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Table of Contents
- Preface. 11
- Part I. 17
- Demonolatry 17
- Chapter II. 29
- Chapter III. 44
- Chapter IV. 57
- Chapter V. 80
- Chapter I. 91
- Chapter II. 124
- Chapter III. 163
- M. François Lenormant Has Written An Extremely Instructive Chapter In Comparison Of The Accadian And The Finnish Mythologies. He There Shows That They Are As One And The Same Tree, Adapted To Antagonistic Climates.with Similar Triad, Runes, Charms, And Even Names In Some Cases, Their Regard For The Fire Worshipped By Both Varies In A Way That Seems At First Glance Somewhat Anomalous. The Accadians In Their Fire-worship Exhausted The Resources Of Praise In Ascription Of Glory And Power To The Flames; The Finns In Their Cold Home Celebrated The Fire Festival At The Winter Solstice, Uttered Invocations Over The Fire, And The Mother Of The Family, With Her Domestic Libation, Said: ‘Always Rise So High, O My Flame, But Burn Not Larger Nor More Ardent!’ This Diminution Of Enthusiasm In The Northern Fire-worshipper, As Compared With The Southern, May Only Be The Result Of Euphemism In The Latter; Or Perhaps While The Formidable Character Of The Fire-god Among The Primitive Assyrians Is Indicated In The Utter Prostration Before Him Characteristic Of Their Litanies And Invocations, In The Case Of The Finns The Perpetual Presence Of The More Potent Cold Led To The Less Excessive Adoration. These Ventured To Recognise The Faults Of Fire. 185
- Chapter IV. 194
- Chapter V. 253
- M. Toussenel, In His Transcendental Interpretations, Has Identified The Wolf As The Bandit And Outlaw.the Proverbial Mediæval Phrase For An Outlaw—one Who Wears A teste Lœve, Caput Lupinum, Wulfesheofod, Which The Ingenious Author Perhaps Remembered—is Of Good Antiquity. The Wolf Is Called Robber In The ‘Rig-veda,’ And He Is There Also Demonised, Since We Find Him Fleeing Before A Devotee. (In The Zend ‘Vendidad’ The Souls Of The Pious Fear To Meet The Wolf On The Way To Heaven.) The God Pushan Is Invoked Against The Evil Wolf, The Malignant Spirit.cardano Says That To Dream Of A Wolf Announces A Robber. There Is In The Wolf, At The Same Time, That Always Attractive Love Of Liberty Which, In The Well-known Fable, Makes Him Prefer Leanness To The Comfort Of The Collar-wearing Dog, Which Makes Him Among Demonic Animals Sometimes The Same As The Mighty Huntsmen Nimrod And Shaggy Esau Among Humanised Demons. One Is Not Surprised To Find Occasionally Good Stories About The Wolf. Thus The Nez Perces Tribe In America Trace The Origin Of The Human Race To A Wolf. They Say That Originally, When There Were Nothing But Animals, There Was A Huge Monster Which Devoured Them Whole And Alive. This Monster Swallowed A Wolf, Who, When He Entered Its Belly, Found The Animals Therein Snarling At And Biting One Another As They Had Done On The Earth Outside. The Wolf Exhorted Them That Their Common Sufferings Should Teach Them Friendliness, And Finally He Induced Them To A System Of Co-operation By Which They Made Their Way Out Through The Side Of The Monster, Which Instantly Perished. The Animals So Released Were At Once Transformed To Men, How And Why The Advocates Of Co-operation Will Readily Understand, And Founded The Nez Perces Indians. The Myths Of Asia And Europe Are Unhappily Antipodal To This In Spirit And Form, Telling Of Human Beings Transformed To Wolves. In The Norse Mythology, However, There Stands A Demon Wolf Whose Story Bears A Touch Of Feeling, Though Perhaps It Was Originally The Mere Expression For Physical Law. This Is The Wolf Fenris, Which, From Being At First The Pet Of The Gods And Lapdog Of The Goddesses, Became So Huge And Formidable That Asgard Itself Was Endangered. All The Skill And Power Of The Gods Could Not Forge Chains Which Might Chain Him; He Snapped Them Like Straws And Toppled Over The Mountains To Which He Was Fastened. But The Little Elves Working Underground Made That Chain So Fine That None Could See Or Feel It,—fashioned It Out Of The Beards Of Women, The Breath Of Fish, Noise Of The Cat’s Footfall, Spittle Of Birds, Sinews Of Bears, Roots Of Stones,—by Which Are Meant Things Non-existent. This Held Him. Fenris Is Chained Till The Final Destruction, When He Shall Break Loose And Devour Odin. The Fine Chain That Binds Ferocity,—is It The Love That Can Tame All Creatures? Is It The Sunbeam That Defines To The Strongest Creature Its Habitat? 291
- Chapter VI. 310
- Chapter VII. 350
- Chapter VIII. 390
- Chapter IX. 431
- Chapter X. 472
- Chapter XI. 507
- Chapter XII. 549
- Chapter I. 603
- Chapter II. 642
- Chapter III. 656
- Chapter IV. 669
- Chapter V. 685
- Chapter VI. 701
- Chapter VII. 727
- Chapter VIII. 749
- Chapter IX. 774
- Chapter X. 793
- Chapter XI. 817
- Chapter XII. 843
- Chapter I. 863
- Chapter II. 885
- Chapter III. 899
- Chapter IV. 920
- Chapter V. 950
- Chapter VI. 964
- Chapter VII. 983
- Chapter VIII. 1001
- Chapter IX. 1037
- Chapter X. 1065
- Chapter XI. 1088
- Chapter XII. 1121
- Chapter XIII. 1138
- Chapter XIV. 1154
- Chapter XV. 1179
- Chapter XVI. 1204
- Chapter XVII. 1215
- Chapter XVIII. 1239
- Chapter XIX. 1271
- Chapter XX. 1311
- M. Didron Finds This Confirmed In The Legends Of Every Country, And Especially Refers To A Story Of St. Dunstan, Archbishop Of Canterbury, In The Tenth Century. Three Men, Convicted Of Coining False Money, Had Been Condemned To Death. Immediately Before The Celebration Of Mass On The Day Of Pentecost, The Festival Of The Holy Ghost, St. Dunstan Inquired Whether Justice Had Been Done Upon The Three Criminals: He Was Informed In Reply That The Execution Had Been Delayed On Account Of The Solemn Feast Of Pentecost Then In Celebration. ‘It Shall Not Be Thus,’ Cried The Indignant Archbishop, And Gave Orders For The Immediate Execution Of The Guilty Men. Several Of Those Who Were Present Remonstrated Against The Cruelty Of That Order; It Was Nevertheless Obeyed. 1319
- Chapter XXI. 1341
- Chapter XXII. 1382
- Chapter XXIII. 1416
- Chapter XXIV. 1439
- Chapter XXV. 1527
- Chapter XXVI. 1569
- Chapter XXVII. 1625
- Chapter XXVIII. 1665
- Chapter XXIX. 1705