too4 ,but the question is not how the word may be pronounced1 but how it was expressed in sound when used in religion by the ,hebrew and other ,semitic nations1 amongst whom it was a sacred secret1 or ineffable name1 not lightly to be taken in vain4------ ,we may fairly assume that1 when two such meanings exist1 they are not identical1 and that the one most commonly received is not the correct one4 ,but when one alone is known to exist1 it becomes a question whether another should be sought4 ,if1 it may be asked1 the common people are contented with a fable1 believing it true1 why seek to enlighten them upon its hidden meaning8 ,to show the bearing of this subject1 let us notice what has always struck me as remarkable4 ,the second commandment declares to the ,jews1 ,thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image1 or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above1 or that is in the earth beneath1 or that is in the water under the earth2 thou shalt not bow down thyself to them1 etc4 7,exod4 xx4 #d74 ,yet we find1 in ,numbers xxi41 that ,jehovah ordered ,moses to frame a brazen serpent1 whose power was so miraculous that those who only looked at it were cured of the evils inflicted by thanatoid snakes4 ,then again1 in the temple of the ,god who is reported to have thus spoken1 and who is also said to have declared that ,he would dwell in the house that ,solomon made for ,him1 an ark1 or box1 was worshipped1 and over it ,cherubim were seen4 ,these were likenesses of something1 and the first was worshipped4 ,we find it described as being so sacred that death once followed a profane touching of it 7#b ,sam4 vi4 #f1 #g71 and no fewer than #ej1jgj people were done to death at ,bethshemesh because somebody had ventured to look inside the box1 and had tried to search into the mystery contained therein 7#a ,sam4 vi4 #ai74 ,it is curious that the ,philistines1 who must have touched the box to put their strange offerings beside it 7see #a ,sam4 vi4 #h71 were not particularly bothered4 ,they were profane2 and priests only invent stories1 which are applicable to the arcana which they use in worship1 to blind the eyes of and give a holy horror to the people whom they govern4 ,how ,david worshipped the ark as being the representative of ,god we see in #b ,sam4 vi4 #ad1 #af1 #ag1 #ba4 ,the ark of the covenant was indeed regarded by the ,jews much as a saint's toe-nail1 a crucifix1 an image of the ,virgin1 a bit of wood1 or a rusty old nail is by the ,roman ,catholics4 ,so flagrant an apparent breach of the second commandment was covered for the common ,hebrews by the assertion that the mysterious box was a token of ,god's covenant with ,his people2 but that this statement was exoteric1 we feel sure1 when we find a similar ark existing and used in the mysteries of ,egypt and ,greece1 amongst people who probably never heard of ,jews1 and could by no chance know what passed in the ,hebrew temple4 ,when become dissatisfied with a statement1 which is evidently intended to be a blind1 some individuals naturally endeavour to ascertain what is behind the curtain4 ,in this they resemble the brave boy1 who rushes upon a sheet and turnip lantern1 which has imposed upon his companions and passed for a ghost4 ,what is a bugbear to the many is often a contemptible reptile to the few4 ,yet there are a great number who would rather run from a phantom night after night than grapple with it once1 and would dissuade others from being bold enough to encounter it4 ,nevertheless1 even the former rejoice when the cheat is exposed4 ,as when1 by some courageous hand1 that which has been mistaken by hundreds for a spectre has been demonstrated to be a crafty man1 no one would endeavour to demonstrate the reality of ghosts by referring to the many scores of men of all ranks who had been duped by the apparition thus detected2 so1 in like manner1 when the falsehood of an exoteric story is exhibited1 it is no argument in its favour that the vulgar in thousands and many a wise man have believed it4 ,speaking metaphorically1 we have many such ghosts amongst ourselves2 phantoms1 which pass for powerful giants1 but are in reality perfect shams4 ,such we may describe by comparing them to the apocryphal vampires4 ,it is to me a melancholy thing to contemplate the manner in which mankind have1 in every age and nation1 made for themselves bugbears1 and then have felt fear at them4 ,we deride the ,african1 who manufactures a ,fetish1 and then trembles at its power1 but the learned know perfectly well that men made the devil1 whom the pious fear1 just as a negro dreads ,mumbo ,jumbo4 ,in the fictitious narratives which passed for truth in the dark ages of ,christianity1 there were accounts of individuals who died and were buried1 and who1 after a brief repose in the tomb1 rose again4 ,some imagined that the resuscitated being was the identical one who had been interred4 ,others believed that some evil spirit had appropriated the body1 and restored to it apparent vitality4 ,whatever the fiction was1 the statement remained unchallenged1 that some dead folk returned to earth1 having the same guise as when they quitted it4 ,we believe that a similar occurrence has taken place in religion4 ,heathendom died1 and was buried2 yet1 after a brief interval1 it rose again from its tomb4 ,but1 unlike the vampire1 its garb was changed1 and it was not recognised4 ,it moved through ,christendom in a seductive dress4 ,if it were a devil1 yet its clothing was that of a sheep2 if a wolf1 it wore broadcloth4 ,if it ravened1 the victims were not pitied4 ,heathenism1 by which ,i mean the manners1 morals and rites prevalent in pagan times or countries1 like a resuscitated vampire1 once bore rule throughout ,christendom1 in which term is included all those parts where ,christian baptism is used by all the people1 or the vast majority4 ,in most parts it still reigns supreme4 ,when vampires were discovered by the acumen of any observer1 they were1 we are told1 ignominiously killed1 by a stake being driven through the body2 but experience showed them to have such tenacity of life that they rose again1 and again1 notwithstanding renewed impalement1 and were not ultimately laid to rest till wholly burnt4 ,in like manner1 the regenerated ,heathendom1 which dominates over the followers of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 has risen again and again1 after being transfixed4 ,still cherished by the many1 it is denounced by the few4 ,amongst other accusers1 ,i raise my voice against the ,paganism which exists so extensively in ecclesiastical ,christianity1 and will do my utmost to expose the imposture4 ,in a vampire story1 told in ,thalaba1 by ,southey1 the resuscitated being takes the form of a dearly beloved maiden1 and the hero is obliged to kill her with his own hand4 ,he does so2 but1 whilst he strikes the form of the loved one1 he feels sure that he slays only a demon4 ,in like manner1 when ,i endeavour to destroy the current ,heathenism1 which has assumed the garb of ,christianity1 ,i do not attack real religion4 ,few would accuse a workman of malignancy who cleanses from filth the surface of a noble statue4 ,there may be some who are too nice to touch a nasty subject2 yet even they will rejoice when some one else removes the dirt4 ,such a scavenger is much wanted4 ,if ,i were to assert1 as a general proposition1 that religion does not require any symbolism1 ,i should probably win assent from every true ,scotch ,presbyterian1 every ,wesleyan1 and every ,independent4 ,yet ,i should be opposed by every ,papist1 and by most ,anglican ,churchmen4 ,but why8 ,is it not because their ecclesiastics have adopted symbolism into their churches and into their ritual8 ,they have broken the second commandment of ,jehovah1 and refuse to see anything wrong in their practice or gross in their imagery4 ,but they adopt ,jehovah rather than ,elohim1 and break the commandments1 said to be given upon ,sinai1 in good company4 ,the reader of the following pages will probably feel more interest therein if he has some clue whereby he may guide himself through their labyrinth4 ,from the earliest known times there seems to have been in every civilised nation the idea of an unseen power4 ,in the speculations of thoughtful minds a necessity is recognised for the existence of a ,being who made all things--who is at times beneficent1 sending rain and warmth1 and who at others sends storm1 plague1 famine1 and war4 ,after the crude idea has taken possession of the thoughts1 there has been a desire to know something more of this ,creator1 and an examination into the works of ,nature has been made with the view to ascertain the will and designs of the ,supreme4 ,in every country this great ,one has been supposed to inhabit the heaven above us1 and consequently all celestial phenomena have been noticed carefully4 ,but the mind soon got weary of contemplating about an essence1 and1 contenting itself with the belief that there was a ,power1 began to investigate the nature of ,his ministers4 ,these1 amongst the ,aryans1 were the sun1 fire1 storm1 wind1 the sky1 the day1 night1 etc4 ,an intoxicating drink1 too1 was regarded as an emanation from the ,supreme4 ,with this form of belief men lived as they had done ere it existed1 and in their relations with each other may be compared to such high class animals as elephants4 ,men can live peaceably together without religion1 just as do the bisons1 buffaloes1 antelopes1 and even wolves4 ,the assumption that some form of faith is absolutely a necessity for man is only founded on the fancies of some religious fanatics who know little of the world499 99 ,whilst these sheets were passing through the press1 there appeared a work1 published anonymously1 but reported to be by one of the most esteemed theologians who ever sat upon an episcopal bench4 ,it is entitled ,supernatural ,religion4 ,london3 ,longmans1 #ahgd4 ,from it we quote the following1 vol4 ii41 p4 #dhi3-- ,we gain infinitely more than we lose in abandoning belief in the reality of ,divine ,revelation4 ,whilst we retain pure and unimpaired the treasure of ,christian ,morality1 we relinquish nothing but the debasing elements added to it by human superstition4 ,we are no longer bound to believe a theology which outrages reason and moral sense4 ,we are freed from base anthropomorphic views of ,god and ,his government of the universe2 and from ,jewish ,mythology we rise to higher conceptions of an infinitely wise and beneficent ,being1 hidden from our finite minds1 it is true1 in the impenetrable glory of ,divinity1 but whose ,laws of wondrous comprehensiveness and perfection we ever perceive in operation around us4 ,we are no longer disturbed by visions of fitful interference with the order of ,nature1 but we recognise that the ,being who regulates the universe is without variableness or shadow of turning4 ,it is singular how little there is in the supposed ,revelation of alleged information1 however incredible1 regarding that which is beyond the limits of human thought1 but that little is of a character which reason declares to be the wildest delusion4 ,let no man whose belief in the reality of a ,divine ,revelation may be destroyed by such an inquiry complain that he has lost a precious possession1 and that nothing is left but a blank4 ,the ,revelation not being a reality1 that which he has lost was but an illusion1 and that which is left is the ,truth4 ,if he be content with illusions1 he will speedily be consoled2 if he be a lover only of truth1 instead of a blank1 he will recognise that the reality before him is full of great peace4 ,if we know less than we have supposed of man's destiny1 we may at least rejoice that we are no longer compelled to believe that which is unworthy4 ,the limits of thought once attained1 we may well be unmoved in the assurance that all that we do know of the regulation of the universe being so perfect and wise1 all that we do not know must be equally so4 ,here enters the true and noble ,faith--which is the child of reason4 ,if we have believed a system1 the details of which must at one time or another have shocked the mind of every intelligent man1 and believed it simply because it was supposed to be revealed1 we may equally believe in the wisdom and goodness of what is not revealed4 ,the mere act of communication to us is nothing3 ,faith in the perfect ordering of all things is independent of ,revelation4 ,the argument so often employed by ,theologians that ,divine ,revelation is necessary for man1 and that certain views contained in that ,revelation are required by our moral consciousness1 is purely imaginary1 and derived from the ,revelation which it seeks to maintain4 ,the only thing absolutely necessary for man is ,truth and to that1 and that alone1 must our moral consciousness adapt itself4 ,but as there is variety in the workings of the human mind1 so there were differences in the way wherein the religious idea was carried out4 ,some regarded the sun and moon1 the constellations and the planets1 as ministers of the unseen ,one1 and1 reasoning from what was known to what was unknown1 argued thus3 ,throughout nature there seems to be a dualism4 ,in the sky there are a sun and moon2 there are also sun and earth1 earth and sea4 ,in every set of animals there are males and females4 ,an inquiry into the influence of the sun brought out the facts that by themselves its beams were destructive2 they were only beneficent when the earth was moist with rain4 ,as the rain from heaven1 then1 caused things on earth to grow1 it was natural that the main source of light and heat should be regarded as a male1 and the earth as a female4 ,as a male1 the sun was supposed to have the emblems of virility1 and a spouse whom he impregnated1 and who thereby became fertile4 ,in examining ancient ,jewish1 ,phoenician1 and other ,shemitic cognomens1 ,i found that they consisted of a divine name and some attribute of the deity1 and that the last was generally referable equally to the ,supreme1 to the ,sun1 as a god1 and to the masculine emblem4 ,if the deity was a female1 the name of her votary contained a reference to the moon and the beauties or functions of women4 ,the higher ideas of the ,creator were held only by a few1 the many adopted a lower and more debased view4 ,in this manner the sun became a chief god and the moon his partner1 and the former being supposed to be male and the latter female1 both became associated with the ideas which all have of terrestrial animals4 ,consequently the solar deity was associated in symbolism with masculine and the moon with feminine emblems4 ,an inquiry into antiquity1 as represented by ,babylonians1 ,assyrians1 ,egyptians1 ,phoenicians1 ,hebrews1 ,greeks1 ,etruscans1 ,romans1 and others1 and into modern faiths still current1 as represented in the peninsula of ,india1 in the ,lebanon1 and elsewhere1 shows that ideas of sex have been very generally associated with that of creation4 ,god has been described as a king1 or as a queen1 or as both united4 ,as monarch1 he is supposed to be man1 or woman1 or both4 ,as man differs from woman in certain peculiarities1 these very means of distinction have been incorporated into the worship of god and goddess4 ,rival sects have been ranged in ancient times under the symbol of the ,t and the ,o as in later times they are under the cross and the crescent4 ,the worship of ,god the ,father has repeatedly clashed with that of ,god the ,mother1 and the votaries of each respectively have worn badges characteristic of the sex of their deity4 ,an illustration of this is to be seen amongst ourselves2 one sect of ,christians adoring chiefly the ,trinity1 another reverencing the ,virgin4 ,there is a well-known picture1 indeed1 of ,mary worshipping her infant2 and to the former is given the title ,mater ,creatoris1 the mother of the ,creator4 ,our sexual sections are as well marked as those in ancient ,jerusalem1 which swore by ,jehovah and ,ashtoreth respectively4 ,the idea of sexuality in religion is quite compatible with a ritual and practice of an elaborate character1 and a depth of piety which prefers starvation to impurity1 or1 as the ,bible has it1 to uncleanness4 ,to eat with the blood was amongst the ,hebrews a crime worthy of death2 to eat with unwashed hands was a dreadful offence in the eyes of the ,pharisees of ,jerusalem2 and in the recent famine in ,bengal1 we have seen that individuals would rather die of absolute hunger1 and allow their children to perish too1 than eat bread or rice which may have been touched by profane hands1 or drink milk that had been expressed by ,british milkmaids from cows' udders4 ,yet these same ,hindoos1 the very particular sect of the ,brahmins1 have amongst themselves a form of worship which to our ideas is incompatible with real religion4 ,the folks referred to adore the ,creator1 and respect their ceremonial law even more deeply1 than did the ,hebrews after the time of the ,babylonish captivity2 but they have a secret cult in which--and in the most1 matter-of-fact way--they pay a very practical homage to one or other of the parts which is thought by the worshipper to be a mundane emblem of the ,creator4 ,the curious will find in ,essays on the ,religion of the ,hindus1 by ,h4 ,h4 ,wilson1 in the ,dabistan1 translated by ,shea and ,troyer 7,allen and ,co41 ,london71 #c vols41 #hvo41 and in ,memoirs of the ,anthropological ,society of ,london 7,truebner and ,co471 vols4 #a and #b1 much information on the method of conducting the worship referred to4 ,the first named author thinks it advisable to leave the ,brahminic rubric for the ,sakti ,sodhana1 for the most part under the veil of the original ,sanscrit1 and ,i am not disposed wholly to withdraw it4 ,but ,christians are not pure2 some of my readers may have seen a work written by an ,italian lady of high birth1 who was in early life forced into a nunnery1 and who left it as soon as she had a chance4 ,in her account she tells us how the women in the monastery were seduced by reverend ,fathers1 who were at one time the instruments of vice1 at another the guides to penitence4 ,their practice was to instruct their victims that whatever was said or done must be accompanied by a pious sentence4 ,thus1 ,i love you dearly was a profane expression2 but ,i desire your company in the name of ,jesus1 and ,i embrace in you the ,holy ,virgin1 were orthodox4 ,in like manner1 the ,hindus have prayers prescribed for their use1 when the parts are to be purified prior to proceeding to extremities1 when they are introduced to each other1 in the agitation which follows1 and when the ceremony is completed4 ,everything is done1 as ,ritualists would say1 decently and in order2 and a pious orgie1 sanctified by prayers1 cannot be worse than the penance ordained by some confessors to those faithful damsels whose minds are plastic enough to believe that a priest is an embodiment of the ,holy ,ghost1 and that they become assimilated to the ,blessed ,virgin when they are overshadowed by the power of the ,highest 7,luke i4 #he74 ,there being1 then1 in religion a strong sensual element1 ingenuity has been exercised to a wonderful extent in the contrivance of designs1 nearly or remotely significant of this idea1 or rather union of the conceptions to which we have referred4 ,jupiter is a ,proteus in form2 now a man1 now a bull1 now a swan1 now an androgyne4 ,juno1 or her equivalent1 is sometimes a woman1 occasionally a lioness1 and at times a cow4 ,all conceivable attributes of man and woman were symbolised2 and gods were called by the names of power1 love1 anger1 desire1 revenge1 fortune1 etc4 ,everything in creation that resembled in any way the presumed ,creator1 whether in name1 in character1 or in shape1 was supposed to represent the deity4 ,hence a palm tree was a religious emblem1 because it is long1 erect1 and round2 an oak1 for it is hard and firm2 a fig-tree1 because its leaves resemble the male triad4 ,the ivy was sacred from a similar cause4 ,a myrtle was also a type1 but of the female1 because its leaf is a close representation of the vesica piscis4 ,everything1 indeed1 which in any way resembles the characteristic organs of man and woman1 became symbolic of the one or the other deity1 ,jupiter or ,juno1 ,jehovah or ,astarte1 the ,father or the ,virgin4 ,sometimes1 but very rarely1 the parts in question were depicted au naturel1 and the means by which creation is effected became the mundane emblem of the ,almighty2 and two huge phalli were seen before a temple1 as we now see towers or spires before our churches1 and minarets before mosques4 7,lucian1 ,dea ,syria47 ,generally1 however1 it was considered the most correct plan to represent the organs by some conventional form1 understood by the initiated1 but not by the unlearned4 ,whatever was upright1 and longer than broad1 became symbolic of the father2 whilst that which was hollow1 cavernous1 oval1 or circular1 symbolised the mother4 ,a sword1 spear1 arrow1 dart1 battering ram1 spade1 ship's prow1 anything indeed intended to pierce into something else was emblematic of the male2 whilst the female was symbolised as a door1 a hole1 a sheath1 a target1 a shield1 a field1 anything indeed which was to be entered4 ,the ,hebrew names sufficiently indicate the plan upon which the sexes were distinguished2 the one is a zachar1 a perforator or digger1 and the other nekebah1 a hole or trench1 i1 e4 male and female4 ,these symbols were not necessarily those of religious belief4 ,they might indicate war1 heroism1 prowess1 royalty1 command1 etc41 or be nothing more than they really were4 ,they only symbolised the ,creator when they were adopted into religion4 ,again1 there was a still farther refinement2 and advantage was taken of the fact1 that one symbol was tripliform1 the other single2 one of one shape1 and the other different4 ,consequently1 a triangle1 or three things1 arranged so that one should stand above the two1 became emblematic of the ,father1 whilst an unit symbolised the ,mother4 ,these last three sentences deserve close attention1 for some individuals have1 in somewhat of a senseless fashion1 objected1 that a person who can see in a tortoise an emblem of the male1 and in a horse-shoe an effigy of the female organ1 must be quite too fantastical to deserve notice4 ,but to me1 as to other inquirers1 these things are simply what they appear to be when they are seen in common life4 ,yet when the former creature occupies a large space in mythology2 when the ,hindoo places it as the being upon which the world stands1 and the ,greeks represent one ,venus as resting upon a tortoise and another on a goat2 and when one knows that in days gone by1 in which people were less refined1 the --,greek-- was displayed where the horse-shoe is now1 and that some curiously mysterious attributes were assigned to the part in question2 we cannot refuse to see the thing signified in the sign4 ,again1 inasmuch as what we may call the most prominent part of the tripliform organ was naturally changeable in character1 being at one time soft1 small1 and pendent1 and at another hard1 large1 and upright1 those animals that resembled it in these respects became symbolical4 ,two serpents1 therefore1 one ,indian1 and the other ,egyptian1 both of which are able to distend their heads and necks1 and to raise them up erect1 were emblematic1 and each in its respective country typified the father1 the great ,creator4 ,in like manner1 another portion of the triad was regarded as similar in shape and size to the common hen's egg4 ,as the celebrated physiologist1 ,haller1 remarked1 ,omne vivum ex ovo every living thing comes from an egg2 so more ancient biologists recognised that the dual part of the tripliform organ was as essential to the creation of a new being as the central pillar4 ,hence an egg and a serpent became a characteristic of the ,father1 ,el1 ,ab1 ,ach1 ,baal1 ,asher1 ,melech1 ,adonai1 ,jahu1 etc4 ,when to this was added a half moon1 as in certain ,tyrian coins1 the trinity and unity were symbolised1 and a faith expressed like the one held in modern ,rome1 that the mother of creation is co-equal with the father2 the one seduces by her charms1 and the other makes them fructify4 ,to the ,englishman1 who1 as a rule1 avoids talking upon the subject which forms the basis of many an ancient religion1 it may seem incredible that any individual1 or set of writers1 could have exercised their ingenuity in finding circumlocutory euphemisms for things which1 though natural1 are rarely named4 ,yet the wonder ceases when we find1 in the writings of our lively neighbours1 the ,french1 a host of words intended to describe the parts referred to1 which correspond wholly with the pictorial emblems adopted by the ,greeks and others4 ,as ,english writers have1 as a rule1 systematically avoided making any distinct reference to the sexual ideas embodied in ancient ,paganism1 so they have1 by their silence1 encouraged the formation of a school of theology which has no solid foundation1 except a very animal one4 ,as each individual finds out this for himself1 it becomes a question with him how far the information shall be imparted to others4 ,so rarely has the determination to accuse the vampire been taken1 that we can point to very few ,english books to which to refer our readers4 ,we do not know one such that is easily accessible2 ,k4 ,payne ,knight's work1 and the addition thereto1 having been privately printed1 is not often to be found in the market4 ,to give a list of the foreign works which the author has consulted1 prior to and during the composition of his book on ,ancient ,faiths1 would be almost equivalent to giving a catalogue of part of his library4 ,he may1 however1 indicate the name of one work which is unusually valuable for reference1 viz41 ,histoire abregee des ,differens ,cultes1 par ,j4 ,a4 ,dulaure1 #b vols41 small #hvo41 ,paris1 #ahbe4 ,though out of print1 copies can generally be procured through second-hand booksellers4 ,another work1 ',recherches sur les ,mysteres de ,paganisme1 by ,st4 ,croix1 is equally valuable1 but it is very difficult to procure a copy4 ,the ancient ,jews formed no exception to the general law of reverence for the male emblem of the ,creator2 and though we would1 from their pretensions to be the chosen people of ,god1 gladly find them exempt from what we consider to be impurities1 we are constrained to believe that1 even in the worship of ,jehovah1 more respect was given to the symbol than we1 living in modern times1 think that it deserves4 ,in their ,scriptures we read of ,noah1 whose infirm temper seems to have been on a par with his weakness for wine1 cursing one of his three sons because1 whilst drunk1 he had negligently exposed his person1 and the young man had thought the sight an amusing one4 ,ham had no reverence for the symbol of the ,creator1 but ,shem and ,japhet had1 and covered it with a veil as respectfully as if it had been the ineffable framer of the world 7,gen4 ix4 #ba-bg74 ,as our feelings of propriety induce us to think that the father was a far greater sinner than the son1 we rejoice to know that the causeless curse never fell1 and that ,ham1 in the lands of ,canaan1 ,assyria1 and ,babylonia1 and subsequently in ,carthaginian ,spain1 were the masters of those ,hebrews1 whose main force1 in old times1 lay in impotent scoldings1 such1 as ,shakespeare puts into the mouth of ,caliban4 ,one of the best proofs of the strong sexual element which existed in the religion of the ,jews is the fact that ,elohim1 one of the names of the ,creator amongst the ,hebrews1 is represented1 ,gen4 xvii4 #aj-ad1 as making circumcision a sign of his covenant with the seed of ,abraham2 and in order to ascertain whether a man was to be regarded as being in the covenant1 ,god is supposed to have looked at the state of the virile organ1 or--as the ,scripture has it--of the hill of the foreskin4 ,we find1 indeed1 that ,jehovah was quite as particular1 and examined a male quite as closely as ,elohim3 for when ,moses and ,zipporah were on their way from ,midian to ,egypt1 ,exod4 iv4 #bd1 ,jehovah having looked at the trinity of ,moses' son1 and having found it as perfect as when the lad was born1 sought to slay him1 and would have done so unless the mother had mutilated the organ according to the sacred pattern4 ,again1 we find in ,josh4 v4 #b1 and in the following verses1 that ,jehovah insisted upon all the ,hebrew males having their virile member in the covenant condition ere they went to attack the ,canaanites4 ,we cannot suppose that any scribe could dwell so much as almost every scriptural writer does upon the subject of circumcision1 had not the masculine emblem been held in religious veneration amongst the ,jewish nation4 ,but the ,david who leaped and danced1 obscenely as we should say1 before the ark--an emblem of the female creator--who purchased his wife from her royal father by mutilating a hundred ,philistines1 and presenting the foreskins which he had cut off therefrom in full tale to the king 7#a ,sam4 xviii4 #bg1 #b ,sam4 iii4 #ad71 who was once the captain of a monarch who thought it a shame beyond endurance to be abused1 tortured1 or slain by men whose persons were in a natural condition 7#a ,sam4 xxxi4 #d71 and who imagined that he1 although a stripling1 could conquer a giant1 because the one had a sanctified and the other a natural member--is the man whom we know as the author of ,psalms with which ,christians still refresh their minds and comfort their souls4 ,the king who1 even in his old age1 was supposed to think so much of women that his courtiers sought a lovely damsel as a comfort for his dying bed1 is believed to have been the author of the noble nineteenth ,psalm1 and a number of others full of holy aspirations4 ,it is clear1 then1 that sexual ideas on religion are not incompatible with a desire to be holy4 ,the two were co-existent in ,palestine2 they are equally so in ,bengal4 ,we next find that ,abraham1 the cherished man of ,god1 the honoured patriarch of the ,jews1 makes his servant lay his hand upon the master's member1 whilst he takes an oath to do his bidding1 precisely like a more modern ,palestinian might do2 and ,jacob does the same with ,joseph4 ,see ,gen4 xxiv4 #h1 and xlvii4 #bi4 ,as it is not generally known that the expression1 under my thigh1 is a euphemism for the words1 upon the symbol of the ,creator1 ,i may point to two or three other passages in which the thigh 7translated in the authorised version loins7 is used periphrastically3 ,genesis xxxv4 #b1 xlvi4 #bf2 ,exod4 i4 #e4 ,see ,ginsburg1 in ,kitto's ,biblical ,cyclopadia1 vol4 #h1 p4 #hdh1 #h4 v4 ,oath4 ,i have on two occasions read1 although ,i failed to make a note of it1 that an ,arab1 during the ,franco-,egyptian war1 when accused by ,general ,kleber of treachery1 not only vehemently denied it1 but when he saw himself still distrusted1 he uncovered himself before the whole military staff1 and swore upon his trinity that he was guiltless4 ,in the ,lebanon1 once in each year1 every female considers it her duty to salute with her lips the reverenced organ of the ,old ,sheik4 ,again we learn1 from ,deut4 xxiii4 #a1 that any unsanctified mutilation of this part positively entailed expulsion from the congregation of the ,lord4 ,even a priest of the house of ,aaron could not minister1 as such1 if his masculinity had been in any way impaired 7,lev4 xxi4 #bj72 and report says that1 in our ,christian times1 ,popes have to be privately perfect2 see also ,deut4 xxv4 #aa1 #ab4 ,moreover1 the inquirer finds that the ,jewish ,scriptures teem with promises of abundant offspring to those who were the favourites of ,jehovah2 and ,solomon1 the most glorious of their monarchs1 is described as if he were a ,hercules amongst the daughters of ,thespius4 ,nothing can indicate the licentiousness of the inhabitants of ,jerusalem more clearly than the writings of ,ezekiel499 ,if1 then1 in ,hebrew law and practice1 we find such a strong infusion of the sexual element1 we cannot be surprised if it should be found elsewhere1 and gradually influence ,christianity4 99 ,see ,ezekiel xxii4 #a-cj1 and compare ,jerem4 v4 #g1 #h4 ,we must next notice the fact1 that what we call impurity in religious tenets does not necessarily involve indecency in practice4 ,the ancient ,romans1 in the time of the early kings1 seem to have been as proper as early ,christian maidens4 ,it is true that1 in the declining days of the empire1 exhibitions that called forth the fierce denunciations of the fathers of the ,church took place2 but we find very similar occurrences in modern ,christian capitals4 ,in ,spartan days1 chastity and honesty were not virtues1 but drunkenness was a vice4 ,in ,christian ,england1 drunkenness is general1 and we cannot pride ourselves upon universal honesty and chastity4 ,it is not the national belief1 but the national practice1 which evidences a people's worth4 ,spain and ,ireland1 called respectively ,catholic and the land of saints1 cannot boast of equality with infidel ,france and free-thinking ,prussia4 ,england will be as earnest1 as upright1 and as civilised1 when she has abandoned the heathen elements in her religion1 as when she hugs them as if necessary to her spiritual welfare4 ,attachment to the good parts of religion is wholly distinct from a close embrace of the bad ones2 and we believe he deserves best of his country who endeavours to remove every possible source of discord4 ,none can doubt the value of the order1 ,do to others as you would wish others to do to you4 ,if all unite to carry this out1 small differences of opinion may at once be sunk4 ,how worthless are many of the dogmas that people now fight about1 the following pages will show4 ,in our larger work we have endeavoured to show that there may be a deep sense of religion1 a feeling of personal responsibility1 so keen as to influence every act of life1 without there being a single symbol used4 ,the earnest ,sakya ,muni1 or ,buddha1 never used anything as a sacred emblem2 nor did ,jesus1 who followed him1 and perhaps unconsciously propagated the ,indian's doctrine4 ,when the ,apostles were sent out to teach and preach1 they were not told to carry out any form of ark or crucifix4 ,to them the doctrine of the ,trinity was unknown1 and not one of them had any particular reverence for her whom we call the ,virgin ,mary1 who1 if she was 'virgo intacta' when ,jesus was born1 was certainly different when she bore his brothers4 ,paul and ,peter1 though said to be the fathers of the ,roman ,church1 never used or recommended the faithful to procure for themselves a cross as an aid to memory4 ,the early ,christians recognised each other by their deeds1 and never had1 like the ,jews1 to prove that they were in covenant with ,god1 by putting a mutilated part of their body into full view4 ,we1 with the ,society of ,friends1 prefer primitive to modern ,christianity4 ,in the following pages the author has felt himself obliged to make use of words which are probably only known to those who are more or less scholars4 ,he has to treat of parts of the human body1 and acts which occur habitually in the world1 which in modern times are never referred to in polite society1 but which1 in the period when the ,old ,testament was written1 were spoken of as freely as we now talk of our hands and feet4 ,in those days1 everything which was common was spoken of without shame1 and that which occurred throughout creation1 and was seen by every one1 was as much the subject of conversation as eating and drinking is now4 ,the ,hebrew-writers were extremely coarse in their diction1 and although this has been softened down by subsequent redactors1 much which is in our modern judgment improper still remains4 ,for example1 where we simply indicate the sex1 the ,jewish historians used the word which was given to the symbol by which male and female are known2 for example1 in ,gen4 i4 #bg1 and v4 #b1 and in a host of other places1 the masculine and feminine are spoken of as zachar and nekebah1 which is best translated as borers and bored4 ,another equally vulgar way of describing men is to be found in #a ,kings xiv4 #aj4 ,but these observations would not serve us much in symbolism did we not know that they were associated with certain euphemisms by which when one thing is said another is intended2 for an illustration let us take ,isaiah vii4 #bj1 and ask what is meant by the phrase1 the hair of the feet8 ,it is certain that the feet are never hairy1 and consequently can never be shaved4 ,again1 when we find in ,gen4 xlix4 #aj1 the sceptre shall not depart from ,judah1 nor a lawgiver from between his feet1 and compare this with ,deut4 xxviii4 #eg1 and #b ,kings xviii4 #bg1 where the words are1 in the original1 the water of their feet1 it is clear that symbolic language is used to express something which1 if put into the vernacular1 would be objectionable to ears polite4 ,again1 in ,genesis xxiv4 #b and xlvii4 #bi1 and in ,heb4 xi4 #ba1 it is well known to scholars that the word thigh and staff are euphemisms to express that part which represents the male4 ,in ,deut4 xxiii4 #a1 we have evidence1 as in the last three verses quoted1 of the sanctity of the part referred to1 but the language is less refined4 ,now-a-days our ears are not attuned to the rough music which pleased our ancestors1 and we have to use veiled language to express certain matters4 ,in the following pages1 the words which ,i select are drawn from the ,latin1 ,greek1 ,sanscrit1 ,shemitic1 or ,egyptian4 ,hea1 ,ann1 and ,asher replace the parts referred to in ,deut4 xxiii4 #a2 ,osiris1 ,asher1 ,linga1 ,mahadeva1 ,siva1 ,priapus1 ,phallus1 etc41 represent the ,hebrew zachar 2 whilst ,isis1 ,parvati1 ,yoni1 ,sacti1 ,astarte1 ,ishtar1 etc41 replace the ,jewish nekebah4 ,the junction of these parts is spoken of as ,ashtoreth1 ,baalim1 ,elohim1 the trinity and unity1 the androgyne deity1 the arba1 or mystic four1 and the like4 ,i will only add1 that what ,i refer to has long been known to almost every scholar except ,english ones4 ,of these a few are learned2 but for a long period they have systematically refrained from speaking plainly1 and have written in such a manner as to be guilty not only of suppressio veri but of suggestio falsi4 ,after reading thus far1 ,i can imagine many a person saying with astonishment1 ,are these things so8 and following up his thoughts by wondering what style of persons they were1 or are1 who could introduce into religion such matters as those of which we have treated4 ,in reply1 ,i can only say that ,i have nothing extenuated1 and set down nought in malice4 ,but the first clause of the assertion requires modification1 for in this volume there are many things omitted which ,i have referred to at length in my larger work4 ,in that ,i have shown1 not only that religious fornication existed in ancient ,babylon1 but that there is reason to believe that it existed also in ,palestine4 ,the word --,hebrew-- ,kadesh1 which signifies pure1 bright1 young1 to be holy1 or to be consecrated1 is also the root from which are formed the words ,kadeshah and ,kadeshim1 which are used in the ,hebrew writings1 and are translated in our authorised version whore and sodomite4 ,see ,bent1 xxiii4 #ag4 ,athanasius tells us something of this as regards the ,phoenicians1 for he says1 7,oratio ,contr4 ,gent41 part i41 p4 #bd47 ,formerly1 it is certain that ,phoenician women prostituted themselves before their idols1 offering their bodies to their gods in the place of first fruits1 being persuaded that they pleased the goddess by that means1 and made her propitious to them4 ,strabo mentions a similar occurrence at ,comana1 in ,pontus1 book xiii41 c4 iii4 p4 #hf--;and notices that an enormous number of women were consecrated to the use of worshippers in the temple of ,venus at ,corinth4 ,such women exist in ,india1 and the priests of certain temples do everything in their power to select the loveliest of the sex1 and to educate them so highly as to be attractive4 ,the customs which existed in other places seem to have been known in ,jerusalem1 as we find in #a ,kings xiv4 #bd41 ,,xv4 #ab1 that ,kadeshim were common in ,judea1 and in #b ,kings xxiii4 #g1 we discover that these consecrated ones were located by the temple1 and were associated with women whose business was to make hangings for the grove4 ,what these tissues were and what use was made of them will be seen in ,ezekiel xvi4 #af4 ,even ,david1 when dancing before the ark1 shamelessly exposed himself4 ,solomon erected two pillars in the porch of his temple1 and called them ,jachin and ,boaz1 and added pomegranate ornaments4 ,we have seen how ,abraham and ,jacob ordered their inferiors to swear by putting the hand upon the thigh2 and we have read of the atrocities which occurred in ,jerusalem in the time of ,ezekiel4 ,yet the ,jews are still spoken of as ,god's chosen people1 and the ,psalmist as a man after ,god's own heart4 ,but without going so far back1 let us inquire into the conduct of the sensual ,turks1 and of the general run of the inhabitants of ,hindostan4 ,from everything that ,i can learn--and ,i have repeatedly conversed with those who have known the ,turks and ,hindoos familiarly--these are in every position in life as morally good as common ,christians are4 ,my readers must not now assert that ,i am either a partisan or a special pleader when ,i say this2 they must consider that ,i am making the comparison as man by man4 ,i do not1 as missionaries do1 compare the most vicious ,mahomedan and ,brahmin with the most exemplary ,christian2 nor do ,i1 on the other hand1 compare the best ,ottoman and ,indian with ,christian criminals2 but ,i take the whole in a mass1 and assert that there is as large a percentage of good folks in ,india and ,turkey as there is in ,spain and ,france1 ,england or ,america4 ,the grossest form of worship is compatible with general purity of morals4 ,the story of ,lucretia is told of a ,pagan woman1 whilst those of ,er and ,onan1 ,tamar and ,judah relate to ,hebrews4 ,david1 who seduced ,bathsheba1 and killed her husband1 was not execrated by ,god's people1 nor was he consequently driven from his throne as ,tarquin was by the ,romans4 ,in prowess and learning1 the ,babylonians1 with their religious prostitution1 were superior to the chosen people4 ,of the wealth and enterprise of the ,phoenicians1 ,ancient ,history tells us abundance4 ,there are probably no three cities in ancient or modern times which contain so many vicious individuals as ,london1 ,paris1 and ,new ,york4 ,yet there are none which history tells us of that were more powerful4 ,no ,babylonian army equalled in might or numbers the army of the ,northern ,united ,states4 ,nineveh never wielded armies equal to those of the ,french ,napoleon and the ,german ,william1 and ,rome never had an empire equal to that which is headed by ,london4 ,the existence of personal vice does not ruin a nation in its collective capacity4 ,nor does the most sensual form of religion stunt the prosperity of a people1 so long as the latter do not bow their necks to a priesthood4 ,the greatest curse to a nation is not a bad religion1 but a form of faith which prevents manly inquiry4 ,i know of no nation of old that was priest-ridden which did not fall under the swords of those who did not care for hierarchs4 ,the greatest danger is to be feared from those ecclesiastics who wink at vice1 and encourage it as a means whereby they can gain power over their votaries4 ,so long as every man does to other men as he would that they should do to him1 and allows no one to interfere between him and his ,maker1 all will go well with the world4 ,whilst the following sheets were going through the press1 my friend ,mr4 ,newton1 who has not only assisted me in a variety of ways1 but who has taken a great deal of interest in the subject of symbolism1 gave me to understand that there were some matters in which he differed very strongly from me in opinion4 ,one of these was as to the correct interpretation of the so-called ,assyrian grove2 another was the signification of one of ,lajard's gems1 ,plate iv41 ,fig4 #c2 and the most conspicuous of our divergencies was respecting the fundamental1 or basic idea1 which prompted the use in religion of those organs of reproduction which have1 from time immemorial1 been venerated in ,hindostan1 and1 as far as we can learn1 in ,ancient ,egypt1 ,babylonia1 ,assyria1 ,tyre1 ,sidon1 ,carthage1 ,jerusalem1 ,etruria1 ,greece1 and ,rome1 as well as in countries called uncivilised4 ,i feel quite disposed to acquiesce in the opinions which my old friend has formed respecting the ,assyrian grove1 but ,i am not equally ready to assent to his other opinions4 ,where two individuals are working earnestly for the elucidation of truth1 there ought1 in my opinion1 to be not only a tolerance of disagreement1 but an honest effort to submit the subject to a jury of thoughtful readers4 ,as ,i should not feel satisfied to allow any other person to express my opinions in his words1 it seemed to me only fair to ,mr4 ,newton to give him the facility of enunciating his views in his own language4 ,it was intended1 originally1 that my friend's observations upon the grove should be followed by a dissertation upon other relics of antiquity--notably upon that known as ,stonehenge--but circumstances have prevented this design being carried into execution4 ,when two individuals who have much in common go over the same ground1 it is natural1 indeed almost necessary1 that they should dwell upon identical topics4 ,hence it will be found that there are points which are referred to by us both1 although possibly in differing relationship4 ,as my own part of the following remarks were printed long before ,i saw ,mr4 ,newton's manuscript1 ,i hope to be pardoned for allowing them to stand4 ,the bulk of the volume will not be increased to the extent of a full page4 ,if ,i were to be asked the reason why ,i differ from ,mr4 ,newton in his exalted idea about the adoption of certain bodily organs as types1 tokens1 or emblems of an unseen and an inscrutable ,creator1 my answer would be drawn from the observations made upon every known order of priesthood1 from the most remote antiquity to the present time4 ,no matter what the creed1 whether ,ancient or ,modern1 the main object of its exponents and supporters is to gain over the minds of the populace4 ,this has never yet been done1 and probably never will be attempted1 by educating the mind of the multitude to think4 ,in ,great ,britain we find three sets of hierarchs opposed to each other1 and all equally1 by every means in their power1 prohibit independent inquiry4 ,a young ,romanist convert1 as we have recently seen1 is discouraged from persevering in the study of history and logic2 a ,presbyterian is persecuted1 as far as the law of the land permits1 if he should engage in an honest study of the ,bible1 of the ,god which it presents for our worship1 and of the laws that it enforces4 ,a bishop of the ,church of ,england is visited by the puny and spiteful efforts of some of his nominal equals if he ventures to treat ,jewish writings as other critics study the tomes of ,livy or of ,herodotus4 ,one set of men have banded together to elect a god on earth1 and endeavour to coerce their fellow-mortals to believe that a selection by a few old cardinals can make the one whom they choose to honour infallible4 ,another set of men1 who profess to eschew the idea of infallibility in a ,pope1 assume that they possess the quality themselves1 and endeavour to blot out from the communion of the faithful those who differ from them on points which ,god hath left at large4 ,surely1 when with all our modern learning1 thought1 and scientific enquiry1 hierarchs still set their faces against an advance in knowledge1 and quell1 if possible1 every endeavour to search after truth1 we are not far wrong when we assert1 that the first priests of barbarism had no exalted views of such an abstract subject as life1 in the higher and highest senses1 if indeed in any sense of the word4 ,another small point of difference between my friend and me is1 whether there has been at any time a figured representation of a kakodoemon--except since the beginning of ,christianity--and if1 by way of stretching a point1 we call ,typhon--,satan or the ,devil--by this name1 as being opposed to the ,agathodoemon1 whether we are justified in providing this evil genius with wings4 ,as far as ,i can judge from ,chaldean and ,assyrian sculptures1 wings were given to the lesser deities as our artists assign them to modern angels4 ,the ,babylonian ,apollyon1 by whatever name he went1 was winged--but so were all the good gods4 ,the ,egyptians seem to have assigned wings only to the favourable divinities4 ,the ,jews had in their mythology a set of fiery flying serpents1 but we must notice that their cherubim and seraphim were all winged1 some with no less than three pairs--much as ,hindoo gods have four heads and six1 or any other number of arms4 ,mr4 ,newton assumes that the dragon mentioned in ,rev4 xii4 was a winged creature1 but it is clear from the context1 especially from verses #ad and #ae1 that he had no pinions1 for he was unable to follow the woman to whom two aerial oars had been given4 ,the dragon1 as we know it1 is1 ,i believe1 a mediaeval creation2 such a creature is only spoken of in the ,bible in the book of ,revelation1 and the author of that strange production drew his inspiration on this point from the ,iliad1 where a dragon is described as of huge size1 coiled like a snake1 of blood-red colour1 shot with changeful hues1 and having three heads4 ,homer1 ,liddell1 and ,scott add--used --,greek-- indifferently for a serpent4 ,so does the author of ,rev4 in ch4 xx4 #b4 ,i have been unable to discover any gnostic gem with anything like a modern dragon on it4 ,holding these views1 ,i cannot entertain the proposition that the winged creatures in the very remarkable gem already referred to are evil genii4 ,in a question of this kind the mind is perhaps unconsciously biassed by comparing one antiquarian idea with another4 ,a searcher amongst ,etruscan vases will see not only that the angel of death is winged1 but that ,cupid1 ,eros1 or by whatever other name desire or love goes1 frequently hovers over the bridal or otherwise voluptuous couch1 and attends beauty at her toilet4 ,the ,greeks also gave to ,eros a pair of wings1 intended1 it is fancied1 to represent the flutterings of the heart1 produced when lovers meet or even think of each other4 ,such a subordinate deity would be in place amongst so many sexual emblems as ,plate iv4 ,fig4 #c contains1 whilst a koakdoemon would be a spoil sport1 and would make the erected serpents drop rather than remain in their glory4 ,these matters are apparently of small importance1 but when one is studying the signification of symbolical language1 he has to pay as close an attention1 and extend the net of observation over as wide a sea as a scholar does when endeavouring to decipher some language written in long-forgotten characters1 and some divergence of opinion between independent observers sharpens the intellect more than it tries the temper4 ,,pagan ,,and ,,christian ,,symbolism4 ,,plate ,,ii4 ,this is taken from a photograph of a small bronze image in the ,mayer collection of the ,free ,museum1 in ,liverpool4 ,the figure stands about nine inches high1 and represents ,isis1 ,horus1 and the fish4 ,it is an apt illustration of an ancient custom1 still prevalent amongst certain ,christians1 of reverencing a woman1 said to be a virgin1 giving suck to her child1 and of the association of ,isis1 ,venus1 and ,mary with the fish4 ,friday1 for example1 is1 with the ,romanists1 both fish day1 and dies ,veneris4 ,fish are known to be extraordinarily prolific4 ,there was a belief that animals1 noted for any peculiarity1 imparted their virtues to those who ate them2 consequently1 tigers' flesh was supposed to give courage1 and snails to give sexual power4 ,the use of fish in connubial feasts is still common4 ,those who consider it pious or proper to eat fish on ,venus' day1 or ,friday1 proclaim themselves1 unconsciously1 adherents to those heathen ideas which deified parts about which no one now likes to talk4 ,the fish has in one respect affinity with the mandrake4 ,since the first publication of this work1 a friend has suggested to me another reason1 besides its fertility1 for the fish being emblematic of woman4 ,from his extensive experience as a surgeon1 and especially among the lower order of courtesans1 he has repeatedly noticed during the hot months of the year that the parts which he had to examine have a very strong odour of fish4 ,my own observations in the same department lead me to endorse his assertion4 ,consequently1 ,i think that in warm climates1 where the utmost cleanliness can scarcely keep a female free from odour1 scent1 as well as other attributes1 has had to do with the selection of the fish as an emblem of woman4 ,still further1 ,i have been informed by another friend that in ,yorkshire1 and ,i understand in other counties of ,england1 the double entente connected with the fish is so marked that it is somewhat difficult to render it into decent phraseology4 ,it will suffice to say that in the county mentioned1 ,lais or ,phryne would be spoken of as a choice bit of fish1 and that a man who bore on his features the stamp which is imprinted by excessive indulgence1 would be said to have indulged too much in a fish diet4 ,i do not suppose that in the ,yorkshire ,ridings the folks are unusually well acquainted with mythology1 yet it is curious to find amongst their inhabitants a connection between ,venus and the ,fish1 precisely similar to that which has obtained in the most remote ages and in far distant climes4 ,it is clear from all these facts that the fish is a symbol not only of woman1 but of the yoni4 ,,plate ,,ii4 ,is supposed to represent ,oannes1 ,dagon1 or some other fish god4 ,it is copied from ,lajard1 ,sur le ,culte de ,venus1 pl4 xxii41 #a1 la1 and is thus described1 ,statuette inedite1 de gres houiller ou micace1 d'un brun verdatre4 ,elle porte par devant1 sur une bande perpendiculaire1 un legende en caracteres ,syriaques tres anciens 7,cabinet de ,m4 ,lambert1 a ,lyon74 ,i can find no clue to the signification of the inscription4 ,it would seem paradoxical to say that there is something in common between the bull-headed deity and ,oannes4 ,it is so1 nevertheless4 ,one indicates1 par excellence1 physical1 and the other sexual1 power4 ,that ,oannes may1 for the ,assyrians1 represent a man who played a part with them similar to that of ,penn among the ,indians of ,pennsylvania1 ,i do not deny2 but1 when we find a similar fish-god in ,philistia and ,hindostan1 and know that ,crishna once appeared as a fish1 the explanation does not suffice4 ,it is curious that ,jesus of ,nazareth should be called a fish2 but this only proves that the religion of ,christ has been adulterated by ,paganism4 ,figs4 #a and #d are illustrations of the antelope as a religious emblem amongst the ,assyrians4 ,the first is from ,layard's ,nineveh1 and in it we see carried in one hand a triply branched lotus2 the second1 showing the regard for the spotted antelope1 and for the branch1 is from ,bonomi's ,nineveh and its ,palaces4 ,fig4 #b illustrates ,bacchus1 with a mystic branch in one hand1 and a cup in the other2 his robe is covered with spots arranged in threes4 ,the branch is emblematic of the arbor vitae1 or tree of life1 and its powers of sprouting4 ,such a symbol is1 by outsiders1 figured on the houses of newly married couples amongst the ,jews of ,morocco1 and seems to indicate the desire of friends that the man will show that he is vigorous1 and able to have many sprouts from the tree of life4 ,it will be noticed that on the fillet round the god's head are arranged many crosses4 ,from ,hislop's ,two ,babylons1 and ,smith's ,dictionary1 p4 #bjh4 ,figs4 #h and #e are intended to show the prevalence of the use of spots on priestly dresses2 they are copied from ,hislop's ,two ,babylons1 and ,wilkinson1 vol4 vi41 pi4 #hh1 and vol4 iv41 pp4 #hda1 #heh4 ,for an explanation of the signification of spots1 see ,plate iv41 ,fig4 #f1 infra4 ,fig4 #a represents an ,assyrian priest worshipping by presentation of the thumb1 which had a peculiar signification4 ,sometimes the forefinger is pointed instead1 and in both cases the male is symbolised4 ,it is taken from a plate illustrating a paper by ,e4 ,c4 ,ravenshaw1 ,esq41 in ,journal of ,royal ,asiatic ,society1 vol4 xvi41 p4 #aad4 ,amongst the ,hebrews1 and probably all the ,shemitic tribes1 bohen1 the thumb1 and ezba1 the finger1 were euphemisms4 ,they are so in some parts of ,europe to the present day499 ,the hand thus presented to the grove resembles a part of the ,buddhist cross1 and the shank of a key1 whose signification is described in a subsequent page4 ,,plate ,,iii4 ,,plate ,,iv4 ,fig4 #b is a ,buddhist emblem2 the two fishes forming the circle represent the mystic yoni1 the sacti of ,mahadeva1 while the triad above them represents the mystic trinity1 the triune father1 ,siva1 ,bel1 or ,asher1 united with ,anu and ,hea4 ,from ,journal of ,royal ,asiatic ,society1 vol4 xviii41 p4 #hib1 plate ii4 ,fig4 #c is a very remarkable production4 ,it originally belonged to ,mons4 ,lajard1 and is described by him in his second ,memoire1 entitled ,recherches sur le ,culte1 les ,symboles1 les ,attributs1 et les ,monumens ,figures de ,venus 7,paris1 #ahcg71 in pages #cb1 et seq41 and figured in plate ,i41 fig4 #a4 ,the real age of the gem and its origin are not known1 but the subject leads that author to believe it to be of late ,babylonian workmanship4 ,the stone is a white agate1 shaped like a cone1 and the cutting is on its lower face4 ,the shape of this gem indicates its dedication to ,venus4 ,the central figures represent the androgyne deity1 ,baalim1 ,astaroth1 ,elohim1 ,jupiter genetrix1 or the bearded ,venus ,mylitta4 ,on the left side of the cutting we notice an erect serpent1 whose rayed head makes us recognise the solar emblem1 and its mundane representative1 mentula arrecta2 on a spot opposite to the centre of the male's body we find a lozenge1 symbolic of the yoni1 whilst opposite to his feet is the amphora1 whose mystic signification may readily be recognised2 it is meant for ,ouranos1 or the ,sun fructifying ,terra1 or the earth1 by pouring from himself into her4 99 ,a friend has informed me1 for example1 that he happened1 whilst at ,pesth1 to look at a gorgeously dressed and handsome young woman4 ,to his astonishment she pointed her thumb precisely in the manner adopted by the ,assyrian priests2 this surprised the young man still farther1 and being1 as it were1 fascinated1 he continued to gaze4 ,the damsel then grasped the thumb by the other hand2 thus indicating her profession4 ,my friend1 who was wholly inexperienced in the ways of the world1 only understood what was meant when he saw my explanation of ,fig4 #a4 ,the three stars over the head of the figure1 and the inverted triangle on its head1 are representations of the mythological four1 equivalent to the ,egyptian symbol of life 7figs4 #ca1 #hb74 ,opposite to the female are the moon1 and another serpent1 which may be recognised by physiologists as symbolic of tensio clitoridis4 ,in a part corresponding to the diamond1 on the left side1 is a six-rayed wheel1 emblematic1 apparently1 of the sun4 ,at the female's feet is placed a cup1 which is intended to represent the passive element in creation4 ,as such it is analogous to the crescent moon1 and is associated in the ,roman church with the round wafer1 the symbol of the sun2 the wafer and cup thus being synonymous with the sun and moon in conjunction4 ,it will be observed that each serpent in the plate is apparently attacked by what we suppose is a dragon4 ,there is some difficulty in understanding the exact idea intended to be conveyed by these2 my own opinion is that they symbolise ,satan1 the old serpent that tempted ,eve1 viz41 fierce lust1 ,eros1 ,cupid1 or desire1 which1 both in the male and female1 brings about the arrectation which the serpents figure4 ,it is not to be passed by without notice1 that the snake which represents the male has the tail so curved as to suggest the idea of the second and third elements of the trinity4 ,monsieur ,lajard takes the dragons to indicate the bad principle in nature1 i4 e41 darkness1 night1 ,ahriman1 etc4 ,on the pyramidal portion of the gem the four sides are ornamented by figures--three represent animals remarkable for their salacity1 and the fourth represents ,bel and ,ishtar in conjunction1 in a fashion which can be more easily imagined than described in the mother tongue4 ,the learned will find the position assumed in ,lucretius1 ,de ,rerum ,natura1 book iv41 lines #abef1 seq4 ,fig4 #d is also copied from ,lajard1 plate i41 fig4 #aj4 ,it is the reverse of a bronze coin of ,vespasian1 struck in the island of ,cyprus1 and represents the conical stone1 under whose form ,venus was worshipped at ,paphos1 of which ,tacitus remarks1 ,hist1 ii41 c4 #h1 the statue bears no resemblance to the human form1 but is round1 broad at one end and gradually tapering at the other1 like a goal4 ,the reason of this is not ascertained4 ,it is remarkable that a male emblem should be said to represent ,venus1 but the stone was an aerolite1 like that which fell at ,ephesus1 and was said to represent ,diana4 ,it is clear that when a meteoric stone falls1 the chief priests of the district can say that it is to be taken as a representative of their divinity4 ,my very ingenious friend1 ,mr4 ,newton1 suggests that the ,venus in question was androgyne2 that the cone is a male emblem1 within a door1 gateway1 or delta1 thus resembling the ,assyrian grove4 ,it is certain that the serpents1 the two stars1 and the two candelabra1 or altars with flame1 favour his idea4 ,fig4 #e represents the position of the hands assumed by ,jewish priests when they give the benediction to their flock4 ,it will be recognised that each hand separately indicates the trinity1 whilst the junction of the two indicates the unit4 ,the whole is symbolic of the mystic ,arba--the four1 i1 e41 the trinity and unity4 ,one of my informants told me that1 being a cohen or priest1 he had often administered the blessing1 and1 whilst showing to me this method of benediction1 placed his joined hands so that his nose entered the central aperture4 ,on his doing so1 ,i remarked bene nasatus1 and the expression did more to convince him of the probability of my views than anything else4 ,fig4 #f1 modified in one form or another1 is the position assumed by the hand and fingers1 when ,homan and ,anglican bishops or other hierarchs give benediction to their people4 ,a similar disposition is to be met with in ,indian mythology1 when the ,creator doubles himself into male and female1 so as to be in a position to originate new beings4 ,whilst the right hand in ,plate ,,vii4 symbolises the male1 the left hand represents the mystic feminine circle4 ,in another plate1 which is to be found in ,moor's ,hindu ,pantheon1 there is a similar figure1 but draped fully1 and in that the dress worn by the celestial spouse is covered with groups of spots arranged in triads and groups of four4 ,with regard to the signification of spots1 we may notice that they indicated1 either by their shape or by their name1 the emblem of womankind4 ,a story of ,indra1 the ,hindoo god of the sky1 confirms this4 ,he is usually represented as bearing a robe covered with eyes2 but the legend runs that1 like ,david1 he became enamoured of the wife of another man1 who was very beautiful and seen by chance1 but her spouse was one whose austere piety made him almost equal to ,brahma4 ,the evil design of ,indra was both frustrated and punished4 ,the woman escaped1 but the god became covered with marks that recalled his offence to mind1 for they were pictures of the yoni4 ,these1 by the strong intercession of ,brahma with the ,rishi1 were changed by the latter into eyes4 ,this story enables us to recognise clearly the hidden symbolism of the ,hindoo and ,egyptian eye1 the oval representing the female1 and the circle the male lodged therein--i4e41 the androgyne creator4 ,,plate ,v4 ,is a copy of a mediaeval ,virgin and ,child1 as painted in ,della ,robbia ware in the ,south ,kensington ,museum1 a copy of which1 was given to me by my friend1 ,mr4 ,newton1 to whose kindness ,i am indebted for many illustrations of ancient ,christian art4 ,it represents the ,virgin and ,child precisely as she used to be represented in ,egypt1 in ,india1 in ,assyria1 ,babylonia1 ,phoenicia1 and ,etruria2 the accident of dress being of no mythological consequence4 ,in the framework around the group1 we recognise the triformed leaf1 emblematic of ,asher2 the grapes1 typical of ,dionysus2 the wheat ears1 symbolic of ,ceres1 l'abricot fendu1 the mark of womankind1 and the pomegranate rimmon1 which characterises the teeming mother4 ,the living group1 moreover1 are placed in an archway1 delta1 or door1 which is symbolic of the female1 like the vesica piscis1 the oval or the circle4 ,this door is1 moreover1 surmounted by what appear to be snails1 whose supposed virtue we have spoken of under ,plate i4 ,this identification of ,mary with the ,sacti is strong2 by-and-by we shall see that it is as complete as it is possible to be made4 ,,plate ,,vi4 ,is a copy of figures given in ,bryant's ,ancient ,mythology1 plates xiii41 xxviii41 third edition1 #ahjg4 ,the first two illustrate the story of ,palemon and ,getus1 introducing the dolphin4 ,that fish is symbolic of the female1 in consequence of the assonance in ,greek between its name and that of the womb1 delphis and delphus4 ,the tree symbolises the arbor vitae1 the life-giving sprout2 and the ark is a symbol of the womb4 ,the third figure1 where a man rests upon a rock and dolphin1 and toys with a mother and child1 is equally suggestive4 ,the male is repeatedly characterised as a rock1 hermes1 menhir1 tolmen1 or upright stone1 the female by the dolphin1 or fish4 ,the result of the junction of these elements appears in the child1 whom both parents welcome4 ,the fourth figure represents two emblems of the male creator1 a man and trident1 and two of the female1 a dolphin and ship4 ,the two last figures represent a coin of ,apamea1 representing ,noah and the ark1 called ,cibotus4 ,bryant labours to prove that the group commemorates the story told in the ,bible respecting the flood1 but there is strong doubt whether the story was not of ,babylonian origin4 ,the city referred to was in ,phrygia1 and the coin appears to have been struck by ,philip of ,macedon4 ,the inscription round the head is --,greek inscription--,see ,ancient ,faiths1 second edition1 ,vol4 ii441 pp4 #abh1 and #hhe-hib4 ,the ,supreme ,spirit in the act of creation became two-fold2 the ,,right ,,side ,,was ,,male1 ,,the ,,left ,,was ,,prakriti1 ,,she ,,is ,,of ,,one ,,form ,,with ,,bramah4 ,she is ,maya1 eternal and imperishable1 such as the ,spirit1 such is the inherent energy4 7,the ,sacti7 as the ,faculty burning is inherent in pure4 7,bramah ,vaivartta ,puranu1 ,professor ,wilson47 ,,ardanari-,,iswara4 ,from an original drawing by ,chrisna ,swami1 ,punoit4 ,,plate ,,vii4 ,is a copy of an original drawing made by a learned ,hindoo pundit for ,wm4 ,simpson1 ,esq41 of ,london1 whilst he was in ,india studying its mythology4 ,it represents ,brahma supreme1 who in the act of creation made himself double1 i4e4 male and female4 ,in the original the central part of the figure is occupied by the triad and the unit1 but far too grossly shown for reproduction here4 ,they are replaced by the crux ansata4 ,the reader will notice the triad and the serpent in the male hand1 whilst in the female is to be seen a germinating seed1 indicative of the relative duties of father and mother4 ,the whole stands upon a lotus1 the symbol of androgyneity4 ,the technical word for this incarnation is ,arddha ,nari4 ,,plate ,,viii4 ,is ,devi1 the same as ,parvati1 or ,bhavani4 ,it is copied from ,moor's ,pantheon1 plate xxx4 ,the goddess represents the feminine element in the universe4 ,her forehead is marked by one of the symbols of the four creators1 the triad1 and the unit4 ,her dress is covered with symbolic spots1 and one foot peculiarly placed is marked by a circle having a dot in the interior4 ,the two bear the same signification as the ,egyptian eye4 ,i am not able to define the symbolic import of the articles held in the lower hands4 ,moor considers that they represent scrolls of paper1 but this ,i doubt4 ,the raised hands bear the unopened lotus flower1 and the goddess sits upon another4 ,,plate ,,ix4 ,consists of six figures1 copied from ,maurice's ,indian ,antiquities1 vol4 vi41 p4 #bgh1 and two from ,bryant's ,mythology1 vol4 ii41 third edition1 pp4 #bjc and #dji4 ,all are symbolic of the idea of the male triad3 a central figure1 erect1 and rising above the other two4 ,in one an altar and fire indicate1 mystically1 the linga2 in another1 the same is pourtrayed as a man1 as ,madaheva always is2 in another1 there is a tree stump and serpent1 to indicate the same idea4 ,the two appendages of the linga are variously described2 in two instances as serpents1 in other two as tree and concha1 and snake and shell4 ,the two last seem to embody the idea that the right egg of the male germinates boys1 whilst the left produces girls2 a theory common amongst ancient physiologists4 ,the figure of the tree encircled by the serpent1 and supported by two stones resembling tolmen1 is very significant4 ,the whole of these figures seem to point unmistakably to the origin of the very common belief that the male ,creator is triune4 ,in ,assyrian theology the central figure is ,bel1 ,baal1 or ,asher2 the one on the right ,ann1 that on the left ,hea4 ,see ,ancient ,faiths1 second edition1 ,vol4 i41 pp4 #hh-he4 99 ,there are some authors who have treated of tree and serpent worship1 and of its prevalence in ancient times1 without having1 so far as ,i can see1 any idea of that which the two things typify4 ,the tree of knowledge1 the tree of life1 the serpent that tempted ,eve1 and still tempts man by his subtlety1 are so many figures of speech which the wise understand1 but which to the vulgar are simply trees and snakes4 ,in a fine old bas-relief over the door of the ,cathedral at ,berne1 we see an ancient representation of the last judgment4 ,an angel is dividing the sheep from the goats1 and devils are drawing men and women to perdition1 by fixing hooks or pincers on the portions of the body whence their sins sprang4 ,one fat priest1 nude as our risen bodies must be1 is being savagely pulled to hell by the part symbolised by tree and serpent1 whilst she whom he has adored and vainly sought to disgrace1 is rising to take her place amongst the blest4 ,it is not those of the sex of ,eve alone that are inveigled to destruction by the serpent4 99 ,for those who have not an opportunity of consulting the work referred to1 ,i may observe that the ,assyrian godhead consisted of four persons1 three being male and one female4 ,the principal god was ,asher1 the upright one1 the equivalent of the ,hindoo ,mahadeva1 the great holy one1 and of the more modern ,priapus4 ,he was associated with ,anu1 lord of solids and of the lower world1 equivalent to the testis1 or egg on the right side4 ,hea was lord of waters1 and represented the left stone4 ,the three formed the trinity or triad4 ,the female was named ,ishtar or ,astarte1 and was equivalent to the female organ1 the yoni or vulva--the ,greek of the ,greeks4 ,the male god in ,egypt was ,osiris1 the female ,isis1 and these names are frequently used as being euphemistic1 and preferable to the names which are in vulgar use to describe the male and female parts4 ,,plate ,x4 ,contains pagan symbols of the trinity or linga1 with or without the unity or yoni4 ,fig4 #a represents a symbol frequently met with in ancient architecture1 etc4 ,it represents the male and female elements1 the pillar and the half moon4 ,fig4 #b represents the mystic letters said to have been placed on the portal of the oracle of ,delphi4 ,by some it is proposed to read the two letters as signifying he or she is2 by others the letters are taken to be symbolic of the triad and the unit4 ,if they be1 the pillar is a very unusual form for the yoni4 ,an ingenious friend of mine regards the upright portion as a slit1 but ,i cannot wholly agree with him1 for in ,fig4 #a the pillar cannot be looked upon as an aperture4 ,fig4 #c is a ,hindoo sectarial mark1 copied from ,moor's ,hindu ,pantheon1 and is one out of many indicating the union of the male and female4 ,fig4 #d is emblematic of the virgin and child4 ,it identifies the two with the crescent4 ,it is singular that some designers should unite the moon with the solar symbol1 and others with the virgin4 ,we believe that the first indicate ideas like that associated with ,baalim1 and ,ashtaroth in the plural1 the second that of ,astarte or ,venus in the singular4 ,or1 as we may otherwise express it1 the married and the immaculate virgin4 ,fig4 #e is copied from ,sharpe's ,egyptian ,mythology1 p4 #ae4 ,it represents one of the ,egyptian trinities1 and is highly symbolic1 not only indicating the triad1 here ,osiris1 ,isis1 and ,nepthys1 but its union with the female element4 ,the central god ,osiris is himself triune1 as he bears the horns symbolic of the goddess ,athor and the feathers of the god ,ra4 ,fig4 #f is a ,hindoo sectarial mark1 from ,moor's ,hindu ,pantheon4 ,the lozenge indicates the yoni4 ,for this assertion we not only have evidence in ,babylonian gems1 copied by ,lajard1 but in ,indian and ,etruscan designs4 ,we find1 for example1 in vol4 v41 plate xlv41 of ,antiquites ,etrusques1 etc41 par4 ,f4 ,a4 ,david 7,paris1 #aghe71 a draped female1 wearing on her breast a half moon and mural crown1 holding her hands over the middle spot of the body1 so as to form a lozenge with the forefingers and thumbs4 ,the triad in this figure is very distinct2 and we may add that a trinity expressed by three balls or three circles is to be met with in the remotest times and in most distant countries4 ,figs4 #g1 #h1 #i and #aj are copied from ,cabrera's account of an ancient city discovered near ,palenque1 in ,guatemala1 ,spanish ,america 7,london1 #ahbb74 ,although they appear to have a sexual design1 yet ,i doubt whether the similarity is not accidental4 ,after a close examination of the plates given by ,cabrera1 ,i am inclined to think that nothing of the ling-yoni element prevailed in the mind of the ancient ,american sculptors4 ,all the males are carefully draped in appropriate girdles1 although in some a grotesque or other ornament1 such as a human or bestial head1 a flower1 etc41 is attached to the apron or fall of the girdle1 resembling the sporran of the ,highlander and the codpiece of mediaeval knights and others4 ,i may1 however1 mention some very remarkable sculptures copied2 one is a tree1 whose trunk is surrounded by a serpent1 and whose fruit is shaped like the vesica piscis2 in another is seen a youth wholly unclothed1 save by a cap and gaiters1 who kneels before a similar tree1 being threatened before and behind by some fierce animal4 ,this figure is peculiar1 differing from all the rest in having an ,european rather than an ,american head and face4 ,indeed1 the features1 etc41 remind me of the late ,mr4 ,cobden1 and the cap is such as yachting sailors usually wear4 ,there is also another remarkable group1 consisting apparently of a man and woman standing before a cross1 proportioned like the conventional one in use amongst ,christians4 ,everything indicates ,american ideas1 and there are ornaments or designs wholly unlike any that ,i have seen elsewhere4 ,the man appears to offer to the cross a grotesque human figure1 with a head not much unlike ,punch1 with a turned-up nose1 and a short pipe shaped like a fig in his mouth4 ,the body is well formed1 but the arms and thighs are rounded off like flippers or fins4 ,besting at the top of the cross is a bird1 like a game cock1 ornamented by a necklace4 ,the male in this and the other sculptures is beardless1 and that women are depicted1 can only be guessed at by the inferior size of some of the figures4 ,it would be unprofitable to carry the description farther4 ,figs4 #aa1 #ab are from vol4 i41 plates xix4 and xxiii4 of a remarkably interesting work1 ,recherches sur l' origine1 l' esprit1 et les progres des ,arts de la ,grece1 said to be written by ,d',harcanville1 published at ,london1 #aghe4 ,the first represents a serpent1 coiled so as to symbolise the male triad1 and the crescent1 the emblem of the yoni4 ,fig4 #ab accompanies the bull on certain coins1 and symbolises the sexual elements1 le baton et l'anneau4 ,they were used1 as the horse-shoe is now1 as a charm against bad luck1 or vicious demons or fairies4 ,fig4 #ac is1 like figure #e1 from ,sharpe's ,egyptian ,mythology1 p4 #ad1 and is said to represent ,isis1 ,nepthys1 and ,osiris2 it is one of the many ,mizraite triads4 ,the ,christian trinity is of ,egyptian origin1 and is as surely a pagan doctrine as the belief in heaven and hell1 the existence of a devil1 of archangels1 angels1 spirits and saints1 martyrs and virgins1 intercessors in heaven1 gods and demigods1 and other forms of faith which deface the greater part of modern religions4 ,figure #ad is a symbol frequently seen in ,greek churches1 but appears to be of pre-,christian origin499 ,the cross we have elsewhere described as being a compound male emblem1 whilst the crescent symbolises the female element in creation4 ,figure #ae is from ,d',harcanville1 ,op4 ,cit41 vol4 i41 plate xxiii4 ,it resembles ,figure #aa1 supra1 and enables us by the introduction of the sun and moon to verify the deduction drawn from the arrangement of the serpent's coils4 ,if the snake's body1 instead of being curved above the #h like tail1 were straight1 it would simply indicate the linga and the sun2 the bend in its neck1 however1 indicates the yoni and the moon4 ,figure #af is copied from plate xvi41 fig4 #b1 of ,recueil de ,pierres ,antiques ,graves1 folio1 by ,j4 ,m4 ,raponi 7,rome1 #aghf74 ,the gem represents a sacrifice to ,priapus1 indicated by the rock1 pillar1 figure1 and branches given in our plate4 ,a nude male sacrifices a goat2 a draped female holds a kid ready for immolation2 a second man1 nude1 plays the double pipe1 and a second woman1 draped1 bears a vessel on her head1 probably containing wine for a libation4 ,figure #ag is from vol4 i4 ,recherches1 etc41 plate xxii4 ,in this medal the triad is formed by a man and two coiled serpents on the one side of the medal1 whilst on the reverse are seen a tree1 surrounded by a snake1 situated between two rounded stones1 with a dog and a conch shell below4 ,see supra1 ,plate ix41 ,fig4 #f4 ,,plate ,,xi4 ,with two exceptions1 ,figs4 #d and #i1--;exhibits ,christian emblems of the trinity or linga1 and the unity or yoni1 alone or combined2 the whole being copied from ,pugin's ,glossary of ,ecclesiastical ,ornament 7,london1 #ahfi74 ,fig4 #a is copied from ,pugin1 plate xvii41 and indicates a double union of the trinity with the unity1 here represented as a ring1 ,vanneau4 99 ,there is an able essay on this subject in ,no4 #bfg of the ,edinburgh ,review--which almost exhausts the subject--but is too long for quotation here4 ,figs4 #b1 #h1 are from ,pagin1 plate xiv4 ,in figare #b1 the two covered balls at the base of each limb of the cross are extremely significant1 and if the artist had not mystified the free end1 the most obtuse worshipper must have recognised the symbol4 ,we may add here that in the two forms of the ,maltese cross1 the position of the lingam is reversed1 and the egg-shaped bodies1 with their cover1 are at the free end of each limb1 whilst the natural end of the organ is left unchanged4 ,see figs4 #he and #hf4 ,this form of cross is ,etruscan4 ,fig4 #h is essentially the same as the preceding1 and both may be compared with ,fig4 #d4 ,the balls in this cross are uncovered1 and the free end of each limb of the cross is but slightly modified4 ,fig4 #d is copied in a conventional form from plate xxxv41 fig4 #d1 of ,two ,essays on the ,worship of ,priapus 7,london1 #ahfe74 ,it is thus described 7page #adg73 ,the object was found at ,st4 ,agati di ,goti1 near ,naples4444444,it is a crux ansata formed by four phalli1 with a circle of female organs round the centre2 and appears by the look to have been intended for suspension4 ,as this cross is of gold1 it had no doubt been made for some personage of rank1 possibly an ecclesiastic4 ,we see here very distinctly the design of the egg- and sistrum- shaped bodies4 ,when we have such an unmistakable bi-sexual cross before our eyes1 it is impossible to ignore the signification of ,figs4 #b and #h1 and ,plate xii41 ,figs4 #d and #g4 ,figs4 #e1 #f are from ,pugin1 plates xiv4 and xv41 and represent the trinity with the unity1 the triune god and the virgin united in one4 ,fig4 #g represents the central lozenge and one limb of a cross1 figured plate xiv4 of ,pugin4 ,in this instance the ,maltese cross is united with the symbol of the virgin1 being essentially the same as ,fig4 #i1 infra4 ,it is a modified form of the crux ansata4 ,fig4 #h is a compound trinity1 being the finial of each limb of an ornamental cross4 ,pugin1 plate xv4 ,fig4 #i is a well-known ,egyptian symbol1 borne in the hand of almost every divinity4 ,it is a cross1 with one limb made to represent the female element in creation4 ,the name that it technically bears is crux ansata1 or the cross with a handle4 ,a reference to ,fig4 #d serves to verify the idea which it involves4 ,fig4 #aj is from ,pugin1 plate xxxv4 ,in this figure the cross is made by the intersection of two ovals1 each a vesica piscis1 an emblem of the yoni4 ,within each limb a symbol of the trinity is seen1 each of which is associated with the central ring4 ,fig4 #aa is from ,pugin1 plate xix41 and represents the arbor vitae1 the branch1 or tree of life1 as a triad1 with which the ring is united4 ,it has been said by some critics that the figures above referred to are mere architectural fancies1 which never had pretensions to embody a mystery2 and that any designer would pitch upon such a style of ornamentation although profoundly ignorant of the doctrine of the trinity and unity4 ,but this assumption is not borne out by fact2 the ornaments on ,buddhist topes have nothing in common with those of ,christian churches2 whilst in the ruined temple of the sun at ,marttand1 ,india1 the trefoil emblem of the trinity is common4 ,grecian temples were profusely ornamented therewith1 and so are innumerable ,etruscan sculptures1 but they do not represent the trinity and unity4 ,it has been reserved for ,christian art to crowd our churches with the emblems of ,bel and ,astarte1 ,baalim and ,ashtoreth1 linga and yoni1 and to elevate the phallus to the position of the supreme deity1 and assign to him a virgin as a companion1 who can cajole him by her blandishment1 weary him by wailing1 or induce him to change his mind by her intercessions4 ,christianity certainly requires to be purged of its heathenisms4 ,,plate ,,xii4 ,contains both pagan and ,christian emblems4 ,fig4 #a is from ,pugin1 plate xviii41 and is a very common finial representing the trinity4 ,its shape is too significant to require an explanation2 yet with such emblems our ,christian churches abound1 that the ,trinity may never be absent from the minds of man or woman6 ,fig4 #b is from ,pugin1 plate xxi4 ,it is a combination of ideas concealing the union patent in ,fig4 #d1 ,plate xi41 supra4 ,fig4 #c is from ,moor's ,hindu ,pantheon4 ,it is an ornament borne by ,devi1 and symbolises the union of the triad with the unit4 ,fig4 #d is from ,pugin1 plate xxxii4 ,it is a double cross made up of the male and female emblems4 ,it is a conventionalised form of ,fig4 #d1 ,plate xi41 supra4 ,such eight-rayed figures1 made like stars1 seem to have been very ancient1 and to have been designed to indicate the junction of male and female4 ,fig4 #e is from ,pugin1 plate xvii41 and represents the trinity and the unity4 ,fig4 #f is a ,buddhist emblem from ,birmah1 ,journal of ,royal ,asiatic ,society1 vol4 xviii41 p4 #cib1 plate i41 fig4 #fb4 ,it represents the short sword1 le bracquemard1 a male symbol4 ,fig4 #g4 is from ,pagin1 plate xvii4 ,see ,plate xi41 ,fig4 #c1 supra4 ,figs4 #h1 #i1 #aj1 #aa1 #ab are ,buddhist 7see ,fig4 #f1 supra71 and symbolise the triad4 ,figs4 #ac1 #ad1 #ae1 #af1 #ag are from ,pugin1 and simply represent the trinity4 ,figs4 #ah and #ai are common ,grecian emblems4 ,the first is associated with ,neptune and water1 the second with ,bacchus4 ,with the one we see dolphins1 emblems of the womb1 the name of the two being assonant in ,greek2 with the other1 the saying1 sine ,baccho et ,cerere friget ,venus1 must be coupled4 ,,plate ,,xiii4 ,consists of varions emblems of the triad and the unit1 drawn almost exclusively from ,grecian1 ,etruscan1 ,roman1 and ,indian gems1 figures1 coins1 or sculptures1 ,maffei's ,gemme ,antiche ,figurate1 ,raponi's ,recueil1 and ,moor's ,hindu ,pantheon1 being the chief authorities4 ,,plate ,,xiv4 ,is a copy of a small ,hindoo statuette in the ,mayer ,collection in the ,free ,museum1 ,liverpool4 ,it probably represents ,parvati1 the ,hindoo virgin1 and her child4 ,the right hand of the figure makes the symbol of the yoni with the forefinger and thumb1 the rest of the fingers typifying the triad4 ,in the palm and on the navel is a lozenge1 emblematic of woman4 ,the child1 perhaps ,crishna1 equivalent to the ,egyptian ,horus and the ,christian ,jesus1 bears in its hand one of the many emblems of the linga1 and stands upon a lotus4 ,the monkey introduced into the group plays the same part as the cat1 cow1 lioness1 and ape in the ,egyptian mythology1 being emblematic of that desire which eventuates in the production of offspring4 ,fig4 #a1 the cupola1 is well known in modern ,europe2 it is equally so in ,hindostan1 where it is sometimes accompanied by pillars of a peculiar shape4 ,in one such compound the design is that of a cupola1 supported by closely placed pillars1 each of which has a capital1 resembling the glans of physiologists2 in the centre there is a door1 wherein a nude female stands1 resembling in all respects ,figure #fa1 except in dress and the presence of the child4 ,this was copied by the late ,mr4 ,sellon1 from a ,buddhist ,dagopa in the ,jumnar ,cave1 ,bombay ,presidency1 a tracing of his sketch having been given to me by ,william ,simpson1 ,esq41 ,london4 ,the same emblem may be found amongst the ancient ,italians4 ,whilst ,i was staying in ,malta during the carnival time in #ahgb1 ,i saw in all directions men and women selling cakes shaped like the yoni shown in ,fig4 #a4 ,these sweetmeats had no special name1 but they came in and went out with the carnival4 ,fig4 #b represents ,venus standing on a tortoise1 whose symbolic import will be seen by referring to ,fig4 #gd1 infra4 ,it is copied from ,lajard1 ,sur le ,culte de ,venus1 plate iiia41 fig4 #e1 and is stated by him to be a drawing of an ,etruscan candelabrum1 existing in the ,royal ,museum at ,berlin4 ,in his account of ,greece1 ,pausanias mentions that he saw one figure of ,venus standing on a tortoise1 and another upon a ram1 but he declines to give the reason of the conjunction4 ,is a representation of ,siva1 taken from ,moor's ,hindu ,pantheon1 plate xiii4 ,siva is supposed to be the oldest of the ,indian deities1 and to have been worshipped by the aborigines of ,hindostan1 before the ,aryans invaded that country4 ,it is thought that the ,vedic religion opposed this degrading conception at the first1 but was powerless to eradicate it4 ,though he is yet the most popular of all the gods1 ,siva is venerated1 ,i understand1 chiefly by the vulgar4 ,though he personifies the male principle1 there is not anything indecent in pictorial representations of him4 ,in one of his hands is seen the trident1 one of the emblems of the masculine triad2 whilst in another is to be seen an oval sistram-shaped loop1 a symbol of the feminine unit4 ,on his forehead he bears an eye1 symbolic of the ,omniscient1 the sun1 and the union of the sexes4 ,as it has been doubted by some readers1 whether ,i am justified in regarding the sistrum as a female emblem1 ,i append here a quotation from ,socrates' ,ecclesiastical ,history1 ,bohn's translation1 p4 #bha1 seq4 ,in ,rome1 in the early time of ,theodosius1 when a woman was detected in adultery4444 they shut her up in a narrow brothel1 and obliged her to prostitute herself in a most disgusting manner2 causing little bells to be rang at the time4444 ,as soon as the emperor was apprised of this indecent usage1 he would by no means tolerate it2 but having ordered the ,sistra 7for so these places of penal prostitution were denominated7 to be pulled down1 c4 ,one can as easily see why a female emblem should mark a brothel in ,rome as a male symbol did at ,pompeii4 ,,plate ,,xvi4 ,this ,figure represents ,assyrian priests offering in the presence of what is supposed to be ,baal--or the representative of the sun god and of the grove4 ,the first is typified by the eye1 with wings and a tail1 which make it symbolic of the male triad and the female unit4 ,the eye1 with the central pupil1 is in itself emblematic of the same4 ,the grove represents mystically le verger de ,cypris4 ,on the right stands the king2 on the left are two priests1 the foremost clothed with a fish's skin1 the head forming the mitre1 thus showing the origin of modern ,christian bishops' peculiar head-dress4 ,arranged about the figures are1 the sun2 a bird1 perhaps the sacred dove1 whose note1 coa or coo1 has1 in the ,shemitic1 some resemblance to an invitation to amorous gratification2 in ,latin coi1 coite2 the oval1 symbol of the yoni2 the basket1 or bag1 emblematic of the scrotum1 and apparently the lotus4 ,the trinity and unity are carried by the second priest4 ,figure #b is copied from an ancient copper vase1 covered with ,egyptian hieroglyphic characters1 found at ,cairo1 and figured in a book entitled ,explication des divers monument singuliers1 qui ont rapport a la religion des plus anciens peuples1 par le ,r4 ,p4 ,dom4444444a ,paris1 #agci4 ,the group of figures represents ,isis and ,horus in an unusual attitude4 ,they are enclosed in a framework of the flowers of the ,egyptian bean1 or of the lotus4 ,this framework may be compared to the ,assyrian grove1 and another in which the ,virgin ,mary stands4 ,the bell was of old a symbol of virginity1 for ,eastern maidens wore them until marriage 7see ,isa4 iii4 #af74 ,the origin of this custom was the desire that every maiden should have at her marriage1 or sale1 that which is spoken of in the ,pentateuch as the token of virginity4 ,it was supposed that this membrane1 technically called the hymen might be broken by too long a stride in walking or running1 or by clambering over a stile or wall4 ,to prevent such a catastrophe1 a light chain or cord was worn1 under or over the dress1 at the level of the knees or just above4 ,its length only permitted a short step and a mincing gait4 ,slight bells were used as a sort of ornament1 and when the bearer was walking their tinkling was a sort of proclamation that the lady who bore them was in the market as a virgin4 ,after the flower had been plucked1 the bells were no longer of use4 ,they were analogous to the virgin snood worn on the head of ,scotch maidens4 ,isis bears the horns of a cow1 because that animal is equally noted for its propensity to seek the male and its care to preserve the offspring4 ,as the bull with a human head1 so a human being with cow's horns1 was made to represent a deity4 ,the solar orb between the horns1 and the serpent round the body1 indicate the union with the male2 an incongruous conjunction with the emblem of the sacred ,virgin1 nevertheless a very common one4 ,in some of the coins pictured by ,e4 ,p4 ,knight1 in ,worship of ,priapus1 etc41 a cow caressing her sucking calf replaces ,isis and ,horus1 just as a bull on other coins replaces ,dionysus4 ,the group is described in full in ,ancient ,faiths1 second edition1 ,vol4 i41 pp4 #ec1 #ed4 ,figures #c1 #d1 are taken from ,ginsburg's ,kabbalah1 and illustrate that in the arrangement of potencies two unite1 like parents1 to form a third4 ,sometimes we see also how three such male attributes as splendour1 firmness1 and solidity join with beauty to form the mystic arba1 the trinity and unity4 ,figures #e1 #f1 are copies from figures found in ,carthage and in ,scotland1 from ,forbes ,leslie's ,early ,races of ,scotland1 vol4 i41 plate vi41 p4 #df 7,london1 #ahff74 ,this book is one to which the reader's attention should be directed4 ,the amount of valuable information which it contains is very large1 and it is classified in a philosophical1 and1 we may add1 attractive manner4 ,the figures represent the arbor vitae4 ,figure #g is from ,bonomi1 page #bib1 ,nineveh and its ,palaces 7,london1 #ahfe74 ,it apparently represents the mystic yoni1 door1 or delta2 and it may be regarded as an earlier form of the framework in ,plate iv4 ,it will be remarked1 by those learned in symbols1 that the outline of the hands of the priests who are nearest to the figure is a suggestive one1 being analogous to the figure of a key and its shank1 whilst those who stand behind these officers present the pine cone and bag1 symbolic of ,ann1 ,hea1 and their residence4 ,it is to be noticed1 and once for all let us assert our belief1 that every detail in a sculpture relating to religion has a signification2 that the first right hand figure carries a peculiarly shaped staff2 and that the winged symbol above the yoni consists of a male archer in a winged circle1 analagous to the symbolic bow1 arrow1 and target4 ,the bow was an emblem amongst the ,romans1 and arcum tendere was equivalent to arrigere4 ,in the ,golden ,ass of ,apuleius we find the metaphor used in his account of his dealings with amorous frolicsome ,fotis1 ,ubi primam sagittam saevi cupidinis in ima procordia mea delapsam excepi1 arcum1 meum et ipse vigore tetendi4 ,again1 we find in ,petronius-- ,astra igitur mea mens arcum dum tendit in ilia4 ,ex imo ad summum viva sagitta volat4 ,figures #h to #ad are representations of the goddess mother1 the virgin and child1 ,ishtar or ,astarte1 ,mylitta1 ,ceres1 ,rhea1 ,venus1 ,sacti1 ,mary1 ,yoni1 ,juno1 ,mama ,ocello4 ,fig4 #h is a copy of the deified woman or celestial mother1 from ,idalium1 in ,cyprus4 ,fig4 #i is from ,egypt1 and is remarkable for the cow's horns 7for whose signification see ,vol4 i41 p4 #ed1 ,ancient ,faiths1 second edition71 which here replace the lunar crescent1 in conjunction with the sun1 the two being symbolic of hermaphroditism1 whilst above is a seat or throne1 emblematic of royalty4 ,the two figures are copied from ,rawlinson's ,herodotus1 vol4 ii41 p4 #ddg1 in an essay by ,sir ,gardiner ,wilkinson1 wherein other illustrations of the celestial virgin are given4 ,fig4 #aj is a copy of plate #ei1 ,moor's ,hindu ,pantheon1 wherein it is entitled1 ,crishna nursed by ,devaki1 from a highly finished picture4 ,in the account of ,crishna's birth and early history1 as given by ,moor 7,op4 ,cit41 pp4 #aig1 et seq471 there is as strong a resemblance to the story of ,christ as the picture here described has to papal paintings of ,mary and ,jesus4 ,fig4 #aa is an enlarged representation of ,devaki4 ,fig4 #ab is copied from ,rawlinson's ,ancient ,monarchies1 vol4 iii41 p4 #hii4 ,fig4 #ac is a figure of the mother and child found in ancient ,etruria at ,volaterra2 it is depicted in ,fabretti's ,italian ,glossary1 plate xxvi41 figure #cdi4 ,it is described as a marble statue1 now in the ,guarnacci ,museum4 ,the letters1 which are ,etruscan1 and read from right to left1 may be thus rendered into the ordinary ,latin characters from left to right1 ,,mi3 ,,gana3 ,,larthias ,,zanl3 ,,velkinei3 ,,me - ,,se42 the translation ,i take to be1 the votive offering of ,larthias 7a female7 of ,zanal1 7 ,zancle ,messana in ,sicily71 7wife7 of ,velcinius1 in the sixth month4 ,it is uncertain whether we are to regard the statue as an effigy of the celestial mother and child1 or as the representation of some devout lady who has been spared during her pregnancy1 her parturition1 or from some disease affecting herself and child4 ,analogy would lead us to infer that the ,queen of ,heaven is intended4 ,figure #ad is copied from ,hislop's ,two ,babylons2 it represents ,indranee1 the wife of ,indra or ,indur1 and is to be found in ,indur ,subba1 the south front of the ,caves of ,ellora1 ,asiatic ,researches1 vol4 vi41 p4 #hic4 ,indra is equivalent to ,jupiter ,tonans1 and is represented as seated on an elephant2 the waterspout is the trunk of this elephant1 and the iris is his bow1 which it is not auspicious to point out1 ,moor's ,pantheon1 p4 #bfj4 ,he is represented very much as if he were a satyr1 ,moor's ,pantheon1 p4 #bfd2 but his wife is always spoken of as personified chastity and propriety4 ,indranee is seated on a lioness1 which replaces the cow of ,isis1 the former resembling the latter in her feminine and maternal instincts4 ,figures #ae1 #af1 are copies of ,diana of the ,ephesians2 the first is from ,hislop1 who quotes ,kitto's ,illustrated ,commentary1 vol4 v41 p4 #bej2 the second from ,higgins' ,anacalypsis1 who quotes ,montfaucon1 plate #dg4 ,i remember to have seen a figure similar to these in the ,royal ,museum at ,naples4 ,the tower upon the head represents virginity 7see ,ancient ,faiths1 second edition1 ,vol4 i41 p4 #add72 the position of the hand forms a cross with the body3 the numerous breasts indicate abundance2 the black colour of ,figure #af indicates the ordinary tint of the feminine lanugo1 the almost universal colour of the hair of the ,orientals being black about the yoni as well as on the head2 or1 as some mythologists imagine1 ,night1 who is said to be one of the mothers of creation4 7,see ,ancient ,faiths1 second edition1 ,vol4 n41 p4 #hhb47 ,the emblems upon the body indicate the attributes or symbols of the male and female creators4 ,figure #ag is a complicated sign of the yoni1 delta1 or door of life4 ,it is copied from ,bonomi's ,palaces of ,nineveh1 p4 #hji4 ,figure #ah signifies the same thing2 the priests adoring it present the pine cone and basket1 symbolic of ,ann1 ,hea1 and their residence4 ,compare the object of the ,assyrian priest's adoration with that adored by a ,christian divine1 in a subsequent figure4 7,see ,ancient ,faiths1 second edition1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #hh1 et seq41 and ,vol4 n41 p4 #fdh47 ,figure #ai is copied from ,lajard 7,op4 ,cit471 plate xxii41 fig4 #e4 ,it is the impression of an ancient gem1 and represents a man clothed with a fish1 the head being the mitre2 priests thus clothed1 often bearing in their hand the mystic bag1 are common in ,mesopotamian sculptures2 two such are figured on ,figs4 #fc1 #fd1 infra4 ,in almost every instance it will be recognised that the fish's head is represented as of the same form as the modern bishop's mitre4 ,figure #bj represents two equilateral triangles1 infolded so as to make a six-rayed star1 the idea embodied being the androgyne nature of the deity1 the pyramid with its apex upwards signifying the male1 that with the apex downwards the female4 ,the line at the central junction is not always seen1 but the shape of the three parallel bars reappears in ,hindoo frontlet signs in conjunction with a delta or door1 shaped like the grove in ,fig4 #ag2 thus showing that the lines serve also to indicate the masculine triad4 ,the two triangles are also understood as representing fire1 which mounts upwards1 and water1 which flows downwards4 ,fire again is an emblem of the sun1 and water of the passive or yielding element in nature4 ,fire also typifies ,eros or ,cupid4 ,hymen is always represented carrying a torch4 ,it is also symbolic of love2 e4g41 ,southey writes4 ,but love is indestructible1 ,its holy flame for ever burneth2 ,from heaven it came1 ,to heaven returneth4 ,and again1 ,scott writes-- ,it is not phantasy's hot fire ,whose wishes1 soon as granted1 fly1 amp2c4 ,figures #ba1 #bb1 are other indications of the same fundamental idea4 ,the first represents ,nebo1 the ,nahbi1 or the navel1 characterised by a ring with a central mound4 ,the second represents the circular and upright stone so common in ,oriental villages4 ,the two indicate the male and female2 and a medical friend resident in ,india has told me1 that he has seen women mount upon the lower stone and seat themselves reverently upon the upright one1 having first adjusted their dress so as to prevent it interfering with their perfect contact with the miniature obelisc4 ,during the sitting1 a short prayer seemed flitting over the worshippers' lips1 but the whole affair was soon over4 ,whilst upon this subject1 it is right to call attention to the fact that animate as well as inorganic representatives of the ,creator have been used by women with the same definite purpose4 ,the dominant idea is that contact with the emblem1 a mundane representative of the deity1 of itself gives a blessing4 ,just as many ,hindoo females seek a benefaction by placing their own yoni upon the consecrated linga1 so a few regard intercourse with certain high priests of the ,maharajah sect as incarnations of ,vishnu1 and pay for the privilege of being spouses of the god4 ,in ,egypt1 where the goat was a sacred animal1 there were some religious women who sought good luck by uniting themselves therewith4 ,we have heard of ,british professors of religion endeavouring to persuade their penitents to procure purity by what others would call defilement and disgrace4 ,and the cord of ,st4 ,francis replaces the stone linga4 ,sometimes with this cord the rod is associated2 and those who have read the trial of ,father ,gerard1 for his seduction of ,miss ,cadiere under a saintly guise1 will know that ,christianity does not always go hand in hand with propriety4 ,with the ,hindoo custom compare that which was done by ,liber on the grave of ,prosumnus 7,arnobius adverma ,gentes1 translated by ,bryce and ,campbell1 ,t4 and ,t4 ,clark1 ,edinburgh1 pp4 #beb1 #beh71 which is far too gross to be described here2 and as regards the sanctity of a stone whose top had been anointed with oil1 see first sentence of paragraph #hi1 ibid1 page #ha4 ,the whole book will well repay perusal4 ,figures #bh1 #bd1 are discs1 circles1 aureoles1 and wheels1 to represent the sun4 ,sometimes the emblem of this luminary is associated with rays1 as in ,plate iii41 ,fig4 #h1 and in another ,figure elsewhere4 ,occasionally1 as in some of the ancient temples in ,egypt discovered in #ahed1 the sun's rays are represented by lines terminating in hands4 ,sometimes one or more of these contain objects as if they were gifts sent by the god2 amongst other objects1 the crux ansata is shown conspicuously4 ,in a remarkable plate in the ,transactions of the ,royal ,society of ,literature 7second series1 vol4 i41 p4 #adj71 the sun is identified with the serpent2 its rays terminate in hands1 some holding the handled cross or tau1 and before it a queen1 apparently1 worships4 ,she is offering what seems to be a lighted tobacco pipe1 the bowl being of the same shape as that commonly used in ,turkey2 from this a wavy pyramid of flame rises4 ,behind her1 two female slaves elevate the sistrum2 whilst before her1 and apparently between herself and her husband1 are two altars occupied by round cakes and one crescent-shaped emblem4 ,the aureole was used in ancient days by ,babylonian artists or sculptors1 when they wished to represent a being1 apparently human1 as a god4 ,the same plan has been adopted by the moderns1 who have varied the symbol by representing it now as a golden disc1 now as a terrestrial orb1 again as a rayed sphere4 ,a writer1 when describing a god as a man1 can say that the object he sketches is divine2 but a painter thinks too much of his art to put on any of his designs1 this woman is a goddess1 or this creature is a god2 he therefore adds an aureole round the head of his subject1 and thus converts a very ordinary man1 woman1 or child into a deity to be reverenced2 modern artists thus proving themselves to be far more skilful in depicting the ,almighty than the carpenters and goldsmiths of the time of ,isaiah 7xl4 #ah1 #ai1 xli4 #f1 #g1 xliv4 #i-ai71 who used no such contrivance4 ,figure #bd is another representation of the solar disc1 in which it is marked with a cross4 ,this probably originated in the wheel of a chariot having four spokes1 and the sun being likened to a charioteer4 ,the chariots of the sun are referred to in #b ,kings xxiii4 #aa as idolatrous emblems4 ,of these the wheel was symbolic4 ,the identification of this emblem with the sun is very easy1 for it has repeatedly been found in ,mesopotamian gems in conjunction with the moon4 ,in a very remarkable one figured in ,rawlinson's ,ancient ,monarchies1 vol4 ii41 p4 #bdi1 the cross is contrived as five circles4 ,it is remarkable that in many papal pictures the wafer and the cup are depicted precisely as the sun and moon in conjunction4 ,see ,pugin's ,architectural ,glossary1 plate iv41 fig4 #e4 ,figures #be1 #bf1 #bg1 are simply varieties of the solar wheel1 intended to represent the idea of the sun and moon1 the mystic triad and unit1 the arba1 or four4 ,in ,figure #bf1 the mural ornament is introduced1 that being symbolic of feminine virginity4 ,for explanation of ,figure #bg1 see ,figures #he1 #hf4 ,figure #bh is copied from ,lajard1 ,op4 ,cit41 plate xiv4 ,f4 ,that author states that he has taken it from a drawing of an ,egyptian stele1 made by ,m4 ,e4 ,prisse 7,monum4 ,egypt41 plate xxxvii471 and that the original is in the ,british ,museum4 ,there is an imperfect copy of it in ,rawlinson's ,herodotus1 vol4 ii4 ,the original is too indelicate to be represented fully4 ,isis1 the central figure1 is wholly nude1 with the exception of her head-dress1 and neck and breast ornaments4 ,in one hand she holds two blades of corn apparently1 whilst in the other she has three lotus flowers1 two being egg-shaped1 but the central one fully expanded2 with these1 which evidently symbolise the mystic triad1 is associated a circle emblematic of the yoni1 thus indicating the fourfold creator4 ,isis stands upon a lioness2 on one side of her stands a clothed male figure1 holding in one hand the crux ansata1 and in the other an upright spear4 ,on the opposite side is a male figure wholly nude1 like the goddess1 save his head-dress and collar1 the ends of which are arranged so as to form a cross4 ,his hand points to a flagellum2 behind him is a covert reference to the triad1 whilst in front ,osiris offers undisguised homage to ,isis4 ,the head-dress of the goddess appears to be a modified form of the crescent moon inverted4 ,it is not exclusively ,egyptian1 as it has been found in conjunction with other emblems on an ,assyrian obelisc of ,phallic form4 ,figures #bi1 #cj1 #ca1 #cb1 represent the various triangles and their union1 which have been adopted in worship4 ,figure #bi is said to represent fire1 which amongst the ancient ,persians was depicted as a cone1 whilst the figure inverted represents water4 ,figure #cc is an ancient ,hindoo emblem1 called ,sri ,iantra4 ,the circle represents the world1 in which the living exist2 the triangle pointing upwards shows the male creator2 and the triangle with the apex downwards the female2 distinct1 yet united4 ,these have a world within themselves1 in which the male is uppermost4 ,in the central circle the image to be worshipped is placed4 ,when used1 the figure is placed on the ground1 with ,brahma to the east1 and ,laksmi to the west4 ,then a relic of any saint1 or image of ,buddha1 like a modern papal crucifix1 is added1 and the shrine for worship is complete4 ,it has now been adopted in ,christian churches and ,freemasons' lodges4 ,it will be noticed that the male emblem points to the rising sun1 and the female triangle points to the setting sun1 when the earth seems to receive the god into her couch4 ,figure #cd is a very ancient ,hindoo emblem1 whose real signification ,i am unable to divine4 ,it is used in calculation2 it forms the basis of some game1 and it is a sign of vast import in sacti worship4 ,a coin1 bearing this figure upon it1 and having a central cavity with the ,etruscan letters ,,supen placed one between each two of the angles1 was found in a fictile urn1 at ,volaterrae1 and is depicted in ,fabretti's ,italian ,glossary1 plate xxvi41 fig4 #heh1 bis a4 ,as the coin is round1 the reader will see that these letters may be read as ,supen1 ,upens1 ,pensu1 ,ensup1 or ,nsupe4 ,a search through ,fabretti's ,lexicon affords no clue to any meaning except for the third4 ,there seems1 indeed1 strong reason to believe that pensu was the ,etruscan form of the ,pali panca1 the ,sanscrit panch1 the ,bengalli panch1 and the ,greek penta1 i4 e41 five4 ,five1 certainly1 would be an appropriate word for the pentangle4 ,it is almost impossible to avoid speculating upon the value of this fragment of archaeological evidence in support of the idea that the ,greeks1 ,aryans1 and ,etruscans had something in common2 but into the question it would be unprofitable to enter here4 ,but1 although declining to enter upon this wide field of inquiry1 ,i would notice that whilst searching ,fabretti's ,glossary my eye fell upon the figure of an equilateral triangle with the apex upwards1 depicted plate xliii41 fig4 #bddj ter4 ,the triangle is of brass1 and was found in the territory of the ,falisci4 ,it bears a rude representation of the outlines of the soles of two human feet1 in this respect resembling a ,buddhist emblem2 and there is on its edge an inscription which may be rendered thus in ,roman letters1 ,,kayi3 ,,tertinei4 ,,postiknu1 which probably signifies ,gavia1 the wife of ,tertius1 offered it4 ,the occurrence of two ,hindoo symbols in ancient ,italy is very remarkable4 ,it must1 however1 be noticed that similar symbols have been found on ancient sculptured stones in ,ireland and ,scotland4 ,there may be no emblematic ideas whatever conveyed by the design2 but when the marks appear on ,gnostic gems1 they are supposed to indicate death1 i4 e41 the impressions left by the feet of the individual as he springs from earth to heaven4 ,figures #ce1 #cf1 are ,maltese crosses4 ,in a large book of ,etrurian antiquities1 which came casually under my notice about twenty years ago1 when ,i was endeavouring to master the language1 theology1 etc41 of the ,etruscans1 but whose name1 and other particulars of which1 ,i cannot now remember2 ,i found depicted two crosses1 made up of four masculine triads1 each asher being erect1 and united to its fellows by the gland1 forming a central diamond1 emblem of the yoni4 ,in one instance1 the limbs of the cross were of equal length2 in the other1 one asher was three times as long as the others4 ,a somewhat similar cross1 but one united with the circle1 was found some time ago near ,naples4 ,it is made of gold1 and has apparently been used as an amulet and suspended to the neck4 ,it is figured in plate #ce of ,an ,essay on the ,worship of the ,generative ,powers during the ,middle ,ages 7,london1 privately printed1 #ahfe74 ,it may be thus described3 the centre of the circle is occupied by four oblate spheres arranged like a square2 from the salient curves of each of these springs a yoni 7shaped as in ,figure #ei71 with the point outwards1 thus forming a cross1 each ray of which is an egg and fig4 ,at each junction of the ovoids a yoni is inserted with the apex inwards1 whilst from the broad end arise four ashers1 which project beyond the shield1 each terminating in a few golden bead-like drops4 ,the whole is a graphic natural representation of the intimate union of the male and female1 sun and moon1 cross and circle1 ,ouranos and ,ge4 ,the same idea is embodied in ,figure #bg1 p4 #hf1 but in that the mystery is deeply veiled1 in that the long arms of the cross represent the sun1 or male1 indicated by the triad2 the short ones1 the moon1 or the female 7see ,plate xi4 ,fig4 #d74 ,the ,maltese cross1 a ,phoenician emblem1 was discovered cut on a rock in the island from which it takes its name4 ,though cruciform1 it had nothing ,christian about it2 for1 like the ,etruscan ones referred to above1 it consisted of four lingas united together by the heads1 the eggs being at the outside4 ,it was an easy thing for an unscrupulous priesthood to represent this invention of the cross as a miracle1 and to make it presentable to the eyes of the faithful by leaving the outlines of ,anu and ,hea incomplete4 ,sometimes this cross is figured as four triangles meeting at the points1 which has the same meaning1 ,generally1 however1 the ,church 7as may be seen by a reference to ,pugin's ,glossary of ,ecclesiastical ,ornament7 adopts the use of crosses where the inferior members of the trinity are more or less central1 as in our ,plate xi41 ,figs4 #b1 #h1 and as in the ,figures #dj1 #da1 #db1 infra4 ,when once a person knows the true origin of the doctrine of the ,trinity--one which is far too improper to have been adopted by the writers of the ,new ,testament--it is impossible not to recognise in the signs which are symbolic of it the thing which is signified4 ,it may readily be supposed that those who have knowledge of the heathenish origin of many of the cherished doctrines of the so-called ,christian church1 cannot remain enthusiastic members of her communion2 and it is equally easy for the enlightened philosopher to understand why such persons are detested and abused by the ignorant1 and charged with being freethinkers1 sceptics1 or atheists4 ,sciolism is ever intolerant1 and theological hatred is generally to be measured by the mental incapacity of those who indulge in the luxury4 ,but no amount of abuse can reduce the intrinsic value of facts4 ,nor will the most fiery persecution demonstrate that the religion of ,christ1 as it appears in our churches and cathedrals1 especially if they are papal1 is not tainted by a mass of paganism of disgusting origin4 ,figure #cg is copied from the ,journal of the ,royal ,asiatic ,society1 vol4 xviii41 p #hih1 plate #d4 ,it is a ,buddhist emblem1 and represents the same idea under different aspects4 ,each limb of the cross represents the fascinum at right angles with the body1 and presented towards a barleycorn1 one of the symbols of the yoni4 ,each limb is marked by the same female emblem1 and terminates with the triad triangle2 beyond this again is seen the conjunction of the sun and moon4 ,the whole therefore represents the mystic curba1 the creative four1 by some called ,thor's hammer4 ,copies of a cross similar to this have been recently found by ,dr4 ,schliemann in a very ancient city1 buried under the remains of two others1 which he identifies as the ,troy of ,homer's ,iliad4 ,figures #ch to #db are developments of the triad triangle1 or trinity4 ,if the horizontal limb on the free end of the arm were to be prolonged to twice its length1 the most obtuse would recognise ,asher1 and the inferior or lower members of the triune4 ,figure #dc is by ,egyptologists called the 'symbol of life4' ,it is also called the 'handled cross1' or crux ansata4 ,it represents the male triad and the female unit1 under a decent form4 ,there are few symbols more commonly met with in ,egyptian art than this4 ,in some remarkable sculptures1 where the sun's rays are represented as terminating in hands1 the offerings which these bring are many a crux ansata1 emblematic of the truth that a fruitful union is a gift from the deity4 ,figures #dd1 #de1 are ancient designs1 in which the male and female elements are more disguised than is usual4 ,in ,fig4 #dd the woman is indicated by the dolphin4 ,figures #dh1 #di1 represent the trefoil which was used by the ancient ,hindoos as emblematic of the celestial triad1 and adopted by modern ,christians4 ,it will be seen that from one stem arise three curiously-shaped segments1 each of which is supposed to resemble the male scrotum1 purse1 bag1 or basket44 ,figure #ej is copied from ,lajard1 ,culte de ,venus1 plate i41 fig4 #b4 ,he states that it is from a gem cylinder in the ,british ,museum4 ,it represents a male and female figure dancing before the mystic palm-tree1 into whose signification we need not enter beyond saying that it is a symbol of ,asher4 ,opposite to a particular part of the figures is to be seen a diamond1 or oval1 and a fleur de lys1 or symbolic triad4 ,this gem is peculiarly valuable1 as it illustrates in a graphic manner the meaning of the emblems in question and how the lillies of ,france had a pagan origin4 ,figures #ea to #fj are varions representations of the union of the four1 the arba1 the androgyne1 or the linga-yoni4 ,figure #fa4 ,in modern ,christian art this symbol is called vesica piscis1 and is sometimes surrounded with rays4 ,it commonly serves as a sort of framework in which female saints are placed1 who are generally the representatives of the older ,juno1 ,ceres1 ,diana1 ,venus1 or other impersonations of the feminine element in creation4 ,we should not feel obliged to demonstrate the truth of this assertion if decency permitted us to reproduce here designs which naughty youths so frequently chalk upon walls to the disgust of the proper part of the community4 ,we must1 therefore1 have resort to a religious book1 and in a subsequent figure demonstrate the meaning of the symbol unequivocally4 ,figure #fb represents one of the forms assumed by the sistrum of ,isis4 ,sometimes the instrument is oval1 and occasionally it terminates below in a horizontal line1 instead of in an acute angle4 ,the inquirer can very readily recognise in the emblem the symbol of the female creator4 ,if there should be any doubt in his mind1 he will be satisfied after a reference to ,maffei's ,gemme ,antiche ,figurate 7,rome1 #agjg71 vol4 ii41 plate #fa1 wherein ,diana of the ,ephesians is depicted as having a body of the exact shape of the sistrum figured in ,payne ,knight's work on the remains of the worship of ,priapus1 etc4 ,the bars across the sistrum show that it denotes a pure virgin 7see ,ancient ,faiths1 second edition1 ,vol4 n41 pp4 #gdc-gdf74 ,on its handle is seen the figure of a cat--a sacred animal amongst the ,egyptians1 for the same reason that ,isis was figured sometimes as a cow--viz41 for its salacity and its love for its offspring4 ,figures #fc to #ff are all drawn from ,assyrian sources4 ,the central figure1 which is probably the biblical grove1 represents the delta1 or female door4 ,to it the attendant genii offer the pine cone and basket4 ,the signification of these is explained subsequently4 ,i was unable at first to quote any authority to demonstrate that the pine cone was a distinct masculine symbol1 but now the reader may be referred to ,maffei1 ,gemme ,antiche ,figurate 7,rome1 #agjh71 where1 in vol4 iii41 he will see a ,venus ,tirsigera4 ,the goddess in plate #h1 is nude1 and carries in her hand the tripliform arrow1 emblem of the male triad1 whilst in the other she bears a thyrsus1 terminating in a pine or fir cone4 ,now this cone and stem are carried in the ,bacchic festivities1 and can be readily recognised as virga cum ovo4 ,sometimes the thyrsus is replaced by ivy leaves1 which1 like the fig1 are symbolic of the triple creator4 ,occasionally the thyrsus was a lance or pike1 round which vine leaves and berries were clustered2 ,bacchus cum vino being the companion of ,venus cum cerere4 ,but a stronger confirmation of my views may be found in a remarkable group 7see ,fig4 #abd infra74 ,this is entitled ,sacrifizio di ,priapo1 and represents a female offering to ,priapus4 ,the figure of the god stands upon a pillar of three stones1 and it bears a thyrsus from which depend two ribbons4 ,the devotee is accompanied by a boy1 who carries a pine- or fir- cone in his hand1 and a basket on his head1 in which may be recognised a male effigy4 ,in ,figure #fd the position of the advanced hand of each of the priests nearest to the grove is very suggestive to the physiologist4 ,it resembles one limb of the ,buddhist cross1 ,fig4 #cg1 supra4 ,the finger or thumb when thus pointed are figurative of ,asher1 in a horizontal position1 with ,anu or ,hea hanging from one end4 ,figure #fe is explained similarly4 ,it is to be noticed that a door is adopted amongst modern ,hindoos as an emblem of the sacti 7see ,figs4 #aeb1 #aec1 infra74 ,my friend ,mr4 ,newton1 who has taken great interest in the subject of symbolism1 regards these groves as not being simply emblems of the yoni1 but of the union of that part with the lingam1 or mystic palm tree4 ,as his ideas are extremely ingenious1 and his theory perfect1 ,i have requested him to introduce them at the end of this work4 ,figures #fg1 #fh1 #fi1 are fancy sketches intended to represent the sacred shields spoken of in ,jewish and other history4 ,the last is drawn from memory1 and represents a ,templar's shield4 ,according to the method in which the shield is viewed1 it appears like the os tincae or the navel4 ,figures #gj1 #ga1 represent the shape of the sistrum of ,isis1 the fruit of the fig1 and the yoni4 ,when a garment of this shape is made and worn1 it becomes the pallium donned alike by the male and female individuals consecrated to ,roman worship4 ,king1 in his ,ancient ,gnostics1 remarks3 ,the circle of the sun is the navel1 which marks the natural position of the womb--the navel being considered in the microcosm as corresponding to the sun in the universe1 an idea more fully exemplified in the famous hallucination of the ,greek anchorites touching the mystical ',light of ,tabor1' which was revealed to the devotee after a fast of many days1 all the time staring fixedly upon the region of the navel1 whence at length this light streamed as from a focus4 ,pages #aeh1 #aed4 ,figures #gb1 #gc1 represent an ancient ,christian bishop1 and a modern nun wearing the emblem of the female sex4 ,in the former1 said 7in ,old ,england ,pictorially ,illustrated1 by ,knight7 to be a drawing of ,st4 ,augustine1 the amount of symbolism is great4 ,the nimbus and the tonsure are solar emblems2 the pallium1 the feminine sign1 is studded with phallic crosses2 its lower end is the ancient ,t the mark of the masculine triad2 the right hand has the forefinger extended1 like the ,assyrian priests whilst doing homage to the grove1 and within it is the fruit1 tappuach1 which is said to have tempted ,eve4 ,when a male dons the pallium in worship1 he becomes the representative of the trinity in the unity1 the arba1 or mystic four4 ,see ,ancient ,faiths1 second edition1 ,vol4 n41 pp4 #iae-iah4 ,i take this opportunity to quote here a pregnant page of ,king's ,gnostics and their ,remains1 7,bell ,daldy1 ,london1 #ahfd74 ,to this period belongs a beautiful sard in my collection representing ,serapis1444 whilst before him stands ,isis1 holding in one hand the sistrum1 in the other a wheatsheaf1 with the legend444 ',immaculate is our lady ,isis1' the very terms applied afterwards to that personage who succeeded to her form 7the ',black ,virgins1' so highly reverenced in certain ,french ,cathedrals during the middle ages1 proved1 when examined critically1 basalt figures of ,isis71 her symbols1 rites1 and ceremonies4444 ,her devotees carried into the new priesthood the former badges of their profession1 the obligation to celibacy1 the tonsure1 and the surplice1 omitting1 unfortunately1 the frequent ablutions prescribed by the ancient creed4 ,the sacred image still moves in procession as when ,juvenal laughed at it1 vi4 #ecj4 ,escorted by the tonsured surpliced train4 ,her proper title1 ,domina1 the exact translation of ,sanscrit ,isi1 survives with slight change in the modern ,madonna1 ,mater ,domina4 ,by a singular permutation the flower borne by each1 the lotus--ancient emblem of the sun and fecundity--now re-named the lily1 is interpreted as significant of the opposing quality4 ,the tinkling sistrum444 is replaced by444 the bell1 taken from ,buddhist usages4444 ,the erect oval symbol of the ,female ,principle of ,nature became the ,vesica ,piscis1 and the ,crux ,ansata1 testifying the union of the male and female in the most obvious manner1 is transformed into the orb surmounted by the cross1 as an ensign of royalty4 ,pp4 #ga1 #gb4 ,figure #gd is a well known ,christian emblem1 called a foul anchor4 ,the anchor1 as a symbol1 is of great antiquity4 ,it may be seen on an old ,etruscan coin in the ,british ,museum1 depicted in ,veterum ,popvlorum et ,regum ,nummi1 etc4 7,london1 #ahad71 plate ii41 fig4 #a4 ,on the reverse there is a chariot wheel4 ,the foul anchor represents the crescent moon1 the yoni1 ark1 navis1 or boat2 in this is placed the mast1 round which the serpent1 the emblem of life in the verge1 entwines itself4 ,the cross beam completes the mystic four1 symbolic alike of the sun and of androgeneity4 ,the whole is a covert emblem of that union which results in fecundity4 ,it is said by ,christians to be the anchor of the soul1 sure and steadfast4 ,this it certainly cannot be1 for a foul anchor will not hold the ground4 ,figures #ge to #gi are ,asiatic and ,egyptian emblems in use amongst ourselves1 and receive their explanation similarly to preceding ones4 ,figure #hj is copied from ,godfrey ,higgins' ,anacalypsis1 vol4 ii41 fig4 #bg4 ,it is drawn from ,montfaucon1 vol4 ii41 pi4 cxxxii41 fig4 #f4 ,in his text1 ,higgins refers to two similar groups1 one which exists in the ,egyptian temple of ,ipsambal in ,nubia1 and is described by ,wilson1 ,on ,buddhists and ,jeynes1 p4 #abg1 another1 found in a cave temple in the south of ,india1 described by ,col4 ,tod1 in his ,history of ,raj-pootanah4 ,the group is not explained by ,montfaucon4 ,it is apparently ,greek1 and combines the story of ,hercules with the seductiveness of ,circe4 ,the tree and serpent are common emblems1 and have even been found in ,indian temples in central ,america1 grouped as in the woodcut4 ,figure #ha is copied from ,lajard1 ,culte de ,venus1 plate xix41 fig4 #aa1 ,the origin of this1 which is a silver statuette in that author's possession1 is unknown4 ,the female represents ,venus bearing in one hand an apple2 her arm rests upon what seems to be a representative of the mystic triad 7the two additions to the upright stem not being seen in a front view7 round which a dolphin for 'womb' is entwined1 from whose mouth comes the stream of life4 ,the apple plays a strange part in ,greek and ,hebrew mythology4 ,the story of the apple of discord1 awarded by ,paris to ,venus1 seems to indicate that where beauty contends against majesty and wisdom for the love of youth1 it is sure to win the day4 ,we learn from ,arnobius that a certain ,nana conceived a son by an apple 7,op1 ,cit41 p4 #bhf71 although in another place the prolific fruit is said to have been a pomegranate4 ,mythologically1 that writer sees no difficulty in the story1 for those who affirm that rocks and hard stones have brought forth4 ,in the ,song of ,solomon1 apples and the tree that bears them are often referred to2 and we have in ,ch4 ii4 #e the curious expression1 ,comfort me with apples1 for ,i am sick of love4 ,we are familiar with the account of ,eve being tempted by the same fruit4 ,critics imagine that as the apple in ,palestine is not good eating1 the quince is meant2 if so1 we know that a leaf of that tree is to be seen in every amorous picture found in ,pompeii1 the plant having been supposed to increase virile power4 ,others imagine that the citron is intended1 whose shape makes it an emblem of the testis4 ,however this may be decided1 it is tolerably clear1 from all the tales and pictures in which a fruit like the apple figures1 that the emblem symbolised a desire for an intimate union between the sexes4 ,the reader will doubtless remember how1 in ,genesis xxx1 ,leah is represented as purchasing her husband's company for a night by means of mandrakes1 the result being the birth of ,issachar2 and in the well-known story of the ,creation we find that the apple gives birth to desire1 as shown in the recognition for the first time of the respective nudity of the couple1 which was followed immediately1 or as soon as it was possible afterwards1 by sexual intercourse and the conception of ,cain4 ,figure #hb is from ,lajard 7,op4 ,cit471 plate xivb1 fig4 #c4 ,the gem is of unknown origin1 but is apparently ,babylonish2 it represents the male and female in conjunction3 each appears to be holding the symbol of the triad in much respect1 whilst the curious cross suggests a new reading to an ancient symbol4 ,i have of late heard it asserted1 by a man of considerable learning1 though of a very narrow mind in everything which bears upon religious subjects1 that there is no proof that the sun was commonly regarded as a male1 or the moon as a female2 and he based his strange assertion solely upon the ground that in ,german and some other languages the sun was represented by a feminine1 and the moon by a masculine noun4 ,the argument is of no value1 for --,greek-- and other ,greek and ,latin names of the yoni1 are masculine nouns1 and ,virga and ,mentula1 the ,roman words for the ,linga1 are feminine4 ,in ,hindostan1 the sun is always represented as a ,god2 the moon is occasionally a male1 and sometimes a female deity4 ,in ancient ,gaulish and ,scandinavian figures1 the sun was always a male1 and the moon a female4 ,their identification will be seen in ,figure #aah--;as their conjunction is in the one before us--in the position of the individuals1 and in the fleur-de-lys and oval symbol4 ,figure #hh may be found in ,fabretti's ,corpus ,inscriptionum ,italicarum 7,turin1 #ahfg71 plate xxv41 fig4 #hjh f4 ,the coins which bear the figures are of brass1 and were found at ,volaterrae4 ,in one the double head is associated with a dolphin and crescent moon on the reverse1 and the letters ,velathri1 in ,etruscan4 ,a similar inscription exists on the one containing the club4 ,the club1 formed as in ,figure #hh1 occurs frequently on ,etruscan coins4 ,for example1 two clubs are joined with four balls on a ,tudertine coin1 having on the reverse a hand apparently gauntleted for fighting1 and four balls arranged in a square4 ,on other coins are to be seen a bee1 a trident1 a spear head1 and other tripliform figures1 associated with three balls in a triangle2 sometimes two1 and sometimes one4 ,the double head with two balls is seen on a ,telamonian coin1 having on the reverse what appears to be a leg with the foot turned upwards4 ,in a coin of ,populonia the club is associated with a spear and two balls1 whilst on the reverse is a single head4 ,i must notice1 too1 that on other coins a hammer and pincers1 or tongs1 appear1 as if the idea was to show that a maker1 fabricator1 or heavy hitter was intended to be symbolised4 ,what that was is further indicated by other coins1 on which a head appears thrusting out the tongue4 ,at ,cortona two statuettes of silver have been found1 representing a double-faced individual4 ,a lion's head for a cap1 a collar1 and buskins are the sole articles of dress worn4 ,one face appears to be feminine1 and the other masculine1 but neither is bearded4 ,the pectorals and the general form indicate the male1 but the usual marks of sex are absent4 ,on these have been found ,etruscan inscriptions 7#a7 v4 cvinti arntias ,,culpiansi ,,alp ,,an ,,turce2 7#b7 ,v4 ,,cvinte ,,arntias ,,selanse ,,tez alpan ,,tubce4 ,which may be rendered 7#a7 ,v4 ,quintus of ,aruntia1 to ,culpian pleasing1 a gift2 7#b7 ,v4 ,quintus of ,aruntia to ,vulcan pleasing gave a gift1 evidently showing that they were ex voto offerings4 ,col4 ,forbes ,leslie's ,early ,races of ,scotland4 ,in plate #di it is associated with a serpent1 apparently the cobra4 ,the design is spoken of as the spectacle ornament1 and it is very commonly associated with another figure closely resembling the letter ,z4 ,it is very natural for the inquirer to associate the twin circles with the sun and earth1 or the sun common amongst the sculptured stones in ,scotland4 ,four varieties may be seen in plate #dh of sun and moon4 ,on one ,scottish monument the circles represent wheels1 and they probably indicate the solar chariot4 ,as yet ,i have only been able to meet with the ,z and spectacle ornament once out of ,scotland2 it is figured on apparently a ,gnostic gem 7,the ,gnostics and their ,remains1 by ,c4 ,w4 ,king1 ,london1 #ahfd1 plate ii41 fig4 #e74 ,in that we see in a serpent cartouche two ,z figures1 each having the down stroke crossed by a horizontal line1 both ends terminating in a circle2 besides them is a six-rayed star1 each ray terminating in a circle1 precisely resembling the star in ,plate in41 ,fig4 #h1 supra4 ,i can offer no satisfactory explanation of the emblem4 ,figures #he1 #hf1 represent a ,yorkshire and an ,indian stone circle4 ,the first is copied from ,descriptions of ,cairns1 ,cromlechs1 ,kistvaens1 and other ,celtic1 ,druidical1 or ,scythian ,monuments in the ,dekkan1 by ,col4 ,meadows ,taylor1 ,transactions of the ,royal ,irish ,academy1 vol4 xxiv4 ,the mound exists at ,twizell1 ,yorkshire1 and the centre of the circle indicates an ancient tomb1 very similar to those found by ,taylor in the ,dekkan2 this contained only one single urn1 but many of the ,indian ones contained1 besides the skeleton of the great man buried therein1 skeletons of other individuals who had been slaughtered over his tomb1 and buried above the kistvaen containing his bones2 in one instance two bodies and three heads were found in the principal grave1 and twenty other skeletons above and beside it4 ,a perusal of this very interesting paper will well repay the study bestowed upon it4 ,figure #hf is copied from ,forbes ,leslie's book mentioned above1 plate #ei4 ,it represents a modern stone circle in the ,dekkan1 of very recent construction4 ,the dots upon the stones represent dabs of red paint1 which again represent blood4 ,the circles are similar to some which have been found in ,palestine1 and give evidence of the presence of the same religious ideas existing in ancient ,england and ,hindostan1 as well as in modern ,india4 ,the name of the god worshipped in these recent shrines is ,vetal1 or ,betal4 ,it is worth mentioning1 in passing1 that there is a celebrated monolith in ,scotland called the ,newton ,stone1 on which are inscribed1 evidently with a graving tool1 an inscription in the ,ogham1 and another in some ancient ,aryan character 7see ,moore's ,ancient ,pillar ,stones of ,scotland74 ,figure #hg indicates the solar wheel1 emblem of the chariot of ,apollo4 ,this sign is a very common one upon ancient coins2 sometimes the rays or spokes are four1 at others they are more numerous4 ,occasionally the tire of the wheel is absent1 and amongst the ,etruscans the nave is omitted4 ,the solar cross is very common in ,ireland1 and amongst the ,romanists generally as a head dress for male saints4 ,figure #hh is copied from ,hyslop1 who gives it on the authority of ,col4 ,hamilton ,smith1 who copied it from the original collection made by the artists of the ,french ,institute of ,cairo4 ,it is said to represent ,osiris1 but this is doubtful4 ,there is much that is intensely mystical about the figure4 ,the whip1 or flagellum1 placed over the tail1 and the head passing through the yoni1 the circular spots with their central dot1 the horns with solar disc1 and two curiously shaped feathers 7871 the calf reclining upon a plinth1 wherein a division into three is conspicuous1 all have a meaning in reference to the mystic four4 ,i have long had a doubt respecting the symbolic meaning of the scourge4 ,some inquirers have asserted that it is simply an emblem of power or superiority1 inasmuch as he who can castigate must be in a higher position than the one who is punished4 ,but of this view ,i can find no proof4 ,on the other hand1 any one who is familiar with the effect upon the male produced by flagellation1 and who notices that the representations of ,osiris and the scourge show evidence that the deity is in the same condition as one who has been subjected to the rod1 will be disposed to believe that the flagellum is an indication or symbol of the god who gives to man the power to reproduce his like1 or who can restore the faculty after it has faded4 ,it is not for a moment to be supposed that a deity who was to be worshipped would be depicted as a task-master1 whose hands are more familiar with punishment than blessing4 ,figure #hi is taken from ,lajard's ,culte de ,venus1 plate i41 fig4 #ad1 and is an enlarged impression of a gem4 ,a similar figure is to be found in ,payne ,knight's work ,on the ,worship of ,priapus4 ,in both instances the female is fringed with male emblems4 ,in the one before us a fish1 apparently a dolphin1 is borne in one hand4 ,in the other the woman is bearded4 ,these are representations of ,ashtaroth--the androgyne deity in which the female predominates4 ,fig4 #ij represents an ancient ,italian form of the ,indian ,ling ,yoni4 ,it is copied from a part of the ,frontispiece of ,faber's ,dissertation on the ,cabiri1 where it is stated that the plate is a copy of a picture of a nymphoeum found when excavating a foundation for the ,barbarini ,palace at ,rome4 ,it deserves notice1 because the round mound of masonry surmounted by the short pillars is precisely similar to similar erections found in ,hindostan on the ,east and ,america on the ,west1 as well as in varions parts of ,europe4 ,the oval in the pediment and the solitary pillar have the same meaning as the ,caaba and hole--the upright stone and pit revered at ,mecca long before ,mahomet's time--the tree serves to identify the pillar1 and vice versa4 ,apertures were common in ancient sepulchral monuments1 alike in ,hindostan and ,england2 one perforated stone is preserved as a relic in the precincts of an old church in modern ,rome4 ,the aperture is blackish with the grease of many hands1 which have been put therein whilst their owners took a sacred oath4 ,we have already remarked how ancient ,abraham and a modern ,arab have sworn by the ,linga2 it is therefore by no means remarkable that some of a different form of faith should swear by the ,yoni4 ,figure #ia is stated by ,higgins1 ,anacalypm1 p4 #bag1 to be a mark on the breast of an ,egyptian mummy in the ,museum of ,university ,college1 ,london4 ,it is essentially the same symbol as the crux ansata1 and is emblematic of the male triad and the female unit4 ,figure #ib is simply introduced to show that the papal tiara has not about it anything particularly ,christian1 a similar head-dress having been worn by gods or angels in ancient ,assyria1 where it appeared crowned by an emblem of the trinity4 ,we may mention1 in passing1 that as the ,romanists adopted the mitre and the tiara from the cursed brood of ,ham1 so they adopted the episcopalian crook from the augurs of ,etruria1 and the artistic form with which they clothe their angels from the painters and um-makers of ,magna ,gracia and ,central ,italy4 ,figure #ih is the ,mithraic lion4 ,it may be seen in ,hyde's ,religion of the ,ancient ,persians1 second edition1 plate i4 ,it may also be seen in vol4 ii41 plates #aj and #aa1 of ,maffei's ,gemme ,antiche ,figurate 7,rome1 #agjg74 ,in plate #aj the ,mithraic lion has seven stars above it1 around which are placed respectively1 words written in ,greek1 ,etruscan and ,phoenician characters1 ,,zedch4 ,,telkan4 ,,telkon4 ,,telkon4 ,,qidekh4 ,,uneulk4 ,,lnkellp41 apparently showing that the emblem was adopted by the ,gnostics4 ,it would be unprofitable to dwell upon the meaning of these letters4 ,after puzzling over them1 ,i fancy that ,bad spirits1 pity us1 ,just one1 ,i call on thee1 may be made out by considering the words to be very bad ,greek1 and the letters to be much transposed4 ,figure #id is copied by ,higgins1 ,anacalypsis1 on the authority of ,dubois1 who states1 vol4 iii41 p4 #hh1 that it was found on a stone in a church in ,france1 where it had been kept religiously for six hundred years4 ,dubois regards it as wholly astrological1 and as having no reference to the story told in ,genesis4 ,it is unprofitable to speculate on the draped figures as representatives of ,adam and ,eve4 ,we have introduced it to show how such tales are intermingled with ,sabeanism4 ,figure #ie is a copy of a gem figured by ,layard 7,nineveh and ,babylon1 p4 #aef71 and represents ,harpocrates seated on a lotus1 adoring the mundane representative of the mother of creation4 ,i have not yet met with any ancient gem or sculpture which seems to identify the yoni so completely with various goddesses4 ,compare this with ,figure #ach1 infra1 wherein the ,figure #ie4 emblem is even more strikingly identified with woman1 and with the virgin ,mary4 ,those who are familiar with the rude designs too often chalked on hoardings1 will see that learned ancients and boorish moderns represent certain ideas in precisely similar fashion1 and will understand the mystic meaning of ,o ---- ,i have elsewhere called attention to the idea that a sight of the yoni is a source of health1 and a charm against evil spirits2 however grotesque the idea may be1 it has existed in all ages1 and in civilised and savage nations alike4 ,a rude image of a woman who shamelessly exhibits herself has been found over the doors of churches in ,ireland1 and at ,servatos1 in ,spain1 where she is standing on one side of the doorway1 and an equally conspicuous man on the other4 ,the same has been found in ,mexico1 ,peru1 and in ,north ,america4 ,nor must we forget how ,baubo cured the intense grief of ,ceres by exposing herself in a strange fashion to the distressed goddess4 ,arnobius1 ,op4 ,cit41 pp4 #bdi1 #bej4 ,as ,i have already noticed modern notions on the influence produced by the exhibition of the yoni on those who are suffering1 the legend referred to may be shortly described4 ,the goddess1 in the story1 was miserable in consequence of her daughter1 ,proserpine1 having been stolen away by ,pluto4 ,in her agony1 snatching two ,etna-lighted torches1 she wanders round the earth in search of the lost one1 and in due course visits ,eleusis4 ,baubo receives her hospitably2 but nothing that the hostess does induces the guest to depose her grief for a moment4 ,in despair the mortal bethinks her of a scheme1 shaves off what is called in ,isaiah the hair of the feet and then exposes herself to the goddess4 ,ceres fixes her eyes upon the denuded spot1 is pleased with the strange form of consolation1 consents to take food and is restored to comfort4 ,figure #if is copied from plate #bb1 fig4 #h1 of ,lajard's ,culte de ,venus4 ,he states that it is an impression of a cornelian cylinder1 in the collection of the late ,sir ,william ,ouseley1 and is supposed to represent ,oannes1 or ,bel and two fish gods1 the authors of fecundity4 ,it is thought that ,dagon of the ,philistines resembled the two figures supporting the central one4 ,figure #ig is a side view of plate #a4 ,the idol represents a female4 ,dagon1 the fish god1 male above1 piscine below1 was one of the many symbols of an androgyne creator4 ,in the first of the ,avatars of ,vishnu1 he is represented as emerging from the mouth of a fish1 and being a fish himself2 the legend being that he was to be the saviour of the world in a deluge which was to follow4 ,see ,moor's ,hindu ,pantheon1 and ,coleman's ,mythology of the ,hindus4 ,figure #ih is a fancy sketch of the fleur-de-lys1 the lily of ,france4 ,it symbolises the male triad1 whilst the ring around it represents the female4 ,the identification of this emblem of the trinity with the tripliform ,mahadeva1 and of the ring with his sacti1 may be seen in the next figure4 ,figure #ii1 which we have already given on page #df1 is one of great value to the inquirer into the signification of certain symbols4 ,it has been reintroduced here to show the identification of the eye1 fish1 or oval shape1 with the yoni1 and of the fleur-de-lys with the lingam1 which is recognised by the respective positions of the emblems in front of particular parts of the mystic animals1 who both1 on their part1 adore the symbolic palm tree1 with its pistil and stamens4 ,the rayed branches of the upper part of the tree1 and the nearness to it of the crescent moon1 seem to indicate that the palm was a solar as well as a sexual emblem4 ,the great similarity of the palm tree to the ancient round towers in ,ireland and elsewhere will naturally strike the observer4 ,he will perhaps remember also that on certain occasions dancing1 feasting1 and debauchery were practised about a round tower in ,wicklow1 such as were practised round the ,english may-pole1 the modern substitute of the mystic palm tree4 ,we have now humanised our practice1 but we have not purified our land of all its veiled symbols4 ,in some parts1 where probably the palm tree does not flourish1 the pine takes its place as an emblem4 ,it was sacred to the mother of the gods1 whose names1 ,rhoea1 ,ceres1 ,cybele1 are paraphrastic of the yoni4 ,we learn from ,araobius1 ,op4 ,cit41 p4 #bci1 that on fixed days that tree was introduced into the sanctuary of that august personage1 being decorated by fleeces and violets4 ,it does not require any recondite knowledge to understand the signification of the entrance of the pine into the temple of the divine mother1 nor what the tree when buried in the midst of a fleece depicts4 ,those who have heard of the origin of the ,spanish ,royal ,order of the ,golden ,fleece know that the word is an enphemism for the lanugo of the ,romans4 ,parsley round a carrot root is a modern symbol1 and the violet is as good an emblem of the lingam as the modern pistol4 ,it has long been known that the ancient custom of erecting a may-pole1 surrounding it with wreaths of flowers1 and then dancing round it in wild orgy1 was a relic of the ancient custom of reverencing the symbol of creation1 invigorated by the returning spring time1 without whose powers the flocks and herds would fail to increase4 ,it will not fail to attract the notice of my readers1 that a pine cone is constantly being offered to the sacred grove by the priests of ,assyria4 ,figures #ajj1 #aja1 represent the ,buddhist cross and one of its arms4 ,the first shows the union of four phalli4 ,the single one being a conventional form of a well-known organ4 ,this form of cross does not essentially differ from the ,maltese cross4 ,in the latter1 ,asher stands perpendicularly to ,anu and ,hea2 in the former it is at right angles to them4 ,the pistol is a well-known name amongst our soldiery1 and four such joined together by the muzzle would form the ,buddhist cross4 ,compare ,figure #cg1 ante4 ,figures #ajb1 #ajh1 #ajd1 indicate the union of the four creators1 the trinity and the unity4 ,not having at hand any copy of an ancient key1 ,i have used a modern one2 but this makes no essential difference in the symbol4 ,figures #aje1 #ajf1 are copied from ,lajard1 ,sur le ,culte de ,venus1 plate ii4 ,they represent ornaments held in the hands of a great female figure1 sculptured in bas relief on a rock at ,yazili ,kaia1 near to ,boghaz ,keni1 in ,anatolia1 and described by ,m4 ,c4 ,texier in #ahcd4 ,the goddess is crowned with a tower1 to indicate virginity2 in her right hand she holds a staff1 shown in ,figure #ajf2 in the other1 that given in ,figure #aje1 she stands upon a lioness1 and is attended by an antelope4 ,figure #aje is a complicated emblem of the four4 ,figures #ajg1 #ajh1 #aji1 are copied from ,moor's ,hindu ,pantheon1 plate lxxxiii4 ,they represent the lingam and then yoni1 which amongst the ,indians are regarded as holy emblems1 much in the same way as a crucifix is esteemed by certain modern ,christians4 ,in worship1 ghee1 or oil1 or water1 is poured over the pillar1 and allowed to run off by the spout4 ,sometimes the pillar is adorned by a necklace1 and is associated with the serpent emblem4 ,in ,lucian's account of ,alexander1 the false prophet1 which we have condensed in ,ancient ,faiths1 second edition1 there is a reference to one of his dupes1 who was a distinguished ,roman officer1 but so very superstitious1 or1 as he would say of himself1 so deeply imbued with religion1 that at the sight of a stone he would fall prostrate and adore it for a considerable time1 offering prayers and vows thereto4 ,this may by some be thought quite as reasonable as the practice once enforced in ,christian ,rome1 which obliged all persons in the street to kneel in reverence when an ugly black doll1 called the bambino1 or a bit of bread1 over which some cabalistic words had been muttered1 was being carried in procession past them4 ,arnobins1 ,op1 ,cit41 p4 #ha1 says1 ,i worshipped images produced from the furnace1 gods made on anvils and by hammers1 the bones of elephants1 paintings1 wreaths on aged trees2 whenever ,i espied an anointed stone1 and one bedaubed with olive oil1 as if some person resided in it1 ,i worshipped it1 ,i addressed myself to it1 and begged blessings from a senseless stock4 ,compare ,gen4 xxviii4 #ah1 wherein we find that ,jacob set up a stone and anointed it with oil1 and called the place ,bethel1 and ,is4 xxvii4 #ai1 xl4 #bj1 xliv4 #aj-bj4 ,i copy the following remarks from a paper by ,mr4 ,sellon1 in ,memoirs of the ,london ,anthropological ,society1 for #ahfh-d4 ,speaking of ,hindostan1 he remarks1 ,as every village has its temple so every temple has its ,lingam1 and these parochial ,lingams are usually from two to three feet in height1 and rather broad at the base4 ,here the village girls1 who are anxious for lovers or husbands1 repair early in the morning4 ,they make a lustration by sprinkling the god with water brought from the ,ganges2 they deck the ,linga with garlands of the sweet-smelling bilwa flower2 they perform the mudra1 or gesticulation with the fingers1 and1 reciting the prescribed mantras1 or incantations1 they rub themselves against the emblem1 and entreat the deity to make them fruitful mothers of pulee-pullum 7i4e41 child fruit74 ,this is the celebrated ,linga puja1 during the performance of which the panchaty1 or five lamps1 must be lighted1 and the gantha1 or bell1 be frequently rung to scare away the evil demons4 ,the mala1 or rosary of a hundred and eight round beads1 is also used in this puja4 ,see also ,moor's ,hindu ,pantheon1 plate xxii1 pp4 #fh1 #fi1 #gj4 ,again1 in the ,dabistan1 a work written in the ,persian language1 by a travelled ,mahometan1 about a4 d4 #affj1 and translated by ,david ,shea1 for the ,oriental ,translation ,fund of ,great ,britain and ,ireland 7#h vols41 #hvo41 ,allen and ,co41 ,leadenhall ,street1 ,london71 we read1 vol4 ii41 pp4 #adh-afj1 ,the belief of the ,saktian is that ,siva1 that is1 ,mahadeva1 who with little exception is the highest of deities and the greatest of the spirits1 has a spouse whom they call ,maya ,sakti44444,with them the power of ,mahadeva's wife1 who is ,bhavani1 surpasses that of the husband4 ,the zealous of this sect worship the ,siva ,linga1 although other ,hindoos also venerate it4 ,linga is called the virile organ1 and they say1 on behalf of this worship1 that as men and all living beings derive their existence from it1 adoration is duly bestowed upon it4 ,as the linga of ,mahadeva1 so do they venerate the bhaga1 that is1 the female organ4 ,a man very familiar with them gave the information that1 according to their belief1 the high altar1 or principal place in a mosque of the ,mussulmans1 is an emblem of the bhaga4 ,another man among them said that as the just-named place emblems the bhaga1 the minar or turret of the mosque represents the linga4 ,the author then goes on to describe the practices of the sect1 which may be summed up in the words--the most absolute freedom of love4 ,apropos of the ,mahometan minaret and ,christian church towers and spires1 ,i may mention that ,lucian describes the magnificent temple of the ,syrian goddess as having two vast phalli before its main entrance1 and how at certain seasons men ascended to their summit1 and remained there some days1 so as to utter from thence the prayers of the faithful4 ,figures #aaj1 #aaa1 both from ,moor1 plate lxxxvi41 are forms of the argha1 or sacred sacrificial cup1 bowl1 or basin1 which represent the yoni1 and some other things besides4 ,see ,moor1 ,hindu ,pantheon1 pp4 #hih1 #hid4 ,figure #aab4 ,copied from ,rawlinson's ,ancient ,monarchies1 vol4 i41 p4 #agf1 symbolises ,ishtar1 the ,assyrian representative of ,devi1 ,parvati1 ,isis1 ,astarte1 ,venus1 and ,mary4 ,the virgin and child are to be found everywhere1 even in ancient ,mexico4 ,figure #aah is copied from ,lajard1 ,sur le ,culte de ,venus1 plate xix41 fig4 #f1 and represents the male and female as the sun and moon1 thus identifying the symbolic sex of those luminaries4 ,the legend in the ,pehlevi characters has not been interpreted4 ,figure #aad is taken from a mediaeval woodcut1 lent to me by my friend1 ,mr4 ,john ,newton1 to whom ,i am indebted for the sight of1 and the privilege to copy1 many other figures4 ,in it the virgin ,mary is seen as the ,queen of ,heaven1 nursing her infant1 and identified with the crescent moon1 the emblem of virginity4 ,being before the sun1 she almost eclipses its light4 ,than this1 nothing could more completely identify the ,christian mother and child with ,isis and ,horus1 ,ishtar1 ,venus1 ,juno1 and a host of other pagan goddesses1 who have been called ',queen of ,heaven1' ',queen of the ,universe' ',mother of ,god1' ',spouse of ,god1' the ',celestial ,virgin1' the ',heavenly ,peace ,maker1' etc4 ,figures #aae1 #aaf1 are common devices in papal churches and pagan symbolism4 ,they are intended to indicate the sun and moon in conjunction1 the union of the triad with the unit4 ,i may notice1 in passing1 that ,mr4 ,newton has showed to me some mediaeval woodcuts1 in which the young unmarried women in a mixed assemblage were indicated by wearing upon their foreheads a crescent moon4 ,figure #aag is a ,buddhist symbol1 or rather a copy of ,maityna ,bodhisatwa1 from the monastery of ,gopach1 in the valley of ,nepaul4 ,it is taken from ,journal of ,royal ,asiatic ,society1 vol4 xviii41 p4 #hid4 ,the horse-shoe1 like the vesica piscis of the ,roman church1 indicates the yoni2 the last1 taken from some cow1 mare1 or donkey1 being used in eastern parts where we now use their shoes1 to keep off the evil eye4 ,it is remarkable that some nations should use the female organ1 or an effigy thereof1 as a charm against ill luck1 whilst others adopt the male symbol4 ,in ,ireland1 as we have previously remarked1 a female shamelessly exhibiting herself1 and called ,shelah-na-gig1 was to be seen in stone over the door of certain churches1 within the last century4 ,from the resemblance in the shape of the horse-shoe to the grove of the ,assyrian worshippers1 and from the man standing within it as the symbolic pine tree stands in the ,mesopotamian1 ,asherah1 ,i think we may fairly conclude that the ,indian1 like the ,shemitic emblem1 typifies the union of the sexes--the androgyne creator4 ,that some ,buddhists have mingled sexuality with their ideas of religion1 may be seen in plate ii4 of ,emil ,schlagintweit's ,atlas of ,buddhism in ,tibet1 wherein ,vajarsattva1 ,the ,god above all1 is represented as a male and female conjoined4 ,rays1 as of the sun1 pass from the group2 and all are enclosed in an ornate oval1 or horse-shoe1 like that in this figure4 ,few1 however1 but the initiated would recognise the nature of the group at first sight4 ,i may also notice1 in passing1 that the goddess ,doljang 7a4d4 #fag-ih7 has the stigmata in her hands and feet1 like those assigned to ,jesus of ,nazareth and ,francis of ,assisi4 ,figure #aah is a copy of the medal issued to pilgrims at the shrine of the virgin at ,loretto4 ,it was lent to me by ,mr4 ,newton1 but the engraver has omitted to make the face of the mother and child black1 as the most ancient and renowned ones usually are4 ,instead of the explanation given in ,ancient ,faiths1 ,vol4 ii41 p4 #bfb1 of the adoption of a black skin for ,mary and her son1 ,d',harcanville suggests that it represents night1 the period during which the feminine creator is most propitious or attentive to her duties4 ,it is unnecessary to contest the point1 for almost every symbol has more interpretations given to it than one4 ,i have sought in vain for even a plausible reason for the blackness of sacred virgins and children1 in certain papal shrines1 which is compatible with decency and ,christianity4 ,it is clear that the matter will not bear the light4 ,figure #aai is from ,lajard1 ,op4 ,cit41 plate iii41 fig4 #h4 ,it represents the sun1 moon1 and a star1 probably ,venus4 ,the legend is in ,phoenician1 and may be read ,,lnbrb4 ,levy1 in ,siegel und ,gemmen1 ,breslau1 #ahfi1 reads the legend ------1 ,,lkbrbo1 but does not attempt to explain it4 ,figure #abj is also from ,lajard1 plate i41 fig4 #h4 ,it represents an act of worship before the symbols of the male and female creators1 arranged in three pairs4 ,above are the heavenly symbols of the sun and moon4 ,below are the male palm tree1 and the barred ------1 identical in meaning with the sistrum1 i4 e41 virgo intacta4 ,next come the male emblem1 the cone1 and the female symbol1 the lozenge or yoni4 ,figure #aba represents also a worshipper before the barred female symbol1 surmounted by the seven-rayed star1 emblem of the male potency1 and of the sun or the heavens4 ,it will be noticed--and the matter is significant--that the hand which is raised in adoration is exactly opposite the conjunction of the two4 ,compare this with ,fig4 #ie1 where the female alone is the object of reverence4 ,lajard and others state that homage1 such as is here depicted1 is actually paid in some parts of ,palestine and ,india to the living symbol2 the worshipper on bended knees offering to it1 la bouche inferieure1 with or without a silent prayer1 his food before he eats it4 ,a corresponding homage is paid by female devotees to the masculine emblem of any very peculiarly holy fakir1 one of whose peculiarities is1 that no amount of excitement stimulates the organ into what may be called creative energy4 ,it has long been a problem how such a state of apathy is brought about1 but modern observation has proved that it is by the habitual use of weights4 ,such homage is depicted in ,picart's ,religious ,ceremonies of all the ,people in the ,world1 original ,french edition1 plate #ga4 ,figure #abb is copied from ,bryant's ,ancient ,mythology1 third edition1 vol4 iii41 p4 #aic4 ,that author states that he copied it from ,spanheim1 but gives no other reference4 ,it is apparently from a ,greek medal1 and has the word ,,camiun as an inscription4 ,it is said to represent ,juno1 ,sami1 or ,selenitis1 with the sacred peplum4 ,the figure is remarkable for showing the identity of the moon1 the lozenge1 and the female4 ,it is doubtful whether the attitude of the goddess is intended to represent the cross4 ,as in religious ,symbolism every detail has a signification1 we naturally speculate upon the meaning of the beads which fringe the lower part of the diamond-shaped garment4 ,we have noticed in a previous article that the ,linga when worshipped was sometimes adorned with beads1 which were the fruit of a tree sacred to ,mahadeva2 in the original of fig4 #d1 plate xi4 supra1 the four arms of the cross have a series of beads depending from them4 ,on a very ancient coin of ,citium1 a rosary of beads1 with a cross1 has been found arranged round a horse-shoe form2 and beads are common ornaments on ,hindoo ,divinities4 ,they may only be used for decoration and without religious signification2 if they have the last1 ,i have not been able to discover it4 ,figure #abh is a composition taken from ,bryant1 vol4 iv41 p4 #bhf4 ,the rock1 the water1 the crescent moon as an ark1 and the dove hovering over it1 are all symbolical2 but though the author of it is right in his grouping1 it is clear that he is not aware of its full signification4 ,the reader will readily gather their true meaning from our articles upon the ,ark and ,water1 and from our remarks upon the ,dove in ,ancient ,faiths1 second edition4 ,figure #abd is copied from ,maffei's ,gemme ,antiche ,figurate1 vol4 #h1 plate xl4 ,in the original1 the figure upon the pillar is very conspicuously phallic1 and the whole composition indicates what was associated with the worship of ,priapus4 ,this so-called god was regarded much in the same light as ',st4 ,cosmo and ,st4 ,damian were at ,iseraia1 and ,st4 ,foutin in ,christian ,france4 ,and it is not at all surprising that a church1 which has deified or made saints of a spear and cloak1 under the names ,longinus and ,amphibolus1 should also adopt the god of the gardens1 and consecrate him as an object for ,christian worship1 and give him an appropriate name and emblem4 ,but the patron saint of ,lampsacus was not really a deity1 only a sort of saint1 whose business it was to attend to certain parts4 ,the idea of guardian angels was once common1 see ,matt1 xviii4 #aj1 where we read1 that each child has a guardian in heaven1 who looks after his infantile charge4 ,as the pagan ,hymen and ,lucina attended upon weddings and parturitions1 so the ,christian ,cosmo and ,damian attended to spouses1 and assisted in making them fruitful4 ,to the last two were offered1 by sterile wives1 wax effigies of the part left out from the nude figure in our plate4 ,to the heathen saint1 we see a female votary offer quince leaves1 equivalent to la feuille de sage1 egg-shaped bread1 apparently a cake2 also an ass's head2 whilst her attendant offers a pine cone4 ,this amongst the ,greeks was sacred to ,cybele1 as it was in ,assyria to ,astarte or ,ishtar1 the name given there to 'the mother of all saints4' ,the basket contains apples and phalli1 which may have been made of pastry4 ,see ,martial's ,epigrams1 b4 xiv4 #fi4 ,this gem is valuable1 inasmuch as it assists us to understand the signification of the pine cone offered to the 'grove1' the equivalent of le ,verger de ,cypris4 ,the pillar and its base are curiously significant1 and demonstrate how completely an artist can appear innocent1 whilst to the initiated he unveils a mystery4 ,figures #abe1 #abf1 #abg1 are various contrivances for indicating decently that which it was generally thought religious to conceal1 la bequile1 au les instrumens4 ,figure #abh represents the same subject2 the cuts are grouped iso as to show how the knobbed stick1 le baton1 becomes converted either into a bent rod1 la verge1 or a priestly crook1 le baton pastoral4 ,there is no doubt that the episcopal crozier is a presentable effigy of a very private and once highly venerated portion of the human frame1 which was used in long by-gone days by ,etruscan augurs1 when they mapped out the sky1 prior to noticing the flight of birds4 ,perhaps we ought to be grateful to ,popery for having consecrated to ,christ what was so long used in that which divines call the service of the devil4 ,figures #abi1 #acj1 #aca1 are1 like the preceding four1 copied from various antique gems2 ,fig4 #abi represents a steering oar1 le timon1 and is usually held in the hand of good fortune1 or as moderns would say ,saint ,luck1 or bonnes fortunes2 ,fig4 #ahj is emblematic of ,cupid1 or ,saint ,desire2 it is synonymous with le dard1 or la pique2 ,fig4 #aca is a form less common in gems2 it represents the hammer1 le marteau qui frappe l'enclume et forge les enfans4 ,the ancients had as many pictorial euphemisms as ourselves1 and when these are understood they enable us to comprehend many a legend otherwise dim2 e4 g41 when ,fortuna1 or luck1 always depicted as a woman1 has for her characteristic le timon1 and for her motto the proverb1 ,fortune favours the bold4 we readily understand the double entente4 ,the steering oar indicates power1 knowledge1 skill1 and bravery in him who wields it2 without such a guide1 few boats would attain a prosperous haven4 ,figure #acb is copied from plate xxix4 of ,pugin's ,glossary of ,ecclesiastical ,ornament 7,lond41 #ahfh74 ,the plate represents a pattern for diapering1 and is1 ,i presume1 thoroughly orthodox4 ,it consists of the double triangle1 see ,figures #bj1 #hj1 #ha1 #hb1 pp4 #hb1 #hh1 the emblems of ,siva and ,parvati1 the male and female2 of ,rimmon the pomegranate1 the emblem of the womb1 which is seen to be full of seed through the vesica piscis1 la fente1 or la porte de la vie4 ,there are also two new moons1 emblems of ,venus1 or la nature1 introduced4 ,the crown above the pomegranate represents the triad1 and the number four2 whilst in the original the group which we copy is surrounded by various forms of the triad1 all of which are as characteristic of man as ,rimmon is of woman4 ,there are also circles enclosing the triad1 analogous to other symbols common in ,hindostan4 ,figure #acc is copied from ,moor's ,hindu1 ,pantheon1 pi4 ix41 fig4 #h4 ,it represents ,bhavhani1 ,maia1 ,devi1 ,lakshmi1 or ,kamala1 one of the many forms given to female nature4 ,she bears in one hand the lotus1 emblem of self-fructification1--in other similar figures an effigy of the phallus is placed1--whilst in the other she holds her infant ,krishna1 ,crishna1 or ,vishnu4 ,such groups are as common in ,india as in ,italy1 in pagan temples as in ,christian churches4 ,the idea of the mother and child is pictured in every ancient country of whose art any remains exist4 ,figure #ahd is taken from plate xxiv41 fig4 #a1 of ,moor's ,hindu ,pantheon4 ,it represents a subject often depicted by the ,hindoos and the ,greeks1 viz41 androgynism1 the union of the male and female creators4 ,the technical word is ,arddha-,nari4 ,the male on the right side bears the emblems of ,siva or ,mahadeva1 the female on the left those of ,parvati or ,sacti4 ,the bull and lioness are emblematic of the masculine and feminine powers4 ,the mark on the temple indicates the union of the two2 an aureole is seen around the head1 as in modern pictures of saints4 ,in this drawing the ,ganges rises from the male1 the idea being that the stream from ,mahadeva is as copious and fertilising as that mighty river4 ,the metaphor here depicted is common in the ,east1 and is precisely the same as that quoted in ,num4 xxiv4 #g1 and also from some lost ,hebrew book in ,john vii4 #ch4 ,it will be noticed1 that the ,hindoos express androgyneity quite as conspicuously1 but generally much less indelicately1 than the ,grecian artists4 ,figure #ace is a common ,egyptian emblem1 said to signify eternity1 but in truth it has another meaning4 ,the serpent and the ring indicate l' andouille and l' anneau4 ,the tail of the animal1 which the mouth appears to swallow1 is la queue dans la bouche4 ,the symbol resembles the crux ansata in its signification1 and imports that life upon the earth is rendered perpetual by means of the union of the sexes4 ,a ring1 or circle1 is one of the symbols of ,venus1 who carries indifferently this1 or the triad emblem of the male4 ,see ,maffei's ,gemme1 vol4 iii41 page #a1 plate viii4 ,figure #acf is the vesica piscis1 or fish's bladder2 the emblem of woman and of the virgin1 as may be seen in the two following woodcuts4 ,figures #acg1 #ach1 are copied from an ancient ,rosary of the ,blessed ,virgin ,mary1 printed at ,venice1 #aebd1 with a license from the ,inquisition2 the book being lent to me by my friend1 ,mr4 ,newton4 ,the first represents the same part as the ,assyrian grove4 ,it may appropriately be called the ,holy ,yoni4 ,the book in question contains numerous figures1 all resembling closely the ,mesopotamian emblem of ,ishtar4 ,the presence of the woman therein identifies the two as symbolic of ,isis1 or la nature2 and a man bowing down in adoration thereof shows the same idea as is depicted in ,assyrian sculptures1 where males offer to the goddess symbols of themselves4 ,compare ,figs4 #fh1 #fd1 #fe1 #ff1 pp4 #dh seq4 ,if ,i had been able to search through the once celebrated ,alexandrian library1 it is doubtful whether ,i could have found any pictorial representation more illustrative of the relationship of certain symbolic forms to each other than is ,figure #ach4 ,a circle of angelic heads1 forming a sort of sun1 having luminous rays outside1 and a dove1 the emblem of ,venus1 dart a spear 7la pique7 down upon the earth 7la terre71 or the virgin4 ,this being received1 fertility follows4 ,in ,grecian story1 ,ouranos and ,ge1 or heaven and earth1 were the parents of creation2 and ,jupiter came from heaven to impregnate ,alcmena4 ,the same mythos prevailed throughout all civilised nations4 ,christianity adopted the idea1 merely altering the names of the respective parents1 and attributed the regeneration of the world to holy breath and ,mary4 ,every individual1 indeed1 extraordinarily conspicuous for wisdom1 power1 goodness1 etc41 is said to have been begotten on a woman by a celestial father4 ,within the vesica piscis1 artists usually represent the virgin herself1 with or without the child2 in the figure before us the child takes her place4 ,it is difficult to believe that the ecclesiastics who sanctioned the publication of such a print could have been as ignorant as modern ritualists4 ,it is equally difficult to believe that the latter1 if they knew the real meaning of the symbols commonly used by the ,roman church1 would adopt them4 ,the last two figures1 symbolic of adoration before divine sexual emblems1 afford me the opportunity to give a description of a similar worship existent in ,hindostan at the present time4 ,my authority is ,h4 ,h4 ,wilson1 in ,essays on the ,religion of the ,hindoos1 ,truebner and ,co41 ,london4 ,the worshippers1 he remarks1 vol4 i41 p4 #bdj1 of the ,sakti1 the power or energy of the divine nature in action1 are exceedingly numerous amongst all classes of ,hindoos--about three-fourths are of this sect1 while only a fifth are ,vaishnavas and a sixteenth ,saivas4 ,this active energy is personified1 and the form with which it is invested depends upon the bias of the individuals4 ,the most favourite form is that of ,parvati1 ,bhavani1 or ,durga1 the wife of ,siva1 or ,mahadeva4 ,the worship of the female principle1 as distinct from the divinity1 appears to have originated in the literal interpretation of the metaphorical language of the ,vedas1 in which the will or purpose to create the universe is represented as originating from the creator1 and consistent with him as his bride4 ,the ,samaveda for example1 says1 the creator felt not delight being alone2 he wished another1 and caused his own self to fall in twain1 and thus became husband and wife4 ,he approached her1 and thus were human beings produced4 ,a sentiment or statement which we may notice in passing is very similar to that propounded in ,genesis1 ch4 i4 #bg1 and v4 #a1 #b1 respecting ,elohim--viz41 that he created man and woman in his own image1 i4e41 as male and female1 bisexual but united--an androgyne4 ,this female principle goes by innumerable cognomens1 inasmuch as every goddess1 every nymph1 and all women are identified with it4 ,she--the principle personified--is the mother of all1 as ,mahadeva1 the male principle1 is the father of all4 ,the homage rendered to the ,sakti may be done before an image of any goddess--,prakriti1 ,lakshmi1 ,bhavani1 ,durga1 ,maya1 ,parvati1 or ,devi--just in the same way as ,romanists may pray to a local ,mary1 or any other4 ,but in accordance with the weakness of human nature1 there are many who consider it right to pay their devotions to the thing itself rather than to an abstraction4 ,in this form of worship six elements are required1 flesh1 fish1 wine1 women1 gesticulations and mantras which consist of various unmeaning monosyllabic combinations of letters of great imaginary efficacy4 ,the ceremonies are mostly gone through in a mixed society1 the ,sakti being personified by a naked female1 to whom meat and wine are offered and then distributed amongst the company4 ,these eat and drink alternately with gesticulations and mantras--and when the religious part of the business is over1 the males and females rush together and indulge in a wild orgy4 ,this ceremony is entitled the ,sri ,chakra or ,purnabhisheka1 the ,ring or ,full ,initiation4 ,in a note apparently by the editor1 ,dr4 ,rost1 a full account is given in ,sanscrit of the ,sakti ,sodhana1 as they are prescribed in the ,devi ,rahasya1 a section of the ,rudra ,yamala1 so as to prove to his readers that the ,sri ,chakra is performed under a religious prescription4 ,we learn that the woman should be an actress1 dancing girl1 a courtesan1 washerwoman1 barber's wife1 flower-girl1 milk-maid1 or a female devotee4 ,the ceremony is to take place at midnight with eight1 nine1 or eleven couples4 ,at first there are sundry mantras said1 then the female is disrobed1 but richly ornamented1 and is placed on the left of a circle 7,chakra7 described for the purpose1 and after sundry gesticulations1 mantras1 and formulas she is purified by being sprinkled over with wine4 ,if a novice1 the girl has the radical mantra whispered thrice in her ear4 ,feasting then follows1 lest ,venus should languish in the absence of ,ceres and ,bacchus1 and now1 when the veins are full of rich blood1 the actors are urged to do what desire dictates1 but never to be so carried away by their zeal as to neglect the holy mantras appropriate to every act and to every stage thereof499 99 ,the above quotations from ,wilson's work are selections from his and his ,editor's account4 ,in the original the observations extend over eighteen pages1 and are too long to be given in their entirety3 the parts omitted are of no consequence4 ,it is natural that such a religion should be popular1 especially amongst the young of both sexes4 ,figures #aci to #aeh are copied from ,moor's ,hindu ,pantheon2 they are sectarial marks in ,india1 and are usually traced on the forehead4 ,many resemble what are known as mason's marks1 i4 e41 designs found on tooled stones1 in various ancient edifices1 like our own1 trade marks4 ,they are introduced here to illustrate the various designs employed to indicate the union of the trinity with the unity1 and the numerous forms representative of la nature ,a priori1 it appears absurd to suppose that the eye could ever have been symbolical of anything but sight2 but the mythos of ,indra1 given in ,ancient ,faiths1 second edition1 ,vol4 n41 p4 #fdi1 and p4 #g supra1 proves that it has another and a hidden meaning4 ,these figures are alike emblematic of the trinity1 the virgin1 and the four4 ,figure #aed is from ,pugin1 plate v41 figure #c4 ,it is the outline of a pectoral ornament worn by some ,roman ecclesiastic in ,italy1 a4 d4 #adjj2 it represents the ,egyptian crux ansata under another form1 the ,t signifying the triad4 ,figures #aee1 #aef1 are different forms of the sistrum1 one of the emblems of ,isis4 ,in the latter1 the triple bars have one signification1 which will readily suggest itself to those who know the meaning of the triad4 ,in the former1 the emblem of the trinity1 which we have been obliged to conventionalise1 is shown in a distinct manner4 ,the cross bars indicate that ,isis is a virgin4 ,the cat at the top of the instrument indicates desire1 ,cupid1 or ,eros4 ,fig4 #aee is copied from plate ix41 ,r4 ,p4 ,knight's ,worship of ,priapus4 ,figure #aeg represents the cup and wafer1 to be found in the hands of many effigies of papal bishops2 they are alike symbolic of the sun and moon1 and of the elements in the ,eucharist4 ,see ,pugin1 plate iv41 figs4 #e1 #f1 represents a temple in a conventional form2 whilst below1 ,ceres appears seated within a horse-shoe shaped ornament4 ,this1 amongst other symbols1 tends to show what we have so frequently before observed1 that the female in creation is characterised by a great variety of designs1 of which the succeeding woodcuts give us additional evidence4 ,figure #aei represents the various forms symbolic of ,juno1 ,isis1 ,parvati1 ,ishtar1 ,mary1 or woman1 or the virgin4 ,figures #afj1 #afa1 #afb1 are copied from ,audsley's ,christian ,symbolism 7,london1 #ahfh74 ,they are ornaments worn by the ,virgin ,mary1 and represent her as the crescent moon1 conjoined with the cross 7in ,fig4 #afj71 with the collar of ,isis 7in ,fig4 #afa71 and with the double triangle 7in ,fig4 #afb74 ,figure #afc represents a tortoise4 ,when one sees a resemblance between this creature's head and neck and the linga1 one can understand why both in ,india and in ,greece the animal should be regarded as sacred to the goddess personifying the female creator1 and why in ,hindoo myths it is said to support the world4 ,in the ,british ,museum there are three ,assyrian obeliscs1 all of which represent1 in the most conspicuous way1 the phallus1 one of which has been apparently circumcised4 ,the body is occupied with an inscription recording the sale of land1 and also a figure of the reigning king1 whilst upon the part known as the glans penis are a number of symbols1 which are intended apparently to designate the generative powers in creation4 ,the male is indicated by a serpent1 a spear head1 a hare1 a tiara1 a cock1 and a tortoise4 ,the female appears under precisely the same form as is seen on the head of the ,egyptian ,isis1 ,fig4 #bh4 ,the tortoise is to this day a masculine emblem in ,japan4 ,see ,figs4 #agd1 #age4 ,but there is no necessity for the animal itself always to be depicted1 inasmuch as ,i have discovered that both in ,assyrian and ,greek art the tortoise is pourtrayed under the figure which resembles somewhat the markings upon the segments into which the shell is divided4 ,in symbolism it is a very common thing for a part to stand for the whole2 thus an egg is made to do duty for the triad2 and a man is sometimes represented by a spade4 ,a woman is in like manner represented by a comb1 or a mirror2 and a golden fleece typifies in the first place the grove1 which it overshadows1 and the female who possesses both4 ,it has been stated on page #ai supra1 that ,pausanias mentions having seen at some place in ,greece one figure of ,venus standing on a tortoise1 and another upon a ram1 but he leaves to the ingenious to discover why the association takes place4 ,it was this intimation which led me to identify the tortoise as a male symbol4 ,any person who has ever watched this creature in repose1 and seen the action of the head and neck when the quadruped is excited1 will recognise why the animal is dear to the goddess of amorous delight1 and that which it may remind her of4 ,in like manner1 those who are familiar with the ram will know that it is remarkable for persistent and excessive vigour4 ,like the cat1 whose salacity caused it to be honoured in ,egypt1 the ram was in that country also sacred1 as the bull was in ,assyria and ,hindostan4 ,in fact1 everything which in shape1 habits1 or sound could remind mankind of the creators and of the first part of creation was regarded with reverence4 ,thus tall stones or natural pinnacles of rock1 the palm1 pine1 and oak trees1 the fig tree and the ivy1 with their tripliform leaves1 the mandrake1 with its strange human form1 the thumb and finger1 symbolised ,bel1 ,baal1 ,asher1 or ,mahadeva4 ,in like manner a hole in the ground1 a crevice in a rock1 a deep cave1 the myrtle from the shape of its leaf1 the fish from its scent1 the dolphin and the mullet from their names1 the dove from its note1 and any umbrageous retreat surrounded with thick bushes1 were symbolic of woman4 ,so also the sword and sheath1 the arrow and target1 the spear and shield1 the plough and furrow1 the spade and trench1 the pillar by a well1 the thumb thrust between the two fore-fingers or grasped by the hand1 and a host of other things were typical of the union which brings about the formation of a new being4 ,i cannot help regarding the sexual element as the key which opens almost every lock of symbolism1 and however much we may dislike the idea that modern religionists have adopted emblems of an obscene worship1 we cannot deny the fact that it is so1 and we may hope that with a knowledge of their impurity we shall cease to have a faith based upon a trinity and virgin--a lingam and a yoni4 ,some may cling still to such a doctrine1 but to me it is simply horrible--blasphemous and heathenish4 ,figures #afd1 #afe1 represent a pagan and ,christian cross and trinity4 ,the first is copied from ,b4 ,p4 ,knight 7plate x41 fig4 #a71 and represents a figure found on an ancient coin of ,apollonia4 ,the second may be seen in any of our churches to-day4 ,figure #aff is from an old papal book lent to me by ,mr4 ,newton1 ,missale ,romanum1 illustrated by a monk 7,venice1 #aeji74 ,it represents a confessor of the ,roman church1 who wears the crux ansata1 the ,egyptian symbol of life1 the emblem of the four creators1 in the place of the usual pallium4 ,it is remarkable that a ,christian church should have adopted so many pagan symbols as ,rome has done4 ,figure #afg is copied from a small bronze figure in the ,mayer collection in the ,free ,museum1 ,liverpool4 ,it represents the feminine creator holding a well marked lingam in her hand1 and is this emblematic of the four1 or the trinity and the virgin4 ,figure #afh represents two ,egyptian deities in worship before an emblem of the male1 which closely resembles an ,irish round tower4 ,figure #afi represents the modern pallium worn by ,roman priests4 ,it represents the ancient sistrum of ,isis1 and the yoni of the ,hindoos4 ,it is symbolic of the celestial virgin1 and the unit in the creative four4 ,when donned by a ,christian priest1 he resembles the pagan male worshippers1 who wore a female dress when they ministered before the altar or shrine of a goddess4 ,possibly the ,hebrew ephod was of this form and nature4 ,figure #agj is a copy of an ancient pallium1 worn by papal ecclesiastics three or four centuries ago44 ,it is the old ,egyptian symbol described above4 ,its common name is crux ansata1 or the cross with a handle4 ,figure #aga is the albe worn by ,roman and other ecclesiastics when officiating at mass1 etc4 ,it is simply a copy of the chemise ordinarily worn by women as an under garment4 ,figure #agb represents the chamble worn by papal hierarchs4 ,it is copied from ,pugin's ,glossary1 etc4 ,its form is that of the vesica piscis1 one of the most common emblems of the yoni4 ,it is adorned by the triad4 ,when worn by the priest1 he forms the male element1 and with the chasuble completes the sacred four4 ,when worshipping the ancient goddesses1 whom ,mary has displaced1 the officiating ministers clothed themselves in feminine attire4 ,hence the use of the chemise1 etc4 ,even the tonsured head1 adopted from the priests of the ,egyptian ,isis1 represents l' anneau2 so that on head1 shoulders1 breast and body1 we may see on ,christian priests the relics of the worship of ,venus1 and the adoration of woman6 ,how horrible all this would sound if1 instead of using veiled language1 we had employed vulgar words4 ,the idea of a man adorning himself1 when ministering before ,god and the people1 with the effigies of those parts which nature as well as civilisation teaches us to conceal1 would be simply disgusting1 but when all is said to be mysterious and connected with hidden signification1 almost everybody tolerates and many eulogise or admire it6 ,,appendix3 ,,the ,,assyrian ,,grove ,,and ,,other ,,emblems ,by ,john ,newton1 ,m4,r4,c4,s4 ,the study of sacred symbols is as yet in its infancy4 ,it has hitherto been almost ignored by sacerdotal historians2 and thus a rich mine of knowledge on the most interesting of all subjects--the history of the ,religious ,idea in man--remains comparatively unexplored4 ,the topic has a two-fold interest1 for it equally applies to the present and the past4 ,as nothing on earth is more conservative than religion1 we have still a world of symbolism existing amongst us which is far older than our sects and books1 our creeds and articles1 a relic of a forgotten1 pre-historic past4 ,untold ages before writing was invented1 it is believed that men attempted to express their ideas in visible forms4 ,yet how can a savage1 who is unable to count his fingers up to five1 and has no idea of abstract number1 apart from things1 whose habits and thoughts are of the earth1 earthy1 form a conception of the high and holy ,one who inhabiteth eternity8 ,even under the highest forms of ancient civilisation1 abundant proofs exist that the imagination of men1 brooding over the idea of the ,unseen and the ,infinite1 were bounded by the things which were presented in their daily experience1 and which most moved their passions1 hopes and fears4 ,through these1 then1 they attempted to embody such religious ideas as they felt4 ,they could not teach others without visible symbols to assist their conceptions2 and emblems were rather crutches for the halting than wings to help the healthy to soar4 ,mankind in all ages has clung to the visible and tangible4 ,the people care little for the abstract and unseen4 ,the ,israelites preferred a calf of gold to the invisible ,jehovah2 and sensuous forms of worship still fascinate the multitude4 ,whilst studying a collection of symbols1 gathered from many climes and ages1 such as this volume presents1 ,i feel sure that every intelligent student will have asked himself more than once--,is there not some key which unlocks these enigmas1 some grand idea which runs through them all1 connecting them like a string of beads8 ,i believe that there is1 and that it is not far to seek4 ,what do men desire and long for most8 ,life4 ,skin for skin2 all that a man hath will he give for his life1 is a saying as true now as in the days of ,job4 ,give me back my youth1 and ,i will give you all ,i possess1 was said by the aged ,voltaire to his physician4 ,and our poet laureate has sung1 ',tis ,life1 whereof our nerves are scant1 ,o life1 not death1 for which we pant2 ,more life1 and fuller1 that ,i want4 ,but we must add1 as necessarily contained in the idea of ,life in its highest sense1 those things which make ,life desirable4 ,this fulness of life has been the summum bonum1 the highest good1 which mankind has sighed for in every age and clime4 ,for this the alchemists toiled1 not to advance chemistry1 but to discover the ,elixir of ,life and the ,philosopher's ,stone4 ,but what nature refused to science1 the gods1 it was believed1 would surely give to the pious6 and the glorious prize referred to has been promised by every religion4 ,i am come that they might have ,life1 and that they might have it more abundantly4 ,life is the reward which has been promised under every system1 including that of the founder of ,christianity4 ,a ,tree of ,life stood in the midst of that ,paradise which is described in the book of ,genesis2 and when the first human couple disobeyed their ,maker's command1 they were punished by being cut off from the perennial fount of vitality1 lest they should eat its fruit and thus live for ever2 and in a second ,paradise1 which is promised to the blessed by the author of the book of ,revelation1 a tree of life shall stand once more for the healing of the nations4 ,to the good man is promised1 in the ,hebrew ,scriptures1 long life1 prosperity1 and a numerous offspring4 ,thy youth is renewed like the eagle's499 ,ps4 ciii4 #e4 ,in the wondrous theology of ,ancient ,egypt1 which at length is open to us1 the ,ritual of the ,dead celebrates the mystical reconstruction of the body of the deceased1 whose parts are to be reunited1 as those of ,osiris were by ,isis2 the trials are recorded through which the deceased passes1 and by which all remaining stains of corruption are wiped away2 and the record ends when the defunct is born again glorious1 like that ,sun which typified the ,egyptian resurrection49999 99 ,st4 ,paul points oat 7,eph4 vi4 #b7 that to only one of the ten commandments is a promise added4 ,and what is the promise8 ,that thy days may be long4 7,exod4 xx4 #ab47 ,see also ,psalm cxxxiii4 #c1 the blessing1 even life for evermore4 9999 ,apuleius1 who had been initiated into the mysteries of ,isis1 informs us that long life was the reward promised to her votaries4 7,metam4 cap4 xi47 ,in the ancient mythology of ,india1 it is recounted that of old the gods in council united together to procure1 by one supreme effort1 the ,amrita cup of immortality1 which1 after the success of their scheme1 they partake of with their worshippers4 ,even for the ,buddhist1 his cold1 atheistical creed promises a ,nirvana1 an escape from the horrors of metempsychosis1 a haven of eternal calm1 where there shall be no more death1 neither sorrow nor crying1 neither shall there be any more pain1 for the former things are passed away2 there the weary be at rest4 ,rev4 xxi4 #d1 ,job iii4 #ag4 ,this idea of tranquillity is in striking contrast to the heaven promised by the religion of the north of ,europe1 which was the one most congenial to a people whose delight was in conquest and battle4 ,those who had led a life of heroism1 or perished bravely in fight1 ascended to ,valhalla2 and the eternal manhood which awaited them there was to be passed in scenes that were rapture to the imagination of a ,dane or a ,saxon4 ,every day in that abode of bliss was to be spent in furious conflict1 in the struggle of armies and the cleaving of shields2 but at evening the conflict was to cease2 every wound to be suddenly healed4 ,then the contending warriors were to sit down to a banquet1 where1 attended by lovely maidens1 they could feast on the exhaustless flesh of the boar ,saehrimnir1 and drink huge draughts of mead from the skulls of those enemies who had not attained to the glories of ,valhalla4 ,the paradise promised to the faithful by ,mahomet is full of sensuous delights4 ,the ,arabian prophet dwells with rapture on its gardens and palaces1 its rivers and bowers4 ,seventy-two houris1 or black-eyed girls1 rejoicing in beauty and ever-blooming youth1 will be created for the use of the meanest believer2 a moment of pleasure will be prolonged to a thousand years1 and his powers will be increased a hundred-fold to render him worthy of his felicity4 ,thus we see that in all these great historical faiths the prize held out to the true believer has this in common1 viz41 ,life1 overflowing1 ever-renewed1 with the addition of those things which make life desirable for men2 whether they are sensuous pleasures1 or those which1 under the loftier ideal of ,christianity1 are summed up in ,life1 both temporal and eternal1 in the light of ,god4 ,such being the case1 we might anticipate that the symbols of every religion would reproduce1 in some shape or other1 the ideal which is common to all4 ,the earliest and rudest faiths were content with gross and simple emblems of life4 ,in the later and more refined forms of worship1 the ruder types were highly conventionalised1 and replaced by a more intricate and less obvious symbolism4 ,we proceed now to investigate the more primitive emblems4 ,the origin of life is1 even to us1 with all our lights1 as great a mystery as it was to the ancients4 ,to the primitive races of mankind the formation of a new being appeared to be a constant miracle1 and men very naturally used as tokens of life1 and even worshipped1 those objects or organs by which the miracle appeared to be wrought4 ,thus1 the glorious sun1 that god of this world1 the source of life and light to our earth1 was early adored1 and an effigy thereof used as a symbol4 ,mankind watched with rapture its rays gain strength daily in the ,spring1 until the golden glories of ,midsummer had arrived1 when the earth was bathed during the longest days in his beams1 which ripened the fruits that his returning course had started into life4 ,when the sun once more began its course downwards to the ,winter solstice1 his votaries sorrowed1 for he seemed to sicken and grow paler at the advent of ,december1 when his rays scarcely reached the earth1 and all nature1 benumbed and cold1 sunk into a death-like sleep4 ,hence feasts and fasts were instituted to mark the commencement of the various phases of the solar year1 which have continued from the earliest known period1 under various names1 to our own times4 ,the daily disappearance and the subsequent rise of the sun1 appeared to many of the ancients as a true resurrection2 thus1 while the east came to be regarded as the source of light and warmth1 happiness and glory1 the west was associated with darkness and chill1 decay and death4 ,this led to the common custom of burying the dead so as to face the east when they rose again1 and of building temples and shrines with an opening towards the east4 ,to effect this1 ,vitruvius1 two thousand years ago1 gave precise rules1 which are still followed by ,christian architects4 ,sun-worship was spread all over the ancient world4 ,it mingled with other faiths and assumed many forms499 ,of the elements1 fire was naturally chosen as its earthly symbol4 ,a sacred fire1 at first miraculously kindled1 and subsequently kept up by the sedulous care of priests or priestesses1 formed an important part of the religions of ,judea1 ,babylonia1 ,persia1 ,greece and ,rome1 and the superstition lingers amongst us still4 99 ,we may point out that1 according to all the ,gospels1 ,christ expired towards sunset1 and the sun became eclipsed as he was dying4 ,he rose again exactly at daybreak4 ,so late as the advent of the ,reformation1 a sacred fire was kept ever burning on a shrine at ,kildare1 in ,ireland1 and attended by virgins of high rank1 called inghean au dagha1 or daughters of fire4 ,every year is the ceremony repeated at ,jerusalem of the miraculous kindling of the ,holy ,fire at the reputed sepulchre1 and men and women crowd to light tapers at the sacred flame1 which they pass through with a naked body4 ,indeed1 solar myths form no unimportant part of ancient mythology4 ,thus the death of nature in the winter time1 through the withdrawal of the sun1 was supposed to be caused by the mourning of the earth-goddess over the sickness and disappearance into the realms of darkness of her husband and mate1 the sun4 ,mr4 ,fox ,talbot has lately given the translation of an ,egyptian poem1 more than three thousand years old1 and having for its subject the descent of ,ishtar into ,hades4 ,to this region of darkness and death the goddess goes in search of her beloved ,osiris1 or ,tammuz4 ,this ,ishtar is identical with the ,assyrian female in the celestial quartette1 the later ,phoenician ,astarte1 ,the ,queen of ,heaven with crescent horns1 the moon-goddess1 also with the ,greek ,aphrodite and ,roman ,venus2 and the ,egyptian legend reappears in the west as the mourning of ,venus for the loss of ,adonis4 ,again1 the fable of ,ceres mourning the death of her daughter ,proserpine is another sun-myth4 ,the ,roman ,ceres was the ,greek ----------1 ,mother ,earth1 who through the winter time wanders inconsolable4 ,persephone1 her daughter1 is the vegetable world1 whose seeds or roots lie concealed underground in the darkness of winter4 ,these1 when ,spring comes with its brightness1 bud forth and dwell in the realms of light during a part of the year1 and provide ample nourishment for men and animals with their fruits4 ,the sun1 being the active fructifying cause in nature1 was generally regarded as male4 ,thus1 in the ,jewish scriptures1 he is compared to a bridegroom coming out of his chamber 7,ps4 xix4 #e71 i4e41 as a man full of generative1 procreative vigour4 ,the moon and the earth1 being receptive were naturally regarded as female4 ,at the vernal equinox1 the ancients celebrated the bridal of the sun and the earth4 ,yet1 inasmuch as the orbs of heaven and the face of nature remain the same from year to year1 and perpetually renew light and life1 themselves remaining fresh in vigour and unharmed by age1 the ancients conceived the bride and mate of the sun-god as continuing ever virgin4 ,again1 as the ancient month was always reckoned by the interval between one new moon and the next1--an interval which also marks a certain recurring event in women1 that ceases at once on the occurrence of pregnancy1--the lunar crescent became a symbol of virginity1 and as such adorns the brow of the ,greek ,artemis and ,roman ,diana4 ,this was used as a talisman at a very remote period1 and was fixed over the doors of the early lake-dwellers in ,switzerland1 like the horse-shoe is to modern side-posts4 ,with the sun and moon were often associated the five visible planets1 forming a sacred seven1--a figure which is continually cropping up in religious emblems4 ,so much for the great cosmic symbols of ,life4 ,but the primitive races of mankind found others nearer home1 and still more suggestive--the generative parts in the two sexes1 by the union of which all animated life1 and mankind1 the most interesting of all to human beings1 appeared to be created4 ,this reverence for1 or worship of1 the organs of generation1 has been traced to a very early period in the history of the human race4 ,in a bone-cave recently excavated near ,venice1 and beneath its ten feet of stalagmite1 were found bones of animals1 flint implements1 a bone needle1 and a phallus in baked clay4 ,and if we turn to those savage tribes who still reproduce for us the prehistoric past1 this form of religious symbolism meets as everywhere4 ,in ,dahomey1 beyond the ,ashantees1 it is1 according to ,captain ,barton1 most uncomfortably prominent4 ,in every street of their settlements are priapic figures4 ,the ,tree of ,life is anointed with palm oil1 which drips into a pot or shard placed below it1 and the would-be mother of children prays before the image that the great god ,legba would make her fertile4 ,burton tells us that he peeped into an ,egba temple or lodge1 and found it a building with three courts1 of which the innermost was a sort of holy of holies4 ,its doors had carvings on them of a leopard1 a fish1 a serpent1 and a land tortoise4 ,the first two of these are female symbols1 the two latter emblems of the male4 ,there were also two rude figures representing their god ,obatala1 the deity of life1 who is worshipped under two forms1 a male and a female4 ,opposite to these was the male symbol or phallus1 conjoined in coitu with the female emblem4 ,du ,chaillu met with some tribes in ,africa who adore the female only4 ,his guide1 he informs us1 carried a hideous little image of wood with him1 and at every meal he would take the little fetish out of his pocket1 and pour a libation over its feet before he would drink himself4 ,we know that a similar superstition prevailed in ,ireland long after the advent of ,christianity4 ,there a female1 pointing to her symbol1 was placed over the portal of many a church as a protector from evil spirits2 and the elaborate though rude manner in which these figures were sculptured shows that they were considered as objects of great importance4 ,it was the universal practice among the ,arabs of ,northern ,africa to stick up over the door of their house or tent the genital parts of a cow1 mare1 or female camel1 as a talisman to avert the influence of the evil eye4 ,the figure of this organ being less definite than that of the male1 it has assumed in symbolism very various forms4 ,the commonest substitution for the part itself has been a horse-shoe1 which is to this day fastened over many of the doors of stables and shippons in the country1 and was formerly supposed to protect the cattle from witchcraft4 ,from a lively story by ,beroalde de ,verville1 we learn that in ,france a sight of the female organ was believed1 as late as the sixteenth century1 to be a powerful charm in curing any disease in1 and for prolonging the life of1 the fortunate beholder4 ,as civilisation advanced1 the gross symbols of creative power were cast aside1 and priestly ingenuity was taxed to the utmost in inventing a crowd of less obvious emblems1 which should represent the ancient ideas in a decorous manner4 ,the old belief was retained1 but in a mysterious or sublimated form4 ,as symbols of the male1 or active element in creation1 the sun1 light1 fire1 a torch1 the phallus or linga1 an erect serpent1 a tall straight tree1 especially the palm and the fir or pine1 were adopted4 ,equally useful for symbolism were a tall upright stone 7menhir71 a cone1 a pyramid1 a thumb or finger pointed straight1 a mast1 a rod1 a trident1 a narrow bottle or amphora1 a bow1 an arrow1 a lance1 a horse1 a bull1 a lion1 and many other animals conspicuous for masculine power4 ,as symbols of the female1 the passive though fruitful element in creation1 the crescent moon1 the earth1 darkness1 water1 and its emblem a triangle with the apex downwards1 the yoni1 a shallow vessel or cup for pouring fluid into 7cratera71 a ring or oval1 a lozenge1 any narrow cleft1 either natural or artificial1 an arch or doorway1 were employed4 ,in the same category of symbols came a ship or boat1 the female date-palm bearing fruit1 a cow with her calf by her side1 the fish1 fruits having many seeds1 such as the pomegranate1 a shell 7concha71 a cavern1 a garden1 a fountain1 a bower1 a rose1 a fig1 and other things of suggestive form1 etc4 ,these two great classes of conventional symbols were often represented in conjunction with each other1 and thus symbolised in the highest degree the great source of life1 ever originating1 ever renewed4 ,the ,egyptian temple at ,denderah has lately been explored by ,m4 ,mariette4 ,in a niche of the ,holy of ,holies he discovered the sacred secret4 ,this was simply a golden sistrum 7see ante1 pp4 #dd and #gj71 an emblem formed by uniting the female oval ,o with the male sacred ,tau ,t2 and thus identical in meaning with the coarse emblem seen by ,captain ,burton in the ,african idol temple4 ,a similar emblem is the linga standing in the centre of a yoni1 the adoration of which is to this day characteristic of the leading dogma of ,hindu religion4 ,there is scarcely a temple in ,india which has not its lingam2 and in numerous instances this symbol is the only form under which the great god ,siva is worshipped4 7,see ante1 pp4 #gb1 #gh47 ,the linga is generally a tall1 polished1 cylindrical1 black stone1 apparently inserted into another stone formed like an elongated saucer1 though in reality the whole is sculptured out of one block of basalt4 ,the outline of the frame1 which reminds us of a ,jew's harp 7the conventional form of the female member71 is termed argha or yoni4 ,the former1 or round perpendicular stone1 the type of the virile organ1 is the linga4 ,the entire symbol1 to which the name lingyoni is given1 is also occasionally called lingam4 ,this representative of the union of the sexes typifies the divine sacti1 or productive energy1 in union with the procreative1 generative power seen throughout nature4 ,the earth was the primitive pudendum1 or yoni1 which is fecundated by the solar heat1 the sun1 the primitive linga1 to whose vivifying rays man and animals1 plants and the fruits of the earth1 owe their being and continued existence4 ,these lingas vary in size from the tiny amulets worn about the neck1 to the great monoliths of the temples4 ,thus the lingam is an emblem of the ,creator1 the fountain of all life1 who is represented in ,hindu mythology as uniting in ,himself the two sexes4 ,another symbol1 the caduceus1 older than ,greek and ,roman art1 in which it is associated with ,esculapius and ,hermes1 the gods of health and fertility1 has precisely the same signification as the sistrum and the lingam4 ,this is made clear enough in the following extract from a letter by ,dr4 ,c4 ,e4 ,balfour1 published in ,fergusson's ,tree and ,serpent ,worship1 #ahgh4 ,i have only once seen living snakes in the form of the ,esculapian rod4 ,it was at ,ahmednuggar1 in #ahda1 on a clear moonlight night4 ,they dropped into the garden from the thatched roof of my house1 and stood erect4 ,they were all cobras1 and no one could have seen them without at once recognising that they were in congress4 ,natives of ,india consider that it is most fortunate to witness serpents so engaged1 and believe that if a person can throw a cloth at the pair so as to touch them with it1 the material becomes a representative form of ,lakshmi199 of the highest virtue1 and is preserved as such4 ,the serpent1 which casts its skin and seems to renew its youth every year1 has been used from remotest times as a living symbol of generative energy1 and of immortality2 indeed1 in the most ancient ,eastern languages1 the name for the serpent also signifies life49999 ,it has been usually worshipped as the ,agathodoemon1 the god of good fortune1 life1 and health2 though in the ,hebrew scriptures1 and elsewhere1 we meet with a good and a bad serpent--,oriental dualism4 ,the ,kakodoemon1 however1 is usually represented as winged--the ,dragon1 as in the following example4 99 ,the consort1 or life-giving energy of ,vishnu4 9999 ,as in ,french1 the name for the male organ and for life is the same in sound1 though not in spelling or gender4 ,in the remarkable ,babylonian seal1 ,plate iv41 ,fig4 #h1 the deity is represented as uniting in himself the male and the female4 ,on each side is a serpent1 as the emblem of the life flowing from the ,creator2 that on the male side1 having round his head the solar glory1 is compared to the sun-god1 as the active principle in creation2 that on the female side1 over whose head is the lunar crescent1 to the moon- and earth- goddess1 the passive principle in creation4 ,both are attacked by a winged dragon1 the kakodoemon1 or the evil principle4 ,this is according to the ancient ,chaldean doctrine of two creations of living beings1 the one good and the other malign4 ,the ,chinese still think that an eclipse is caused by the efforts of a furious dragon to destroy the sun and moon2 and ,apollo1 the sun-god1 destroying the serpent ,python1 has reappeared on our coin as ,st4 ,george killing the dragon4 ,even ,apollyon appears in old paintings with huge wings1 like those of a bat4 ,having thus explained what appears to be the key to a wide range of religious symbolism1 and shown its application in many cases1 we shall further apply it to unlock the famous object of ,assyrian worship4 ,soon after the discoveries of ,botta and ,layard were published1 it was conjectured that this strange object1 so continually represented as being adored1 might be the asherah of the ,hebrew scriptures1 translated grove in the ,english version4 ,how far the view was correct we shall now proceed to examine4 ,the religion of the ,east at a very remote period appears to have been the worship of one ,god1 under several names4 ,the most primitive was ,el1 ,il1 or ,al1 the strong1 the mighty one2 or its plural ,elohim1 as expressing ,his many powers and manifestations4 ,another name was ,baal or ,bel1--the lord1 which also had a plural form1 ,baalim4 ,the first word is continually used in the ,hebrew scriptures1 and applied both to the true ,god and the gods of the nations4 ,baal is only once thus applied1 ,hosea ii4 #af2 yet ,balaam1 inspired by ,god1 prophesies from the high places of ,baal4 ,this name1 though so appropriate to the ,almighty1 became abhorrent to the ,jews when it was so frequently associated with idolatry1 and a new cognomen1 or the ,supreme1 was adopted by them1 viz41 ,jehovah1 the ,eternal1 the ,ever-,living ,one1 the ,creator2 see ,exod4 iii4 #ad4 ,baal was the supreme god of all the great ,syro-,phoenician nations1 with the insignificant exception of the ,jews2 and when the latter migrated into ,canaan they were surrounded on all sides by his worshippers4 ,towns1 temples1 men1 including even a son of ,saul1 of ,david and of ,jonathan1 viz41 ,eshbaal1 ,meribbaal1 and ,beelida1 were called after him4 ,as the sun-god1 ,baal-,hammon1 ,song of ,sol4 viii4 #aa2 #b ,kings xxiii4 #e2 he was worshipped on high places1 ,num4 xxii4 #da2 and an image of the sun appeared over his altars1 #b ,chron4 xxxiv4 #d4 ,as the generative and productive power1 he was worshipped under the form of the phallus1 ,baal-,peor2 and youths and maidens1 even of high birth1 prostituted themselves in his honour or service2 ,num4 xxv42 #b ,kings xxiii4 #g4 ,as the creator1 he was represented to be of either or of both sexes2 and ,arnobius tells us that his worshippers invoked him thus3 ,hear us1 ,baal6 whether thou be a god or a goddess4 ,though he is of the masculine gender in the ,hebrew1 the lord1 yet ,baal is called ------1 the lady1 in the ,septuagint2 ,hos4 ii4 #h2 ,zeph4 i4 #d2 and in the ,new ,testament1 ,romans xi4 #d4 ,at the licentious worship of this androgyne1 or two-sexed god1 the men on certain occasions wore female garments1 whilst the women appeared in male attire1 brandishing weapons4 ,each of this god's names had a female counterpart2 and the feminine form of ,baal was ,beltis1 ,ishtar1 and ,ashtarte4 ,as he was the sun-god1 she was the moon-goddess4 ,now1 whilst the masculine name 7as ,bel or ,bal1 ,baal1 ,baalim17 appears nearly one hundred times in the ,hebrew ,old ,testament1 the feminine equivalent is only found three times in the singular ,ashtoreth1 and six times in the plural ,ashtaroth2 always in association with ,baal-worship4 ,knowing1 as we do1 the immense diffusion of her worship amongst the ,babylonians1 ,assyrians1 and ,phoenicians1 this appears strange4 ,there is a word of the feminine gender occurring in the ,hebrew twenty-four times1 viz41 ,asherah or ,asharah2 plural1 ,asharth translated in the ,septuagint and ,latin vulgate1 a tree1 or grove1 in which they have been followed by most modern versions1 including the ,english4 ,this supplies the void1 for ,asharah may be regarded as another name for the goddess ,ashtoreth1 as is plainly seen by the following passages3 ,they forsook ,jehovah and served ,baal and ,ashtoreth2 ,judges ii4 #ah2 whilst in the following chapter we read1 ,they forgot ,jehovah their ,god1 and served the ,baalim and the ,asharoth2 iii4 #g4 ,what1 then1 was the ,asharah8 ,it was of wood1 and of large size2 the ,jews were ordered to cut it down2 ,exod4 xxxiv4 #ah1 etc42 and ,gideon offered a bullock as a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the ,asherah4 ,occasionally it was of stone4 ,it was carved or graven as an image2 #b ,kings xxi4 #g4 ,it often stood close to the altar of ,baal2 ,judges vi4 #be and #hj2 #a ,kings xvi4 #hb1 #hh2 #b ,chron4 xxxiii4 #h4 ,usually on high places and under shady trees2 #a ,kings xiv4 #bh2 ,jer4 xvii4 #b2 but one was erected in the temple of ,jehovah by ,manasseh2 #b ,kings xxi4 #g4 ,it had priests2 #a ,kings xviii4 #ai2 and its worship was as popular as that of ,baal2 for whilst the priests of the ,baal were four hundred and fifty1 those of the ,asherah were four hundred1 who ate at the table of ,queen ,jezebel1 daughter of ,ethbaal1 king of ,sidon4 ,it was sometimes surrounded with hangings1 and was worshipped by both sexes with licentious rites2 #b ,kings xxiii4 #g2 ,ezek4 xvi4 #af4 ,as ,baal was associated with sun-worship1 so was the ,asherah with that of the moon2 #b ,kings xxi4 #h2 #b ,chron4 xxxiv4 #d4 ,besides these ,asheroth1 female emblems of ,baal1 there were ,asherim1 male emblems of ,baal1 symbolising his generative power 7,furst1 ,hebrew ,lexicon71 which are mentioned sixteen times in the ,hebrew scriptures4 ,it is only found in the plural1 and must have been a multiple representation of the singular1 ,asher1 which means to be firm1 strong1 straight1 prosperous1 happy1 99 and cognate with the ,phoenician 7,osir71 husband1 lord1 an epithet of ,baal4 99 ,the lupanars at ,pompeii were distinguished by a sign over the street door1 representing the erect phallus1 painted or carved1 and having the words underneath1 ,hie habitat felicitas4 ,doubtless this was also identical with the ,egyptian ,osiris1 the sun1 the phallus4 ,he was said to have suffered death like the sun2 and ,plutarch tells us that ,isis1 unable to discover all the remains of her husband1 consecrated the phallus as his representative4 ,thus the ,asharim were male symbols used in ,baal-worship1 and sometimes consisted of multiple phalli1 of which the branch carried by an ,assyrian priest1 in ,plate iii4 ,fig4 #d1 is a conventional form4 ,they were then counterparts of the multimammia of ,greek and ,roman worship499 ,this is confirmed by a curious passage1 #a ,kings xv4 #ac 7repeated #b ,chron4 xv4 #af74 ,we learn 7xiv4 #bh7 that the ,jews1 under ,rehoboam1 son of ,solomon1 having lapsed into idolatry1 had built them high places1 images1 and ,asharim 7groves1 ,a4 ,v47 on every high hill1 and under every green tree2 and that there were also consecrated ones 7sodomites1 ,a4 ,v47 in the land4 ,but ,asa1 his brother1 on succeeding to the throne1 swept away all these things1 and 7xv4 #ah7 deposed the queen mother1 ,maachah1 because she had made a miphletzeth to an ,asherah 7an idol in a grove1 ,a4 ,v47 miphletzeth1 is rendered by the ,vulgate simulacrum ,priapi4 ,the word is derived from palatz1 to be broken1 terrified1 or the cognate1 phalash1 palash1 to break or go through1 to open up a way2 a word or root found in the ,hebrew1 ,phoenician1 ,syriac1 and ,ethiopie4 ,doubtless the ,greek ------ phallus1 was hence derived1 since it has no independent meaning in ,greek2 and ,herodotus and ,diodorus expressly assert that the chief gods of ,greece and their mysteries1 especially the ,dionysiac or ,bacchic revels1 in which the phallus was carried in procession1 were derived from the east4 ,compare also the ,latin pales1 ,english pale1 pole1 ,maypole4 ,a similar word1 with a corresponding meaning1 exists in the ,sanscrit4 ,thus1 then1 according to the ,hebrew scriptures1 there were two chief symbols used in the worship of ,baal1 one male1 the other female4 ,see ,figs4 #ae1 #af4 ,we can now look upon the very symbols themselves1 which were so used--perhaps the most remarkable in existence4 ,it is well known that the ,chaldeans1 from whom all other nations derived their religion1 astronomy1 and science1 gave the name of ,bel or ,baal to their chief god4 ,in the most ancient inscription yet deciphered1 written in the ,babylonian and ,arcadian languages1 a king rules by the favour of ,bel4 ,another name for ,baal is ,assur1 or ,asher1 from whom ,assyria is named4 ,in the cuneiform inscriptions of ,sennacherib1 the great king of ,assyria1 ,nineveh is called the city of ,bel1 and the city beloved by ,ishtar4 ,in another inscription he says of the king of ,egypt3--the terror of ,ashur and ,ishtar overcame him and he fled4 ,assurbanipal thus commences his annals ,the great warrior1 the delight of ,assur and ,ishtar1 the royal offspring am ,i4 ,in a cuneiform inscription of ,nebobelzitri1 we read3--,nineveh the city1 the delight of ,ishtar1 wife of ,bel4 ,again1 ,beltis1 the consort of ,bel4 ,assur and ,beltis1 the gods of ,assyria4 ,thus we see that ,baal and ,bel were identical with ,assur1 and ,ashur4 ,doubtless1 then1 ,asherah is the last name with the feminine termination 7as ,ish man1 ,ishahwoman71 and is identical with ,ishtar1 ,ashteroth1 ,astarte and ,beltis4 ,the ,septuagint has rendered ,asherah by ,astarte1 in #b ,chron4 xv4 #af1 and the ,vulgate by ,astaroth1 in ,judges iii4 #g4 ,herodotus described 7b4c4 #dej7 the great temple of ,belus at ,babylon1 and its seven stages dedicated to the sun1 moon1 and planets1 on the top of which was the shrine4 ,this contained no statue1 but there was a golden couch1 upon which a chosen female lay1 and was nightly visited by the god4 ,now1 therefore1 that the palaces of the ,assyrian kings1 and their chambers of imagery1 have been by great good fortune laid open to us1 we might expect to discover the long-lost symbolism of ,baal-worship4 ,and so we have4 ,to commence with the simplest4 ,the 7,ashcrim7 is seen as the mystic palm-tree1 the tree of life1 ,fig4 #ii2 the phallic pillar putting forth branches like flames1 ,fig4 #fe2 and the tree with seven phalloid branches1 so common on ,assyrian and ,babylonian seals1 ,plate xvii41 ,fig4 #d4 ,see also the remarkable ,syrian medals1 ,plate xvii41 ,fig4 #b1 on which is represented ,baal as the sun-god1 holding the bow1 and surrounded by phalli4 ,or1 least conventional of all1 the simple phallus1 of which there are two remarkable specimens in the ,british ,museum4 ,each of these is about two and a half feet high1 and once guarded the bounds of an estate4 ,among the ,greeks and ,romans1 boundaries were also marked by a phallic statue of ,hermes1 the god of fertility4 ,these ,assyrian emblems have doubtless often been honoured with rural sacrifice4 ,themselves the most expressive symbol of life1 they are also covered with its conventional emblems4 ,a back view of one is given1 ,figure #agd4 ,the body is mainly occupied with a full length portrait of the great king4 ,for as the ,assyrians represented the ,deity1 the source of all life1 by the phallus1 so the monarch was the god of this lower world1 the incarnation of ,god on earth4 ,he was the source of life to the empire1 and as such was addressed--,o king1 live for ever 7,dan4 v4 #aj74 ,he1 like the gods1 never dies4 ,le ,roi est mort2 ,vive le ,roi ,the ensigns of royalty were also those of the creator-god4 ,accordingly1 his garments and crown are embroidered with that sacred emblem1 the ,asherah4 ,he bears the strung-bow and arrows1 emblems of virile power1 borne afterwards by the sun-god ,apollo1 and the western son of ,venus4 ,an erect serpent occupies the other side1 and ends with forky tongue near the orifice4 ,the glans is covered with symbols4 ,on the summit is a triad of sun emblems2 beneath are three altars1 over two of which are the glans-shaped caps1 covered with bulls' horns1 always worn by the ,assyrian guardian angels1 and intense emblems of the male potency4 ,for in ancient symbolism1 a part of a symbol stands for the whole2 as here1 the horns represent the bull1 and the glans the phallus4 ,above the third altar is a tortoise1 whose protruded head and neck reminded the initiated of the phallus2 and the altars are covered with a pattern drawn from the tortoise scales4 ,we have1 besides1 a vase with a rod inserted1 emblem of sexual union1 and a cock1 with wings and plumage ruffled1 running after a hen in amorous heat4 ,the glans only of the other is copied4 ,fig4 #age4 ,at the top are the sun-symbols1 as before4 ,beneath is the horse-shoe-like head-dress of ,isis1 and there are two altars marked with the tortoise-emblem in front4 ,over both rises the erect serpent1 and upon one lies the head of an arrow or a dart1 both male symbols4 ,the miphletzeth which ,queen ,maachah placed in or near the ,asherah1 probably resembled these ,assyrian phalli1 or the ,asherim4 ,and now we come to the ,asherah1 a much more complex and difficult symbol than any other which we have named4 ,this object has long puzzled antiquarians1 and though it is continually recurring in the sculptures from ,nineveh1 it has not yet been fully explained4 ,in ,fig4 #agf we see it worshipped by human figures1 with eagles' heads and wings1 who present to it the pine-cone1 the testis1 and the basket1 the scrotum 7871 intense emblems of the male creator4 ,fig4 #agg it is adored by the king and his son or successor1 with their attendant genii4 ,the kings present towards it a well-known symbol of life and good fortune1 the fist with the forefinger extended1 or the phallic hand4 ,here1 then1 we have evidently the ,asherah1 or ,ashtaroth-symbol1 the female ,baal1 the life-producer1 the door whence life issues to the world4 ,as such the goddess is here symbolised as an arched door-way4 ,in the ,phonician alphabet1 the fourth letter1 daleth1 a door1 has the shape of a tent-door1 as on the ,moabite stone1 ,a1 and also in the ,greek ------ ,but another form1 perhaps as ancient1 is ,d1 which1 when placed in its proper position1 would be --1 the very form of the ,asherah499 ,in the plural1 this word stands for the labia pudendi1 --------1 because it shut not up the doors of the womb1 ,job iii4 #aj49999 ,we infer from ,numbers xxv4 #f-h1 that in the rites of ,baal-peor1 the ,kadeshoth1 or women devoted to the god1 offered themselves to his worshippers each in a peculiar bower or small arched tent1 called a qubbah4 ,the part also through which ,phinehas drove his spear 7see ,num4 xxv4 #h71 the woman's vulva1 is also called qobbah1 the one word being derived from the other1 according to ,onkelos1 ,aquila1 and others4 ,qubbah means1 according to ,fuerst1 ,heb4 ,lex41 something hollow and arched1 an arched tent1 like the ,arabic ,el4 ,kubba1 whence the ,spanish ,al-cova1 and our ,alcove4 ,in the ,latin also1 the word fornix1 a vault1 an arch1 meant a brothel1 and from it was derived fornicatio4 ,qubbah is translated by the ,,lxx41 kaminos1 an oven or arched furnace 7,liddell and ,scott72 but it meant also the female parts4 ,see ,herodotus v4 #ib 7#g74 ,thus1 then1 the ,alcove was itself a symbol of woman1 as though a place of entrance and emergence1 and whence new life issues to the world4 ,and when the male worshipper of ,baal entered to the kadeshah1 the living embodiment of the goddess1 the analogy to the ,asherah became complete1 as we shall now show4 99 ,the first letter1 ,aleph1 an ox1 is1 even on the ,moabite stone1 written thus1 and has become the modern ,a4 ,in the earlier hieroglyph it must have been thus ,v4 ,the ,egyptian hieroglyph for ten is ,compare the ,greek -- and ,latin ,decem4 9999 ,the first of the ,orphic ,hymns is addressed to the goddess ,artemisias 7,prothnraia7 or the ,door-keeper1 who presided over childbirths1 like the ,roman ,diana ,lucina4 ,the central object in the ,assyrian grove is a male date-palm1 which was well known as an emblem of ,baal1 the sun1 the phallus1 and life4 ,this remarkable tree1 ,tamar in ,phoenician and ,hebrew1 the phoenix in ,greek1 was formerly abundant in ,palestine and the neighbouring regions4 ,the word ,phoenicia 7,acts xi4 #ai1 xv4 #h7 is derived from phoinix1 as the country of palms2 like the ,idumeo palmo of ,virgil4 ,palmyra1 the city of the sun1 was called in the ,hebrew ,tamar 7#a ,kings ix4 #ah74 ,in ,vespasian's famous coin1 ,judoa capta1 ,judoa is represented as a female sitting under a palm-tree4 ,the tree can at once be identified by its tall1 straight1 branchless stem1 of equal thickness throughout1 crowned at the top with a cluster of long1 curved1 feather-like branches1 and by its singularly wrinkled bark4 ,all these characteristics are readily recognised in the highly conventional forms of the religious emblem1 even in the ornament on the king's robe1 fig4 #agd4 ,the date-palm is dioecious1 the female trees1 which are sometimes used as emblems1 being always distinguished by the clusters of date fruit4 ,thy stature is like to a palm-tree1 thy breasts to clusters 7,cant4 vii4 #g74 ,the righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree 7,ps4 xcii4 #ab71 fruitful and ever green4 ,they are upright as the palm-tree1 but speak not 7,jer4 x4 #h-e74 ,the prophet is evidently describing the making of an ,asherah4 ,there was a ,canaanite city called ,baal-,tamar1 ,baal1 the palm-tree1 designated so1 it is probable1 from the worship of ,baal there under the form of a priapus-column1 says ,fuerst1 ,heb4 ,lex4 ,the real form was doubtless an ,asherim1 a modified palm-tree1 as we have already shown4 ,palm-branches have been used in all ages as emblems of life1 peace1 and victory4 ,they were strewn before ,christ4 ,palm-,sunday1 the feast of palms1 is still kept4 ,even within the present century1 on this festival1 in many towns of ,france1 women and children carried in procession at the end of their palm-branches a phallus made of bread1 which they called1 undisguisedly1 la pine1 whence the festival was called ,la ,fete des ,pinnes4 ,the pine having been blest by the priest1 the women carefully preserved it during the following year as an amulet4 7,dulaure1 ,hist1 des differens ,cultes47 ,again1 the ,greek name for the palm-tree1 phoenix1 was also the name of that mythical ,egyptian bird1 sacred to ,osiris1 and a symbol of the resurrection4 ,with some early ,christian writers1 ,christ was the ,phoenix4 ,the date-palm is figured as a tree of life on an ,egyptian sepulchral tablet1 older than the ,exodus1 now preserved in the museum at ,berlin4 ,two arms issue from the top of the tree2 one of which presents a tray of dates to the deceased1 whilst the other gives him water1 the water of life4 ,the tree of life is represented by a date-palm on some of the earliest ,christian mosaics at ,rome4 ,something very like the ,assyrian ,asherah1 or sacred emblem1 was sculptured on the great doors of ,solomon's temple1 by ,hiram1 the ,tyrian 7#a ,kings vii4 #ah-ba74 ,we read he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm-trees and open flowers1 and spread gold upon the cherubims and palm-trees 7#a ,kings vi4 #hb-ce74 ,he also erected two phallic pillars in front of the ,temple1 ,jachin and ,boaz1 ,it stands--,in strength4 ,no wonder ,solomon fell to worship ,astarte1 ,chemosh1 and ,milcom4 ,although to our modern ideas the mystical tree1 symbol of life and immortality1 seems out of place in ,judaism1 yet no sooner did the ,jews possess a national coinage under the ,maccabees than the palm-tree reappears1 always with seven branches 7like the golden candlestick1 ,ex4 xxv471 as on the shekel represented ,plate xvii41 ,fig4 #d4 ,the ,assyrian tree has always the same number1 and the tufts of foliage 7symbolising the entire female tree7 which deck the margins of the mystic ,d--apt emblems of fertility--have also invariably seven branches4 ,this may remind us of the seven visible spheres that move around our earth in mystic dance1 and of ,balak's offering1 upon seven altars1 seven bulls and seven rams 7,num4 xxiii4 #a2 ,rev4 ii4 #a7 ,the mystic door is also barred1 like the ,egyptian sistrum carried by the priestesses of ,isis1 to represent the inviolable purity and eternal perfection which were associated with the idea of divinity4 ,when ,mary1 the mother of ,jesus1 took the place in ,christendom of the great goddess1 the dogmas which propounded her immaculate conception and perpetual virginity followed as a matter of course4 ,thus1 then1 we explain the greatest symbol in ,eastern worship1--it is the ,tree of ,life in the midst of the ,garden1 which has remained so long a mystery4 ,to ,dr4 ,inman belongs the distinguished merit of having first broken ground in the right direction4 ,in his ,ancient ,faiths1 vol4 #a1 #ahfh1 he identified the ,assyrian ,asherah with the female door of life1 and pointed out its analogy to the barred sistrum4 ,we have seen that it is really much more complex1 being precisely analogous in meaning to the famous crux ansata 7,fig4 #agj71 the central mystery of ,egyptian worship2 to the lingam or lingyoni of ,india 7,fig4 #aji71 the great emblem of ,siva-worship2 and to the caduceus of ,greece and ,rome4 ,as represented on the ,assyrian sculptures1 it is always substantially the same4 ,probably this stereotyped form was the result of a gradual refinement upon some rude primitive type1 perhaps as coarse as that seen by ,captain ,burton in the ,african idol-temple4 ,to exhibit all the strange developments and modifications which this idea has assumed in the religious symbolism of ,eastern and ,western nations would require a large volume4 ,but the subject is so rich in varied interest that we cannot conclude without taking a glance at it4 ,first1 the simple ,o1 barred1 is reproduced with a contraction towards the base1 as in the ,indian yoni1 and the ,egyptian sistrum1 used in the worship of ,isis4 ,second1 within the ,o was represented the goddess herself1 as revealed within her own symbol4 ,this is illustrated in ,plate xvii41 ,fig4 #e1 where ,demeter or ,ceres is thus depicted1 with her cornucopia1 from a bronze coin of ,damascus4 ,thirdly1 but much more commonly1 the goddess holds in her hands emblems of the male potency in creation1 and thus completes the symbol4 ,as in the coin figured ,plate xvii41 ,fig4 #h1 the goddess1 standing within the ,o1 the portico of her temple1 holds in her right hand the cross1 that most ancient emblem of the male and of life4 ,in the beautiful ,greek coin of ,sidon next figured1 the goddess--evidently ,astarte1 the moon-goddess1 the ,queen of ,heaven--stands on a ship1 the mystic ,argha or ,ark1 holding in one hand a crozier1 in the other the cross4 7,plate xvii41 ,fig4 #g47 ,under ,christianity1 the ,virgin ,mary1 who1 as ,queen of ,heaven1 stands on the crescent moon1 is pictured beneath the mystic doorway1 with 7the ,god as7 a male child in her arms4 ,see ,plate xviii41 copied from the woodcut title to the ,psalter of the ,blessed ,virgin1 printed at ,czenna1 in old ,prussia1 #adib4 ,like ,isis1 she is the mother and yet the spouse of ,god1 clothed with the sun1 and having the moon under her feet 7,rev4 xii4 #a74 ,the upper half of the picture is very like the ,assyrian scenes4 ,on either side is a king1 ,frederick ,,iii4 and his son the ,emperor ,maximilian1 at their devotions4 ,the alcove is of roses1 an emblem of virginity4 ,the famous ,mediaeval ,romaunt de la ,rose turns upon this4 ,among the many titles given to the ,virgin in ,mediaeval times1 we find ,santa ,maria della ,rosa1 that flower being consecrated to her4 ,hence it is often represented in her hand4 ,dante writes ,here is the ,rose1 ,wherein the ,word ,divine was made incarnate4 ,in ,plate xviii41 the ,virgin goddess is seated with the ,god-child in a bower1 exactly the shape of the ,assyrian1 composed of fruits highly significant of sex1 as has already been explained4 ,in some ,hindoo pictures1 the child is naked1 having the member erect1 and also making the phallic hand1 with the right forefinger erected4 7,plate xiv41 ,fig4 #ad47 ,in other conventional forms we have male symbols only within the female ,o4 ,this is a very numerous class4 ,in the ,fig4 #c1 ,plate xvii41 we see the fir-tree or pine take the place of the palm-tree1 and in ,fig4 #f1 ,plate xvii41 the cone4 ,on this remarkable medal of ,cyprus is a representation of the temple of ,venus at ,paphos1 famous even in the days of ,homer4 7,odyss4 viii4 #hfb47 ,the worship of that divinity is said to have been imported into ,cyprus from the ,east4 ,the goddess united both sexes in her own person1 and was served by castrated priests4 ,we see here1 within the innermost sanctum of the temple1 a cone as emblem of the male2 and the meaning is further pointed by the sun-emblem above1 inserted within the crescent moon4 ,let us next examine how the cone came to be used as a masculine emblem4 ,if we turn to ,figs4 #agd and #age1 it will be seen that the glans was particularly honoured as the head of the phallus2 it was also the part dedicated to ,god by effusion of blood in the rite of circumcision4 ,this acorn is conical or dome-shaped1 and thus--a part being taken for the whole--the cone or pyramid was used as a conventional symbol of the male creator4 ,placed on a stem it is frequently represented as worshipped on ,assyrian bas reliefs4 ,see ,fig4 #agg4 ,it was also a symbol of fire1 the sun1 and life2 as such it formed a fitting monument for the ,egyptian kings4 ,our word pyramid is from the ,greek puramis1 itself derived from pur1 ,jire1 and puros1 wheat1 because pyramid-shaped cakes of wheat and honey were used in the ,bacchic ,fig4 #agg4 rites4 ,it played an important part in sun-worship4 ,the emperor ,heliogabalus 7who1 as his name implies1 had been a priest of ,baal1 the sun-god1 in ,syria17 established the ,syrian worship at ,rome4 ,he himself drove the golden chariot of the sun1 drawn by six white horses1 through the streets of ,rome to a splendid new temple on the ,palatine mount1 the god being represented by a conical black stone1 said to have fallen from heaven2 and which the emperor removed from a temple of the sun1 at ,emesa1 in ,syria4 ,at a subsequent period1 an image of the moon-goddess1 or ,astarte1 was brought by his orders from a celebrated fane at ,carthage to ,rome1 and there solemnly married with licentious rites to the sun-god1 amidst general rejoicing499 99 ,in ,astrology1 the conjunction of ,jupiter and ,venus was considered the most fortunate of all2 such as kings and princes should be born under4 ,a curious parallel to these mystic nuptials of the ,assyrian god and goddess may be found in some of the religious ceremonies of the modern ,hindoos4 ,fergusson tells us that the most extraordinary buildings connected with ,hindu temples are the vast pillared colonnades or choultries4 ,by far their most important application is when used as nuptial halls1 in which the mystic union of a male and female divinity is celebrated once a year4 ,again1 in ,indian mythology1 the pyramid plays an important part4 ,it belongs to ,siva1 the sun1 fire1 the phallus1 life4 ,by one complex symbol1 very common on ancient ,hindoo monuments in ,china and ,thibet1 the universe was thus represented4 ,notice the upward gradation4 ,earth water this globe4 ,the creator-god1 whose emblem1 flame1 mounts upwards1 is the author and representative of all life upon it2 he is the connecting link1 united by the crescent moon with heaven4 ,the arrow- or spear- head inserted within the crescent is an earth emblem of ,siva2 like the lingam it typified the divine source of life1 and also the doctrine that perfect wisdom was to be found only in the combination of the male and female principles in nature4 ,it decorates the roofs of the ,buddhist monasteries in ,thibet1 and like the sacred lotus flower and the linga1 both of which became emblems of ,buddha1 was derived from older faiths4 ,other interpretations may suggest themselves4 ,this will enable us to understand the remarkable sculptures of the second or third century1 from the ,amravati ,tope1 ,plate xix41 which present so many points in common with the religious symbols of the ,chaldeans4 ,in ,fig4 #b we see a congregation of males and females1 the sexes being separated1 worshipping a linga1 or stone conical pillar1 on the front of which is sculptured the sacred tree1 with branches like flames2 three symbols of life in one4 ,it rises from a throne1 on the seat of which are placed the two emblems of earth and water4 ,in the other figure1 the sacred tree takes the place of the linga1 rising above the throne1 as if from the trisul or trident1 male emblems of ,siva4 ,winged figures1 ,garudas1 attend it above1 floating over the heads of the worshippers4 ,an intrusion of the newer faith is also to be recognised1 as the feet of ,buddha are sculptured before the throne4 ,in the mysteries of ,mithra1 the symbols in ,fig4 #agh were also employed4 ,they represented the elements to which the soul ought to be successively united in passing through the new birth4 ,we will add but two more emblems1 culled from medieval heraldry1 ,figs4 #agi and #ahj1 in both of which the ,asherah1 the grove of ,baal-worship1 will be at once recognised2 the arrow and the cross1 symbols of the male creator1 taking the place of the mystic palm-tree4 ,in all these1 from the rudest to the most complex1 we are thus able to trace a common idea1 viz41 a feeling after ,god1 as the ,life and ,light of the ,universe1 and an attempt to express a common hope in visible forms4