TH E

W O RS H I P O F TH E S ERPEN T
‘

T RAC E D T HRO UGH O U T TH E WO RL D :

A TT E S T I N G

T H E TE M PT AT I O N AN D FA LL OF

BY TH E I N S T R U M E N T AL I T Y

OF A

S E RP E N T TE M PTE R .

BY TH E

R EV . JO H N B AT H U R S T DE AN E , M A FSA . . . . .

L ATE OF P E M BR OK EC O LL E G E C A MBRI D GE
, .

‘
II ap cz ra v ri rdi v vo Z
m po é vw v w ap
'
i) v 95 6 v,
"
O 'D E I oé
p fl ok o v
p é y a,
m i p vo rfi p w v, d va y pé ¢ e ra t .
—JU S T I N M A RT Y R , Ap ol . l i b i p 60
. . . .

S E C O N D E D I T I O N C O N SI D E R A B L Y E NLA RGE D
, .

LO N D ON :

J G
. . F . R I VI N GT O N ,
ST . P A U L S C H U RC H
’
Y A RD , AN D W
A T ER L OO P L AC E , P A LL M A LL .

1 83 3 .
 GI L BE RT AND R IVI N G T ON
, P R T ER S
IN
,
s r
.
’
Jo a n s S Q UA RE.

B RI GHAM Y O U N G U N
L
M
IB RAR Y
LA S K
"
W
PB O VO , U T AH

T HE LI B RARY
 IN A D M I RA T I O N

OF D I S T I N G U IS H E D T A L E N T S AN D P RO F O U N D LE A R N IN G

IN V A R I A B L Y E M PLO Y E D IN

T HE P RO M OTION OF C HRISTIAN TRU TH,

T H I S T R IB U T E OF R E S PE C T

IS IN S C R IB E D T O

T H E R EV . G E O RG E S T AN LEY F A B E R, B D. .

BY

H IS O B L IG E D AND HU M B LE SE RV A N T ,

T HE AU TH O R .
 PREF A C E .

TH E deceptio n o f Eve by S atan thro u gh th e

y

i n s tr u me ntali ty of a s er ent
p h a s ever bee n an
,
°

obj ec t of ridic u le w i th th e p ro fan e w h o re adi n g , ,

w i tho u t re fl ec tio n o r re fl ec ti n g w i tho u t re adi n g

, ,

“\ ”
deem th at a foolish n ess w hich they c an n o t
un ders tan d
,
o r th at a s tu mbli n g — ”
block w hich
they c an n o t exp l ai n aw ay . Th u s fai th w hic h ,

h ad defied th e sophis try o f th e ac u tes t scep tic ,

h as bee n some times sh ake n by an i n cred u lo u s

s n eer : an d C h ris ti an s w h o w o u ld h ave scor n ed
,

to be arg u ed o u t o f their religio n h ave n o t bee n ,

ash amed to be l au ghed o u t o f i t .

To es tabli s h by th e tes timo n y o f he athe n

au thori ties th e credibili ty o f th e Temp tatio n

an d F all of M an i n P ar adise throug h the ag e nc , y

n de avo u r
S f is my e
’
atan i n a s e r
o
f p e nt s orm , i n .

th e fo llo w i n g Tre atise n o r is i t w i th a v ai n

co nfide n ce th at every arg u me nt add u ced is ei ther

n e w or c onc l usive . M any h ave go n e before m e
vi PRE FA C E .

ln th e s ame p ath of inqu iry tho u gh n ot to th e

,

s ame ex te nt ; an d w h atever I h ave fo u n d ei ther

u sefu l in their arg u me n ts o r ap t i n the i r
,

illu s tr atio n s I h ave u nhesi tatin gly adop ted

,

an d as re adi l ackn o w ledge B u t w her e n o

y .

refere nce records th e au thor of an y Opi n io n I ,

am co n te n t to take th e respo n si bili t u po n m

y y
self ; desiri n g only th at th e w hole theory m ay
n o t be pro n o u n ced u n te n able on acco u n t of th e

deficie ncy o f any i n con si der able por tion of i t .

F or th e force o f th e argu me nt con sis ts n ot in th e

i n de p e n de nt importan ce o f every i ndivid u al i n
~

fere nce but i n th e aggregate efl e c t of al l F ac ts

,
.

i n themselves app are n tl y i n sign ific an t an d coi n

,

c i d e n c e s w hich sin l migh t be deemed for

gy
tu ito u s ,
ofte n ass u me in c onnexion a ch ar ac ter
and ia co n sis te n cy w hich amo u n t to th e w eigh t

o f irresis tible evide n ce . I f th erefore by th e

, ,

a greg ate tes timo n f f c ts i n co n sider able i n

g y o a

themselves an d o nl y co n sider able thro u gh th e

,

co n sis te nc y w i th w hich they m u tually su ppor t

,
t f
e ach o ther th e m ai n obj ec o his re ise the t t a t —
O h ol atre ia— c an be p r oved th e
u nive rsali t
y f
o
p i ,

poi nt is g ai n ed th e proposi tio n is demo n strated .

M any w ri ters h av e rem arked th at th e w orship

of th e serpe nt by th e ancie n t he athe n is a c on
 PREFA C E . v fi

c l u s i ve proof of th e F all of Man by th e sed u c ti on

of a serpe nt te m p te r z bu t faili n g to sho w i ts
- t a ‘

u nive rsal prev ale n ce h ave re aped bu t h alf th e

,

adv ant a es of their arg ume n t Th h ave lef

g e t 1

y .

th e m u l ti tu de ei ther do ub tful o f its forc e o r

' ‘
'

rely i ng for th e tr u th of i t u p o n th e ir au thori ty ’

on l y w hil e h abi tu al u nbe li evers w h o n ever ,

”

S earch fo rth e m sel ves d ee m in g al l s u ch au thori ties

,

s uspici o u s bec au se i nte re ste d and i ntere sted be

, ,
'

’ '

c au se for th e m os t p ar t c ec lesias tic al rej e c t th e

,
’

, ,
'

re aso ni n g and ren o u nce th e c tm c l usion

’

I h ave ther efore e n de avo u red to es tablish th e

f ac t w hile I appe al to th e ar um e n t : to
’ ‘

, g p r ove

th e u nivers ali t of S erpe nt w orshi hile I

y p w -
,

add u ce th e u n ivers al w orship of th e S er p e n t as a

te stim o o th e Temp tatio n an d F all o f M an

‘
n
y t .

O f al l th e w ri te rs w h o h av e tre ated o f this

‘

s ubj e c t Bry ant and F aber m ay be reg arded

,
‘

as th e chief; B ut eve n th e s e le arn e d m e n

'

W
h ave o nl y con sidered it i n th e co u rse o f a '

Sy s te m o f A n aly sis of P ag an I dol atry i th .

ei ther o f these au thors th e w orship o f th e

serpe n t forms bu t a p ar t o f a more c o m pre h e n
siv e w ork ; an d th e ir o bse rvation s o f n eces si ty
’

, ,

h ave bee n circ u mscribed To them ho w ever I .

, ,

am i nd eb ted for a g r e at p ar t of m y i nform atio n ,

 v iii PREFA C E .

an d onl y do n o t pr aise them so highly as I

hon o u r them bec au se o n e is be y o nd an d both
, ,

abo v e al l pr aise .

To th e ki n d n ess of th e l atter I h ave bee n s till

m ore i n deb ted si n ce th e p u blic atio n of th e firs t

edi tio n of this tre atise M an y v alu able c orre c

.

tio n s n o ticed as the occ ur h ave bee n v o l u n

, y ,

taril y comm u nic ated by Mr F aber ; an d i t is to .

me a so u rce of n o li ttle gr atific atio n th at i n ,

m
y firs t e ffor t to be u sefu l I h ave ob tai n ed ,

th e e n co u r ageme n t of th e firs t of Chris ti an

s chol ar s .

The W orship o f th e S erpe nt h ad alre ad y

attr ac ted th e n o tice of th e le arn ed w he n Br an t
y ,

an d F aber e ach i m ro vm u po n th e disco v eries

, p g
of his predecessors fixed i ts d ata u po n a l as tin g
,

b asis It w as deemed a fi t field for th e recre a

.

tio n o f th e u n w e aried ge ni u s o f Dr S tu kele

y .
,

w hose w ork u po n A b u ry is a m as terpiece o f

i nge nu i ty an d a k e y to th e mo st obsc u re p ar t
,

of O p h io l atre i a fig w

f the p ure o the se r e n t te m

p l es . O n this i n teres ti n g s u bj ec t n o thi n g w as

eve n guesse d at u n til his m as ter h an d e v oked as

,
-
,

by th e w av e o f a m agici an s w an d th e P y tho n
’

o f Delphi i n th e w ilds of W il tshire .

O ther emi n e nt w ri ters amo n g w hom Bi shop

,
 PREFA C E . ix

S til l in gfl e e t sho u ld h ave ho n o u r able me ntio n ,

h ave c u rsorily n o ticed th e serpe nt w orship o f -

th e an cie n ts In th e w orks of Mr M au rice

'

. .
,

also m u ch m a be fo u n d i n te res ti n g an d u sefu l

, y ,

as co nn ec ti n g O p h i ol atre ia w i th th e s u per
s ti ti o n s o f th e Br ahmi n s of H i n d us tan C ap .

tai n F r an kli n h as like w ise e n tered u po n th e

s u bjec t in a ch ap ter o f his H is tory o f th e

J ai n s an d Bu d hists i n w hich he gi v es a short
, ,

b u t excelle nt an alysis o f th e prev ale n ce o f

,

O p h i ol atre i a in th e an cie n t w orld The .

pl an o f this an al y sis is so n e arly th e s ame

as the o n e adop ted i n th e fol l o w i n g tre atise
/ ,

th at I sh all prob ably fi n d some di ffi c u l ty i n

pers u adi n g th e re ader th at i t w as n ot th e pro

to ty p e o f th e prese n t v ol u me Bu t I c an ass u re
.

him th at I n ever eve n he ard of th e e xis te n ce of

C ap tai n F rankli n s book u ntil tw elve mo n ths
’

after th e
pu blic atio n o f my o w n I t is o n l
‘

y ,

ho w ever i n th e ge n er al o u tli n e th at the y are

,

simil ar This tre atise e nters more mi n u tely i nto

.

th e s u bj ec t an d follo w s th e s erpe n t god i nto

,
-

more region s o f th e w orld The applic atio n o f

.

th e s u bj ec t i s also more ex te n sively theologic al ,

an d th e scope of th e i n q u ir co n sider abl gre ater

y y .

I s h al l th e re fo re be sec u re from th e ch arge o f

X PREFA C E .

pl agi arism w i th every o n e w h o comp ares th e

tw o vol u mes to g e th er
‘
1
'

zz

A mon g foreign ers BOc h art V os si u s Kircher, , , ,

and He in si u s m ay be pro fi tabl y co n s u l ted

‘

.
“
.

There s a o a trac t D e Cu l tu S e rp e ntam ”

i

i l l
'

s ,

w ri tte n by M Koch bu as
"

t v al u able ch i e fl y
’
' ’

,
.
,

p roving th e i d ol atrv i n S c an di navi a; Bry an t ‘

me ntion s a tre atise by P hi lip O l e ari u s, e nti tle d

O p h io l atrei a b u t I c an n o t fi n d i t i n an y of
‘

th e p u blic libr aries w hich I h ave se arched

.

I am n ot aw are of any other importan t work '

u po n th e s u bj ec t I h ave m ad e fu l l us e o f al l ‘
'

th e foregoi n g au th o rs ; avoidi n g On l y ; as m u ch
‘
"

as possible th e e ty mologic al co nj ec tu res of

,

Bry an t w hich are Co n sidered by s ome cri tic s as

,

ope n to obj ec tion In this I h ave follo w ed

‘

r ather th e taste of th e a e th an m
g y ow n c on
‘

v ic tion for these c onj e c ture s are at al l times ‘

i n gen io u s frequ e ntly pl au sible an d s om e tl m e s

, ,

i n co ntrover tible W he n e v er th ey h ave ap p e ared

.

to be as co in i ng u n der th e l as t cl ass I h av e n o t
‘

hesi tated to u se them .

gill
u

f
h e pl an o f this w ork i s simple It professes .

to pr ove th e ex is te n ce of O p h i ol atre ia i n almos t

every co n sider abl e co u n try of th e an cie n t w orld
an d to discove r i n th e m y tholog y of ever y
,
 PREFA C E . xi

civili z ed n ation evide n ces o f a recollec tio n o f

,

th e eve n ts i n P ar adise I f these fac ts c an be :

—
es tablished th e con cl u sio n is obvio u s th at al l
,

s u ch tr ad i tio n s m u st h av e h ad a commo n ori gi n

'

an d th at th e mos t an cie n t record w hich c on

’

tai n s their b asis m u s t be th e a u th entic his tor

,
y;
The mos t an cie n t record co n tainin g thi s b asis ,

is th e Book o f Ge n esis composed by M oses , .

The Book of Ge n esis therefore co n tai n s th e , ,

his tory u pon w hi c h th e fabl es ri tes ari d su , ,

e rstiti o n s of h m hol o ic l serpe ’

t e
y t g a n t ar
p e

fo un ded .

I ca nn o t clos e th e se rem arks w i th ou t record

'
‘

i n g my oblig atio n to a ge n tl e m an w h ose so und

an d v aried le ar ni n g is eq u alled by th e ki n d n ess

w i th w hich h e im p ar ts i t ; and from w hom n o

w ri ter dep ar ts w i tho u t e n co u r ageme nt w hose ,

obj ec t is to promo te o rto pro tec t th e tr uth The .

R ev L an celo t S h arpe w ill I tr u s t p ardo n this

.
, ,

all u sio n as d u e to o n e w h o ki n dl looked over

, y,

th e M SS o f th e firs t edi tio n of this tre atise ;

.

an d as on e to w hom I am i n deb ted for m any

v al u able s u gges tio n s .

N ei ther c an I i n j u s tic e to m y o w n se n se o f
,

oblig ations omi t th e m e ntion o f m y e s teemed

,
‘

frie n d P C D e l ag ard e E sq of E xe ter to

,
. .
,
.
,
x fi PREFA C E .

w hose i nge nu ity I o w e m u ch that is novel an d

i nteres ti n g in th e prese nt vol u me especi ally th e
disco v ery of th e origin of colu mn ar archi tec ture
i n th e av e n u e s o f th e Dr aco n ti u m .

In co n cl u sio n I m u s t rem ark th at th e prese nt

, ,

edi tion o f this tre atise al tho u gh v e rv s u perior

,

to th e l as t bo th as to correc tn ess of i n form a

,

tio n an d q u an ti ty o f n e w m atter
,
i s s till o n l y ,

an i n trod u c ti on to w h at m a be w ri tt e n on th
y e

”
W orship of th e S erpe nt as conn ected w i th th e ,

F all an d R edemp tion of M an An d I s h all h ail .

“
th e d a w i th ple as u re w he n some perso n of
y ,

true l e arni ng an d a d e ep insig ht i n to an tiq u i ty

s h all o thro u gh (w i th this vi e w ) w i th th e his

g
tory of th e serpe n t It w o u l d be i n deed as , ,

Bry an t mos t j u s tly observ e s a n ob l e u n der ,

taki n g an d v ery edify i n g i n i ts co n seq u e n ces

,

an d if this s h or t s ll ab u s sh all be i n an degree

y y
i n s tru m e ntal to a w ork so desired it w ill n o t ,

h ave bee n w ri tte n i n v ai n .

JO HN BATHU RS T D EAN E .

LA URENC E POUNTN E Y HI L L
-
, L O NDO N ,

Ju l y 1 2 , 1 8 3 3 .

1
B ry n t An l
a , a . 2 . 219 .
 TAB E O F L C O NTENTS .

P AGE
P rel imin ry O b er tio n o n th
a s va s e Fall of M an . 1 —3 6

CHAP . I .
—S erpent W orship in A si a
S ECT . 1 . Bab yl o n
2 P rs i a
e ooooooo 0 0 .

Hi n dus an
.

3 t
C yl o n
.

4 e

Ch i na an d Ja p an
.

B u rm ah
.

6 .

7 . Ja a v

8 . Arabi a
9 S yr i a
As i a M i n o r
.

10
Th I slan d s f As i a Mi n o r
.

11 . e o

C H AP . II — S erpen t Wor hip in Afric

. s a oooo ooo o 1 1 9— 1 79
S E C T 1 E gyp. . t 1 19

3 W
1 60
hi d ah an d Co ngo l
. 1 62

C H AP . III .
- e en t W or hip in E rope
S rp s u 1 83 —
29 0
S ECT 1 Gr c
. ee e 1 83
2 Ep i r u s
.

. 229
3 I aly t 2 35
4 N o r h rn E —
. . .

.
p t e urO e 2 42 25 3
2 44
2 S c an d i na‘d a 2 47
—
.

s rn
1

5 . we te 2 53 290
1 Br i a i n t 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 253
2 I r lan d
. o o 0 . . 0

.
,
e o o o o o o o o o c o o o c o o o o c o c o o o o o o o o o 2 70
3 G ]
. an o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o . n 2 72
4 Bri any
. o t o o o o o oo o o o o oo o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 2 78

.
—
C H A P I V S erpen t W orship
. in Ame ic r a o o o o o o 293
o -
308
SEC T l M i . o e X CO o o o o o o o c o o ooooo o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 2 93
2 . Pr e u. 30 1
xiv T A B LE O F CO N T EN T S .

P A GE
C H AP V
.
— H e athen Fable s
.
, ill u s trat v i e of th e Fall of
0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —355
S ECT 1 Egyp —Typh o n
t 31 3
Gr c
. .

2 . ee e

329
2 Th Drag o n f h H s p r i d s
e o t e e e e 33 1
M l amp u s H l u s an d Cassand ra
.

e e en 3 35
4 C r s an d Pr o s r p i n
, ,

e e e e 33 7
5 S a u rn an d O p
. .

. t s 338
3 P rs i a
e

l Ah r i m an
.

3 40
2 Op hi u c h u s
.

3 42
Arab i a—L g n d f h F all ih
.

H i n d us an—
4 . e e o t e .

5 C i h t r s na 3 43
T u o ni c F abl s —Mi dgar d —Th o r H 1
.

6 e t e -
e a.
Am ri ca
. .
, ,

7 . e .

1 M i can Pai n i ngs ex t 35 1

2 R m ar k abl L g n d i n N nd
. . .

. e Z al a e e e ew e 3 55

C H A P V L S erpen t
.
— T em ple s 3 59 — 41 0
3 67
2 t oo k 3 75
an o n
.

3 St t 3 83
T mpl s o n Dar moo r
.

4 . e e t 386
3 89
6 392
Drago n f C l h i
.

7 Th e o o c s o o o o n
zg
o v
n 4 05
op ular Tradi i o ns r s p c i ng
.

8 P . t e e t th e C e ti l c circl s e 4 08

C H A P V I L —Th e D ecl ine

. of S e rp en t W or ship . . 41 3 — 438
S E C T 1 Bab yl o n
. . 41 9
2 . 42 0
3 . H i n d fi S tan o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 0 0 0 0 .

4 . C h i na, & c . 424

5 425
ih
.

6 . S yri a .

7 . 42 6

10
8
9
.
.

. W
Ab ys i ni a
h i d ah
Gr c ee
s

e .
42 7
42 8
ib .

l l . Th rac & e, c 42 9
12 . I aly
t . . 43 1
13 . C l h
o c os 432
14 Bri ain &
t c 433
Am ri ca
.
,

15 . e 43 4

C H A P V III — S um m ary 441 —4 5 8

—4 7 5
. . .

C o n cl uding R em ark s o n th e R edemp tio n of M an 4 61

 TH E

W
O RS HIP O F T H E S ERPEN T .

RE L I M IN A RY
P O BS ERV ATI O N S ON TH E FA LL
OF MA N .
 TH E

W O RS HI P O F S E R PE N T .

P RE L I M INA RY O BS ERV A TI O N S O N THE

FA LL O F MAN .

1 . THA T m an his present s tate o f ign oran ce

in ,

i nfirmi ty and w icked n ess is n ot th e A d am o f

,

G od s h
’
an d — th e simili tu de o f his Cre ator — th e
“
bei n g w hich he w as w he n Go d bre athe d i nto
”
his n os trils th e bre ath of life pl aced h im in
,

P r dise a d pro no u n ced him good

a a n,
“ ”
— is an ,

observ ation n ot resu ltin g from me taphysic al re

se arch bu t obvio u s to th e mos t simple u nle t
, ,

te re d mi n d To th e tru th of i t respon ds every

.

feeli n g of o u r n atu re an d every voice from

,

th e S crip tu res ; an d w he ther we look i nto

o urse lve s or i n to the m w e re ad th e s ame w ri ti n g
, ,

B
2 T H E FALL O F MAN .

i ndi ted by th e s ame S piri t °

The re is no t a

j us t m an u on e arth, that d oe th g ood and sinne th

p
l ”
not .

Whe nce the n this corru p tion so gre at so u n i , ,

vers al ? W he nce this u nsp arin g an d app al li n g

ruin 7 B y O NE M A N si n e n te re d i n to the w orl d ,

“
and d e ath b
y si n B y th fl
e o e nc e o
f O NE ,

u d m e n t c am e u on A LL M EN to c on d e m na tion
j g p
“
B y O NE MAN S disobe d i e nc e MAN K IN D ( i w M m )
’

, o o

w e re m ad e sinne rs

Bu t con sequ ences so ru in o u s as th e corru p

tio n of th e bod y an d s o u l o f al l his pos teri ty ,

th e dissol u tio n of th e one an d th e e tern al ba ,

n i sh m e n t o f th e o ther from th e prese n ce of

GO D —co u ld n ot h ave r e s u l te d from th e d i so be
,
.

d i e n c e o f O NE M A N h ad th e si n w hich he com ,

m i tte d falle n shor t o f the m os t aggrav ate d

w hich he co u ld com m it { :S crip tu r e an d re aso n .

“ ”
decl are GO T) to be j us t I he w ou ld n o t there
fore h ave visi ted th e sin o f th e father u pon
”
th e childre n h ad n o t T HA T SI N bee n of a
,

n atu re T H E M O S T OD I O US in hi s sightj T his .

n ecess ary co n cl u sio n fro m e s tablished pr e mises ,

h as i n d u ced m any a w e l l me an i n g bu t ill -

,

1
E ccl . vi i . 20 .
2
Ro m . v . 12 .

3 ‘

Ro m . v . 18 .
4
Ro m . v. 19 .
 THE FALL O F M AN . 3

re fl ec ti n g Chris ti an to repre se n t th e his tory of

th e fall o f m an as A N ALLE G O RY LBu t alle .

g o rl z m
g S crip tu re is at al l times a h az ardo u s ,

an d some ti m es a d an gero u s p rac ti c e gl I t is so

,

i n th e c ase before u s for if th e n ar rative of th e

F all be allego rical th e pro m ise o f th e Re d e m p
,
m

tio n m u s t be allegori c al like w ise si n ce th e serpen t ,

e nters pers o n ally i nto th e o n e as w ell as th e ,

o ther Bu t th e pro mis e of R e dem p tio n tho u gh

.
,

fig uratively expr e ssed ass u m e s the real age ncy

,

o f th e S erpe n t i n th e F al l : w e c on cl u de ,

fore th at n ot o n l y did th e serpe n t bri n g abo

,

this c al amity u pon m an bu t th at h e br o u gh t i t

,

abo u t i n th e ver m ann e rin w hich i t is d e s c rl be d

y
by th e w o man T H E s E R PE N T be ui l e d m e
g a nd ,

H avin g stated this th e sacred his tori an says

,
. .

n o more ; le avi n g I t to th e u n ders tand i n g an d

com m o n s e n se o f th e childre n of I sr ael to c on

c l u d e th at th e serpe nt s form m u s t h ave be e n
’

ass u med by a S piri t o f ex tr aordi nary p o w er an d

m align ity th e be tter to accomplish hi s obj ec t of

,

s ed u c tio n Th at this po w e rfu l an d m align an t

.

s I rI t w as th e Devil w r expressl i for ed

p e a e , y n m

by E S t Joh n w h o c alls th e d r ago n of th e A po

.
,

“
c al se that ol d s e r e nt l l e d the D e vi l and
yp p ca

B 2
4 T H E F ALL O F MAN .

S atan , that d ec e i ve th the w ho l e w orl d The

au thor of th e Book of W isdom attrib u te s th e
“
fall of m an to th e age ncy o f th e Devil Go d '

cre ated m an to be immortal an d m ade him to ,

be an im age of his o w n e ter ni ty ; b u t throug h

the D l d e ath i n to the w orl
f
2
e nv e vi c am e
y o

ES} P. a u l a ll u
,
di n g to th e s ame e v e n t as cribes i t ,

to th e serpe n t Bu t I fe ar les t by an y me an s ,

as the s e e n t beg u iled E ve thro u gh his s u b til t

r p y ,

so y o u r min ds sho u ld be corr up ted from th e

simplici ty th at is i n Chris t
These i n cide n tal all u sion s to th e age n c y o f
th e Devil u n der th e form of a serpe n t are per ,

h aps more v al u able in corroborati ng th e acco u nt

o f M oses th an if th e w hole n arr ative o f th e
,

F all w ere i n so m any w ords rec api tu l ated by th e

o ther s acred w ri ters : for these w ri ters bei n g ,

Je w s h ad n o re aso n fo r e nforci ng th e asse nt o f

,

their co ntempor aries to fac ts w hich w ere u n i

ve r s al l
y admi tted H e n ce i n cide ntal all u sio n s
.

as to a fac t w ell k n o w n are al l th at w e c an

,

expec t to fi nd in th e s acred w ri ti ngs respec tin g

th e age n cy o f S atan an d th e S erpe n t in th e r u i n ,

o f m an ki n d These are ab un d an t ; an d fro m

.

th e eve n t w hich the y as s u me arose th e me ta ,

R xii 9
e v. .Wi d ii 2 3 — 2 4
.
2
s 2 C or xi 3
. . .
3
. . .
 T H E FALL O F M AN . 5

phor u n der w hich th e e nemies of Go d an d th e

w icked are described {these are represe nted
.

u n der th e im age o f a se r p e nt a d rag o n

a l e viathan a c roohe d s e r e n t & c ; expres

, p .

sio n s w hich are s tro n g pres u m p tive evide n ces o f

th e i ntim ate co n n exio n be tw ee n th e SERPEN T an d

th e EVI L SPIRI T1

Tho u gh th e circ u ms tan ces o f th e sed u c tio n

an d fall of m an are obj ec ts o f n o di ffic u l t to
y
th e fai th o f a Chris ti an y e t i t m u s t be co n fessed
,

th at an obsc u ri ty s u rro u n ds them w hich is n o t ,

e asily pe ne tr able to th e r ash o r u nre fl e c ti ng .

H e n ce some h ave argu ed th at th e w hole is alle

g o ri c al
,
a n d. o thers h ave pro n o u n ced th e w hole

to be an i n ve n tio n : [fo r a scep tic al mi n d solves

every d ifli c u l ty by d isbe l i e f j A g ai n s t ei ther o f

these opi n io n s i1 w ill e n de avo u r to sho w th at ,

th e sed u c tio n o f m an by th e age n cy o f th e ser

pe n t is no all egory ; th at th e fall of m an by

e ati n g o f th e forbidde n tree is no al legory : th at
n o thi n g co u ld be m ore n atu r al th an th at A d am

an d Ev e sho u ld fall b s u ch a simple ac t : an d

y
th at n o me thod of sed u c tio n co u ld be so e ffec tive

as th e o n e emplo ed b S atan j
y y

I ih
sa a x i v. 29 .
2
I is a ah xx ii
v . I .

3
I i h xx ii
sa a v . 1 .
6 T H E FALL O F MAN .

Fi rs t th e n ,
le t us con sider TH E S I N an d se
COH d l
y , : TH E T EMP T ER .

The Lrd o God said u nto the w om an , w hat is

th is that thou has t d on e ‘? — The Ofi e n c e of w hich

s he h ad be e n g u il ty w as th e e at n i g of a tree o f ,

w hich GO D h ad s ai d ,
Thou s hal t n ot e at o
f it ;

for i n the d ay that thou e ate s t the reo f , thou s hal t

sure ly die

{ H e re w e perceive amidst a ge n er al in d u l ,

ge n ce one p artic u l ar res tric tion an d a p e n al ty

, ,

attached to th e v iol atio n of i t

; It is arg u ed

ag ai n s t th e prob abili ty o f s u ch a con di tio n ,

Firs t That the re s tric tion is u nw orthy of God

'

.
,

S eco n dl y That the p unishm e nt is m ore than

,

ad e
q fi
u ate to the o e nc e .

Both of w hich obj ec tion s I w ill e nde avo u r to

an s w er .

1 . From rrati v e o f M oses w e le arn

th e na ,

th at at th e time of this sin A d am an d his w ife ,

Eve w ere th e o n ly h u m an cre atu res i n exis t

— “
e n ce th at the y tw ai n w ere on e fl esh — an d

th at they w ere w i tho u t those n atu r al prope n

si ties to w icked ness w hich n ow un h appily , , ,

ch ar acteri z e their desce nd ants A posi tive c o m .

G en . iii . 13 .
2
G en . ii . 17 .
 T H E FALL OF MAN . 7

d was give n to them u n der a very severe

' ‘

m an ,

pe nal ty in c ase of disobedie nce ; an d thi s com

m an d w as th at the y sho u ld n ot e at th e fru i t o f
,

a p artic u l ar tre e .

I f ins te ad of so si m pl e a co m m and as this

, ,

the y h ad bee n e nj oi n ed li k e th e Je w s and ,

Chris ti an s after them to observe i nviol ate th e

,

Comm an dme nts of th e tw o tables w ou ld that

—
,

have be e n a m ore re asonable i nj unc tion m ore

w orthy o
f Go —
d m ore sui tabl e to the c ondi tion o
f
A d dm and E ve W e apprehend not
? Th e .

i nj u nc tion w o u ld h ave bee n so far unre asonab l e

an d u n w or th
y of G od as th e viol atio n of i t w as
,

imp ossi bl e o n th e p art of A da m an d E ve : FOI .

‘

bei n g themse l ves t h e im m e diate w o rk of th e

Cre ator an d m ai ntai ni n g w i th him a c ontinu al
‘

an d direc t comm u n ion is i t po ssi bl e th at the y

1
,
'

co u ld h ave w orship p ed any str an g e gods o r

—
idols taken th e n ame of G O D in Vai n or by t —
a n ac t of irre vere n c e profaned th e S abb ath ?
y
Comm an dme nts w hich: wo uld res tri c t the m
from s u ch si n s as th e se w o uld h ave bee n u n
'

,
.
‘

re aso nable an d unw orth y of Go d ; f or they

,

c ou l d no t be broke n The fi rs t table of th e de

.

(Sal o u e o uld here fore h ve be

‘

g w t a e n u n nec es .

1
G en . iii . 8 .
 ”
s ary and if u nn ecess ary ,
u nw orthy of GO D
7)
fl
‘
0

to ord aI n J
I \
n like m an n er A d a m an d E ve ,
co u ld n o t

h av e viol ated any comm an dment of th e secon d .

The s e cond tab le of th e dec alog u e is for a s tate

of soc ie ty A d am an d his w ife w ere alone ; Ho w 1

co u ld they therefore ho nou r their father an d

, ,

mo ther w h o h ad n on e
,
? How co u ld the y com
m i t ad u l tery o r theft a ai ns t e ac h o the r
g
? H ow

co u ld the y h ave born e false w i tn ess ag ain st

their ne ig hbou r o r cove ted his goods
,
7 An d
c an w e s u ppose th at the w o u ld so far forge t
y
th e se n se o f their commo n i n teres t as to hi ll

either th e other si n ce th e commissio n of s u ch

,

a crime w o u ld h ave left th e s u rvivor th e o n l

y
at u i
cre re n th e u niverse w i tho u t i ts ki n d 7

They w o u ld n ot therefore h ave commi tted , ,

m u rd e r eve n h ad the k n o w n w hich is do u b tfu l

, y ( )
th e nature an d th e m e ans o f de ath Comm and .

me nts therefore w hich w o u ld restric t them from

, ,

s u ch si ns as these w o u ld h ave bee n u nre aso n

,

able an d u nw orthy o f G O D
, for they co u ld n ot ,

by any prob abili ty be broke n B esid es th e

, .
,

v iol atio n of them pre s u pposes th at te nd e nc t

-
o
y
s in— th at c orrup tion o
f the ir nature w hich did ,

n o t exis t in them u ntil after th e F all .

 T H E F LL O F MAN
A . 9

QT h e o ffe n ce by w hich A d am fell m u s t there ,

fore h ave bee n a simp le one : so simple th at it

, ,

might be committed w i tho u t i nhere nt d e p ra

vi t ; an d e t so ob n oxio u s to G OD as to de
y y ,

m and his ins tant an d se ve res t visi tation; Now

w h at o ffe n ce c an w e im agi n e more simple more ,

free from i nn ate depravi ty th an th at of e ating

,

?
th e fr u i t of a forbidde n tree The i n d u ceme n ts
to e at of it w ere po w erfu l ; an d s u ch as i n th e ,

abse n ce o f a prohibi tory comm a n d w o u ld h ave

,

bee n n ot o nly n atu r al bu t l au d able {t w as a

,
.

desire to become as i ntellige nt as th e an ge l s :

a desire w hich in A d am an d E ve w as n atu r al ;
, ,

fo r by th e gr atific ation o f i t th e y w o u ld kn o w
,

more of GO D an d of themselves : an d as th e
”
k n o w ledge of G OD is perfec t h appi ne ss i t w as ,

n atu r al th at they sho u ld w ish to perfe c t their

e nj oyme nts S prin gin g from s u ch an o rigi n th e

.
,

desire w as si nless ; an d only si nful w he n i n d ulged

i n opposi tio n to a prohibi tory comm and .

Bu t this comm an d w as w ri tte n by th e fi n ger

of G O D u pon their he ar ts Thou shal t not e at
”
A n d this comm an d they viol ated
f
o i t .

[S i mp l e of n ecessi ty w as th e ou tw ard ac t b
,
.
y
w hich they i n c u rred th e disple as u re o f their

M aker : b ut th e m oral ofl e nc e in volved al l th e

10 T H E FALL O F MAN .

gu ilt w hich attaches to u nnecess ary disobedien ce ,

in cred u li ty o f G OD S w o rd an d defi an ce of his

’

pow er ? an d u n der this view w e m ay reg ard th e

W

s i n o f Ad am to h ave bee n as gre at as if w e w ere

to viol ate the w hole of the d e c al ogu e : fo r th e

w hol e c om m and m e n t w hich w as give n to them ,

they brohe .

2 . if th e prohibi tio n w as n ot u n w orthy

Bu t,
of th e digni ty of G OD w as n ot th e p u nishme nt
,

w hich follo w ed disobedie n ce more th an adeq u ate

to th e o ffe n ce ? Certain ly n ot E n tire d i so be

.

d i e n c e bei ng e ntire u n righ teo u sn ess is m an i

, ,

fe stl y ob n oxio u s to th e severes t pe n al ty The .

gre atn ess o f th e pu nishme n t c an prov e n othi ng

b u t th e gre atn ess of th e sin w hich preceded
i t w he n th e p ar ties con cern ed are m an an d
,

GO D . Bu t eve n h ad th e p u nishme n t bee n

”
more th an adequ ate to th e o ffen ce it w o uld ,

n o t h ave bee n an ac t of i nj u s tice to i nfl ic t i t [F or .

A d am an d E ve as the y kn e w th e me an s o f
,

o be d i e nc e kne w th e pen al ty w hich w o u ld follo w

,

d isobe die nc e ; they s i nn ed therefore w i th al l th e

, ,

co n seq u e n ces of sin before the i Their ey e s

”
w ere s u ffi cie n tly ope n to k no w th e tru th
w hich w as after w ards re v e aled to th e childre n
 T H E FALL O F M AN . 11

of disobedie nce th at G O D is n ot a m an th at
, ,

he shou ld lie ; n eith er th e son of man th at he ,

sho u ld repen t : h ath he s aid an d sh all he n ot ,

do i t o r h ath he spoke n and sh all he not m ake

?
,

i t good I) “ h er

W e s e e the n th at n ei ther w as th e prohibitio n

, ,

o f th e tree of k n o w l edge o f good an d evil an

u nw or thy co n di tio n on th e p art o f G O D to m ake

w i th A d am n or th e pu nishme nt w hich over

,
.

took th e disobedie n t m an to o gre at for th e

ofl e n c e .

But here it m ay be obj ec ted u po n th e very ,

—
pri nc iple of o u r argu me nt if A d am commi tted ,

s in i n c o n seq u e n ce o f a n atu r al i n s ti n c t— a de

n n —
sire of e n l argi g his u ders tan di n g w i th this
desire abo u t h im p romp ting him to sin c an he
,
—
,

be s id o h ve en cre a ed p ure [ An d if he
a t a be t ?

h ad n ot bee n cre ated p ure there is n o n ecessi ty ,

for believi n g th at he ever fell in th e pec u li ar ,

m ann er rel ated by M oses ; fo r th e si n fu l n ess of

m an w o u ld be s u ffi cie n tl acco u n ted for b th e
y y
imperfec tio n of his o rigin j To this w e m ay reply ,

th at th e desire of e nl argi n g his u n ders tan di n g

did n o t ne c e ssari ly i nd u ce A d am to sin : si n

w as i ndeed th e co n seq u e n ce o f his i n d u lgi n g
, ,

N m xxiii 1 9
1
u . . .
 12 T H E FALL O F M AN .

t his desire bu t n ot th e ne c e ssary co nsequ e nce

, .

{H e migh t h ave i n d u lged i t by comm u n io n w i th

G OD i n ste ad of fin di n g i ts gr atific atio n by com

,

m u nio n w ith S atanj l Th at A d am by too gre at ,

a thirs t after k n o w le d ge f e ll d oes n o t pro v e th at

, ,

he w as prone to sin bu t i t certai nl y does prove

th at he w as l iabl e to i t : an d w hile w e de n th e
y
pro ne n ess w e n o t o nly admi t bu t m ai ntai n his
, ,

l iabi li ty to f al l Bei n g cre ated expressly for

.
, ,

th e gre ates t glor o f G OD i t follo w s th at A d am

y ,

w as cre ated w i th th at n atu re w hich w as bes t

ad ap ted to this p u rpose [ He w as therefore

.
, ,

cre ated p ure p e rf e c t an d f re e; For O m n i

, ,

po te n ce i tself c an no t prod u ce a noble r bei ng

th an o n e i n G OD S o w n spiri tu al like n ess ; per
'

fe c tl y si n less an d perfec tly a free age n t iBu t

,
.
,

ho w e ver free and p u re s u ch a person c an no t be

,

w i tho u t a l iabi li ty to si n for if he be w i tho u t a

li abili ty he is w i tho u t re sp onsibi li ty w hich is an
, ,

attrib u te s u i ted to th e Cre ator alo n e an d i n c o m ,

M
l
m u n i c abl e to a cre atu re ; It co u ld n o t there
; ,

fore be o therw ise th an th at A d am sho u ld h ave

, ,

be e n l iable tho u gh n ot p rone to sin : for th at

, ,

w o u ld h ave m ade his n atu re imperfec t an d an ,

ti c ip ate d th e corr u p tio n w hich did n o t exis t i n

h i m u n til after his fall W h at before th e fal l

.
, ,
 T H E FA L L O F MAN . 13

w as o nly a bec ame after w ards a p rone

liabi li ty ,
ne ss to sin .
[ H ad A d am bee n pl aced i n P a radis e
i n an y o ther s tate he w o u ld ei ther n o t h av
,
e\
bee n a free agen t o r to o free to be respo sible
,
n i f .

I f n o t a free agent th e gift of re ason w as s u per

,

fl u o u s an d every su p e rfl u ity de tr ac ts from p e r

,

f e c tion . I f to o free to be respo n sible he w o u ld ,

n o t h ave bee n a cre atu re ; for to be a cre atu re

implies s u bordi natio n an d s u bordi natio n implies ,

respon sibili ty The o nly con di tion therefore in

.
, ,

w hich A d am co u ld h ave bee n pl aced w as th at ,

o f a free age nt respo n sible for his ac tio n s ; w i th

,

obedie n ce o r d isobedien ce and their respective

'

co nsequ e nces before his e y es and w i th th e

, ,

p o w er to choose ei ther Be m g a free age nt it .

,

w as n ecess ary th at he sho u ld be pl aced i n a

state o
f tr ial F.or his free age n cy co n sis ti n g i n

a c ap abili t o f choice be tw ee n obedie n ce an d

y
disobedie n ce his h appin ess w o u ld con sis t i n
,

a w ise employme nt o f this po w er And si n ce ‘

.

re al h appin ess is i n sep arabl e from holi n ess ,

A d am to be h appy m u s t h ave bee n holy Bu t

, , .

holy or obedien t (for it is th e s ame thi n g ) he ,

co u ld n ot be u n less some thi ng w ere e nj oi n ed to

,

w hich he migh t be disobedie n t A d am there .

,

K e nni c o t .
,
D is s e rt . on the Tre e f
o Lif e, 33 .
14
‘

T H E FALL OF MAN .

fore bei ng a fre e age nt w as n ecess arily pl aced

,
'

i n a s tate of tri al : i .

It appe ars the n th at th e fall o f m an m ay be

, ,

r atio n ally expl ai n ed w i tho u t h av in g reco u rse to

,

an allegoric al i nterpre tatio n ; i n deed w hat al

y ,

l egory c an re n der th e circ u ms tan ces more i n tel

ligibl e or of w hat c an th e e atin g of a forbidde n
?

tree b e al legoric al ? The on ly m y s terio u s p art

of th e tran s ac tio n after th e ass u mp tion of th e
, .

serp en t s form by S atan w as th e comm u nic ati on

’

o f i ntellec tu al k n o w ledg e b t h e tas te of a tree

y .

Th at the fru i t of th e forbidde n tree did n ot affec t

th e body seems evide n t fro m th e circ u ms tan ce
,

o f God s doomi n g th e bod o corr u p tio n a te r

f
’

y t ,

th e fr u i t h ad bee n tas ted an d th e e es w er e

y ,

” ”
ope n ed . The re tu rn to d u s t w as an e ffec t
o f the c u rse o
f G od and n o t of an , y poiso nou s

q u ali ty in the tre e The poiso n o f th e tree in

.

fe c te d th e mi n d alo n e : bu t th e m ann er is a
my stery .

There is ho w ever a me thod o f expl ai ni n g

, ,

h e di ffi c u l t of th e c om m u ni c ation o hno w
aw a
y t y f
l e dg e by m e ans of a tre e o f w hich th e advoc ate ,

o f li ter al i n terpre tat io n m ay av ail himself W i th .

th e le ar n ed an d ac u te KE N N I C O T he m a co u si
y ,

der th at th e tree i n q ues tio n w as n o t to m ake

 T H E FALL O F MAN . 15

an ch an ge i n th e i ntellec tu al fac ul ties o f the

y
”
recipient By s u bs ti tu ti ng th e w o rd tes t for
.

hno w l e dge
”
— a s u b s ti tu tio n w hich he co nte n ds

—
, ,

th e o rigi n al w ill allo w th e tex t w ill become ,

an d th e tree w hi c h is the te s t of good an d

e vil th at is ,
th e tree by w hich Go d w o u ld

try them an d by w hich i t sho u ld appe ar w he ther

,

o r n o they w o uld o w n th e sovereig nty o f their

M aker an d obey or diso bey his

,

N o tw i ths tan di ng this i nge nio u s a nd n ot u nsati s

,

fac tory expl an atio n I prefer th e receiv e d v e r

, ,

sion bec au se it is more i n accordan ce w i th th e

, .

co ntext. The e ffec t prod u ced u po n th e g u il ty

.

p air is descri bed u n der th e me taphor th e ir ,

”
e y es w ere open ed This cer tai nl y implies th at
.

their m ind s h ad u n dergo n e a ch ange ; fo r their

corpore al e y es co u ld h ave see n thei r n aked

”
n ess as e asil before t h e F all as afte r; b ut th e
y ,

mi n d co nceived no sh ame from th e circ u m s tance .

This e ffec t w as prod u ced by th e fru i t of th e tree

for w he n th e w o m an s aw th at th e tree w as
good for food an d th at i t w as ple as ant to th e
,

eyes an d a tree to be d e sire d to m ahe one w ise

, ,

she took of th e fr u i t thereof an d did e at an d

, ,

g ave also to her h u sb an d w i th her and he d id ,

D i er t on th Tree of L ife p 3 6
ss . e , . .
16 T H E FALL O F MAN .

”
e at : A nd their ey es p Be
w e re tw ee n th e
o e ne d
1

”
ac tio n ,
they d i d e at an d th e e ffec t
, the ir ,

”
e es w e re o e ne d
y p there , is n o room for i nte r o
p
l ati n g any o ther c au se for th e ill u mi n atio n th an ,

th e e ati n g th e fru i t o f th e tree o f kn o w ledge .

The cop u l ative conj u n c tion and poin ts ou t th e

c au se —n amely the f rui t of the tre e
, .

The s edu c tio n o f Ev e by th e SERPEN T is

as far from bei n g allegoric al as th e o ther cir

c u m stan c e s o f th e F all S atan h ad de termi n ed

.

to bri n g abo u t th e des tr u c tio n o f m an an d , ,

therefore w o u ld appro ach to th e accomplish

,

me n t o f it in th e mos t s u b til m ann er F or this .

p u rpose w e are tau gh t to believe th at he as

,

s u med th e form o f th e serpe nt prob abl y bec au s e ,

th e n atu re of th at anim al mos t n e arl y resembled

his ow n : for th e serpe nt w as more s u b til th an

”
al l th e be as ts of th e field H is ow n form w as
.

s i ri tu al ;
p he co u ld n o t therefore h av e sho w n
, ,

himself to E ve as he re ally w as H e appe ared .

,

con seq u e ntly u n der a disg uise to w hich she h ad

,

bee n acc u stomed and at w hich she w o u ld no t

,

be s tartled .

A be au tiful bu t m u te anim al crossed her p ath ,

asce n ded th e tree of kn o w ledge an d pl u cked ,

G e n iii 6 7 1
. .
,
.
 T H E FALL O F MAN . 17

i ts fru i t ; an d i n an i ns tan t ap p e ared gi fted w i th

th e po w ers o f re aso n an d o f speech
‘
H e spoke .

to her ; desired her to tas te th e s ame fr u i t w hic h

h ad ope n ed his m ind ; an d w he n at le n g th , ,

h avi n g overcome her firs t as to ni shme nt she ,

refu sed o n th e ple a th at Go d h ad forbidde n

,

her to to u ch i t he s aid u nto her

,
Ye a ! hath ,

God said Ye sh all n o t e at o f every tree o f th e

,

g arde n
I f s u ch sho u ld appe ar to h ave bee n th e n atu re
o f th e temp tatio n w hich ass ailed Ev e w h o sh all ,

de ny th at it w as th e mos t po w erfu l w hich co u ld

,

be prese n ted to th e h u m an mi n d ? A m u te an d
i rr atio n al cre atu re h avi n g tas ted th e fr u i t of this
,

forbidde n tree bec ame gifted w i th speech an d

,

re aso n ; an d h ow s u rp assi n g m u s t be th e k no w
ledge w hich they wo u l d acqu ire by follo w i ng th e
s me co rse
a
l
u ' W ell the n migh t she believe
, ,

th at the w o u ld be as gods k n o w i n g good

y ,

”
an d evil .

S u ch an i nterpre tatio n of th e temp tatio n of

E ve appe ars n o t o nly th e mos t re aso n able w hich
c an be o ffered to o u r belief bu t i t is prob ably , , ,

th e mos t correc t from th e ver l an g u age of th e

, y
S crip tu re w hich describes th e F all The third .

D l ny 1
R
e a l E mi d , e ve . xa ne .
”

C
18 T H E FALL O F MAN .

ch ap ter o f Ge n esis
open s i n an abr u p t m ann er ; :

an d th e firs t w or d s o f th e s erpe n t i nd u ce th e

i n feren ce th at some thi n g h ad previo u sly p assed

,

be tw ee n him an d Eve w hich is n ot men tio n e d

,

in th e n arrative The w ord s

. Ye a ! hath God ,

”
s ai d ? a pp e ar to be th e co n ti nu atio n o f a c o n

vers ation alre ad y begu n This w ill e xpl ai n th e.

re as o n w hy th e w om an expresses n o su rpri s e in
he arin g for th e first time a bru te an im al s pe ak
, ,

w i th th e v oice o f a m an — an expl an atio n more

n atu r al th an th at adop ted b

y Bishop P atrick .

He w as Of op ini o n th at th e temp ter as s u med th e

form of a be au tifu l w i nged serpe nt w hose brigh t ,

golde n colo u r m ade him w he n fl y i ng to be re , ,

S ple n de nt like fire O f this ki n d he i n forms

.
,

u s w ere th e serpe n ts i n th e
, w ilder ness w hic h
l
de stroy ed th e rebell io u s Israe l ite s The y are .

c alled s e ra him from a roo t w hich sig n ifies t

p , o

”
bu rn Th e an gels of th e presen ce w ere al s o
’3
.

c alle d se rap him from a simil ar glorio u s appe ar

,

an ce
2
The advoc ates o f this opi n io n s u ppose
.

th at E ve took th e serpe n t temp ter for on e o f -

thes e he ave nl y messe n gers come do w n to e n ,

ligh te n her ; for sh e w as n ot so simple as to

thi n k th at b e as ts co u ld , This opi nion i s .

1
N um b xxi 6—8 . I i h i 2—6
. . B i hop P trick
sa a v . .
3
s a .
 T H E FALL O F MAN . 19

defe nde d by th e expressio n of St . P aul (2 Cor .

xi . S atan is f trans orm e d i n to

g an an e l
”
o
f g l i h t I.n th e s ame ch ap ter he previo u sl
y,

expresses his fe ars les t as the s e r e nt begu iled

, p
”
E ve thro u gh h i s s u bti l ty so th e Cori nthi an s
,

sho u ld be corru p ted from th e simplici ty w hich

”
is in Chris t It is co n te n ded th at S t P au l in
. .
,

n o tici n g th e tr an sform atio n of S atan i n to an

”
an gel o f ligh t all u des to th e decep tio n o f
,

E ve by th e serpe n t Bu t this doe s n o t n eces

‘

s ar il y appe ar from th e arg u me nt o f th e apos tle

i t is q u i te as li ke l th at he refers to th e te m p ta
y
tio n of o u r L o rd w he n S atan did prob abl y ap
,

”
pe ar as an ange l of l i gh t .

Bu t if E ve to o k th e se rpe n t for a se rap h a —

di vi n e messe nger se n t to re m ove th e pro hibi tio n
—
from th e tree of kn o w ledge h ow h appe n ed i t
th at w he n q u es tio n ed b her Cre ator
, y W h at ,

”
i s this th at tho u h as t do n e ? sh e an s w ered ,

u n hes i tatin ly
g th,
e se r e nt beg u iled me
p a n d I ,

”
did e at . A re p ly w hich amo u nts to co n cl u siv e
evid e n ce th at she believed th e temp ter to be a
re a l s e rp ent A s
. a te rre s tri al an im al th e de ,

c e iv e r is c u rsed U po n th y belly tho u sh al t

o, an d d u s t sh al t tho u e at al l th e d a s o f th
g y y
”
life This c u rse applies n o t to a spiri tu al bei n g
. .

C2
 20 T H E FA LL O F
"

MAN .

M oreover the word which we tran sl ate ser ,

” ”
pent is in th e original not
, ,
3 6m
p h b ut , ,

”
nac has li thro u ghout Conformably to which .
,

th e S eptuagin t employ th e word 3mg .

There is every ground therefore for accepting , ,

th e temptation an d fall of man in th e l i te ra l

sense of th e S cripture w hich re v eals them to ,

ou r fai th .

That the de vil on this occasion assumed the

, ,

form o f one o f th e angelic seraphim was a tra ,

d ition of the E ast adopted or inven ted by th e ,

Doctors o f the Jewish Church Rabbi Bechai .

,

on Gen iii 14 observes

. .
,
This is the secret *

( o r mys tery ) o f th e holy l anguage tha t a se r e n t

p ,

is called sarap li as an ang e l is called sar

, a h
p
T
and hence the S criptures called serpents s e ra
p l i im
(N u mb xxi 6 . because
. they were th e

o ffspring of this ol d sarap h The sc rap /tint o f l

.
9’

th e wilderness are proved by Boc h art to have

been th e same as those called in I saiah (xix 2 9 . .

”
and x x x . fiery fl g ing serpents W he the r .

”
th e epithet fly ing w as a metaphor for ve loc i ty ,

or whether it m e an t that these creatures had

ac tu ally w i n s is u n certain ; it is certain how
g , ,

ever that tradi tion had inves ted bo th th e c e l e s tial

,

Bi hop P trick in l s a ac .
 T H E FALL O F MAN . 21

an d te rre s trial seraphi m with w ings : and hence

the no tion that the P aradisiacal serpent was a
”
winged creature H ence also the poetical .
, ,

fiction o f w ing e d d ragons as guardian s of treasure ,

an d protec tors o f female innocence F or singu .

,

l arl y enough th e malevolent actions o f th e

,

P aradisiacal serpent had a colouring given by

'

heathen m y th ol o g ists d iam e tri c al l y opposite to

the reality The se d uc e r o f E ve is thus per
.

ve r se l termed the ro te c tor of maiden virtue ;

y p f
and th e tempter who induced her to p luc k the
,

forbidden fruit is the g u ard ian o f th e g o l d e n

‘

app l e s i n th e Garden o f the H esperides So .

”
powerful is the P rince o f this W orld to de
lude his victims !
A dam the n was f re e as created for God s
, , ,
’

l
glory ; p ure as the similitude of h i s spotless
,

n ature ; e r e c t as the temple o f his H oly S pirit

p f ,
.

O f created things the last and best on earth , ,

he came into exis tence on the e ve o f God s holy ’

rest ; and the first duty to which he was called ,

w as the celebratio n o f the S abbath Consti .

tu te d as he w as with th e capacity to compre

, ,

hend and the inclination to adore his M aker

, ,

he was created to be happy The most perfec t .

s oul in th e most perfect body and each endued

,
22 T H E FALL 9 17 MAN .

with ability to e nj oy the m ost perfect happine ss

of its nat u re charac terized the noblest of te r
,

re stri al beings H ad he continued in obedience

.
,

he wo uld have con tin u ed in happiness ; bu t ,

alas ! the union o f excellence which c onciliated ,

the goodwill of the good angels exci te d and ex ,

asperated the en v y of the bad I n an hour of

W
.

eakness the tempter cam e : with th e voic e

,

o f kindness he insin u ated distru st in God ; the

,

i nsidious appeal was heard ; the forbidden tree

“ ” ”
was tasted : th e eyes of m an were opened
—bu t his sou l was lost ! A nd i n this state it
co ntinued until by th e sacrifice o f T H E RE
, ,
.
‘

D EE M ER by th e bruising o f H IS heel W H O
-
,

—
should bruise th e serpent s head th at which ’
i

” ”
had been dead was alive again ; that
” ”
which had been lost was found .

11 A l lusions to til e ori i nal I nnoc e nc e , and s ubse

. .
g
q ue n t F all f
o M an b H e athe n A u thors
y ,
.

W e have regarded the F all o f M an as an his

to ri c al fact demonstrable by reason
,
W e may .
,

there fore very properly require trac es of this

,
 T H E FALL O F M AN . 23

event in th e opinions and t rad l tio ns of p eople

upon w hom the light of re velation n e v e rshone .

A ll are d escended from the s ame fam ily in th e

ark and it is mo re than prob able that some
,

vestiges of the o rl g l n al history o f m an were p re

served in the tradition s of the more enlightene d
Gentiles S uch is the c oncl usion o f un prej ud iced
.

reason ; and in full acco rdance it has been as

, ,

cer tai n e d that th e philosopher the mytho logis t

, , ,

an d the uneducated idolater o f e v e r y nati o n bears ,

witness l n his writings in his fables o r in his

, ,

religi on to the truth of the M osaic his tory

,
.

I t is unnecessary to remind the c l ass ic al re ad e r '

that the degeneracy of m anki nd is a common

topic of complaint with th e philo sophe rs of Greece
and Rome But a few brief references to esta
.

blish this position m ay not be deemed super

fl uo u s as they will greatly illustrate th e argu
,

ments o f th e s ubseque nt pages .

The writi n gs of P lato abound with allusions

‘

to th e degeneracy o f m an ki n d S o closely do .

his ideas on th i s su bj e c t approach th e truth that

‘

Bishop S til l in gfl e e t has not scrupled to affi rm ,

he mus t have known more of the lapse o f

mankind than he would ope nly discover and
O rig S cr l 3 c 3
. a . . . . .
 THE FA LL OF MAN .

Gale was so persuaded of th e same thing that ,

he made it the chief obj ect of his elaborate work

to sho w that the Gentile philosopher had drank
deeply of the fountain of sacred tr uth H e ci tes .

wi th approbation a saying of N umenius the Py ,

W
th ag o re an , Tl y dp E
on d rw v ii v a fi g drruc iZw v
hat is P l ato , bu t M ose s sp e ahing the l angu age
”
c
f A the ns L
? ed away by the glare o f this s trong

resemblance the learned Gale ascribed the agree

,

ment to plagiarism : but it is more than probable

that the fountain at w hich P lato drank the truth ,

was the broad but troubled stream of pa triarchal

tradition which irrigated alike the fertile and
,

the barre n mind in e v ery re g l o n of th e gl obe

,
.

A mong other striking passages in the wri tings

of that philosopher is the following ,
The se
c ause s o
f ou r w ic he d ne ss are d e rive d f rom our
p a

re n ts , and f rom ourc ons ti tu tions , rathe r than f rom

ou rs e l ve s ;
f or w hi l e w e re c oi l f f rom the w orhs o

”
o ur anc es tors the are n ot i d l e : as much as to 1
y
say that there is wi thin us by inheritance a
, , ,

principle of sin continually at war with the

,

principle of righteousness a law i n ou r mem

bers warring against th e law of our minds and ,

bringing us into cap tivity to the law of sin ,

Tim 1 03 ae u s , .
 T H E FALL O F MAN . 25

which is in o u r members This no tion i s v e ry

‘
.
’ 9

nearl y allied to the dogma of the P ersians con

cerning the two iIin ate principles the good and ,

the evil of w hich we read in the very interest

,

ing story o f AraS p e s and P anthea related by ,

X enophon 2

This state of th e soul the philosopher term s

”
a m oral or sp iri tu al d e a th ; and upon the au
”
th o rity of w ise m e n by whom Gale conj ectures
,

that he must have meant Je W I sh priests m ore

probably perhaps E gyp tian with whom he is

, , ,

known to have c onversed familiarly I have .

he ard w is e m e n , that w e are n ow d e ad ,

f rom and

u l c hre
3
that the body is ou r s e
p
The change o f nature which ensued imme
d i ate l y after th e fall o f man may be alluded to ,

by th e same philosopher i n his discourse o f the

imaginary islan d o f A tlantis which upon the , ,

division o f th e earth between the gods fell to ,

“
the lot o f V ulcan and M inerva There they .

created mortals o f a superior mould who li ved ,

in the unbounded enj oyment o f happiness and

peace . F or many ages as long as they were ,

u nd e r the i nflue n ce o
f this d ivine na tu re they were ,

1
R om . v ii . 23 . C y ro p . l ib 8
. .

3
Ge orgi as , 49 3 .
4
Criti as . a ,
26 T H E FALL O F M AN .

obedient to the laws ,

well affect ed to the
an d -

gods to w hom they w e re hind re d

,
but
w hen the d ivine n ature w hic h w as i n the m became
, ,

frequently m ing le d w i th the m o rtal and the hu ,

m an i nc li nati on p re vai l e d being u n able to bear

,

presen t calami ties they disgraced themsel v es :

,

an d ,
to those who co uld s e e them appe ared ,

base hav ing lost the most beautiful o f their

,

precious possessions The J u piter the go d ,

o f gods ,
perceiving this ho nourable rac e
lying l n a st ate o f depravi ty and being desirous
,

of punishing them called together all the

”
gods &c ,

I n the A tlan tis of P lato w e may I think

’

, , ,

discover the ED EN o f S cripture ; and in th e

lapse o f the Atl an tian s from virtue and T H E
D I V INE NA T URE , th e fall o f A dam from purity
and T H E I M A G E O F GO D The sta te o f mankind
‘

'
.
,

at the time o f th e deluge is doub tless blended

, , ,

with the tradition ; for we find that the island

A tlantis w as s u bmerged in the ocean But the .

want o f authentic records o f the period i n te rm e

diate bet w een th e fall and the deluge left th e ,

he athen i n a great measure ignoran t of an te

, ,

diluvian history H ence their fre q uen t c onfu

.

sion of the c haracters of A dam and N oah and ,

 T H E FALL O F MAN . 27

th e identification o f their histories in mythology .

O f these we have constant proo fs in the fables

which have been transmitted to us as w e shall ,

observe in the progress o f this volume I n the .

council o f Jupiter to consider the depravity o f ,

the Atl an ti an s we may recognize a similarity to

,

the council of the H o ly Trini ty B e ho ld the m an

”
is be c om e as O NE O F u s to hnow g ood and e vi l , .

The corruption thus acknowledged by P l ato

to exist in mankind is elsewhere represented ,

by him as a ge ne ral d ep rava tion of the u nd e r

s tandi n
g th , fi
e w i l l and the a e c tio ns
,
The cor
ruption of the understandi n g he describes under
the allego r “
y of a person who from his infancy , ,

lay neck and heels together in a dark dun

, ,

geon where he could only see some imperfect

,

shadows by means of a fire kindle d at the

,

”
top . W hence he concludes that the eye of

the l is i m m e rse d i n the barbaric ul

sou
g f f
o
1
ig noranc e

2 . To
the testimony o f P lato may be added
that of Hie roc l e s a disciple of the P latonic
,

school whose Commentary on the Golden

,

V erses o f P ythagoras v ery closely approaches

S cripture tr uth M ost men are bad and under
. .

G l C rt f th G ti l l 3 63
a e. ou o e en e s, . . .
28 T H E FALL O F MAN .

the influence of their p assions ; and from their ,

p ropensity to earth are grown impotent o f mind

,
.

But this evil they have brought upon themselves

by their w i lf u l ap os tasy f rom God and by w i th ,

d raw ing the m se l ves f rom tha t c om m u ni on w i th

him , w hic h they o nc e e n o

j y ed in p ure l ig ht l

3 I f we ascend to authori ty of more remote

.

”
date we shall find in
,
the Golde n V erses
themsel ves this remarkable sen timent : M en
”
ow n m is e rabl e th rou h the ir ow n au l t
are
g r g f A n .

expression which argues in P ythagoras as w ell ,

a s P lato more acquaintance wi th the truth

,

than he is incli n
”
ed to discover .

4 I f from th e meditations o f philosophers

.
, ,

w e pass to the imaginations of poets we shall ,

find that n either H omer nor H esiod were i g no

rant o f the degeneracy of mankind I n th e .

”
poetic fi ction o f the Golden A ge we shall
recognize a clear trace of the original purity of
man w hose fall and corrup tion may be as clearly
,

traced in the subsequent ages o f deterioration .

The opinion of H omer that f e w c hi l d re n are ,

”
l ihe the irf a the rs the m aj ori ty w ors e
,
ill u stra tes z
,

the poetical conceit so beautiful ly imagined by

i d by S til l ingfl
C te e e t. O rig . S ac . book iii c . . 3 . s . 15 .

3
O dy ii 2 76 ss . . .
 THE FALL O F MAN . 29

H esiod Dreadfully did th e second r ace de

generate from the virtues of the first They were .

m e n o f violence ; they had no pleasure in wor

shipping the immortal gods ; they experienced

no delight in o ffering up to them those sacrifices
‘
w hich duty required .

S o clearly did the m ind of H esiod apprehend

th e real state o f mankind that in his fab l e of , ,

P andora he seems bu t to paraphrase the story

,

o f A dam and E ve P andora was a female to

.

whom every god and goddess imparte d a vir tue

o r an accomplishment : s he w as m ad e
f rom c l a
y ,

f f
to be the w i e o the m an P rom e the u s whose na ,

ture and origin were o f a more ele v ated caste .

H e w as the son of Japetus a demigod who w as , ,

th e son o f C oe l u s — i e he ave n d e i e d P rome

.
fi . .

theus is represented as irre ve r e n t tow ard s the od s

g .

A mong other things P andora w as presented ,

w ith a beautiful casket by Jupiter which she

,

w as to o ffer as a n uptial do w ry to her husband

;
but ordered at th e same time o n n o account to
, ,

open it P romethe us did n ot marry her being

.

s u spicious of the d esign of Jupiter ; but sent her

to his brother whose wife she became Throug h
, .

inord i nate c uriosi t he opened the caske t d

y , a n ,

O p r t Di r i 1 2 6
e . e e . . .
30 T H E FALL O F MAN .

al l the i ls w hi c h have
from it issue d ev e ve r s inc e

a l i c te d m anhi n d
fi H O PE alone.remained at the
bo ttom to assuage the sorrows w hich EVIL had
,

i n troduced .

I n this fable we perceive with a little varia ,

tion a beautifully wrought desc ription of the fall

,

o f A dam with a delicately poetical allusio n to

,

th e RE D E M P T I O N .

.5 Th e L atin w r i ters are as expl i cit in their

opinion of the corr uption of man as th e Gre ek .

A mong th e philosophers Cicero and S eneca ;

.

among the poets Virgil O vid H orace J u v e n al

:

, , , , ,

,
—
L ucreti us Catull us agree in r e pre sentin g th e
,

present state o f man as degenerate I t w ou ld .

be tedious to transcribe o r e v en enumera te th e I r , ,

testimonies since many o f the passages are fa

,

m iliar to the classical reader W e may how .

,

ever remark th at no Chris tian scholar should

, ,

fail to impress upo n h is memory th e S plendid

”
descripti on of The Four A ges w hich is pre ,

sented in the first book of T H E ME TA M O R

”
F HOSEs by O V I D I f anything can add to its
,
.

beauty and elegance it is th e close relation which

,

it bears to S crip tural truth .

That man had fallen from a condition of greater

purity was therefore the belief of the m y th o l o
, , ,
 T H E FALL O F MAN . 31

gist p o et and philosopher o f Gree c e and R o me

, , ,
.

I t was moreo v er the belief of every nation

, ,

whose religion was moulded into system o r the ,

sys tem of whose religion is no t altogether unin

te l l i g i bl e I t was the belief of th e Celts and
.

Druids ; and the Brahmins o f H indostan have

an en tire P ur an a o n th e su bject : the story is
t h ere told as related by M o ses ; the facts uni
formly correspond and the co n sequences are ,
.

equally It was th e belief of all

the natio ns surroun din g S yria ; it penetrated
into the re m ote r e g ions of th e Pe rsi an monarchy ; /

and it may be r ecognized i n the my thology o f .

Eg ypt O f these I sh all adduce proofs in the

.
/

sequ e l But if there were n o o the r indic ation

.

o f this S criptural doctrine the u niversal pre ,

valence o f E X PI A T O RY S A C RI F I C ES would declare

it. F or unless an idea o f lost integrity had
.

perv aded th e whole world an d u nless the d oc ,

.

trine o f such an aberration had been hand e d

down from the m o st remote an tiquity i t is i m ,

possi ble to account for th e u niversal establish

m ent of so very peculiar an

It is not on ly to the existence o f a n atural

1
F ab e r . H or. Mo s . i . 66, ci ting M ric I nd au e . A n tiq .

F ab e r . H or . Mo s . i . 59 .
32 T H E FALL O F MAN .

corruption in man that th e philosophy o f hea

,

th e n i s m so stro n gly alludes ; but min u ter traces

of T H E FALL are to be recognized i n th e tradi

ti on ary legends of hea then my thology .Th e
most remarkable corroboration however o f the
, ,

M osaic history is to be found in those fables

,

w hich involve T H E M Y T H O L O G I C A L SERPEN T and,

in T H E W O RS H IP w hich was so generally o ffered

to him throughout th e world

TH E W O RS H IP O F T H E SERPEN T may be traced

in almost every religion through an cient A sia ,

E urope A frica and A merica The progress

, ,
.

o f the sacred serpent from P aradise to P er u is

one of the most remarkable phenomena in

m ythological history ; and to be accounted
for only upon the supposition tha t a corrupted
tradition of th e serpent in P aradise had been
handed down from generation to generation .

But how an obj ect of abhorrence could have

been exalted into an obj ect of veneration ,

must be referred to th e subtilty o f th e arch

enemy himself whose constant endeavour has
,

been rather to corru pt than obl iterate th e true

faith that in th e perpe tual conflict b et w een
, ,

tru th and error the mind of m an might be more

,

surely confounded and d ebased A mong other

.
 T H E F ALL O F M AN . 33

devices that of elevati ng himself in to an obj ec t

,

o f adoration has eve r been the most cheri shed

,
.

I t w as this which he proposed to O UR L O RD :

W
A ll these things will I give thee if tho u wilt ,

fall down an d w orship m e e cannot there

1

fore wonder that the same being who had the

presumption to make such a proposal to the S on
of G O D should have had the address to insinuate
,

himself into the worship of the children of men .

I n this he was unhappily but too well seconded

, ,

by the natural tendency o f human corrupti on .

The unenlighte ne d heathen in obedience to the ,

voice o f nature acknowledged his dependence

,

u pon a superior bei n g H is reason a ssured him

.

tha t there must be a God ; his conscience

assured him that God was good ; but he felt
and acknowledged th e prevalence of evil and ,

attrib uted it naturally to an evil agent But

, ,
.

as the evil agent to his unillumined mind

seeme d as omnipotent as the good agent h e ,

worshipped both ; the one that he migh t pro ,

p i ti ate his kindness ; the o the r that he migh t ,

avert his displ easure The great point o f devil

.

worship being gai n ed — namely the ac kn ow l e d g ,

m ent o f the ev il spirit as GO D — th e tr ansi tion to

1
M att . iv 9. .

D
34 TH E FA L L O F MAN .

idol atry became easy The mind once d arkened

.

by the admission o f an al l e gl an c e divided be

tween G O D and S atan becam e gradually more
,

feeble and superstitio us un til at length sensible

, ,

Obj ects were called in to ai d th e weakness o f

degraded in tellect ; and from their firs t form as

s m bo ls
y ,
passed rapidly through the successive
s tag e s of apotheosis until they w ere elevated
,

in to G O D S O f these the most remarkable was

.

T H E SERPEN T ; upon the basis of tradition re ,

garded first as th e sy m bol of the mal ignant

, ,

being ; s ubsequently considered talism anic and

,

orac u l ar; and , lastly venerated and worshipped

,

as D IVINE .

A s a symbol the serpent was by some nations

,

attributed to the G OO D and by others to the

,

E V IL D EI T Y
.
. A mong the E gyptians it was an
emble m of the good d ae mon ; while the my thology
of Hind u sta n S candinavia and M exico co u si
, , ,

dered it as characteristic of the evil spiri t .

That in the warmer regions of the gl obe ,

where this creature is th e most formidable

enemy wh ich man can encou nter the serpent ,

should be considered the mythological attendan t

o f the evil bei n g is n o t surprising
,
but that in
the frozen or temperate regions of th e e arth ,
 T H E FALL O F MA N . 35

where h e dwindles into the i nsigni fi c anc e o f a

reptile W i thout power to create alarm he should ,

be re garded in the same appalling character is

.
,

a fact which cann ot be accounted for by natural

causes U niformity o f tradi tion can alone sa tis
.
'

fac tori l y exp l ain uniformity of supersti tion where ,

local circumstances are so discord ant .

The serpent is the symbol whi c h m os t g e nerally

enters into the mythology o f th e world I t may .

in di fferent countries admit among i ts fellow

satellites of S atan the most venomous o r the
,

most terrible o f the animals in each country ;

-

bu t it preserves its o w n constancy as the on ly ,

invariabl e obj ect o f superstitious terror throughout

“
the habitable world W here v er the Devil
.

” “
reigned ,
remarks S til l i n gfl e e t the serpent ,

was held in some peculiar venera tion TH E .

’

UNI V ERS A LI T Y o f this worship I pro p ose to show ,

in th e Subsequent pages and having shown it ,

shall feel j ustified in drawing th e conclusion ,

tha t th e narrative of M oses is mos t po w erfully

corroborated by th e prevalence o f this singular
and irrational yet natural s uperstition I rra tional
, .

—fo r there is nothing in common between dei ty

and a reptile to su ggest the notion of SERPEN T
,

W O RS H I P ; and n atural because allowi ng the

,

D 2
36 T H E FA L L OF MAN .

t ruth of the even ts in P aradise every probability

,

i s in favour o f such a superstition springi n g up .

Fo r it is more than probable that S atan should

erect as the standard o f idolatry the s tumbling
block ascertained to be fatal to man By so .

doing he would n o t only receive the homage

,

which he S O ardently desired from the beginning ,

but also be p e rp e tu al l y re m in d e d o f his v ictory

‘

over A dam than which n o gratification can be

,

imagined more fasc inating to his malignan t

m ind . I t was his de vice therefore that since
, ,

by th e t emptation o f th e serpen t man fell by ,

the ad oration of th e serpent he should conti n u e

to fall
, .
W
O RS H IP O F T H E S ERPE N T .

C HA P T ER I .

SER P E N T W O RS HIP
- IN AS IA .
 C HA P TER I .

S ER EN P T W HIP I N
- O RS AS IA .

TH E W O R S H IP O F T HE SERPEN T is supp osed by

Bryant to have commenced in C h al d m a ; and to
have been the first variation from the p urer
Zabaism l n

That it was intimately connected with Z ab aism

cann ot be doubted fo r the most prevailing
,
/

emblem of the solar god was the SERPEN T and 2

wherever the Zab ae an idolatry was the religion ,

the SERPEN T was the sacred symbol But the .

UNI V ERS A LI T Y of serpent wo rship and the strong -

,

traces which it h as left in AS T R O N O MI C A L M Y TH O

LO GY seem to attest an or i gin co eval with Zabais m
,

its elf.

The earliest authe ntic record of SERPEN T

W O RS H IP is to be found in the astronomy o f
Chald aea and China but the e x tensive di ffusion
o f this remarkable superstition through the re

1
An lysi of An M y th ii 4 5 8
a s c. . . .

2
M crobi S t r l lib i c 2 0
a us a u na . . . . .
4O SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN A SI A
-
.

maining regions of the globe where Chinese ,

wisdom never penetrated and Chald ae an philo ,

sophy was but feebly reflected authorizes the ,

inference that neither China nor Chaldaea was

the mother but tha t both were the children of
,

this idolatr y That accidental circumstances

.

very materially affected the religions of th e early

heath en at di fferen t times by introducing inno ,

v atio n s both in god s and altars worship and ,

sacrifices cannot be denied ; but it is equally

,
1

true that uniformly w ith th e progress o f the first

,

deviation from the tru th has advanced the s acred ,

serpent from P aradise to P eru To follow th e .

traces o f this sacred serpent is the intention o f

the followin g treatise : and it is confidently ex
e c te d that few ancient nations o f an celebri ty
p y
w ill be found which have not at some time o r ,

other a d mitted the serpent into their religion

, ,

ei ther as a sy m bol of d ivini ty or a c harm or an , ,

orac l e o r A G O D I nto the creed of some h e1

.
,

1
ni r ality of rp nt wor hip i all d d t by Lc n
Th e u ve s se e - s s u e o u a

in th m mor bl lin s
e se e a e e

V q oq q i n ti innoxi N U M IN t rri
os u ue , u cu c s a A e s

S rp itie r to nitidi f lgor D

s , au a u e, R A GO N E S .
”

Ph r lib ix 7 2 7 a s . . . .

Dr i th g n r l t rm t
ac o s e ignify l l l rg rp nt
e e a e o s a a e se e s .
 B A BY L O N . 41

has insin uated himself in all these characters

'

and is so mixed up with their traditions o f the

O RI G IN and EN D of EV I L that we can not without
, ,

violence to all rules of probability rej ect the ,

—
consequence that the p roto typ e of this id olatry
w as T H E SERPEN T IN PA R A D ISE .

I B A B YL O N
. .
— In
tracing the progress of the
sacred serpent we commence with ASI A as the
, ,

mother country of mankind ; a nd in A sia w ith ,

BA B YL O N as the most ancient seat o f an esta

,

bl ish e d p riesthood .

The information which we possess concerning

the minute features o f Babylonian idolatry is ,

from various causes very narrowly circumscribed .

E ither the classical writers who visited Babylon

were not admitted into the arcana o f the Chal
d ae an worship o r they were contented wi th
,

giving a short and summary account o f i t ; ex

pending th e chief strength o f their descriptive
po w ers upon the history policy and magni
, ,

fi c e n c e o f the mother o f ci ties H erodotus.

,

whose d ifl u se n e ss on the history and customs o f

th e Babylonians is considerable enters but little ,

into their religion ; and D io d o rus S i c u l u s minut e ,

in his measurements of th e walls a nd gardens ,

4Q SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN A SI A
-
.

comprises his description of th e temple of Belu s

in a fe w sentences O p hiol atre i a as a recognized
.
,

religion w as nearly extin ct when D i o d o rus

,

V isited Babylon fo r the city was almost de

,

se rte d by its inhabita nts and the public edifices ,

were crumbling to decay But the silence of .

H erodotus is the more remarkable since he ,

mention s the serpent worship of both E gypt and -

Greece which was prevalen t in his time The

,
.

idolatry co u ld scarcely be obsolete in Babylon

at that period since it e x isted in full vigour but
,

seventy years before in the days of Daniel ; and ,

though it received a signal overthrow from its

exposu re by that prophet yet the tumultuous ,

conduct of th e Babylonians on that occasion as ,

it evinces their attachment to the idolatry w ar ,

r ants the inference that they would cling to it

long after its abolition even by a royal decree ,
1
.

B ut most probably H erodotus did not take the

trouble to I nq u Ire I nto the supe rstitions o f the

'

common people being content to describe what

,

was the established religion ; and e v en this he

notices in a very cu rsory manner .

From D io d oru s however we learn what i s

, ,

su fficient to assure u s tha t the serpent as an , ,

1
Be l and th e D ragon , v.
 B A B YL O N . 43

obj ect of worship was not alt ogether fo rgotten ,

I n Babylon though d isguised under the more

,

specious appearance o f symbolical sanctity H e .

informs us that in the te m ple o f Bel o r Be l us

, , ,

was an image o f the goddess R hea sittin g on ,

a golden throne ; at her knees stood tw o lions ,

and near her very large SERP EN T S of silver ,

”
thirty talents each in wei ght There was also .

an image o f Ju n o holding in her righ t hand ,

the head o f a S ERPEN T

The name o f the nation al go d BE L1 s sup p ose d
to signify nothi ng more than L ord and w as
also sometimes appropriated to deified h e ro e s z
.

I t is more probably an abbreviation o f O B EL -

3
,

”
The S e rp e n t g od The Greeks re m arks -
.
,

Bryant called him BE LI A R , which is sin gula rly

,

interpreted by He sy c h iu s to signify a D R A G O N o r ,

G REA T SERPEN T F rom which we m ay conc lud e 4

.

1
D io d . S ic . lib ii . . S . 70 .

2
Kirch r ypti c i 2 62
e . (E d ip E g . a . . .

S rp n t w or hip i n S yri
3 ”
S ee e e -
s a .

Cl m n Al x ndrin
e e w ri t
s B EA I A P in th t x t 2 C r
e a us es e e . o .

vi 15.
Th r ar s r l M S S of thi p tl
. e e w hich [3 }
e e ve
p
a . s e Is e , In 8 ua

i fo nd in t d of fi h k —s ch
s u s ea tho of Lincoln M gd l n
e a u as se a a e
, ,

and N w C oll g e in O xford nd E mm n l Coll g in C m

e e s, a a ue e e a
,

—
b idg A l l ) d Lit A tiq f Gr
r e . n oo 2 44 . . n . o eec e , .

B L E pp ar t b compo nd of BEL nd AU R th
IAR a e s o e a u a , e
44 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN A SI A
-
.

that the s erpent was at l e ast an emblem or , ,

symbol of BE L But if the apocryphal history .

”
of BE L AN D T H E D R A G O N be founded upon
any tradition we must conclude that the dragon
, ,

o r serpent for the words are synonymous was

( , ) ,

something more than a mere symbol : we mus t

conclude that LIVE SERPEN T S were kept at
,

Babylon as obj ects of adoration or at l e as t of , ,

venera tion as oracular o r talismanic

,
This .

custom was observed at Thebes in E gypt and 1

,

at Ath e ns ; and therefore there is nothing i n

z

credible in the fact at Babylon H owever

suspiciously then we may regard the apocryphal
writings in general we are c onstrained to admit ,

”
that the author o f Bel and the Dragon ,

though he may have embellished the narrative ,

has given us a true picture o f Babylonian super

s ti ti o n .

I n that same place there was a G RE A T

D R A G O N which they o f Babylo n W O RS H IPPE D
,
.

A nd the king said unto Daniel Wilt thou say ,

that this is of brass l o he eateth an d dri nketh

?

i from 1 1R l ig ht BE L I L h
s o l ar d e ty , imil r ig ifi
, . A as a s a s n ca

”
tion b ing
,
compo
e nd d of B L d A L d u I l
e in E an , e us . au ,

th Br ton l ng
e e g i th n am of th sol r d i ty
a ua e , s e e e a e .

H rod ii 74 e H rod iii 4 1

. . .
2
e . v . .
 B A B Y LO N . 45

thou canst no t say he is no LIVIN G G O D therefore

W O RSHIP H IM .
’

F rom the Chald aeans we are told th at the , ,

H ebrews obtained the word A B A D O N as a title ,

”
o f the P rince o f Darkness This word may .

“
signify T H E S ERPEN T He i n siu s (cited
9

by Bryant) makes A badon to be th e same as the

Grecian P ython I t is n ot to be doubted tha t
.

the P ythian A poll o is that evil spirit whom the

H ebrews call O B and A B A D O N the H elleni sts ,

AP O LLY O N and the other Greeks AP O LL O , .

This is corroborated by the testimony o f S t .

John w h o says
, They had a k ing o ve r th e m
,
.

which is the angel of the bottomless pit w hose ,

name in the H ebrew tongue 1 s A badon ; but in

the Greek (H ellenistic) tongue hath his name
A pollyon This same angel o f the bottom
2

”
less pit is in another place called by the
,

E vangelist the d ragon tha t o l d s e r e n t w hi c h

, p ,

is the D e vi l and S atan 3

S ubj ect to the king of Babylon w as A ssyria

and the people o f th is country are said to hav e
”
borne a dragon upon their standard I t is 4

observed by Bryant that in most c ou ntrI e s th e ,

A ri t rch
s a u s, p . 11 .
2
Re v . ix . 11 .
3
Re v . xx . 1, 2 .

4
Koch d . e C ul tu S e rp e n tu m , s. 7 . p . 30 .
46 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN A SI A -
.

original military standard wa s descriptiv e o f the

deity they worshipped I t is certain that the .

R oman soldiers paid great veneration to their

m i litary insignia almost amounting to worship ,

from which we may infer that the devices on ,

them were originally emblems of the gods

, , .

Their chief ensign the e ag l e was sacred to , ,

Jupiter F rom the practice o f the R omans we

.
,

may obtain an insight into that of the othe r

nations of antiquity ; for in matters of super
s ti ti on it is as tonishing h o w nearly people eo
g
v
,

graphically th e most remote approached each ,

other .

F rom the A ssyrians th e emperors o f Con ,

s tan tin O l e are said to ha v e borrowed th e dragon

p
standard The same standard was also born e
1
.

“
by the Parth i an s S axons Chinese
z
, , ,

5
,
—
Danes and E gyptians people who we r e in a ,

W
grea ter or le ss degree addicte d to serpent worshi p -
.

e may therefore infer tha t th e dragon e n sign ,

o f the A ssyrians denoted their devotion to th e

same idolatry .

1
Vo i ss u s de I dol lib i
. 5 4 ci ting C
. v. e .
, o d inu s .

2
S al m asi u s H i t A g S crip t 9 6
s . u . . .

3
Koch . u t s u ra
p
— S u i d as
. .

S tuk e l y . A b ry
u . 56 .
5
Koch .
 PE RSI A . 47

II P ERSI A —The serpent worship of P ersia

. .
-

is more noticed by authors than that of Baby

lonia . The dracontic standard distinguishe d
the P ersians as well as the A ssyrians ; fo r
among the spoils taken by A urelian from Z e
n o bi a were P e rsic i D rac one s which were
doubtless military ensigns for the P ersians as ,

sisted th e queen of P almyra on that occasion .

Th i s a c cording to o ur hypothesis would denote

, ,

th at the P ersians venerated the serpent ; an in

ference which is abundantly proved from their
mythology .

In the mytho l ogy of P ersia we may look for

the remnant of the ancient Chald ae an philo
SO h
p y : and in proportion as we establish th e

prevalenc e of o p hi ol atre i a i n P ersia in the ,

same propo rtion at l e as t we may infer that it

, ,

once ob tained in B abylon .

S o stro ngly marked was this character o f

idolatry in the P ers i an religion th at Eu s e bi u s ,
’

“
does n o t hesitate to affi rm they all worshipped
,

the first principles un d er the form o f SERPEN T S ,

h aving dedic ated to them temples in which they

performed sacrifices and held festi vals and orgies
, ,

V opi s c u s Hi s t. A ug . S cript . 218 .

48 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN A SI A
-
.

e steeming them T H E G RE A T ES T O F G O D S and , ,

G O VERN O RS O F T H E UNI V ERSE

”
The first principles were O rmuzd and
A hriman the good and e vil deity whose con
, ,

tention fo r the uni verse w as represented in

P ersian mythology by tw o serpents contending
,

for the MUN D ANE E GG They are standing upon .

their tails an d each o f them has fastened u pon

,

th e obj ect in dispute w ith his teeth The egg .

for which they contend represented the uni v erse ,

in the mythologies of I ndia E gypt an d P ersia , , .

A n engra ving of this may be seen in M ontfaucon .

But the EVI L PRIN C IPLE was more particularly

represented by the serpent as we may infer ,

fro m a fable in the Ze n da V esta in which that ,

deity is described as having assumed a serpent s ’

form to destroy the fi rs t of the hum an sp e c ie s ,

whom he accordingl y p oisone d 2

A similar proof occurs in the S ad d er where 3

,

we find the fol l ow m g precept : W hen you

kill serpents you shall repea t the Zenda V es ta
, ,

and thence y ou will obtain great merit for it is

th e same as if o u had killed so m an d e vi ls
y y
”
The Z e nd a Ves ta to be here repeated might ,

2
P r p E ng i 4 2
ea . va . . .
2
F ab e r , H or M . os . l . 72 .

2
P ort 4 7 Ap d H yd
a . u e . Re l V e t
. . P r 4 78
e s . .
 PERSI A . 49

perhaps be that portion of it above alluded to

,
'

the a ssumption o f the serpent s form by A b ri ’

m an Connected with which doubtless was

. , ,

the pop u lar be l ief of the P ersians that in the ,

place of torment in the other world s corpions ,

and se r en ts gn a w and sti n g the feet o f the

p
wicked 1

Th e Go d M I T H R A S was represented encircled

'

by a serpent : and in his rites a c ustom was

observed similar to that practised in the M ys
te ri e s of S e b az i u s — a s e r e n t w as thrown into
p
2

the bosom o f the initiated and taken o u t at the ‘

lower parts of h i s garments I n M ontfauco n 2

.
,

v ol V are some plates o f M ithras w ith a lion s

’
. .
,

head and a human body ; an d round him is

coiled a l arg e w inge d se rp e n t I n th e S upple .

ment to vol i M ontfaucon give s us a representa

. .

tio n o f a stone found at Lyons I t is a rud e .

stone e x hibiti n g the head o f a young a

, n d bear d

less man Under it is the in scription

. D Eo ,

INVI C T O M I T H I R S E O U N D I N U S D A T : and under,

’ 3

1
T hi cr d inc lc t d in th
s ee Is u a e e Ard i varaf Nam e h ,
a w ork
on th nci n t r ligion of P r i
e a e e e s a .

2
M ric I nd A t iii 1 9 9
au e . n . . .

2
Ar bi no l ib p 1 71 J l
u s, . V . . . u . Firm . p . 23 .

E
5O SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN A SI A -
.

the inscription the raised figure o f a l arge se r ,

”
pent M ithras w as styled in vic tu s an d often
.
,

represen ted with a you thful countenance like ,

that o f A pollo .

M an d e l so e w h o visited an a n cient temple at

,

M ard asc h s aw in one of th e recesses

,
a squar e ,

pillar wi th the figure o f a king upon it w or

, ,

shipping the SUN F IRE and A On , ,

the front of som e ancient P ersian grottoes sa ,

cred to the solar deity was figured a princely ,

personage approaching an altar on which th e ,

sacred fi re is burning A bove all is the sun .

,

and th e figure o f the deity in a cloud with ,

sometimes a sacred bandage at other times a ,

”
SERPEN T entwined round his middle 2
.

This is the God A Z O N whose name according , ,

”
to Bryant , signifies the sun The sacred .

girdle round his wai st was esteemed an emblem

o f the orbit described by Z O N th e sun H e nce , .

g i rd l e s w ere c alled by the Greeks z one s

,
2
.

This deity is some times represented di ffer

ently as a young man in profile round whose
4
, ,

2
M an d e l s o e T r av e l s ,
, ch ap . i .

2
B ry n t An l i
a . a . . 2 76 pl ate i n vol ii 4 0 6
. . .

2
I bid ii 40 7 . . .
2
I bid pl t 4 0 6. a e .
 PERS I A

waist is drawn a ring loos e ly depende nt Through .

the lo w er part of this ring passes a se rp e n t A t .

the upper limb o f the circle behind the figure , ,

is a kind of mantle composed o f expanded ,

wings .

I n Koe m p fe r s Am oe n it Ex ot the same deity

’
. .

is described in a third for m H e appears term i .

nating at the waist i n a c i rc l e wh i ch is composed ,

o f a se r e n t : fro m each s i de of th i s ci rc l e pro c eed

p
four w ings I n his le ft h and he h o l ds a nother
.

circ l e o r ring c o m posed l i ke the forme r of a

, , , ,

se r e n t bitin
p g his ow n tai l This pa i
. n ti ng w as at

P ersepol is H e re i s als o in Koe m p fe r p 3 1 2

.
, ,
.
,

a figure of a p rie st of this god w h o appears to ,

be approaching an altar with a se rp e nt i n his l ef t

hand . In the sky abo ve is a repre se ntation of
h is d e ity and beh i nd th e God is the S un
,
.

T h e hi erog ra m o f the C I RC L E W I N G S and S E R

PEN T is o ne o f th e m o st curious e mble m s o f
O p h i o l atre ia and m ay be recogn i sed i n al m ost
,

every country w here S erpent W orsh ip prev ai l e d - .

I t forms a prominent feature in the P e rsian ,

Egyptian an d M ex ican h i eroglyphics

, C h i na .
,

H i n d u stan Greece I taly and A si a Minor as

, , , ,

di sti nctly though more rarely exhibi t i t ; an d

, ,

it has even been fo und in Brit ain It seems to ‘

E2
 SERPEN T -
W
O RS H IP IN A SI A .

have been a general s y mbol o f c onse c ra tion ,

an d

as such is al luded to by the poet P ersius :

P ing d g u p ri r
e t l uo s an es ue s ac e es oc us .

S at 1
. . 1 13 .

H ere tw o snakes are men tioned w hich is the ,

hierogram of the worshippers of the Tw o P RIN

C I PLES ,
e ach o f w hom is represented by a ser .

ent O ften however only o n e serpent appear s

p .
, ,

issuing from th e Winged circle and s ometimes

’

the circle is shorn o f its wings A s a symbol of .

consecration the ophite hierogram appears over

,

the portals of the E gyptian temples an d may be

,
,

recognised even in those o f Java The Druids .

,

however with the consistent magnificence which

,

characterized their religion transferred the sym ,

bol from the portal to th e whole templ e ; and

instead of placing the circle and serpent o v er th e
e ntrance into their sanctuaries erected th e entire ,

building itself i n the f orm of the op hi te hie rogram .

A bury in Wiltshire an d S tanton Drew in S omer ,

s e tsh i re are interesting examples o f this con

,

struc tion The former represents the ophite

.

hierogram with one serpent the latter wi th tw o ,

the circle in each case being d es titute of Wings .

O n the ruins of N aki Rustan l n P ersia is a ‘

, ,

beautiful specimen of the serpen t and w inged

circle I n E gypt the hierogram underwent v a
.

ri o u s transformations of which the annexed plat e ,

gives a description O ne o f them N O 2 i s .

,
.
,

perhaps the device fro m which M alachi borrowed

his ele gant metaphor o f T HE S U N O F RI G H TE
”
O U S N E S S arising wi th healing in his WIN G S .

S elden remarks that the figure ,

R in abbre
v i ate writing among the Greeks signified
d ,

A pw
at the d e i ty
v, The same figure according ‘
.
,

to Kircher was in use among the Brahmins of

,

H ind u stan as th e c harac te r m u nd i i nte l l i i

, g
bi lis
”
—2
that is o f the Dei ty ; for the universe
,

and its Creator were Often confounded by th e

ancient heathen The emblem is evide n tly the .

globe and serpen ts of E gyptian mythology In .

the same for m was erected the celebrated temple

of the Druids at A bury in W iltsh i re The u p .

right stones which constituted th e A dytum and

its approaches correctly delineated th e circle
, ,

w i th the serpent passing through it 3

.

I n China this sacred emblem assumed a form

,

1
S e ld . on Arund . M rbl a e s, 1 3 3, cit d by
e S tuk e l y ,

A b ry u , 56 .

2
Gfi d ip JEgyp. iii p 2 3
. v ol . . . .

2‘
F or an a cco n t of thi t mpl
u s e e , se e th e C hapt r on O phite
e

T mpl
e e s.
54 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN A SI A
-
.

unknown in o ther cou ntries Th e serpents were .

se ara te d from the annulus being placed o n eac h

p ,

side of it regarding each other This was p ro

,

bably a representation o f th e tw o princi p les

claiming the u niverse This sacred ring be .

tween two serpents is very commo n o n the

,

triumphal arches o f P ekin I n Table X V o f . .

Baron Vi sc h e rs A ncient A rchitecture

’
is an ‘
,

engraving o f such an arch and on it is this ,

hierogram twice depicted .

But th e most remarkable of all is the M exican

symbol H ere the tw o serpents intert w ining
.
, ,

form th e circle wi th their o w n bodies and in the ,

mou th o f each o f them is a H um an he ad !

A similar figure w as assumed by the O phite
hierogram when it appeared o n th e staff o f M er
cury and constitu ted the Caduceus The ser
,
.

pents in tertwining formed the circ l e

The orig i n o f this symbol is to be found in the
d e i fi c ati on of the serpent o f P aradise I ts real
meaning is involve d in much mystery I n the .

former edition of th is treatise I advanced the

opinion that it m eant nothing mo re tha n the
,

w i ng e d se r p e n t onc e c oi l e d But further

. consider
ation has induced me to give up this conj ecture
2
S tuk e l y , Ab ry u , 56
.
 PERSI A . 55

as i rre c on c il e abl e with the connection o f the S er -

v

pent and G l obe The most probable meaning

.

may be that which I have assI g ne d in the chap

ter o n S erpent Temples : n amely that it is the ,

hierogram o f the S olar O phite God O P H EL o r

‘

AP O LL o ; and assumed its present S hape fro m

the u ni on o f th e tw o idol atries o f the S erpent and

the S un F or th e groun ds o f this conj ecture I
.

refer to the chapter cited .

W
At all events it is certain that the tripar ti te
,

emblem of the S e rp e nt ,
i ngs and Circ le was an
, ,

hieroglyphic Of the D EI T Y and this is s ufli c ie nt

for the purpo ses o f my argument .

The E gyptian priests of a l ater and m ore m e »

w

tap h s i c al age understanding this to be the

y ,

s ignific ati o n o f the h i erogram add re ssed them

,

selves to th e task o f disco vering the mys tery .

A most i n g enious theory w as acc ordingly devised

by H e rmes Tris m e gis tus w h o w as pro bably the
,

high priest o f the Go d Thoth o r Th rice grea t

-
,
-

”
He rm e s whos e n ame h e ass um e d i n comp l i
"

ance wi th the un iversal custom of the religio n .

The Go d T h ot h was be li e ve d i to hav e been the

author o f the E gyptian hieroglyphics .

A ccording to this the o ry the G L O B E ty pi fi e d

,

th e SIMPLE ESSEN C E O F GO D ,
which he in d i fl e r
56 SERP EN T W O RS H IP IN A SI A
-
.

ently called T H E F A T H ER T H E FIRS T MIN D T HE , ,

S UPREME WI S D O M TH E S ERPEN T e m e rgm g from

.

th e G L O B E was the VIVIFYIN G P O WER of GO D ,

w hich called all things into e xistence This he .

n amed T H E W O R D .

The W IN G S implied th e M O V IN G o r PENE T R A

T IVE P O WE R o f GO D which perv aded all things
.

, .

This he called L O V E .

The w hol e emblem was in terp reted to re p re

sent th e S UPREME BEIN G i n his character of .

C RE A T O R and P RESER V ER 1
.

The d e fi n iti on o f the Deity by T R I S M E G I S TU S

,

is poeti cally sublime

’
GO D is a C IR C LE whose
C EN T RE is E V ERYW H ERE and C IR C U M F EREN C E ,

N O W H ERE
2
.

The above descrip tion o f the ophite hierogram ,

as may w ell be imagine d has persuaded many ,

a n arden t friend of revela tion to recognise in

this symbol of th e hieroglyphical l earning of

E gyp t th e mystery of the H O LY T RINI T Y Kir

,
.

c her Cudworth and M aurice have all embraced

, ,

this opinion ; bu t the more cautious F A B ER

3
,

with the arguments of all before him has come ,

to the conclusion tha t the doctrine of th e Tri ,

1
Kirch r e , Pam p h . Obe l . 399 .
2
I bid . 380 .

2
D i ss e r t . on th e Ca biri l
, . 3 16 .
 PERSIA . 57

n it in its Christian sense was unknown to the

y , ,

P agans .

That there has been but on e essential religion

am on the s e rvan ts o f the l iving Go d from the
g ,

fall to the present hour no reasonable reader o f

,

the H oly S criptures can deny There never .

has been a time in which T RUE RELI G I O N has

been wholly lost S ome few if not . seven ,

” ”
thous and have always been left who have
,

”
n o t bowed the knee to Baa l But fo r these .

fe w w h o have had a right knowledge and clear

,

conception o f the Deity as revealed to A dam we ,

”
must look among th e holy remnant who ,

were at on e time confined to the family of

N O AH and at another to that o f A B RAHA M The
,
.

rapidity wi th which the descendents o f N oah fell

into PO LY T HEISM forbids o u r being too sanguine
in th e hope o f discovering the doctrine o f the
Trinity amon g the Gentiles This d oc trine i tse lf .
,

c orru tl
p y re m e m be re d , p
e rha
p g
s ave ris e to that

ve r
y P o l theis m
y w hi c h a t l e ng th o bl i te ra te d al m os t

e ve r
y trac e
f
o ratio nal re l ig ion i n the w orl d .

”
I f then th e globe wings and serpent was
, , ,

among the E gyptians the hieroglyphic of th e

Trini ty we must suppose that the priests ao
,

quired this doctrine from their i nterco u rse with

58 SERPEN T W ORS H IP IN A SI A
-
.

the I sraelites rather than from any tradition of

,

their ancestors I n this case JO SEP H would be

.
,

the H ermes Trismegistus so lauded in E gyptian ,

his tory as B ry ant i nd e e d supp ose s he w as )

, , , .

”
Joseph is said to have taught the E gyptian
”
senators w isd om : but not I apprehend in a
1
, ,

re ligious sense The edic t o f P haraoh to which

.
,

this probably alludes is o f a poli tical nat u re ,

2
.

I t w ould have been the extreme o f indiscretion

fo r Joseph to have attemp ted without a divine ,

command to instruct the E gyp tians in the mys

,

te rie s o f religion
. and had such a command been
issued it would have been recorded by M o ses
,
.

S o far from the E gyptia n s having a c quire d reli

.

gio n s instruction from the I sraelites every ,

j ourney in the wilderness performed by the

latter pro v es that they learned id ola try from the
,

”
E gyp tians The go lden c alf is a m emorable
.

instance as copied fro m the rites o f th e s acred

,

o x A pis .

Besi d es i t is more likely that Jo se ph in his

, ,

instructions on th e mysteries o f religion would ,

h a v e begun w ith his o w n peo ple w h o see m not ,

o nly to ha ve been ignorant o f the doctrine o f th e

2
P s lm a c v.
2
Ge n . xli . 44 .
 PERSI A . 59

T RIN I T Y but o f every rational idea of th e UNI T Y

,

o f Go d when M oses was commissioned to l ead

,

them from E gypt O f this we have ab undant .

proof in the d ifli d e nc e with which he accepted

the commission 1
.

S o gross was their ignorance and so deep ,

rooted their prej udices tha t the doctrine of the ,

Trinity w as n ever indeed f u l ly explained to , ,

them even by M oses H e deemed it a doctrine

,
.

too d angerous fo r their idolatrou sly inclined

m inds to bear lest in their ardour fo r the P oly
,

theism which i t w as his obj ect to eradicate they ,

should sep arate the U nity and disho no ur the

/

Trinity J est in their proneness to worship the

-

M A NY they should fo rget that J E H O V AH the ir

,

GO D is O N E J E H O V A H 2 3)

I cannot therefore see that there is any con

e lusive testimony that the E gyptian hierogram

of G LO BE WI N GS and SER PEN T d e noted the Tri

, , ,

nit
y ,
in o u r s e nse o f the term I ndeed it m a
y .
,

be do u bted whether the de fi nition o f H ermes

Trismegi stus ad duced by Kircher may n ot have
'

, ,

”
be en a pious fraud of some E gyptian Christ
ian of the second or third century who se imagi ,

S e e hi s con r ation w ith God in H or b

ve s e , xod iii
E . . 13 .

2
De ut . vi . 4 .
60 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN A SI A
-
.

nation seized upon this popular emblem as a fit

instrument for I nculcating the truth .

B u t whatever may have been th e origin o r

,

meaning of this hierogram o n e thing is clear , ,

that the SERPEN T attached to i t was a T YPE O F

D I V INI T Y an d this i s enough to support th e
—
theory o f the present volume that The S erpent ,

o f P aradise was the S ERPEN T —

GO D o f th e Gentiles .

III HI N D fi S TA N As an e m bl e m of d ivini ty
. .
-
,

the serpent enters deeply into the religion of the

Brahmins ; and fro m th e popular superstiti ons
,

of the present race o f Hin d fi s we may infer that ,

he was at one time an obj ect o f re II g I o u s wor

s hip .The well known reluctance of th e natives
of H ind u stan to kill a snake cannot be referred ,

entirely to th e doctrine of transmigration o f

”
souls I n Forbes s
. O riental M emoirs we ’

read of certain gardeners in Guzerat who wo u ld

never su ffer the snakes to be molested calling ,

” ”
the m father brother and other endearing
, ,

names and looking upon them as somethi n g

,

divine The head gardener however

.
p ai d
-
, ,

the m re ligious
1
honou rs
3

1
Thi s is o ne of n m ro im il r n cdo t r cord d of
u e us s a a e es e e

th e H i nd fi s by di ff r n
e t w
e ri t r e s.
 H IN D US T A N .

H ere we observe a mix ture of the original

serpent worship with the more modern doctrine
-
,

o f transmigration .

But a more tangible proof that op h i ol atre i a

did indeed exist in H ind u stan in former times ,

is furnished in the fol l o w m g fact n oticed in ,

P urchas s P ilgrims A king of Cal icut

’
. built
”
cottages for live se rp e n ts whom he tended w ith
,

peculiar care and made it a capital crime for

,

any person in his dominions to destroy a snake .

The n ative s l oohe d up on s e r e n ts as e nd u e d

p w i th

From some such a notion may have been de

rived a custom which prevails in certain par ts

o f H ind u stan to thi s day The natives have a

.

festival Called The F east of the S erpents at ,

”

which every H ind u sets by a portion o f his rice

for the hooded snake on the outside of his house .

By this o ffering he expects to propitiate those

reptiles d urin g the remainder of th e year .

A further proof o f the ancient prevalence of

o hi ol atre i a in those countries is afl ord e d by
p ,

the sculptures in the celebrated c averns of S al

sette and E lephanta ; where the deities either
2
Fu rch . ilg p ar t i p
B . . . 5 65 .
62 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN
-
A SIA .

grasp serpents in their hands o r are enfolded ,

by them S erpents are also sculptured on the

.

cornices surro unding the roofs of those cav erns ,

and similarly delin e ated in th e more modern

'
pagodas The god S ani o f th e H indu s is
.
, ,

represente on a raven and encircled by two ,

serpents whos e heads meet o v er that o f the

,

god 2
.

M aurice supposes that by the se rp e ntl n e circle

o v er S an i who is the S aturn of th e H ind us the
, ,

ri ng of that planet is denoted I f so th e disco .

,

ve r i e s of modern astronomy are lit tle more th an

re vi v als o f the ancien t philosophy Bu t whe ther .

S ani be S atu rn or the S un he is equally ill us ,

trati v e of our theory — that serpents were ea rly

emblems o f di vinity in Hi n d fi s tan A s such we .

find them employe d in the religious festi v als o f

the symbolizin g some o f their most
awful deities .

Boodh and Je yn e are both adorned with the

same emblem The statue o f Jeyne who is said
.
,

to be the I ndian ZEc ul ap iu S is turbaned by a ,

seven headed snake : the rim o f th e pedes tal is

-

1
M ric I nd
au e, . An t
. ii 1 9 2
. .
2
I bid iii . . 203 .

3
I bid iii
. . 1 19 .
 HIN D US T AN . 63

embossed w ith serpents heads The same ser ’

.

pent also symbol izes P arus N auth ‘

.

O n a rock in th e Ganges in the province of ,

Bahar is a sculpture o f V e sh nu reposing on a

,

coiled serpent whose numerous folds are made

,

to form a canopy over the sleeping god This 2

.

serpent is fabled to have been the goddess Devi

o r I si who assumed the figure to carry V e sh n u
,

over the waters o f the Deluge The Sleep of 2

.

V e sh n u indicates the period bet w een the tw o

worlds A similar sc ulpture is to be seen among

.

the ruins o f M aval i p u ram o n the coast o f Coro ,

mandel V e sh n u himself is sometimes re p re

1
‘

sented encompassed in the folds of a s erpent :

and Tw ash ta the great artifi c e r o f the universe

, ,

who corresponds in H ind u my thology with the

C n e p h o r Pth a o f the E gyptians is supposed to ,

have borne the form of a serpent J agan N ath 5

.
-

(Jugger n aut) is said to h e sometimes worshipped

under the form of a seven headed dragon The -

s
.

H ind u D e on au sh (the D ionusus of th e Greeks ) ,

’
w as metamorphosed into a snake : hence p ro ,

1
F rancklinon th t n t of th J y nd B
e d hi
e e s e e ne s a oo s ts .

2
M oor H indu P th on
. F b r P g I dol i
an e .
2
a e , a . . . 456 .

1
A i t R i 1 50
s a . es . F b r P I i 451
. . a e . . . . .

F b r P I i 452
a e . . .I bid 4 5 3
. .
7
. .
64 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN ASIA — .

bably th e prominent figure which th e se r pg nf

bore in the mysteries o f Bacch us .

M ahadeva (a nam e o f S iva ) is sometimes re ,

presented with a snake ent w ined about his neck

o n e round his hair an d armlets o f serpents upon
,

1
both arms
Bhairava (an A v atar o f S iva ) S its upon the ,

coils o f a serpent whose head rises above that ,

o f the od
2
g .

P arvati the consort of S iva is represented

, ,

with snakes about her neck and waist 2

.

H ence w e perceive that the serpent was an

emblem not confined to o n e god but common ,

to many . The fifth day of th e bright hal f o f

th e month S ravana is also sacr e d to the demi

gods in th e forms o f serpents

This reptile though the attribute of many o f
,

the H ind u deities both benevol ent and malig

,

nant belonged more properly to the EVI L SPIRI T

, ,

o f whom it is a sacred and terrific e m blem The .

king of the evil d aemons is called in H ind u m y ,

th o l o g y
,
the king o f th e s e rp e n ts H is name .
’ 9

is NA G A and he is the prince of the N agas o r

, ,

1
M oor H ind P n th pl t
. . a . a es 1 7, 1 8 , 2 0 .

2
I bid pl 4 7. . .
2
I bid pl . . 27 .

I bid p 2 2 1
‘
. . .
a w
r
s HIN D US T AN . 65

“ ”
Naig s I n which S anscrit appellation o h
.
,

serves M aurice we plainly trace the H ebrew

,

nac has h which is the very word for the parti e n

,

lar serpentine tempter and in general fo ral l , , ,

” 1
serpents throughout the O ld Tes tamen t The .

H ind u N araka o r he ll is fabled to consist o f

, ,

poisonous snakes folde d together in horrible

”
con tortions .

The malignan t serpen t C al iy a w h o was slain ,

by V e sh n u (in his incarnation o f C rishn a)

, ,

because he poisoned th e air and des troyed th e ,

,

herds on th e banks o f the Yamuna was deified ,

“
and worshipped by the H ind u s in the same
mann er as P ython was adored at Del phi
To th e evil d ae mon in th e form of a great ,

serpent the Hind u s attrib uted the guardianship

,

o f treasures A remarkable instance o f this

.

s uperstition occurs in F orbes s O riental M emoirs ’

.

Havi ng once the curiosity to open a vault in a

deserted to w er in which treasure w as reported
,

to be concealed under th e guardianship o f a ,

d m m o n in the form o f a snake he prevailed , ,

with much d ifli c u l ty upon tw o men to descend ,

when in stric t accordance wi th th e popular

,

1
M r c H i t of H indo t n i
au i e, s . s a , .

2
A i t R iii 65
s a . es. v . .
66 SERPEN T W O RS H IP 1 N A SI A
-
.

belief they foun d a large serpent in a torpid

,

state The tw o m e n were drawn up and th e

'

.
,

rep tile destroyed by fire ; bu t no thing co uld

induce th e natives again to enter a place which ,

they n o w regarde d more than e v er as th e re

si d e n c e o f the evil s pirit .

I n H ind ustan pre v ailed also the genera l , ,

opinion which accompan ied op h iol atre ia in all

—
its progress that the serpen t was o f a p rop he tic
l

The de cay of op h iol atre i a in H ind u stan may

be readily acco u nted for by the exterminatin g
religious wars which so long ra ged between the
followers o f C rish n a and Budha Budha was .

the se r e nt w h o carried o fl E lla th e daughte rof

p
—
Ic h sw ac a the son of M anu an d hence th e
,

an imosity against him The children (i e th e

. . .

w orshippers ) of Budha were th e real Hi n d fi s , ,

an d preserved the ophite S l g n o f their race .

They were distinguished by the banner of the

serpe nt The worshippers o f Crish n a ado pted
.

the e ag l e .

The worshippers of C rish na Budha and , ,

S urya (the sun) form th e three idolatrous classes

o f I ndia from th e Ganges to the Caspian sea .

1
M ric Hi
au e, s t. of H indo t n s a , V. 343 .
 HIN D US T A N . 67

The children o f S urya j oined with those o f

C ri sh n a against the Bu d h i s ts and at le n g th ,

almost exterminated the race The Mah abh arat .

“
records constant wars from anc ie n t times be ”
.

twee n the w orshippers of th e S un and the Tah

o r Tahs hac races The word Tahshac I s fre .

quently rendered s nake but Tah is the name

o f a mountain in th e r ange west o f I ndia and ,
’

H ah w as th e wo rd w h i c h d e si gn ate d a se rp e n t
' '

A le x ander s al l y Tax il e s was do u btless a n O phite

’

W
chief o f this c ountry for h e took him to s e e an
'
‘

enormous drago n t h e obj ect of orship among ,

his subj ects The name Taxi l e s w as probabl y

‘
.

titular Since he was called O nup his until his

,

father s death H e was th e n th e pri est an d king

’
.
'
‘ ‘

o f the O phites o f T ak and from th at v e ry cir ’

‘

c u m stan c e called O nu his by the Greeks w ho

p ,

had acquired the kno w ledge of this ti tl e fro m r

their intercourse wi th E gypt an d h e r pri estho od ,

o f O N and OPH
2

P ursuing o u r inquiries w e fi n d th at op hio ,

z a‘

l atre i a prev ailed to an equal extent in C ac h m e re ,

where there were no l ess than s e ve n hund re d

1
Q in t C rti l ib iii c 1 2
u us u u s, . v . . .

2
F or th bo l bl f ct I
e a v e va u a e a s, am ind b t d t th l g n t
e e o e e e a

w ork of C l T od on th An tiq i ti
o .
, e u e s an d Ann l of Raj h t
a s a s an .

F 2
68 SERPEN T W O RSH I P IN ASIA -
.

p l in which car v ed images of serpe nts were

ac es

worshipped A nd even in Tibe t may be often

1
.

seen th e great Chinese dragon ornamenting the

,

te m ples o f the Grand L ama But the chief 2

.

seats of op h iol atre ia in this quarter of the modern

w orld were in China an d Japan .

.
—
IV C EYL O N The religion of . natives o f th e

Ceylon is the Boodh which is a corruption of th e ,

”
ancient o p h i ol atre i a The S ingalese says Dr .
,
.

“
Davy in general rather venerate than dread
2
,

th e hooded s n ake They conceive that i t be longs

.

to ano the r w orl d and that w hen i t appears in this

,

is only a Visitor They imagine that it possesses

.

great power and is somewhat akin to the g od s

, ,

and sup e ri or to m an I n consequence they super. e

s titi o u s l
y refr a
in from killing i t This is the .
”

snake made use of by the serpen t charmers .

Its image is also seen round the necks of some

o f the gods The mythological history of this

.
.

serpent is curious The y live in the world o f

.

spirits in a place peculiarly devo ted to them

'

selves and are said to have a faculty of l o c o m o

,

tion and a splendour of appearance l ik e the gods

,
.

1
M r Hi
au . s t. H ind i 2 9 1
. . .
2
E mb ass y to Tib e t.

Acco n t of C ylon p
2
u e , . 83 .
 C H IN A AN D J A PA N . 69

N ever theless they are supposed to have been

,

once human beings w h o forfeited their estate by ,

indulging the sin o f m alic e .

V C H IN A AN D J A P A N The great Chinese

. .
-

D R A G O N so co n spicuous in e very public and

,

private edifice was the symbolical serpent o f

,

ancient mythology under a more fanciful and ,

“
poetic form I t was the genial banner o f the
.

empire and indicated every thing that was

,

”
sacred in it I t was not only the stamp
1
.

an d symbol of r oyalty b u t is sculptured in all ,

th e temples blazoned on the furni ture of th e

,

”
houses and inter w oven with th e vestmen ts o f
,
2

th e c h ief n obility The emperor bears a dragon

.

as his armorial de vice ; an d the same figure is

engraved on his sceptre and diadem as well as ,

o n all the vases o f the imperial palace .

The D RA G O N is also mixed up with many o f

their religious legends The Chinese believ e .

that there is a dragon o f extraordinary s treng th

and sovereign power w hic h is in he ave n in the , ,

air on the w ate rs and on the m ou n tains A 2 1’

, ,

prop erty so divine must have originated in th e

1
S tuk e l e y Ab u ry
, , 56 .
2
M r H i t H ind i
au . s . . . 2 10 .

2
Lcomp t e e, Chin 94 a, .
7O SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN A SI A
-
.

attribution o f this sacred an i mal to the Creator

of the universe F or though i t might appl y . -

partly to the spiritual presence o f the evil on e ,

yet in China this religious emblem belonged

rathe r to the A gathod ae mon A t the sacred .

washing o f Confucius soon after his birth two , ,

drago n s were fabled to have a ttended to in 1

,

timate probably that the young philoso p h er was ,

i n an especial ma nner under th e p ro tectio n of ,

th e deity
2

F ather M ar tin o ne of the Jes uits who ob tain e d

,

a se ttlement in China says that the Chinese , ,

deligh t in mountains and high places because ,

there lives th e dragon upon whom t h ei r g oo d

fo rtune depends They c all him the Fath e ro f .

‘

h appine ss : TO this dragon the y erect te mples

’

shaded wi th groves
H ere we perc e ive th e union O f tw o prime val
1
K oe m p fe r,J p n 2 46 a a , .

2
A om w h t imil r tory i told by P ind ar Ol ymp 6 of
s e a s a s s , .
,

Im
a u s, th e of Apollo d E dn tho gh in thi c a
s on an va e : u s se

th e tw o rp nt
se t by th g d
e f d th fo ndling w i th w ild
s , se n e o s, e e u

hon y e .

Biro 5S y k a v mfi rre g a ij rdv

fi
’
Aa t’Jé V w V o vk a i a w
’
’
8

fl p é iba vra dp o mo vre g

'
.

2
Ca mbry M o nu m e n s Ce t l iq ue s . 1 63 .
 C H IN A A N D JA P A N . 71

superstitions S e rp e n t w orship and Grove w orship

,
- e
,

each o f them commemorati v e o f the F all in

P aradise .

The Chinese god Fo h i i s said to have had , ,

th e form o f a man terminating in the tail of a ,

s nahe : w h ich is not o n l y a proof of th e early

existence of serpent worship in China but also -

,

shows that the d rag on an d the snake o f Chine s e

my thology w ere cognate S uch a form also .
, ,

had the A thenian Cecrops and Ere c th e u s and ,

the E gyptian Typhon 1

.

There was a remarkable supers ti tion in re gard

to a f
se r e n t o
p e norm ous bu l h w hi c h g i rd ed the

w orl d curre nt in the my thology o f almo s t e very

,

na tion wh ere O p h i o l atre ia prevaile d : n o r was .

China ex e mpt from the general credulity This .

idea perhaps originated in the early c o nse c ra

, ,

tion of th e se rpe nt to th e sun an d th e subseque nt

conv ersion o f a se rp e n t bi ti ng his tail into an ,

emblem of the S un s path T his hierogram

’
.

was again considere d as ty p ical of e te rnity ,

partly from the serpent being a symbo l o f D e i ty ;

partly from the p e rf e c t fi gure o f a c irc l e thus
formed without beginning o r end ; and p ar tly
,

from an o p I nl on o f the eternity o f ma tter .

1
Vid e i nf ra . S e rp e n t -
w or hip in
s Gre e c e an d E gyp t .
”
72 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN ASIA -
.

I n c ountries where the TW O PRIN C IPLES were

represented by tw o serpents instead of the ,

ecliptic the so ls ti ti al c olure s were described under

,

these symbols Thus in E gyptian h i e ro gl y

.
,

phi e s tw o serpents intersec ting each other at

,

righ t angles upon a globe deno ted the e arth

, ,
.

These rectangul ar in tersections were at the sol

s ti ti al points
1
.

The genius of superstition soon resol v ed the

imaginary into real serpents ; of which meta
m orphosis we hav e an instance in th e fi c tions of

the Chinese who are said to be superstitious

,

in choosing a plot of grou n d to erect a dwelling

house or sepulchre con ferring it w ith th e he ad ,

tai l and f e e t of d ive rs d rag ons which live under o u r

,

earth whence depends all good o rbad fortunes

,

The same poetical fiction w as curren t in H in

d u stan where there is a tradi tio n that th e
,

founder of Delhi when about to lay the foun ,

dation of that city was told by a Brahmin that , ,

provided he placed the seat o f his government

on the he ad
f o the se r e n t
p that su
pp orts the w orl d

his throne and k in gd om w o ul d last for e ver 2

'

1
J bl k i P n th JEg lib i c 4
a on s , a . . . . . .

2
P rch Pil g p rt iii p 39 5
u as . . a . . .

“
To r thro gh th U pp r P ro inc p
2 ”
u u e e v e s, . 1 66
.
 C H IN A AN D A PAN
J .

I n Hi n d fi mythology the serpent Aso ote e ,

enfolds the globe ; and o n every eclipse the 1

H ind u s believe that the sun o r moon 1 s se I z e d

by a large serpent o r dragon The same notion .

obtains in China This is the imaginary ser 2

.

pent of th e co n stellation Draco and the super ,

sti ti o n may be a remnant of the tra d ition of

“
the war in heaven when M ichael and his , ,

an gels fought against the dragon The d rag on

and the se rp e nt are the fifth and sixth signs o f
the Chi n ese Zodiac .

The superstition of J A P A N was in every respect

similar to that o f China The D R A G O N was held .

“
i n equal veneration in both countries The .

chronicles and histories o f the gods and heroes

o f Japan are full o f fabulo u s stories of this
animal They believe that it dwells at the
.

bottom o f th e sea as its proper element They 1

‘

,
.

represent it in their books as a huge long four , ,

footed snake S ome of the Japanese emperor s ’

cloth his arms scimetars knives and th e like

, , , ,

1
Ma r I nd A t ii 1 9 2
u . . n . . .

2
M r I nd A t 1 9 4 1 9 5
au . . n .
, .

2
R xii 7
ev . . .

1
‘

A imil r no tion pr
s il d in
a e va e th e My thology of S c nd i a

n i S i fr c 3
av a . ee n a, . .
74 SERPE N T W O RS H IP IN AS I A
-
.

as also the fu rniture and hangings of the imperial

palace are adorn e d with fig ures of this dragon
,
1

The Japanese soldiers eat the flesh o f the serpent

called Fi taku tz bel ieving firmly that it has th e
, ~

virtue of making them bold and co urageous

“

There is reason to belie v e that temple wor -

ship w as formerly paid to the dragon in J apan .

Koe m p fe r being once o n a journey a temple w as ,

pointed ou t to him w hich h i s guid e s said had , ,

been e re c te d i n memory o f a Vi ctory gained o n

th e shores o f the lake O i tz by a famou s dr ago n ,

ove r a scolo pend ra 2

.

—
VI BU R M A IL The neighbouring co untries of
.

S iam an d Burmah p artak i ng with th e Chines e

,

i n the religion of Budh partook wi th the m also ,

in th e adora tion of th e serpen t : such at l e ast ,

“
,

was the case in former times .

I have a Burm ese illumina ted m anuscri pt in

my possession exhibiting appare ntly i n th e
, ,

successive order o f events th e life of so m e deity ,

probably G u ad m a O ne of the first pict ures .

in th e series represents this good genius at tacked

by the evil spiri t Th e nex t compar tment pre
.

1
K oe m p fe r, Jpn a a , 1 24 .
2
I bid . 1 28 .

2
I bid . 49 1 .
 B U RMAH . 75

sents tw o men with a basket hanging from a

W
pole between them and proceeding through a
,

wood as if on an important errand

,
e see .

th e same men wi th the same baske t in th e next

, ,

picture It is now deposi ted on the ground and

.
,

the tw o bearers upon their knees in the attitude ,

o f supplication before an e no rm ous d ragon e nve

,

l op e d i n flam e s ! O n a mound before him are

tw o tre e s ; and th e votaries hold up each a boug h

in his hand .

A d oratio n is unquestionably intended in this

, ,

representa tio n : and reasoning from the c o n

,

n e c ti o n of this pic ture wi th the precedi n g which ,

describes the assault o f the evil spirit upon t h e

a ss ive and p ra in image o f the good d a e mon
p y g ,

w e cannot be charged with e x trao rd i n ary c re d u _

l ity if we refer the whole to some dark tradition

respecting th e even ts in P aradise .

The attitude of th e tw o worshippers o f the

dragon and the boughs in their hands illustrate
, ,

the scene in th e beginning of the (E d ip u s Ty

raunus o f S ophocles where th e attendan ts o f th e
,

priest Of The bes appear i rnp im g XdS w w £ 5 ”

,
x K O 86 7 5

p é
v m ,with th e b o u
g hs
f pp
o s u l i c a tio n in their
hands The sce n e is at Thebes an ophite
.
,

city .
76 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN A SI A
-
.

V II J A V A A w orship c ompounded of th e
. .
-

Brahminical and Budh superstitions prevailed ,

originally in Java S ir S tamford R affl es l n ex .

,

l ori n g the ruined temples found many image s

p , ,

which were adorned w ith the S a cred serpent .

Gigantic figures placed at the portals were , ,

armed with a cl ub in one han d and a w rithing ,

snake in the other S mal l twisted snakes als o .

formed their armlets ; and one passing diago ,

nally acros s éth e body represented a bel t In ,

1
.

the temple of K edal is an idol on o n e Side o f ,

which are three serpents o f an enormous magni

tude intertwining over the head Of th e image
,
.

A female figure with a serpent also reclines , ,

over it 2
.

O ver the portal of the great temple of Chandi

S ewu is a v ery large and terrible g org on
visa e
g
2
. These g
9?
orgon V isages are not u nc o m

mon and are probably a form of the ophite

,

hierogram deno ting c onse c ration such as we

, ,

see over the portals of some of the E gyptian

temples .

A ll th e Javanese temples are p y ram id al : w hich

is a figure dedicated to the solar deity : and th e
1
J ava, i . 9, 10 . 15 . 17 .
2
I bid . 47 .

2
I bid . 2 1, 22 .
 A RABIA . 77

same gorgon v isages as e m blems o f c on se c ra ,

tio n appear over th e niches which contain the

,

ima ges .

The sy m boli c al serpent at least was therefore , ,

once worshipped in Java .

VIII AR A B I A R eturning to w ards the centre

. .
-

and source of o p h i ol atre i a we arrive in A rabia ,

and here also are traces though almost oblite ,

rated o f th e ancien t serpent w o rship O f th e

,
-
.

C aaba o f M ecca as connected wit h this idola ,

~

try we shall have occasion to speak hereafter

,
.

But in this place we may observe that the lan ,

guage o f th e coun try retains an expression of i ts

Original religion which is not a l i ttle remark
,

able The same word is employed to denote

.

“ ” “
both ad oration and the se rp e n t from whence
Dickinson infers that the A rabians
f orm e rl
, y
w ors hip p e d s e r e n ts
1
1
p
W e may observe also that Ph il o stratu s attri , ,
2
.

butes the same supersti tious p rac tic e w i th th e , .

same V iews to the n atives of A rabia and H in

,

d fi stan : vi z that o f eating th e heart and liver

?

o f serpen ts for the purpose o f acquiri n g a know

,

1
D e lph . Ph n c oe . . 2 . p 10 . .

2
D e VitaAp ol l o nii , lib c . 1. . 14, an d lib iii c
. . . 3 .
78 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN A SI A -
.

”
ledge of the thoug hts and l anguages of anim als .

This notion perhaps originated in th e tradi

, ,

ti o n ary account o f the PR O P H E T I C SERPEN T thi s ,

memory of whose oracle is so strongly impressed

upon the page of antiqui ty .

IX S YRI A
. .
—F rom
A rabia we pass into th e ‘

L and of Canaan for so many ages the theatre ,

u pon wh ich tru th and superstition contended for

the ascendancy The country which w e include .

u n der th e general name o f S YRI A extends fro m

the E uphrates to the M editerranean sea o n one ,

side ; and from M ount Taurus to A rabia o n the ,

other I t includes there fore the w hole of P h oe

.
, ,

nici a and P ales tine th e territories of Damascus , ,

and the possessions o f S olomon .

The P h oe nicians according to S an c h on i ath on , ,

cited by Eu se biu s were amo n g the earliest of

l
1
,

th e nations tha t embraced o p hi o l atre i a and

the author o f this idolatry is said to have been
TA A U TU S S an c h o n i ath o n calls him
. a God
and says tha t he first made an image of C oe l u s
, ,

and after w ards o f S aturn ; and then invented

hieroglyphics H e is supposed to be th e same
2
.

1
Prae p . E vang . 40 .
2
I bid . 39 .

2
Ero cxs l w r . Se e Warb u r ton D iv . Lg e .
f
o M os e s , iii . 213 .
 SYRI A . 79

as th e H ermes Trisme gistus o f E gypt where he ,

was called Tho th and d eified The words of , .

S an c h o ni ath on are the following T aau tu s c on

s e c rate d the sp e c i es
f
o d rag ons an d se r e nts
p ; and

the P hoeni c ians an d E gyp ti ans f o ll ow e d him in this

1

su ers ti ti on
p .

H ence we may in fer that Taau tu s was the ,

first person who introduced into P h oenicia both

t zabaism and se rp e n t w orship F or such mus t be
-
.

l
S the meaning of th e expressio ns that he was
”
the firs t who made an image o f C cE LU S '

”
that is represe n ted
,
the heavenly host by
V isible symbols and c onse c ra te d D R A G O NS and
,

’
S E R PEN TS Y

The UNI O N of these tw o superstitions intimated ,

by the attribution o f them to the sam e in ventor ,

proves the origin o f the ser pent worship to be -

c o ordi n ate with that o f the s u n o r of the celestial

-
,

bg dL e s F
. rom which we may argue that T aau tus ,

was th e leader of the first colony after the flood

which settled in P h oe nicia ; o ut of which he may
hav e passed easily into E gypt if we take th e ,

word P h oe nicia in its most ex tended sense as ,

incl u ding the whole land of Can aan There is .

then n o d ifli c ul ty in conceivi n g that the P h oe

n i c i an T A U T and the E gyptian T H O T H were th e

l
80 SERPE N T W O RSHIP IN A SI A
-
.

same person The intimate connexion o f the

.

latter with the serpent worship of E gypt we Shall-

observe in the sequel .

The prevalence of o p h i ol atre ia in th e land of

Canaan is therefore directly show n upo n his
,

to ri c al testimony : it is proved collaterally by , ,

th e traditio n s of the country and the remai n s o f ,

serpent worship which was occasionally visibl e

-

in the sacred and classical writings The name .

o f the sacred serpent according to Bryant 1

, ,

h o has taken great pains to arri v e at accuracy

(w

in this statement ) was in th e ancient lang u age

,

o f C a n aan variously pronounced AU B AB ;

, ,

O U B O B ; O PH O P ; EPH EV
, ,
all refer ,

rible to th e original m s or an ; which being ,

n are ) w as perhaps applied

derived fro m ( fl
i , , ,

to the serpent from his peculiari ty o f i nflation

when irritated .

The first oracle mentioned in history was

dedicated to the serpent god who was known -
,

in Canaan by th e na m e o f O B o r AU B : hence ,

arose the notion that the oracular response of

th e priestess o f these serpent temples must be

always preceded by a mysterious i nflation as if ,

actuated by th e internal presence o f the divine

1
An t . M y th i . . 58 et
p as s im .
 SYRI A . 81

S piri t Thus V irgil describes

. the P ythian
priestess
Ai t, De us , e cc e Deu s c ui ali
t a fa nti
p ct e u s a nhe l um ,

Et r bi f r cord
a e e a a tum e nt, m a j orq u e vi d e ri,

Ne c mort l on na e s a s a
dfl a ta e s t Nu min e q ndo ua

Jam p rop i o re D e i .

E ne id . vi . 4 6, &c .

The whole of this notion o f ne c essary inflation

was taken up by the Greeks from mistaking ,

the w ord O B (th e nam e of the Deity ) for the

, ,

word O B th at p rOp e rty o f inflation from whence

,
’

the name was derived : O B signifying both the

s e r e n t and his property o f i nflation
1
p ,
.

The first mention of the God O B occurs in the

S criptures M oses refers to his oracle when he
.
,

commands every AU B AB or O B to be put to , , ,

death
A man also o r woman that hath a f am i liar
,

”
S iri t shall s rely be put to death
p , u .

( L evit X
.
X 2 7 Deut. xviii . . .

The word am is translated by the S eptuagint ,

ve n tri l o uis t — one that s e ahs rom his be l l

q p, f y This .

is the Greek notion o f inflation adopted by the ,

1
O B i s th e sa m e as AB , w t i h prolong d pron nci tion
a . e u a .

G
 82 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN A SI A
-
.

S eptuagint in accommodation to the rece ived

opinions respe c ting the P ythian priestess The .

”
E nglish version w ho hath a f am i liar sp iri t 1 s ,

too indefinite ; and the septuagint w ho i s a ,

W
”
ve n tri l o uis t
q too paraphrast
,
i c to e x press t h e ,

meaning o f M oses e m u st th erefore look for

.

another I n doing so w e may remark that it

.
, , w , g

g was not an unusual custom o f the

Ge n tiles for “

1
23? P s
.
rie t { R B E T te al
s s a t h e
n am
w

e d f th e deity they s e rV
w 1

ed Thus Clemens .

A le x andri nus call s the priest of C nu p h i s i n

E gypt S E C N U PH I S This was the priest with
,
.

whom P lato conversed and his god was the 1

,

W
same as the O B of Canaan that is the SERPEN T ,

G O D o f the country e read also o f O I N U PH I S

.
,

a priest o f H eliopolis from w hom P ythagoras is ,

said to have learned astronomy H eliopolis 2

.
,

”
the city of the SUN was cal led in E gypt O N , ,

which w as a title of the solar deity O I N U PH I S .

therefore (or rather O N U PH I S ) was the solar

, ,

deity O N symboli z ed by the sacred serpent O PH

,
.

I n this case therefore as in the former W the , ,

ries t assumed the c o g p m e n o f his God A gai n

p m w t n ’ 1
a
.
,

E udoxus was tau ght astronomy by another priest

1
J bl n k i P nth on ZEgyp t lib i c 4
a o s a e . . . . . . s . 11 .

2
P l t rch D Isid t O iride 63 2 E dit
u a . e e e s . . S te ph .
 SYRI A . 83

of H eliopolis whose na m e ,
w as C O N U PH I S , or

C 1
’
N U PH I S

F or these e xg
mp l es I am indebted to J abl on ski "
M ”
,

Lren
.
w fl h w

@2 32
2
? SE
E IE E
‘ P E e
w als « S t
a te
s
;

I n like manner we find that the priestess

of D EL PHI was called P Y T H I A from her dei ty ,

P Y T H O N : and the Druid w h o was the minister

o f the British god HU was called an A DD ER ,

bec au se add e rs were symbolical o f the god w h o m

he served w ho se chief titl e was
,
HU th e ,

D R A G O N RULER o f the world

-
2

I t is a curious c oin c idence that as the witc h ,

o f E ndor is called
ga p an d the A frican sor ,

ceress obi from the serpent deity Q 1113 so the

,

o l d E nglish n ame o f a witch hag b ears appa , ,

rent relationship to the word hg fi the ancient ,

Bri tish name o f a species of snake .

.

These examples I have taken exclusively , ,

from the worshippers o f the S ERP E N T G O D in -

E gy pt Greece and Britain among whom the

, , ,

custom seems to have bee n more prevalent than

among the vo taries o f the other heathen deities .

To these we may add the example o f the e m

1
Cl e m Al x S trom 1 p
. e . . . . 3 03 .

2
D av i s M y th of D r id
e . . u s, 1 22 .

G 2
 84 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN
-
A SIA . A .

p e ror E lagabalus assuming the name o f the

S yrian god o f E mesa at w hose shrine he oflic i ,

W
ated before he was invested with the R oman
purple e s hall find i n the sequel t h at this
.
,

deity was identical o r nearly so wi th th e dei ty, ,

whose worship we are n o w inves tigating The .

d ifl e re n c e being that O B was simpl y the se rp e n t

,

od whereas E L A G A B A LUS was th s o l ar d e i t

g e
y
X s
y m boliz e d by the se r e nt
p .

F rom these parallels we may infer that the ,

priest o r priestess of O B in Canaan assumed , ,

W
the appellation of the deity whom they served .

e may therefore render L e vi t x x 27 A . .

man also o r woman among you w ho is an O B

, , ,

e a priest or priestess o f 0 B ) shall be surely

.
,

put to d eath and similarly in D e u t xviii l l . . .

th e expression a consulter w i th familiar

,

”
spirits may be rendered
, a consul ter of the
”
p ri f
e s ts o OB .

W
A gain the woman of E ndor to whom S aul
, ,

applied for an oracle is called JIR D D ; th e '

”
literal meaning o f which is one that hath O B ,

”
which is synonymous with a p rie s te ss of O B .

'

Th e s e rp e n t O B thus worshipped in Canaa n,

”
as oracular w as called , T H E G OO D D E M O N , ,

as we learn from E usebius ci ting S an c h o ni a ,

 S YRI A . 85

thon The P h oe nicians called this animal

he sac re d se r e h t) A G A TH 0 D 1E M 0 N : the E
(t p gy p
tian s likewise called him C N E PH and added to ,

him the head of a hawk because of its ac ,

ti vi t
1
y
The title O B or AB was frequently com , ,

pounded with O N a name o f the SUN because , ,

the serpe nt w as considered symbolical of tha t

deity This symbolical worship was of very
.

ancient date in P h oe nicia as we learn from ,

S an c h o n iath o n who tells us2

,
The son o f ,

TH A B I O N was the fi rs t hie rop han t o f P h oe nicia

”
.

Er pp g
a
h ts a n d priests
fl
are frequen t ly called in

mytholog y th e 3 0 21 5 o f the Go d whom th e y wor w , t

ship ped The son of Th abi on therefore was

.
, ,

the p rie s t o f Th abi o n N ow Thabion is a c o m .

pound word TE AB I O N : of which the initial

,
’
- -

“ ”
letters TH signify ’
God They are an .

“
abbre viation o f the word TH EU TH from
which th e Greeks formed GEO E w hic h with ,

that nation was the most general name o f th e

“ ”
Deity 3
TH A B I O N therefore implies T HE , ,

GO D ABI ON ”
— the SERPEN T S O L A R G O D
,
-
.

The primiti ve serpent worshippers o f Canaan -

Prae p . E vang . lib i 4 1

. .
2
I bid . iv 3 9
. .

Bry n t An l
3
a . a . 1 13
. .
86 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN A SI A
-
.

against whom M oses cautioned the children of

I srael were the HI V I T ES Thi s w ord accord
, .
,

i ng to Bo c h art is derived from H hivia a ser

‘
, ,

pent : the root of which is Ep h or E v on e of —

the variations of the original A u b EPH I TE S o r .

E V I T E S being aspirated would bec o me HE

, ,

—
V I T ES or HI V I TE s whence comes the word
O P H I T ES by which the Greek histo rians d e si g
,

n ate d the worshippers o f the serpent Th e .

Greek word O q g a s e rp e nt is derived from Op h

u , , ,

the E gyptian name for that reptile the same 2

as Ep h Th e H i v ites who were left to prove

.

”
I srael inh abited M ount L ebanon from M ount
s
, ,

”
Baalhermon u nto the entering in of H amath .

The children o f I srael intermarried w i th them ,

”
and se rve d the ir g od s Thes e were called .

B AA LI M which being in the plural number

, ,

may mean the god B AA Lor BE L under d ifl e re n t ,

forms o f worship ; of which that of the serp e nt

was on e ; as we have seen under the article
”
O p h i ol atre i a in Babylon .

The extent to w h i c h this worship pre v ailed ,

may be estimated by the fact of its surviving to

th e time o f H ezekiah when the Je w s burne d ,

1
G e og S acr . .
2
Br y ant An al ii
. . . 199 .

3
J dg iii
u es . 3 .
 SYRI A . 87

”
incense to the brazen serpent w hich h ad been
laid up among the sacred relics as a memorial ,

o f their delive r ance from the serpents in the

wilderness .H ezekiah removed the high
places and cut down the gro v es and brake
, ,

in pieces the brazen serpent that M oses had

made ; for UN T O T H O SE D AY S the children of
I srael did burn I ncense to it : and he called it
— i e a p ie c e o brass by way o f
.

f .
,

contempt .

But the worship of the serpen t w as no t so

easily s uppress ed in Canaan The Jewish .

poli ty be ing broken up the lurking ophites ,

crept o ut o f their obscurity ; and in the second

century brough t dishonour on the Christian re
l igi o n by claim ing an affi ni ty o f faith with the
,

w orshippe rs o f JESUS .

These Christian heretics w ere exposed by

Ep ip h anl u s under the name of O pir C l emens
2
, c a t.

A lexandrinus also mention s them ; and Te rtu l

“
lian describ e s their tenets 4 Ac c e sse ru n t his -

h ae re ti c i etiam qui o h i tae nu n c u p antu r : nam

p
serpentem m agnifi c an t in tantum u t il l u m etiam
ipsi Christo p rae fe ran t I pse enim in q u iu n t .
, , ,

s c ie nti ae nobis boni e t mali originem dedit .

2 King x iii 4
s v . H a r s xx ii p 2 67
.
2
e e . xv . . .
88 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN ASIA
-
.

Huj u s ani m ad v e rte n s p ote n ti a m e t m a e state m

j ,

M o y se s ae re u m
p os u it serpentem , et
q uic un
q ue

in c u m asp e x e ru nt san i tate m c onse c u ti sunt , .

I pse aiu nt p ree te re a in E vangelio im i tatur

‘

, , ,

serpentis i p siu s s ac ram potes tatem dicendo e t ,

sieut Mo y s e s e x al tavit serpentem in deserto ,

ita e x al tari o p orte t Fil iu m H ominis I psum in .

’

tro d u c u n t ad b e n e di c e n d a Eu c h ari sti a

1

A more ingenious perversion o f S cripture

than the foregoing may scarcely be found in , .

the annals o f heresy .

Ep i ph an iu s says that the O p hites sprung

,

out of th e N icolaitans and Gnostics and were ,

so call ed from the se rp e n t which they worship

’

”
ped . The Gn o sti c s h e informs us in another ,

place 2
taught that the ruler of this world
,

” ”
was of a d rac on tic f orm The O phites he .
,

observes attribu te all wisdom to the serpent

,

o f paradise and say that he was the author o f

,

”
knowledge to m e n They keep a live ser
.

pen t i n a chest and at the time of the mysteries

e n ti c e h i m out by pl acing bread before him
upon a table O pening his door he comes out
.
,

D e Prae sc ri p t Hae re t . . c xl ii p
. v . . 22 1 . C tei d by Bryant ,

Anal . ii . 218 .

2
P 91 . .
 S YRIA . 89

an d having ascended the table folds hims elf ,

about the bread This they call a p e r .

f ec t s ac ri

fi ce . They n o t only break and distribute this

among the votaries but whosoever will m ay , ,

hiss the se rp e n t This th e wretched people call

1
.

T H E EU C HARIS T They conclude the mysteri es

.

by singing an hy m n T H R OU G H H I M to the s u
preme F ath er 2
.

The above account o f Ep i p h an i u s forcibly

reminds us of the mysteries of Bacchus in ,

wh ich serpents were carried in c ove re d bashe ts

and in w hich cahe s and ne w bre ad were given to
the v otaries Demosthe n es in o n e of his most
.
,

splendid passages o f sarcasm describes his an ,

tag o n i st ZEsc h i n e s under the ludicrous character

o f a Bac c h an s pressing tight in his hands

,

the P arian serpen ts and brandishing them over ,

his head an d shouting E uoi S aboi dancing

, ,

m eantime and crying H yes Attes

,
A ttes
H yes H e calls him contemptuously‘

a , ,

chief leader of the mysteries and c he s t be are r ,

-
,

that is carrying the snake —

, hashe t F or which .

I t w as a common pr tic of ac e th e H ath n

e e to kis s h ir
t e

idol s .

E pip h . lib i
. . to m . 3 . p . 2 68 , &c .
90 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN ASIA-
.

e xtrav agancies he receives hi s reward in C A K ES

1 ”
an d NEW B REA D

I n the Ba c chanalian M ysteries also there , ,

was a con secrated cup of wine handed round ,

\
“
after s u pper called the c up of the A gatho
,

d aemon which was received with much shout

ing 2
The Christian O phites therefore pre , ,

s er v ing the memory of their Bacchanalian orgies ,

would naturally confound the Observances of the

L ord s S up p er wi th the practices incident to thei r
’

heathen festival The hymn wi th which th e y .

concluded the i r idolatrou s ceremonies addresse d ,

through the se r e n t to the S upreme F ather is a

p ,

memorial o f the hym n sang to P y thon o n e v ery

s e ve n th d a
y at D e lphi
3

These opinions of the Gnostic O phites were

blended wi th the old M agian s uperstition o f
P ersia by M anes a celebrated heretic of the ,

third century ; who revi v ed o p hi o l atre i a in his ,

native country under the n ame o f Christianity

,
.

H e taught that Christ was an incarnation o f

,

the great serpent who glided ove r the cradle of ,

1
D oron s 79
e m o s th . p ro C a, . .

2
N icol d rit B ch p d Gro no
a : e ii 1 8 6
u ee . a u v . v . .

3
P rol gom n t th P y thi of P ind r ci t d by Bry n t
e e a o e a, a , e a ,

Ana l ii 1 4 7
. . .
 SYR I A . 91

the Virgi n M a ry when she w as asl ee p at the

, ,

a e of a year and a half

1

g
Traces of o p h i ol atre i a are visible in the n eigh
bou rh o o d of Damascus where there were tw o ,

ophite temples converted with th e usual licence

, ,

2
o f poets i n to
,
d ragons
The whole region of T R A C H O NI T I S is supposed
by Bryant to have received its name from the
w o rship o f the D R A G O N so common in those ,

parts The mistake of Tp xw for Ap w is

. a v a lc v

easy
The subj ect of ophite temples is so full o f curi
o u s information that I shall reserve what I have
,

gleaned upon it fo r a sep arate chapter W e

‘

m a remark however in this place that there

y , , ,

is reason fo r supposing that the celebrated grove

o f Daphne near A ntioch was (at l e as t in p art)
, ,

devoted to the mysteries of the serpent I ts .

consecration to Apollo the solar god of antiquity , ,

w h o united in his rites the worship o f the serpent ,

gives countenance to this opinion ; but the c o r

roboration is derived from a remarkable le g end
preserv ed in S trabo I t is said that th e M ace .

d on i an kings o f S yria first established the oracles ,

Fab e r . I dol ii 4 33 ci ti g A i
Pag . . . . n s at. Re s . vo l . x .

3
Bry n t An l ii 1 4 2
a , a . . .
92 S ERPEN T W O RS H IP IN ASIA -
.

and planted the g rove o f Daphne ; but th e '

legend in question would argue fo r that secluded .

and voluptuous s anc tuary a m u ch higher anti

u it The M acedonian kings in all proba
q y .
,

bil ity patronized the ancient G R O VE W O RSHIP

,
-

mentioned in Judges iii 7 in connexion w ith .

,

th e service of B AA LI M into which the children ,

o f I srael were seduced by th e H i vi tes The .

legend of S trabo informs us that th e original

name o f the river O rontes was T YP H O N ; for
there th e serpent Typhon being struck by th e
lightn ing of Jupi ter in escaping ou t the e arth ,

w i th his body as he writhe d alo n g ; and S prings

o f water issui n g from the ground formed the ,

river which after him was called Typhon

, , ,
2
.

H ad o p h i ol atre i a n ever existed in Daphne ,

such a legend as this would hardly have been

recorded of the river w hich flo w ed by it A t .

Daphne there w as a temple of A pollo an d a ,

gro v e sacred to Dian a ; and it is a remarkable

circumstance that in almos t every place Where
,

th ere was either some legend o f a se rp e n t gene

‘

rally pre v ailed .

The serpen t worship of Syria is strongly

-

1
Gibbon D e c , . and Fall of R om . E mp i v . . 1 13 .

S trabo , l ib . x vi . 750 .
 SYRIA . 93

m arked in the religion o f the people o f Tyre .

The P h oe nicians of Tyre consecrated an image

o f the serpent and suspe n d ed it in their te m
,

ples encircling in its folds the M u n dane egg

,
‘
,

th e symbol of the u n iverse TH E SERPEN T de .

noted the S upreme Being i n his character of the ,

vi vifying principle M acrobius informs us that

.
,

the P h oe nicians worshipped Janus under the

figure of a sggpp p t forming a circle with his
,
‘

tail in his mouth ; typifying the self existence -

an d e ternity of the world

2
.

The serpen t w as deemed particularly sacred

to [Esc u l ap iu s and in his temples live serpents
’
/

were kep t fo r the purposes of adoration There .

was a grove of [Esc u l ap i u s near S idon on the ,

banks o f the Tam y ras F rom which we m ay 3

.

infer that here also were kept live serpents and ,

worshipped .

The emperor E lagabalus was high priest o f

the god of that name w h o had a temple at ,

E mesa , H e imported into R ome sm all se r

e nts of the E gyp tian breed which were cal l ed
p ,

”
in that country A gathod aem ons : these he w o r

Pl at in Ma ric
e u e an d ry nt
B a .
2
Lib i c
. . . 9 .

3
S tr bo 7 5 6
a , .
94 SERPEN T W O RS HIP IN ASIA
-
.

sh i pped 1
H ence we may infer th at th is young
.
'

empe ror had been educated in the mysteries o f

o h i o l atre i a ; an I nferen c e which is strengthened
p
by the decomposition of his name or rather that ,

o f his god .

El ag abal is perhaps ELO G O B E L; that is - - -

,

“
the god the serpent god Thi s was -

the d eity whose worship was conveyed into

western E urope unde r the t itle of O G HAM o r
,

O G M I U S by the P h oe nician mariners and esta

, ,

bl i sh e d in Gaul and I reland as we shall see in ,

the chapters wh i ch treat o f serpent worship in -

those countries H e was a compou nd character

.

be tween H ercules and M ercury beari n g as 11 1 8 ,

symbol the club of th e former surmounted by ,

the c ad uc e us o f the l atter .

Th e first mention of this n ame in history is in

th e S criptures where it appears as the c o g no
,

men o f th e celebrated king o f Bashan over ,

thrown by Joshua H e reigned over the terri .

tory of A rgob w h i ch was afterwards called by

3
,

the Greeks Tracho nitis Trac honi tis we have

,
.

1
Lm p ri d i ci t d by J bl
a u s, e a o n sk iP nth E gypt 8 9
a . . .

2
OB E L i prob bly th s am
s a e e as B L—th gr at god of
E e e th e

Babyloni nsa .

3
D t iii 4
eu . . .
 S Y RI A .
95

already resolved into the country of the d ra

on and the propriety o f this resolution will
g
appear from decomposing the word A rgob into
its component parts AU R oG O B of which the
,
- -

first signi fi es lig ht ; the second is the name of

th e dei ty ; the third that of his symbol the s e r ,

e n t F aber thinks that 0 G is the D E LU G E

p .

deified ; whence i s derived O c and O C EANUS .

This I believe is the ge n eral opinion But

,
.

whoever 0 G may ha ve been the word A rg ob is ,

his title and this title bears allusion to the solar

deity AU R an d the serpent deity AU B An d
,
\
-
.

”
the region o f A rgob in his holy land U pon .

this hypothesis the king of Bashan (0 G ) would

be hierarch and king o f A rgob assuming the ,

name of his tutelar god

REX A N IU S , re x id m h
e om inu m , PH cE B I Q UE s c rdo
a e s .
”

S andford D ic ki nson V oss iu s and Gale concur

, , , ,

”
in identifying 0 G king o f Bashan with the , ,

Typh on o rP ython of mythology I cannot say 1

.

that the same arguments which we i ghed wi th

these learned m e n have brought me to the same

conclusion ; but th i s much cannot I think be , ,

denied that there is a s trong c onnexi on between

,

1
Se e Gal e Court of Ge nti l e s
.
, v . i b ii
. . . 58 .

l
96 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN ASIA
-
.

T HE W O RSHIP OF and O PH I O LA TR E I A Be .

yond this I would not desire to press the argu

,

men t but up to this point I wo u ld urge it F or

-
.

ev en upon the supposition of 0 G being the

deluge the serpent would be his emble m being
,

in this character considered in all mythology

A siatic E gyp ti an or S candinavian Elagabalus
, , .
,

therefore was probably the same at E mesa as

, ,

the king of Bashan in A rgob the roy al — ,

priest Of the SERPEN T S O LAR G OD .

But the serpent worship Of S yria has left-

,

stronger records of its original p revalence than

verbal coincidences The coins of the Tyrians
.
,

as engraved i n M aurice s I ndian A ntiquities

'
’

v ol .6 bear testimony to the existence and pre

,

val ence Of this supersti tion in P h oe nicia in cha ,

rac te rs which it is impossible to mis take It is .

true that these medals are of comparatively

recent da te th e oldest of the m being posterior

,

to A lexander the Great bu t s till they recognise

th e local supersti tion Of that ae ra ; and we kno w

that the local religions of the A siatics were rarely

susceptible of innovation Besides we have .
,

already possessed ourselves O f data w hich iden

ti fy o p h i ol atre i a as indigenous in th e lan d of
'

Ca naan .
 T he following is a descri p tion of these interes t
ing medal s .

N O 1 represents a T REE between two rude

.

stones w hich are erect : round th e trunk of the

,

tree is coiled a SERPEN T A t th e lower part o f .

the medal in one corner is an altar denoting

, , ,

tha t the medal is descriptive o f re lig ious rit

The two rude stones are the P e tra? A m brosiae so ,

w ell kno w n to antiquaries and o f the kind of ,

w hich the Celtic temples were composed The .

tw o stones here are intended doubtless as a , ,

representation Of an O phite temple .

NO 2 represents a burning altar

. T w o ser .

pents are risi n g from the two front a ngles Of the

base O n the left is the celebrated caduce u s
.
, ,

w ithout wings .

N O 3 exh ibits a naked man standing be tween

.

tw o serpents w hich are erec t upon o n e coil and

, ,

turning from him This is a medal of Be ry tu s

.

the rest are Tyrian .

No 4 represents th e Tyrian H ercules ( 0 g

.

m ius) contending with a serpe nt The man .

has a large stone in his right h and and i s in the

'

act of throwi ng it The serpent is erec t u p on

.

one c Oil Behind the man I S a sea shell de

.
,

notin Tyre .
98 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN ASIA .

NO .presents us with a very large P e tra

5

A m brosia round which is entwined a large ser

,

pent in a defensive posture O n the righ t I s a .

sea shell on th e left a palm tree

,
.

NO 6 represents an altar with a burning sacri

.

fice . I n fron t is a serpent w ith a radiated head ,

gazing upon the altar .

Besides these m edals there is a Tyrian coin ,

engraved in Bryant s A nalysis plate 7 vol iii ’

, . . .

I n this we Obser v e a tree between tw o P e trw

A m brosi a A serpent is twined about the trunk
.

of a tree A t th e base o f th e coin is a sea shell

.

and a wolf emblems of Tyre ,

.

Th e serpent worship Of P h oe nici a thus clearly

-
,

proved is further illustrated by th e very accurate

,

tradition of the rebellion and fall O f S atan from

heaven preserved in th e legend Of O PH I O N E U S
,
.

O PH I O N EU S was a giant who headed an i nsu rre c

tion in heaven against the gods and being over
, ,

come was cast down to earth The n ame of

,
.

this cele stial rebel is compoun d ed O f O PH and

O N I t was the name of the SERPEN T S O LAR
.

G O D who united in his m ysteries the two ancient

,

su pe rstitions O f Zabaism and O p hi o l atre i a Th e .

c e l e s ti al origi n O f S atan is preserv ed in th e ter

mination of his name O N while his P arad isiac al ,

 ASIA MIN O R . 99

inc arnation is i ntimated in the first syl l able O PH ,

.

This deity was probabl y the TH A B I O N o f whom

we spoke above .

S o accurately did the l e gend o f O p h i on e u s

coincide with th e history Of S atan that C ELSUS , ,

the champion Of P aganism adduced it is a ,

proof that the accoun t o f M oses was borrowed

from the fables Of the heathens A n accusation .

which is triumphan tly a n swered by O RI G EN 1

,

who charges his opponent wi th gross ignorance

o f antiqui ty in supposing the fables of his own
,

corrupt mythology to be more ancient than the

wri tings o f M oses .

X . MIN O R S O universal was op h iol a

A SIA .
-

treia in this part of the Roman empire that a .

,

female figure ho ld ing a serp e n t i n he r rig ht hand

, ,

”
and in her left the rostrum of a ship w as the ,

symbol Of A sia But the provinces Of A sia

2
.

M inor which exhibited the strongest an d most

,

u n qu estionable vestiges Of serpent worship w ere -

,

P hrygia and Troas .

At H ierapolis in P hrygia a living serpent of

, ,

i d by S til l i
C te n
g fl eet . O rig . S ac . book iii c . . 3 . s . 18 .

B g r l N m
2
e e oe u . Cre te n S e rp e ntif 8 . . .

H 2
1 00 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN AS I A
-
.

great size w as kept and worshipped when

'

P hilip the A postle converted th e inhabita nts to

Christianity The tradition is that b e de
.
,

s troyed this animal by his prayers ; and the 1

people overpowered by th e miracle embraced ,

the Gospel .

As a genius l oci ”
t h e serpen t ,
e n tered
deeply into the religion o f the P hrygians A n .

exam pl e o f this may be seen in th e fi fth ZEn e id

'

o f V irgil in the sacri fi ces o f ZEn e as at the tomb

’

o f A n chises .

The libations of w ine ne w m i lh and sac re d , ,

bl ood having been po u re d o u t th e p io u s s o n

"

, ,

proceeds wi th reverential feeling to address th e ,

departed spiri t o f his father : but the scarcely

commenced requiem is interrup ted by a phe
'

n o m e n o n w hich fills him at first with unmixed

, , ,

astonishment and then o v er w helms him w ith

,

religious awe A l arge and be au tif u l s e rp e n t

.

—
glides from the tumulus asce n ds the altars
—
consumes the o fferings and return s to his abode .

The Troj an u pon recovering his S elf possession

,
-

immediately concludes that this beautiful and

myst erious visitan t must either be the tutelary

1
N e l s on F as ts
, and F e s ti val s .
 ASIA MIN O R . l Ol

deity of th e pl ace ,
or the attendant minister of

his father s soul ’

I n c e rtu s G E N I U M ne L O CI ,
f am ul u m v e p i
a re nt s .

U nder either possibility he hesitates n o t to ,

O ffer to the holy being th e tribute o f adoration .

Two sheep two sows and tw o bullocks attes t

, , ,

his piety with their sacrificial blood .

That th e P hrygians were Ophites is to be

inferred from the device upon the Shield o f
1
H ector as represented on th e Canino vases
,
.

The vase N o M C X II discovers Hector setting

. .

g
o u t to fi ht w ith A chil l es H e bears a se r e n t
p .

upon his shield H e is again represented with .

the same device on another vase .

”
AS a genius loci however the serpent was , ,

n o t confined to P hrygia and Troas I t was in .

,

this character stamped upon the coins and ,

medals of many to w ns of A sia M inor Cy z ic um .

,

P e rg am us M arc ianop olis in M ysia ; A boni te i

, ,

c hos and A m as tris in P aphlagonia ; N i c e and

N ic om e d ia in Bithynia Tom os and D iony sop ol is

in P ontus ; and M indus in Caria e x hibi t as ,

their ensign the sacred serpent O n the medal s 2

.

Of Troas N ico m edia A mastris and M indus

, , , ,

1
A rch ol
ae . v ol . x iii
x .
2
S e e S p anh e im , 2 1 2 , &c .
1 02 SERPEN T W O R S H IP IN ASIA
-
.

th e serpent is seen encircling a prophetic tripod ;

o n which S an h e i m remarks that erpents
p s ,

were n o t only th e common symbols o f the Py

thian worship but a l so the d om es tic ro he ts o f
, p p
”
these places .

O ther traces Of o p h i ol atre i a may be recognised

in the nam es of many places in A sia M inor A s .

in th e names o f th e ancient ci ties may be fre

quently discovered those Of the gods to whose ~

worship they were p e culiarly devoted : and as .

th e ti tle Of th e sacred serpen t (AB or PE T H E N ) is ,

frequen tly invol ved in th e local desi g nations Of

A sia M inor Bryant conclu d ed that th e super
,

s titio n of O p h i o l atre i a m u st have generally pre

vailed through this idolatrous region A n island .

o f the P ropon tis w as cal led O hi us a : this name

p
w as common to m any islands and places and ,

denoted ac c o rd ing to Bryant their former ad

, ,

diction to the worship Of th e serpent O PH I n .

th e present case this hypothesis m ay seem to be

,

corroborated by the fact that on the opposite

,

poin t o f the A siatic continen t there prevailed a ,

tradi tion O f a SERPEN T R A C E —O P H I O G E N E who

-
,

were said to be descendents Of a fa ther who was ,

1 7:
formerly changed from a serpent into a man
S trabo , lib . 13 .
 ASIA MIN O R . 1 03

The l oc us o f this legend w as called P ariu m ;

w hence perh aps ,
the Gree k s may hav e derived
,

the epithet n p m which was besto wed upon the

“
a al ,

serpents o f the Bacchanalian mysteries The .

usual interpretation Of this w ord from the s w e l l ,

i ng c he e hs Of the reptile when I rrI tate d is less ,

probable .

ZEl i an also speaks Of a race of O p hio ge nae

‘

in P hrygia the Offspring O f a d ragon sacred to

,

Dian a and a woman who accidentally ente red

,

the grove .

Uniting these fable s we may draw the con ,

e lusion that a colony of O phi tes migrati ng

’

, ,

from P hrygia settled at P arium S trabo sup

,
.

poses that they were the Psyl l i of A frica so ,

famous for the art of charming serpents : but

adduces no reason or authority for the hypo
thesis.

Besides these infer e ntial evidenc e s Of se rpent

worship we h ave more certai n ones in th e re
,

c ords O f au then tic history w hic h have fix e d the ,

temples Of A pollo and J Es c u l ap i u s in various

ci ties Of A sia M inor W e may remark that th e .
,

serpent invariably entered into the mysteries of

the P ythian worship ; and that live se rp e nts wer e
1
D e A nim l lib xii c
a . . . . 39 .
 l Ol - S ERPEN T W O RSHIP IN ASIA
-
.

a lways preserved in the sanctuaries o f ZEsc ul a

pius There is therefore strong reason for be
.
, , :

lieving that wherever there was a temple to

,

either Of these deities Op h i ol atre i a in some mo , ,

d ifi c ati on existed P ythian games were held

,
.
1

at Trall es M i le tus M agnesia S id e and P e rga

, , , ,

—all in A sia M inor Chalc e d on Chrysa and .

, ,

P atara w e re celebrated for the temples w hich

,

were dedicated in them to Ap ol l o .

The most celebrated temple of fEsc ul ap i u s

in A sia M inor w as at P e rgam us : and all the z

Pe rg am e an coins accord ing to S p an h e i m bore , ,

the figure of a serpent The fEsc u l ap i an wor .

ship m ay be traced in several other places in this

country : but to avoid prolixity I relinquish th e ,

search to the more curious and minute investi

gator E nough has been said on th e l oc al indi
.

catio n s o f o p h iol atre i a to establish the poin t , ,

tha t vestiges Of th e supersti tion may be found in

AS I a M inor
Bu t before we take leave o f this interesti n g

1
Grono v . 8 69 , on the A runde l ian M arbl e s and S tone

f ound at M eg ara .

w
2
It isr m rk bl th e a a e at t hi city
s is p rtic l rly tigm ti d
a u a s a ze

in S cript r a S t u e s
’
a an s s e a t,
”
w he re S atan d we l l e th .
”

5:
'
Re v. ii 1 3 . .
 ASIA MIN O R . 1 05

region there are tw o places which demand

, ,

though in di fferent degrees o u r attention as , ,

memorable abodes o the sacred serpent C O L

f —
C H O S and AB O N I T EI O H O S The story o f the C ol
.

chian Dragon overco m e by Jason i s too well

, ,

known to require in this place a particular nar

, ,

ration It relates to the destruction of an O PHI T E

.

T EMPLE an d would be better deferred to a sub

,

seque nt chapter w hich will treat exclusively o n

,

that part of o u r subj ect The superstition Of .

Abon i te i c h o s however comes i m mediately under

, ,

o u r notice as a remarkable exhibition Of the

,

orac u l arserpe n t To the description o f a revival

.

o f this supers tition in the reign o f M arcus A ure

lius I will therefore devote the remainder o f this

,

section .

F rom L ucian we learn that a native Of A bo ,

n i te i c h os A l ex and e r by name bei n g involved in

, ,

pecuniary diffi cul ties while left i n Greece de ,

te rm i n e d to prac tise upon the credulity o f his

contemporaries in th e character O f a magician .

Fo r this purpos e he w ent with a chosen compa

nion to P ella in M acedonia ; a place remark
,

able fo r a singular custom (which however had , , ,

existed from time immemorial ) that o f nourish ,

i ng tam e se rp e n ts of prodigio u s size to be play ,

1 06 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN ASIA
-
.

fellows an d companions of their infant children .

H a ving purchased one Of these animals he sailed ,

to Chalcedon ; and there among th e r uins o f an ,

o l d temple O f A pollo pretended to dig up two ,

brazen tablets which had been depos i ted by

,

”
ZEs c u l ap i u S and which bore this inscrip tion
,

E sc u a l p i us , and his f a the r Ap o l l o , i n te nd to

c om e i n to P on tu s , and tahe u
p the ir abod e at
”
A boni te ic hos To Aboni te i c h o s accor d ingly the
.

impostors went with their M acedonian serpent :

,

but before they arri v ed there th e companion of ,

A lexander d ied This even t however by no.

, ,

means d isconcerted him The natives fore .

,

w arned had prepared a temple for his recep tion

, ,

and in this he took up his abode O n an ap .

pointed day he proposed to exhi bit the g od E s c u

l ap ius to the people —ha ving previously enclosed
,

a small snake in an egg shell and concealed i t -

,

in a convenient place W hen th e mul tit ude had .

assembled in eager expec ta tion he approached ,

th e spo t where the egg shell had been deposi ted -

and mu ttering certai n H e bre w and P hoenic ian

”
w o rd s ,
unintelligible to the people (who could ,

” ”
only catch the words Ap ol lo E sc u l ap ius , ,

occasionally introduced ) he plunged in his hand , ,

and producing the egg shell e xclaimed tha t -

,
 A S IA MIN O R . 1 07

”
the g od w as w i thin Breaki n g th e shell he
.
,

drew o u t the young snake which was u nani ,

m o u sl
y hailed as the expec ted god F rom that .

day his reputatio n as the familiar servan t Of

,

[ Es c u l ap i u s w as es tablished I n a fe w days .

afterwards he exhibited th e large serpent w i thin

his ve s t as the same god ZEsc u l ap iu s whom they
,

had seen in his first state The admiration o f .

the people at the rapid growth o f the god c o n

firmed th e I r orI g I n al impression of his divinity .

F or this serpent th e impostor contrived a m ask

,

wi th a human fa c e made o f linen and persuaded ,

the votaries that such was the form under which

ZEs c u l ap i u s chose to appear H e gave the ser .

pent the name O f GLY C O N an d declared that he ,

was the third c hi l d of Jup i te r and the l ig ht of

o

m en.
9)
H encefor w ard h e pretended that Gl y c on
was orac u lar and by ventriloquism caused him
,

to gi v e responses Thousan ds of inquirers

.

flocked from all parts O f the R oman E mpire to

this second Delphi ; and A lexander having car ,

ried on the gainfu l i mposture for many years ,

l eft a memorial of it upon the coins and medals

Of Abo nite i c h os Engravings of Gl y c on as he

.
,

appeare d o n these coins are gi ven by S pan ,

heim p 2 1 2,
. .
1 08 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN ASIA
-
.

F rom this curious narrative we may reason «

ably infer that had the n otion Of o p h i ol atre i a

,
,

been extinct in P aphlagonia A lexander wo u ld ,

n o t have selected Abo ni te i c h o s as th e thea tre o f

his fraud That O p h iol atre ia did i nd e e d once

.
, ,

flourish in this city is evident from its name

, ,

Afi w — the city o f AR O N the s e r e nt

p
-
vo v
X
T etQ O , ,

s o l ar
g od I.t is probable therefore ,
that some ,

traces Of it remained to the time Of A lexander ,

who skilfully improved th e superstitions Of the

people to his own ad v antage .

There are proofs also o f his acquaintance with

the arcana Of serpent worship in the story itsel f
-
,
.

The enclosing o f th e snahe in the egg indicates

his knowledge Of th e my thological conceit o f
th e SA C RE D SERPEN T and MUN D ANE E GG The .

pl acing Of the great serpent i n his bosom w i thin

his g arm e n ts was a revival O f the Old S e baz ian
,

mysteries described in a preceding ch apter

, .

A nd the very name o f GLY O O N in volving the ,

ti tle of the solar dei ty O N and illus trated by th e

,

“ ”
epithet the ligh t o f men seems to have an ,

allusion to O p h i o l atre ia in i ts connexion wi th

,

Zabaism .

P utting together these coin cidences w e may ,

conclude th at th e i m pos tor had acquired his \

 T HE IS L AN D S O F ASIA MIN O R . 1 09

knowledge Of these ancient mysteries from some

pe rson o r persons then in existence capable Of ,

teaching him : in other words that primitive ,

serpe nt worship was still to be found in A sia

-

M inor in the days o f M arcus A urelius .

XI . I S LAN D S O F ASIA MIN O R

TH E the .
— Fr0 m
continent Of A sia M inor we p ass naturally to
,

the islands which are scattered along its shores ;

from Cyprus thro u gh th e Carpathi an and I carian
S e as to the H ellespont I n this passage we
.

follow the tract o f o n e o f the most reno w ned Of

O phite leaders w h o carried the superstitions Of
,

his nati ve country first into the i slands which

lay near i t ; and from thence ultimately into , ,

G REE C E I t is conj ectu red by Bo c h art that the

.
,

first migration Of the H ivites who fled before ,

Joshua was that o f the C A D M O N I TE S o f M ou n t

,

H ermon whose leader was C A D MUS so cal l ed

, ,

from the name o f the people w hom h e com

m an d e d I t is n o t likely that all the actions
.

attributed to th e ad v enturer Cadmus were per

formed by on e person ; for it is the genius of
fable to besto w upon on e person the honours ac
quired an d th e labours undergone by many w h o
, ,

may have issued from the same country The .

‘

l 10 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN ASIA -

.

celebrated Cadmus was therefore a fictitious , ,

personage who u nited in his history the real

,

ac tions of o thers whose separate achievements ‘

w ould not have been su ffi cien tly marvellous for

‘

my thology .

—
U nder the guidance o f this hero that is
u nder the g u idance of a C ad m on ite from M ou n t

H ermon — colonies O f O phites were settled in

Cyprus Rhodes S amos Chios I caria
,
in , , , ,

those islands of th e A rchipelago which were

adj acent to A sia M inor if not in those w hich ,

w ere nearer to Greece .

1 The island O f C YPRUS w as originally called

.

Op hi usa th at is th e place O f serpen ts a

l n

n ame which was very generally given to th e

set tl emen ts Of th e worshippers Of th e serpent

O PH The tradi tion was that for m erly these
3
.
,

places sw arm e d w i th se rp e nts : which from th e ,

i nsu l ar situation of most of them is n o t v ery ,

probable A t P aphos in Cyprus there w as a

.
, ,

tradi tion of serpen ts w h o had tw o l egs This .

,

remarks Bryant related to m e n and not to , ,

h
s na e s
3
.

2 . RH OD ES was also called Op hiusa 4

and ,
ac

1
P liny .
2
B ry nt A
a , na l . ii . 207 .

3
A na l . ii . 2 09 .
3
'

S tr bo 65 3
a , .
 T HE ISLAN D S O F ASIA MIN O R . 11 ]

cording to Bo c h art s till retains its designation 1

,

in th e S yrian R hod (a serpent ) At Rhodes .

there w as a tradition o f a number O f serpents

who desol ated the co untry and destroyed many ,

o f i ts inhabita n ts The sur vi vors sent to Delphi

. .

to consult the oracle and were desir ed to bring ,

over PH O R B A S who taking up his residence in

, ,

the island soon ex terminated the reptiles H e

,
.

w as exalted after dea th into th e constellation

O PHIU C HUS which is th e same with the O PH I

2
,

O N EU S Of P h oe n icia There are some curious .

coincidences w i th serpen t worship in the history -

,

Of this Ph orb as H e w as the grandson o f A pollo

.
,

and father of I phis in which word w e recognise ,

the root Ep h o r Op h AP O L L O is the solar dei ty .

“ ”
symbolized by the serpe nt O P H ; and Ph o rbas
may be decomposed into PH I O R A B i e The - -~
. .

orac l e o
f the sol ar s e r e n t
p I t appear s also , ,

—
that Ph o rbas married HE R M Y N E which may
”
mean a w om an of H e rm on where th e H i vi t e s ,

reside d .

I n the l egend before us we trace a c onfusion ,

I
Ge og S acrP rt 2 lib i c 7
. . a . . . . .

3
G og S cr P r t 2 lib i c 7 ci ting B iod
e . a . a . . . . . . an d H y gin .

3
F b r d ri
a e Ph rb
e from Ph r h
ve s o as
’
-
o -
O -
as ,
“
the burning

s ol a r r
se
p t (C
en biri
. i”
a . .
1 12 SERPEN T W O RS H IP -
IN ASIA .

of ideas by w hich T HE O RA C LE O F T HE SERPEN T

,

G O D established perhaps at Rhodes by the

,

H ivites o f H ermon is con verted into a m an , ,

PH O R B A S who deli v ered th e i sl an d from serpents

, .

The whole story might have originated in a c

colony o f H ivites from the c o ntin e nt d isp osse ss ,

«

ing the n atives ( Op hi tes also) O f their c oun try .

The translation of Ph orbas into the constellation

O phiuchus or O p h i on e u s corroborates the c on
, ,

n e x io n Of this legend with O h io l atre i a

p .

3 I n the island O f I C ARIA w as a temple O f

.

Diana called Taurop olium ; and a small town

,

named D rac onum stood upon a p ro m on tol y o f '

the same name Tauro p ol i u m 1

according to
.
,

,
—
Bryant is TO R O P E L the tow e r qf the g od Op h
- - .

W e may infer therefore fro m th e connexion O f

, ,

D rac o n u m the tow n of the d rag on) w ith Tauro

polium the te mp l e of the se rp e nt g od ) tha t th e
,
-
,

H ivites of P h oe nicia settled also in th e island Of

I caria .

4 A coin o f S AM O S represents an e re c t se r
.

p e nt

bef ore a nahe d m an ho lding a ring i n his hand It .

is probable therefore according to the hypo

, ,

t hesis before laid do w n that the worship O f the ,

serp ent once prevailed at S amos .

1
S trabo , 65 9 .
 T HE ISLAN D S O F ASIA MIN O R . 1 13

5 . A t Chios there w as another settlement of

,

Hivites as the name Of the island and a tra

, ,

di tion prese rved in it would import Chios

”
, .

”
is derived from H hivia th e same root fro m ,

“
w hence comes H i vi te th e meaning o f which

word is a “
scertained to be a se rp e n t The .
”

H ivites w h o settled in this island were finally

exterminated according to the probable import
,

o f the following legend z — At Chios was a moun

tain called Pe l i n e u s i e according to Boc h art . .
,

—
P e l i naas the s tup e nd ous se rp e n t
-
Un der this .

” “
mountain says [ Elian , there lived an im m e nse
,
2

d rag on whose voice w as so terrific that no o n e

,

could ever approach his cave to see him H e .

was at le ngth destroyed by setting fire to piles Of

”
wood placed at the mouth o f the cavern This .

relates probably to the destruction of a vast

, ,

W
temple which the H ivites had erected on that
,

mountain o r at the foot of it

,
hy this H ivite .

temple should be called A N IMMENSE D RA G O N ,

will be shown in the chapter which treats Of

”
O phite temples .

These were th e chief settlements of the ophites

in A sia M inor ; and with these notices w e c on '

B oc h art . G e og . S ac . P rt
a . 2 . lib i c
. . . 9 .

3
i d by B
C te o c h art, u t su p ra .
 1 14 S ERP EN T W O RSHIP IN ASIA -
.

cl u de our investigation Of SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN -

A SIA .

The S yrianO phites were the Hivites of S crip

t ure an d the C ad m ian s of mythology But the
,
.

nam e of Cad m i an s was rather general than

”

—
particular i t was bestowed indiscrimin ately upon
the authors of this supersti tion whether proceed ,

ing from L ebanon or E gypt They were a .

two fold colony which came both from E gypt

-

and S yria The S yrian C ad m i an s colonized

1 ,9

the islan ds above mentioned The E gyptia n .

adventurers settled first in Crete and afterward s ,

I n the Cyc l ades P eloponnesus Greece S amo

, , ,

thrace M acedonia Il l y riu m &c as we shall

, , , .

hereafter find .

I t appears then from a revie w o f what has

, ,

been already ascertained that T HE W O RSHIP O F ,

T HE SERPEN T pervaded Babylonia A ssyria M e , ,

s o otam i a
p P ersia
, I ndia C ac h m e r
,e China , , ,

Japan Java C eylon A rabia Syria Colchis

, , , , , ,

—
and A sia M inor a tract of country over which ‘

( the worship Of the sun alone excepted ) n o o the r

p if
su e rs ti ti on w as so u n or m l s
y p re ad I t entered .

also into the religion of the S cythian tribes who ,

3
B ryant , Anal . ii . 4 60 .
 T HE ISLAN D S O F ASIA M I N O R . 1 15

bore for their banner the sacred dragon and 1

w as carried with them probably to the river

, ,

—
O B I a river in whose name is preserved to the
,

present day a memorial o f the sacred serpen t

,

OB . I t might indeed h ave been called the ser

”
pent river from its w inding c ourse ; but this is
,

—
not a p e c u liarity o f any river i t is common to
al l : and the recorded fac t that the O S TI A C K E S ,

who inhabited the banks Of the O B I among their ,

other idols worshipped the im age Of A SERPEN T

,
3
,

tends strongly to corroborate o u r hypoth esis .

Koch d e Cul tu S e rp e n tu m , p . 30 ; loS

a s u id as .

3
New M e m oi rs of Li t r t r
e a u e. An no 1 72 5 , vol . i . 421 .

I 2
 TH E

W
O R S H IP S ERPE N T .

C HAPTER II .

S E R P E N T W O RS HIP
-
I N A F R I CA .
 C HA P TE R II

SE R P E N T -W O RS HIP IN A F R CA
I .

.
—
I E G Y P T O f all the nations o f antiquity
.
,

none was so infamous for idolatry as E gypt , .

S he was the alm a m ate r Of every superstition ;

l

conveying w ith h e r colonists wherever they

, ,

were settled some corruption of the truth which

, , ,

under the fo ste rm g care of her es tablished priest

hood assumed a form of consistency and allure
,

ment Among the rest the worship o f the ser

.
,

pent was in her early history an important and

conspicuous par t of her idolatry The serpent .

entered into the E gyptian religion unde r all h i s

characters of A N EM B LEM 0 F D IVINI T Y A C H ARM
, , ,

A N O RA C LE and A GO D
, .
‘

1 A s an emblem of divi nity the sacred ser

.
,

pent was particularl y symbolical of the gods

C N E PH and TH O T H and of the goddess I SIS :
,

though he entered more or less into the sym

, ,

bo l ic al worship o f all the gods .

1 20 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
-
.

HARP OC RA T E S , a v ery ancien t go d O f the

E gyptians was symbolized by the serpen t He
,
. x

i s generally re presented with his left hand on a

s taff surmounted by a cornucopia : round the

,

staff is tw in ed a serpent H e is the god Of 3

.

silence ; to denote w hich the forefinger o f th e

right hand is o n his mouth H e is supposed by .
‘

some to be the same as HO RUS .

C N E PH was considered by the E gyp tian

”
priests as the architec t Of th e universe and ,

“ ”
was adored as th e good d ae mon H e was .

sometimes represented as A SERPEN T W ITH AN

E GG IN HIS M O U T H The egg denoted th e mun
.

dan e elemen ts as proceeding from him The .

serpent in a circle passing d iametrically and ,

horizontally from circumference to circumference ,

w as his hieroglyphical emblem This became .

the ninth letter of th e E gypti an alphabe t and ,

w as called Thi ta ; from which the Greeks bor

3

rowed both the form and name of their The ta . .

The name of this letter was derived from that of

its inventor T H O T H the reformer of th e religion
,

and m an ners Of E gypt and the supposed a uthor ,

3
M ontf con ii
au ,
. 19 1 .

3
Kirch r (E d ip
e . E gyp t . vo l . iii .
p . 4 6, who c ll
a s i t th e

thir t n th l tt r
ee e e .
 E G YP T . 12 1

of th e hiero glyphic system H e is said by S an .

c h o n i ath o n to have introduced O

p h i o l atre i a an d

w as ,
as we Observed in a former part o f this
volume most probably the founder o f the first
,
,

colonies after the flood which were established

in P h oe nicia and E gypt H e taught the Egy p .

tians (or rather that part o f his colony which

was settled in E gypt) a religion which partaking ,

Of Zabaism and O p h iol atre i a had some mixture ,

also Of primeval truth The divine S pirit he .

denominated C N E PH and described him as the ,

o ri i n al , e te rnal S p iri t, p e rvading all c re ati on

1 99

g
w hose symbol w as a SERPEN T .

Fo r his many ser vices to the people in teach ,

ing them letters hieroglyphics astronomy an d

, , ,

morals TA A U TU S o r TH OT H w as deified after

,

” ”
death as th e god Of health o r o f healing , ,

an d became th e prototype o f th e o d tES C U L

g A

PIUS H e was also identified w ith H ERMES or

3

M ER C URY .

“ ”
A s th e god of healing TH O T H was h im ,

self symbolized by th e serpent which he had ,

taught th e E gyptians to consider as a e ne ral

g
emblem O f divinity The se v enth letter o f th e
.

3
J bl k i P n th
a ons a . ZEgyp t . c . iv . p . 81 .

3
I bid lib c 6
. . v. . .
122 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AF RI C A -
.

”
E gyptian alphabe t called ze u ta o r life was , , ,

sacred to him and expressed by a se rp e nt s tand 1

,

i ng up on his tai l H ence the name and the .

form of the corresponding letter in th e Grecian

alphabet Z Z ,
.

TH O T H as the god o f healing is represented

, ,

leaning upon a knotted s tick which is enfolded ,

by a serpent and a female deity corresponding ,

with the Grecian goddess H ygeia is enc i r cled by ,

a serpent who drinks o u t Of a chalice in her

hand 3

Th e serpent was also symbolical o f I SIS and ,

formed a conspicuous feature in her mysterie s .

The I siac table Which describes these mysteries 3

, ,

is charged w ith serpents in every part as em ,

bl e m s o f th e goddess .

The species of serpent peculiarly dedicated to

I sis w as th e asp This is seen on the heads o f .

her statues and on th e bonnets and sashes of her

,

1
Kirch r (Ed ip E g iii 3 6 ; w h o c alls it th 1 2 th
e . . . . e

l tt r
e e .

3
M on tf con l 5 au , vo . .

3
Thi w c l br t d pl at of br s o rl aid w ith bl ck
s as a e e a e e a s ve a

en m l int rmix d w ith pl t of il r I t w d troy d

a e , e e a es s ve . as es e

at th t king of M n t
e a 1 63 0 S M tf wh h a u a, . ee on auc on, o as

engr d it l 2
ave , vo . .
 E G Y PT . . 1 23

pries ts The tiara o f the kings of E gypt was

.

ornamented with the figures of the same reptile .

W hen the E gyptians wished to represent I sis

as an angry avenger o f crimes they placed an ,

as o n her head which was designated by the

p ,

peculiar n ame of The rm u this i e We ,

. .

learn also from ZEl i an The asp to which the 3

,

E gyptians gave the name o f Th e rm u th i s they ,

say is sacred and w orship it there ; and th ey

,

crown the images of I SI S w ith it as wi th a royal ,

diadem There is a fragment in the E lgin

.
9)

collection o f marbles in th e Bri tish M use u m ,

p
w hich ap ears to be a leonine head o f I sis ,

crowned wi th a coro n et o f asps O vid (M et ix .

, . .

69 0 &c ) describing the dream o f Te l e th u sa the

,
.
,

mo ther Of I phis represents I sis as appearing with ,

her cons tan t companion the se rp e n t ; which he

thus characterizes
Pl n e a q u e so m n I fe rI s rp n e e s p ere
grm a v e ne m .

A character hich ans w ers to that of th e w

Th e rm u th i s The same poe t again mentions the

.

asp of I sis when he imprecates that goddess in

,

th e following words

Jab lon ki P n
s , . . 1 19 . Se e l o Bry n t ii
a s a . 200 .

3
D e A nim x 3 1 . . .
1 24 SERPEN T -
W
O RSHIP IN AFRI C A .

Pe r tu a i r
S st a
p re c o r,
p e r An u b i d i s ora v e re n d i ,

(S ic tu a sacr pi a u s se mp r O iri m
e s s a e t,

PI G R A Q UE LA B A TU R CIRCA D O N A RI A S E R PE N S 1

F rom w hich we may infer that LIVIN G ASPS

.

w ere k ep t in the temples o f I sis and employed , ,

perhaps to g li d e abou t the ofl e rings to sanctify

, ,

them . This will throw a light o n th e practice

of the Syrian ophites men tioned in the pre
ceding chapter ; namely the hallowi n g of th e ,

E ucharist by the g lid ing of the sac re d se rp e n t

abou t the bre ad This custom Obtained also as
.
,

we shall Obser v e in the sequel among th e ,

Britons and S candi n avian s in their mos t solemn

mysteries .

The asp o f I sis w as not a reptile Of E gypti an

production O vid we may remark describes
.
, ,

“ ”
her as accompanied by a p e regrina serpens ,

a f ore ig n serpent ; and all the representa tions of

the asp describe i t as having a large expanded
head unlike any snake which has ever been
,

found in E gypt I t w as probably th e hood e d

.

serpent o f I ndia which is invariably the sacred

,

snake of that country Bu t how i t be c ame an .

emblem of divini ty in E gypt it is not easy to

prove ; for th e na tive tw o horned snake o f the -

1
Lib . 2 . A mor . Ele g . 13 .
 E G YP T . 1 25

temple of Jupiter at Thebes was also held in ,

great reverence I t is possible that the worship

.

Of I sis may find its prototype in the adora tion o f

th e I ndian I S I The sacred asp of the hiero
.

l h i s ; is di fferent from the common asp Of

g yp c

E gypt which was merely a viper

,
.

The serpent however was not confined to

, ,

C n e p h Thoth and I sis though more peculiarly

, ,

consecrated to their worship There is scarcely .

an E gyptian deity which is not occasionally

symbolized by it S everal o f these deities are
.

represented with t heir proper heads terminating

i n serpents bodies I n M ontfaucon vol 2
’
.
,
.
,

pl ate 2 07 there is an engraving O f S ERA PI S

, ,

w ith a human head and serpen tine tail Two .

other minor gods are also represented the ,

o n e by a serpent with a bull s hea d

’
the other ,

by a serpent with the radiated head o f the lion .

The second o f these which M ontfaucon sup ,

poses to be an image o f APIS is bored through ,

”
the middle : probabl y remarks that learned ,

antiquary with a design to hang about the

,

neck as they did many other small figures of

,
-

”
Gods by w ay o f ornaments or charms
,
.

The figure o f S erapis encircled by serpents , ,

is found on tombs The appearance o f se rp e nts .

126 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
-
.

on tombs was very general O n an urn Of .

E gnatius Ni c e p h oras and Of He rbasia Cly

,

mene engraved in M ontfaucon vol 5 a yo un g

, , .
,

man ent w ined by a serpent is described as fal l

ing headlong to the ground In the u rn Of .

He rbasi a Clymene the corners are ornamented

wi th figu res of serpents I t is a singular coin.

c i d e nc e that the creature by whom came D EA T H

into the worl d should be consecrated by the

earliest heathen idolaters to the receptacles o f
the d e ad I t is remarkable al so that S ERAPIS
.
,

was s uppose d by the E gyptians to have d om i

ni on o ve r e vi l d aem ons or in other wor d s was ,

the same as PLU T O o r S A T N A .

AS an emblem Of d e d ic ation to the service or

honour o f T H E D EI T Y the serp e nt was sculp
,

tu re d w ith a G L O B E and WIN G S on the porticoes

o f most Of the E gyptian te m ples and o n the ,

summits o f some Of the Obelisks The temples .

Of L U X O RE ES N A Y KO M O M BU D EN D A B A and
, , , ,

AP O LLIN O P O L IS are surmounted by this favourite

,

sym bol of consecration ; and it appears o n th e 2

to p o f each compartment Of th e Pam p h l i an

y
3
P orphyry in Eu s e b . cit d by M ontf con
e au , su
pp l e m e nt,

ii . 214 .

3
See pl at in M ric I nd
es au e . n iq V ol II III IV
A t . s . . . .

10
 E G YP T . 1 27

Obel isk Two serpents w i thou t the w ings and

3
.
,

l obe are sculptured o n each o f the capitals of

g
.
,

the pillars in the temple of G AVA as delineated ,

by Po c o c k e O n the Pam p h yl ian Obelisk the

3
.

hieroglyphic serpent appears in all his forms ,

with and without the globe o r wings fif ty tw o ,

-

tim es and is seen also on others .

The great consideration in which the sym

bol ic al serpent was held by the E gyptians ,

appears in the variations u nder which he is

found on monumental remains The reason Of .

these has been assigned by authors who have \

undertaken to investigate the nature and Obj ect

Of E gyptian hieroglyphics The serpent was .

deemed symbolical o f the divine w isd om p ow e r , ,

and c re ative e ne rgy Of im m ortali ty and reg e ne 3

ration from the shedding of his skin ; and Of

,

e te rni t
y when represented
,
in the act o f biting

his own tail Besides these v arious sy m bol i

.

z ati on s we are informed that the E gyptians

,

represented the world by a circle intersected ,

by two diameters perpendicular to each other 3

‘

These diameters were s e rp e nts as we may ,

3
Se e pl t in Kirch r
a e e .
3
D e sc . of E a s t i. . 70 .

Bry n t P l g of E gypt 2 0 9
3
a , a ue s , .

J ablonski P n lib i p 8 6, . . . . . .
12 8 SE RPEN T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
-
.

gather from E usebius who tells u s that the 3

,

w orld was described by a circle and a s e r e n t

p
”
assin d i am e tri c al l horiz on tal l thr h i t The
p g y y ou
g .

circle represented th e terrestrial globe and the ,

intersecting serpents the sols titial colures This .

emblem was more common than that mention ed

by E usebius Jablonski seems to think tha t
3
.

th e c i rc umf e re nc e on ly w as a serpent an d the ,

diameters right lines ; bu t the p assage abo v e

referred to in E usebius corrects him .

The learn ed Kircher has also instructed us

that the several e le m e n ts w ere likewise re p re
sented by serpents in various positions Thus .

when they desired to depict the element o f

EAR T H ,
which was animated by the igneous
po w er Of O PH (th e genius who governed all
,

things and was symbolized by the serpent )

, ,

”
they drew a p ros trate tw o horne d snahe When -
.

they wished to denote the element of WA T ER ,

they described a serpent m ovm g I n an u nd u l ate d

manner The A I R was represented by an e re c t
.

serpent in the ac t o f hissing ; this was the

figure which formed the letter ze u ta The ele .

ment of FIRE they denoted by an asp standing

o n his tail and bearing upon his head a globe
,

3
Prae p Ev
. . lib i p
. . . 42 .
3
J abl on ski u t su pr a;
 E GYPT . 12 9

while the ig ne ous quali ty —the aura i si m p l i c i s

” '

ignis ”
— the divine principle Of animatio n Which
—
pervades all things they represented by a circle
“

with a s nahe horizontal ly bise c ting i t This is the .

letter thi ta and the emblem d escribed by

”
E usebius as the character mundi .

F rom which hieroglyphics it is clear that T H E

SERPEN T was the most expressive symbol Of
divinity with the E gyptians The last figure .
,

”
the emblem of the V is ignea was peculiarly ,

the hieroglyphic of the god C N E PH the A ga ,

th o d ae m o n and De miurge o f E gyptia n m y th o

l ogy the chief go d O f their original worship

,
.

The extent to which the veneration o f the

symbolical serpent prevaile d in E gypt is illus ,

trate d by a v ery curious plate o f gold discovered

at M alta in th e year 1 694 in the Old wall o f

, ,

the city where it is supposed to have been

,

concealed by its former posses s or in the days

o f religious fervo u r when every thing idolatrous
,

was consume d as abominable This interes ting .

relic is engraved in M ontfaucon v ol ii p 2 0 7 ,

. . .
,
3

and thus described This plate was rolled up

.

in a golden casket ; it consists o f tw o long

rows which contain a very great number Of
,

E gyptian deities most o f which have th e head

,

K
I 3O SERPE N T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
- .

of som e beast or bird M any s e rp e n ts are also .

S een intermi x ed the a rms and legs o f the gods ,

termina ting in serpents tails The first figure ’

. .

has upon i ts back a long shell with a serpent ,

u pon it in each ro w there is a se rp e n t e x te nd e d

u on an al tar
p A mong th e figures
. Of the second
row there is seen an I SIS o f tolerably good ,

form This s ame plate no dou bt contains the

.
, ,

most profound mysteries of the E gyptian super

”
s titi o n I t is a representation probably Of the
.
, ,

mysteries Of I sis .

A mong the curiosities of Egyp ti an i d ol atry were

the V O T I V E HAN D S and FEE T s ometimes fo u nd ,

in temples They were O ffered up in the same

.

manner as the church o f R ome consecrates

waxen images Of hands and feet &c comme ,
.

r i
m o at ve o f preserva tio n s — a custom derived ,

dou btl e ss from P agan s as are most o f the

, ,

rel igio u s cere m onies of th e R omish c hurch .

These V O T IVE HAN D S o r FEE T are charged with 3

fig ure s Of se rp e n ts emblematic of recovered ,

health .

The basi lisk or royal serpent so called as ,

being the most venomous O f the species and as , ,

3
I n th e ri i h M m mong
B t s u se u , a th e Gre ci an A n tiqu i ti e s ,

are tw o vo ti
ve
f t ncircl
ee d,by rp
e e se e nts .
 E G YP T . 13 1

it were , f a was named

hing O R or o s na e s , k
OUB This as we observed before was the
, ,

name of the o rac u l arg o d Of Canaan identi cal ,

with the P ython o f Delphi The E gypti ans .

represe nted this serpent upon their coins dart ,

ing rays from his head as if adorned with a ,

crown R ound the coin was inscribed AG A

.

”
T H O D ZEM O N The R oman E mperor N ero in
.
,

the madness o f his vanity cau sed several such ,

coi n s to be struck wit h the inscription TH E ,

NEW AG A H O D JEM O N
T
”
—meaning himself There 3
.

was a s imilar medal s truck by the E gyptian

”
gnostics on which the word C NU PH I S was
, ,

stamped : By this the idolatrous heretic s i n

tended to signify J ESUS C H RIS T 3
.

The E gyptian gn ostics of the school of

Basi l id e s were much addicted to magic ; and

among their amulets had certain gems called

A brax as This was the name which they gave to
.

the A lmighty because s aid they , th e lett e rs , ,

forming the word A braxas in Greek num e ra ,

’

tion would make up the number three hundred

,

and sixty fi ve that is th e number o f the d ays

-
,

in o n e revolution of the sun as the word ,

3
H or us A pollo c i p 2
, .Sp h . . .
3
an e im D e U su N u m . 188 .

J ablon ki P E3
s , . . 89 .

K 2
1 32 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
-
.

M ithras o r Me i th ras also contains them The

, , .
”

n ame o f the deity they transferred to gems on ,

which his mysteries o r symbols were inscribed .

M ost Of these gem s had the figure Of a SERPEN T

upon them ei ther by himself or terminating
, ,

the legs o f a god wi th a cock s head The ’

.

leonine ser p ent with a circle of rays about his

,

head was commonly engraved upo n them The

,
.

inscriptions freque ntly alluded to the Jewish

o r Christian re l ig i o u s in th e words I ao
” ”
S abaoth A d onai
,
&c which formed them ,
. .

A serpent biting his ow n tail to represent eter ,

3
ni t
y was
,
Often seen on those gems

These A braxas in which E gyptian idolatry

,

and Christian revelation were so inextricably

inter w oven are e x isting proofs o f the p re va
,

lence Of op hiol atre ia in the first ages o f th e

church .

The E gyptians held basilisks in such vene

ration that they made images Of them in gold
, ,

and consecrated and placed them i n the tem '

ples o f their gods Bryant thinks that they

3
.

were the same as the Th e rm u thi s o r deadly ,

3
Se e P l at
in M ontf con
e s, &c . au .

3
H or Apollo c i p 2
us , . . . .
 E G YP T . 1 33

asp These crea tures the E gypti an priests are

.

said to have preserved by diggi n g holes for

them in the corners Of their temples ; an d it 1

w as a part o f their superstition to believe that

whoever was accidentally bitten by them was

divinely favoured 3
.

The s e rpent is sometimes found sculptured ,

and attached to the breast s of mummies ; but

Whether with a vie w to talismanic security or as ,

indicative o f the priesthood of I S I S is doubtful , .

A female mummy opened by M P assalacqua ,

.

at P aris a fe w years ago was adorned with a ,

ne c hl ac e o
f p
s e r e n ts c arve d i n s tone The s m al l .

fi gure Of the bull headed serpent mentio n ed

-
,

above may have been intended for a similar

,

purpose Bracelets in the form o f se rp e nts

.
, ,

were worn by the Grecian women in the time Of

Clemens A lexandrinus who thus reproves the ,

fashion The women are not ashamed to place

about them the m os t m anif e s t sy m bols of the e vi l
one ; for as the serpent deceived E ve so the ,

golden trinket in the f ashion of a se rp e nt misleads

3
H i t Anim p 5 4 citing E li n T o om ch
Ge sn e r , s . . .
, a . s e su

no tion m y po ibly b r f rr d Cl op tr choic of d th

a ss e e e e e a
’
as e ea .

S h d troy d h rs lf by th
e es e e nom of ip r
e e ve a v e .
1 34 S ERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A -
.

the women The child ren also wore Chapl et s

3
.
9,

Of the same kind 3

.

Between E gypt and Greec e there was al w ay s

a great intercourse ; and man y of th e customs ,

and most o f the mythology Of the l atter were ,

derived from the former I t is n ot improbable .

,

therefore that these serpentine trinke ts were

,

worn al so in E gypt ; but whether as mere l y

orn amental o r as talismanic or as indicative of
, ,

the pri esthood Of C n e p h o r I sis I w ill not ven ,

ture to decide .

2 But a very striking example Of the talis

.

m ani c s e r e nt may be seen i n the celebrated

p
C A D U C E US which w as usually though not ex
, ,

e lusively attributed to H ermes o r M ercury

,
It .

did not exc lusive ly belong to that god for we ,

may find it in the hand o f Cybele the S yrian ,

”
goddess the mother o f th e gods
, Cybele is 3
.

the same as O PS in whose hi sto r y the serpen t ,

makes a prominent feature W e find it again .

,

3
Pee d ; P o tt r
lib ii . . 2 45 . E di t . e .

3
C l Rh d ig ci t d by G n r H is t Ani m 3 2
oe . o Dr
. e es e , . . . .

Cl rk
a Tr l
e, l i p 7 2 d scrib
ave s , ry b tif l vo . . .
, e es a ve e au u

br c l t ofgold n s rp nt w hich w fo nd in t m l n r
a e e e e e s as u a u u u s, ea

th Cimm ri n B o phor s
e e a s u .

3
M ontf con V ol i pl t p 8
au , . . a e, . .
 E G YP T . 135

held by M inerva ; and again by the E gyptian 3

'

An ubis 3
I t is seen in the hands Of H ercules
.

O g m iu s the god o f the Celts ; and o f the per

,

s on i fi e d constellation Virgo who is said by ,

L ucian to have had her symbol i n the P ythian

3

priestess ; from which we may infer that the

Caduceus was a sacred badge at Delphi .

The C A D U C EUS was represented under various

forms according to the fancy o f th e sculptor
, ,

but al most always preserved the original design

Of a w inge d w and e n tw ine d by tw o s e rp e n ts
‘

S ometimes it w aS described without the wings ,

but n ever properly withou t the serpents : the

, ,

v ariations consisted chiefly in the number o f the

"
fol ds made by the serpents bodies round the
wand and the relative positions Of the w ings
, ,

and serpents heads The C A D U C EUS w as

’
.

deemed powerful in paralyzing the mind and ,

raising the dead This talismanic characte rwas

’

probably inherent in the se rp e n ts rather than in ,

any other part o f the Caduceu s ; for though

frequently exhibited withou t the wings it is ,

rarely if ever seen without the s erpents The

, , .

3
M on tf con V ol i pl t p 8 5
au , . . a e, . .

3
Kirch r P mp O b l pl t of An bi
e ,
a . e . a e u s.

D A trolog p 5 4 4 E di t 1 61 5 P ri
3
e s . .
, .
,
a s.

10
 1 36 S RP EN T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
E -
.

notion of the c harm was proba bly derived from

an Obscure traditionary memorial Of the fascina
tion O f the paradisiacal serpent The fascination .

Of the serpent s eye was universally believed by

’

“ ”
th e ancients insomuch that a serpent s eye
’

became a proverb among the Gree k s and

R omans to denote peculiar acutenes s and i n
te n tn e ss of mind
3

The origin O f the Caduceus has been elabo

rate l
y deve l oped by the learned K ircher in his ,

disserta tion o n th e Pam p h yl ian Obelisk From 3

.

him w e learn that the Caduceus was originally

expressed by th e simple figure o f a cross by ,

which its inven tor Thoth is said to have sym , ,

f bol i z e d the f ou r e l e m e n ts proceeding from a com

“ ‘

mon centre This symbol after u ndergoing ,

some alterations was used as a letter o f the

,

E gyptian alphabet and called from its inventor , , ,

Tau t . I t w as th e corresponding letter to th e

H ebre w Tau though di ffere n t in S hape
,
It .

corresponded wi th it also i n its mystic Sig ni

fi c atio n .

The next form assumed by this remarkable

sy mbol was 9 the figure of th e s un being
superadded as if to denote that the sun was
,

3
P rkh r t Lx
a u s ,
e . 0
95cc .
3
Lib . i v Hi e rogr 2 0
. . .
 E G Y PT . 1 37

the great author o f action to th e mundane e l e

me nts. By this figure was symbolized the
deity o f fecundity and generation ; and hence
it became subsequently a symbol Of the planet
, ,
-

V ENUS Jablonski thinks that it was nothing

.

more nor less than the I nfamous P hal lus ; but the
authority Of Kircher must be allowed respect .

The moon being also united with the sun in ,

the opinion o f the E gyptians as a parent Of life ,

and he at and vegetation th e lunar emblem was

,

added to the solar The sun and moon as the

.
,

father and m Oth e r o f the universe contributed , ,

therefore their conj oint character to the Taau ti c

,

symbol which in its new form was described

,

thus This was the complete figure which

represented the S upreme deity I t was called .

by the E gyptians the TA A U TI C EM B LEM ; and

when Tho th was elevated into the rank Of a god ,

by the name o f H ermes o r M ercury it became ,

his hieroglyphic H ence it was employed as a

.

symbol Of the planet M ER C URY ; for w ly w

h l
myi p pg y every deified hero was changed into
a planet or con s tellation The SUN being the.
,

great Obj ect o f primeval idolatry was wor ,

shipped with the highest honours ; and TH O T H ,

being th e great prophet and reformer o f the

138 SER PEN T W O R S HIP IN AFRI C A
-
.

E gyptian religion to him they gave the post O f ,

honour nex t to the sun H ence th e planet which .

revolves ne are s t to the sun was called H ermes or ,

M ercury and regarded as the celestial mansion

,

o f the deified Thot h

3
.

Thoth first taught the E gyptians to symbolize

divinity by serpents ; hence th e two chief Ob
e c ts o f E gyptian idolatry the SUN and the
j ,

M OO N , were represented by tw o serpents male ,

an d female L ater philosophers therefore n ot

.
, ,

deeming the Taau tic emble m su ffi ciently ex

l i c i t of its o w n meaning substituted for th
p e ,

l unar c re sc e n t and the so l ar c irc l e Tw o SERPEN T S , ,

th e representatives o f these deities each o f ,

which was mos t ingeniously described by the

i n te rse c ting of the tw o s e rp e n ts so as to form a ,

circle be l ow and a crescent above with their

, ,

bodies The arms Of th e cross they changed

.

in like manner into WIN G S which were em ,

bl e m ati c al o f th e hove ring o f the divine spiri t

3
F or thi s
conj ct r I m t cr ind lg nc for tho gh
e u e us av e u e e u

only conj c t r n pport d by thori ty I c nnot b t

a e u e, u su e au ,
a u

con id r i t fo nd d on prob bility Th r d r w ill fi d

s e as u e a . e ea e n ,

u pon r f r nc t Kirch r th t I h t k n o th r lib rti

e e e e o e , a av e a e e e es

w i th h i rg m nt b id thi w hich m y t nd or f ll by
s a u e es es s, a s a a

it w n m ri t
s o e s.
 E GY P T .
1 39

over the mundane elements The mundane .

elements were consequently red u ced to be re p re

sented by the shaf t of the cro ss .

This improved form of the

Taau ti c emblem and the fi rs t ,

orm of th e C A D U C EUS was thus

f ,

depicte d I n this form it is seen

.

in the hand Of ANU B IS in the ,

plate engraved Of him in H er

wart s H ieroglyphic Theatre from
’

w hich it is C opied by K ircher .

A fter this th e C A D U C EUS underwent many

,

ri ati o ns
. The serpents were made to entwine
abou t th e Shaft and the wings were placed above
,

the serpents The intersections Of the serpen ts

.
,

also became more frequent s ometimes amount

, ,

ing to three o r four and gave rise to the fable

of Jupiter and Rhea to which th e supposed con
,

j ugal union Of the sun and moon (represented

by these serpents) gave some colour S ometimes .

the point Of intersection was a hno t which w as ,

called the knot o f H ercules 3

But notwithstanding all these variations th e ,

origin al idea was never lost The Symbol w as .

3
M ac rob S aturn al
. . lib i c . . . 19 .
1 40 SERPE N T W O RS H IP
-
IN AFR I C A .

always in the hand of M ercury though occa ,

s io n al l it adorned the statues and medals i

y O

other deities ; and it was always a talism an

Of extraordinary power F or this talismanic . -

character two causes may be assigned : the

on e
, I nherent in the SERPEN T S from a tradi ,

”
ti on ary recollection Of the subtilty Of the
creature who seduced ou r first mother ; the
o the r residing in the simp l e C R O SS the basis o f
, ,

the Taau tic emblem S O much may be said in

.

fav our Of the latter Opinion and so great is the

,

probability in favour o f the former that we can ,

not err in c om bining the tw o c auses to complete the

talisman .

Kircher supposes that Thoth received the

emblem upon which he founded the c rux ansata
from the p atrI arc h s (before the flood I presume ) , ,

by traditio n O f this there can be no proof

. .

C ertain it is ho w ever that by the descendents

, ,

o f the patriarchs after the flood the figur e o f a ,

C R O SS was ever esteemed a most sacred Sign ,

whatever may have been i ts origin o r mystery .

I t occurs according to M aurice amo ng the

, ,
.

hieroglyphics o f the Brahmins and is stamped ,

upon the most m agnificent shrines o f their

deities O n the E gyptian Obelisks the Taau tic
.
 E G YP T . 14 1

emblem w as Of common occurrence and has ,

been found on monuments among the ruins of

A xum in Aby ssini a I t is the same fig ure
l

”
which has been called the K ey Of the N ile .

M uch c u rious learning has been employed

upon the origin o f this celebrated character .

The H ebrew n is supposed to have been derived

from it though it h as lost the figure Of the original
,

sign which is more accurately preserved in the

Gre e k T and still more so in the Coptic d au ,
.

I t is supposed that an allusion is made to this

mysterious S ign in E zekiel ix 4 where God .
,

directs the man clothed in linen which had ,

the writing inkhorn by his side to set A ,

’ 9

”
MAR K u pon the foreh eads o f those w h o la
m e n te d the prevale nce o f idolatry in Jerusalem .

In the original the phrase is set a ,

”
u pon their foreheads The vulgate preserves
.

the real m e anIng of the command m arh w i th ,

”
the LE TT ER T A U the f ore he ad s &c U pon , .

which L owth Observes that in the parallel pas

,

sage in the S eptuagint Enp , ( a m arh ) t to v

should be T A U Enu the m arh

s to v I t has
been finally determi n ed by the learned that in ,

3
S e e Bru c e s
’
Tr vea l —pl at
s e.
1 42 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN A FRI C A
-
.

the S am aritan character (in w hic h E z e hie l w rote ) ,

th e n was formerly cr u ciform in the shape Of ,

o u r T or the Cop tic d au

,
from whence it would

appe ar that the Sign T w as a very sacred Sign

'

in th e days Of E zekie l ; an hieroglyphic d e n ot

ing the p rop e rty Of the deity .

Count De Ge be l i n cited by M aurice (H is t

, ,
.

H i nd os t ) Observes that the Greeks adding to

.
,

the word T HAU the particle M A (w hich in S an ,

s c ri t m e an s
’

formed the word T HAU

M A (S n ) a sign o r p rod igy A nd he fu rther
au a ,
.

remarks that in F rance d uring the early ages

, ,

Of Christianity th e Offi ciating priest who per

,

formed the ceremony Of baptism used the ex ,

pression C RU C IS TH A U M A T E notare
I t is probable that th e early Chris ti ans per ,

c e i vi n
g how aptly this ancient symbol of dedi
cation to the deity might be used to signify the
‘

d e dication of the convert to C H RIS T employed ,

it in baptism Wi tho ut any fe ar Of s c andal as i t

’
‘

sym bo lized like wise the cross upon whic h the

S AVI O UR died
The re seems to be an allusio n to this an cien t
c usto m O f setti n g the T HA U u pon th e foreh e ads
3 i

o f the servants o f Go d in that saying Of our

,
 E G YP T . 1 43

L ord ,
I f any man will come a fter me l e t him ,

tahe up his C R O S S and follow me

I grant that this might have been figuratively

spoken in reference to the p e ri ls wh ich the dis
,

c i l e would undergo b t does it mean nothing

p u

more I cannot but think that it d oes ; for the

?

s ubsequent verses represen t a picture not much

dissimilar to that in the 9 th ch apter of E zekiel ,

”
w here the expression thau first occurs O ur .

L ord g o es on to say F or whosoever will save

,

his life s hall l os e i t : and whosoever will lose

,

his life for m y sake s hall fi nd i t

,
F or the
S on Of M an s hall c om e in the glory o f his F ather
with his angels ; and the n he s hal l re w ard e ve ry
”
m an ac c o rd i ng to his t s N ow comparing
.
,

this passage with the 9 th chapter o f E zekiel ,

we shall find that the abstract ideas are the

,
—
same namely a divine visitation and j udg
,

ment in which the righteo u s are to be spared in

,

the destruction Of the wicked W hoever among .

the inhabitants Of the polluted city s hould be

found by the destroying angel with the T HAU
( th e c ross
) upon his forehead would be spared ,

w hoever among the millions o f the departed

souls S hall be fo und at the second coming of the

3
M att
. x vi . 24 .
 1 44 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN AFRI C A
-
.

L ord in j udgment w ith his m ark upon them will , ,

be saved ; w hoever shal l have earnestly tabe n

u t h e C R O SS O F C HRIS T will inherit eternal
p ,

glory .

S t P aul al so alludes to the same acknow

.

ledged Sign Of consecration to the Deity when ,

he says H encefor th let no man trouble me ;

,

or I be ar i n m y body T H E MAR K S of th e L O R D
f
JESUS 1 99

I t is the custom of th e Brahmins to this day , ,

to se t a m arh on the foreheads of th e votaries of

V e sh n u and S e e va and the O riental Christians
were accustomed to mark C RU C IFI X ES on their
arms and other parts Of th e body The phyla e .

te ri e s of the H ebrews are also well known The .

”
M ahometans again write the word A LLAH , ,

( G o d ) u pon their persons A ll of which customs 3

.

may be traced to one common origin which I ,

concei ve to be of the most remote antiquity .

The first mention of a MAR K is of that set upon

C AIN and though this may at first sight appear
to militate against the argument before us yet ,

upon consideration we shall find that it confirms

3
Gal . vi . 17 . See a s l oR e v.xiii 1 6 d i
. . an x v. l .

3
Bu rd e rs
’
O ri e n tal Cu s toms on E k ix ze . . 4, and Gal .

vi . l 7 .
 E G YP T . 1 45

it Whatever might have been th e nat u re o f

.

the mark set upon C ain on e thing is clear ,

that it d e note d the be are r of i t to be p l ac e d u nd e r

God , that
the im m e diate p ro te c tion o
f so n o one

s hou l d d are to s l ay him 3

.

V ery pertinent to Our question is the remark ,

that w hen th e Greeks intimated the c o n d e m n a

tion Of a criminal to death the y marked his ,

name in the judicial tablet w ith the letter 9 ,

'

and on the con trary when they wished to ex ,

press his ac qui ttal with a T The former is ,

3
.

said to have been the initial letter of O d r g va o

de ath : but Of the latter we have received no

satisfactory explanation from the ancients I t .

is probably derived from the o rI g I n al symbol o f

dedication to the Deity which we have been ,

considering borrowed by the Greeks from the

,

E gyptians and used i n ignorance of its mystic

,

meaning The T which was to be set upon the

.

foreheads o f the servan ts of God in Jerusal em ,

3
l arn d m n
S om e M r F b r do bt th R bbinic l
e e e , as . a e , u e a a

l g nd d n w h th r th r w
e e , an e ve
y m rk t l lepon e e e as an a a a u

C in Th y tr n l t th t x t And th Lord pp int d

a . e a s a e e e , e a o e a

sig n nto Cain th t no n fi nding him ho ld kill him

u , a o e s u .
”

Al 3
nd r b Al
e xa lib c 5 m noti Tir q l l i
e a ex . . .
, cu s a ue .

S al o P r i
ee sS t i 12 e s us , a . v. .
1 46 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
-
.

was of the same nature as the blood s p rinkled

u pon th e door posts of the I sraelites in E gyp t
-
,

to signify to the des troying angel those whom

God had taken under his immediate protection ,

and w h o were to be saved in the destruction O f

the wicked I t was in e ffect a symbol Of
.
, ,

a c ui ttal ; G od having ac ui tte d o r j us tifi e d

q q
them ; and therefore they were to be spared .

From this original emblem Of di vine protection ,

the Greeks derived the notion o f marking th e

names Of acquitted persons with a T without , ,

however knowing its real signifi c ation The 9

,
.
,

as a S ign o f condemnation was plausibly ex ,

plained as the initial l etter of the word O d r g ; ,

va o

and it is perhaps under this character that we

find it impressed upon tom bs Bu t it is a sin 3
.

gular fact and worthy of consideration that

, ,

this letter 8 was invented by and named ,

after th e same TH O T H who is said to have

, ,

introduced the mystic Tau into th e E gyptian

”
alphabet ; and as G fi p implied a w ond e r so
a a ,

3
O m h d implied O y rd f
w ond e r u l
‘ 3 ’
d av aa ,

3p 0 ta , says He sy c h iu s “
like l ie s ,
No w in .
’ 9

S cripture I DO LA T RY is uniformly described as a

,

”
LIE . I s the re n o t a LIE in my right hand ?

3
M ontf S uppl e n t
. . vo l . v . p . 42 .
 E G YPT 1 47

is the ques tion which the prophet I saiah would

have the maker o f graven images ask himself ,

while he i s fabricating a god H ence perhaps

.
, ,

as th e mystic THAU denoted him w h o w as marked

wi th it to be the servan t o f God the mystic ,

THE T A might in opposition signify the votary ,

o f I DO LA T RY : and hence when T was adopted

,

as a symbol o f ac qui ttal 9 would be receive d as

,

a S ign of c ond e m na tion .

C al m e t ( Com m e n t s u r E z e k c 9 ) has a note

. .

explanatory of the mystic THAU an d bri n gs ,

forward the o riginal text Of Jo b xxxi 3 5 as .

,

another instance o f its applica tion Behold

here is my THAU ! let th e A lmighty answer
”
m e. This he contend s is the right translation .

”
Behol d my SI G N l is the marginal readi n g Of
o u r au thorized version . The whole con text e vi
d e n tl y refers to some d is tinc tive badg e worn by ,

Job The very n ext verse allu d es to i t

. S urely
I would take i t up on m y s hou l d e r and bind it as a
'

c row n to me .

A v ery curious form Of the Taau tic symbol i s

so m etimes presented in E gyptian hieroglyphics
—that o f a hawk headed serpent issuing from a
-

circle which surmounts the cross and having ,

another smaller circle at the e xtremity Of his

L2
1 48 SERPEN T W O RSHI P IN AFRI C A -
.

tail. Th e haw k he ad e d
s e r e n t w as a favourite
p
-

emblem of the D IVINE MIN D wi th th e E gyp tians , ,

according to S an c h on iath on —1 Their m os t d ivine ‘

s m bo l was a ser ent havi n g th e face o f a hawk

y p .

W hen he opens his eyes the whol e o f fi rst born ,

-

space is fill ed with light when he shuts them ,

”
it i s darkness This hieroglyphic was a per
3
.

fe e t sy m bol of the S upreme Being .

I n concludi n g this long and desultory article ,

we may remark that al l th e plane ts known to ,

the ancien ts were dis ti n guished by the mys tic

Taau ti c Cross in conj unction with the solar o r
,

lunar symbols — Thus ,

5 S A T URN was denoted by the lunar emblem ,

sur m ounted by the Taau ti c cross .

2 J UP I T ER by the lunar ,
emblem surmounting ,

the e bp a a .

6
‘
M ARS by its combination
,
with the solar
symbol .

9 V ENUS was distinguished by the same

combination but the Taau ti c cross was below the
,

circle .

W
MER C URY united all the symbols .

h ate ve
%
may be the mystic meaning Of
these as tron omical signs their connexion with ,

3
Eu s e b Prae p . . E vang . i . 41 .
 E G YP T . 1 49

the solar and lunar idolatry and their claim upon ,

‘

TH O T H as the author o f their existence seem

, ,

—
manifest the same TH O T H o r TA AU TU S who , ,

promoted O PH I O LA TR E I A .

3 O PH I O L
. A T R E I A had taken such de ep root in

E gypt that the serpent was not merely regarded

,

as an emblem Of divini ty b ut e ven held i n esti ,

mation as the ins trum e n t of an oracle The pries ts .

o f the temple of I sis h ad a sil ver image of a ser

pent so constructed as to enable a person in

attendance to move its head wi thout being Ob
served by the supplicating votary Ju v en al .

re fe rs to it in his sixth S atire v 5 3 7 ,

. .

Et m ou i s se c a
p i
u t v s a e s t ar e nte a s e r e ns .
g p
”

P erhaps this was the same as the hawk headed -

basilisk whose eyes were mechanically contrived

to open o r Shut according as the Offering pre
,

sented by the suppliant w as received or rej ec ted 3

This contrivance w as intended probably as a , ,

type Of what was supposed to pass in the regions

”
Of fi rst born space
-
upon th e opening o r ,

closing o f the eyes Of the g o d C N E PH U nde r .

th e Symbol o f a hawk headed serpent this god -

,

w as adored and a temple w as erec ted to him in

,

3
G e sn e r H is t A nim
. . . lib . v. p . 59 .
1 50 —
SERPE NT W O RSHI P IN AFRI C A .

th e island of El e p h anti na in th e upper N ile H e .

was esteemed p rophetic and h is shrine resorted ,

to as oracular .

4 .But E gyptian superstition was not con

tented with worshi p ping divinity th rOII gh its
emblem the se rp ent The s e nseless idolater soon
.

bo wed in adora tion be fore th e symbo l itself ; and

w orshipped this rep ti l e th e representati ve of
,

man s enemy as a GO D
’

,
.

This idolatry was c ertainly older than the

E xodu s O f the I sraelites from E gypt F or the .

au thor of th e Book Of W i sd om tells us that ,

the which they had been accustomed

s am e ani m a s l
to venerate as g ods A mong these th e chief
.
,

were serpents
Bu t for the foolish devic e s O f their wicked

n ess w herewi th being deceived the ors h p e d

, y w ip ,

f
s e r e n ts d e void o
p re ason and wild beasts thou
,

didst send a multitude Of unreasonable beast s

upon them for v engeance that they might know , ,

that wherewi thal a man sinneth by the same al s o ,

s hall he be punished
3

O ur elegant an d learned e tym ologis t Bry ant , ,

3
Wi s d . 0. xi . v . 15 .
 E G YP T . 151

following up this idea has elaborately and

,

beautifully shown in his E ssay o n the P l agues

,

”
o f E gypt ,
that wherew i thal the E gyptians
”
had sinned by the same were they punished
, .

The Obj ects of their idolatry became the instru

ments Of their punishment .

A n o ther proof Of the superior antiquity Of

O p h i ol atre i a is afforded by the di v ining cup o f
Joseph mentioned in Ge n xliv The menti on . .

Of this s u perstition in connection w i th suc h a

name is not a little remarkable and oommen
tato rs have accordingly exerted themselves to

explain away the inference that Joseph practised

the heathen art of divination I am as unwilling as
.

an o f them to believe t hat the H ebrew P atr i arch

y
”
was an idolater ; bu t that the divining cup
here mentioned was similar to the P oc u lum B oni
D wm onis Of the Bacchanalia n orgies which so ,

closely corresponded with those o f I sis canno t ,

well be do u bted by any one who examines the

phraseology of the original text S uch a cup .

w as preserved in th e collecti on o f the late E arl of

Be sbo ro u gh and is described by M r P ownall in

,
.

th e seven th v olume of th e Arc h ae o l o g i a U pon .

the lid of it are two serp en ts and on the cup ,

i tself near the rim the O phite hierogram of

,
1 52 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
-
.

M edusa s head The di v ining cup of Joseph

’
.

may not have been so decorated ; but it m ay

have been originally o r os te nsi bly kept for a
similar purpose F or it Sho u ld be recollected
.

th at Joseph marrie d the daughter o f P otipherah ,

the priest Of O N : of th e priest namely who , ,

presided in the te m p l e of the S u n at H eliopolis ,

with which deity the O phite hierogram was

intimately connec ted N othing is more natural
.
,

therefore than that the daughter O f an O phite

,

priest should introd u ce i nto th e household of her

h usband an instrument O f O phite idolatry It .

does n o t follow that Joseph used it as such but

it foll ows from h i s whol e conduct that he wished
to pass as an E g p tian wi th his brethren and
y ,

the claiming such a cup as among his most

valued proper ty w ould only be acting in accord
ance w ith th e character he had assumed .

I t m ay be obj ected that the cup in ques tion

w as n o t a d ivi ning cup in the idola tro u s applica
,

tion O f that expression ; but only a m eans by

which Joseph d ivine d o r d isc ove re d that he had

been robbed ; namely by missing it at his ,

accustomed m eal But the phraseology Of the

.

original will lead to ano ther inference Joseph .

“
s ays ,
know y e no t that such a man as I am
t
.
 E G YP T . 1 53

d ivine th by divina tion ? exp r es sion is ”

Th e
vnr W13 which the S eptuagint rendered li te rall
y
N O W1131 13 and iw ac are the
-
Oiw v p w r
t Ot ve t a t . o v

peculiar words by w hic h the serp e n t use d in d ivina

tion w as d esi na te d 3
g .

I hesitated to deliver this conj ecture respecting

the cup o f Joseph in the former edition Of this
treatise ; but the opinion Of M r F aber kindly .

com m unicated to me Since its publication has

determined me to advance it H e rem arks that .

the peculiar phraseology of Gen xliv 1 5 . . .

”
implies the worship Of th e N ac h ash I argue .
,

therefo re that the serpent was an obj ect Of

,

ve nera tion in E gypt before the E xodus o f the

I sraelites .

Besides the great temple of the serpent god -

C N E P H at El e p h an ti n a there was a celebrated

, ,

o n e o f Jupiter at Thebes where the practice of ,

O p h i ol atre i a was carried to a great length We .

are informed by H erodotus that A t Thebes

, ,

there are two serpents by no means injurious ,

to men small in size having tw o horns spring ,

-
O

ing up from the top Of the head They bury . .

these when dead in the temple of Jupiter : for

they say that they are sacred to that Go d 3

3
H e sy c h iu s on o i w vé g .
3
H rod ii
e . . 74 .
1 54 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
-
.

E lian also tells us that in the time Of P tolemy

3
,

E uerge tes a very large serpent was kept in the

,

temple Of E s c ul ap i u s at A lexandria H e also .

mentions another place in which a live serpent

Of grea t magnitude was kept and adored with
d ivine honours H e calls this place ME LI TE ;
.

it ought to be M E T ELE This latter place is .

fixed by D Anvil l e in the Delta not far from

’

O N U PH I S This serpent we are told had priests

.
, ,

an d ministers
. a table and bowl The priests
, .
,

every d ay carried into the sacred chamber a

,

cake made Of flour and honey and re tired ,

.

R e turning the next day they always found the ,

bowl empty O n o n e occasion o n e Of the elder

.
,

priests being extremely anxious to see the sacred

serp ent w e n t in alone and having deposited th e
, ,

cake retire d W hen th e serpent h ad ascended

,
.

the table to his feast th e priest came in throwing , ,

open the door with great viol ence upon which

the serpent departed in great indignation But .

the priest was shortly after seized w i th a mental

mala d y and having confessed his crime became
, ,

d u mb and wasted away until he died

, ,
3

A mo ng the prefectures of E gypt w e find o n e ,

3
D Anim l lib
e a . . x vi . c . 39 .

3
E li n V r H i
a . a . s t. lib . xi. c . 17 .

10
 E G YP T . 1 55

called O N U PH I S from the city which was the

,

capital o f it : u pon which Kircher has the fol

lowing remark : I n the Coptic language thi s
city was called PI H O F o r N O U PH I O N which ,

signifies a se rp e nt I think this is the same

.

city as the N O P H Of the H ebrews by w hich ,

name M EMPHIS was also called This prefect .

ture is called O N U PH I S be c ause he re they w or

,

s hi
pp ed t he as
p ; as P ausanias when speaking ,

Of th e worship of animals in B oe otia says As , ,

i n the c it
y f
o O nup his , i n E gyp t, they w ors h ip the

37
asp .

I n Montfauco n p l ate 4 6 vol ii w e h ave an

, , . .
s

engravi n g Of an ancient E gyptian marble found

at R ome anno 1 7 0 9 in which there is a re p re
, ,

s e n tati o n Of a priest kneeling down before an idol ,

w hich instead Of a head Of its o w n has thre e

, ,

se r e n ts rising up o u t o f th e shapeless block

p .

I n He rw art s tables Of E gyp tian hieroglyphics

’

w e see a priest ofl e ring ad oration to a s e r p e nt . .

The same occ urs in th e I siac table .

That these denoted something more than a

mere worship o f an idol is evi d ent from th e ,

foregoing instances of actual worship paid to th e

repti l e .

I n a tomb at Biban al Mal o o k is a beautiful

1 56 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN AFRI C A
-
.

painting descriptive o f the rites Of O p h i ol atre I a

, .

The o ffi ciating priest 1 s represented with a s w ord N

in his hand and three headless victims are

,

kneeling before an immense serpent I sis is .

seen sittin g under the arch made by the serpent s ’

body and the sacred asp wit h a human face

’

, ,

is behind her seated on the serpe nt s tail This

,
’
.

picture proves that the serpent was propitiated

by hum an vic tim s .

The art by which the E gyp tians charmed

snakes and which is still practised by j ugglers
,

in that country and in some parts Of Barbary ,

was probably first learned in the serpent temples .

The most celebrated artists were the Psyl l i o f

A frica The charming of serpents is a very
.

o l d art and is alluded to by Da v id P sal m lviii

, , .

Je re m iah viii 1 7 and in E c c lus xii 1 3

.
,
. . .

The stupidi ty of the E gyptian s was in no

wise less favourab l e to this idolatry than the
cunning of their priests P lu tarch has re .

corded an anecdote which confirms the tru th Of

this r emark I once saw in E gypt two me n
.
'

quarrelling each o f w ho m upo n the approach

, ,

of a snake called him his A G A T H O D E M O N

, ,

and re qu es te d him to e m brac e his c ause

3
A m ato r, p . 75 5.
 E G YP T . 1 57

5 . did the worship of the serpent in

No r
E gypt any more than i n P h oenicia fly before
, ,

the face of advancing Christian ity to return no ,

more The gnostic heretics as we have see n , ,

united O p h i ol atre ia with the rel igion Of the

cross ; and the remains Of their superstition
‘

were Observed in E gypt by Bishop Po c o c k e ,

w hen he visited the banks o f the N ile The .

narrative is so curious and so apposite to o u r

,

inquiry that I cannot be contented with a mere

,

“ ”
reference to it The next d ay says the
.
,

Bishop we came to Raign y where the reli

, ,

gio n s sheikh of the f am ous se rp e n t H e re dy ,

was at the side o f the ri ver to meet us He
went wi th us to the grotto Of the serpent that ,

has been so much talked of under the name o f

the S heikh He re d y Of whic h I shall g i ve a
’

particular account in order to Sho w the folly ,

,

credulity and supersti tion of these people ; for

,

the Christians have faith in it as well as the

Turks W e went ascending bet w een the rocky
.

mountain for half a mile and came to a part ,

where the val ley opens wider O n the right is .

a mosque built with a dome over it against the

, ,

S ide o f the rock like a sheikh s burial place

,
’
-
.

I n it there is a large cleft in the rock out Of ,

1 58 SERPE N T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
-
.

which they say the s e rp e n t comes There is a .

tomb in the m osque in the Turkish manner ;

,

that they say is the to m b Of He re d y ; which

“

, ,

would make on e imagine that one of their saints

is buried there and that they suppose his sou l
,

may be in the serpent for I Observed that they

went and kissed the tomb with much devo tion ,

an d said their prayers at it O pposite to this

'

cleft there is another which they say is the

,

tomb of O gl i H assa n that is of H assan the

, ,

son o f He re d y ; there are two other clefts ,

which they say are inhabited by s ain ts o r

angels The sheikh told me there were tw o
.

o f these serpents but the common notion is

, ,

that there is only one H e said i t had be e n

.

the re e ve r sinc e the tim e of M ahom e t The shape .

Of it is like that O f other serpents of the harm

less breed H e comes o u t only during the four
.

s ummer months and i t is said that the

, y ifi
sac r c e

to i t .This the S heikh denied an d affirmed ,

they only brought S heep lambs and money to , , ,

—
buy Oil for the lamps bu t I saw m uc h blood and
3

e as ts l ate l k ll
f
e n trai ls o b y i e d be ore the d oor
f The .

s tories are so ridicul ous that they ought not to

be repeated if i t w ere not to gi v e an instance

,

o f their idolatry in those parts in this respec t ;

 E G YPT . 1 59

thoug h the M ahom e tan re l igion se em s to be ve r

y

f f
ar rom i t i n They say the
o the r virtue
things .

o f this serpent is to cure all diseases Of those

who go to i t &c They are also full o f a story

,
.
,

that w he n a num be r of w om e n go the re onc e

a r, he p asse s by
ea and l ooks on the m and
g oe s
y ,

and tw ine s abou t the if

n ec k o
f the m os t be au t u l .

I was surprised to hear a grave and

sensible Christian say that he always cured any
distempers b ut that worse followed An d some
,
.

Christians really believe that he w orks m irac le s ,

and say it is the d e vi l m e n tione d in Tobi t whom ,

the angel Gabriel drove into the utmost parts o f

”
E gypt &c ,
3

Bishop Po c o c k e thinks (and j ustly) that the

above S uperstition is a remnan t of the ancie n t
O p h i ol atre i a The annual visit of the women
.

is similar to the customs Observed in E pirus ,

and at L an u vi u m o f which we shall see a fu l l

,

account in the sequel .

W ith these notices w e close o u r remarks on

the serpent worship in E gypt ; from whence
-
,

however it spread far and wide until almos t

, ,

every nation Of A frica became devoted to the

same idolatry .

3
Po c o c k e , D e sc . of E s ta , vo l . i .
 1 60 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
-
.

.
—
II E T H I O PI A The superstition Of th e serpent.

travelled in to E thiopia a country whose very ,

n ame according to Bryant denotes th e land 3

,
“

”
Of the solar serpent worship Be this as it
-
.

may the chronicl es Of A byssinia and the l ocal

,

tra d itions Of that coun try ab undantly establish ,

the O p h iol atre i a o f the E thiopians The first .

king of E thiopia is said to ha ve bee n a se rp e nt 3

he conquered the province of Tigre and reigned ,

over it H e was called A rw e which in the

.
,

”
A bys sinian language m e ant a serpen t It .

is remarkable that the word N agas h (which is

evidently the same as th e N aig of Hin d fi stan ,

and derived from the H ebrew N ac has h a snake ) ,

was a title of the ancient A byssinian kings The .

i , A rabs called the m N agashi in th e same man 3

,

ner as the kings of E gypt were called P haraoh

and in the writings of our earl y voyagers we ,

”
frequently meet wi th the N egus of A bys
sinia a title which sounded strange and some
, ,

w hat ludicrous i n E nglish ears ,

.

A n A byssinian monk named Gregory visited ,

Germany a short time before L udolf published

”
his E thiopic H istory and the way in which ,

3
A n l ii
a . . 206 . Ldolf 3
u . E thiop . Hi s t.

3
Ldolf lib ii c i p 2 3
u . . . . . . . 32 .
 E T H I O PA . 1 61

he acco unted for the tradition of a serpent

”
king is highly i nteresting
,
Being asked .

about king Arw e he said that there was an , ,

ancient traditio n among his countrymen that ,

the very early E thiopians w orshipp e d a g re at

s e r e n t as a od ; and hence the n ame o f the
p g
king A rw e a snake ,
That this serpent w as .
’

slain by An g abu s who for this bold deed w as ,

elected king and handed down the throne to

,

his posterity 3

The worship of the serpent prevailed at

A xum until th e A byssinians w ere converted to
Christianity The glory o f this conve rsion is
.

ascribed to nine sain ts who are reported to have ,

succeeded by the instrumentality Of miracles .

L udolf citing father M endez thus enumerate s

3
,

their triumphs These did great miracles

.

when they converted a grea t part o f E thiopia ;

and among others it is reported that a great ,
'

dragon w h o li ed near A xum and devoured v

,

3
¢
3

many men and cattle was burst asunder by thei r ,

prayers A n A byssinian poet celebrated the

.
’

praises of these Christian M issionaries i n a ,

poe m which L udolf q uotes The founder o f .

O p h i o l atre i a o r rather the leader o f the first

,

3
Ldolf lib ii c
u . . . . 3 .
3
Ldolf Comm nt lib
u . e . . p . 2 84 .

M
1 62 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
-
.

O phite Col ony into these remote co u ntries ,

w as probably the same Thoth w h o planted this

religion in P h oe nicia and Egyp t F or we find .

the word To t still curious l y employe d in A bys

,

sinia to denote an i d ol and what is remarkable , ,

A naked fig u re o f a man is n ot a To t ; bu t
if he have the head o f a d og or a se rp e nt inste ad ,

of a human head he becomes a To t ,

A lthough the seven Ch ri s ti an saints overcam e

the Dragon of A xum they did n ot succeed in ,

destroying his whole family The S hangall a .

,

a race o f N egroes on th e northern frontier Of

Aby ssI nI a re tain to this d ay their primitiv e
,

superstitions they worship se rp e n ts tree s an d , ,

the heavenly ho st A nd th e A gaaz i a trib e

2
,

o f E thiopian shepherds s till d w ell in the moun ,

tains called (probably in reference to the O phite

,

superstitions there pr actised in former times)

”
H abab which means a se r e nt
p This word .

looks very like a reduplication o f the univers al

A B which was the name of th e S erpent g o d i n
,
-

most primitive countrie s w hich had any con

W
n e c tio n with P h oe nicia .

III —
HI D AH AN D C O N G O The worship Of
. .

the serpen t was not confined to the north eastern -

3
Br c l i 411
u e , vo . . Br c .l 5 54 3
u e , vo . .
 W H I D AH AN D C ONGO .

portion of A frica L ate r d iscoveries hav e d e

.

te c te d in other parts Of the peninsula unknown

, ,

to the ancients n ot merely ves tiges but the

, ,

actual existence an d prac ti ce o f O p h iol atre i a ,

W
in its worst and mos t degrade d forms .

The kingdom o f HI D AH and the adj acent ,

regions may have deri v ed their adoration o f the

,

serpent from the original settlers F or the negro .

character o f th e p eople is S O totally dis ti n ct from

the fe atures o f the E gyptians orany other k n own
,

ra c e that they could have had none o r very

, ,

little subse que nt intercours e with foreign n ations

, .

Th e serpent W orshi p Of western A frica w as there

-
,

fore most pro bably aborigi n

, al that is p ro p a ,

g at e d at the same perio d with th at Of E gypt

and P h oe nicia by the e arliest de sc e ndants o f
,

H am .

A nother a rgum e nt for its originality may be

d erive d from the purity o r rather unity Of its
, ,

character It did not mix itself up like the

.
,

s uperstition of othe r countries wi th the solar ,

worship o f which the serpent was al w ays a

,

favourite and important feature ; but displayed

itself to the eyes of the fi rst E uropean discoverers
in al l its nakedness Of SERPEN T W O RSHIP retain -
,

i n g only a nam e which m arks th e migration of the

,

M2
1 64 SERPEN W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
T- .

s acred serpent from the E uphr ates to the Congo

and serves to resolve T H E WH O LE 0 F O PH I O LA T R E I A .

into T H E FALL O F M A N in P aradise .

The following curious particulars respecting

the serpent worship of W hidah are chiefly ex
-

tracted from vol x vi p 4 1 1 Of the M odern

. . .
,

”
Uni v ersal H i story which is indebted for its
,

information to the w orks o f De M archais Barbot , ,

Atky n s an d Bosman ; the last Of which may be

,

seen i n A c ta E rud i tor Lip siae 1 7 0 5 p 2 65 under

, , ,
.
,

”
th e form of an E ssay on Guin e a I n Astl e y s ’
.

Collection of V oyages there is also an account

c ompiled from every authority then known an d

a very interesting description of the rites and cere

monies c onn e c te d w ith this superstition
‘

The gods Of W hidah may be divided i nto

—
three classes the se rp e nt tall tre es and the
, , ,

s e a : Of these th e serpent is the most celebrated \

W
and honoured the other two being subordin at e
,

to this deity The snake which the h i d an e s e

.
,

thus honour and worship is perfectly harml e ss , ,

and to be seen in al l the houses of the natives ,

lea ving its young in their ery beds fro m which v

,

it is the height Of impie ty to dislodge them .

This serpe nt they invoke under all the di th

c u l ti e s an d emergencies of life F or this pur .
 WHI D AH A N D CO N G O . 1 65

pose they make rich O fferings to it Of money ,

sil ks live cattle and indeed all kinds o f E uro

,

pean or A frican commodities The king espe .

,

c i al l
y at
,
the instigation Of the priests unde r ,

every national visitation makes great O fferings ,

.

and entertainments at the serpent s shrine Th e ’

.

most celebrated temple in th e kingdom they

call TH E SERPEN T S H O USE ; to which pro ’ 9’

cessions and pilgrimages are Often made and ,

victims daily brought an d at which oracles are ,

inquired 3
H ere there is a vast establishment
.

o f priests and pries tesses with a ponti ff at their ,

“
head . The priestesses call themselves the
”
G od and h av e th e ir bodies m arke d
c hi l d re n o
f
’

w i th the fi g ure of the s e r ent The kings of

p .

W hidah used formerly to make annual p ro c e s

sions to this temple ; but the expense was so
great that the sovereign who governed the
,

country when Bosman visited it discontinued ,

the practice and gave great O ffence thereby to

,

the priests who revenged themselves by p ro

,
»
,

c uri n g his daughter to be oss e sse d b the s e r e n t

p y p ,

which is a part o f their superstition no less

lucrati v e than atrocious I t was s aid tha t the .

3
B osm an on Guine a , Ac ta E rud . Lip . 1 70 5 , p . 2 65 .
 1 66 SERPEN T W O RS HIP IN A F RI C A
-

king countenanced this attack upon h is d augh

ter ; bu t consideri n g the heavy e xpense in
,

whic h i t would invol ve him to release her this ,

is hardly credibl e The ma nn e r o f this pra e

.

tice was the following At the t i me of harves t ,

th e pries ts o f the serpent pretended that their

2»
. god pm l e d nigh tl y about the fields in search
o f victims which were always females
,
W hen .

ever he met any o f these he instantly seized

,

them ,
an d upon their sh rieks an d resistance
v anished ; but no t until he had by his super
,

natural i nfluence d ep rive d the m qf the use of

,

re ason U po n th e arrival o f their friends these

.
,

women were found to be in a frantic sta te and

be ing qui te beyond control at home were ,

conveyed to on e Of th e hospitals appo inted for

this purpose by the king where they remained
,

u nder th e care Of the priests Of the serpent

u ntil they were cured This did not take place
.

until their residence in th e hospital had swelled

th e account for board and medical a ttendance

to the highes t pitch to which i t would be pru

dent for the pries ts to carry them They were .

then sen t back ; and whoever mentioned a

s ingle circumstance O f what had happened in

these dens of villany w as secretly poisoned o r

,
 W H I D AH A N D CO N G O . 1 67

dispatched by some violent means S uc h .

deaths o r murders were always looked upon as

, ,

the just v is itation o f the serpent for divulging

his mysteries The fraud of the priests their
.
,

m e naces and promises frequently induced the ,

women to accede to their iniqu itous designs and

in most cases the p ossession was a concerted plan
,

between the pries t and the wo m an to plunder ,

her husban d o rparents under the plea o f alimo ny

,

an d fees for the miraculou s cure .

The traditio n s o f the n atives respecting the

origin and antiquity of this superstition are
curious They assert that the worship is o f very
.

an ci ent date and that the first s erpen t o f this

,
3
-

sacred specie s came to them from a foreign and

remote country where the people pretended
,
.

to worship him but were in truth unworthy of his

,

sacred protection on account o f the i r vices an d

,

”
crimes . Their an cestors ; delighted with the
preference thus shown to them received th e ,

sacred serpent wi th every mark o f veneration .

They carried him in a silken carpet to a tem p l e ,

and O ffered h im a worship due to his divinity .

This v enerable snake the ancestor of those n o w

,

worshipped in Wh idah they believed w as s ti l l ,

alive s om ew he re , and row n to an e norm ous bu l k

g .
 1 68 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
-
.

Th e temple which had bee n prepared for him

n o t being su ffi cien tly S plendid another was ,

built ; th e same in which he was worshipped

3

when Bosman visi ted W hidah anno 1 69 7 S O , \ .

sacred we re th e descendents Of this venerated

s erpen t th at no n ative
, on pain o f death dared
, ,

inj ure o r molest them however troublesome ,

or mischievous E ven E uropeans w ere in great

.

danger o f massacre who maltrea ted any Of these

,

holy and domestic gods A n anec d o te is re .

c or d ed by Bosman an d Barbot of th e severe ,

re v enge taken by the natives o n the firs t E n glish

v isitors o f Guinea w h o ha p pened accidentally

,

to m eet with an d kill o n e of these snakes in their

magazine The inhabitants when th e y h e ard

.
,

that the E n glish had destroyed o n e o f their most

holy fetiches set fire to the magazine and

, ,

having massacred the u nfortunate owners burnt ,

t heir bodies and their goods in the same fire A .

similar but a less tragical act Of fanatic i sm was

,

a t another time p e rpe trated at the instiga tion Of ,

th e priests and by order Of the king

,
—A hog

W
having once killed one of the sacred serpents a ,

'
3
'

thousand h i d an e se armed wi th s w ords were

, ,

sent through the coun try des troying every ani ,

m al of th e proscribed race w hich they chanced

 WHI D AH AN D CO N G O . 1 69

to meet until the multitude of these useful and

,

harmless creatures was reduced to a very small

n umber A seasonable fi t of reflection o n th e
. .

p art Of the kin g saved the rema i nder This .

anecdote is more interesting to the inquirer into

the n ative superstitions than the former inas ,

much as no feeling but that o f religious fana ~

ti c i s m cou l d have given occasion to it ; whereas

«

many hostile feelings might have conspired in ‘

their animosity against the E nglish besides that ,

o f vengeance for sacrilege

: .

O ther anec dotes similar to this are told in

Astl e y s Co ll ection of V oyages
’
.

The worship o f the snake co ntinued in W hidah

until th e year 1 7 2 6 when the country was con
,

q u ered by the Dahomeys and th e s ac red snake s ,

d estroyed The D ahomeys having seized every

.

re p til e o f this species w h i c h th e

'

y could find .
,

held them up by the midd l e and said to them , ,

If y ou are
g od s , s
p ea k an d s ave
y ou rs e l ves

which th e poor snakes not being able to do the ,

Dahomeys cut their heads o ff ripped them Open , ,

broiled them and eat them

,
3

S uch is the account of C aptain S n e l l g rave ,

3
A tl y
s e , vol . iii p
. . 489 .
170 SERPE T W O RSHIP IN AFR I C A
N -
.

w ho v isited the country thr e e weeks afte r the

e vent .

W
The worship of the serpe nt was derived by
the h i d an e s e from th eir neighbo urs the people ,

o f A rdrah but with them all clue to its origin is

lost except such as I will endeavour presently
,

to trace .

A S imilar superstition p re vailed in the king

dom o f CD N G O when fi rst visited by the Po r
,

tu g u e s e It was reprobated by the R oman

.

C athol ic priests and at their requ e s t forbidden

, , ,

by an edict o f Alphonso king Of P ortugal on , ,

pain o f death The following we read in P ur

.

chas s P ilgrims par t i p 7 68

’

,
. . .

The ne
g roes
f
o Cong o w ors hip p e d s e r e n ts ,
p
w hic h the y f ed w i th the ird ai n tie s t p rovisions

S nake s and ad d e rs e nve nom e d the i r sou s l w i th a

”
m o re d e ad ly p ois on than they did thei r bod ie s .

O f th e interior of Africa we have h ad l ittle

auth entic information until lately ; by w hich
time the irruption o f th e M o h am e d an s (M oors
,

and A rabs ) had for the most part e ffaced th e

, ,

superstitions Of th e na tive s There are how .

,

ever even n o w m any idolatrous tribes Of which

, ,

we have no account at all When time and .

science shal l ha ve lai d open their supers titions ,

10
 W HI D AH A N D CO N G O . 17 1

we s hall probably meet with many more vota

ries o f the sacred s erpent in that regio n Of
3
mystery .

But from this pro spect perhaps vision ary of , ,

future discoveries l e t u s turn to the knowledg e ,

which we already possess of the superstition s o f

th e Gold Coast W e have ascertaine d that th e .

SERPEN T was in reality w orshipped there ; that

temples priests and sacrifices were appointe d
, ,

to him ; and that there is a tradition that this ,

w orship f
c am e
f g ori
y g i na l ly rom a ore i n c ou ntr .

B ut moreove r we are in pos s ession Of fact s

, ,

which unequivocally demon strat e W H E N C E that

worship came .

I n the kingdom o f W hidah the re is still a

tribe Of people known by the name Of E BO E S ,

w h o are addicted to a w orship which may be

considered as little m ore than a variation Of

O p hi ol atre i a They w orship the guana a specie s
.
,

Of liz ard .

W n k till pr il in CE N T R L
or hip
3
Th e w s Of th e s a e s e va s A

l th i g hi r
A
I

m , n d
a
g r of b ing hor tly p r d d by an e e s su e se e

I l m im
s a fn ng th idol in t mpl of th Y rib n i n
o e s a e e e a ea s s o e

w i th th im g of n k pon hi h d ; w hich r mind

e a e a s a e u s ea e s

us of th E gyp ti n pri t w i th th a p f I i
e a es e s O s s.

3
Land r e
’
s R e cords . Pr fa c e e , and vo l . ii p
. . 198 .
1 72 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
-
.

A neighbouring tribe the KO R O M A N TY N E S , ,

are said to adore a spiritual deity called OB O NI , ,

who is a mal icious Spirit pervades heaven and , ,

earth and sea and is T H E A U T H O R O F A LL

, ,

EVI L 3
.

F rom these two tribes chiefly were th e negro e s

Of Jamaica and the W est I ndian isl ands formerly
taken and the addiction of these people to the
O B EAH W O RSHIP is well known by melancholy
-

memorials .

The word obe ah may be the feminine adj ective

o f th e S ubstantive o bi which in the native , ,

language O f the negroes signifies a C HARM ,

.

By means Of this charm the professors of O bi ,

w ho w e re all nati ve s o A ri c a held their unhappy

f f ,

votaries in such awe that against whomsoever ,

th e charm was laid o r as they termed it o bi , ,

”
w as se t that person invariab l y became the
,

victim Of his o w n horror and died a miserable

.
,

death The usual practice was to set this charm

.

(which co n sisted o f several ingredients mixed 2

3
B ry n a E d w ard s
’
s Hi s t. of th e We st I ndi e s , vol . ii pp
. .

75 and 4 66 .

3
O ne of th e se w as c roc od i l e s
’
te e th p rh p
, e a s a su b ti t
s u te

for rp t ; th r t w r bit
se en s
’
e es e e s Of rag s , f h
e a t e rs , &c . A

pr c tic om w h t imil r t thi

a e s e a s a o s m ay be di co r d in
s ve e th e
 WHI D AH A N D C O N G O . 173

u
p into the form o f a cake ) at th e door o r in th e ,

path Of the victim who having once fixed his ,

eyes upon it rarely recovered from the shock ,

.

A n irresistible horror overcame him in an i n

stant ; a gradual decay of mind and body
ensued and a few days su ffi ced to carry him
,

to his grave .

F rom these premises we may conj ecture wha t

relation the O beah worship be ars to the O p h io -

l atre i a of the ancients The origin Of the terms .

O B EAH an d O B I may be traced to the Canaanitish

superstition o f the O B o r O U B which Bryant has
‘

so i n geniously detected in h i s remarks upon the

witch o f Endor 3
.

”
The woman at E ndor Observes Bryant , ,

w h o had a familiar spirit is called am Q u b , , ,

philtr s or lo ch rms of th Gr k a d R om an Th
e ,
ve - a , e ee s n s. e se

con i t d mo ng oth r thing of th b n f k

s s e , a r h e s, e o es o s na es, sc eec

d b d f w l twi t d p n a w h l
’
owl f
s th r ea e s , an an s o oo s e u o ee

Th conn xion of rp nt
e d h rm i n o tic d by H or c
e se e s an c a s s e a e,

Ep o d . v. 14 .

C an idi a br ib implic ev us ata vip e ris

C rin t in m p t m
es e co u c ap I it, &c &c . .

3
A nl
a . vo l i pp 5 9 60
. . .
, .

3
P o tt r Arch ol
e , ae . Gr ae c a , ii . 251 .
174 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AFRI C A
-
.

or 0h and it is interpreted P y thonissa The .

s e r e n t was also in th e E gyptian language cal led

p
0 b orA ub W e are told by H or us A pollo tha t
.
,

the basilisk or royal serpent was named ou baios

, ,

it should have been rendered ou bos for ou baios is

”
a pos s essive and not a proper name
,
Ou bos is .
,

therefore th e name Of th e serpent Ou b w ith

, ,

a Greek —
termination a prac tice universally
a dopted by Greci an w ri ters w hen speaking of ,

foreign appellatives Besides Kircher remark s.

, ,

that O bw n I s Still among the people of E gyp t

, ,

the name of a serpent The same occurs in .

3 ”
th e Copti c L exic o n OB I O N in its orig inal .
,

s ignification w as a sacred title ,

applied to the ,

s olar god who was symbolized by the serpent

,

OB . I t is compoun d ed o f O B and O N O N is a .

—
ti tle Of the S U N thus the city Of O N in E gypt , ,

was called by the Greeks H e liop olis .

I t is observable that the woman Of E ndor is

,

c alled O u b o r 0 b ; and Sh e was applied to as

o rac u l ar . S imilarly whenever a negro was de ,

s iro n s of detecting a thief or of re c o v e rIn los t

g ,

property h e applied to the obi m an or obi w om an

,
- -
,

for an oracle .

3
B ry nt a , u t su pr a.
 WH I DA H A N D C O N G O . I7 5

The argu me nt th at th e O B E A H W O RS H IP w as -

origi n ally conn ec ted w ith O p h i ol atre i a m ay be ,

fu r ther corrobor ated by th e i nfere n ces w hich

res ul t from th e follo w i n g fac ts
1 The n atives of W hid ah w orshipp e d the se r
.

W
e n t do w n to the e ar 1 7 2 6
p y .

2 A tribe o f the
. hi d an e s e is c alled EB O E s ;

w hich has the s ame sig n ific atio n as O B O E s

for they m ay be tr aced to the s ame origi nal

w ord w e w hich has s u ccessively u n dergo n e th e
,

v ari ation s Op h ob ep h e b or e n The term

, , , , ,
.

EB O ES m ay th erefore w itho u t any gre at viole n c e

, ,

to probabili ty be i nterpre ted

,
the w orshippe rs ,

”
of EPH .

3 These people (th e E boes) are s till addic ted

.

to a s p ecies of serp ent w orship : the y w orship

-

the gu an a .

4 A n eighbo u rin g tribe th e Ko ro m an tyn e s

.
, ,

adore an d propitiate as T H E E V IL SPIRI T a god ,

w hom they c all O B O NI .

F rom these fac ts we m ay i nfer th at th e deity ,

OB O NI w as the origi n al evil dei ty o f th e N egro

n atio n s o f th at part o f A fric a —th at he w as

originally w orshipped u n der th e symbol o f a

se r e n t as his n am e imports ; th at his pec u li ar
p ,

w orsh i ppers (perhaps his p ries thood ) w ere c alled

1 76 SERP EN T W O RS H IP IN AF RI C A
-
.

O boe s 1
ord oboe s implies w orship
h
t at th e w

pers o f O B — an d l as tl that O B O NI is n o othe r

y ,

th an th e O P H I O N o f P h oe n ici a an d th e O B I O N of ,

E gy p t ; e ach of w hich w as a ti tl e of th e s ame

'

solar g o d w h o w as symboli z ed by th e serpe nt O B

, .

H e n ce there is room for o n e of these tw o i n fer

e nc e s th at the Gold Co as t w as ei ther colo n i z ed

from C an aan or from E gy p t : the former of

,

w hich is perhaps th e more prob ab l e from th e ,

greater facili ty afforded to th e P h oe n ici an s by

n avig atio n th an to th e E g y p ti an s w h o w o ul d
'

h ave to cross deser ts an d o v ercome m an y o ther ,

ph y sic al d i ffic u l ties in thei rdis tan t m arch The .

period at w hich this emigratio n took pl ace m u st ,

be referred to a very remo te ag e n ot o nl y be ,

c au se of th e to tall y disti n c t physic al character

i stic s o f the N egroes b u t also of th e simp lic i ty of
,

th eir w orship They h ad n ei ther th e m u l ti

.

tu d i n o u s host of th e E gy p ti an P an theo n nor ,

th e absorbi n g ador atio n of th e S y ri an god

dess : the y h ad n ei ther m y thology n o r im age

n me of th k ing of th E boe in 1 8 3 1 w O
Th e a e e s as BI .

Th people de cribed by L n der r f r l e

e s b rb ro th n a a e a ss a a us a

th eE boe of E dw ard
s Th S l e Trade which gener lly
s . e av , a

b rb ri e E rope n ppe r in thi in tance t h e conf rred

a a z s u a s, a a s s s o av e

a comparati e ci ili tion pon Afric an

v v za u s .
 W H I D A H A N D CO N G O . 1 77

w orship ; bu t preserved th e simple origi n al

1 i
,

ve n e r f
atio n of th e serpe n t i n his l i ving orm : The
n ame of th e evil dei ty O B O NI i t i s tr u e i n dic ates
, , ,

a rel atio n to th e sol ar w orship bu t as they h ad

n e ith e r o b e l i s ks n or pyr amids no r an y o f th e
’

o ther adj u n c ts of this pec u li ar religio n it is pro ,

b able th at th e n ame O B O NI w as i ntr od u ced at a

l ater period H o w ever th at m ay be i t is certai n
.
,

th at the w or s hip o f th e serpe nt prev ailed in this

p art o f Africa from th e e arlies t times .

Th at th e Koro m antyn e s sho u ld w orship O bon i

as a s iri t w hi le th e E boes or O boes adored
p , , ,

him u n der th e emblem Of th e gu an a an d s o ,

'

degr aded me ntal i nto se n s u al w orship is by no ‘

me an s s u rprisi ng F or w hile his tory represe nts

.

th e Ko ro m an t n e s as a pec u li arly q u ick an d

y
n oble mi n ded r ace it describes the E boes as th e
‘
-
,

mos t degraded amon g th e N egro tribes app a ,

re ntl s u scep tible o f n o ge n ero u s fe e l in It

z
y g .

"

w as therefore to be e x p e c te d th at th e Ko ro m an
'

ty n es w o u ld first em an cip ate themselves from th e

su pers ti tion of their commo n an ces tors H e n ce .

,

1
heir onl y idol —if i t m ay be call ed o n e—w a
T s th e A rg oy e ,

a h m n fi g re cro wned w ith rp nt and li ard

u a u se e s z s. I t w as a

s ubordin ate fe tiche .

B ry n E dward t pr
a s, u su a
.
 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN A F RI C A
- .

w hile their religio n be c ame more i ntellectu al ,

t h at of th e E boe s w o u ld re tai n i ts origi nal

c h arac ter w i th very li ttle ch an ge ; e s e c i al l

, p y ,

if the s e w ere (as there is re aso n to s u ppose )

th e de sc e n d an ts of th e p ri e s thood S O th at .

w hi le th e former w o u ld w orship O B O NI as a
'

s iri t th e l atter w o u ld w ors hip him u n der his

p ,

e m blem th e u ana
g .

In o n e re spec t ho w ever (an d it is an im po rtan t

, ,

an d ver rem ark able coi n cide n ce o f opin io n )

y ,

the y agreed Th e E boes affirmed th at the m os t

.

'

fi
ac c ep ta ble o e rin at th e shri n e o f th e gu an a w as
'

g
a HUMAN V I CT I M an d th e Koro m an ty n e s m ain
tai n e d th at w h e n O B O N I w as an gry
,
n o thi n g ,

c o u ld appe ase him bu t a H U M A N S A C RI F I C E! SO

striki ng a coi n cide n ce as this c ann o t bu t remi n d
u s of th e gre at an d eter n al tr u th th at vic tory ,

over th e se rp e n t co u ld o nl y be ob tai n ed by th e
W O MA N S SEE D and i t is an o ther li nk in th e
’ 3

ch ai n of th e un ivers al fai th th at before m an ki n d ,

cou ld be reco nci l ed to Go n — 3 IT W A S E K PE e

‘

D I EN T T HA T O N E MA N SH O UL D D IE F O R T H E
”
PE O PLE 1

W i h hese rem rks I take le ave

t t a of —
A fric a a
John x iii 1 4 1
v . .
 WHI D AH AN D CO N G O . 179

co untry in w hich th e serpe n t w as rem ark ably

—
ve n er ated The co u rse of th e N ile th e shores
.

o f th e M edi terr an e an — th e co as ts o f Gu i n e a

an d eve n C e ntr al A fric a i tself ,

fu rn ish proofs o f
th e prev aili ng idol atry ; an d m an y tribes eve n ,

e t u n kn o w n m a prob ably be discovered w hich

y , y
u phold th e s ame s u pers ti tio n . Th u s A fric a ,

w hich rem ai n s a mys tery to th e geographer an d ,

li ttle more th an a s andy desert to th e merch ant ,

m aybe a mi n e of kn o w ledge to th e Chris ti an

schol ar w h o bel ieves th e S criptu res an d expec ts
, ,

th e promises of G O D .

N
 TH E

W
O RS H IP O F T H E S ERPEN T .

C HA P T ER III .

SER P E N T W O RS HIP
- IN EU RO PE .
 C HA P T ER III .

SER P E N T W O R S HIP I N
- EU ROPE .

.
—
I GREE C E W he ther . th e le arn e d an d i n ge
n i o us B ry ant be correc t or no t i n d erivi n g th e
l
,

very n ame of EUR O PE from ; w ww (AU R A D ) '

-
,

th e s o l ar s e r
p e nt i t is cer t
,
ai n th at O h i o l atre i a
p
prev aile d in this q u arter of th e glob e at th e
e arlies t period o f idol atry 2
.

O f th e co u ntrie s o f E u rop e Greec e w as firs t ,

coloni z ed by O phites bu t at se p arate tim e s , ,

bo th fro m E gyp t an d P hoe ni c i a ; an d i t is a

qu esti on o f some do u b t tho u gh perh aps of li ttl e
,

importan ce w hether the le ader of th e firs t c o lo ny

, ,

the celebr ated C adm u s w as a Ph oe m CI an or an ,

E gyp ti an Bo c h art h as sho w n that C adm u s

.

1
a a —
F ber ppro v e s thi derivation Cabiri
s .
, v ol . i . 1 80 .

2
r t inh bit n t of E rope r id t h e been
Th e fi s a a s u a e sa o av

the Off pring of w om n p artl y of th h m n d p rtly of

a a u a an a
‘

s , e ,

th dr con tic fi gu re
e a trad i tion wh ich al l u d e t thei r O phi te
, a s o

origin .
1 84 SERPEN T -
WO RS H IP IN EUR O PE .

w as th e le ader o f th e Canaanites w h o fl ed before

th e arms o f th e vic torio u s Josh u a ; an d Bry an t

h as proved th at he w as an E gyp tian ide n tic al ,

w i th T H O T H . Bu t as mere n ames of i n di v id u als

are o f n o impor tan ce w he n al l agree th at th e

,

s ame s upers ti tio n exis ted con tempor an eo u sly i n

the tw o co u n tries an d sin ce Tho th is decl ared
,

by S an c h o n iath on to h ave bee n th e father o f th e

P h oen ici an as w ell as E gyp ti an O p hiol atre ia ;
w e m ay e n de avo u r w i tho u t pres u mp tio n to re
, ,

co n cile th e o p inion s o f these le arn ed au thors by ,

ass u mi n g e ach to be righ t i n his o w n li n e o f

arg u me n t ; an d b e ne raliz i n th e n ame C A D

y g g
M US i n s te ad o f appropri atin g i t to i n divid u als
, ,

By th e w ord C A DM US therefore w e m ay u n der

, ,

s tan d th e le ader of th e C A D M O N I TE S w he ther o f

'

E gypt or P h oe nici a There w o u ld co n seq u e n tly

.
, ,

be as m an y person s of this n ame as colo n ies of

,

this de n omi n atio n .

The firs t appe ar an ce o f these idol aters i n

E u rope is m y thologic ally described u n der th e
fable of C adm u s an d E u rop a ; accordi n g to’ 9

w hich th e former c ame i n se arch o f th e l atter

, ,

w h o w as his sis ter an d h ad bee n c arried o ff to

,

E u rope by J u pi ter in th e form of a b u ll .

I f E UR O P A be bu t a perso nific atio n of d i e

 G REE C E . 1 85

S O LA R SERPEN T W O RS H IP an d C A D M U s a le ader
-
,

o f serpe n t w orshippers
- th e w hole fable is e asil y
,

solved .

-
E u rop a w as c arried by J u pi ter to Cre te w here ,

sh e after w ards m arried As TE R I U s : th at is th e ,

S O LAR SERPEN T W O RS H IP w as established in Cre te

-
,

an d after w ards u n i ted w i th t h e w orship of th e

H E A V ENL Y H O S T : A s te rius bei n g derived from

im
r a s tar .

F or th e expl an ation o f th at por tion of th e fabl e l

w hich rel ates tp th e B U L L the reader is referred ,

to Br y an t A n al v ol
, ii 4 5 5 w h o thi nks th at i t
. . .
,

bore an all u si on to th e god A P I s of E gy p t by ,

w hose or ac ul ar advice th e m igr atio n w as u n der

'

take n . A simil ar w orship ho w ever prev ailed , ,

i n S y ri a ; for w e fi n d th at th e P hoe n ici an

C adm u s ( Cadm us the son of P hce nix) w he n
, ,

he w en t i n se arch of his sis ter follo w ed a c ow , .

This l atter colon y is said to h av e se ttled in

E u b oe a to w hich they g av e th e n ame o f their
tu tel ary dei t
y A UB for E u,boea is accordi n g to ,

Bry ant AU B AI A
, th e l an d of AU B
-
,

The his tory of C adm u s is fu ll of fables abo u t

serpe nts H e sle w a drago n pl anted its tee th
.
, ,

an d he n ce arose armed m e n w h o des troy ed ,

1
An al . ii . 2 06 .
 1 86 S ERPEN T W O R S H IP IN EUR O PE
-
.

e ach other u n til five o nly rem ai n ed These .

assis ted him i n b uild i n g th e ci ty o f TH EB E s .

O n e of these fi v e b u i l ders o f Thebes w as named

after th e serpe n t god of th e P h oe n ici an s O P H I O N
-
, .

C adm u s an d his w ife H armo ni a fi nished

, ,

th e ir tr avel s at En c h e l iae in I ll ric u m w here

y , ,

i n ste ad of dyi n g a n atu r al de ath they w ere ,

c han e d i n to s e r e n ts This co n cl sio n f the

g p u o.

s tory thro w s a ligh t u po n th e w hole The l e ad e r .

f
o these Op hi tes a
f te r d e ath w as d e ifi e d , and

ad ore d u nd e r the f rs
p yHme b ebol o a se e nt .

c ame i n fac t the SERPEN T G O D o f th e co u ntry

, ,
-
,

as T h o th h ad become th e serpe nt god of E g p t

y
-
.

Havin g bee n th e au thor h e be c ame th e obj e c t ,

of th e idol atry .

Bes ides th e C ad m i an colon y w hich s e ttled ,

chie fl y i n B oe o ti a a seco n d irru p tio n of O phi tes

,

is n oticed i n his tory as comin g from E gypt ,

u n der th e g u id an ce o f C E C R O P s These took .

possession of A ttic a an d fo un ded A then s whos e

, ,

firs t n ame w as in co nseq u e n ce C E C R O PI A In

, ,
.

this w ord al so w e tr ace th e i n vol u tio n of th e

, ,

n ame O R or O p s the serpe nt god of an tiq u i ty ;

, ,
-

an d accord i n gl y Ce c rops himself is s aid to 1

,

Allw od Lit An tiq of Gr ece p 2 5 9 deri e th n me

o , . . e , .
, v s e a

C ecrop from C
s r p a cu-
Th T mp l
-O
f th S
s, p r m e e e o e u e e

lO
 G REE C E . 1 87

h ave bee n of ofold form hum an and se rp e n tw ,

tine It w as also s aid th at fr o m a serpe n t he

1
.
,

w as ch an ged i nto a m an W e re ad too o f 2

.

D RA CO (Ap é nw a d ra on) bei n g th e firs t ki n g

g v,

o f Athe n s A ll these rel ate to th e i ntrod u c tio n

.

o f serpe n t w orship from E gyp t i n to A ttic a the

-
,

le ader o f w hich colony by a fabu lo u s me to ,

”
n mc
y w as c alled a
,
d ra on
g or se r e nt
p The ,
.

s t al tar erec ted by Cecrops at A the n s

fi r w as t o ,

C P S th e serpe n t d ei ty ; a circ u ms tan ce w hich

,
-
3

co nfirms th e i nfere n ce ded u ced by Br yant ;

n amel th at he I n trod u ced O h i ol atre i a i n to
y , p
A ttic a C ecrops an d D raco w ere prob ably th e
.

s ame perso n .

2 The symbolic al w orship of th e serpe nt w as

.

so co mmon in Greece th at J u sti n M ar ty r acc u ses ,

th e Greeks o f i n trod u ci n g i t i n to th e mys teries

o f al l their gods .

O PS
”
with th of th Attic d i l t nd by
Ca - c ur-op s , a e a
q
. e u se e ,

con tr ction w o ld becom e C r p From th tem ple h

a u e -c
’
-
O s . e e

thin k origin
s t e d th legend of C ec rop thro
a gh th m e s, u e co

m on tr n m t tion of temple
a s into dei tie in my thologic l
u a s s, a

hi tory
s .

1
B ry n t ii 2 1 0 citing Apollodor
a , .
,
us .

I bid p 2 1 1 ci ti g E t thi
. .
,
n us a u s.

3
M r b S t rn l l i b i c x p 1 62
ac o . a u a . . . . . . .
1 88 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN EUR O PE -
.

- , Q'
w a v ri Zo p évw v
d

H ap d Ge w v O t
ao

na
v vo
p I
p v g
I a
I 1
fi
I
h o v p sy a
1
av o K at vo m p to v a va
yp a
p e ra t
‘

p p

This especi al ly tru e in regard to th e m y s

w as

te ri e s of B acch u s The people w h o assis ted at .

them w ere cro w n ed w i th serpe n ts an d carried ,

them i n their h an ds br an dishi n g them over ,

their he ads an d sho u ti n g w i th great veheme n ce

, ,

”
w hich being ro u ghly aspir ated
z
s v ta , fg s vta
,

rem ark s Cleme n s A lex an dri nu s w ill de n o te ,

th e fem ale serpe nt A con secrated serpe nt 3

w as a sign of th e B acchic orgies “

a very i m
por tant p ar t o f w hich co n sis ted i n a processio n
o f n oble virgi n s c arr i n g i n their h an d s golde n
y ,

b aske ts w hich co n tai n ed ses am u m sm all p y ra

, ,

m id s w oo l
, honey c ahe s (h avi n g r aised l u mps
,
-
,

u po n them like nave ls) grai n s o f s al t an d A , ,

S ERPEN T
5
.

Three i n gredie n ts in these b aske ts are rem ark

Apolog lib i p 60 . . . . .

2
S om e of th ncien t f ther ppo ed th t th w rd
e a a s su s a e o sum .

w as anej c l tion f t he n m e E
a u a d (th erpen t beingO a VE an e s

sim l t neo ly h l d p ) th t th w h ol of th orgie w ere

u a us e u a e e e s a

celebr tion of th f ll of th fi r t w o m n
a e a e s a .

3
Ap d E b P E 64u . u se . . . .

4
I bid 62 . .

5
C lemen Al ex ci ted by C tel l an pu d Gro n o 64 3
s . as , a v . .
 G REE C E . 1 89

a ble as conn ec ted

,
w t ih T HE W
O RS H IP O F TH E
S O LAR SERPEN T .

l . The p y ram id s , ere i n te n ded as w hich w

represe n tatio ns O f th e sun s ray s and are some

‘ ’

times see n in th e h an ds o f pries ts k n eeli n g

before th e s acred serpe nt o f E gy p t The su p 1

plic ati n g mi n is ter of th e god O ffers a py r amid in

his left h an d w hile th e righ t is held u p in adora
,

tio n .O n his he ad is th e de adly asp .

2 . The hone y
-
c ahe s m arhe d w i th the s ac re d

om
p hal os ere also o fferi n gs m ade at
. These w

the shri n e o f th e s acred serpe nt ; for w e re ad

i
i n H erodo tu s th at i n th e Ac I op o l i s at A the n s
,

w as kep t a serpe n t w h o w as co n side red th e

g u ardi an of th e ci ty H e w as fed on c ahe s of .

honey onc e a m on th The serpe nt O f M e tele w as z

.

presen ted w i th th e s ame food or o fferi ng 3

.

M edic ated c akes i n w hich hon e y was a chief ,

i ngredie n t w ere at o n ce th e food an d th e o ffer

,

i ng to th e dr ago n of th e H esperides

S acerdo s
H e sp e rid u m e pli c
t m o
u st s , e
p u l as ne
g d rac oni

No . 4 . room ix . E gyp t . A ntiq in th B ri ti h M e m

. e s us u .

2
viii . 41 .

3
S ee O p h i ol atre i a in E gyp t .
”
1 90 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN EUR O PE
-
.

Q uoe da bat, e t sa cro s se rv ab at in arb or r m o e a s,

S p arge n s ham id a m e l l a , so p o rif r m q

e u p p a er
ue a v .

V irgil JE i , n . v. 483 .

A simil ar o fferi ng w as m ade to C erbe ru s ,

by

th e prophetess w h o con d u c ted ZEn e aS

Cu i v at s e h orre re vi d e n s j am coll a c ol u bris

M e l le ora tam e t m e d ic atis f rag i bus fl

‘

o am
so
p
O bj i c i t

JEn . v1 . 419 .

H oney h
c a es w er e also c arried
the i ni ti ated by

i nto th e c ave of Trop h oniu s to appe ase th e

gu ardi an serpe n ts ‘
S o th at this Offeri ng w as
.

u n ivers ally pec u li ar to O h i ol atr e ia

p .

The hon ey c ake ho w ever w hen properly pre

-
, ,

p ared w as m arked w ith th e sacred Omp halos

,

—a rem ark able pec u li ari t o n w hich i t m a be

y y
proper to m ake a fe w observ atio n s .

The s u pers ti tio n of th e O M P HA L O S w as exte n

s i ve l prev al e nt I t e n tered i nto th e religions
y .

o f I n di a an d Greece an d is on e o f th e mos t ,

figu r ative an d obsc u re p ar ts o f my thology The .

om ph alos is a bos s u pon w hich is des cribed ,

a S piral li ne bu t w he ther or no t this spiral li n e

m ay h ave bee n origi n all desig n ed to represe n t
y

1
Phil o stratu s , V i ta Apollon . 1
. v iii c
. . 15 .
 G REE C E . 19 1

a c oi le d se rp e nt,I w ill n ot pre ten d to de termi ne

tho u gh s u ch a me an i n g h as bee n affi xed to i t by

u po n th e antiq u i ties o f N e w
1
an i nge n iou s w ri ter

Gr an ge i n I rel an d In describi n g simil ar li n es

.

u po n some r u de s tones discovered at this pl ace ,

he tells u s they appe ar to be th e represe n ta

,

tio n s o f serpe nts coiled u p an d prob abl

y w ere ,

”
s ymbols o f th e Divi n e bei n g Q u i n tu s C u r .

ti u s co n firms this hypo thesis w he n h e s ay s , ,

th at th e temple o f J u pi ter A mmon i n A fric a h ad

a r u de s to n e w hereo n w as dr aw n a spiral li n e
, ,

”
th e symbol of th e dei ty .

W h atever m ay h ave been th e m ean i ng o f

this s p i ral l i n e w hich Q u i ntu s C u r ti u s c al l s a
,

nave l o ne thin g is evide nt th at the om hal os

, p , ,

u m bi l ic us or nave l w as s ac re d to the se r e n t d
p g
-
, , o

for i t n ot o nly occ u rs in th e m y s tic b aske ts o f

the B acchic orgies b u t w as also kept at ,

”
D ELP H I be c aus e
2
,
s ays P au s an i as this w as
, ,

”
the m i d d l e o the e arth
f The abs u rdi t
y o f this .

n o tio n at o n ce refers u s to some be tter re aso n

bu t abs u rd as i t is the s ame ide a seems to h av e

,

1
B e auf ord in V al l anc e y
’
s Coll e c tan . de re b . H ibe rn .

vol . p 1 74. .

S tr bo l ib
a , . vi . Pu n
a sa . l ib 1 0. . P ind ar, Py th . O de i v.

and vi .
1 92 SE RPE NT W O RS H IP IN EUR O PE
- .

prev ailed ge n erally ; for w e r e ad of an omph alos

of th e P eloponn es u s at Phl iu s in A ch ai a : ,

”
i t he as they say adds th e i n cred u lo u s topo
,

grapher ‘
.

N e ar th e l atter omph alo s w as a templ e of

B A C C H US an o ther o f AP O LL O an d ano the r o f
, ,

I SIS to e ach o f w hich dei ties th e serpen t w as

,

s acred The sacred omph alos therefore w o u ld

.
, ,

seem to be ar very m u ch u p on th e adoration o f ‘

th e serpe n t ; an d i t is a que s tion w he ther o r n o t

i t w as origi n ally i nte n ded to represe nt a c oi l e d

s e r e n t as s
p f y m bo lic al o d ivini ty
The eso teric tr adi tion of th e omph alos accord ,

i n g to D i o d o ru s is th at w he n the i nfan t[ J u pi ter

1
, ,
-

w as n u rsed by th e C u re tes his n ave l fell at th e ,

river Tri to n in Cre te w he n ce th at terri tory w as

c alled Omp halos Bu t this lege n d is evide ntl y
.

i n ve n ted from th e ambigu i ty o f th e w ord Bry an t .

derives omp hal os from O M P H I E L the orac l e of ,

the sun
93
2
S u ch an oracle w ou ld n ot be u n ap tly
.

represe nted by a coiled serpen t a serpe n t bei n g ,

th e mos t pop u l ar emblem o f th e su n an d also ,

o f an or acle .

3 The third fe atu re an d th e mos t rem ark able

.
,

1
P a n lib ii p 1 0 9
u sa . . . L ib
. .
2
. v. s.

An al i 3 0 7 2
. . .
 G REE C E . 193

of al l , in th e B acchic orgies w as th e mystic ,

SERPEN T This w as u n do u b tedly th e é ufi k

.
, ,
a o ov

i fi p f h fes iv l The M Y S T ER Y
’

p y
e a Ka
p a r o
v t e t a to v .

Of re l igio n w as thro u gho u t th e w orld co n ce aled

, ,

i n a c hes t o r box A s th e I sraeli tes had thei r

'

s acred ark every n ation u pon e ar th h ad som e

,

h oly recep tacle for s acred thi ngs an d symbols .

The s tory of Eric th o ni u s is ill u strative of this

'

re mark He w as th e fo urth ki ng of A then s

'
'

.
,

an d his body termi n ated in th e tails of se r p e n ts ,

i ns te ad of h u m an legs H e w as placed by .

M i n erv a in a baske t w hich she g ave to th e ,

d au gh ters o f C E C R O PS w i th s tric t i nj u n c tio n s

,
.

n ot to O p e n i t H ere w e h ave a fable m ade o u t

.

o f th e S im p le fac t of the m y s teri ous hashe t in ,

w hich th e s acred serpe n t w as c arried at th e ,

Or gies o f B acch u s The w hole lege n d rel ate s to

.

O p h i ol atre i a .

In ccord ance w ith the general pr ac tice th e

a ,

o rsh i e rs of B acch u s carried i n their c ons e

pp
cr ated b aske ts or ches ts th e M Y S T ER Y of their ,

Go d toge ther w i th th e o fferi n gs

,
.

C atu ll u s (N up tice P e l e t The tid is

,
in .
,

des cribi ng these B acch an als s ays ,

P r e e torti
a s s s s se rp e ntib u s i nc i nge b ant,
Pr bc r
a s O s u a c av i s c e l e b rab ant orgi a c i s ti s .

O
1 94 SERPEN T W O RS H I P IN EURO PE
-
.

The c onte n ts of b aske t w ere ther e fore th e

th e , ,

M Y S T E R Y ; and especi al l y the se r p e nt A r c h .

“
bishop P o tte r s ay s as m u ch ; In thes e c on

si sted the m os t m y s te rious p art o the s o l e m ni ty

f
but he add s i nc o n si d er atel y, and the ref ore to ,

am us e the c om m on p e op l e (l) serpe n ts w e r e p ut

W
in to them w hi c h so m e times craw li n g o u t o f
,

their pl aces as ton ished th e beholders

,
h at
e v e r m igh t h ave been th e as to nishme n t o f the

b e h ol d e rs th at of th e p rie sts w o u ld not h av e

,

bee n l ittl e to h av e bee n told th at th eir sa c re d

,

s e rpe nt th e ai ufi ko afy a K ai u rfip t v w as

,
o u va o ,

no th ing m or e than a d ev i c e to am u se th e c om ~

m on pe opl e .

It i s obs e rv ab l e th at th e C h risti an O p hi te s ,

W h o w ere of th e sc ho ol of th e E gyp ti an gn os tics ,

ke p t th e i rsacre d S e rpe nt i n a c hes t an d th e o rgies

of B acch u s w ere derived from th e sam e so urc e
i
of E gyp ti an g no st c s mi — th e m y s teries of I S I Sw «
.

S o g re at w as th e ve ner ation of the Cre tans

for th e ir Bac c hi c b aske ts th at th e y freq u e ntl y
.

s tamped th e fig u re s of the m upon th eir coi ns

W
.

Nor e re th es e b as ke ts con fi ne d to th e orgies o f

B acch u s The y w e re empl oyed also i n the
.

m y steries of Ceres I sis an d O siri s , ,

z
.

Arch eol Gr ii 3 8 3 9 th Ed it
a . ae c . . M ontf con i
. .
2
au , .
 G REE C E . 1 95

An o ther c us tom o f th e B acch antes is rem ark

able for i ts co nn exio n w i th O h i o l atre i a A f ter
p .

th e b an q u e t they w ere acc u s tomed to carry

,

“
ro u n d a c u p w hich they c alled th e c u p of
,

th e good d aemo n I n ge nti cl amore B O NU M

.
’ 9

D EU M i n voc an t v e n e rante s Bac c h u m c uj u s q u o ,

q ue in memori am P O C ULU M su bl ati s me n sis , ,

c irc u m fe ru n t qu od poc u lu m B O NI D IEM O N I S

,

appell an t
1
.

”
The sy mbol of th e good d ae mo n w as a
serpe nt as m ay be proved from a med al of th e
,

to w n o f D i ony Sop ol i s in Thr ace O n on e side ,

.

o f th e coin w ere th e heads o f Gordi an an d

S er apis on th e other a c oi le d se rp e nt
,
D i on y 2
.

S o o l is w as n amed from D i o n u su s a n ame w hich

p ,

w as born e by th e I n di an B acch u s w h o in his

'

o w n co u n tr w as c alled D e onaus h
y .

In th e collec tio n o f the E arl o f Be sbo ro u g h ,

w as a be au tifu l an tiq u e dri n ki n g c u p c u t o ut O f

a solid piece o f rock cr s tal

y on the lid of w hic h ,

are tw o serpe n ts an d u pon the c u p near th e

,

rim the O phi te hiero gr am in th e form o f a

,

M ed u s a s he ad M r P o w n all i n th e seve n th
’
. .
,

vol u me o f th e Arc h ae ol ogi a proves th at thi s c u p ,

'

w as co n secr ated to religio u s u ses an d s u ppo s es

Nicol de ri tu B a c ch . a u p d Grono v . vi i . 1 86 .
2
I bid .

0 2
19 6 SERPEN T W O R S H IP IN EUR O PE
-
.

h
t at it migh t h ave bee n employed in dri nki n g to
th e Tri a N u mi na after afe ast O n e of th e
-
,
Tria .

”
N u mi n a w as c alled AG ATH O D IEM O N I con *

e c tu re therefore th at this w as th e poc u lu m

j ,

”
Bon i D ae m oni s u sed , in th e B acch an ali an
m y s teries .

The follo w ing li nes from M ar tial prove th at ,

th e impress o f a s e r p e n t u po n a c u
p w as a S ign ,

o f consecratio n

Cae l at us t ibi c um si t Am m i ane

S e rp e ns in p ate rd My roni s a rte ,

Vatic an a bibi s !
L ib . vi . Ep ig 9 2 . .

T he serpe nt e ntered i nto th e sy mbolic al w or

ship o f m any o thers o f th e Greci an dei ties .

M i n erv a w as some times represe nted w i th a

dragon ; her s tatu es by P hidi as w ere decorated
w i th this emblem In pl ate p 8 5 vol i o f
1
.
,
.
, . .

M o n tfau co n are sever al med als o f M i n erv a in

,

o n e of them S h e holds a c ad u c e us in th e righ t

h an d ; in an o ther a s taff ro u n d w hich a ser

, ,

pen t is tw is ted ; in a third a large serpe nt ,

appe ars m archi n g before her O ther med als .

represent her crest as composed o f a serpe n t .

S o th at this w as a notorio u s emblem of th e

G e ner H i t Anim lib
1
s p 84
, s . . . v . . .
 G REE C E 197

goddess o f WI S D OM : so applied perh aps from , ,

”
a legendary memori al o f th e s u b til ty w hich

th e serpe n t displ ayed i n P ar adise w here as h i s ,

attrib u tio n to th e god o f D RUN K ENNESS m a b e

y
acco u n ted for from a tr adi tio n ary recollec tio n o f

the pros tr atio n of mi n d s u s tai ned by o u r firs t i

p are nts thro u gh comm u n io n w i th the serp e n t
,

temp ter .

The ci ty o f A the n s w as pec u li arl y consecrated

to th e goddess M i n erv a ; an d i n th e A cropolis

w as kep t a live serpe n t w h o w as ge n er ally con ,

si d e re d as th e g u ardi an O f th e pl ace The .

'

em
p er Or H adri an b u il t a temple at A the n s to

J u piter O l y m p i u s and pl aced i n i t a dr ago n

'

w hich he c au sed to be bro u gh t from

U pon th e w alls o f A the n s w as sc u lp tu red a .

’
M ed u s a s he ad w hose h air w as inte rtw ine d w i th
,

s nahe s .In th e temple of M i n erv a at Tege a , ,

there w as a simil ar sc u lp tu re w hich w as s aid to ,

h ave bee n give n by th e godd ess herself to pre ,

”
serve th at ci ty from being taken in w ar The .

virtu e s u pposed to reside in this he ad w as o f a

talism an ic po w er to preserve o r des tro ,
y .

1
X i p h i l in .Hi R om . s t. S crip t . iii. 3 58 .

2
P au s a n lib iii p
. . v . . 53 1 . E di t . H an o vi ae 1 6 1 3 .
198 S ERPEN T W O RS H IP IN EUR O PE
-
.

The s ame au thor w h o records th e prece d i ng 1

fac t tells u s of a pries te ss w h o going i nto a

, , ,

sanct u ary of M i n erva in th e de ad of th e n ight ,

saw a visio n of th at g od de s s w h o held u h r

p e ,

m an tle u po n w hich w as impre s sed a Med u s a s

’

h e ad Th e sight of this fe arl tal ism an i ns tan

.

tan e o u sl y co n v e r ted th e i n tr u der i nto s tone The .

s ame Gorgon or M ed u s a s he ad w as on th e ’

ae gis an d bre as tpl ate o f th e goddess to in d u ce 2

,

a terr ific aspec t i n th e field of b attl e

. The .

te rror resided i n th e s nahe s ; for th e fac e of

”
M ed u s a w as m i l d an d be au tif u l F rom som e ?

s u ch n o tio n o f a talis m an ic p ow er p e rh aps th e , ,

A rgives A the n i ans an d I onians afte r the taki n g

, , ,

of Tanagra from th e L acedae mo n i an s erected a ,

statu e of vic tory in th e grove ofJ u pi ter O l y m p i u s ,

on w hose shield w as e n gr aved a M e d usa s he ad ’

4
.

The s ame sy mb olic al figu re m ay be freq u e n tly

see n on sep u lchr al u rns This ge n er al impres .

sio n of a po w erfu l ch arm i n her e nt in th e Go rgon ,

m u s t be attrib u te d to som e forgotte n tradi tion

respec ti n g th e se rp e nts in th e h air ; for al l
agree th at th e face o f M ed u s a w as far from

P lib ix p 5 9 3
au s . . . . .
2
Virgil , iii
v .

3
M n tf con i 8 8
o au ,
. .
4
Pan s . lib . v. 3 04 .
 G REE C E . 199

bei n g terrific S ome e ngravi ng s of thi s he ad

.
,

preserved i n M o ntfau co n ex p l ai n th e mys tery ,

.

From these w e m ay i nfer th at th is celebrated ,

talism an w as no other th an the s till more c e le

brate d emblem o f c onsecr atio n th e C IR C LE , ,

WIN G S an d SERP EN T w hose his tory u se and

, , ,

prob able origin w e con sidered in th e firs t chap .

ter o f this tre atise In th e pl ate i n M o ntfau co n

.
,

above referred to are rep rese ntation s of M e

1
,

d u s a s he ad from ei ther side o f w hose forehe ad

’

proceeds a w 1 N G an d Tw o SERPEN T S i nter

~

s e c tin one aho th e r belo w th e chi n in a nod us

‘

g
H e rc u lis appear ove r th e forehe ad looki n g at
, ,

e ach o ther .

T ake aw ay th e h u m an face I n the ce n tre ,

w i th its re m ai n I n s n aky locks an d o u have

g y ,

th e E gy p ti an emblem o f co n secr atio n THE ,

SE R PE NT S A N D WIN G E D C IR C LE th e c ircl e bei ng

formed by th e bodies of th e s n akes The Gor .

gon is th erefore n o thi n g more th an T H E C A D U

, ,

i ts s tafi
f
C E U S w i thou t .

The i n tim ate co nn exio n o f this emblem w i th

th e serpe n t w orship w e h ave alre ad y observed
-
,

and i t is w orthy of rem ark th at th e A rgive s , ,

1
M o ntf . i . 88 .
2 00 S ERPEN T W O RS H IP IN EUR O PE
-
.

A the nians , an d I onians , who erec ted th e s tatu e

of victory at T an agra w i th a Gorgo n shield -
,

w ere descen d ants of s e r

p e n t w ors hi
pp
T his celebr ated hierogram of th e O phi tes w as
p ai nted on th e shield of P erse us an A rgive w h o , ,

w as dis ti ng u ished by th e d e vi c e o f M ed u s a s ’
:
'

”
head An d Hipp o m e d on an A rgive also one
.
,
~

o f th e seve n chiefs before Thebes bore th e 1

,

s ame hierogram if I rightly u n derstan d these

,

lines of l Esc h yl u s
r
d va iai
I
O cps w v di w h slc ws id
p p y
o ov i
K l ro g

I Ip o o ndd r
p w rat
'

KO I Ao y do ro p o g i ho v
Ic j lc .

En rol Su i O hfi ag
c

. 5 0 1 , 50 2 .

The poe t is describing th e de vices u pon th e

shields o f th e besiegers an d th e above are th e ,

”
armori al b e arI n g s of H ippomedon The ho l .

l ow c irc umf e re nc e o f th e co n c ave shield w as

ie d tow ard s the g round ( dq i n th e
c arr
)
-
n o an w ra t
p
”
fold s of serpe nts By w hich I u n ders tan d th e
.

poe t to me an th at th e ce ntre o f th e Shield w as a

,

li ttle r aised an d a c irc u lar c avi ty ran ro u n d be

,

tw ee n i t and th e ri m o f th e S hield In this c av i t

y .

1
Alcm on l o who w pre en t t thi iege w di tin
a a s , as s a s s , as s

g i h d by th cogni nce of a
u s e e rp nt u pon h i hie l
zad se e s s .

Pindar Py thia, 8 .
 G REE C E . 20 1

( tow ard s the l ow e rp art of i t) w ere folded

serpe n ts
w hich w o u ld acc u r ately describe th e ophi te
-

hierogram the r aised p art o f th e shield re p re

1
.

—
se nti n g th e mys tic circle o r globe for w e m u st
“
observe th at th e shiel d w as h ol low be l lie d
,
-

i e c onc ave to the be are r an d co n sequ e ntly

. .
, .

c onve x to th e e n emy .

The people o f A rgos h ad a tr adi tion w hich

i n dic ates the ir ophi te origin al so The ci ty w as .

s aid to h ave bee n i nfe ste d w ith serpents u nti l

'

,
.

A pis c am e fro m E gypt and se ttled i n it To

'

him the y attrib u te th e blessi n g Of h avin g thei r .

co u ntryfreed from this evil bu t th e brood c ame

from the v e ry q u arte r from w he n ce A pis w as
'

s u pposed to h ave come They w ere cer tai nly .

H ivi tes from E gyp t

The bre as tpl ate an d b aldrick of A g amem n o n ’

ki n g of A rgo s exhibi ted th e device of a trip l e

,

he ad e d se rp e n t H is bro ther M e n el au s ki n g o f
3
.
, .

S p arta w as simil arl y disti n g u i shed by a serpe nt

,

u po n his shield The S p artan s as w ell as th e

'

.
,

A then i ans believed in their serpe nti n e origi n and

, ,

c alled themselves o hio e naa

p g .

S ee ch i O p hi l atr i a i n P e r i
1 ”
. . o e s a. Pl ate .

2
B ry n t An l ii 2 1 2
a , a . . .

2
H omer I l i d A 3 8 , a , . .
2 02 SERPEN T W
O RS H P IN EUR O PEI .

In A rgolis moreover w as th e to w n of E p i
, ,

d au ru s famo u s fo r th e temple of ZEsc u l ap iu s

, ,

w here th at god w as w orship p ed u n de r th e

symbol o f a serpe nt W e read i n P aus ani as .

1

th at liv e se rpen ts w ere kep t h ere and fed regu ,

l arl y by servan ts w h o l aid their food u p o n th e,

fl o o r bu t d ared n o t appro ach th e s acred rep

, .

tiles . This m u s t h ave bee n o nl y thro ugh re li

i ons aw e ; for th e serpe nts o f E p id au r u s w ere
g
s aid to be harm less The s tatu e of [ Esc u l ap i u s 2
.

at this temple represe n te d him le ani n g u p on a

,

s taff and res ti n g on e hand u pon th e head of a

,

2
'

serpe nt H is sis ter th e goddess H ygei a w as

3
.
, ,

represe n ted w i th a larg e se rp e nt tw iste d abou t ‘

her and dri nki n g o u t of a ch alice in h e r hand

,
.

S ome times i t w as coiled u p i n her l ap at o thers ,

held i n th e hand 1
‘

The serpe n t w as s acred to ZEsc ul api u S and

H y gei a as a s y mbol of he al th ; but how he c ame
,

to be a s y mbol of he al th is n ot very s atis fac torily

expl ain ed It is s aid by P li ny th at th e fl esh of
.
,

thi s cre atu re is some times u sed in medici n e an d ,

th at this w as th e re aso n of his co n secr atio n to

”
he al th O thers ag ai n i n form u s th at th e
.
,

1
P au s lib ii 1 0 6
. . . .
2
P n lib
au s a . . 1 36
.

2
Mo ntf i 1 8 0
. . .
1
‘

I bid 1 8 1
. .
 G REE C E . 20 3

se rpe n t ch an ges his ski n p e rio d i c al l y an d th u s ,

becomes an emblem o f rene w ed vigo u r in a sick

m an These ho w ever c an o nly be con sidered
.
, ,

as th e s u rmises of a w ar m im agi n atio n The

u s e o f an im als o f th e rep tile k i n d in medici n e
w as n o t co n fi n e d to th e serpe nt ; o r if it w ere , ,

from w he n ce co u ld the id e a i tse lf origi n ate th at ,

th e serpent s flesh w as sanatory The changing

’

o f his ski n bei n g e ri od i c al ca

n sc arce l de n o te
p y ,

recovered he al th w hich is seldom rene w ed at

,

give n i n terv als In th e absence o f every o ther

.

prob able re aso n w e m ay refer this n o tio n to th e

,

e c t prod u ced u pon A d am and Ev e hen

’

efl w at , ,

th e i n s tig atio n o f T H E SERPEN T they took an d ,

” “ ”
ate ,
an d the ir ey e s w e re op e ne d A no ther .

d erivation h as i n deed bee n assign ed w hich h as ,

m u ch pl au sibili ty attached to it ; bu t chronol ogy

co nfu tes th e opin ion M any au thors h av e be .

l ie v e d th at th e erec tio n o f th e br az e n serpent i n

th e w ilderness by M ose s migh t h av e giv e n ,

.

c au se for th e attrib u tion o f the serpe n t to the

1
be confe ed h o w r th t thi notio n m de
It m u st ss , e ve , a s a a

very tr ng impre ion p o n tiq ity —for t t n k e

s o ss u n a u
“
o ea s a s
1’

bec me pro erb deno ting m n feeding on wh t rene wed

a a v , a a
’
s a

hi i go r
s v u .
2 04 SERPEN T -
WO RS H IP IN EUR O PE .

god o f he al th ; especi all y as he is represented

very ofte n u nder this character e n circli n g a
, ,

s tick or pole i n the h an d o f fEsc u l ap iu s I .

ack n o w ledge th e affi ni ty of th e ide as ; b u t bei n g

pers u aded th at the [Esc u l api an w orship w as of

W
E gy p ti an origin an d having alre ad y S ho w n from
,

isd om ch xi ver 1 5 th at th e w orship of the

‘

. .
,
.
,
.

s erpe n t prev ailed in E g p t be o re th e E xod u s O f

y f
the I sr aeli tes I c ann o t believe th at an E gy p ti an
,

s u pers ti tion o w es its beginning to any i ncide nt

i n I sr aeli tish history .

A tradition is recorded by P au s an i as of 1

o ne Ni c ag ora th e w ife of Ec h e ti m u s w h o
, ,

conveyed th e god E sc u l ap i u s to S icyon u n der

th e form of a serpe nt The S ic y o ni an s erec ted
.

s tatu es to him ; on e o f w hich represented a

w oman S i tti n g u po n a serpe n t An an ecdo te .

o f th e d epor tatio n o f fEsc u l ap iu s to R ome ,

s imil ar to the precedi n g is rel ated by Livy , ,

O vid F lor u s V aleri u s M axim u s an d A u reli u s

, , ,

V ic tor . F rom w hom it appe ars th at a pes ti ,

le n ce h avi ng arise n in Rome th e or acl e o f ,

Delphi ad vised an emb assy to E pid au r u s to ,

fe tch th e god [ Esc ul ap iu s ; Q u intu s O g ul niu s

1
P au s . lib ii
. . 1 03 .
 G REE C E . 205

and te n o thers w ere accordi ngly sent w i th th e

h u mble s u p plic ation s o f th e se nate an d people
o f R ome W hile they w ere g az in g in admir atio n
.

at th e s u perb s tatu e o f th e god a serpe nt , ,

”
ve n er able not horrible,
w hic h r arely ap ,

p e ar e d bu t w he n he i n te n ded to co n fer some

extraordin ary be n efi t glided from his l u rki n g ,

place and h avi n g p assed thro u gh th e ci ty w e n t ,

direc tly to th e R om an vessel an d coi l ed himself ,

i n th e ber th o f O g u l n iu s The ambassadors

u
p .
,

”
c arry ing th e god se t s ail ; an d being o ff
,

Anti um ,
th e Serpe n t le aped i nto the se a an d ,

s w am to th e n e arest temple o f A pollo and after ,

a fe w d ays re tu r n ed Bu t w he n they e n tered

.

th e Tiber he le aped u po n an island an d d i sap

, ,

W
p e are d. H ere th e R om an s erec ted a temple to

him in th e sh ape of a ship ; and th e pl ag u e as

”
stay ed w i th w on derfu l celeri ty .

O vid (M e t 1 5
, gives an an im ated de
.
,

scrip tion o f this emb assy w hich is w ell w or thy ,

O f a ttention as ill u s trative O f th e d e ifi c ati on of

,

the serpe nt .

P o ter d r a rora f g
s a SI e e os u u av e rat igne ; s

I ncerti q id g t procere
u a an s, a d templ pe ti ti a

C i
on ve n u nt opero D i q sa e ua u e
q ip e m or ri s a

S ede l i t ig i
ve l tib
, s n s c oe e s us i ndi t o r n t
ce , a .
2 06 S ERPEN T W O RS H I P IN EUR O PE
-
.

Vix b e ne d e si e ran t c um cri tis s au re l ti us a s

In S E R PE N T E D EU S p rae nu n ti a ibil mi it
s a s :

A d ve ntu qu e s u o si
gn um q u e a as r q efr q u o es ue

M arm ore u m qu e ol m f tigi q r s m it u , as a u e au e a ov

P t ri b q
ec o ten m e d ia
us ue blim i in d us su s ae e

C n ti ti t ; tq e
o s l i r m t l i t gn e m
a u t
oc u os c cu u I I c an e s .

T rri t t rb a p
e a u t g n i t N M
av e c to , co ov U IN A us s,

E in t v ittacrine l b nt cerdo
c us v s a e e sa s.

Et D “
en D EU S en ! li g i q nim i q f EU S n u s ue a s ue av e te

Q i q i de dixi t S i O p ulcherrime i
”
u s u s a s, . s, , v su s

”
U til i te r: p op ul o sque j uve s T U A S A C RA c ol e nte s .

The god h avi n g p assed thro u gh th e emple

t

and ci ty arrive s at th e port :

,

R e sti ti t hi c agm e n q u e s uu m , turb ae qu e se

q u e n ti s

O fli c iu mpl cido i a v su s d i m i tte re v ul tu ,

C orp in A oni ap
us us o su i t rat e .

W hen th e vessel e n tered th e Tiber th e ,

w hole ci ty of R ome w as po u red o ut to mee t

th e god

O b i v a tu rb a ru i t ~

re l t t
l ae to q u e cl am o s a u an .

Q per
ua ue
q d er a n i ci t
a v d i t r nd s s av s a uc u u as ,

Th r per rip ri q e ex ordine f c ti

u a su as , a s u a s,

P rte b tr q on n t t dor nt er f m i
a a u a ue s a : e a a a a u s,

I t q j t i
c a u e c on e c o sl f i t ho ti l tr nc a ac s a cu os.

These spiri ted lines alo ne ,

w t i ho u t any other
 G REE C E . 20 7

s u pport from his tory w o u ld prove th e ex tent to

,

w hich th e w orship o f th e serpe n t w as c arried by

th e an cie n ts .

The i n c arn atio n o f dei ty in a serpent w as n o t

an u ncommon eve n t i n Grec i an my thology We .

read of O l y mpi as Ni c ote l e a and Aristo d am i a

, , ,

mothers of A lex an der Ari stom e n e s an d A ratu s

, , , ,

respec tively by some god w h o h ad ch anged

,

‘
himself i nto th e form of a se rpe nt The con .

version of J u pi ter an d Rhe a i nto s n akes gave ,

occasion to a fable respec tin g th e origin o f the

C ad u ce u s ; w hich is so farpertinent to o u rtheory ,

th at i t implies th e d ivine c harac te r of th ose s acred

serpen ts w hich formed in th at tal ism an th e circle

,

an d cresce n t .

J u piter ag ain me tamorphosed himself into e

d ragon to decei ve P roserpi n e
,
These an d al l .
,

o ther simil ar fables in my thology are fo u n ded ,

u po n th e decep tio n of E ve b a SPIRI T U A L B EIN G

y ,

w h o ass u med th e form o f a serpe n t .

Drago ns w ere s acred to th e goddess C eres ;

her c ar w as dr aw n by them .

They w ere sy mbolic al also of th e E phesi an

Di ana and O f C y bele th e mo ther of th e gods
, , ,

1
Pu na sa . l ib i v 2 4 3
. . .
2 08 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN EUR O PE -
.

as we m a
y see in the e n gravin gs of M o nt
fau co n 1
.

O f al l th e
pl aces in Greece B oe o ti a seems to ,

h ave bee n th e mos t favo u ri te reside n ce of th e

O phi tes The Theb an s bo as ted themselves to
.

be the desce n d an ts of th e w arriors w h o S pr un g

from th e dragon s tee th so w n by C adm u s ’
The .

”
his tory o f this co u ntry s ay s Bry ant h ad c on , ,

ti nu al refere n ce to serpe n ts an d dragons ; they

seem to h ave bee n th e n ation al i n sign e at le as t

o f The bes H e n ce w e fi n d u pon th e tomb of
.

E p ami n o n d as th e figu re o f a serpe nt to signify

, ,

that h e w as an O phi te o r Theb an In like

m ann e r th e Theb an H erc u les bore u pon h is
shield the s acr ed hierogram by w hich th e w ar
riors of th e C ad m i an family w ere dis ti ng u ished
A s he w ent his ad am an tin e shield so u nded
,
-

in a C IR C LE T w o D RA G O NS w e re sus

p e nd e d , lif ting up the ir he ad s 3

At B oe o ti a they w orshipped
Th e sPiae , in ,

J u pi ter S aotas ; th e origi n of w hose w orship is

th u s rel ated : W he n D RA G O N h ad once A

l aid w as te th e tow n J u pi ter direc ted th at ,

1
V ol . i .

2
An l ii 4 65 citing P ani
a . .
, au s as .

2
‘

H e iod cit d by S t k eley A b

s , e u , ury , 69 .
 G REE C E . 2 09

every ye ar a yo u n g m an chose n by l o t; sho u ld

,

be o ffered to T H E SERPEN T The l ot fe ll at .

le ngth o n C l e o stru s w hen h is frie n d M e nes

, ,

tratu s h av i n g m ade a br az e n bre as tpl ate an d

,

s tu dd ed i t w ith hoo ks p u t i t on an d presen te d

, ,

h i mself to the dr agon Th us they both perished

.

toge ther . From th at time th e Thespi an s erec ted

an al tar to J u pi ter S ao tas

Bu t the most celebr ate d s e at of O p h i ol atre i a

i n Greece w as at D ELP H I The origi nal n ame
.

of this plac e according to S tr abo w as PY T H O

, ,

s upposed to be so c alled from th e serp e nt

PY T H O N sl ain there by A pollo
,
.
The c o n .

n e x i o n o f s u ch a lege n d w i th th e pl ace an d the ,

.

deri v atio n o f i ts origi nal n ame from th e serpe n t

P y thon w hich is tho u gh t to be th e PE TH E N O f
,

th e H ebre w s migh t w ell i n d u ce th e le ar n ed

,

“
He insi u s to co ncl u de th at th e god A pollo

w as firs t w orshipped at Delphi u nder th e s y mbol ,

”
”

o f a serpe n t H y gi n u s s ays th at th e dragon

.
2
,

P y thon formerl y gave orac le s in M o u nt P arnassu s

PY T H O N Terrae fi l iu s draco i ng e n s H ic
, , .

an te Ap ol l i n e m e r orac u l o in mon te P arnasso

’

”
re sp onsa d are soli tu s er at The s ame s ay s .

1
H offm n L exicon
a , .
2
F ab 1 4 0
. .
2 10 SERPEN T W O RSH IP IN EUR O PE -
.

fEl i an 1
P l u tarch affi rms that th e contes t
an d
2
.
,

be tw ee n A p ollo and P ytho n w as respecting the

'

orac l e .5P y tho n w as there fore i n re ali ty th e

‘
, , ,

deity o f th e pl ac e . ,
3

The p u blic assemblies at D elphi w e re c al l e d

P y thia Th e se w e re do u b tless , origin all y i n
u . .

te n ded fo r th e adoratio n o f P yth on S e ve n 1

'
‘

e . ; .

d ay s after the vic tory a Ap Ol l O P y tho n ,

th e P thi an g am e s w e re o n th e

W
y
.

s e ve n th d a of h ich an h ymn c all e d P ae an w as

y ,

s u n g to A pollo in h on o u r Of his vic tory H e n ce

.
5
.

—
the expressio n O f H es io d 133 1 rp y wr p 1

W
. 8 0 1 0 1) e a : a

w hich so si n g u l arly corre sponds i th ou r sab

W
b ath . 1

he n : th e p ries tess o f Apollo d e l i ve re d h er

or ac l e s sh e stood or s at upon a tr
, . ip od This , , . .

w as a n ame commonl y g i ve n to an sor t of

y , ,

ve ssel se at or table , s u pp or te d u pon three fee t

, , ; .

The tripod of th e P y thi an pries tess w as disti n

u i sh e d by a b ase emblem atic al of her god I t
g .

w as a trip l e he ad e d s e r p e n t of br ass -
w hose bod y , ,

1
H i t lib iii c 1
V ar . D d f t Or c i 4 1 7
s . . . . .
2
e e ec u a . . .

B ry nt ii 1 4 7 Th me i intim a
1

ted by Hygm
'

2
a , . . e sa s us
1

(I n trod F b ).w hen he c ll Pay thon .D r d i i a s ,

“
ac o v nas .
”

4
E b P E 72
u se . . . .

5
S t k el ey Ab ry 69 ci ting P roleg t P ind r Py th
u , u , ,
. o a . .
 G REE C E . 211
.

folded in circles gro w ing w id e r an d i d er to W :

w ards th e gr ou n d ,formed a c oni c al c ol umn The “

it sho u l d be remembered w as s acr ed to

'

c one,

th e solar d ei ty The three h eads w ere disp osed

. .

tri ang u l arly i n o rd e r to su s tai n th e three fee t

'

o f th e tripod w hich w as O f gOl d

, H er odotu s ‘ ‘

.
1

tells u s th at i t w as co n s ec rated to Apollo by

'

the Greeks o u t of the S poils Of th e P ersi an s

,
'

after th e b attl e o f Pl atae a H e d e scribes i t Y

‘

acc u r ately P au s ani as w h o me ntio n s i t al s o

.
‘
2
, ,

omi ts th e fact o f th e three he ads H e rec ords .

'

a tradi tio n o f a m ore anc ie nt tripod w hich w as ,

’

"

c arried off by th e Ty rinth i an H erc u le s bu t

‘
‘

res tored by the son of A mphi try o n An e n i .

graving o f th e serpe nti n e col u mn o f th e Del phic

W
tripod m ay be seen i n M ontfaucon vol ii ; p ; , .

W
The gol den portion o f this tri pod as c arried '

aw ay by the Ph O c i an s he n they p il l ag e d t h e ‘

te m p l e df Del phi ; an o u tr age w hi ch i n volved

’

them i n th e s acred w ai w h i cl i termi n ated int heir

‘
'

ru in. Th e Theban s w h o w e r e th e fore m os t ,

among th e ave n gers of Delphi w ere th e most ,

n o torio u s
Op hi tes o f an tiq u i t
y .

Ath e n m u s c al l s this tripod the trip od o

f ,

1
ix . 81 .
2
L ib . x p . . 63 3 .

P 2
2 12 SERPE N T -
WR H IP IN EURO PE
O S .

tru th most si n g ul ar p e rve rsI O n of the fact

a
’

u po n w hich the or acl e w as fo u n ded — the con e

vers atio n of th e se rp e n t in P ar adise

'

A ccordi n g to serpe nti n e col u m n -

w as tr an spor ted from Delphi to Co n s tan ti n ople ,

by th e foun d e ro f th e l atter ci ty ; an d se t u p o n
‘

a pill ar i n th e H ippodrome H e cites Z osim u s 2

.
,

w h o is al s O c i te d by M o n tfau co n on th e s ame
'

s u bj ec t : b ut th e l atter thi nk s th at Con st anti n e

o nl y c au sed a sim i l ar c ol u mn to be m ade an d ,

d i d n o t remove the origi n al from Delphi It is .

m os t prob able ho w eve r th at Gibbo n is righ t

'

2
.
, ,

This celebrated relic of O p hiol atre i a is s till to

‘

be see n in th e s am e place w here i t w as se t u p

;
,

by Co n s tanti ne bu t one of the serpe n ts he ads

’

is m u til ated This w as done by M ahome t th e

.

secon d th e T urki sh con q u eror o f Co n s tanti

,

n o l e w hen he e n tered th e ci ty The s tor is

p , y .

th u s rel ated by L e u n c l avi u s : W he n M ahome t

c ame to th e Atm e i d an he saw there a s ton e ,

W
c ol u m n o n w hich w as pl aced a three he aded
,
-

braz e n serpe n t L ooki n g on it he asked

. hat , ,

id o l is that an d at th e s ame ti m e h u rli n g his

’
?
,

1
M on tf . ii . 86 .

2
D ecl ine d F ll of th
an a e R om Em p . . iii . 21 .

2
S ee Gibbon n t ’
s o e .
 G REE C E . 2 13

iron m ace w i th gre at force k n ocked off th e lo w er ,

aw Of one o f th e three serpe n ts he ads U

’

j p on .

w hi c h , im m e diate ly , a
g re at num
f p be r o se r e n ts

beg an to be se e n i n the c it
y . W here u po n some
d ised him to le ave th at
a v . serpe n t alon e from
h e n ceforth si n ce throug h that im ag e i t happ e ne d
that the re w e re no in the c it W herefore
‘

s e r e n ts
p y .

'

h
t at col u m n rem ai n s to t his d ay . An d al tho u gh ,

in c onse
q u e nc e o
f the l ow e r j aw f
o the br a z en

be i ng s truc h f, do in to
'

se r e nt o s om e s e r e n ts c om e
p p
the c ity
Y E T they d o n o harm to any one
,

This tr adi tion ary lege n d preserv ed by L e un ,

cl avi u s m arks the s tron g hold w hich O p h iol a

,

treia m u s t h ave take n u pon th e m i nd s o f th e ‘

people o f Co nstanti n ople so as to c au se this ,

.

story to be h an d e d d o w n to so l ate an ae r a as
th e seve n tee n th ce n tu ry A mo n g th e Greeks .

w h o resorted to Co n s tanti n ople w ere m any

i dol aters o f th e ol d religio n w h o w o u ld w ilfu lly ,

tr an smi t an lege n d fav o u r able to their o w n

‘

y
s u pers ti tion H e n ce prob ably th e ch arm m e n
.
, ,

ti o n e d above w as attached by them to th e

,

Delphic serpe nt o n the col u m n in th e H ippo

drome ; an d revived (after th e p arti al m util atio n
of th e fig u re ) by their desce nd ants th e commo n ,

1
A nnale s Tu rcici ,
s . 1 30 .
2 14 S ERPEN T -
WO RS H IP IN E UR O PE .

people w h o are al w ay s th e l ast in e v ery co u n try

,

to forge t or forego an an cie nt s u persti tio n .

Amo n g th e commo n people of Co n s tanti n ople .

,

there w e re al w ay s \ m any more p ag an s than

Chris ti an s at he art W i th th e Christi an re . .

l i g i on therefore w hich they profes se d w o u ld

, , ,

be mingled m any o f the p ag an tr adi ti on s w hich

w ere attached to th e mo nu me n ts of antiq ui ty

th at ador n ed \ By z an t u
i m or w ere i m por ted i n to ,

Co n stan ti n ople .

There is ano ther kin d of serpe nti ne tripod ,

w hich is s u pposed to h ave belonged to Delphi ,

u s u all represe n ted on med al s T his is a va se

y . .

s u pported o n three br az e n legs ro u n d one of .

,

wh ich is tw i n ed a serpe n t
1
.

“
Lu ci an says th at the d rag on und e r the
2
,

”
trip od sp oke This w as very pro bably th e 3
.
, ,

1
M o n tf . ii . 86 .
1

2 ‘

D ci ted by
e A s tro l og de O r c p d Grono ii 1 5
. Bu l e nge r -
a . a u v. v . .

Th w ord o f L ci n r At D elphi irgin deli er

2
e s u a a e, a v v s

th or cl e being
e a ym bol of th con tell tion
, ; da s e s a V I R Go an

a dr g p k a f r m on d r th tri
s
p d bea th con
s o un e e o , e c au se e

tell tion D R C O appe r m ong th t r A rolog ”

s a A
(D t a s a e s a s . e s .

p 5 4 4 E dit P ri
.
, Thi ex tr c t fro m L c n con
. a s, s a u ia

W
ne t th my thologic l wi th th c tual rpen t w or hip t
o s e a e a se -
s a

D elphi iden tifying th ,

rpen t P y thon i th th pol r dr gon e se , e a a

—th Ap r
e d w rd rnr o f th
’
S p t gin t
a xo v a F or th oo e e ua . e
 G REE C E .

pop u lar belief fo u n ded origi n ally u po n th e his

,

to ri c al fac t to w hich I h ave so often all u ded — th e

spe aki ng o f th e serpe nt in P ar adise w i th a h u m an

voice ; and th e del u sio n w as p rob abl y kep t u p .

by th e ve ntriloqu ism of th e P y thi an pries tess as ,

she sat u pon th e tripod over th e serpen t ,

.

Th at T H E SERPEN T w as th e origin al god o f

Delphi m ay be fu rther argu ed fro mth e circ u m
,

s tan ce th at live se rp e n ts w e re k ep t i n the ady tum I

he te m l e A
f
1
o t p S tory is. rel ate d by D ioge n es
L ae r ti u s lib v c 9 1 o f a P ythi an priestess w h o
, . .
‘

.
, ,

w as accide n tall y killed by tre adi n g u po n one o f

these rep tiles w hich immedi ate l y s tu n g her

, .

At D E Lo s th e n ex t pl ac e i n r an k after Del
,
"

phi for an oracl e of A pollo there w as an im age ,

erec ted to him in the shap e of a d ragon

H ere there w as like w ise an orac u l ar fo u ntai n ,

”
c alled Ino p u s This w ord rem arks Bry an t
.
,
3
,

i s compo u n ded of Ain op u s ; i e F ons P y -

. . .

thonis dedic ated to th e s e rpe nt god O p h

'

- .

F o u n tai ns sacred to this dei ty w ere n ot u n c o m : '

re on igned by L ci n w e
as as s a d u a , se e ca uc e us in th h d of e an

th per onifi ed con tell tion Virg

e s in Hyg s a o, i n. P oe t A tron . s .

1
B l ng r t
u e pr
e , u su a.

2
P o tter Arch eol Gr ii 2 8 3
,
a . ae c . . .

1
B ry n t i 2 5 7
a , . .
2 16 S ERPEN T W O RS H IP IN EUR O PE -
.

M au n d re l me n tio n s e pl ace
‘

m on . P ale sti n e In ,

c alled th e serpent s fo un tai n an d there w as

’ 3
'

a celebrated s tream at Colophon in I onia

‘

, ,
'

w hich comm un ic ated prophe tic i n s pir atio n to

prie st of A pollo w h o presided o v er it

'

th e ,
.

n —
Colopho is col o ph o u ; th at is
, c o l l is s e r -
,

e n tis so l is
p
P au s an i as (lib ix 557 ) w e re ad of a fo u n
In . .
'

tai n near th e r iver I sme nu s at Thebes w hich ,

w as pl aced u n der th e gu ardi an ship o f a d rag on .

W
N e ar this p l ace w as th e spo t w here C adm u s
S le w th e dragon from hose te eth arose th e ,

O p h i o g e n e s th e b u ilders o f Thebes It is pro

‘

.
,

b able there fore th at i ns te ad o f bei ng s acred to

, ,
’

M ars as P au s an i as affi rms th i s fou ntai n w as

, ,

s acred to the s e rp e n t g od c alle d M ars i n this -

,

pl ac e bec au se of th e conflict be tw ee n th e O p h i
,

o e ne s A co n cl u sio n th e more prob able from

g .

W
th e fac t th at th e Is m e ni an h il l w as dedic ated
,

"

to A pollo The w hole territory as (w e m ay

.

h e p atrimo n of O h — al l th e l o c al l e e n d s
sa
y) t p g
'

y
confirm it 2
.

There w ere m an y o ther oracles of A pollo

besides those of De l phi an d Delos bu t of i n fe ,

1
B ry n t ia , . 25 6 .
2
Se e P au sa ni as in l oc .
 '

G REE C E . 2 17

rior celebri ty an d variou s ri tes It is rem ark able .

,

ho w ev er th at th e n ames o f several o f these pl aces

,

i nvo l ve th e ti tle AU B or AD th e design atio n

.

o f the serpen t god Bu t n o t desiri n g to l ay

-
.

too m u ch Stress u pon e ty m ol Og y I p ass them

;

.
,

by as I h ave m any other pla ces i nvolving a

,

si mil ar eviden ce I c ann o t ho w e ver n eglec t .

, ,

a famo u s or acle w hich w as I n c onn e xI On w i th

Delphi an d bears m an y i n te rnal m arks o f
,

O p h iol atre i a This w as th e celeb r

. ated C A V E O F

W
T R O P H O N I U S 111 P h ocis
’
'

'

.
,

Th at this as a dr aco n tic oracle w ill I thi nk , ,

e ar fr h e follo w i n g co n s ider atio n s I

'

a
pp om t n .

th e gro v e of Tro p h o ni u s near L e bad e a i n ,

P hocis w as a cave in w hich w ere tw o fig u res

, , ,

m al e an d fem ale hold i n g in their hands s c e p

'

tres e n circled by s e r p e n ts ! They w ere s aid to

be th e images o f [ Esc u l ap iu s and H y gei a bu t

1
P au s ani as co nj ec tu res th at th ey belo n ged ‘

r ather to Trop h oniu s the god of th e pl ace an d ,

H ercy n a th e fem ale w h o discover ed th e c ave

,

for he s ays the s e r

pe n t w as not m ore s ac re d to
,

”
E l p iu s than to Trop honius
sc u a . Tro p h o niu s w as
an orac u l ar god and his , att rib u tes and n am e
i n d ic ate th e sol ar s erpe nt O PE T R O P H O N is
'

.
,

1
P ge 60 2
a . E dit Hano vi ae
.
, 1 61 3 .
2 18 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE -
.

most l
bab y , T the le
p ro O R -
O PH -
ON , te mp
f
o the

l
s o ars e r e n t
p
1
. later Th e
Greeks wi th their u s u al ,

mythological confu sion O f places and persons ,

co nj ectu red the name Of the temp l e to be that ’ '

”
O f the od and so c onverted Tor h n
g o
p O - -

”
in to Trop h oni u s .

I n corroboration O f these r emarks we find that ,

on e of the b u ild ers Of the temple O f Ap ol l o ,

at D e l p i w as Trop hom us
'

.
,

P a u sanias informs u s that w hoever w o u ld ,

inq u ire an oracle of Trop h on ius m u st pre ,

vi o usl y (in a small te m p l e n e ar his c ave dedi

,
,

c ate d to T EE G OOD G E NIUS ) sacrifice to A P O LL O

' ' '

S A T URN J UPI T ER JUN O and C ERES

, , Now ,
.

'

it is remarkable that e ac h o f these d e itie s had

some connexion w ith the m ytho logi cal serpent .

'

AP O LL O w as pre eminently the solar serpent

-

god ; and is therefore fi m t to be appeased

, ,
‘

Ap ol l o I take to be no other than O PEL ,

O
( p h —e l ) P Y TH O S O L w hose name
-
oc c u rs ,
so
freq u ently i n composition w ith the names Of
'

places as Toro p h e l O p h e l tin &c S A T URN

, ,
‘

w as married tO O Ps ; u nder which disg u ise is

'

concealed th e deity O PH JiJPITE R chan ged .

himself into a serpent t w ice to d e c eive Rhea ,

Bry ant, ii . 1 62 .

10
 G REE C E . 2 19

and P roserpi n e The serpent P ython w as an

.

emissary of J UN O to persec u te L , at on a the ,

mother of Apollo ; and the car O f C ERES w as

draw n by serpents S erpents also entered into
.

the E le u sinian mys teries as symbolical of that

goddess Th u s the history O f each O f these
.

deities w as more or less connected w ith the

, ,

—
mythological serpent the ve ry d e i ty w hom the
frequ en ters of this Oracle w o u ld be called u pon
to propitiate before they en tered the cave on ,

the s u pposition that TRO PH O N I Us w as the O PHI T E

G OD .

Bu t this is n ot all I n the c are O f Tropho

.

ni u s LIVE SERPEN T S w ere ke pt ; and those w h o

entered it w ere obli g ed to appease them by
—
C A K ES w hich w e kno w w ere O ffered to the
sacred serpent at Athens and w ere c arried in ,

the mysterio us baskets at the Ba c chanalia n

orgies They w ere in fact sac rific e s or ofl e rinys
.
, ,

to the s e serpents as O bj ects O f W O RSHIP

,
.

Another proof that the serpents w ere th e real

gods O f the place is fou nd in the saying that
, ,

no one ever came O u t Of the cave O f Tropho

ni u s sm i ling — and W
”
hy ? d d rfi rw ep w i v y s v

s
'
m k nE w — be c ause of the S T UP O R oc c asw ne d by the
o
2 20 SERPEN T W
O RSHIP IN EUR O PE .

The same expression is employed

'

‘
se r e n ts
p !

by P l utarch in describing the e ffect prod u ce d

,

by the Bacchanalian serpents u po n the S p e c ta

—
tors O f the l n y S te ri e s égéwh nrr l ii dp g ov 7 0
'

v a
2

w hich m u s t mea n that they in s pire d the be

holders w ith re ligious aw e ; for i t can scarcely

“ ”
mean f rig hte ne d becau se he is speaking O f ,

the processions O f O lympias at t P e l la w here , ,

serpents w ere so familiar that they lived in the

d w ellings O f the inhabitants among their chil ,

dren and therefore co u ld u nder no ordi n ary

'

3
, ,

circ u mstances become an Obj ect Of terror H ence

,
.

i t w as probably a re ligious d re ad w h i ch seized

, ,

the Spectators both at the orgies O f Bacch u s and

, ,

in the cav e O f Trop h oni u s .

B ut w e may approach even nearer to the de

d u ction w hich I w o u ld dra w namely that the ,

serpents in the cave w ere the re al gods of the

l aee by recollecting tw o fables w hich w e have
p ,

before consi d ered : the s tup ef ac tion and u ltimate

death O f the priest w h o intru ded u pon the p ri
v acy of the dragon O f M etele and th e conver
1
B ul e n g e r d e O rac . a u
p d Gro no v . vii . 44 .

2
Al e x a d r 665
n e , .

3
Lu c ian Al x nd
’
s e a e r th e I mp o stor .
 G REE C E . 22 1

sion of the pries tess O f M inerva into s tone fo r ,

her pres u mption in entering i nto the presence

of that goddess unc alled These fables w o u ld .

prove that an qfl e c tion of the se nses w as believed

to be th e res u lt al w ays attending u pon a s ig ht of
the l oc a l d e i ty .

The serpents w ere therefore probably the , ,

original Obj ec ts Of divine w orship i n the cave O f

’

Tro p h on i u s .

The origin O f the notion of an orac u lar God

symbolized by a serpent w e have frequ ently , ,

refe rred to th e am big u ou sl y prophetic conver

s ation o f T HE SERPEN T w ith E ve in paradise .

The conseq u ent affection and depravation of

her mind and th a t O f her h u s b and are n o t
, ,

Obsc urely remembered in the i m rh ni g of th e ’

s t

votaries O f Trop h o niu s .

4 . The w orship O f the serpent prevailed ,

equ ally in th e P elopo nnes u s P e l0p ormes us is .

s aid to have been so called from being the

'

“ ”
isl and of the P elo pid ae descendants O f PE LO P s
,
.

The emigration of this mythological hero from

P hrygia forms an in teresting ep och in Grecian
,

story and relates to the passage Of the SA C RE D

,

SERPEN T from C anaan the land of his first res ting

,
2 22 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE -
.

place after th e fl o od PE LOPs is LO p s,

’
. P -
E -

—
Whave alre
od
1
the se rp e n t g .

e s een th at th e Argives and ad y

S partans w ere O phites and that from the cele ,

brate d temple of ZEsc u l ap iu s at Epid au r u s the , ,

sacred serpent w as conveyed to S icyon ln .

additi on to these facts w e learn from P a usa ,

.
'

nias th at Antin o e the fo u ndre s s of M an tinea , ,

w as g u ided to that place by a serpent fro m ,

Whom th e river wh ic h w as near the to w n w as

i

, ,

The first pro phe t O f Messene w as said to

’ ‘

have been O p hi on e u s ; from w hich w e may

infer that the first colony w hich introd uced
,

religio u s rites into M essenia was O phite A .

similar colony w as established at E pida u r u s

'

Limera in L aconia u nder the au spices O f a

, ,

sacred serpent bro u ght from E pida u r u s in ,

Argolis 3
.

S tatiu s describes a serpent the Obj ect of

4
,

religio u s reverence at Ne m ae a

Al l w o d Lit
o , . A ntiq .
of Gre e c e , p . and F abe r ,

Ca biri , ii .
p . 212 .

2
P au s . 4 69 .
3
P au s . 208 .

4
T h e b ai d , v .
p . 2 39 , E di t P ari
. s, 1 61 8 .
 G REE C E . 2 23

I n te re a c amp i s n e m ori s s ac er horror A c h ae i ,

Te rri ge nae eri gi tu r s e r e ns

p

This is the serpent w hich sl ew the child

O ph eltes S tati u s goes on to descr
‘

. ibe him
I n ac hi o s anc tum di x e re t o a ti
n n

Agn c ol ae , c u i c u ra l oc i et s
y l ve s tri bus aris

Paup e r honos .

“
The p aup e r honos w as occasion ed by th e ?’

dro u ght then raging w hen th e scene described ,

)

by the poet took place I t w as in search O f fo o d .

that th e serpent sallied from the sacred grove ,

w hen he s aw and sle w th e sl e eping child .

Bryan t ass u res u s that O pheltes or ra ther

1
,

Op he l tin is the name O f a place an d not Of any

, ,

person : and that this place w as nothing more

nor less than an inclos u re sacred to the god
O PHE L the serpent solar deity
,
H ence the-
.

legend respecting the serpent .

I t w ill be show n in a s u bsequ ent chapter that ,

s u ch incl osu res w ere frequ ently formed in the

s ha e
p f
o a se r e n t
p I f s u ch w as the form O f
.

”
Op he l tin the fable explains itself It means
, .

nothing more than th at hum an vic tim s w ere

immolated at this shrine of O PHEL .

ii . 1 85, al s oi . 117 .
2 24 SERPEN T W O R S HIP IN EUR O PE
-
.

5 . The islan d s of the n ean sea w ere e u

tire l
y overr un by O phites They c o l on l z e d .

D elos Tenos C os and S eriph u s in s u ch

, , , ,

n u mbers as to mark the i r abode by tra d itions .

The oracle of D elos w e have ascertained to

have been D racontian Tenos w as called
Op hiusa as also C y th n u s
1
,
A coin O f C os .

presents the fig u re O f a serpent Wi th the w ord ,

2 9 THP inscr ibed The same fig u re and in.

”
scription appear on the coins O f E pi d au ru s
a
and w e find th t there w s a te ple of fEsc u
a m l -

l ap i us at C os S e rip hus is 3
according to
.
,

Bryan t S ar Ip h (p e tra P y thonis )

,
-
the ser ,

H ere w as a legend of P erse u s

i

bringing M ed u sa s head and tu rn in g th e inha ’

bi tants into stone The island w as called 4

.

S aru m S e rip hium by the R omans ; and by

”
V irgil , p f
s e r e n ti e ra N at u ral ru ggedness is .

n o t pec u liar to S eriph u s ; it seems to be cha

rac te ri stic O f the greater n u mber O f the Grecian

i slands ; and th erefore connecting the epithet ,

”
f
s e r e n ti e ra
p w ith the legend respecting P er
se u s w e may reasonably infer that a colony of
‘

O phites w ere once settled in S eriph u s an d had ,

1
B ry a n t, An al . ii . 215 .
2
S p an he i m , 2 12 .

3
S trab o , 65 7 .
4
I bid . 74 6 .
 G REE C E .

a temple there of the d rac on tic hind w hose

'

u pright col u mns O f stone may have given rise to

the tradition that the inhabitants of the island

w ere petrified by the talism anic se rp e n ts of
P erse u s S u ch a tradition w as not u nfreq u entl y
.

attached to these O phite temples S tonehenge .

w as th u s called Chore a Gig an tum and a

D r u ids circle in C u mberland
’
Long M eg and ,

”
he r D aug h te rs from a belief that the giants and
,

the fairies w ere respectively meta m orphosed into

stone in the maze s Of a dance
,
.

O f all the i slands i n the n e ighbo u rhood Of

the P eloponnes u s C rete w as most celebrated
,

for its primitive O p h i ol atre i a He re the Egy p .

ti ans first established those religio u s rite s w hich

w ere called by the Greeks the mys teries O f

D i o n u s u s or Bacch u s The C retan medals w ere

.

u s u ally impressed w ith the Bacchic basket ,

and the sacred serpent creeping in and o u t .

Beger has w ritten a treatise on these coins : the

follo w ing is a description of three w hich he has
engra v ed .

1 A Bacchic basket w ith the sacred serpent

.
, .

O n the reverse tw o serpents w ith th e ir tails

,

See arti c l e on th e CADUC E U S i n th e p re c e d i ng h ap t r

c e .

Q
2 26 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE
-
.

intertw ined on each side O f a quive r—for th e

,
«

C retan s w ere famo u s archers .

2 The Bac c hic basket and serpen t

. O n the .

reverse a temp l e be tw e e n tw o se rp e nts In the

_

m iddle of th e temple a lighted altar , .

3 The C re tan J u pi ter be tw een tw o serpents

. .

The inh abitan ts of C rete are al s o said to

hav e w orshipped the P ythian Apo ll o They .

h ad a Py thiu m and th e inh abitants w e r e called

Wsee
P y thi ans I

6. e then th at serpent w orship v e ry

, ,
-

gene r al ly prevailed thro u gh Greece and its

d e p e nd e nci e s M emo rial s o f it hav e been pre
.

s e rve d i n m any coins and medal s and pieces of ,

ancien t s c u l p t u re ; an d th e only reason w h

y
w e h av e not m o r e records o f this s u perstiti on

is that i t w as su perseded by th e fas cinati on of

,
.

th e Polythe isti c idolatry w hich overw hel med ,

w ith a m u l tit u d e of sc u lpt u red gods and god ~

d e ss e s th e tra diti onary remains o f the original

.

rel igio n .

There are ho w ever some fe w reliq ues of

.
,

sc u l p tu r e w hich bea r in te resting testimony to

the w orship of th e serp e nt E ngravi ng s of three

,
.

G e sne r H i st
, . An im . l ib . v. p . 59 .
 Fabre tti hi ch are orthy Of
1
are prese rve d by , w w

NO 1. repre se n ts a T REE e n circled by a SER ‘

PEN T ; an altar appears in fron t and a boy on ,

horseback is see n approac hing it The in s c rip .

-
s

tion s tates this to be a mon u ment ded ica ted by

Gl y c on to his infant so n Eu hemeru s .

N O 2 an eq u est rian approaching an al tar at

.
,

the foot of a T REE abo ut the branche s of w hich

,

a S ERPEN T is e n tw ined A priestess s tands by

.

the al tar .

N O 3 I n th e c entre is a T REE w ith a S E R

. .

PEN T enfolding it To the rig h t o f the tre e is a

.

naked female hol d ing in her hand a chalice

,

u n der the serpent s m o u th and near her a m an

’

in th e attit u de of s u pplica tion to the s erpe n t .

On th e left is C haron lea din g C erb eru s to w ard s

the tree .

The s e are p e rh aps fu neral mon u m e n ts and ,

the serpent e m blematic of the MANES of the

departe d as M ontfau co n w o u ld le ad us to
,

believe Bu t the th ird s c u lptu re (in spite O f

.
,

C haron) seems rather to all u de to th e an nu al

c us tom at Epir us of soliciti ng the sacred ser
pe nt fo r a good harves t Th e narrative is in .

I ns c rip t. Ant iq .
p . 6 1 , &c .

Q 2
228 SERPEN T W O RSHI P IN EUR O PE
-
.

fEli an ,H ist Anim lib xi 2 b y w hich w e learn

. . . .
,

that the h u sbandmen of the co u ntry proceeded

ann u ally to the temple w here live s erpents w ere
kept and app roac he d by nahe d p rie ste sse s I f the
, .

s erpent received the pro ffered food the omen w as ,

a good one and vic e ve rsé ,

.

7 U nder the head O f

. O p h i ol atre i a in

,
’ 3
—
Greece w e may class O phiomancy d ivination
by se rp e n ts This s u perstit ion w as sometimes
.

resorted to by the Greeks bu t w as more ,

common among the Romans : both O f the m

borro w ed it from earlier nations For the .
,

s a me w ord in H ebre w A rabic an d Greek , , ,

”
w hich denotes divinati on denotes a se r ,

” ”
N ac h ash al ah at iw m Ze a Oa t
1 '
e nt
p . o

have the same dou bl e sig n ifi c atio ns The Greek .

w ord according to He sy c h i u s is derived from

, ,

o iw dg a snahe
v ,
becau se they divined b y means
”
O f a snake w hich the called iw dg
y ,
o v .

This is a coincidence w hich impl ies that

Op hiom ancy w as the firs t S pecies of divina tion
as it o u ght to hav e been since O p hi ol atre ia w as
'

the first species O f idolatry .

A remarkable instance of Grecia n O phiomancy ‘

occu rs in the divination of C alchas at Aulis i n

1
D i c kins o n D e lp h
, . Phoe nic .
 EPIRUS . 229

Bo ti a, before the confederate chie fs sailed for

the siege Of Troy .

W hile th e chieftains w ere assembled u nder a

tree having sacrificed a hecatomb to the gods
,

for the s u ccess Of their enterprise on a s u dden ,

—
a great Sign p éy ag — appeared A serpen t
a s a .

gliding from the base of an altar ascended the

tree and devo u ring a Sparrow and her eigh t
,

yo u ng ones came do w n again and w as con

, ,

verted into stone The omen w as interpreted

1
.

to mean a nine years contin u ance of the w ar ’

and victory in the tenth .

In men tioning this anecdote w e may remark ,

that the scene O f the transac tion w as in B oe otia ,

one of the most celebrated l oc i O f O p h iol atre i a

an d that C alchas the soothsayer acq u ired the
, ,

gift of divination from AP O LL O or in other w ords , ,

was a priest Of the O phite god .

II EPI R U s
. .
—l
F ollo w ing the O phites from
.

Greece into E piru s w e find that their traces

, ,

tho u gh fe w are decisive

, I n this co u ntry w e .
,

are informed by fEl ian there w as a circ u lar z

,

grove of Apollo enclosed w ithin a w all w here ,

s ac re d s e r e nts w ere ke t A t the great ann al

p p u .

H om e r, I l i ad [3
, . 3 0 8 , &c . H i s t A nim
. . l ib . xi . 2 .
230 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE
-
.

fes tival the virgin priestess approached them

,

naked holding in her hand the consecra te d

,

food I f th ey took i t readily it w as deemed an

~

,
.

au g ury of a fru itfu l harvest and heal thy year ; ,

if n ot the contrary omen d ismissed the anxio us

,

expe ctants in des p ondence Th e se serpents .

w ere said to be descended from the P ython of

—
D elphi a traditio n w h ich amo u nts to positive
,

pro of tha t the original religion of D elphi w as

O p h i ol atre i a .

2 . F rom E piru s th e s u perstition passed into

I llyria I t w as at En c h e l iae that C adm u s and
.

h i s w ife w ere cha nged into serpents A temple .

w as erec ted to th e m in commemoration of this

eve nt ; the probable form an d dedication of

w hich w ill be con sidered in the chapter on

O phite Temples .

C a d m u s w h o w as the au thor Of Op h iol atre i a

,

in B oe otia E piru s and I llyria from having

, , ,

been the promoter became the Obj ec t of this ,

idolatry Like Thoth in E gypt he w as dei fi ed

.
,

after death as the serpent god w h ose w orship he -

,

h ad been so zealo u s to es tablish .

3 The s u perstition SO generally received in

.

Greece passed rapi d ly into M acedonia w here the

, ,

inhabitants of P e l la became its c hief votaries .

 S A M O T HRA C E . 23 1

O f them it is said that they kept d om e stic ser .

1
,

pents w hich w ere bro u ght u p among their chil

,

dren and freq u ently n u rsed together w ith the m

, ,

by the M acedonian mo thers The coins of P ella .

z
bore the imp res s of a se rp e nt .

The idea O f divine i nc arnation in a serpent

m u s t have appeared reasonable in that co u ntry
to enable O lympias to invent the story of her
son Alexander s dracontic ori gin The qu een
’
.

w as ex travagantly fond of the Bacchanalian

mysteries at w hich she o ffi ciated in the charac

,

ter of a Bac c h an s I t is said by P l u tarch that 3

‘

.
,
,

she and her h u sband w ere initiated in to them at

S amothrace w hen v ery you ng ; and that she
,

imitated the frantic gestu res of th e Ed oni an w o

m e n in traversing the w i l ds of M o u n t H ae m u s .

W hen O lympias celebrated the orgies O f D io

n u s u s attendants follo w ed her
,
carrying Thyrsi ,

encircled w ith serpents having serpents also in ,

their hair and chaplets .

4 The island of S amothrace w as the H oly

.

I sle of the ancients and celebrated for the w o r ,

ship O f the C A B IRI the m ost mysterio u s an d ,

a w ful of all th e gods w hose name even it w as , , ,

1
L u c i an . A l e x a nd e rPse ud om a nl .

2
S p anh e i m , 22 1 .
3
Al e x . 665 .
2 32 S E R PE N T « W ORSH 1 P IN EUR O PE .

u nla w fu l to prono u nce lightly The w ord c a .

” “ ”
biri is sai d to mean the mighty ones If .
“

it mean no m o re w e may as vainly seek to pe ne

trate into their hallow ed abod e for the ill u stration
O f o u r s u bj ect as the aw e s tr u ck Greeks them -

selves ; bu t w hil e probabi l ity Open s a road to

’

conj ectu re w e may be allo w ed to hazard one for

,

its el u cidation .

”
C A B IRI is evidently a no u n i n th e pl u ral
.

n u mber Of w hich the singular is to be fo u nd in

,

”
C A B IR .

No w C A B IR is probably a compo u nd w ord ,

w hose compon ent parts may be C A A R I R I f so ~ -

.
,

the interpretation is easy C A A B IR resolving ,

- -

itself at o n ce into C A or C HA d om us A B o r .
,
1

AU B P y thonis ; IR or UR L
,
uc is ve l S o l is CA ,
.

”
B IR w ill therefore mean the te mp l e of the se r
p ent o
f th e su n and C A B IRI w ill bear th e

same signification either as denoting more than ,

one s u ch temple or a temple dedicated to tw o ,

deities AU B and the S UN

,
.

1
Bry t A al i 1 2 2an , n . . .

Th fi r t yl l bl m y p o ibl y b
”
2
e s s a e r g a il l ss e ca o a, us

tri ons F b r n th C biri i p 2 8 ; w h d o

. a e o e n t h w
a , . . o es o , o

e ver ,
l
pp y yao th r m a ian
g t th w o rde b i ri et hn n o e
“
ca
”
an

th mi gh ty
e I n thi a “
abiri w o l d b th s c se c u e
“
e

”
il l us trious AB I R I .
 SAM O T HRA C E . 233

O f the same kind I take to have been the

C AA B A of M ecca w hich sho u ld be w ritten ,

C A A BI R H ere w e fi n d the chief Obj ect O f

.
'

i dolatry to have been a c oni c al s tone w hich w e ,

kno w w as an emblem Of the solar god being ,

th e image of a s u n s ray Another temple of

’
.

this dedication w as at Ab u ry l n W iltshire ,

“ “ ”
w hose name Ab u ry is evidently Abiri
, ,
’ 9

or Ah ir expressed in the pl u ral n u mber ;

-
,
”

the only di fference being that in the name Of 1

,

“ ” “
this place th e adj u nct ca si gnifying the
”
temple w as dropped and the names O f the
, ,

—
deity alone retai n ed AB IR gu asi SERPENS , ,

S O LI S .This temple w e shall see hereafter w as

’ 9

fo rm e d I N T HE SHAPE O F A SERPEN T The su b .

s titu ti o n Of od s for te m l e s w as O f
p common
g
occ u rrence in mythology as w e have seen in ,

the case of Troph oni u s wh ere the T O R (or temple ) ,

of O PH O N w as changed into TR O PH O N I U S (the

god ) I t is not s u rprising therefore that caa
.
, ,

”
bir the te mp l e of A bir sho u ld be changed i nto
, ,

”
C abir the g od an d by nat u ral consequ ence
, ,

”
C abiri w o uld imply a pl u rality of gods O f th e
8 3 1 11 8 name .

1
A bury , s o c al l e d fro m b i e n
g d di e c ate dt
o the A biri , w h o

w e re the sam e a s the C a bi ri .

”
F abe ro n th e Cab r , ii i . 2 10 .
23 4 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE
-
.

The above conj ect ure fo u nded primarily u pon ,

etymology is corroborated by FA C T S
,
.

O lympias w e h ave been i n form ed by Pl u

,

tarch w as in itiated into the mysterie s of D ie

,

nusus at S amo thrace No w D ionusus th e O rphic

.
,

Bacch u s was s ymbolized by a se rp e nt This

, .

alone w o u ld be s u ffi cient to s u pport o u r con

e on the etymology of C abiri B
j
’ 9
e c tu r ut w e .

learn fu rther that the O rph i c C URES the c hi ef

, ,

of the C A B I RI ass u med a d rac on tic

, f o rm ; and
th at th e O rphic C R O NUS and HER C ULES are al so
described either as c ompo unded Of a man a ,

l ion and a se rp e n t ; or Simply as a w inding

, , ,

s nahe
1
.I t was a common opinion among the
Greeks that Ce re s P rose rp ine and B ac c hus w ere
, ,

the C abiri TO each of these deities it is to be

.
,

observed the serpe n t w as sacred and formed a

, ,

prominent featu re in their mysteries .

I leave therefore to the candid consideration

, ,

of the reader the probability O f the derivation

,

”
w hich has been assigned to the w ord Cabiri .

Bet w een the religion Of S amothrace and that

O f the T h rac i an continent th e re w as a stron g ,

Similarity o r rather u nion The great prophe t

,
.

O f this common religion w as O rphe u s w h o re ,

F abe r P ag an I do l
, . i . 4 53 .
 I T A LY . 235

sid ed ch i efly at Thrace and was to that country

’

what Thoth w as to E gypt an d C admus to ,

—
Greece the promoter of O p h iol atre i a : but it
,

was Op hiol atre i a in conj unction with the solar

idolatry I t seems th at the o riginal w orship of
.

the serpent had been already corr up ted by the

adoption o f the mysteries of D ion u s us Th us .

D ion y sop ol is was the city of D ionu su s and

consequentl y we find a c oi le d se rp e n t impressed
u pon i ts coins The same appeared on the
.

medals of Pantal ia another city in Thrace ;,

u pon which S an h e i m remarks I s tu d vero e x

p ,

i is n u m m i s c o l l i g as in M ace doni a Thrac id

, , ,

P aphlagoni a P on to Bithyni a Cilici a e t vi c ini s

, , , ,

re g i on i b u s haud a l ios loc orum g e nius e t c us tod e s

,

g rat i ore s id gen u s d rac on i bu s e x ti ti ss e

,

The priestesses of the superstition o f D ion u su s

were n o longer P y thonesses or Ou bs but B ac ,

c hante s and man y other innovations mark th e

decline o f O p h i ol atre ia before O rpheus succeeded
( but in succeeding lost his life ) in uniting i t to
th e sun W orship
-

III I T A LY
. .
-
Wcome
e no w to th e traces of
O p h io l atre ia in I taly .

Pg
a e 22 1 .
236 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN EUR O PE
-
.

I n this country the principal c ol o ny of O phites

settl ed in Campania and w ere cal l ed O p i c i o r ,

O p h i c i from the obj ect of their idolatry

, ,

i d o 5 oq w say S tephanus By z antin u s

' '
1
Op t uc o u 7 1 12 ie v, .

The same peopl e were called P i tanatw as ,

testified by Strabo P i tanataa remarks Bryant

” 2
.
, ,

“
is a term of th e same import as Op iei and ,

relates to th e votaries of P i tcm the serpent ,

deity which w as adored by the people M ene

,
.

laus w as of ol d styled P i tcm ate s as we learn

, , ,

from He sy c h i u s ; and the reason o f it may be

known from his being a S partan by which w as ,

in timated o n e o f the S e rp e ntige nce or O phites , .

H ence he was represen ted with a se rp e n t o n his

shield This word P i tcm is derived from the
same root as P y thon namely th e H ebrew ms ,

p ,
s e r e ns v e l , as
p i s .

M any representations of warriors w ith the ser

pent o u their shields may be seen o n the ,

E truscan v ases discovered on th e esta te of ,

Canino in E truria which is supposed to ha ve ,

been the ancien t V itul on i a 4

.

Jerome Colonn a attributes the name of O p ic i

to the people of Campania from a for m er ki ng ,

1
i d by Bry nt ii 2 1 4
C te a , . .
2
383 .

3
Bry n t An l ii 2 1 6
a , a . . .
4
Arch ol ae . vo l . xxiii .
 I T A LY . 237

bearing upon his stan d ard the figure of a ser

pent But this would be the necessary c on
‘
.

sequ ence o f his bei n g an O phite for the mili

tary ensigns o f most ancient nations were usually
the images of the gods whom they worshipped .

Thus a brigade o f infantry among the G reeks

was called m r w ng and th e R omans in the
a vc
’ 2
,

age o f M arcus A urelius had a d ragon standard ,

at the head of each cohort ten in e very legion , .

Th e legion marched under the e ag l e These 3

.

dragons were no t woven u pon any fabric o f

cloth but were real im ag e s carried on poles
,
4
.

S ome say (as Casau bon not in Vap is H is t

’

. . .

A ug . that the R om ans borrowed the drago n

s tandard fro m the P arthians : b u t their vicinity

to th e O p ic i of C ampania may perhaps suggest

a more probable origin The u se o f them by
‘

the P arthians may have induced the emperor

A urelius to extend them in his o w n army ; but
this extension was perhaps rather a revival than
an introduction of the dragon ensign They are .

1 Ennii V it a, x v .

2
H e sy c hiu s .

3
S al m asi u s , N ot . in Ju l . C api tol H is t
. . Au g u s t. S crip t .

95 .

4
Se e D e s crip tion in Ammi n a us M rc ll in
a e u s, lib . x v.
23 8 SERPE N T W O R S H IP IN EUR O PE
-
.

mentioned by Claudian in his E pithalamiu m of

H onori u s and M aria v 1 9 3 ,

. .

S te nt b e ll atri c es aq il u ae , sae vi qu e d rac one s .

H e mentions them again in h i s pan egyric o n

Rufii n u s and H onorius S ome o f his lines are .

highly pictori al ; such as

S u rge re p rp r is nd nt
u u e u a e s an
g i
u bus b asta s,

S e rp e ntum q go c l m
ue v a oe u sae vire vol atu .

Rufi
‘

. lib . ii .

hi picta dr ac onnm

Co ll a l e vant, m u l tu s qu e tum e t p e r n bil

u a. s e rp e ns,

I ratu s , st im l nt no to
u a e , vi vi tq u e re c e p ti s

Fl atibu s , et ario m n tit

v e u r s ibul a trac tu .

Ibid .

P ruden ti us and S idonius A polli n aris also

m ention them .

The bearers o f these stan dards were c alled

d rac onarii ; and it is n o t improbable that hence
might h ave be en derived our o w n expression of
”
dragoons to designate a certai n de s cription
,

o f cavalry though the original meaning o f the

,

word is altogether lost This word we have .

borrowed from th e F rench who received it ,

probably from the R omans .

F rom Campani a the O phites passed into L a

10
 I T A LY . 239

tium and established the chief seat o f their

,

religion at L an u v iu m The medals of this city .

bore the figure o f a drag on o r a large serpent

which according to S p anh e i m would denote
, ,

that th i s animal represented the tutel ary go d '

o f th e place : an op i nion which is pro v ed c o r

rect by th e followi ng e x tracts from fEl i an and 1

P rop e rt i us F rom the former we learn that ‘

.
,

at L an u v1 u m is a l arge and dark g r ove and ,

near it a te mple o f the A rgive Jun o I n the .

same place is a large deep cave th e den of a ,

g re at s e r e nt
p To this
. g ro v e the vi rgins o f
L atium are taken ann u ally to as ce rtain their
”
chastity which is i ndicated by the dragon
, .

P ropertius describing this annual c u stom spe aks

,

thus
Di q
sc e iduE q i l i h a nocst fu g a vi t a q
asu os a c e u s,

C m r m nov i t rb a
u v c a rri t gris s u c uc u a .

Ln r m nno i t s t t t l a dr coni
a uv u a s ve u es u e a s

H ic b i t m r r non p ri t hor mora

u a a ae e a e,

Q c r brip i t r
u a sa e a d c n bi t u c ae c o es e su s a u,

Q a p n tr l ( irg tal i t r omn c a

u e e a , V o, e e e ve

J j ni rp ntis b ono
e u se e m p ab l p it s, c u u a o sc

Ann a t e im a ibil a t rq t h m o
u , e x s o ue u .

T li d m i p al l t d cr p l l
a a e s sae en a sa a ue ae

C m t n r a gnino tr a di t r r m an
u e e a u u o e us.

V ar . H i t lib ix
s . . . 16 .
Q 40 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN EUR O PE-
.

I ll ibi d m t
e s a o as a vi r
g i n e c orr ip i t e s asc ;

Virgini in p s al m is ip s a c ani s tra tre m u nt .

S i f ri t
ue nt c as ae , re d e u n t l n coll p r t m a a en u ,

Cl am an tqu e agri c ol ae f r tili nn rit

e s a us c
1 ”
1

There is great similarity between the above

scene and that men tioned in a former part o f
,

this chapter as taking place annually in E pirus

,

and there can be no doubt that they belonged

to th e same sup e rsti tion .

The O phites who set tled in Campania and

L an u v i u m left a colony also in C ro ton a and
, ,

at L il y bae u m in S icily : for both these places

were remarkable for th e dracon tic medal w hic h ,

generally denoted the consecration of a c 1 ty to

th e serpent g o d -
2
.

The M arsi who s ettled at th e lake Fu c in u s

are said by V irgil [ En vii 7 50 to have bee n , . . .

”
charmers Of serpents which is tantamoun t to ,

calling them O phites

M ontfaucon has an e ngravi n g from a silver
3

medal of L epidus o n which is a tripod A ,

serpent o f vas t length raises itself over th e vase ,

twisting his body into a great many fold s and

‘

1
Ele g . v iii lib
. . 4 .
2
Sp anh e im 2 1 2 .

3
S u ppl . vo l . i . 1 62 .
 I T A LY
knots The serpent s head d arts ’

rag s ; w hich seems to show that this part o f

the E gyptian Theology (relating to the solar

‘

serpent) h ad S pread i tself among the Romans ;

and that they represented th e sun by a ser
”
pent .

O phiomancy prevailed among the R omans ,

when O p h iol atre i a had decreased thro u gh the

influence o f time and civilization ; Th e acci
dental sight of a serpent was sometimes esteemed
a good and sometimes a bad omen The
1
,
.

death of Tiber ius Gracchus was denoted by a

s e r e n t fo u n d in his house S ylla as more
2
w
’

p .

fortunate in his divination from a serpent which

glided from beneath an altar while he was ,

s acrificing at N ola as also was R oscius whose ,

future successful career was foretold from his ,

being found when an i nfant sleeping in his

, .
,

cradle enfolded by a snake I n each o f these

, .

cases H aruspices were sent for who interpreted ,

th e omen .

A serpent was accounted among the p e d es tria

a us zc za
p and, is alluded to by H orace lib iii , . .

V al M ax
. .lib i c 6. . . .

2
C ic ro
e de D i in l ib i
v . . .

R
2 42 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN EUR O PE -
.

Od e 27 .
wh o see m s to consider it a sinister
o men I

B um p p i t ri n ti t t
at e t s e r e ns e s u um ,

S i p r obliq m imili
e gitt uu , s s sa ae ,

T rr i t M nno e u a s.

Terence al so considers it in the same light

1

M on tr s ner t m ihi
a e ve un

I ntroi t in d t r li n c ni ae es a e a e us a s,

Ang i p rimpl i m d i dit d

u s e uv u ec e te gu l i s .

The S ardinians also as we are informed by ,

D e L acepede domesticated the serpent as an

, ,

animal of auspicious omen This notio n may .

have reached them either from I taly o r A frica .

IV . N O R T HE RN—
E UR O PE The R omans being , .

comparatively a modern people had not among , ,

them those strong traces o f O p hiol atre ia which

w e have o bserved in P h oe nicia
. E gypt an d , ,

Greece But if w e now follo w th e n orth w ard

.

m arch o f th e sa c red serpent from the plain s of

S hinar we shall find that he entered deeply in to

,

the mythology o f th e tribes who penetrated into

Europe through the O ural mountains O f these .
,

the S armatian horde as being n earest to the seat ,

of their original habitation first claims attention ,

.

1
Ph orm i o , Ac t i v . . sc e n . 4, 24 .
 N O R T HERN EUR O PE . 24 3

A n unlettered race o f wandering barbarians

cannot be expected to have preserved many
records of their ancient religion bu t to th e e n '

te rp ri sing missionaries o f the Christian faith we

are indebted for su ffi cient notices to assure us

that T HE W O RSHI P O F T H E SERPEN T was their
primitive idolatry To this conclusion we are .
,

indeed led by the few fragments of tradition in

,

th e classical writers who have noticed the reli

gion o f the remote H yperboreans These peo .

ple were devoted to the solar superstition of ‘

,

which the most ancient and m ost general sym

bol w as the serpent W e may therefore expec t .

to find traces o f the pure serpent worship also -

, ,

in their religion They had a prie stess called .

Op ts who came with another priestess (A rgis)

,

to Delos bringing o fferings to L ucina in grati

, ,

tude for the safe delivery o f some distinguished

females of their o w n country These accord 2
.
,

ing to F aber were priestesses of O P H an d 3

,

AR G (the deified personification of the AR K

) .

Bryant also ci tes a line from C allimachus

4
,

1
y n t th Am oni n
S e e Br a on e az a s and H yp rbor an
e e s, A na l .

vo l . v T h w r th m p opl
. e se e e e sa e e e .

2
H ro d lib i
e 35 . . v. 0 . .
3
Ca r, bi i i . 208 .

4
An l ii 2 0 6
a . . .

R 2
2 44 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN E U R O PE
-
.

which gi v es the name of three priestesses of th e

H yperboreans two o f w hom are O ap is and E vaion
, .

The latter word he decomposes into e ta 0 n -

,

s e r e ns s o l
p S o that they were
. representatives o f
—
the two superstitions the simple and pri mitive
s erpent worship -
and th e worship o f the solar
,

serpent O ther obscure though n o t al to g e th e r

‘ '

,
.

uncertain notices are to be found in D io d oru s

,

S i c u l u s He c ate u s &c w hich lead to the con

, , .

c l u si o n that th e O phite religion was once re va

p
lent in the north o f E urope These inferences 2
.

are corroborated by indisputable facts of modern

discovery which I n o w proceed to detail
, .

1 SA R M A T I A
. From O uzel we learn that .
1

th e serpent w as o n e of th e earliest obj ec ts of

worship in S arma tia H e ci tes E rasmus S tella .

”
d e A n tiq B oru ssim For some time says this
. .
,

author they had n o sacred rites ; at length

,

they arrived at such a pitch o f wickedness ,

”
that they worshipped se rp e nts and tre es The .

connexion between se r p e n ts and tre e s we have

had occasion to notice more than once They .

1
Notin Mi . F l p 2 67 nu c . e . . .

Th tory of Ab ris th
e s H yp rbor n w h m d th a , e e e a s, o a e e

P ll di m of Troy from th bon of P l p i th t of n

a a u e es e o s, s a a

Op hit pri s t A b ri i prob bly

e e compo nd of
. a nd s s a a u AB , a AU R.
 N O R T HERN EUR O PE . 245

are united on th e sepulchral monuments o f the

Greeks and Romans o n th e coins o f Tyre and , ,

amo n g the F e tiches o f W hidah W e shall find .

them in the same union pervading the religion

, ,

o f th e H yperboreans o f every description the ,

s uperstition of the S candinavians and the w o r ,

ship o f th e Druids They are closely connected

.

in the mythology of the H eathens o f almos t

e ery nation and the question is not u nnat u ral
v

”
whence arose this union ? The coin
c i d e n c e s are too remarkable to be unmeaning ;

and l have no hesitation in a ffi rming m y belief

that T H E P A R A D ISI A C A L SERPEN T and T H E ,

T REE O F K N O WLE D G E are the proto types of th e ,

idolatry .

The S am o g itae (M uscovites) partook o f the

same superstition They worshipped th e ser
1
.

pent as A G O D and if any adv ersi ty befell them ,

concluded that their d om es tic s e rp e n ts (which lik e ,

the people of P ella they kept in their houses ), ,

had been negligen tly served .

F rom M uscovy we may follo w the same

supers titio n into Li thuania the modern P oland , .

These people we are informed by Gu ag u in

,
z
,

1
Ouz e l , at s u
p ra, ci ting S igi m nd Lib r s u e . Co m m e n t. in

M as c oe . O l t pr2
uz e , u su a.
246 SERPEN T -
W
O R H IP IN EU
S R O PE .

believed vip e rs and s e rp e n ts to be gods and ,

worshipped them with great veneration E very .

householder whe ther citize n husband m an o r

, , ,

noble kept a serpen t in his house as a house

, ,

hold g od : and it was deemed so deadly an

o ffence to i nj ure o r dishonour these serpents that ,

they eithe r depri v ed o f property o r o f li fe every

”
o n e who was guilty of such a crime .

I n K och (D e c u l tn S e rp e ntam p 3 9 : a valu ,

.
é

able tho ugh shor t and superficial treatise ) w e

, ,

read th e fol l o w m g passage ‘

That these
w retch e d ido l aters o ffe re d sacrifices to serpents ,

Jerome of P rague (tes te S y lvio d e E urop a c ,

'

saw w ith his o w n eyes E very ho u se

holder had a snake in a corner o f his house to ,

w hich he ave fo o d and o ffered sacrifice as he

g ,

lay upon the hay Jerome commande d all these

.

to be killed and publicly burnt A mo n g such

, .

as were brought out for this purpose on e was ,

fo u nd larger than th e rest which t h ough often , ,

”
th rown into th e fire could not be consumed
, .

The serpent w orship of th e Lithuanians is

-

also no ticed by Cromer who charges the ‘

,

Pru ssm n s likewise wi th th e same idola try .

Guagu i n relates an anecdo te of a serpen t wor

D e re b . P olon lib iii p
. . . . 43 .
 N O R T HERN EUR O PE . 24 7

shipper o f Li thuania w h o was persuaded to ,

destroy his domestic god ; and subseq u ently

losing all his bees (by w hose labour he sub ,

sisted ) a ttributed th e calamity to his apostacy

, ,

and relapsed into his former superstition The .

scene o f this anecdote was a village near Troki ,

six miles from V ilna ; upon which Masi u s 1

remarks E st q u atuor a Vilna m ili aribu s L a

, ,

v ari ski villa regia ; i n gud a m n l tis A D H U C se r

,

”
p e n te s c o u n tnr l .

The L ithuanian s were the last o f the E uropeans

w h o were converted to Chris tianity ; an e vent

w hich did n o t take plac e until the fourteenth

century Jagello the last heathen duke was

.
, ,

b aptized an n o 1 3 8 6 2
.

The inhabitants of L ivonia were also addicted

to this gross idolatry and carried it to a bar ,

barous length I t is said that they were accus .

e

to m e d to sacrifice the most beautiful of their cap s

ti v e s to their dragon gods The same cus tom -

3
.

we hav e observed to exist at W hi d ah .

2
S C A N D IN A V I A The second grea t northern .

1
D e D ii s c 29 G e rm an . . .

2
M o h im E cc H i t ii 44 9
s e , . s . . .

5
Koch c 3 9 ci ting Trog Ar ki
, .
, . n el . Cg m bris c lze He ide n
'
.

Re l . p 1 23
. .
248 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN EUR O PE
-
.

family o f E urope was the S candinavian inha

, ,

biting the country now occupied by the L ap

landers Fins N or w egian s S w edes and Danes
, , , ,
.

To these were allied th e V andals and L ombards ,

n o t only b ties of consa n guini ty but religion

y .

These were well addicted to th e worship of th e

serpent ; and some o f them retained in their
traditionary mythol ogy traces not obscure o f , , ,

the fall of man .

W e are informed by O laus M agnus tha t 1

,

d o m e stl c serpents were considered as p e nate s in

the ex treme p arts of th e north o f E urope ; and
that they were fed on Cows mi l k o r that of ’

sheep toge ther with the chi l dren They played

, .

freely in th e houses and it was an o ffence o f the

,

firs t magni tude to hurt them .

A mong th e O phi tes o f th e north th e most ,

conspicuou s were th e Danes who exhibited ,

the sacred dragon upon their roy al standard .

P ontanus alluding to i t expresses himself

2
,

thus
Hi nc ri gi d o s S c l avo s e ffe rt p r i ib li
e n c us a s,

Et loc a r
p p g
o u n at sa ng inol nt D R C O
u e a A .

H i t G n t S p t n trion lib
s . e . e e . . x xi. c . 48 .

Ci t d by Koch 39
e , .
 N O R T HERN EUR O PE . 249

The dragon standard of the Danes was carried

by their piratical brethren the N ormans into , ,

F rance ; and was fo r many years the ens i gn o f

the Dukes o f N ormandy D u F resne cites a .

charter granted to o n e o f the family of Ber tran ,

”
to bear the dragon standard .

But this custom so commonly observed by ,

the O phites would not have pre eminently dis

,
-

tin g u i sh e d the Danes as worshippers o f th e

sacred serpent had there not been discovered

,

a sacrificial vessel of their primitive i d olatry ,

w hich is at once a confirmation o f their super

s ti ti o n ,an d a key to its mysteries I t is indeed .

, ,

a most valuable i nterpre ter o f the Celtic faith ,

as i t respected the tradi tion of the fall o f man ,

and an eloquent index to the religion o f the

Druids .

This relic of idolat ry is the celebrated horn

found by a female peasan t near T u n d e ra in ,
1
,

Denmark in th e year 1 63 9 It i s of gold and

, , .
,

embossed in parallel circ l es of rude workman ,

ship These circular compartments are seven

.

in number an d in fi e o u t o f th e se v en cir
,
v

cles th e fig ure of a serpen t is seen in various

,

attitudes .

P rh p
e a s Te nd e r in th e D uchy of S l e sw ick .
250 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN EUR O PE
-
.

Circle 1 represents a naked boy o r wo man

kn eelin g The extended arms are held up to
.

h eaven . O n each side of this figure is a large

s erpent in the at tit u de o f attack .

I n th e second compartmen t o f this circle ,

the same naked figure appears flying from a

serpent which pursues The third compart
.

ment represents th e serpent w ith hi s face

averted from th e fi gure who holds up both ,

han d s as if in gratitud e for deliverance

,
.

Circle 2 exhibits a n aked boy or woman (for

the figure has no beard ) seated upon the ground ,

with th e hands brought together as i n the ,

f
ac ti on o p ra e r to a s e r
g p e nt A nother serpent
. is
coiled behind th e fig ure with his head and th e
,

upper part o f his body erec t Th e next com .

artm e nt o f this circle contains the same human

p
figure i n c onve rsation wi th the serpen t .

The serpen t appears in three o thers of the

seven circles but not in so historical a form
,
. .

I n these it is probably a representation of th e

constellation Draco for so m e o f th e remaining
,

figures seem to belong to th e zodiac .

I t may be rash to conj ec ture that th e firs t

two circles allude to th e history of man in
paradise p e rs e c u te d by the se rp e n t and save d
, ,
 N O R T H ERN EUR O PE .

from his e x tre m e v iolence but nevertheless the , ,

compartment which describes th e human fi gure

in c onve rs ati on with i ts dracontic enemy seems ,

to point to this event

K och considers the hieroglyphics as explana
tory o f the ancient practice o f the country which ,

devoted human victims to serpent gods -

No s .

e x in d e c o n e c i m u s
j a tener
,
a ae tate infantes ser

W
p e n ti bu s v o v i ss e s u e rs ti ti o s o s v e te re s
, p O laus
or m i u s is o f opinion that the se r p e n t referred

to the serpent tempter and destroyer

-
.

But whichever be correct (and fo r o u r theory ,

it matters n o t w hic h ) it is evident that the

,

figures have a sacred signification either as ,

connected with the religious rites superstitions , ,

o r fab l es o f the original possessors .

N o w we know from unq u estionable authority

, ,

tha t n o t only did O p h iol atre i a prevail th rough

o u t th e whole of this and th e neighbouring
countries bu t also that the tradi tion o f th e ser
,

pent i n paradise was preserved in th e m y thology

o f S candinavia w i th an accuracy equal to that
,

of the Greeks and P h oe nicians H ence i t

.

matters n o t whether T H E H O RN be descripti ve

,

o f th e fall o f man o f th e O p h ite ri tes of th e

,

Pg a e 50 .
2 52 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN EUR O PE
-

S candinavians o r simply of the zodiac as deli

, ,

n e ate d by the northern as tronomers Fo r the .

astronomical mythology which rela tes to the

serpent o r dragon was entirely borrowed from ,

the e v ents in P aradise to w hich also may be ,

referred the w hole of th e O phite worship .

The V andals w orshippe d their principal deity

under the form o f a fly ing d ragon and like th e ,

rest of their northern bre thren kep t domes tic ,

serpe nts I t is said that their women also kept

.

snakes in hollo w oaks to whom they made ,

o fferi n gs of milk and whom they adored wi th 1

,

th e mos t abj ect humility They prayed to .

them for blessings for th e heal th of their h u s ,

bands and family &c

,
in a word adore d ,
.
2
,

them as gods .

The L ombards also cherished th e same super

1
M ilk fr q n tly off r d in lib tion t th h th n
w as e ue e e a s o e ea e

god s Apollo h d for n of h i titl G l i a th o e s es a a x as , e

milky A f ti l c ll d G l xi w h ld t him in w hi ch
.
”
es va a e a a a as e o ,

th
e v o t ri p rtook of f t of b rl y p l boil d in milk
a es a a e as a e u se , e .

Q r —might t th R omi h pr c tic of ting fr m nty in

u ae e no e s a e ea u e

Lnt h
e ri n from thi c tom ?
av e a se s us

2
Koch citing O l M gn lib ii c 2 4 ; d H rt
, au s a u s, . . . an a no

chi d r l Pr
us e e ) . uss .

P o tt r Arch
e . . Grae c . i . 213 and ii . 2 36 .
 B RI T A IN . 2 53

W
stitio n , for they carried it wi th their victorious
arms into I taly hen Barbatus lived at Bene
.

vento A D 688 he discovered that some of

,
.
,

the inhabitants who were L ombards w orshipp e d

, ,

a ol d e n vi e r and a tre e on which the skin of

g p ,

a wild beast was h ung H e suppresse d this .

’ 3

idolatry and being made Bishop of Benevento

, ,

cut down the tree and melted the golden viper ,

for a sacr amental chalice 1

.

V . W
ES T ERN EUR O PE .

1 B R I T A IN : O ur British ancestors under

.
,

the tuition o f the venerable Dr u ids were not on l y ,

w orshi p p ers o f th e sol ar deity symbolized by ,

the serpent but held the serpent independent of

, ,

his rel atio n to the sun in peculiar veneration , .

Cut o ff from al l intimate intercourse with the

civilized world par tly by their remoteness ,
2
,

an d p ar tly by their national c haracter the 3

,

Bri to ns retaine d their primitive idolatry long

after it had yie l ded in the neighbouri ng coun
tries to th e polytheistic corruptions of Greece
'

and Egypt I n process o f time ho w ever the

.
, ,

1
Miln e r , Hi s t. of th Ch rch iii 1 1 3
e u , . .

2
E t p e ni tu s to to di i orb Bri t nnO —Virg
v so s e a s.
”
.

3
Britanno s h p itib
os f ro — H r
us e s .
”
o .
2 54 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE
-
.

gods of th e Ga ulish Dr uids penetrated into the

sacred my thology o f th e Bri tish and furnished ,

p er s o ni fi c ati o n s for the di fferent a ttributes o f

th e dracontic god E U This deity was called .

T H E D RA G O N RULER O F T H E W O R ED and
his car w as drawn by S E RPE N T S H is priests Z
.
,

in accommodation with the general cus tom of

the minist e rs of th e O phite god were called ,

after him ADD ERS ,

3
.

I n a poem of Tal i e ssin translated by Davies , ,

in his A ppendix N o 6 is the follo w ing e n u m e

,
.
,

ration of a Druid s ti tl es ’

I am a D ru id ; I am an a rchi t c t I
e am a proph et ;

I am a S E RPE N T
”

”
F rom th e word Gnad r is derived adder ,

the name o f a species of snake Gnad r was .

”
probably pronounced like ad d e r with a nasal
aspirate .

The myth ology of the D ruids contained also

a goddess C E R I D WEN whose car was drawn by ,

serpents I t is conj ectured that this was Gre

.

c i an C ERES and not without reason for the I n ,

creasing intercourse between the British and

1
D avi e s ’
M y thol of th
. e D ru i d s , p . 1 16 .

2
I bid p. . 1 22 .
3
I bid .
p 2 1
. 0 .
 B RI T A IN . 2 55

Gaulish Druids introduced into the purer r el i

gio n of the form er ma n y of the corruptions
ingrafted upon that Of the latter by the Greeks
and R omans The Druids o f Gaul had among
.

them m any divini ties corresponding with those

o f Greece and R ome They worshipped O G M I U S
.
,

( a compound deity between H ercules and M er

cury ) and after him Ap ol lo M ars Jup i te r and
, , , , , ,

M ine rva or deitie s resemblin g them

,
O f these 1
.

they made images ; whereas hitherto the only

i mage in the British worship was the great wicker
idol into wh ich they thrust HUMAN VI C T IMS
,

design e d to be burnt as AN E X PI A T O RY SA C RIFI C E

for the sins o f some Chieftain The wicker idol .
,

thou gh formed in the shape o f a man w as p e r ,

.

haps rather a sacrificial ornament than a g o d ;

emblematic of the nature of the victims within
it The w hol e sacrifice was but an ignorant
.

expression of the primeval and universal faith in

the A T O NE M EN T .

The following translation of a Bardic poem ,

descriptive of one of their religious rites i d e n ti ,

fies the superstition of the British Druids wi th

the aboriginal O p h iol atre ia as expressed in the ,

mysteries o f I sis in E gyp t The poem is entitled .

,

1
Cae s ar . C omm n t
e . de b llo G llico lib
e a ,
. v. c . 17 .

10
2 56 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE -
.

The Elegy of Uther P endragon th at is of ,

Uther The D rag on s H e ad and it is not a ’

”
little remarkable that th e word B raig in the
British language signifies at th e same time , , ,

“
a
fi g
er se r e n t
p a d ra
g
q on and T H E SUPREME , ,

l ”
GO D

I n the seco n d part of this poem is the follow

in g description o f the sacrificial rite s o f U ther
P endragon .

Wi th ol mn f ti ity ro nd th tw l k
s e es v u e o a es

Wi th th l k n x t my id e a e e s e

W i th my id mo ing ro nd th s nc t ry
e v u e sa ua

Whil th e nc t ry i rn tly in oking

e sa ua s ea es v

T HEG L I D IN G IN G b for W hom th K , e e e FAIR O N E

R tr t
e pon th il th t co r th h g
e a s, u e ve a ve s e u e on
st es ;

Whil t H D GO N m
s T r E d r RA o ve s oun ove

The p l ac e s w hic h c o ntain ve s s e l s

Wh i l s t drink off ring i in H GO L D E H

th e e s T E N ORN s ;

Whil t th gold n horn r in th h nd ;

W
s e e s a e e a

hil t th knif i pon th chi f ictim

s e e s u e e v

S inc r ly I implor th
e e O ic torio B E L I & e ee , v us , c. &c .

This is a mos t minute and interesting accoun t

o f the religious rites o f th e Druids proving in ,

clear terms their addiction to O p h i ol atre i a :

O w e n s D ic t ’
. A rt B ra ig
. .
 B R I T AIN . 2 57

for w e ha ve not only the history o f T H E G LI D

” ”
IN G K IN G w h o p ursues T H E FA IR O NE de
, ,

pi oted upon the veil which covers th e huge

stones ”
— a history which reminds us most for

c i bl o f the events in P aradise under a poetic

’

y ,

garb but we have l ike w 1 se beneath that veil

, , ,

”
within the sacred circle o f the huge stones ,

T H E G REA T D RA G O N A LIVIN G SERPE NT , m ov ,

ing round the places which contain the vessels

o f drink o ffering
-
o r in other words mo ving , ,

round the altar stone in the same manner as ,

the serpent in th e I siac mysteries passed about

the sacred vessels containing the o fferings

Pigraq u e l abatur circ a d o n ari a s rp ns

e e

The G O L D EN H O RNS which contained the ,

drink o fferings were very probably of the sa me

,

k ind as that found in Tun d e ra in Denmark , ,

and described in a precedin g page of this chap

ter : a p robabi li ty w hic h c onfi rm s the Op hiolatre ia
‘

o f the D ANES arg u ed in the same section from

,

historical documents A nd conversely the ex .

,

i ste n c e of the Danish horn proves that in th e

mysteries of Druidical worship the serpent w as ,

a prominent character .

O vid . Amor lib ii . . . Ele g . 13 .

S
25 8 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE -
.

I f we refer to th e description of the horn o f

Tu n d e ra we shall find upon it precis e ly the
1
,

same impressed history which w a s pictured

”
upon th e veil that covered the huge stones .

”
The dragon the glidi ng king is seen in the
, ,

same attitude o f pursuing a naked figure which ,

might be mistaken from the r ude workmanship ,

o f the horn for a boy b ut which is proved by

,

the Bardic poem above ci ted to be a female ; , ,

the fair on e as S h e is by a fig u re of poetry

,
’ 9

, ,

designated .

The god to whom these o fferings were made

and whose sa c rifices were here celebrated was ,

BELI ; perhaps the BE L o f th e Babylonians ,

and th e O B EL of primitive worship ; the archi

1
T hi horn w drinking p i id t h v b n ori
s , no a cu , s sa (
o a e ee

g i
na ll y m ical in tr m n t b
us t i t w ill
a till ill tr
s t my u e : u s us a e

th ory for h r
e , r ppo d t h b n d by th S c ld s
o ns a e su se o ave ee u se e a

or R nic pri t t c ll tog th r th congr g tion t crifi c

u es s o a e e e e a o sa e .

S ch horn w o ld prob bly b r pon th m d ic

u s u pp rt in a ea u e ev es a e a

i ng t t he ir r ligion
o H orn w r som tim
e d for bo th
. s e e e e s u se

p rpo
u b ing f rni h d w i th a p d
se s , e u on rtibl into
s e ca , an so c ve e

dri king c ps
n Th u gold n horn w hich cont in d th e e s a e e

drink off ring bo d crib d might th ha b n d

e s
”
a ve es e , us ve ee u se

l o s crifi ci l tr mp t
a s as a a u e s.

9*
Pe gge on Chart r H orn e s. Arc h m o l . v. 3 .
 B RI T A IN 25 9

type of AP O LL O in th e nam e and rites To BE L .

,

the Babylonians consecrated as we have seen , ,

a l ivin
g se r e n t ;
p and l i vin
g se r e n ts w e re also
p
preserved in the F ane o f Delphi and in many ,

other places where the deity O PH or O B w as

worshipped The fabulo us hero himself in
.
,

whose honour these s acri fices are celebrated ,

was disting uished by the title of The W on

d e rfu l Dragon E v ery circumst ance there ’ 9
.
,

fore com bines to strengthen the conclusion that

, ,

th e Druids thus engaged were O PHI T ES o f the

original stock .

The learned C eltic s c holar from whose trans ,

lation the above poem is taken explains it in ,

these words : These ceremonies are p e r

formed at a public and solemn festival whilst
.
,

the sanctuary o rassembly of priests and votaries

, ,

invoke the dragon king The place of c on se c ra .

tion is on the sacred mound within the stone ,

circle and moun t which represent the world ,

and near the consecrated lakes At this time ‘

.

Th e of th rit might h b S O N E H E N G E
s c e ne e se es av e e en T ,

w hich i s id by tr di tion t h
s a b n Br ct d in hono r of
a o ave ee ,
e e u

U th r P ndr gon
e Th only diffi c l ty in thi conj c t r i
e a . e u s e u e s

th m n tion of l ak n r th t m pl B t n tt n ti
“ ”
e e es ea e e e .
,
u a a e ve

r y of th
su ve po t ha con inc d m th t a pi c of w t r
e s s v e e a e e a e

s 2
2 60 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE -
.

the huge ston es of the temple were covered with

a veil o n which was delineated the history o f
,

th e dragon ki n g There seems also to have .

been a living se rp e nt as a sy m bol of the god who ,

is gl iding from place to place and tas t ing the ,

d ri nk o ffe rin g s in the sacred v essels 1 99

u

The sanctity of the serpent showed itself in

another v ery curious part of the superstition of
th e British Druids namely in that which related , ,

to the formation and virtues of the celebrate d

an uinum
g as it is ca l led by P
,
liny or g l e ine n ,

nad roe th that is snahe s tones as they were

, ,
-
,

called by the Britons S ir Richard Colt H oare .

onc xi t d nd r th hill pon w hi ch S ton h ng t nd

e e s e u e e u e e e s a s.

O n th id to w rd Am b ry th r r
e s e id nt tr c of th
a s es u e e a e ev e a es e

b d of ri r r nning nor th
e a d o th
ve P rh p by m n
u an s u . e a s, ea s

of thi W inding w t r th t p ndo ton w hich form th

s a e , e s u e us s es e

t mpl w r
e e con y d on r ft t th po t of th ir r ction
e e ve e a s o e s e e e .

Th t ch m n of con y nc w r
a su d by th D r id
ea s ve a e e e u se e u s,

a pp r from th f c t th t l rg ton in ry r p ct lik

ea s e a a a a e s e, e ve es e e

tho t S ton h ng
se a n w li in th ri r A on t B lford
e e e , o es e ve v a u ,

no t f r from h nc
a I t w o ld b int r ting r rch t
e e . u e an e es e se a o

tr c th
a e co r of thi pp r nt ri r b d d might throw
e u se s a a e ve -
e , an

m ch light
u th di p t d q tion w h nc on d h w e s u e ue s e e, an o

c m th ton t S ton h ng ? I b li th t th y c m
a e e se s es o e e e
”
e e ve a e a e

from th ll y of th Gr y W th r n r Ab ry
e va e e e e e s, ea u .

D i M y th of th Bri t D r id A pp ndix N o 1 1
av e s
’
. e . u s, e , . .
 B RI T AI N . 2 61

gives an engraving o f one in his M odern

”
W iltshire H undred of A mesbury p 5 6
,
This ,
. .

is a head of imperfect vitrification representing ,

tw o circular lines o f opaque skyblue and white ,

which seem to represent a snake twined round a

”
centre w hich is perforated M any beads of .

th i s kind have been found in variou s parts of the

island o f Great Britain M r L h w y d the cele
. .
,

b rate d W e l sh antiq uary thus describes them in

,

a letter to R al p h Thoresby : I am fully

satisfied that they were amulets of the Druids .

I have seen on e of the m that had

nine small snakes upon it There are
”
o thers that have one or tw o o r more snakes 1

These we are informed by the R oman na

,

tu ral is t were worn about the neck as charms

, ,

and were deemed e ffi cacious in rendering their

possessors fortunate in every d ifli c u l t emergency .

H e records an anecdote of a R oman knight who ,

was p u t to death by Claudius for en tering a

court of j ustice wi th an an g uin um on his neck ,

in the belief that its virtue w ould overr ule the

j udgment in his favour .

The word anguinum is ob viously deri ved from

Th o re sby
’
s C orr pond nc i
es e e, . 4 13 .
2 62 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE
-
.

an uis ,
g a snake and the formation of it is thus
“
described by P liny : A n infini te number o f
snakes entwined together in the heat of sum
,

m e r roll themselves into a mass and from the

, ,

saliva of their j aws and the fro th of their bodies

, ,

is engendered an E GG w hich is c alled anguinum ,

‘
.
’

By the violent hissing o f the serpents the egg is

fo rced into the air and the Druid destined to
, ,

secure it mus t c atch it in his sacred ve st before

,

”
i t rea ches the ground .

This sing ular s upersti tion was s till e xtant i n

W ales and Co rn w all in the time o f Camden as ,

we find from the following passage in his

Britannia pag e 8 1 5 ,
I n most parts o f Wales
.
,

throughout all S co tlan d and in Cornwall we , ,

fi n d it a common opinion of the vulgar that ,

abo ut M id s ummer eve i t is usual for sna k es to

-

meet in company and tha t by their j oining

,

heads to gether a n d hissing a kind of bubble is ,

formed which the rest by con tinual hissing

,

blow on till it passes qui te through th e body ,

and then it immediately hardens and resembles ,

a glass ring which whoeve r fi n ds will prosper

,

in all undertakings The rings thus generated.

are called g le ine n nad roe th in English snahe ,

s tone s .They are smal l glass amule ts com

99

,
 B RI T IN
A . 263

m onl half as wide as fi n ger rings but much

y ,

thicker and of a green colo u r usually though

, ,

sometimes blue and waved with red and ,

”
white .

The anguinu m continued to be venerated in

Corn w all in the time Of Dr Borlase but the .
,

tradition of its formation w as somewh a t di ffere nt

from th e above The country people have
.

a persuasion that the snake s here breathing

,

u pon a hazel wand produce a stone ring o f a

,

blue colour in which there appears the yellow

,

figure of a snake ; and that beasts bit and e u

venomed being given some o f the water to drink
,

wherein this stone has been infu sed will per ,

fe c tl y recover o f the poison

These charms w ere u sually called g l ains

and according to Davies
,
were some blue 2
, ,

some white a third sort green and a fourth

, ,

variegated w ith all these colours but still pre ,

serving th e appearance o f glass O thers ag ain .

”
w ere made o f earth and only glazed over ,
.

“ ”
The egg of which P liny speaks was only
an envelope th e interior and real glain being
,

either a circle o r a lunette th e latter referring

1
Borl as e , A n tiq of Cornw ll 1 3 7
. a , .

2
D i av e s
’
M y th of D r id 2 1 1
. u s, .
2 64 S ERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE
-
.

probably to th e lunar dei ty o r according to ,

Davies to the arki te worship the ark bei ng

, ,

sometimes descri bed under the form of a lunette .

These stones have been frequently found in

W ales N orthamptonshire and in many o ther
,
‘
,

parts of En gl and Dr S tukeley in his d e sc rip

. .
,

tion of the Druidical temple o f A bury in W ilt

shire mentio n s having bought tw o British beads

,

of the inhabi tants one large of a light blue

, , ,

and ribbed and the other less of a dark blue , .

w hich had been dug up out of o n e o f the bar

rows on Hakp e n H ill a pro m ontory upon which ,

rested th e head of th e serpent which formed the

a v enues to the temple of A bury Beads of this .

kind have been found in the barrows near

S tonehe n ge and are probably most o f them the
,

”
l e in e n n ad ro e th deposited in the sepulchres
g ,

of th e dead as talismanic securities ; the same

perhaps w hich had bee n worn by the deceased
in their lifetime .

Analogous to this is th e superstition of the

M al abarian s who venerate the P edra del Cobra
, ,

or serpent stone which the Brahmins persuade

-
,

them is taken from the head of the hooded ser

1
M orton , N at . Hi s t. of N or th c x . . .
 B RI T AIN . 2 65

pent and when consecrated by the priests an

. , ,

e ffective charm against the bite of venomous

snakes .

This is the serpent stone to which P liny -

all udes as being held in high estimation by the

,

eastern kings I t must be c u t o u t o f the

brain of a living serpent where it grows ; for if ,

the serpe n t die the stone dissolves The natives

,
.
,

therefore first charm the serpent to sleep with

,

herbs ; and when he is lulled make a sudden

'

incision in his head and cut o u t the stone ,

The superstition o f the an g ui n u m prevailed

also in S candinavia as we learn from O l aus ,

M agnus C re d u n tu r (s o s e rp e n te s) v e te ru m
°

relat
”
ione lapidem flatu s u o gi gn e re
,
z
.

Bet w een th e religion of the Druids and that

o f th e S candinavians there was a strong si m i
l arity though not i n every respect an identi ty
, .

The same sacrificial ri tes to the dracontic god ,

and th e same circular temples may be observed ,

in Britain and th e S candinavian countries 3

and a branch of the same idol atry flourished

1
H is t Anim lib iii p 8 5
Ge s n e r . . . . . . .

2
H i t G n t S p t t lib xxi c 4 8
W
s . e . e en . . . . .

3
S Ol
ee rm i d M
au s D r
o u s, e on . ano .
2 66 SERPEN T -
W
O RSHIP IN EUR O PE .

—
in I reland so extensivel y was
~
O p h iol atre i a
spread over E urope .

M r F aber is of opinionthat the many stories

.
“

in England o f th e destruction of huge serpen ts

l

relate ultimately to the destruction of the living

W
”
serpents worshipped by the Druids H e in .

stances the cave o f the dragon of h arn c l iff in

Yorkshire as precisely similar by legendary
,

description to the cave of C ad m u s s dragon ; ’

and remarks that the m anbr of S oc kbu rne is

still held by the tenure o f exhibi ting to the
Bishop o f Durham a sword wi th w hich a mon
”
strous serpe n t 1 s sai d to have been slain The .

presentation of the swo rd to the B ishop would ,

seem to imply that a re ligious service had been

rendered by its former owner This might have .

been the destruction of an O phite temple F or .

in most countries the overthrow of the serpent

w orshippers is allegorized into a victory over

some monstrous dragon who infested the neigh

,
'

bo u rh oo d That th e votaries of O p h i ol atre i a

.

penetrated into e very p a rt of Britain is probabl e ,

from the ves tiges o f some such idolatry even’

now to be found in S cotland and the w ester n

isles S everal Obelisks remain in the vicini ty
.

of A berdeen Dundee and P erth upon which

, , ,
 B RI T AIN . 2 67

are devices stro ngly indicative o f O p h io l atre i a .

They are engraved in Gordon s ltinerarium ’

S eptentrionale The serpent is a frequent and

.

conspicuous hieroglyphic F rom the Runic

.

charac ters traced upon some o f these stones ,

it is conj ectured that they were erected by the

Danes S uch might have been the case ; but
.

the D anes themselves were a sect o f O phites ,

and had not th e people o f the country been

O phites also they might n o t have su ffered these
,

monuments to remain Dr I ngram pronounces

. .

some o f these stones to be P h oe nician especially ,

one on which the figure o f a serpent is seen

w ith the sun and moon revolving about his

head He consi d ers this figure to be a record

.

”
of the ol d s erpent .

A n obelisk near Dundee is very remarkable ,

.

It is plain on every side but one o n which is ,

car ved th e representation o f a man on horseback

pursuing a drago n The tradition is that th e hero
.

lived o n th e skirts of a fores t where the dragon

concealed himself and preyed upon the human
,

race A mong other victims he devoured the

.
,

nine dau ghters o f this chieftain who thereupon ,

mounted his horse and plunging into th e forest

, ,

attacked the monster The dragon fled before

.
268 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN EUR O PE
-
.

him but was overtaken and slain upon the Spot

,

where the obelisk above mentioned now stands

to record the deed The track through which
.

the dragon and his pursuer passed is called

the d e n fo B al D ragon
I t is possible that this story may also al lude
to the destruction of an O phite temple .

British O p h i ol atre i a sunk beneath the unspar

ing s w ord of the R omans But a symbol of th e .

idolatry survived its overthrow ; and under the

“ ”
form of the Dragon standard not only su s ,

tain e d the nat ionali ty of the W elsh but also ,

became the idol of the A nglo S axons -

.

The origin of this standard is curiously though

apocryphally explained by M atthe w of W est
minster . The brother of th e Bri tish king A ure
—
lius beheld a v ision a fiery meteor in the form
o f a great dragon i l lumined th e heav ens with a
,

portentous glare The astrologers unanimously

.

expounded the omen to signify that the seer

would on e d ay sit upon the throne o f Britain .

A urelius died and his brother became king

,
.

H is first royal act was to cau se the fabrication of

two dragons in gold like th e fi gure which
,

the meteor assumed O ne o f these he placed

.

Pink r ton Lit Corr p ii 4 2 6

e , . es . . .
 B RI T AIN 2 69

W
.

in inchester C athedral ; the other he re

served to be carried before him in his mi l itary
expeditions A nd hence the custom which the
.

kings of E ngland have ever since observed that—

o f having the D ragon s tand ard borne before

-

”
them in battle The dragon standard was
.

borne before Richard in P alestin e and tw o ,

noble knights disp uted the honour of carrying

it
. W hen the king had pl anted his standard
”
in the middle says Ho ve d e n
,
he gave his ,

d ragon to be borne by P eter de Prate l l is ,

contrary to th e claim of R obert de Tru sse bu t ,

w h o deman d ed that honour as his hereditary

”
right .

I n the hands o f the standard bearer o f H enry -

the Third the dragon was avowedly th e har

,

binger of destruction I n the W elsh campaign

.
,

”
so great was the indignation of H enry says ,

Knighton that having raise d the d ragon s tand

,

ard , he ordered his troops to advance and give

”
no quarter The same says M atthew of P aris
.
,

animating his troops he marched daily clad

in armour and unfolding his royal ensign the
, ,

d ragon w hic h hnows not ho w to sp are he threat ,

”
ened extermination to the W elsh W ith similar .

ferocity an d with the same terrific standard he ,

2 70 SERP EN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE
-
.

marched against his rebellio us baron s The .

”
dragon was always the herald o f no qu arte r .

I n camp this standard was planted in the

front of th e king s pav ilion to th e right of the
’

other ensigns and was kept unfurled day and

,

night 1
.

The dragon was introduced by H enry the

S eventh as a supporter o f the royal arms H e
,
.

brought it from W ales and it is still the king s ,

’

crest as sovereign of that principality I t gave .

place at the Union to the Unicorn of S cotland

, ,

but the heraldic dragon is as di fferent an animal

from the poetic as the poetic is from the reli
,

io s which last was merely a l ar e se r e n t

g n , g p .

2 .
—
I REL A N D Th e prevalence
. Celtic of th e

supers tition in I reland is marked even n o w by , ,

stupendous monuments : bu t th e Druids o f this

nation assimilated themselves rather to those of
Gaul than of Britain The chief obj ect of th e n .

adoratio n w as O G H AM o r O G M I U S the same as ,

the deity O G of Trachonitis HIS images we r e .

represented as holding in their hands the club

o f H ercules s urmounted by the
,
cad uceus of
M ercury the wings o f which were attached to
,

1
D u F r e sn e .
 IRELAN D . 27 1

the club The staff o f th e caduceus terminated

.

in a ring .

A t N ew Grange in the county o f M ea th has

, ,

been discovered a gran d cruciform cavern

whose consecration to M ithras is indisputable .

This P ersian deity w as symbolized by a ser

pent an d is the correspondi n g god to A pollo in
,

Grecian mythology H ere were dug up three .

remarkable stones on w hi c h m y sti c al figures

, e

like spiral lines o r c oi le d se rp e n ts rude l y carved

, , ,

”
have been observed These lines says .
,

M r Be au fo rd w h o describes the cavern

.
,
‘

a
p ,

pear to be the representation o f serpents coiled

up and were probably symbols o f the Divine
,

The relation o f these relics to the

celebrated O mphalos we have considered in a
former part of this vol u me to which therefore ; , ,

th e reader is referred .

F or the paucity of the remains o f th e ancient

O p h i ol atre i a in I reland we are perhaps in ,

debted to the renowned S t P atrick whose .

,

popular l egend may not after all be s o ridi , ,

c u l o u s o r so groundless as E nglishmen an d
P rotestants are accustomed to imagi n e It is .

s aid ,
and believed by the lower order o f I rish
1
V al l an c e y , C oll c t
e . d e re b Hibe rn
. . v ol . ii . 1 74 .

10
27 2 SERPEN T W O R S HIP IN EUR O PE
-
.

to this day that S t P atrick banishe d all Snahe s

,
.

from I reland by his prayers M ay n o t this .

imply that S t P atrick in evangelizing that

.
,

country overthrew the superstition of T H E SER

,

PEN T W O RS H IPPERS
-
S uch an inference is dra w n
by Bryant from similar stories of the d e stru c
,

tion of serpe n ts in the Grecian A rchipelago and

P e l oponnes u s an d I see no reason why a similar
line of arg u ment Should not be adopted in regard
to the achievements of S t P atrick in I reland . .

S uch fables are general in Christian coun tries

which were ever devoted to O p h iol atre i a ]
.

3 .
—
G AUL The ancien t religion of Gaul
.
,

though established by Drui ds was not so pure ,

as that of Britain ; neither did it re tain so stron g

a hold upon th e a ffections of th e people There .

w as in it more of idolatry and less of ,

craft ; so th at when th e R omans subj ugated the

country the natives passed rapidly into the
,

superstitions o f their conquerors To render .

this transition the more easy their primi tive ,

religion had already been corrup ted by th e in ;

roads o f E gyptian theology ; but at wha t period

o rthro u gh wha t channel is involved in mystery , .

1
S e e i nf ra , B tari ny .
”
 G AUL . 273

The well known figures of Gallic deities de

-
,

c o rate d with the caduceus o f H ermes are monu ,

ments of the fact This god w as probably th e.

Th e u tate s o f Cel tic mythology the Th e u th o r ,

Thoth of the E gypti an and ide n tical with the

1

Gothic Teut o r Tu isto The n ame Tat 2

,
m

”
Tath o r Tai t
, remarks F aber
,
was w ell ,
‘‘

”
known to the ancient I rish (whose priests we ,

have observed were probably o f the Gallic tribe

o f Druids By this word they designated the
) .

first day of the month A ugust that being the ,

month of harvest and Tait being the god who ,

presided over agriculture The month which .

among the E gyptians corresponded with A ugust

was called by the name o f the go d Thoth

This remark of F aber brings to mind the sin
gular connexion o f the sacred serpent wi th
a ri c u l tu re in the mythology o f the Greeks
g ,
.

There we have C eres the goddess o f c orn S it . ,

ting in a chariot drawn by se rp e nts Trip tol e .

mus the foun d er of the E leusinian mysteries

, ,

was no sooner instructed by Ceres in the arts

o f agriculture than he was presented wi th the
,

d rac ontic c hario t to carry him through the w orld ,

V o i in C s r Comm n t lib
s s us ae a . e . . vi . p . 223 .

2
F b r Pa
a e gan I dol ii 3 62
, . . .
3
I bid . 3 65 .

'‘
1
 274 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE
-
.

to d ispe nse th e same ble ss in gs among mankind

w hich he had bestowed upon his o w n country :

men . A nd both in the P ythian temple of

E pirus an d at L
,
an u vi u m in Ital y were sacred

arm e rs o f th e vicinity re
s e r e n tS tO whom the
p f
' (

sorted for an omen o f a g ood or bad harves t .

W hen we consi d er that Thoth was the great

promo ter of O p hi ol atre i a in P h oe nicia and E gyp t ,

the coincidence will be r e markable as obliquely ,

bearing u p on the great question in hand the —

d erivation o f all mytholo gy relating to the ser
pent from the events in P aradise
,
.

For independ ently o f the con nexion of the

,

serpent tempter with the tre e and its f rui t the

-
,
'

memory of which has been w onderfully pre

served througho ut the world one o f the imme ,
.

diate consequences o f the serp e nt s success in ’

s educing o u r first parents was a g e neral d e te ,

ri oration of the p rop e rties of the e arth H ence 1

.
,

in the c onfusion o f truth and error of which ,

he ath e n mythology i s almost en tirely composed ,

would natu rally arise the opinion that the s erpen t

was in some mysterious manner influential upon
agriculture : and the genius o f superstition would

1
Ge n . iii . 1 7, 1 8 .
 G AUL . 275

very readily invest the reptile with the attribute

o f a god oracular to husbandmen .

To Te u tate s or M ercury the Druids o f Gaul

, ,

were accustomed to immolate human vic tims .

There is n othing peculiar in this sacrificial o b

servance e x cept its connexion with a singular
,

o pinion which borders so closely u pon the doc

trine of T H E A T O NEMEN T that I cannot pass it ,

“
by I t is thus expressed by C ae sar PR O
‘

VI T A H O M I N I s NISI V I T A H O M INIS R E D D ATU R ,

N O N P O SSE ALI T ER D E O R U M I M M O RTA LI U M NUMEN

A R B IT
”
PL AC A RI,
RA N TU R The sacrifice o f h u
.

man vic tims was at one time universal but in ,

no religion has been preserved so clear a con

c e ti on o f the truth
p The .people who enter
tai n e d it must have separated very early from the

r es t of the heathen and re tained their primeva l

,

errors almost unbroken .

I n the Dr uids then we behold some o f the

, ,

first deviators fro m the fai th of N oah ; and the

purer the druidism the nearer the truth
, .

The other leading doctrines o f the Druids

correspond in S implicity wi th this remarkable
opinion : the u ni ty of the God he ad and the ,

im m ortali ty of the s ou l being the founda tion

,

D e Be llo G all . lib . vi . 3 . 16 .

T 2
 276 S ERPEN T W O RS H IP I N EUR O PE -
.

of their creed before it was corrupted by the ,

polytheism of E gypt transmitted through P h oe

nicia I t was in this corrupted state that the
.

Romans found it .

TH E S O LAR SERPEN T W O RSHIP of the P ersians- -

“
see ms to have penetrated into Gaul for there
is a mixed symbolic image at A rles the prin ,

c i al part of which is that of a human person

p
clothed w ith a veil on which are wrought in ,

relievo the figures o f the zodiac R ound this

,
.

person T H E D RA G O N SERPEN T winds his fl e x il e

course
B ut th e most curious relic o f the religion of
the Gauls has been preserved in a piece of
sculpture on the fro nt of a temple at Montm o
ril l o n in P oitou of which M ontfaucon has given ,

us an engraving I t is thus described by this 2

.

ingenious antiquary O ver the gate o f the

temple are eight human figures of rude work
manship which are probably deities O f these
,
.

eight there are six images of men placed in two

r dock Lit r ry M moir ii 1 63 Th O phi t hi ro
C a
’
s e a e s, . . e e e

gr m l o h b n r cogni d in G l A c lp t r f th
a a s as ee e ze au . s u u e o - e

cir l wi g
c e, d tw
n r
p t xhibi
s,ti g Mand a f c o se e n s, e n a e us
’
s a e,

w fo nd by Sim i in th ixt n th c nt ry at Cl rmont in

as u e on e s ee e u ,
e ,

A rgn
u ve
— M r l Hi t d G l
e . a ce , s . es au e s .

S ppl t
2
u l ii 2 49 . o vo . . .
 G A UL . 277

groups three and three together

, the
figures terminating the sides are women O ne .

o f them has long hair ha n ging down before her ,

and is dressed very like th e women n o w a days - -

.

S he holds her hands o n her sides and wears ,

glo v es l ike those n o w used That on the othe r .

e nd is nahe d and has T W O SERPEN T S tw is ting

,

round he r l egs &c ,

N ow these figures being
.

all clothed except the last mentioned in gar

, ,

m ents apparently of a sacerdotal character ,

w ere p robabl i n te n d e d to represe n t the habits

y
of the priests and priestesses o f the eight prin
c i al gods of the Gauls
p F or we have . other
images of the Gall ic gods very di fferently
habited from these W e may infer therefore
.
, ,

that the n ak e d fe m al e w ith the two serpents

'

, ,

w as the priestess of the deity to whom the ser

pent was more particul arly sacred A co n cl u .

sion which is rendered reasonable by the fact ,

that the O phi te deity o f the E gyp tians was

known to th e Druids o f Britain an d c o nse ,

quently mus t have been kno w n to those o f

Gaul O ur inference thus corroborated is still
.
, ,

farther illustrated by the customs prevalen t at

th e P ythian temples of E pirus and L anu v iu m ,

in w hi ch the god w as a se rp e nt and the ofli c iating ,

priestess nahe d .
278 —
SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE .

I t is d ifli c u l t to ascertain the connecting link

bet w een the several chains of O p h i ol atre ia
through the world but it is probable that s ome
in tercourse unremembered in history existed
, ,

between the Grecian and Gallic states at a very

early period ; by means o f which the religions
O f E gyp t and Greece may have been partially

transmitted to Gaul To s trengthen such a .

conj ecture C ae sar i nforms us that th e Druids

, ,

o f G au l were acquainted with th e Greek lan

“
guage or at least the Greek alphabe t :
,
v
pub
licis p riv ati squ e ratio ni bu s GRzEC I s LI TE R I S
u tu n tu r

The chief seat of the Druidical religion how ,

ever was Britain as the same writer ass u res

, ,

us ; to which country th e young Druids of Gaul

were sent for their education 2
.

4 . BRI T ANY
Connected with Gaul if not
.
,

i tself a part o f Gaul is th e interesting country o f,

Britany ; a country in which the ancient religion

of the Celts found refuge when banished from
almost every other by th e Roman arms M any .

v estiges o f O h i ol atre i a are still visi ble among

p
th e antiquities and c u stoms o f Britany The .

1
Comm l i b i . . v . 3 . x iv . p . 219 .

2
Lib i p 2 1 8
. v . . .
 B RI T NYA . 279

dragon an d th e serpent are favori te ornaments

u pon the walls o f the churches o f which that o f ,

L an d e v an is a c u rious example ; as if they had

been carved by the early Chris tians upon the

exterio r o f their sanctuaries to invite the hesi ,
~

tating O phite to enter the portals of a c onse c rate d

building ; serp e nts up on the w al l bei ng th e Sign
o f c onse c rati on
1
.

But whether this was really t h e case or n o t it ,

is certain that the first inhabitants o f Britany

were worshippers o f the god BE L wh ose name ,

may be still recognized in tha t o f the Christia n

priesth ood w hich h as succeeded to his h oly
places . I n the Breton language the word
“ ” ”
P rie s t is rendered B e l e c h which appears ,

to be the same as the B al ah o f S cripture who ,

was the priest and king o f M oab I t has been .

already remarked that in the O phite religion it

, ,

was the general custom to name the priesthood

after th e god o f their adoration Thus the .

priestess o f Q U B was also called Ou b ; the

priestess o f PY T H O N Py thia ; the high priest of
,
-

C N E PH I c nup his &c B al ah or B e l e c h may

’
.
, ,

similarly indica te a priest o f BE LT HE D RA G O N - - .

BE L an d the D RA G O N are always united an d ,

Pri e s u s, S at . i . 113 .
2 80 S ERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE
-
.

B alah would bear this signification if as S tukeley ,

asserts the ancient name of a s e rp e n t in the

,

“ ”
Celtic language was H ah This word is .

n o w obsole te but an ancient casuistical writer

of Britany cited by P elletier in h i s dictionar y
o f th e Breton language has the follo w ing pas ,

sage :
H n ll n di l h eron t
ve a aon ac an ae au .

i .A th d i l H
e . th rp nst e ev ac e se e .
”

P elletier translates hac as if it w ere only the

conjunction and but it m ay be the ol d word
”
H ac a snake which was kno w n to the
, ,

ancie n t Pe rsI an s and enters into the name ,

”
Tak sh ac of th e se rp e n t tri be s of the mountain
,
-

Tah .

General de P enhou et in his memoir o n O p hi ,

o l atre i a lately read before the A cademy of

,

N antes mentions a c u rious custom w hich pre

,

v ailed in th e bourg o f S erent in th e M orbiha n ,

before the F rench R evolution which seems to ,

have been th e relic o f an O phite ceremony This .

was a procession of the villagers in which they ,

carried a Gw i be r o r snake crying as they ad ,

v an c e d, Lt him e be w are w ho w i l l of the Gw i be r

M o l ac !
”
D raig ‘
, p e ac e to The tra d ition of the
1
Gw i be r B raig ; i . e . se rp e nt- d rag on .
 B RI T AN Y . 28 1

neighbourhood stated that in former times a ,

monster lived in the woods adj oining who ,

devoured i n fants H e was slain by a gentleman

.
,

o f the place ,
and hence the cry P e ac e (or ,

M
”
s i l e nc e
) to o l.ac A Breton family still bears
the name of M olac with th e motto Gris at
”
M ol ac e n bon e sp oir M de P enhou et thinks
'

. .

that th e word M olac should be rather M ol ac

and alludes to th e heathen deity o f that n ame
to whom the idolatrous A mmonites o ffered their
children But h e adds that in the immedia te
.
,

vicinity o f S erent where the procession w as

,

held is a commune called M olac I w ill not

,
.

pretend to determine whether o r not M oloch ,

th e god o f the A mmonites ever had an altar in ,

Bri tany ; b ut it is certainly remarkable that ,

many Breton custo m s and not a few o f the idols

,

found in the dis trict have a strong resemblance to

,

those of O rie n tal countries T h us a rock in the

.

M orbihan is carved into a form exactly pourtray

ing the head of th e E gyp tian A nubis A statue .

o f the S yrian godde s s L ilith whose head dress ,

-

resembles that of I sis is still standing almost

, ,

in its primitive per fection at the chateau o f ,

Q u ini p il i in the parish o f Ban d an d for many ,

ages has furnished the pa ttern for the caps of

282 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE
-
.

the female peasantry of the commune : while

the male portion of the villagers throughout ,

lower Britany wear round their loins a chequered

,

”
linen sash which they call a turban induc
, ,

ing the conj ecture that they were o f oriental

descent and upon adop ting the customs of
,

E urope removed their turbans from the head

,

to the waist wi thout laying aside their forms

,

o r n ames . O ther indications of an eastern

origin are strongly marked among the peasantry
I
o f L ower Britany I t is therefore not i m p ro
bable that th e M oloch of the A mmonites might
also have had an altar at S erent .

But the most indisputable memorial of the

”
dragon is to be found in those eternal columns
,

which have s tamped his image upon th e plains

o f E rdeven and C arnac and display to the eyes
,

o f admiring ages the remains of a dracontium

w hich m u st once have covered a territory a t

l e as t e ig ht m i l e s i n l e ng th The description of
.

thi s temple w hich w as cert ainly one o f the most

,

stupendous in the world I reserve for the ,

chap ter especially dedicated to the subj ect of

D RA C O N TIA .O ther indications o f O p h i ol atre i a
claim o ur attention which are better sui ted to
1
Se e P nho
e u et rch eol Armoric
A . .
p a s s im .

10
 B R I T A NY 283

thi s part of our inquiry A mong these we may .

co nsider the oracle of B EL which has left a ,

s u fli c i e n t record o f its existe n ce in the n ame o f

the parish in which it is situated which is still ,

called B e lz o rB e ls being evide n tly a contraction

,

o f the R oman word B e l us This spot I visite d

.

in A ugust and S eptember 1 8 3 1 in company ,

w ith General de P e n hou et a ge n tleman of

'

R e nnes well known for his antiquarian know

,

ledge and ingen ious writings on th e antiquities

o f A rmorica Among other interesting places
.
,

he directed me to the island o f S t C ado to .

,

T H E O RA C LE O F B EL This is a small rectangula r

.

inclosure about three fee t in length and tw o in

,

heigh t contained by fo u r slabs o f s tone O ver

,
.

it is buil t a chapel dedicated to S t C ado who .

,
.

is said to ha v e landed u pon this spot when he

came to evangelize this part of Britany The .

chapel and oracle stand upon a small island in

th e ri v er E stel w hich is j oined to the m ain
,

land by a causeway The archi tect o f this

.

causeway tradition states was no less a person

, ,

age than S atan himself who un d ertook to build ,

i t at th e request of S t Cado o n condition tha t

.
,

he should have th e first living thi ng that passed

—
o ver i t hoping as the saint w as the only human
,
2 84 SERPEN T W O R S HIP IN EUR O PE
-
.

being on th e island he migh t himself be the,

unlucky passenger By the assistance of h i s

.

w if e who carried many o f the m aterials i n her

,

apron the Devil accomplished his task in a

,

single night : and for his re w ard received the

next morning a c at which the cunning saint ,

sent over before himself To the chapel o f S t . .

Cado many of the devout peasants of the M or

,

bihan resort in the faithful expectation o f being

miraculously cured of deafness by thrusting
their heads into the consecrated hole above men
ti o n e d The guide who conducted us w as an
.

implicit believer in th e miraculous powers o f the

holy corner and declared upon putting in his
, ,

head that he distinctly heard a so und ! This

,

—
was mere imagination but it is probable that
th e purpose to w hich the place w as formerly

devoted namely the oracular responses of the

, ,

priestess of Bel may have left this superstition

,

as a feeble record of the once famo u s O racle .

I t is remarkable that S t Cado is said to have .

been the Chris tian missionary who landing , ,

upon this spot expelled from it a c olony of

,

se r e nts
p by which tradition I understand the
conversion to Christianity o f the se rp e nt w or ,

s hi e rs o f Belz
pp .
 B RI T A NY . 2 85

S im i lar stori es are told of other Breton saints .

S t M audet established himself in an island

.

near Treguier which bears his name and cleared ,

it in like manner of se rp e nts A S t P aul . .

likewise settled in the I le de Bas which at ,

that time was infested by an enormous dragon .

Being solicited by the people to deliver them

from this monster he passed his stole under
,

his n eck and p l unged him into the sea

,
and
the place of this achievement is still pointed o u t
HOW
” ’
as the dragon s leap are w e to under
.

stand these thin gs ingeniously demand s M de

”
, .

2
P enhou et if w e d o not look u pon them as a
'
‘
,

transparent veil through which w e perceive the

ad m inis te re d to the
efli c ac
y o
f bap tism f o ll ow e rs o
f p
s e r e n t- w or
p s hip , w ho up on the ir c onve rsion w e re

l u n e d i n to the w ate r
p g
I t is extremely probable that these and all
similar traditions relate solely to the success o f
the first Christian missionaries over the votaries
o f the serpent But the means by which they
.

e ffected this desirable change in the religion of

th e ido l aters w ere perhaps more politic than

scriptural ; more like the founders o f a temporal

than a spiritual kingdom Finding the diffi cult y .

rch
A . Arm oric .
28 6 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN EUR O PE
-
.

of a complete conversion they w ere contented ,

with a parti al and rath er than not gain any

,
‘

converts they sacrificed the consistency and

,

simplicity of the Christian religion They per .

m i tte d the O phites to retain many of their

,

idolatrous opinions and practices even after bap

ti s m considering perhaps that half a Christian
, , ,

was be tter tha n an entire P agan and hoping that ,

though the father might be only an ac c o m m o

datin g the son would in time become a S I nc e re
, , ,

believer in the Gospel H ence we see the se r .

e n t the emblem o f consecration carved upon

p , ,

the exterior of churches ; such as L an d e v an ,

Dinan and othe rs H ence also the i ntro d u c

,
.
, ,

tion of the SUN and the SERPEN T into ecclesias

tical processions Bu t while they thus blended
.

the ol d religion w ith the new they endeav oured ,

to remove scandal from the Christian congrega

tion by prominently exhibi ting in a well under
,
-

stood allegory the triumph of Christianity over

,

O p h io l atre i a Thus the church of L

. an d e v an ,

near Belz which might have invited the O phite

,

to enter its gates by the s e rp e n t carved upon its

exterior w all Showed the Christian at its altar

, , ,

a statue of S t M ichael trampling under foot

.

“
the apostate drago n A nd thus al so the .
”
, ,
 B RI T A NY . 2 87

S ol ar M ount of C arnac beneath which the ,

dragon temple w inds his course bears on its

-
,

summit a chapel of the A rchangel the destro yer ,

of that dragon s spiritual prototype ’

There .

was therefore much o f the serpen t s subtilty in

, ,
’

the method which undermined the serpent s ’

kingdom .

D u F resne in his glossary upon the word

,

Draco explains the part which w as borne by

,
’

the dragon in the ecclesiastical processions of the

Church o f R ome An e fli gy of a dragon is wont
.

to be carried by which is designated the devil

,

himself; o rheresy over both of which the Church

,

”
triumphs A gain in speaking o f the customs
.
,

o f a particular mo n astery h e says O n P alm, ,

S unday there are two processions in which the ,

standard and the d ragon precede H oly water .

and a censer without fire ; a cross and d rag on

on a
p o l e are borne in procession O ne o f the .

boys however carries a lighted candle in a

, ,

lantern that fire may be at hand in case the light

,

w hic h is i n the d ra on s m ou th should be ex

’

g
ting ui sh e d

I n these customs there are strong traces of

O p h i ol atre i a as connected with the worship o f
”
the sun . The fire in the dragon s mouth ’

,
2 88 SERPE N T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE
-
.

which they were so care ful to keep alive reminds ,

us of the holy fire so reverently cherished by the

children of the sun and the dragon upon the
pole recalls the standard of the O phites in eve r y
country w here they reigned while the whole
ceremony may be considered as a lively re p re
s e n tati on of an O phite procession as it advanced

through the sinuous p arall e l ith a of Carnac .

C ARNA C however is n ot the only dracontium

, ,

o f Britany The whole of the department of the

.

M orbiha n may be considered as the te rra sanc ta

o f BE L F ragments o f serpent temples may be
.

seen in many communes surrounding th e great

,

draconti u m of Carnac like village churches about

,

the cathedral of their diocese E ven the islands

.

u pon the coasts n o t unfrequently presen t some

striking memorial of the same prevailing wor

ship An island in th e M orbihan w hic h c on
.

tains the relics of a dracontium still c o m m e m o

,

rates by its name its ancient dedica tion I t is

, , .

the I s l and of the M onhs

”
called probably ,

from having been colonized in remo te ages by

the Druids who o ffi ciated in the dracontium
for I believe there are no remains of any
Christia n monastery from which it may have
derived the appellation A t the western ex
.
 B RI T A NY . 28 9

tre m i ty the dracontium is a long barrow one

of ,

e n d of which being broken disclosed a very ,

beautiful kistva en This s pot is singularly called

’

“
P e nab : i e the he ad of AB
. . and as there
is no v estige of a house upon the site so d e sig
n ate d th e n ame o f P en e h must have belonged
,

to the temple and indicated that part o f it which

, ,

like the Hakp e n o f A bury was the serpent s ,

’

”
head .

A more minute examination of the antiqui ties

o f Britany assisted by a knowledge of the Breto n
,

language woul d throw much light upon the

,

ancient religion of that interesting coun try which ,

I cannot but think was at the least a m o d ifi c a , , ,

tion of that O p h iol atre ia which in almost every ,

region of th e world had its altars its dragon , ,

temples and its human victims

1
, .

A longer stay in Britany might have enabled

me to bring forward many more proofs o f its
aboriginal worship o f the serpent but the temple
o f Carn ac w hich I S hall describe in a s ubsequent
,

chapter will abundan tly establish the argument

.

1
d scription of th acri fi ci l l tar of th t mpl of
F or a e e s a a e e e

C rn c
a a d for proof of th b arb ro
, an c tom of h m n cri
s e a us us u a sa

fices in Bri t ny I b g t r f r th r d r t my p p r on
a , e o e e e ea e o a e

D ra nti in th 2 5 th
co a, l of th Ar h e l gi vo . e c ae o o a.

U
290 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN EUR O PE
-
.

w hich I have u nder taken This temple I have

.

minutely an d thoroughly inves tigated ; and th e

plan published both in the Arc h ae ol o gi a and in
, ,

this volume (in which a restoration has been

attempted ) will convince any but thos e agains t
,

whose previously expressed theories it may mili

,
—
tate that it was truly a D R A C O N T IU M a temple
w-

o f the S O LAR SERPEN T

.
 TH E

W
O RS HIP O F T H E S ERPEN T .

C HA P T ER IV .

SER P E N T W O RS HIP
-
IN A M ER I CA .
 C HA P TER IV .

S ER P E N T -
W
O RS HIP I N A M ER I CA .

1 ME X I C O
.
— E very feature in the religio n
. of

the N ew W orld discove r ed by Cortez and

,

P izarro indicates an origin common to the

,

supersti tions of E gypt and A sia The same .

solar worship the same pyramidal monuments

, ,

and the same concomitant O PH I O LATR E I A distin

gu ish them all .

“
F ro m A costa we learn that the te m p le of
l
,

Vi tz i lip u tz li w as bui l t f
o
g re at s tone s in f ashion f
o

h
s na es tie d one to anothe r, and the c i rc ui t w as
”
c al l e d the h
f because the 3
‘
c irc ui t o s na e s ,

walls of the enclosure w ere covered with the

figures o f snakes This god V itz il ip u tz l i
2
.
, ,

held in his right hand a staff cut in the form

o f a serpent ; and the four corners o f the ark i n ,

which h e was seated terminated each wi th ,

2
Ch . xiii Lnd
. o o n, 1 60 4 .
2
H e rre ra .
294 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AMERI C A -
.

a carved representation of the head of a ser

f
’ ’
e nt
p
an azure figure from whose
V i tz il i p u tz l i w as ,

sides proj ected th e heads of tw o serpents : his

right hand leaned up on a staff shaped li ke a
serpent 2
.

The M exican cen tury w as represented by a

circle having the su n in the centre surrounded
, ,

by the symbols of the years The circum ference .

was A SERPEN T twisted i nto four knots at the

'

cardi nal points 2

.

The M exican month was divided into twenty

days ; the se rp e nt and d ragon symbolized two
o f them I n Mexico there was also a temple
.

dedicated to the g o d of the air an d the door

o f it w as formed so as to resembl e a se
’

rp e nt s

m ou th
4
.

The M ex icans however w e re not con tented , ,

w i th th e sy m bol i c al w ors hip o f th e sacred ser

pent L ike m any o ther nations of th e O phi te

.

1
F ab e r P I
ci ting P rch P ilgrim
, . . v. 4 5 5, u as s
’
s .

ttfrid H i
t An tipod p r t i p 3 1 p d Gr i m
2
G o . s . . a . .
, a u o n ov u .

Cl ig r
2
l i p 296
av e o , vo . . . .

F b r P I ii 2 8 5 ci ting P rch —I t i
4
a e , c rio
. . .
, u as . s a u us

coincid nc of id eth t i E ph i n ii 2 th D E I L i
e e as , a n es a s .
, e V s

tyl d
”
s th p in
e
f th p w r f th e n ce o e o e o e AIR.

10
 ME X I CO . 29 5

fa mily they kept l ive s e rp e nts as household

,

gods in their private dwellings A n I ntelligent .

trav eller to whom the literary republic is much

‘
,

indebted for his observations on the M exican

“
idolatry i n forms us that the rattl e snake was
, , ,
-

a n obj ect o f v ener ation and worship among

them and that representations o f this rep a

tile and others o f its species are very commonly

, ,

met with among the re m ain s o f their ancient

”
idolatry . The finest that is kn own to exist
is to be seen in a deserted part o f the cloister
o f the Dominican co n vent opposite to th e palace ,

o f the inquisition I t is coiled up in an irritated

.
,

erect position with the j aws extended and in the

, ,

act of gorging an elegantly dressed female who ,

appears in the mouth o f th is enormous reptile ,

”
cru shed an d lacerated .

A cast of this terrific idol was brought over

to E ngland by M r Bullock an d fully c o rro bo
.
,

rates the reiterated asser tions of the S paniards

who first in v aded M exico that the people of ,

tha t cou n try worshipped an idol in th e form o f

a serpent Bernal Dias del Castillo who ac

.
,

companied Cortez w as introduced by M onte

,

Mr . llock
Bu .
29 6 SERPEN T W O RS H I P IN AMERI C A
-
.

zuma into th e in t erior of the principal temple ,

the descrip tion of which he gives in the follow -

xx

ing manner : W hen w e had ascended to the

summit of the temple we obser ved on the ,

pla tform as w e passed the large stones whereon

, ,

w ere placed th e vic tims who were to be sacri

fi c ed . H ere was a great figure which re p re

sented a D RA G O N and much blood spilt
,

Cortez then addressed M ontezuma an d re ,

q u ested that he wo uld do him the favour to

Sho w u s his gods M ontezuma ha v ing first c o n
.

s u l te d th e priests led us into a tower where

,

was a kind of saloon H ere were two altars .

,

highly adorned w ith rich l y wrought timbers on -

th e roof ; an d over the al tars gigantic figures , ,

represe n ting fat men The o n e on th e right

.

hand was H uitzilopochtli their war god wi th , ,

a great face and terrible eyes This figure was .

en tirely co v ered wi th gold and j ewels and his ,

body bou nd w i th g ol d e n se rp e n ts Before the idol .

was a pan of incense w ith three hearts of human

,

victims which were burning mixed with C opal

, ,
.

O n the left was the other great figure ,

with a face like a bear H e w as the god of

th e infernal regions his body was covered
w i th figures representing devils with t ails o f
 ME X I CO . 297

s e r e n ts
p I n this place they had a drum
o f most enormous size the head o f which w as ,

made of the skins of l arge se rp e n ts At a

little distance from this temple stood a tower
at the door stood frightful idols
l ike se rp e n ts and devils ; and be fo re th e m w ere .

”
tables and knives for sacrifice .

F or this extract I am in d ebted to a work o f

M r Bullock which under the unassuming form
.
, ,

o f a descriptive pamphlet contains much that ,

is instructive both in references and original

,

remarks H e tells us that from the great ser

.
,

pen t above menti oned smaller ones were m o

, ,

d e l l e d in stone and proba bly kept by the M exi

,

cans as P enates O ne of these he brought over

.

to E ngland S uch miniature copies of their

.

g ods w ere frequently t aken in E gypt and the ,

—
custom prevails in other place s the Burmese
universally follow it .

M r Bullock bro u ght over also from M exico

.

“
a cast o f an idol which he calls the goddess
,

”
o f war and thus describes it
,

This monstrous idol is with i ts pedestal , ,

twelve feet high and four feet w ide ,

I ts
form is partly huma n and the rest composed of ,

ra ttle snahe s and th e tiger

- The head enor .
,
 29 8 SERPEN T W O RSH I P IN AMERI C A
-
.

m o u sl y ide seems that of two rattle snahes

w ,
-

u nited the fangs hanging ou t of the mouth on ,

which the still palpitating hearts o f th e u nfor

tu n ate victims were rubbed as an act o f the

m os t ac c ep tabl e o bl a tion The body is that o f a

.

deformed human frame and the place of arms ,

supplied by the heads o f rattl e snahe s placed on -

,

square plinths and united by fringed o rnaments

'

, .

Round the waist is a girdle which was origi ,

nally covered with gold ; and beneath this ,

reaching nearly to the ground and partly cover ,

ing its deformed cl ove n feet a drapery entirely ,

composed of wreathed rattl e snahe s w hich the -

,

natives call a g arm e n t of s e rp e nts Between .

’

the feet descending from th e body another

, ,

w reathed se r e n t
p rests his head u pon the
”
ground .

W e learn from A costa that the M exicans 1

,

sacrificed human victims to the god V irac h o c a ; ‘

and that the head o f the unhappy creature

about to be sacrificed was held back in a wooden
”
collar w rought in form o f a snahe .

P eter M artyr al so mentions a large serpent

2

idol at Campeachy made of stones and bitumen , ,

in the act o f devouring a marble lion An

'

382 .
2
D e O rb e N o vo , 29 1 .
 ME X I CO . 299

e ngra ving o f this idol is given in O gil by s ’

A merica p 7 7 W hen first seen by the

,
. .

S paniards it was warm with the blood of human

v ictims.

But of all the works w hich may be consult e d

upon this s ubj ect that of M A glio o n M exi
,
.
,

”
can Antiquities is most deser ving o f no tice
,
.

I t contains fac similes o f ne arly all the Az te c k

-

painti ngs known to be in E urope together with

, ,

lithographic representations o f sculptures and ,

other monuments o f this interesting people .

These paintings and sculptures abound with

e v idences o f M exican O p h i ol atre ia and pro v e ,

that there was scarcely a M exican deity w h o

w as not symbolized by a serpent o r a dragon .

M any deities appear holding serpents in their

hands ; and small figures of priests are re p re
sented w i th a snahe ove re ac h he ad This reminds .

u s forcibly of th e priests of the E gyptian I sis

, , ,

w h o are described in sculpture wi th the sacred ,

asp upon th e head and a cone in the left hand

,
.

A nd to confirm th e original mu tual connexion

o f all th e serpent wors h i ppers througho u t the
-

—
world the M exican paintings as w ell as th e ,

E gyp tian and P ersian hieroglyphics describe ,

T H E O PHI T E HIER O G RAM of the intertwined

3 00 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AMERI C
-
A .

serpe n ts in almost all its variations

,
A very ‘
.

remarkable one occurs in M A llard s collection .

’

o f sculptures ; in which the dragons forming it , ,

have each a m an s he ad in his m ou th ! The gods

’

Of M e x ico are freque ntly p I c tu re d fighting with

serpents and dragons and gods and some ,

times men are represented in c onve rsation with

,

the same loathsome creatures There is scarcely .

,

i ndeed a feature in the mystery of O p h i ol atre i a

, ,

which may n o t be recognised in the M exican

superstitions .

W e perceive therefore that in the kingdom

, ,

o f M exico the serpent was sacred and emblema ,

ti c o f m ore g od s than one an observation w hich

may be extended to almost every other nation
which adored the symbolical serpent This is a .

remarkable and valuable fact and it discovers

in O p h iol atre i a another feature of its aboriginal
character F or it proves the se rp e nt to have
.

bee n a symbol of in trinsic divini ty an d not a ,

mere representative of peculiar properties which

belong to some gods and n ot to others ,
.

The serpent also entered into the religion of

Aglio , v ol . iii . i
B org ian C ol l e c t o n, pl ate s 3 6, 3 8 , &c .

V ol i pl
. v. . 13 . i
S c ulp ture in the Col l e c t on of M . Lt
a our

A l l ard , Paris .
 PERU
W
.

the M exicans as a c harm henever a person .

w as ill a priest was immediately sent fo r

,
who , ,

having perfumed the patient and sh aved o ff his ,

hair h ung snahe s bones abou t his ne c h

,
’

I n C ou l i ac an Nunn e z de Gusman found in , ,

“
the year 1 53 1 the houses filled w ith thousands
,

An d w
”
of serpents mingled together e are told .

that the inhabi tants sho w ed great reverence to

these serpents because as the y said the d e vil , ,

f
o te n ap p e are d to the m i n that f orm

II P ERU Tll e P eruvians are charged w ith

. .
-

the same superstition o f serpent worship as the -

”
M exicans They w orshipped says V ossius
.
, ,

the goddess I sis and w ere accustomed to ,

represent her with two serpents at her side

W hether this image represented I sis o r some ,

other deity it is certain that ac tual as well as

,

s m bo l ic al O h i o l atre i a prevailed in P eru F or

y p .
,

in the temple of Pac h am an a near L ima tradi , ,

tion states that the d e vil did sp e ak visibly , and

gave answer by his oracles ; and that some
times they did see a s o tte d snake “
p
”
O f thi s kind was the n ac h ash of the
O gilby , p . 2 77 .
2
I bid 2 8 6
. .

2
Vo ss . de I dol . 1
. iii . c. 13 . Acos t c a, . 5 .
302 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AMERI C A
-
.

”
H ebre w s and the
,
bac k e d snak e o f th e
ur l e
p p
l

Gre e ks b o th u s e d in divination The tradition

,
.

o f Pac h am an a forcibly reminds u s of th e story

of the [ Escul apian serpent of E pidaurus who ,

o n important occa sions glided fro h i s sa nctuary ,

and showed himself to his votarie s .

I n the pr ovince of Top i ra in P eru th e ,

S pania rds saw a temple in front o f which w as

a moat containi n g a vas t image of a serpent of
div e rs metals w ith his tayl e i n his mou th A
, .

man was sacrificed before it e v ery year

I n ano ther part o f the w ork from which the ,

above information is derived we re ad that th e ,

‘

P e ruvians w orship p e d snahes and hep t the m p ic ,

tu re d i n the ir te mp les and house s

The worship of the serpen t in P eru was even
tu al l y s u perseded by th e S olar S uperstition o f

the I ncas H aving suppressed it in their own

.

country they carried o n a war o f proselytism in

the neighbouring states Tupac Yupanqui the .
,

eleventh I nca conquered th e C h ac ap u y an s and

, ,

—
killed their deity a snake ”
This province lay .
,

eastwar d of C assam arc a H e next overcame the .

Huac rac h u c a w h o al so worshippe d snakes and

,

P rch
u as , p rt i p
a v. . 1 5 60 .
2
I bid p
. . 1 4 78 .
 PERU . 3 03

kept them always pictured in their house s and

temples
The people of M ant a who were conquered by
H uayna Capac am on g other things , w or

shippe d serpents of prodigious bigness .

Bl a s V aleras an author w h o in loose p apers

, ,

wrote o f the I ndies describes th o se w

. h o live in
,

A n tis as m ore brutal than the beasts themselves ;

fo rth e y have neither God nor l aw nor virtue nor , , ,

have they any idols or worship unless s om e tim e s ,

w he n the D e vi l
p re se nts him se l
f in the f orm cyf a ,

s e r e nt or o t e r anim a
p h l, they then worshi p and

adore him 2
.

F rom these inci d ental notices scattered u p ,

and do w n a m ong the writings o f the S paniards ,

who rather accidentally alluded to th an d e sign ,

e dl inves tigated the religio n of the N ew W orld

y ,

we find that the worship of the sacred s erpent

had its votari es in almos t every place wher e
man had a domicile .

With these cursory notices w e must take ,

leave of S panish A merica— more in astonish :

ment that so much i n formation V aluable to

.
,

H rri
a
’
of Voy g i 78 4
s s Col l e c . a e s, . .

d l a V g book ix c 8
2
G r il
a c as s o e e a, . . .

2
I bid b ok i c 4
. o . . .
3 04 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AMERI C A
-

literature and Christian theology has escaped ,

th e barbarism o f the c h u rch of R ome than i n ,

disappointment that so little of authentic history

has been preserved for o u r instruction .

E nglish A merica being in a state of extreme

rudeness w hen the first settlers occupied it ;
and these settlers being ei ther illi terate them
selves o r engrossed by a rel igion so exclusively
,

severe as to despise o r abhor inquiry into any

other we have little or no account of th e s u per
stiti o ns of the native I ndians upon w hich w e
can rely I have seen indeed a book printed
. .

, , ,

abou t that period p u rporting to be an account

,

o f the religion o f the V irginians in which thes e ,

peopl e are represented as worshipping grave n

images ; and among the res t that o f a serpent
, ,

u pon a pillar Bu t the whole w ork is written

.

in a manner so extravagantly credulous that I ,

did not care to preserve even the memory o f its .

title page Besides the rude state of the arts

-
.
,

among these I ndians could not have per

m i tte d them to arrive at such a perfection in

sculpture as is there represented The book is .

to be found in S ion College library

A more respectable authority however , ,

occurs in P urchas s P ilgrims , who by the 111 0 1

’

,
 PERU . 3 05

dental mention of a trivial circumstance would ,

ind u ce us to infer t h at the worship of the se r

,

pent was not al toge ther unknown even in these

inhospitable wi l ds The c hief p rie s t among the
.

Virginians was Observed to wear o n his head

a sacerdotal ornament of s nahe shins tie d tog e
the r by the tai ls

N o w this circumstance though apparently ,

trivial is not to be overlooked for it brings to

,

recollection an E gyptian custom which cer

tainl y prevailed among the votaries of the sacred

serpent The priests of I sis w ere in particular

.
, ,

notified by the figure of an asp upon their

’

bonnets ; and we sometimes see a priest re p re

2

sented in sculpture with a sm all se rp e n t up on his

bare he ad Again s e rp e n ts i n the hair w ere a
.
,

neces sary part o f the ornaments of a bacchanal .

A similar ornament is observed on th e heads of

th e priests in M Agl i o s M exican antiqui ties ;
’
.

and th e M exicans w ere certainly serpent w o r -

shippers I s it not there fore possible that the

.
, , ,

head d ress o f the chief pries t amo n g the wild

-
,
‘

Virginians may have had a similar respect to

,

th e god of his adoration o r to the sy m bol of ,

that deity 7

P rch
u as , p rt 4 p
a , . 1 70 1 .

X
3 06 SERPEN T W O RS H IP IN AMERI C A
-
.

The accompanying plate which represen ts an ,

I ndian of the coun try N W of L ouisiana ex . .

,

h i bi ts a priest o f the S ol ar O phi te religion The -

.

S un and S erpent tattooed upon his breast and ,

p ictured upon the instru m ent in his han d are

curi ous illustrations of ancient customs
'

The .

former especially remind u s of the stigmata

alluded to by Job and S t P au l which w ere ,
.
,

borne o n the body o f the priests of all the ol d

religi o n s ; and are stil l u sed to dis tin guish the
l

Brah m inical sects .

Th er e is also an obscure Canadian traditio n

w hich s ee m s to have belonged to the superst i tion

o f the S erp e nt W henever it thu ndered the

.

natives b e lieved that the Devil w as endeavo u r

ing to vomit a horribl e serpent an d by straining ,

to eva c uate the same re nt the clouds and caused,

”
thunder 2

A mong the islands o f th e S outhern O cean we

c an hardly expect to find any traces of thi s
idolatry I t is curious ho w ever to observe tha t
.
, ,

in N ew Zealand there is a tradition that the

serpent on ce S poke with a human voice 1 2
.

These islanders also believed that in the i n ,

r m rk on th
S e e th e e a s e Thaum a , ch p ii a . .

2
O gilby p 1 3 2
. . .
2
Chri ti n O b r r
s a s e ve , 1 8 1 0, p . 7 24 .
 P O LY N ESIA . 3 07

te ri o r
of the isl an d is an enormo u s Lizard ani ,

mated by an E vil S pirit w h o preys u pon the ,

h u man race The Lizard w orship prevails also

.

in Africa an d is kindred to that of the serpent

, .

The inhabitants of the Tonga islands also

bel ieve that the primitive gods sometimes
come into the bodies of lizards porpoises and , ,

—
sea snakes and hence these animal s are m u ch
1
respected .

There is a remarkable passage i n T as m an s ’

voyage to the S o u th S eas ; w hich if it does not ,

act u ally p rove the original O h i o l atre i a of these

p
islanders yet tends to corroborate the hypothesis
,
.

S peaking of R otterdam islan d he says that the ,

inhabitants kno w no thing abo u t religion or

divine w orship ; they have no idols relics or , ,

priests bu t th ey have nevertheless s u perstitions

,

a w ate r sh ahe w hi c h w as
f o r I saw a m an tahe u
p
ne ar his boat, an d p ut i t re sp e c tf u lly m i his he ad ,

and the n ag ai n i n to the w ate r .

I w ill not insist that this and the precedi n g ,

facts are irref rag abl e proofs of original O p h i ol a

tre i a z—bu t I cannot help thinking it p ossi bl e
that s u ch m ay be the case The P olynesi ans .

are apparently derived from M ala y a and the ,

1
D ill o n s D i sc o ve ry
’
of L a P e ro u se , ii .
p . 12 .

X 2
3 08 SERPEN T W O RSHIP IN AMERI C A
-
.

O phite s u p erstition w as once v ery prevalen t in

all the neighbo u ri n g co u ntries of Asia .Bu t
beyond this possibility I w o u ld n ot press the
arg u ment Val e at quan tum vale t
. .
 TH E

WS O R H I P O F TH E S E RPE N T .

C H AP T ER V

H E A T H E N FA B L E S ILLU S T R A T I V E O F T H E
F A LL O F MAN .
 C H AP T ER V .

H E AT H E N FABL E S ILL U S T RA T I V E O F TH E

FALL OF M AN .

H AVIN G sho w n that T HE SERPEN T as an e m bl e m

,

f
o divini t , y as a c harm as an orac l e or as A G O D
x
, , ,

entered into the w orship of al most e very con

s id e rabl e nation of the ancie n t w orld I proceed ,

to consider w hat traditionary evidence to the

sed u ction of o u r first parents by the serpent
, ,

is afforded in the remains of their respectiv e

mythologies .

I n the progress of corru pt religion w hatever ,

w as originally a p u re patriarchal tradition be

came gradu ally less p u re not only by the addi

,

tion of circu mstances entirely fab u lo u s bu t al s o ,

by the admixtu re of o the rp atriarc hal trad i tions ,

so blended together that every fable into w hich

,

they entered became stil l more obsc u re and

marvello u s The inq u irer into tr u th is there
.
,

fore freq u ently enc u mbered w ith the antecedent

,

10
3 12 HEA T HEN FA B L E S ILLUS T RA T I V E O F
necessity of separating fact from fact before he ,

c an hope to extricate tr u th from error The .

shades are so in d is tinctly thro w n together that ,

he mu st first seek to separate one patriarchal

tradition from another before he can prono u nce
, ,

w i th any degree of precision w here the light of ,

revelation e n ds and the darkness of mythology

,

begins .

Bu t at th e same time the candid and patient

, ,

inq u irer has the satisfaction to feel ass u red that

scarcel y any leading fable of heathen mythology
is altogether the o ffspring of a poetical imagina
tion . N on re s ip sas g es tas fi n x e ru nt p o e tae sed ,

”
re bas y e s tis ad d i d e ru n t q u e n d am colorem is ,

the shre w d observation of L ac tan ti u s and the 1

more w e read the more convinced are w e of its

,

correctness .

O ne of the most remarkable of these com

po u nd heathen fables is that of T YPH O N And .

this h as been made s u bservie n t to several ex

planations more or less satisfactory as the w riter
,

has approached or receded from the only test

, ,

—
of tru th the S cri ptu res .

Bryant and Faber have determined tha t the

1
D e i
fal sfi re l g l i b. . i . c . 2 .
 TH E FALL O F MAN . 3 13

fable of Typhon has reference to the del u ge

'

there are ho w ever other charac teristics w hich

, ,

o u gh t no t to be overlooked O f their val u able .

information I avail myself cheerfu lly in sepa ,

rating one tru th from the fable ; bu t another

remains of far more importance to the individ u al
,

interests of mankind and this also I w ill en d ea

,

vo u r to el u cidate .

I T YPH O N
. .

A n E gyp tianf abl e ; c hie l

f yp re se rve d b P l u tarc h ,
y
in his d isse rtation on [ sis and Osi ris ; no ti c e d

a l so by H yginus , f ab 1 52 , . and by Ap ol lod orus ,

lib . i . c . 6
.

The fable of Ty phon may have been em

be l l ish e d by the traditions of the del u ge ; bu t
for its origin w e m u st look higher Al l tradition .

canno t be s u pposed to have centered in the de

l u ge for it is not probable that the sons and
da u ghters of N oah w h o s u rvived the flood w o u ld
, ,

have been silent abo u t the stu pendo u s events

w hich preceded it .

The creation of the w orl d and of man ; his

happiness in paradise and his exp u lsion from ,
3 14 HEA T HEN FA B LES I LLUS T R A T I V E O F
it thro u gh sin ; the ca u se of this sin and its ,

consequ ences ; T HE SERPEN T T EMP T ER and TH E \

RE D EEMIN G AN G EL — w o u ld form nat u ral

and interesting s u bj ects for the pat e rnal in

s tr u cti on of these elders to their c hildren Is .

it su rprising then that their children shou ld

, ,

pre serv e as sacred th ose oral traditions from

’

the recital of w hich they had received bo th .

ins tr u ction and am u sement ; and the remem

brance of w hich probably formed part of th eir
, ,

religio u s service of praise and th an k sg i vm g ?

Is i t not rather probable that they w o u ld them

selves transmit the m to their childr en s chil ’

dren 7 An d if in the lapse of ages a poetic

, , ,

imagination or a desire to excite astonishment

, ,

sho u ld envelope these tr u ths in the robe of

fi ction can w e w onder at the circ u mstance
,
?

W e have m u ch more reason for w onder that

so little fiction rather than so m u c h has o b
, ,

s ou red the tru th .

There are some circu mstances inter w oven

w ith the attrib u tes of Typhon w hich w o u l d ,

lead u s to conj ectu re that the first interference

,

of this monster in m u ndane affairs w as his

, ,

1
Ge n . xl iii
v . 16
.
 T HE FALL '

or MAN 3 15

sed u ction of o u r first paren ts UN D ER T HE F O RM O F

A SERPEN T .

Typhon w as the EVIL SPIRI T of the E gyptians .

Jabl o n sk i derives his name fro m the tw o C optic

“
w ords The u p h ou Spiritu s mal u s z a deri ’ 9
- - -
, , .

vation w hich corresponds w ith th e rem ark of

P l u tarch : The E gyptians c o m m onl y c al l e d '

T yp hon K m w A ip a
‘
; The history of this
a o va

d aemon w ill be fo u n d to be paralle l w ith that of

S atan in S cript u re .

Hygin u s informs us that Typhon w as the son ,

of Tartar u s (H e ll) an d the E arth that he m ad e

w ar a g ai ns t Jup i te r or d om ini on
f and bei ng , .
,

str u ck by lightni ng w as throw n fl am ing to the ,

e arth w here M o u nt [ E t n a w as placed u pon him

, .

Tartar u s ex Terrap ro c re av i t Typ h o ne m immani ,

‘

magnitu dine sp e c i e qu e portentosa c ui c e n tum

, ,

c a i ta d rac onu m
p ex h u meris e n ata e ran t H i e .

Jove m p rovoc avi t, si ve l l e t s ec um d e regno c e rtare .

Jovis fulmine ardenti pec tu s ej u s p e rc ussi t C u i .

c um fl a r
g are t montem ZEtn am
, q u i est in S icili a , ,

s u per e u m i m pos uit : q u i ex e o ad h u c ardere

d i c itu r
'

— H ygi nu s fab 1 52
.
, . .

P indar te l l s u s that . Typhon the h u n

, ,

De I sid e et O s irid e , p . 38 0 .
3 16 HEA T HEN FA B LES I LLUS T R A T I V E O F
dred headed
-
e ne m
y o
f the g od s , lies in Tar
1
tarus

Th e w ar in heave n f or d om inion is evidently

'

, ,

a version of th e patriarchal tradition recorded by

S t J u de of w hich a vision w as s ubsequ ently
.
,

revealed to S t John There w as w ar in

. .

heaven M ichael an d his angels fou gh t against

the dragon ; and the dragon fo u gh t and his ,

angels and prevaile d not neither w as their

, ,

place fo u nd any more in heaven An d the .

great dragon w as cast o u t that old serpen t , ,

called the D evil and S atan w hich deceiveth the ,

w hole w orld he w as c as t in to the e arth and his ,

angels w ere cas t ou t w ith him 2

U n der the same character of a re be l agains t ,

the god s Typhon is celebrated in Grecian m y

,

th ol o g y by the name of Typhoe u s and in the 3

,

S yrian by the name of Op h ion e u s The latter .

is the same as the serpent god O phion or O bion -

,

w hose w orship w e have traced in the preceding

pages .

This remarkable tra d ition of a w ar in ,

”
heaven is preserved also in the mythologies of
,

the P ersians H ind us and C elt s , ,

.

P y thi a , 1 .
2
Re v . xii . 7 , &c .
3
H e si o d Th e ogon
. .
 T HE FALL O F MAN . 3 17

The terrestrial his tory of Typhon w hich ,

P l u tarch record s is briefly this Being e u

,
.

vions of his bro ther O siris he p u t him to

, ,

death placed th e dismembered body in a

,

chest and set him adrift on th e N ile

,
.
Bu t . ,
g
after some time O siris w as either restored to
l ife or recovered by his w ife I sis in a m u ti
, , ,

la ted s tate ; for the fable admits of ei ther con

c l u si o n .

The principal featu res in this fable are ,

1 st The envy of Typhon

, .

2 d l y The mu rder of his brother in co u se

,

u e nc e
q .

H is brother s restoration to life by

3 d 1y ,
’

means of his w ife .

It is ex tremely probable that in this s h ort ,

fable thre e independent pa triarchal tru ths at

, ,

least have been mixed together : the m u rder of

,

Abe l th ro u gh the j ealo u sy of C ain ; the pre ~

ser vation of N oah in the ark and the fall and

redemption of man The first is s u ffi ciently
.

obvio u s ; the second has been adop ted by those

w riters w h o look u pon Typhon as a p e rso n i fi c a

tion of the del u ge and the third I w ill endea

vo u r to establish by s u ch proofs as have occ u rred
to me in the ordinary co u rse of reading .
3 18 HEA T HEN FA B LES I LLUS T RA T I V E or

Ware ass red by the a thor of the Book

e u

“
u

of Wisdom that thro u gh e nvy of the devil

,

came death into th e w orld : and o u r L ord ‘ 9’

informs u s tha t the devil w as a m u rderer

'

from th e beginning This of co u rse ; all u des ,

more partic u l arly to th e sp iri tual m u rder of

A dam ; bu t his loss of im m ortali ty in c o n se ,

u e n c e of follo w ing the s u ggestions of the devil

q ,

might very nat u rally form the fo u ndation of a

fable in w hich things spiritu al w o u ld be ac c o m
,

m o d ate d to thi n gs temporal in accordance w ith ,

the geni u s and practi ce of mythology Al l that .

w e can therefore reaso n ably expect in tracing ,

an agreement betw een history and fable is a ,

c om m on c aus e assigned by each to a fact w hich

eac h profess es to record ; and a fe w leadi n g cha

rac te ri s ti c s relative to the transac ti on and the
,

ag e nts common to both the historical and my

,
;

th ol o g ic al tradition .

”
I n the history and in the fable E nvy w as
, ,

the ca u se of the spiri tu al or the carnal m u rder .

”
The sam e be ing w h o made a w ar in heaven
, ,

and w as cas t do w n from thence u pon the

”
earth w as the agen t in each : and in either
,

case he is represented in a d rac ontic f orm The

W
.

1
i d ii
s . . 24 .
2
J oh n v iii . 44 .
 T HE FALL O F MAN . 3 19

devil d eceived E ve u nder the fig u re of a ser

pent : s u ch a fig u re w as also attrib u ted to
Typhon at least in part ; an d a p artial resem
,

blance s u ch as this i s more satisfactory than

, ,

a complete similitu de Typhon is a monster .

w ith a h u man head and dracontic arms and ,

legs According to Apollodor u s anhund re d

1
.
,

he ad s issu e d f rom his hand s , and his l eg s

’
s e r en ts
p
”
te rm inate d in tw o e norm ous s na e sh . H y gin u s
tells us, tha t an hund re d s e r e n ts
p
’
he ad s issu e d

f his The fig u re therefore

s ho u l d e rs
’ 9
rom w as .
, ,

partly hum an aIId par tly d rac on tic and in s u ch,

w e sho u ld have expected that the geni us of

'

m ythology w ou ld cloth e the serpent tempter

'

-
.

F or the tradition of the serpent sp e ahing w i th a

'

hum an voic e w o u ld very nat u rally adorn the,

s e r e n t o f the fable w ith a hum an bod

2

p .
y .

The being therefore w h o deprived Ada m , ,

and O siris of l i fe w as T HE EVI L SPIRI T and , ,

he w as corporeally u nited w ith the serpent .

I t sho u ld not be conc ealed ho w ever that , ,

Jablonski does not think that the E gyptian

1
Lib i . . c . 6 . s. 3 .

2
Th in us a M e xi c an p i i
a n t n
g , i n th e B o rgi an C l l e c t o io n,

th ere is a od
g w t ih tw o h ad
e s : o ne hum an, an d th e o th era

s e r e nt s
p
’
.
—Ag l io . M e x A nt
. . v ol . iii .
3 20 HEA T HEN FA B LES I LLU ST RA T IVE O F
Typhon w as th e same as the Greek Typhoe u s ,

to w hom the above d escription rather belongs .

H e says th at Typhon w as not a monster h u man ,

and dracontic There c an be little d o u bt h o w

'

ever bu t that the Gre c i an f abl e and even name of

, ,

T y phoe u s is borro w ed from th e E gyptian fable

,

and name of Typhon For if Typ hon be derived

.
,

as Jabl onski contends from T h e u

p
,
h —
ou T
yp hoe u s
c

comes as near or nearer to the root I conceive

, , .

the fact to be simply this tha t the E gyptian fable

has been divided into tw o by the Greeks and ,

that w hatever at trib u te of Typ hon is w antin g in

Typ hoe us is to be fo u nd in P Y T H O N
, .

The fall of Adam is agai n graphically de

scribed in th e sc u lptu red images of his co unter
part O siris w h o is sometimes represen ted in the
,

m id s t o
f th f
e vol um e s o a se r e n t as w e learn
p ,

from M on tfa u con .

S o far then the history an d the fable coin

, ,

cide W e can ho w ever p u rs u e the parallel a

.
, ,

little farther The fall of Adam being pro

.

d u c e d by the agency of the serpent his reco ,

“
very w as to be e ffected by the w oman s ’

seed This par t of the tru th is expressed in

the fable by the restora tion of O siris to life
thro u gh the instr u mentality of his w ife I sis ,
 T HE F A L L O F MAN . 32 1

and the vanq u ishing of Typhon by the ir son

°

O RU s I t is a singu lar part of the fable that

1
,

O siris w hen restored to life w as restored in a

, ,

m u ti l ate d c ond i ti on ; w hich may be an all u sion ,

not obsc u re to the imp e rf e c tion of the redeemed

,

m an , compared w ith his perfection before the

fall The nat u re of the imperfection mentioned
.

in the fable may have been s u gges ted by a

,

corr upt tradition of th e first conseq u ences of

the fall as stated in Genesis iii 7 P l u tarch
,
. .

informs u s that w hen O ru s w as contending

,

w i th Typhon Thu e ris the conc u bine of the

, ,

l atter w e n t over to th e former bu t w as p u rsu e d

, ,

by a se rp e n t w hich w as ho w ever destroyed by

, , ,

th e attendan ts of O r u s S o that thro u gho ut th e .

w hole of this confu sed b u t remarkable legend , ,

T HE SERPEN T seems to be most sing ularly in

volved as al lied to T YPH O N
, .

P u tting all these facts toge ther I cannot bu t ,

be pers u aded that the original characters of the

fable w ere his torical persons an d that these ,

w ere no other than A D AM and EV E re p re ,

sented by O SIRIS and Is rs the S E RPEN T

T EMP T ER by T YPH O N ; and the victorio u s
,

W O MAN S SEE D by O RU s A concl u sion

’

,
.

)
1
H e ro d o t . ii . 1 56 .

Y
3 22 HEAT HEN FA B LES I LLUS T RA T I V E O F '

w hich is c orroborat e d by the remarkable fact ,

th at O RUS is considered by the Greek w rite r s

to have been the sam e as AP O LL O and Apol lo 1
,

i t is w ell k no w n w as the destroyer of the ,

serpen t P ython w hi c h had p e rse c u te d his m o the r

,

Latona Whether w ith Gale therefore w e

.
, ,

derive O RUS from um (LI G H T) ; or w ith Ja ,

~

b nl o s k i from
, th e coptic —
U e r (T HE C AUSE ) , ,

the res u lt w ill be the same ; a corres p ondenc e

’
w ith a ti tl e or an attri bu te of the w oman s

a L

W
”
s eed ,
as “
ig ht w hic h lig h te th e ve ry m an
that c om e th i nto the w orl d or as the ord
2

by w hom a l l things w e re m ad e , and w i thou t w ho m

w as no t any thing m ad e that w as m ad e

O ru s after his vic tory over Typhon is said

, ,

”
to have r e igned happily and w as the l as t of ,

the E gyptian d aemon kings ; th u s in every 4

respect fu lfilling the attrib u tes of T HE M ESSIAH ,

w h o having br u ised the S erpent s head shall

’

, ,

re ign for ever and ever w h e n all enemies are ,

”
u t u nder his fee t
p .

F u rther i t is to be observed that P l u tarch

, ,

calls Typhon an e ne m y to I sis affi rming that

1
He ro d o t . ii . 1 44 . Pl u t ar h c , D i o d o ru s , &c .

2
Joh n i 9 . .
3
Joh i n . 3 .

4
Jabl o nki s , Panth 1Eg 1 . . . ii .
p . 2 04 .
 TH E FA L L O F MAN . 3 23

he derived his name from th e w ord r r q wp é e e

'

v z vo ,

for b eing p ufl e d up throu gh ignorance and error

,

he d es troy s and annu ls 6v My — TH E 7 ov

—
H O L Y W O R D w h ich S h e collects and arran ges , ,

and teaches to those w h o are ini tiated in to h e r

”
w orship &c W hat is this but a Pagan ver
,
.
1

sion o f th e S crip ture truth that the se rp e n t ,

begui l e d E ve through his su bti l ty and that 2

he w ho take th the w ord o ut of th e he ar ts o f m e n ,

les t they sho u l d be l i e ve and be save d is T HE

D EVIL ?

P lu tarch w i th the vanity so conspic u o u s in

,

Grecian w riters of re ferring the origin of every

thing to their n ative co u n try says tha t I sis as , , ,

w ell as Typhon is a w or d of Gr e e k d eri va tion

, ,

—
from Yma scio The erro r i s to o prepos tero u s
u .

to re qu ire a serio u s re futation su fli c e it to say w

,

th at the Gree k l anguage p eop le the ology and , , ,

m anne rs w er e for th e mos t p art derived from

, ,
-
,

E gypti an colonies The derivation of I sis ap .

,

proved by J abl onski is I SI abund an tia p e rm a ,

-
,

nans from a no tion tha t I sis w as the personi

fication of n at ure This idea is s ugge sted by.
«

th e follo w ing inscription copie d by Pl utarc h ,

1
D e I sid . et O si rid i n p rinc ip io
. .

2
2 Co r . xi . 3 .
3
L uk e v iii . 12 .

Y 2
8 24 HEA T HEN FA B LES ILLUS T RA T I V E OF

from a templ e of I sis at S ais °

I am al l that

hath be e n , and is , and s hal l be ; and m

y ve i l no

”
m ortal hath e ve r re m ove d .

Bu t w e may observe tha t the I SIS of Eg ypt ,

is to be recognised in the IS I of Hind fi stan “

the name of her consort is IS A M ay not these .

tw o names have be e n originally derived from

w zé and mm the nam e s of A d am and E ve in the

fi
,

second chapter of Genesis ? The trans p osition

of th e w ords does not militate agains t the h y
p oth e si s—s u ch perm u tations being allo w ed to
mythology These w ords are derived from the
.

root mm signifying abs trac t e xis te nc e

,
— an idea
2

w hich is not rep u gnant to that of I si abunda ntia -

,

p er m anans The. transition of ideas from the

”
mother of the h u man race to the mother of ,

—
the terrestrial globe from the ab undantia
”
p e rm an an s of the habitable w orld to the ,

”
abu ndantia p e rm anan s of the u niverse is in ,

accordance w i th the geni u s of mythology .

W hen w e are informe d therefore by Faber , ,

3
,

and other learned men that O siris and I sis are ,

the C RE A T O R O F T HE UNIVERSE u nder the ,

mystical character of h u sband and w ife The

F abe rs P agan I dol
’
. i . 1 67 .
2
P arkhurst .

2
‘

Pag . I d ol . i . 1 65 .
 T HE FA L L O F MAN . 3 25

Great C rea tor b eing some times esteemed in

m ythology the a n ima ting so u l and sometimes
, ,

th e h u sband of th e u niverse ; w hile the u ni

verse on th e o ther hand is sometimes reck

, ,

ou ed the body and sometimes the w ife of th e

I n telligent Being — (one theo r
”
,
y re presen ting
the u nion of S piri t an d matter u nder the idea ,

of so u l and body ; and th e Other u nder the no

—
tion of conj u gal u nity) w e are not deprived of
the hypothesis tha t Osiris and I sis w e re original ly
A d am and E ve : O n the contrary w e may con ,

e that the i n tim ate u nion of Adam and

j e c tu r

E ve and the m y s te rious c re ation of the latte r

,

orm e r might have s u ggested the notion

f r om the
.

f ,

of the father an d mother of the u niverse in

mystical u nion and separation I t is bu t the su b .

stitu ti on O f the father and mother of al l things

for the father and mother of al l m e n .

O ne of the epithets by w hich I sis w as kno w n

in E gypt w as M u th w hich P lu tarch (rig htly
,
,

according to Ja blonski ) i nterprets M othe r

, .
”

The w ord M u th m m in H ebre w signifies d e ath

, , ,

and the coincidence is not a little remarkable ,

w hen w e remember tha t it w as EV E w h o intro

”
duc e d death into the w orld .

The P h oe nicians tau ght that M U T H w as a

3 26 HEA T HEN FA B LES I L LUSTRA T IVE O F
man th e
son of S atu rn and Rhea (or O PS the ,

se r en t
p ) The
. w or d s of E u sebi u s are these
H e consecrates his son M uth w hom h e had ,

by Rhea w hom the t nic i ans called D EA T H ,

or D EA TH th e offsp ring of T HE ,

S E RPEN T is th u s an epith e t to d esignate the

,

”
w oman by w hom cam e death ! C an there
be a c loser affinity bet w een truth and fable or ,

a more ill u strative commentary of mythology

u pon S cript u re ? I t is tru e that for this illu s ,

tratio n w e have had reco u rse to P h oe nician and

E gyptian fable ; but it sho u ld be remembered

that Thoth the au thor of E gy ptian learning w as
, ,

like w ise the fo u nder of P h oenician theology .

M u th Signifying in the E gyptian lang u age

”
,

”
M othe r is p robably the p aren t of o u r Eng
,

lish w ord expres sing the same idea : and if -

ever there w as a period in the primitive lan

g u age in 2
w hich
,
the w ord M u th signified both

m o the r and d e ath h o w elegant is th e combina

,
i

tion and h ow e x p re ssiv e its Simplicity ! M o

,

”
ther is a so u nd w hich brings w ith it the
remembrance of affectionate solicitu d e from the
Eu se b . P reap E a g i 38
. v n . . .

2
I n th e Co p ti l a g g
c th w rd w hi h
n ua e , x pr e o s c e e ss mo

the r,
”
an d t di
o e, app r a h ry n ar a h th r
”
o c ve e e c o e .
 3

TH E FALL OF
.
MA N .

cradle the grave but acc u stomed as w e are

to

to i ts connexion w i th th e former h o w li ttle are ,

w e sensib l e of its relation to the latter ! h o w

little do w e imagine that from her w h o gave u s

lif e w e inherit d e ath .

H aving made the above observations I do ,

not pretend to be ignoran t that O siris and I sis

w ere the names u nder w hich th e personified

deities of the su n and moon w ere worshippe d

in E gypt ; for I do n ot consider that this ad
m i tte d fact m ili tates in any degree against my
.

hypothesis The sun w as the great god of the

.

heathen w orld and the moon w as considered

,

as his w if e S o that the sun and moon of

'

E gyp tian w orship w ere T HE C REA T O R i n the

,

m s tic al c harac te r o
y f hus band and w i e
f u nder ,

w hich he w as expressed by many symbols an d

n ames .The sun and the moon th e m a l e and

female serpent ; O siris and I sis —are in tu rn
employed to denote the I ntelligent Bei n g the ,

M aker O f all things in conj u gal u nity ; an d it

,

does not follo w that beca u se tw o of these terms

,

happen sometimes to be u nited to express tw o

o the rs, w hich are expressive of a common o h

j ect
,
that therefore they l ose their original cha
328 H EA T HEN FA B LES I LLUS T RA T IVE O F
rac te r, hich is thu s momentarily merged
w .

Osiris and I sis then do not forfeit their o ri g in ak

, ,

representation of A d am and E ve w hen combined ,

to express the su n and m oon w hich i n d e p e nd , ,

ently convey the same idea of the mystical

C reator ; any more than the mal e an d female
serpent tho ugh typical of O siris and I sis a nd
, ,

of the s un and moon lose their origi nal ty p ifi

,

cation of the se rp e n t i n p aradise by being e m ,

ployed to represent the abstract D eity .

O SIRIS and I SIS then are A D AM and EV E ;

, ,

and thou gh in the fable w hich records their

,

history other patriarchal tru ths may be con

,

fo u nded yet I think there can be no do u bt of

,

its involving like w ise the events in paradise I .

have bro u ght for w ard a fe w points of Singu lar

coincidence and learning and ingen u ity may
,

find more For s u ch is the natu re of heathen

.

ru bbish , we can perceive the least sp arkli n g of

the g e m is not accidental ,

bu t that the r u bbish
has b een heaped u pon it .
 —
A Grec ian f abl e no ti c e d by H yginus F ab 1 4 0 , .
,

O vid , S trabo , P ausanias , and L u c an .

“
P ython Terrae fi l i u s D raco i ng e n s
, ,
H ic .

ante Ap ol l in e m ex orac ul o in monte P arnasso

,

responsa dare solitu s erat H uic e a: L

’

. atona?

p artu i n te ri tus e rat

f f
a t o u tu rus P y thon
u bi s e n si t L
aton am ex Jove gravidam esse ,

p fi
e rse ui c ae i t u t e am i n te r c e re t
g p L atona
o l e am te ne ns parit A ol l i n e m e t D i an am
p
,

”
Apollo Pyth on e m sagi ttis inte rfe c i t Hy .

i nns , F ab 1 4 0
g . .

I n this fable w e recognise s ome remarkable

feat u res corresponding w ith th e F all and Re
demption of mankind : the p e rse c u tion of the
w om an by the s e r e n t ; his p re d i c te d destr u c tion
p
“ ”
by the w oman s seed ; the o live branc h of
’

e ac e held in the hand of the mother w h o gave

p
“
birth to the P rince of P eace and w hat is ,

not the least S ignificant portion of the legend ,

the he ave n ly ex trac tion of the promised Avenger ,

u niti n g the divine nat u re of the F ather w ith the

hum an nat u re of the mother .

I n the history of Python his antiqui ty is to

,
330 H E A T HEN FA B LES ILLUS T RA T I V E O F
be observed H e w as prod u ced by the Slime
.

w hich w as left u pon the earth at the s u bsiding

o f th e del u ge This w as an orI gI n natu rall y

1
.

eno u gh attrib u ted to him by the poets ; for in

heathen mythology the del u ge w as s u pposed to
have been cau sed by the evil Spirit of w hose ,

dracontic form th e legend of P ython preserved

the memorial P l u tarch s u pposed that the
.

serpen t P ython typified d e s tru c tion ; Adaman

ti u s conceived that he represented a rac e of
d e m ons to w hom d rag ons and se r e n ts
p p f
e r orm the

p art
f
o m i ni s te ring teaches atte nd an ts . Pi e riu s

us ,
that by the serpent the ancien ts symbolized
d e s tru c tion m isf ortu ne and te rror; and D i o d o ru s
, ,

S i c u l u s asserts that a s e rp e n t tw is te d i n sp i ral

,

vol um e s w as the hie rog lyp hi c of e vi l Al l these 2

.

symbolizations of P ython intimate his connexion

w ith the evil spirit .

The w hole story of P ython and Apollo is

s u rprisingly parallel w ith that of the serpent
tempter and his conqu eror C HRIS T I t w as ,
.

”
ordain e d says Cl e om brotu s (P l u tarch d e
,
'

d ef e c tu O rac cited by Gesner p

. that he ,
.

Me t i
W
438
O id
\
v , . . .

2
F ab e r, Pag . I d ol . i . 44 1 , who c it es O l au s orm i us de

a ureo

10
 TH E FALL O F MAN . 33 1

o ld slay P ython m ust be not merely

w ho w u , ,

banished from th e temple ten years bu t even ,

.

d ep art f rom the w orl d ; w he nc e he s hou l d re tu rn

after nine revol u tions of the great year e xp iate d ,

and p urifi e d : w herefore he sho uld obtain the

—
name o f P h oe b u s i e p ure and obtain posses
. .

”
sion of the oracle at D elphi .

H ere is intimated in terms not very obsc u re

, ,

“ ”
the d e ath of the w oman s seed w h o sho u ld ’

bru ise th e serpent s head ’

his p e rf e c t rig hte
ousne ss ; and his se c ond ad ve n t as the L ord of ,

the u niversal temple .

2 TH E D RA G O N O F TH E H S PE R I D E s
. E —Hy .

g i nns F ab 3 0
,
—.Ap o
. ll od orus —O vid M e t H e sio d .
,

& c .

That th e events in paradise m u st have left a

deep and indelible impression of their reality
u pon th e minds of mankind is apparent from ,

the num be r an d m u tual ind ep e nd e nc e of the fables

into w hich they enter The dragon w hich kept
.

th e garden of the H esperides forms anothe r

legend al l u si ve to th e paradisiacal serpent bu t

it relates more par tic ularly to the vic tory of the
Redeemer The garden of the H esperides
.
,

and its for bidden fr uit have long been con ,

s id e re d as the mythol ogical memorials of the

 332 H EA T HEN FA B LES I LLUS T RAT I V E O F
garden and the fru it of E den : the dragon as ,

the representative of the serpent tempter ; and -

”
H erc u les as the triu mphant w oman s seed
,
’
.

Bu t the perverseness of pagan ism having i n , ,

this i n stance converted the w oman in to a god

,

dess converted like w ise the sed u cing serpen t

,

into a gu ardian minister S till how ever there

.
, ,

are traces su fli c 1 e ntl y s trong of the affinity ,

w hich the fable bears to the tru th The .

dragon the of sp ring of Typ hon w as Slain by

,
1
,

H erc u les the son of J u piter and Alcmena ; that

,

is by a hero u ni ting in his p e rson the divine and

,

hum an natu re s Being a Servant of J u no the

.
,

Slain dragon w as translate d into a constella

tion Of the northern hemisphere w here he ap ,

pears in astronomical mythology betw een the

, ,

greater and lesser bear H erc u les is depicted

.

u pon the sphere e ssi n h e d ra on s he ad

’
as
p r g t g
J
V w i th his l e t f oo t
f S inistro a u tem toto cap u t

draconis opprimere c o u n at r —w hile the mo u th

2

of the dragon is represented in the act of bruis ing

”
his he e l .

Another version of th e fable is that this ,

d rago n , in the w ar of the giants agains t the

1
B yg i n. Fab 3 0
. .
2
Hy gi n P o e t As tro n 4 2 2
. . . .
 T HE FALL O F MAN . 3 33

gods w as opp osed to M inerva w h o h u rled him , ,

contor ted as he w as to the Skies and fixed him

, ,

to the axis of the heavens

I t is obvio u s tha t in these tw o versions of
,

the legend the tw o gre at even ts in the history

,

o f S atan — his destru ction by the w oman s seed ’

an d his overthro w by the archangel —L am de

s cribe d . A proof that this celestial dragon w as
a re pre sen tation of the serpen t S a tan may be ,

s een in Job xxvi 1 3 as ill u s trated by th e

.
,

S ept u agint S peaking Of the o m m p o te nc e of

.

God the pro p het says

,
By his spirit he hath
,

garnished the heavens : his hand hath formed

T HE C R OO K E D SERPEN T w hich expression is

th u s most remarkably paraphrased by the S ep

tu ag in t . y his hand he has sl ain T HE AP O S
T A T E SERP EN T
There can be no do ubt therefore bu t that th e , ,

seventy tw o translators of the H e b re w S cript u res

-

identified the dragon of the fable w ith the evil

”
Spirit w h o kep t not his first estate .

That H erc u les w as a personification of th e

M essiah has been sho w n by several w ri ters
,
°

b u t I do not recollect to have seen it observed

‘

that his histo ry is most s u rprisingly in ter w oven

1
Hy gin P o e t A s tro n 3 62 2 ”
’
. . . . Ap cuco w a d u o ard rnv .
3 34 HEA THEN FA B LES IL LUS T RA T I V E O F

w t i h stories of se rp e nts vanquis he d by his arm at ,

di fferent periods of his life Hi s first act i n .

childhood w as to s trangle two se rp e nts in the

cradle H is second labo u r w as the destr u c tion
.

of the L ern ae an H y d ra and the clearing of th e ,

neighb o u rhood of Argos from se rp e nts And .

his cons u mmating glory the c onq u es t of th e ,

d ragon w hich g u arded the golden fru it in th e

gard en of th e Hesperides I n his co m bat w ith .

Ge ryon he s lew a d ragon ; and in the w ars of

,

the gian ts against J u piter a mons ter w hose , ,

h u man body terminated in se rp e nt l egs w hile v

1
,

to denote his connexion w ith the mystic s erpent ,

h e bore u pon h l s s hield th e O phi te hierogram

of T HE SERPE N T AN D C IR C LE 2
.

Al l these coincidences c an h ardly have arisen

from the u nmeaning imagination of my tholo gists ;

The appearance of S atan in a dracon tic form is

clearly recognised in the fable of the d ragon of
th e Hesperides ; and his dialog u e w i th the
w oman seem s to be remembered in th e tradi

ti o n ary p roperty attrib u ted to th is dragon

i o
‘
1s z va —
éxp ir 3 qw fg w r i g S O s ays Apol l odoru s
av o cu
3

H e use d al l hinds qf voic es —o f w hich in ,

1
M on tfau c on , i .
p a
l te 64 .
2
S tuke l e y , Abu ry , 69 .

2'
Lib ii. . s. 2 .
 T HE FALL O F MAN . 33 5

accordance w ith th e geni u s of mythology w e ,

may s u ppose tha t the h u man voice w as one .

To the same events there is an all u sion in

P lato w h o disco u rsing of th e primitive con
1
, ,

d ition of mankind in forms u s that at that time

, ,

they l ive d nake d in a s tate of hap p ine ss and had

, ,

an abu nd anc e of f rui ts w hich w ere prod u ced

’

w i thou t the l abour of ag ric u l tu re ; and tha t m e n

and be as ts c ou l d the n c onve rse tog e the r . Bu t

”
these things he says ,
w e m u s t pass over ,

u n ti l the re app e ar S O ME O NE m e e t to i n te rp ret

the m to u s H ere is evidently a fragmen t of an

.
’

original tradition of Adam in P aradise in a s tate ,

of happy innocence ; and n ot an Obsc u re re c ol

lection of the conversation of E ve w ith the ser
pent For th e philosopher confesses tha t the
.

tradition involves a m y s te ry ; and in timates tha t

there m u s t come som e hig hly gif te d p e rson i nto the -

w orl d to e luc id ate it .

I t is not then too m u ch to ass u me that in this ,

relic of tradition are involved and confused —the

s tate o
f m an i n p arad ise ; his f all throug h the

se r e n t ;
p and his f u ture and final re de mp tion .

3 . The conversation of E ve w ith th e serpent ,

1
P ol it . fo l 2 7 2
. . E d it S tep h
. .
33 6 HEA T HE N FA B LES ILLUS T RA T I V E OF

and the opening of her eyes in con s equ ence ,

may be de tec ted under the fables of M elam

” ”
p us
,
and H elen us and C assandra ; w h o

w ere all s u pposed to have had an i nsig h t i n to

f u tu ri t
y by means
,
of s e r e n ts
p M elamp u s .

having preserved tw o snakes from destru c tion ,

w as one day asleep beneath an oak w hen the ,

reptiles crept u p and licked his ears W hen .

he a w oke from sleep he fo u nd himself able to ,

u nders tand the chirping of birds ; and dis

covered moreover that he w as gifte d w i th p ro
, ,

p hec
y .

H el en u s and C assandra w ere asleep in the

temple of Apollo w hen they acq u ired the
1
,

po w er of prophecy the passages of their

senses being cleansed by the tongu es of ser
pents .
’
The sa m e says the scholiast on ,

Eu rip id H e c u ba that
,
serpents approaching
,

and licking their ears made them so Sharp of ,

hearing that they alone of all men co u ld n u

, , ,

d e rstan d the co u nsels of the gods and became ,

very excellent prophets To th e se w e may

add the case of Plu t u s mentioned by Aristo ,

phanes p 7 6 Tw o se rp e nts licking th e eyelids

,
. .

1
H o m e r I l i ad H S c h ol ias t
, , . .

2
Boc h art Hi e ro z
. . l ib . i . fol . 21 .
 T HE FALL O F MAN . 337

of this personage w ho w as blind restored him

, ,

to eyesight and m ade his eyes more than

,

h u manly ac u te
Those w h o ate se rp e nts fl esh w ere also su p’

posed to acqu ire the gift of u nders tan ding the

—
lang u ages of the bru te creation cons u lt Philos
tratu s de v ita Ap ol l on i i lib iii c 3 ,
— w h e re 1 n
. . .
,

he says that the Parac ae a people of I ndia are

, , ,

said to have u nders tood the tho u ghts and Ian

g u ages of animals by ea ting the hear t and liver
,

”
of serpents . The same au thor (lib i c 1 4) . . .

says th e same thing of the Arabians .

4 The s tory O f C eres and P roserpine is evi

.

d e n tl y a corru ption of the even ts in paradise .

P roserpine is deceived by J u piter in the form of

a d rag on ,
or g re at se rp e nt ; b ut the pru rient
imagination of the Greek mythol ogis ts gave a
col o u r to the tale s u ited to their licen tio u s
s u perstition . S u bsequ ently P lu to the god of , ,

he l l becomes enamou red of P roserpine and

'

, ,

c arri e s he r o
f w i th him to Tartaru s H er mo .

ther C eres Obtains permission to see her and is ,

carried thither in a car dra w n by se rp e nts For .

“ ”
Jup i te r ,
in the first ins tance s ubs tit u te ,

”
P lu to , and the story w ill be scarcely fab u lo u s .

1
S p anh e im , 2 1 2 .

Z
3 38 HEA T HEN FA B LES I LLUS T RA T IVE O F
The r uler of hell w ill then appear as first se
d u c in g the w o man u nder the form of a se r p ent

and then carrying her a w ay to hell The fall of .

—
Ev e and the conseq u ence of that fall eternal
,

death— might very e asily be con erted into Su ch v

a fable The connexion of the s e rp e n t w ith all

.

that goes to Tartar u s I s not a little remarkable ,

.

S e rp e n ts dre w C eres and th e bite of a se rp e n t ,

sent E u rydice to hell ; w hile M erc u ry escorts ”

e v ery so u l to the realms of P l uto w ith the se r ,

p e n ti ne cad u ce u s in his hand The trans forma 1

.

p ose of deceivi ng w omen is of constant Occ ur ,

rence in m ythology and all u des to the deception ,

of E ve by A SPIRI T UAL B EIN G w h o ass u med for ,

that p u rpose th e dracontic form .

5 Tho u gh mythology has preserved more

.

memorials of the sed u ction of E ve than that of

A dam yet the fall O f Adam is not w itho u t its
w itness in heathe n fable S u ch a w itness is the .

story of the dec ep tion of S A T URN by his w ife

O PS S atu rn w as d e ceived by O PS w h o gave
.
,

1
Ce rb e ru s him se l f
, th e a h d g of T artar
w tc -
o u s, h ad a

d rag on
’
s ta il , an d hi s s kin w as s ut dd d w i therp t se en s
’
he ad s
1
.

1
Ap o l l o d .
 T HE FALL O F MAN . 339

him a stone to eat i nste ad of his children as ,

'

Adam w as deceived by his w ife w h o ind u ced ,

him to eat the forbidden fru it The chara c t e r

.

W
of S at u rn involves man artic u lars both of
“
so that in the father of
the golden ag e w e recognize at once the first
and second father of mankind This confu sion
.

of times and characters is fre u e n t in m th ol og

for w ant of an au thentic h istory of the period
w hich intervened betw een th e F all and the D e

l u ge I t is the nat ural res u lt of tradition su p

.

plying the place of w ritten doc u ments w hen the ,

W
discriminating po w er of th e tru e religion is w ith
dra w n o r rej ected I n the
.

W
bu t by corru pting the tr u th an
d nl h
q at
1
0

acco
1
n
u t
.
00
91 1
1 3 9

records of heathen mytholog y The name of .

the w ife and d e c e l ve r of S at u rn is Rhea or Op s ,

— that is O PH the SERPEN T G O D of antiq u i ty

, ,
-
.

The d e c ep tion is therefore remembered and the ,

a e n ts
g in the transaction ; b u t tr ue religion
having w i thdra w n her discriminating light the ,

“
tru th is discerned only as thro u gh a glass ,

darkly and in the dimness the serpe n t being

,

Z 0
340 H EA T HEN FA B LES I LLUS T R AT IVE O F
confo u nded w ith the w oman invests her at once

W
,

w ith his name and his po w er S at u rn is .

I n the nam e qf the

s tone also w hich w as devo u red by the de
, ,

c e i ve d h u sband is preserved a memorial of

,

th e real a u thor of the F all This stone is called .

A B A D IR the signification of w hich may be

,

”
SERPENS DO MINUS S O L
- -
.

The AB A D I R stone w as regarded as the Symbol

-

of the solar deity w hose most favo u rite emblem

,

w as T HE SERP E N T and as suc h ass u med a conical

figu re to represent a su n s ray The his torical ’
.

facts are s uffi ciently confu sed to create an agree

able fable and the fable retains s u ffi cient marks
of its origin to Sho w that it is a corru ption of
historical facts .

III . AHRI M AN .

A P e rsian trad i tion , p re se rve d i n the Z d aves ta,

en

f rom w hic h F abe r d e rives the f oll owing ac c oun t

.

1 . After
the w orld had been created in the
co urse of fi ve s u ccessive periods man himself ,

is said to have been formed d uring a six th .

The first of the h u man species w as compo u nded

of a man and a bu ll ; and this mixed being w as
 T HE FALL OF MAN . 34 1

th e co m mencemen t of all generations . F orsome

f
tim e a te r his p rod u c tion w as a f se ason o
g re at

innoc e nc e and hap p iness ; and th e man b u ll him -

self resided i n an elevated region w hich the

’

deity had assigned to him At last an EVIL

.

O NE d enomina ted AHRIMAN c orrup te d the w orl d

, ,
)
.

After having d ared to visi t he ave n he descended ,

to the earth and assum e d the f orm of a se rp e nt

,
.

The man b ull w as poisoned byhis venom and

-
,

died in conseq u e n ce of it M ean w hile AHRIMAN

.

thre w the w hole u niverse into confusion ; for

that enemy of good mingled himself w ith every
thing appeared every w here and sou ght to do
, ,

mischief both above and belo w H is machina .

tions prod u ced a general corr u ption ; an d SO

deeply w as the earth and every element tainted
by his malignity that the p u rifyin g abl u tion of
,

a G ENERAL D ELU G E became necessary to w ash

o u t the inve tera te stain of evil
1

I n this legend w e have in fact bu t one f a

W
, ,

—
bu l ous c irc u m s tanc e the compo u nd character of
the first man all th re of

—
the F all and of its co u se u e n c e c orra tion
throug h S atanic ag e nc u n til the w aters of the

F ab e r Ho r M o s
'

1
, . . i 72
. .
3 42 HEA T HEN FA B LES I LLUS T RA T I V E O F
delu ge checked the progre ss bu t left u nto u ched ,

the seat of evil w hich c Ou l d only be w ash e d

, ,

”
w hite in the blood of the L amb Slain from
”
the fo u ndation of the w orld .

in P ersian mythology and appears as in the , ,

fables of al l othe r Gentiles in the celestial ,

”
sign s . The P olar D ragon they denominated ,

( ac c o rd i n to D r H yde
g ) AZ A C
. H A The serpent
,
.

”
w h o devo u rs men and beasts The c Onte n 1
.

tion of the Archangel w ith S atan is probably

’

shado w ed o u t in the hierogram of the tw o ser

pents representing the good and evi l geni u s
,

c ontending for th e m u ndane egg the symbol of ,

the u niverse The constellati on se rp e n tarius to

.
,

w hich Ahriman w as exalted u nder th e name of

Az ac h a is described in the hand of a h u man

,

fig u re cal led O phi u ch u s w hich is the same as ,

the O p h i on e u s of S y rian mythology the rebel ,

against the god s .

I V T HE. AR AB I AN T R AD I T I O N .

Respecting the sed u ction of o u r first parents ,

by the serpent the Arabians have a tradition to

,

1
M au ri c e H i s t
, . of H i d in . . 315 .
 T HE FALL O F MAN . 3 43

the fol lo w ing

e ffect That the devil o ffering -
,

to g e t into P aradise to temp t Adam w as not ,

admitted by the gu ard ; w here u pon he begged

of all the animals one after another to carry , ,

him tha t h e might speak to Adam and his

,

w ife ; bu t they all refused except the serpent , ,

w h o took him bet w een tw o of his teeth and so ,

introd u ced him 1

H ence probably w as borro wed the rabbinical

“
conceit that w h e n S ammael
,
e the devil) .

w ished to deceive E ve he en tered P aradise ,

riding u pon a serpent w h o w as at that time ,

shaped so m ething like a camel 2

.
39

V . C RIS HNA .

A tradi tion o
f the B rahm ins o
f H ind us tan .

The tw o sc u lpt u res of C RI S H N A sufi b ring ,

and C R I S H N A triump han t of w hich bea u ,

tifu l engravings are given by M a u rice are 2

,

evident records of the fall and redemption of

man . I n the former the god (a bea u tifu l ,

yo u thful fi g u re ) is represented enfolded by an

,

1
S al e oa’
s K r n, ch. ii . note
‘

2
M im o id
a n e s, M ore N e vo c h 2 8 1 . .

3
Hi t Hi d
s . n . vol . ii .
3 44 HEA T HEN FA B LES I LLUS T R AT IVE O F
enormo u s SERPEN T w ho bites his he e l ; in the ,

l atter the god is represented as tramp ling 7tl )

, .

the he ad
’
se r e n t s
p .

The story of C rish n a is very Similar to that of

H erc u les in Grecian mythology the serpent ,

forming a prominen t featu re in both H e con .

q u ers a d ragon into w hich the Assoor Agh e

,

had transformed himself to s w allo w him u p 1

.

H e defeats also K al li N aga (the blac h or e vi l ,

s iri t w i th a thousan d he ad s
p ) w h o placing him , ,

self in the bed of th e river J u mna poisoned .

,
"

the stream so that all the c omp anions O f

,

C ri sh n a and his c attl e

, w h o tasted of it
.

, ,

p e ris he d H e overcame
. K alli N aga w i thou t arm s ,

and in the f orm of a c hi l d The serpent t w isted .

himself abo u t the bo d y of C rish n a bu t the ,

god tore o ff hi s heads one after the other and , ,

trampled them u nder his feet Before he had

’

completely destroyed K alli N aga the w ife an d ,

c h il d re n o f the monster (serpe n ts also ) came

~

and beso u ght him to release their relative .

C rish n a took pity on them an d releasing , ,

Kall i N ag a s aid to him ,

Begone q u ickly into ,

the aby ss ; this place is not proper for thee .

1
M au ri c e H i s t H ind
, . . ii . 2 72 .
 T HE FALL O F MAN . 345

S ince I have g g thy n ame shall en a ed w i th the e ,

remain throug h al l the p e riod of tim e : and d e;

v atar s and men shall henceforth re m e m be r the e

”
w i thou t d ism ay S o the serpent w ith his w ife .
,

and c h ildren w ent into the abyss and the w ate r

, ,

w hic h had be e n i nf e c te d by hi s p oison be c am e p ure

and w ho l esom e
1
.

Atanother period of his history w e discover

C rish n a destroying the d w m o n S an c h an ag a ,

the se r p e n t hin
g f
o E gyp t and his
-
army of ,

s nahes
2
. C ri sh n a w as vu ne ra bl e
l on l
y i n the
2

l qf f S
hisimilarly the hero A chilles 2
so e oo t

w as v u lnerab l e only in the he e l The idea w as .

“
probably borro w ed from the tradi tion of the
” “ ”
w oman s seed w hose heel sho u ld be bru ised
’

by the serpent S atan .

I n corroboration of this inference w e may

add u ce N o CL I V of the E tr u scan Vases des
. .
,

cri be d i n the C anino catalog u e in the Arc h ae o ,

logia vol xxiii p 1 40 H ere is represented the

,
. . . .

abd u ction of Thetis by P ele u s The goddess is .

defended by a se rp e n t The connection to say .

,

the least is c u rio u s and may have arisen from

, ,

some garbled tradition of the wom an the se rp e nt , ,

1
M auri c e H i s t H i nd, . . ii . 2 76.

1
I bid . ii . 89 . 1 40 .
3
I bid . iii . 88 .
3 46 HEA THEN FA B LES I LLU ST RA T IVE CF

and her h u man divine son w h o w as only vu ln er

-
,

able in the he e l .

The sing u lar a greement of th e history of

C R I S H N A w ith that of C HRIS T has driven ,

sceptics to the con cl u sion that the w hole fable ,

of the former was grafted u pon H indu m y th o

logy by the Votaries of the latter w h o first em ,

braced C hristianity in I ndia The only plau .

sible gro und for s u ch a concl u sion is the simi

”
l ari ty of so u nd bet w een C ri sh n a and
”
C hris t Bu t they w h o arg u e u pon this
.
,

accidental resemblan ce forget that the w ord ,

”
C HRI ST is p u rely Gre e h and that the ,

Apostles being Je w s w ere not likely to talk of

, ,

the M essiah by his Grecian appell ation in a ,

co u ntry of H ind us I t w as m u ch more likely

.

that they w o u ld have preached J ESUS tha t w ord ,

being one in their native lang u age and yet the

w ord J ESUS is not inter w oven w ith H ind u
m ythology .

I n the traditions of the w ars of C rish n a and

B u dh the e ag le of the former is represented as
,

p u rs ui n g the s e rp e n t of the latter to recover the ,

boohs of s c ie nc e and re l igion w ith w hich he had

fled ‘
. The same serpent is also said to have
1
T od ,
R j th a i
a as n . 537 .
 T HE FALL O F MAN . 347

carried off Ella the d a u gh ter of Ic h s wac a the

son of M an u and so provoked the hostility of
,

C rish n a .

The In tholo ical connection of the S er c u t

w ith hnow l e d ge is remarkable Tod obser ves .

that it is a sin u lar fact that in ever c o u n tr

T HE SERPEN T is the medi u m of comm u nicatin g
kno w ledge The Tahshac s N ag as or S e rp e nts
.
, , ,

introd u ced le tters into I ndia 1 9)

VI . THE T E UT O NI C FA B L ES .

I n the Te u tonic mythology the ass u mption of

the serp entine form by the devil is poetically
described by representing TH E G REA T SERPEN T as
an emanation from the evil spirit L O K E .

I n the rebellion of L oke against th e u niversal

father the serpent being overcome w as thro w n
,

do w n into the ocean w here he enco m passes the

,

w ho l e earth w ith his folds .

The evil principle of the S can dinavians is

called in the E dda T HE C ALUMNIA T O R O F
T HE G O D s ; T HE G RAN D CO N T RI V ER O F D E C EI T S
”
AN D F R AU D s ; T HE REPR O A C H O F G O D s AN D MEN .

H e is bea u tifu l in fig u re bu t his mind is evil , ,

1
As i ti
a c T ran sac ti o n s , vo l . ii .
p . 5 63 .
34 8 HEA T HEN FA B LES I LLUS T RA T IVE O F
and his inclinations inconstant Three m bn ste rs .

emanate from this evil being : th e w olf Fen ris ,

T HE SERPEN T M idgard and H ELA or D EA T H , ,

.

Al l three are enemies to the gods w h o after , ,

vario u s str u ggles have chained the w olf till th e

,

last day w hen h e shall bre ak l o ose and devo u r

,
'

the su n The serpent has been cast into the

.

sea w here he shall remain un ti l he is c onqu e re d

,

Th i s intimate connexion be tw een the E V IL ,

SPIRI T T HE SERPEN T and D EA T H imme d i ately

, , ,

s u ggests the concl usion that the w hole legend ,

is bu t the original patriarchal tradition fabu lized .

Thor w as esteemed A MI DD LE D IVINI T Y

W
ME D IA T O R B E T WEEN GOD AN D MAN H e is .

w ith his mace It w as fu rther believed of him

.
,

that in his final engagement w ith the same ser

pent he w o u ld beat him to the earth and slay
him bu t that the ic to r w o u ld be obtained at
t L M l i fe for that he himself ,

w o u ld be s uffocated by the floods of poison

1
M al l e t N orth e rn Anti q
, . i . 1 00 . B is hop Pe rc y
’
s trans l a

tion .
 FALL O F M AN . 34 9

vomite d o u t of th e mo u th of the noxio u s

”
rep tile 1
.

”
The s u persti tion of the serpen t i n the sea
w as kno w n to the C hinese as w e observed in ,

the chapter on the S erpent w orship of C hina -

.

Bu t it w as do u b tless at one time a very gene

, , ,

ral s u perstition among the heathen for w e fi nd ,

i t mentioned by I saiah chap xxvii 1 In ,

. .

that da the L ord w ith his s ore and great and

s trong s w ord shall pu nish L eviathan the p ie rc ,

PEN T and he Shall slay T HE D RA G O N T HA T I s IN

2
\
’

T HE SEA 2 99

The prophet here represents as I concei ve , ,

the tri u mph of the M essiah over S atan w h o is ,

pre emi nently T HE SERPEN T and w h o thro u gh

-
,

1
F abe r Pag . I d ol . i . 44 2 , c iting th e E dd a ; an d Hor .

Mos . i . 77
2
a a i on f Bi h op L w th i m w h at diff r nt
Th e tr n sl t o s o s so e e e

b t th
u ari ation i imm at rial
e v s e .

I n th at d y h al l J h o ah p ni h w i th hi
a s w rd e v u s s s o ,

H i w ll t mp r d
s d gr at an d tr ng w rd
e -
e e e , an e , s o s o ,

L i th an th rigid rp n t
ev a e se e ,

An d L i ath an th w in ding ev rp n t e se e

An d h al l l ay th m nst r th at i i th
”
s s e o e s n e s e a.

Th w o rd h r r nd r d w hi h m y
”
e m t r i 1 311
e e1 e e e ons e s ,
c a

m a a w hal r
e n rp nt I f
e, oll o w th S t
a se a se
p g i n t e . o e e ua .
3 50 HEA T HEN FA B LES ILLUS T RA T IVE O F
the blind ness of idola try had been elevated
,

into a constellation ; or thro u gh the in fl u e nc e

,

of tradition corru ptly remembered had been ,

clothed w ith the attribu tes of the a u thor of the

del u ge . The E astern nations more p artic u ,

l arl y adored him u nder the former ; the N or

,

th e rn u nder the latter character The prophecy .

of I saiah may d e note the tri u mph of the M essiah

over both in the conversion of these people to
,

the kno w ledge of his gospel .

I t is w orthy of observation that in S can d i ,

navia the serpent rarel y (I believe ne ve r) arrives

at s u ch a Size as to become a formidable enemy
to an u narm ed man W hy then sho u ld he be
1

.
,

represented as symbolical of the great enemy

of God and man ? I n the absence of every
other reasonable hypothesis to acco u nt for this
phenomenon w e m u st attrib u te the connexion
,

of the Te utonic serpent w ith the evil Sp l rit and ,

the notion of his natu ral hostility to the h u man

race to the original tradition preserved and ,

handed do w n by the patriarchs after th e flood ,

and conveyed by their descendants to the re

m o te st cor ner of the globe .
 V II .

H e nce the s u perstition in M E X I CO and P ERU ,

w here the serpent w as adored w ith the most re

Vol tin g w orship and w here even the memory of

,

the fall of man by the instr u men tal ity o f the ser
pent w as preserved .

“
Baron H u mbol dt in his R e se arc hes c onc e rn
,

”
i ng the A n tiqui tie s of A m e ri c a gives an e n g rav ,

ing of a very interesting hieroglyphic painting

of the Az te c k s (the original possessors of M exico)
w hich is preserved in the V atica n and w hich ,

if gen u ine is decisive of the long disp u ted q u es

,

tion, w hether or not the M exicans retained

”
any tradition O f the fall of m an .

I n this painting is described a female in con

V ersation w ith a serpent w h o is erect This .

female w e are assu red is called b the M exi

, , ,

cans , f
w om an o ou r esh and is consider

is al w a 3 re resented w ith a reat ser e L

The ser ent re resented in the com an of

and is also described as cr u shed and some ,

’

1
H u m b o l d t Re s
, . v ol . i .
p . 195 .

10
3 52 HE ATHE N FA B LES I LLUS T RA T IVE O F
times c ut \
to pieces , by the great spirit
”
Te o tl
1
.

I n tw o of the paintin gs preserved by M , .

Aglio is seen a figu re d e s troy ing a gre at se rp e n t

2
,

by smiting him on the he ad w ith a s w ord I n .

one of these ic tu re s the fi u re is hum an in the

other a GOD .

A S imil ar bu t still more expressive pain ting

, ,

occ u rs in plate 7 4 of the Borgi an C ollection 2

,

I n w hich w e distingu ish a deity in h u man form

contending w ith a dragon The go d is V i c to ri

W
.

dragon has bi tte n of his oot at the he e l !

The serpent or dragon are also frequ ently
, , ,

seen either as symbolical of the months or of

, ,

the signs of the zodiac I n one corner of tw o of .

these paintings in vol ii is a dragon sw al low ing

,
. .

a m an . There are also representations of g od s

e nc i rc l e d i n the
f ol ds o
f a s e r e n t ; and indeed
p , ,

so many and so vario u s are these d racontic

,

emblems that the most cas u al observer w o uld

,

discover at a glance that se rp e nts and d ragons

, ,

w ere grand symbols of the M exican gods and ,

1
H u mb ol dt Re s , . v ol . i .
p . 228 .
2
M e x A nt
. . vol .

2
M e x Ant . . vol . iii .
 T HE FALL O F MAN . 3 53

in some mys terio u s manner connected w ith the

history of man .

R espec ting the origin of these hieroglyphic

pictu re s th e re has been so m e disc u ssion in the
.

literary w orl d and many men of eminence have

,

expresse d their conviction that they w ere mostl y

painted af te rthe arrival of the S paniards in the
co u ntry an d w ere intended to be descriptive of
,

the religion w hich the C hristians ta u ght rather

than of that w hich the M exic ans already held .

R egarding the qu estion the ore tic ally there seems ,

to be some g rou h d for the concl u sion : bu t the

recent exhibition of M r B u llock s col lection of

,
.
’

M exican antiqu ities has p rac tic ally settled the

disp u te .

D EV O U R I N

C ortez ; bu t is probably one of the idol s w hich

.

Bernal D ias d el C astillo observe d in the great

temple This agreement of sc u lptu re and paint
.

i ng amo n g an u nlettered people may be deemed

, ,

a testimony eq u ivalent to w ritten history .

There is ho w ever w ritten history to sho w

, ,

that the P eru vians w orshipped snakes and ,

kept them PI C T URE D in their ho u ses and

A 3
3 54 HEA T HEN FA B LES I LLUS T RA T IVE O F
temples I t is probable there fore that the , ,

M exicans did the same B esides w e are .

,

informed by Robertson that Z u m m arag u a 2

, ,

the firs t bishop of M exico destroyed every ,

M exican painting he co u ld discover becau se ,

he regarded the m as fu el to keep alive th e

s u perstitions of the people It is not very .

probable therefore that any fu tu re S panish

, ,

priests w o u ld be permitted to deck o u t C hris

tian doctrines in the garb of the anc 1 e n t ido
l atry U ntil proof can be add u ced that s u ch a
.

practice prevailed w e are a u thorized to believe,

that the traditions of th e old w orld w e re not

forgotten in the n e w .

The spiri tu al de stru ction of the w oman by

the serpen t in P aradise is the great tr uth pre
served i n the memorial of the sc u lp tu re ; w hile
her previo us conversation w ith him is depicted
‘
“
The hi of the ser
o

H H 3{
3
D
CN S Q c ru s n c u t
' &

by Te otl is the V ictory of the w oman s seed ’

an d the blood of HUMAN V I C T IMS shed before ,

the dracontic and serpentine idols in th e great

”
temple is commemorative of
, T HE B L OOD
1
P u rc h as P il grim s
, , p t i v
p
. . . 1 4 78 .

2
A m ri a
e c , vol . iii .
p . 5 .
 T HE FALL O F MAN . 3 55

”
which overcame the serpent 1
,
and redeemed
mankind .

T he c onve rsation o p seems f E ve w i th the se r e nt

to have made more impression u pon the me

mor of man than al h e n t in

primeval history as from th e sing u larity of th e

circ u ms tance w e migh t expec t It is remem .

bered in the mythologies of E gyp t Greece , ,

S yria H ind us tan N orthern E u rope and N orth

, , ,

and S o u th America And i t is one of the very .

fe w rays of tr u th discoverable in the darkness of

the NE W Z EALAND ER S mind for t
hg sg p p
eo le
’

have a traditio n that T HE SERPEN T O N C E SP O K E

,

”
WI T H A HUMAN V O I C E 1 2

1
The y ove rc am e him by the bl ood f
o the Lm b —R
a .
”
e v.

xii . 11 .

2 F ab e r Pag I dol i i ting M ar d

, . . . 2 74 , c s en i n th e Chr O b s
.

N ov 1 8 1 0 , p 72 4
. . .
 TH E

WS
O R HI P O F TH E S E RPE N T .

C H AP T ER VI .

S ER P E N T T E MP L E S
- .
 C HAPT ER VI .

S ER P E N T T E M PL E S .

I TH E intimate connexion betw een the solar

.

and serpent w orship has already been as o er

tain e d From w hich it appears that in the
.
, ,

confusion of P agan idolatry these s u perstitions , ,

ori ginally independen t became so closely i nter ,

w oven that from their u nion S pru ng u p a n e w

,

kind of idolatry and a n e w god w h o partaking

, , ,

of the attrib u tes of the SUN and of the SER

PEN T u nited their nam e s and w as w orshipped
, ,

as AP O LL O Th e u nion of the tw o religions

1
.

1s not obsc u rely intimated in the legend of

, ,

Apollo P ythi u s ; in w hich this deity is re p re

sented as taking possession of a temple w hich

1 ’
A n é h h w v m ay b e d omp o d into A r A rp n ;
ec se P, o B , se e s

EL, d e us an d ON , so l : th atso rp n d l i th
se me s- e us - s o s e na e

of th e d i ty
e , w ho se o th r titl
e P e( Ph
,i b) d n o t
H CE B U S , -
cu e es

th e orac ul ar s e rp e n t .
3 60 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
.

had been originally dedicated to the serpent

alone .

The same god Apollo w as sometimes called , ,

O PHEL w hich is nearl y the same name drop

, ,

ping only the syllable O N w hich signifies the ,

s un ; for by this time the w ord EL had arrived

at the same signification EL means god from .
,

the H ebre w 52s ; and w hen the su n ca m e to be

deified he w as natu rally called EL w hence
, ,

th e G reeks obtained the w ord HAw g to denote

"
,

”
the su n .

A P O LL O , then bei n g the SERPEN T S O LAR

,
-

D EI T Y his temples w ill be those in w hich w e

,

m u st look for the temples of T HE SERPEN T ; fo r

tho u gh I n a fe w i n stances w e may find the ser
pent adored alone yet i n no p l ace shall w e find,

a serpent te m ple in w hich the rites of the s u n

-
,

w ere not also partially celebrated .

1 U pon the I ntrod u ction of image s to express

.

obj ects of w orship the solar deity w as not nu ,

freq u ently represented by c oni c al s tone s in an

u pr i gh t position These w e re calle d by the
.

Greeks B rbk d e ri ve d probably from the

at ta
m

”
H ebre w the house
, or d w e l ling p l ac e ,
-

”
o
f G od The earliest
. mention of s u ch a stone

occ u rs in Gen xxviii w here Jacob erects o ne

. .
 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
. 3 61

as a pillar in remembrance of his celebrated

’

d ream an d consecrating it to God cal ls th e

, , ,

name of th e place B e the l I n process o f time the .

sto n e itself w as called B e the l and similar pillars ,

w ere hence named sw a m an d s u pposed to be ,

ani mated w ith the presence of the deity Th e 1

.

O ph ites called them A badir from the name of 2

,

the serpent solar god : and they w ere c onic al

-
,

as representing a ray of the su n .

These conical pillars gave the first notion of

’

an obelisk w hich is a similar m on u ment on a

,
.

larger scale The w ord o be lish according to .

,

Bryant is derived from OB EL the name of the

, ,

god to w hom they w ere dedicated This w as .

‘

helle nized into é fi k i g OB EL w as the Apollo e ax o .

of S yria ; and probably H ELI O G A B ALUS w as , ,

th e same deity ; for this god w as represented

by a black stone of conical form w hich w as ,

1
S e e B o c h art p a
.l oGe og S ac r
M r i . I d . l . i . . 38 ; s au ce , n .

A ti q ii 3 4 7
n . S . h i th n i .
hi C o m o go y h
an c th
on a o n s s n as e

fol l ow i g p g n M o r o r th y
ass a e
y th a t t h g d e ve e sa e o

O r
u anu s i t d th B it l i
nv e n e h a ing m ad ton w hi he a u a, v e s es c

I t i p o i bl th at th r king t o f th
”
w r
e im t d
e an a e . s ss e e oc s one s e

D r id m y h a
u s b a r t d t r
p p tvea t th eenam e ec e o e e u e e s e

su
p r t
ei tiso n .

Bry a t Anal i 60 d ii 2 0 1
2
n , . .
, an . .
3 62 SERPEN T T EM P LES -
.

said to have dropped from heaven and w as ,

revered as an imag e of the su n at E mesa , .

I n the C aaba of M ecc a there is also a black

stone said to have fallen from heaven The
, .

M ahometans generally hold it in great venera

tion This w as probably of the same kind
1
.
, ,

—
as the H el iogabal u s of E mesa a probability
'

w hich is strengthened by the name of the tem

—
ple Caaba for this w ord may be a corru ption
”
Of Ca ab ir w hich means
-
the te mp l e of AB IR
-
, ,

the l 2
s o ar s e r e n t
p .

P YRAMI D S w ere Obelisks of the mo st mag .

n i fi c e n t o rder ; b u t it i s s u pposed by Bryan t

that the o belisk ori g inally represented the d e i ty ,

of w hom the pyramid in times of improved ,

“

architectu re w as the te mp le ,
AS the obelisk .
i’
.

w as an improvement u pon the orig inal Bai tu l i a ,

it p reserved the pointed form of these sacred

—
stones in its apex every obelisk terminating in ~

a small pyramidal fig u re w hich like the Baitu , ,

lia w as i n te n d e d to be the re presentation of a

'

1
S al e ’
s P re l im D i s c. . to th e K r n , p oa . 1 56 .

2
S e e Ch i ii . . 8 . 2, O p hi o l atre i a i n S am othrac e .
”

3
P y ram id s h ow r freq tl y d
w e re p l
e veh r , uen u se as s e u c es .

Th e M e xi c an t m pl
e w hi h w r p y ramid al
es ni t d b th th
c e e , u e o e

a
te m p l r and se
p l h r l
u c h a ra t r
a c c e .
 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
. 3 63

’
su n s ray . The
ord p y ram id itself means a
w

ray of the s un fro m th e C optic P i ra m a e - - -

.

2 AN A GG RE G A T E of BA I T U L
. I A form ed the
first temples w hich w ere erected and these
temples w ere generally b u ilt i n the figure s of the
hi e rogram s of the ir re sp e c tive god s Th u s the .

w orshippers of the s un arranged their Bai tu l i a in

a c irc le to repr e sent the sun s dish M any s u ch

,
’
.

temples are scattered thro u gh E u rope especially ,

in Britain S to nehenge is of this d escription bu t

.

fro m the transverse stones w hic h rest u pon the

col u mns an d the evident signs of art and the
,

chisel this temple seems to be of a m u ch more

,

recent date than any other D ru idical stru ctu re

n o w extant I t is observable ho w ever that even
.

in S tonehenge the u pright col u mns are some w ha t

of the pyramidal fi u re
g
— th u s preserving the

memory of their original consecra tion to the su n .

As the w orship p ers of the s un collected their

Bai tu l i a into c irc u l ar so the vo taries of T HE SER
,

PEN T formed thei rs i nto a serpentin e figu re .

E xamples of this stru ctu re may be seen in several

parts of England bu t more especially at C arnac
,

in Brita ny ; w hich is the most extensive and

most remarkable relic of the C e l tic religion in
1
Jabl o n sk i P an th . E g yp Pro l e go m
. . 82 .

IO
3 64 SE RPEN T T EMPLE S
-
.

th e orld O f this kind also w as the Ophite

"

w .

temple described in O vid as passed by M e d ea ,

”

in her flight from Attica to C olchis

F A C TA Q U E D E S AX O LO N GI SI M U LAC H R A D RA C ONIS .

That the an cient O phite temples w ere b u ilt of

Single and separate stones arranged after the
m anner of the aven u es of C arnac is probable

from the devices w hich appear on Tyrian coins ,

w here a serpent is seen bet w een tw o u pright

u nhe w n col u mns .

3 I n process of time ho w e ver the simple ser

.
, ,

pentine aven u es u n der w ent a great an d elegan t

change I nstead of the sol itary snake moving
.
,

in gracefu l sin u osities over hill and dale or ,

lying dormant in an u niform straight line the ,

serpent w as made to w ind his maj estic form

throug h the c e n tre of a c i rc l e or g lo be The .

sin u osities w ere s till characteristical ly preserved ,

and the circ u lar area as w e l l as the serpentine

aven u es w as still formed of the sacred Baitu l ia .

The temple of Abu ry in W iltshire w as a bea u ti

fu l specimen of thi sorder of O phite sanct u aries .

This description of temple m ay I conceive have , ,

arisen from the u nion of the S olar and O phite

religions after the s u ppression of the latter by
,
 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
3 65

th e votaries of th e former The cons tant w ar s

.

of the s u n an d serpent and the general over

,

thro w Of the O phite w orship ha ve been all u ded ,

to in the co u rse of this vol u me bu t in the next

chapter I sh al l enter into a more min u te acco u nt .

Fro m the d etails it w ill appe ar th at th e w o r r

shippers O f the S un bei n g victorio u s every

, ,

w here took p os s e s si o n o f the O phite temp l es .

I t is probable that in so doing they did not at ,

once des troy them : b ut b u ilding their o w n

circ u lar temples in the centre formed the ori ,

in al serpen t into ave nu e s and a roac he s to the

g pp
S anct u ary of the SUN This compo u nd temple
.

w as called a D RA CO N T IUM from w hich is derived

the nam e and th e i d e a of a D RA G O N w hich is a ,

fab u lo u s monster freq u ently m entioned bu t little

u nderstood by the poets w h o employed it to
”
decorate a tale of w onder D RA CO N T IUM has
.

been ingenio u sly imagined by my friend the

R ev George Andre w s to be a derivation from
.
,

(B e rc oh On f an ave nue o On
O N being the titl e of the SUN in E gypt and
P h oenicia This derivation is the mos t expres
.

sive that can be assigned and acco u nts at once ,

for the origin of the fab u lo u s d ragon w hich is ,

said to have been a l arge se rp e nt p e c u liar to

3 66 SE RPEN T T EMPLES -
.

te mp les Th u s S ervi u s in his C ommentary

.

on Virgil defining the d ifferen t kinds of ser

,

pen ts s ays
, Ang u e s aq u aru m serpentes ter
, ,

raru m D RA CO NES te mp lorum s unt

, not that
”
S ervi u s u nderstood the w ord D raco in the
sense above given bu t that he recorded th e ,

langu age of tradi tion and tradi tion preserved ,

“
th e memory of the f ac t The w ord D racon .

”
ti u m as Significant of a solar O phite temple ,

w o u ld be readily adopted eve n by the O phites

themselves F or w hile the su n w orshippers n u -

W
.

”
d e rstoo d by i t an aven u e of the S u n the ,

serpent orshippers w o u ld merge the circle in

-

the aven u es and call the w ho e a D RA G O N A

,
l —
LAR G E SERPEN T H e nce the origin and th e
.

s u perstition of the D RA G O N .

The D R A C ON TI A O f the S olar O phi tes w ere of -

variou s forms embracing every figu re of the

,

O phite hierogram S ome w ere straigh t

1
.
(

others w ere formed by one serpent passing

thro u gh the circle ; and others again consisted
of a circle and tw o iss u ing serpents .

The temples Of M e rival e on D artmoor ; A bury

in W iltshire ; and S tan ton D re w in S omerse t

1
S e e p l ate 1 .
3 66 SE RPEN T T EMPLES-
.

temp le s Th u s S erviu s i n his C ommentary

.

on Virgil defining the d i fferen t kinds of ser

,

pents says
,
Angu es aq u aru m serpentes ter
, ,

raru m D RA CO NES te mp lorum s unt

, not that
”
S ervi u s u nderstood the w ord D raco in the
sense above given bu t that he recorded the ,

langu age of trad i tion, and trad i tion preserved

“
th e memory of the f ac t The w ord D racon .

ti u m as sig nificant of a solar O phite temple ,

w o u ld be readily adopted eve n by the O phites

—
themselves For w hile the su n w orshippers u n

W
.

”
d e rsto o d by i t an aven u e of the S u n the ,

serpen t orshippers w o u ld merge the circle in

-

the aven u es and call the w hol e a D RA G O N A

,
—
LAR G E SERPEN T H ence the origin and th e
.

s u perstition of the D RA G O N .

The D R A C ON TI A of the S olar O phi tes w ere of -

vario u s forms embracing every figu re of the

,

O phite hierogram S ome w ere straigh t1

.

others w ere formed by one S erpent passing '

thro u gh the circle and oth ers again consisted

of a circle and tw o iss u ing serpents .

The temples Of M e rival e on D artmoor ; A bury

i n W iltshire ; and S tan ton D re w in S omerse t

1
S e e p l ate 1 .
 SERPEN T T EMPLES
-
. 3 67

shire respectively ill u strate the above fig ures

,
.

Thes e I shall describe in their order Bu t first .

it may be proper to consider the more simple ,

before w e describe the complex draconti u m I .

w ill therefore begin w ith th e temple of

C ARN AC .

1 . The dracon ti u m o f C arnac is one of the

most interesting remains of the C eltic religion .

I t is situ ated half a mile from the village of that

name in the departmen t of the M orbihan in
,

Bri tany ; nine miles from th e beau tifu lly sit u ated
to w n of Au ray and approaches to w ithin a mile
,

of the Bay of Q u iberon .

I visited this temple in the s u mmer of 1 8 3 1 ,

and again in the spring of 1 8 3 2 I n my firs t .

visit I w as accompanied by General de P en ?

ho u et an antiqu ary highly esteemed in his

'

native Britany w h o had inqu ired deeply into

,

the natu re and fig u re of the temple H e pro .

n o u n c e d it to be a D raconti u m — an opinion

w hich has been confirmed by my s u bseq u ent

.

su rvey of it m ade in company w ith M r M u rray .

V icars a l and su rve y or of E xeter ; by w hose

,

exer tions I have been fu rnished w ith a bea u tifu l

3 68 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
.

and accu rate plan of the w hole t emple u pon th e .

s cale of n ine inches to a mile .

”
The temple kno w n as The S tones of C arnac ,

begins at the village of E rdeven passes mid w ay ,

by C arnac and terminates at a narro w part of

,

the M arine lake of L a Trinite The w ho l e .

length of the temple follo w i n g its sin uosities

, ,

is e ig ht m i l e s The a verage w idth from E rdeven

.

to L e m ae n ac is 2 0 0 fee t ; and from L

, e m ae n ac

to the end 3 50 feet The highest stones are at

, .

Ke rz e rh o , Lm e ae n ac ,
Ke rm ari o , an d Ke rl e s c an t ;
at w hich poi n ts they average from 1 5 to 1 7 fee t -

high and from 3 0 to 4 0 feet in circ u mference

,
.

The v acant spaces noticed belo w have been

, ,

cleared to b u ild the adj acent villages of P lo u

h arn e l and C arnac and the n u mero u s w alls
,

w hich intersect the co u ntry

From a to b the s tones have been remo ved ; .

fro m b to 0 they reappear .

From 0 to d there is a vacancy ; from d to e a

recovery
From 6 to f no s tones are visible ; from f to g
a fe w .

From 9 to la is a dreary w aste at it there may

have been an area similar to L e m ae n ac from
It to la is a co n tin u ation of stones .
 S ERPEN T T E M PLES -
. 3 69

From h to l is another vacancy at l m n o , , , ,

are a fe w s tones the intermediate spaces void .

From L e m ae n ac to p is a bea u tifu l con

tinu ati o n .

From p to g are only a fe w scattered s tones .

F rom 9 to r th e p arall e l ith a are preserved ;

from r to 3 broken .

F rom Ke rl e sc ant to the end the D raconti u m is

perfect 1
.

The labo u r of i ts erection may be imagined

from the fact that it originally consisted of
,

e l e ve n rows of stone s abo u t te n thousand in ,

n u mber of w hich m ore than thre e hund re d

,
,
,

ave ra e d
g f r f
om fi te e n to se ve n te e n
f e e t i n he i h t
g ,

and
f rom six te e n to tw e n ty or thirty f eet i n g irth
-
one s tone e ve n m e asurin
g f ort
y
-
tw o
f ee t in c ir
e um
f e re nc e .

From the accompanying plate it w ill be seen

t hat the co u rse of the aven u es is sinuous de ,

scribing th e figu re o f an enormo u s serpent

moving over the grou nd Bu t this resemblance .

i s more s triking u pon an actu al inspec tion o f

the original The n the al te rnations of the hig h
.

For am ore d tail d d

e e e sc r ip tion , se e Arc h ol
ae . v ol . xxv .

B b .
370 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
.

and l ow stones regu larly disposed mark w it h

, ,

s u ffi cient acc u racy the s we l ling of the se rp e n t s ’

m us c l e s as he m oves al on : and a spectator

g .

standi ng u pon one of the C romlech hills ro u nd ,

w hich the ser p en t s we eps c an not bu t be str uc k ,

b y the evidence of d e sign w hich appears in the

constru ction of the av en u es .

I n the co u rse of th e D rac ontiu m th ere are tw o

reg u larly defined areas ; one near the village ,

of C arn ac : w hich is of the shape of a horse s hoe

, ,

or a be l l the other to w ard S th e eastern e x} ” ‘

tre m i ty wh ich a p p roache s th e fi gu re o f a ru de

,

circle bein g a parallel ogra m w ith ro u nded cor

,

n ers . There are app earances also bu t too ill» ,

define d to be n oti c e d y of o th e r are as of a rsim il ar '

d e s c ri p tion w - 4 1 : g

The c irc l e and the horse shoe w ere

both s acred
fi g u re s i n th e D rui d ic al religion as may be seen
'

,
~

in S tonehenge w here they are u ni ted th e o u ter

circles in c l o sing inne r h orse shoes : I c anno t
r
:

find any conn ec tion betw een the la tter sy mbol

and th e te ne ts of the C eltic religi on u nless it be
‘

in tended as a rep rese ntation of the moon Th e .

torqu es (of w hich a splendid collec tion t w elve ,

in n u mber and £ 1 000 sterling in val u e in p u re

,
 SERPEN T T EMPLES
-
. 37 1

gold w as fo u nd in Britany in
, we re of th e

l u nar form . An d perhaps from this symbol

, ,

( w hatever it may have expressed ) w as derived

/

the s uperstition S O prevalen t l n Britain of ,

nailing a horse shoe over a door to scare a w ay

evil spirits in th e same manner as th e sign of
,

the cross is s u pposed to be e ffi cacio u s by s u per

s ti tio u s R oman C atholics The w orshippers of
.

C arnac may on this s u pposi tion have been

, ,

l u nar O phites bu t this is mere c onj ect u re .

I t is c u rio u s ho w ever that at E rdev e n w here

, , ,

the temple commences an ann u al dance de , ,

scribing the O phi te hierogra m of the c irc le and

s e r e nt
p ,
is still kept u
p by the peasan ts at the
C arnival Bu t the only tradi tion w hich I co u ld
.

find respecting the s tones w as the u niversal ,

s u perstition that they onc e p ossesse d lif e and w ere ,

petrified as they s tand S ome o f the peasan ts

.

believe that they w ere the R oman ar m y w h o

p u rs u ed the cen tu rion C orneli u s on acco u nt of
his conv ersion to C hristianity and w e re petrified
thro u gh his prayers O thers imagine that certai n
.

su pernat u ral d w arfs erected them in one nigh t ,

and s ti l l inhabi t each the stone w hi ch he erec ted

,
.

Both these opinions have their remote origi n .

Bb2 '
 SERPEN T T EMPLES
-
.

inthe anim ate d B ai tu lia an d are paralleled by

s imilar tra ditions in E ngland &c respecting the ,
.

S olar and O phite temples .

N ear that part of the dra conti u m w hich ap

e

r o ac h e s C arnac is a singu lar mo u nd of great

p
i

e l e v atio n w hich w as once evidently co nical

,

the u pper portion of it being arti fi Ci al I t is .

analogo u s to the remarka ble hill of S il bu ry ,

w hich is similarly connected w ith the dracon

tiu m o f Ab u ry
r
These mo unds w ere probably
.

raised for the p u rpose of altars u pon w hich the

.
,

perpetu al fire kindled by the su n w as kept ,

b u rn l n g l n conformity w ith the rites of the S ola r

,

religion They are very common in P ersia

.
,

and may be all u ded to in S cript u re un der the

“ ”
name of the high places u po n w hich idolatry ,

p erformed her rites The conica l mo u nd near

.

C arnac w hich is s o sit u ated as to be seen for

,

many miles and from every part of the temple

, ,

h as been co n secrated by th e C hristians to the

Arc h an g e l M ic h ae l : to w hom also is sacred
/

al most e very nat u ral or artificial cone in Britany .

The reason io f this dedication may be readily

assigned S t M ichael is the destroyer of the
. .

S piritu al dragon of the Apocalypse ; w hose

 SERPEN T T EMP LE S-
. 373

m u til ated image lies prostrate belo w the mo u nd ;

an d w hose w orshippers w ere converted to the

faith of the tri u mph ant religion w hich in , ,

token of its vic tory erected u pon the solar

, _

mo u n t a chapel dedicated to the destroyer of

”
the apostate serpent By this consec ration
.

then is i n dicated th e tri u mph of C hristianity

over O p h iol atre ia : an d it is bu t consistent that
the people w h o allegorized the conversion of the
O phites by the me taphor of a vic tory o ver se r
e n ts sho u ld in toke n of this victory ere c t u pon
p , ,

the high places of idolatry chapels to the Arch ,

angel the enemy an d the vic tor of th e SERPEN T

,

T EMP T ER .

This mo u nd may possibly have given name

to the adj acent v illage w hich may be called
” ”
C arn ac from
-
, Cairn a hill and hac a
, , ,

”
snake The serpent s hill w o u l d be an ap
.
’

r
p p 0 r i ate tit l e for M ont S t M ichel I n the
. .

same manner the collection of col u mns called

Le m ae nac may ha ve been named from m ae n
, ,

” “
stones and hac a snake
, ,
’ 3
.

I n ill u stration of the draconti u m of C ar

nac may be add u ced a small bu t interesting
O phite temple in the I le au x M oines in the ,

M orbihan The only part of this temple no w

.
3 74 SE R PEN T T EMPLES
-
.

perfect is the l uh ar or campan u lar area cor ,

responding to that i n the draconti u m of C arnac?

~

w hich seem s to h ave occ u pied the cen tre of the

s anc tu ary S ome fe w of the stones w hich com

.

osed t h e aven u es are s tanding b u t very sca t

p ,

te re d. M any have been removed w ithin the

l

last twe nty y e ars to b u ild w alls and ho u ses At .

the sou thern extrem ity of the ave nu e s th e dra

'

"

c o nti u m terminated in an oblong tu m u l u s of

c onsiderable d im e n s1 0 n s one end of w hich being
O pened ,
has exposed to vie w a very beau tifu l
Kistvaen There w as also an ob e lisk at the head
'

of the t u m u lu s Bu t the most remarkable cir

.

c u m stan c e attending this t u m u l u s is its name

—
it is cal led P e n A h that is- the head of AB , ,
”

the sacred serpent ! No w altho u gh this coin ,

c id e n c e ,w itho u t the kno w le d ge of the temple s

co u rse w o ul d prove little or nothing ; y e t com

,

bin e d w ith the fac t that parallel and sin u o u s

,

aven u es have once existed r u nning from Pe n ab ,

to w ards the middle of the island and calling to ,

mind the general c u stom of the ancient w orld

w hich involv ed the name of the deity in that of

th e templ e—w e may fairly infer that this temple

of the I le au x M oines w as a draconti u m sacred

to the O phite deity AB .
 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
. 375

The name of the i sland itself—“

th f a
e I s le o the

M on/as ”
,records probably some early establish
ment of D r uids the recollection Of w hom h as
,
,

been th u s pre serve d .

Th ere are I believe othe r d rac onti a in

, ,
«

IBri tany and Ga u l ; bu t n ot having examined

.the m p e rsonal l y I pass on to those i n o u r o w n
,

c o u ntry w hi c h bea r th e m o st e vi d e n t marks of

,
r

their O phite dedication .

:2 The mos t rema rk able dra c o nti u m in E ng

.

land is that of AB U BY in W iltshire abo u t five miles ,

w es t of M arl b oro u gh o n the Bath road ; over

,

w hi ch tho u sand s o f trav e l l e rs p ass w itho u t dream l

ing that the grou nd u p o n w h ic h they tread w as i

once es teemed the m o st h oly in Britain 0 f

'

. .

t h e temple o f Ab u ry an inval u a ble acco u nt has .

b ee n left by the learned and ingenio u s D r .

,
.

S tu ke ley in a v ol u me replete w ith deep research

,

and interesti n g facts H avi ng p e ru sed this

.

vol u me w ith the attention w hich it d eman d s ,

the re ader sho u ld next h ave reco urse to the

(

W
s plendid w ork of S ir Richard C olt H oare on

”
the H is tory o shire in w hich
f A nc ie n t i l t ,

h e w ill disco ver AB URY AS I T I s in the r u ins of

'

i ts magnificence Th e theory of St u keley is

.

here sanctioned by an indisp u table a u thori ty ,

376 S ERPEN T T EMPLE S -
.

and his errors correc ted w ith a j u dicio u s

hand .

The tem p le of Ab u ry may be th u s s u ccinctly

described —
From a circl e of u pright stones ,

( w i tho ut i mposts
) erec ted at eq u al
,
distances ,

roceeded tw o aven u es in a w avy co u rse in

p .

o pposite directions These w ere the f ore and .

hind e r parts of the serpent s body an d they

’

emerged from the lo w er segme n t of the circle ,

thro u gh w hich the s e rpent appeared to be pass

ing from w est to east W ithin this great circle
W
.

ere fo u r others c onsiderably smaller tw o an d

, ,

tw o ,
described abo u t tw o centres bu t neith er ,

of them coincident w ith the centre of the great

circle They lay in the line d raw n from the
.

north w est to the so u th east points passing

- -
,

thro u gh the centre of the grea t circle The .

great o uter circle s u rro u nded the chief part of

the village of Ab u ry or Aveb u ry and w as its e lf
e ncompassed by a m o u nd and moat The he ad .

of th e serpent w as formed of tw o concentric

o v als and rested on an eminence cal l ed O verton
,

H ill This part of the temple as long as it

.
,

stood w as traditionally named in the neigh

,

‘
b o u rh o o d the s an c tu ary
,
I t w as destroyed in .

1
Th e fol l o w i ng e x tra t fro m
c Pe p y s
’
s D iary p ro ve s
, h at th
t e
 SERP E N T T EMPLES -
. 377

the seven teenth centu ry thro u gh the rapacity ,

of the farmers w h o converted the stones into ,

m aterials for b u il d ing and repairing the roa d s , .

O verton H ill u pon w hich the head of the ser ,

pen t rested is the so u thern promontory of the ,

sanc tuar
y w as p e r ect f a ft rn oo
i n 1 68 8
n a m t . I n th e e c e o

Ab ry w h r u , ing g r t te e se el ik th o f S to h ng
ea s one s e se o ne e e

s ta di g p
n n I top p d u d too k a o try m
, s e , o f that t w n
an c un an o ,

an d h arri d m
e c d h w d m a pl
e e an tr n h d i l ik O l d
s o e e ac e e c e n e

S ar m al m o t w ith gr at ton p i t h d i n i t om bigg rth a

u s , e s es c e , s e e n

th o t S to
se a h ng i fi g r t m y gr t dmirati o
ne e e n u e,d h o ea a n an e

to l d m th a t m o t p
e p l of l rn g
s o m i g y
eo b d e o m d ea ln c n o c e an

i w th m
v e d th at th ki g (Ch arl
e , an II ) did e n es . so :

I ga thi m ve hil l i g S o too k o h g in i g

s an o n e s n . c ac a a , se e n o ne

l w i th r t hi h t n i
eat h d r nd w hi h I b l i w ou
p ac e g g p s o es c e , c e e ve as

o a p arti l arb il di g in om m a r l ik th t f S t
nc e cu u n s e e su e e a o one

h g en B t b t
e. m il
u ff i t w
a ou p r o di
a g i o t e h o w , as us o se e o

f l l th dow n r o f gr at to
u e es a e nd ll al o ng the al l y
s ne s a a e v e

s to f o n id rabl big
ne s o c s m t o f th m gr w i g
e e rtai l y
ne s s , os e o n ce n

ou t f th gro
o d whi h m k m thi k th l
e un c f th w n a es e n e e ss o e o

d r o f S to h g f r h
e ne th y mi gh t
en e, od o b t dl y p p l y
e nc e e un u e su

th m w i th to n th o of Ab ry V l i ”
el s e ve s w ll s e s as e as se u . o . v.

p . 131 .

T o a p e rs o n q i t d w i th th l o al iti o f Ab ry K
W
ac ua n e e c es u , e n ne t,

and th e Gre y e th r i t i
e s, dl t r m rk th t th p l
s ne e e ss o e a , a e ac e

w ith g re at hig h s tone s

p i tc he d round —l ike that of S tone h e n
g ,
e
”

w hi h th c a
e tr ve l l e r s aw ve r
y soon
f
a te r g e tt ng i i to hi
n s c ar

ri ag e , an d ab o t a mil u e o
b e f re h e re a h d th c e e s o t n in es th e

v al l e
y,
”
w as th e s anc tuary u p o O r
nto n hi l lve .
378 SERPE NT T EMPLES -
.

Hak p e n hill s ; and D r S tu keley s u pposes that

‘

.
,

from the se rp e nt s he ad the range w as so named

’

for H ahp e n is a compou nd w ord w hich in the

‘

, ,

,
—
British langu ag e b ore that si gni fi c ati on H al e ,

a snake ; and P e n th e h e ad Thi s conj ectu re

,
‘
.

h e ill u strates by the pertinent remark that to ,

this day in Yorkshire the peasants call snakes

«

, , ,

hags and hagw orm s

Th e tail of the serpent termi n ated in a v all e y
to wards Beckhampton ; and the w hole figu re
w as so contrived as to have the appearance of
,

a vas t snake creeping over hill and dale From .

the circle to the head the aven u e consisted of ,

one h u ndred stones on each side The head .

w as composed of a do u ble oval the o u ter con ,

taining forty and the inner eighteen stones

, ,
.

The tail consisted like w i se of on e h u ndred stones

on each side and w as as w ell as the aven u e to
, ,

the head a m i le in l e ng th The area enclosed

, .

by the circ u lar rampart w hich s u rro u nds the ,

g reat circle is t w enty eigh t acres seventeen

,
-
,

perches as measu red by S ir R ; C H oare

, . .

M id w ay bet w een the extremities of the tw o

serpentine aven u es w here a horizontal line con
, ,

S tuk e l e y , Abu ry , 3 2 .
 S ERPEN T T EMPLE S -
. 379

n e c tin g hem w o u ld meet a perpendic u l ar let

t
'

fall from the centre of the great circle is a .

remarkable artificial c onic al m ound called S I L

, , ,

B U R Y HI L L of v ery great elevation

'

,
This is .

s u pposed by S tu keley to be a sep u lchral mo

, ,

n u m e n t ; bu t S ir R C H oare w ith more pro . .

,

babil ity considers it to be a p art of the temple

, .

I t is do u btl ess a mo u nd dedicated to the solar

, ,

dei ty like the pyramids of ancient Greece and

,

E gypt ; and corresponds w ith the O PH E LT I N of

c lassical mythology an d th e M ont S t M ichel of ,
.

C arnac I n connexion w ith the serpent temp l e

.
-
,

it identifies the w hole s tr u c tu re as sacred to th e

deity kno w n by the Greek s as AP O LL O I ts very .

”
name imports the hill of the su n .

A more st u pendo u s mon u ment of heathen

idolatry than Ab u ry is not to be fo u n d in
, ,

E n gland M any of the stones w ere remaining

.

in their positions w hen S t u keley s u rveyed the ,

temple in 1 7 2 3 ; bu t a great n u mber w ere

destroyed by the farmers in his time and many ,

more have been broken u p and carried aw ay ,

since The w ork of devastation it is to be

.
,

feared is not yet finished ; s u ch is the ig no

,

rance and barbarism of c u pidity .

 3 80 SERPEN T T EMPLE S -
.

There are n ow re m aining of the serpe ntine ,

fi g u re onl y e l e ve n stones of the aven u e bet w ee n

,

Ab u ry and K ennet that is of th e aven u e w hich ,

pas sing thro ugh W est K ennet terminated in the

s erpent s head o n O verton H ill M ark s in the
’
.

gro u nd contigu o u s to e ig ht of these e le ve n stones ,

s ho w the original posi tion of

f our o the rs w hich ,

have been taken a w ay S o that from the t u rn .

pike gate at Aveb u ry to that poin t of the Bath , ,

road w hich passes thro u gh K ennet the aven u e ,

may be traced w i tho u t m u ch diffic u lty O ne .

.
very large stone stands near the entrance of the
c ircle ; and bet w een tw o others the road passes

as it approaches K enne t ; the remaining e ig ht ,

and the f ourvacant loci are fo u nd together in ,

a field on the right The large sto n e by the

.

circle and th e tw o w hich are nearest to the

,

Bath road are acc u ra te gu ides to the eye in

,

trac i n g th e w hole aven u e

I
.

Besides these I observed (S ept 3 , .

,

ou r s u b v erted stones in the d e sc e n t a n d bottom

f
of the hill beyond K ennet to the so uth of the ,

Bath road at the point w here the neck of the

,

s erpent is s u ppose d to have risen on O verton

H ill These are evidently the remains of the

.
, ,
 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
. 38 1

“ ”
aven u e from K e nnet to the sanct u ar y Of .

”
the sanct u ary itself not a single stone re ,

mains
O f the Beckhampton aven u e only tw o s to nes ,

retain their original position ; and these are in the

1
middle of the aven u e I had not ti m e to look
.

for the l oc i of the others and I therefore refer

“

the reader to the elaborate descriptions of D r .

S t u keley and S ir R C H oare w ith them . .

,

lamenting that in a co u ntry like this s u ch bar

,

bari s m sho u ld have been permitted as w o u ld

disgrace the most u ncivilized of the hordes of
’

T artary — des troying piecemeal for the sake of ,

a fe w tons of s tone or a fe w yards of barren

gro u nd one of the most in teres ting and vener
,

a b le mon u ments of antiq u ity i n the w orl d .

S ome of these stones ho w ever resisted the , ,

u tmost e ffor ts of the destroyers w h o u nable to

, ,

break s u nk them in the gro u nd by digging pits

,

abo u t them Tw o of these ston es lie six fe e t

‘

u nder gro u nd in the premises of M r B u tler .

,

the landlord of the K en n et Inn and over ,

another the Bath road passes .

I n the time of D r S tu keley the peasan ts of

.
,

Si r. R . C . H o are , Anc i e nt N orth W

i l ts , p . 78 .
3 82 SERPE T T EMPLES
N -
.

the neighbo u rhood had a tradition that no

”
s nahes c ou l d l ive w ithin the circle of Ab u ry. .

This notion may have descended from the times

of the D ru ids thro u gh a very natu ral su p e rsti
,

tion that the u nhallo w ed reptile w as divin e ly

restrained from en te ring the sanctu ary thro u gh ,

w hich the mys tic serpent passed .

Th e re have been fo u nd at Ab u ry the u s u al

D r ui di cal rel i c s of C elts Angu ina &c and a
'

, ,
.

proof that this w as once a temple of very great .

resort is afforded by the immense q u antities of

,

b u rnt bones horns of o xen and charcoal w hich

, ,

h ave lb e e n discovered in the ag ger of the vall u m ,

These are indications of great sacrific e s D r . .

S tu k e ley w as do u b tfu l of the derivation of th e

w ord A B UR Y b u t I think tha t a probable sol u
tion may be fo u nd in the compo u nd title 1 m m ):
se r e ns sol is
p for
,
here are all the data re qu ired ‘

The temple w as the O phi te hierogram ; the

o ffi ciating pries ts w ere D r uids w hose r
'
eligion
'

recognised th e s u n as a deity and the serpent

i

as a sacred emblem ; th e name of that m ys tic

serpent w as A u b and a title of the solar deity
,
. :

A u r or U r th e w hole temple re p resented the

u nion of the serpentine w ith the circ u lar sanc

tu ari e s that is of the temples of the O phite and

, ,

10
 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
. 3 83

S o l ar s u perstition Wh at na m e th en co u ld be
.

“
more expressive than AU B U R or A B UR the , ,

”
se r e nt o
p f the sun ? The present n ame of the

vill age is Aveb u ry w hich the first describ e r of ,

th e temple (M r Au brey w h o lived in the seven

.
, .

te e nth cent u ry) says sho u ld have been w ritten ,

A u bury an d this readin g he fo u nd in the l egier

book of M almesbu ry Abbey 1
.

3 .S T AN T O N D REW The second British dra .

c on tiu m in order of beau ty is that of S tan ton ,

D re w in S omersetshire I t is situ ated nea rthe

,
. .

village of P ensford abo u t five mile s w est of ,

‘
.

Bristol .

This temple w hich is m u ch dilapidated , ,

originally consis ted of one large circle connected

by aven u es w ith tw o smaller an d thu s d escribed
the second order of th e O phite hierogram
. .

the circle a nd tw o serpents I n E gyp tian

"

hieroglyphics w hen tw o serpents are seen

,
. .

in connection , one typifies the Good and

the other the E vil P rinciple F or th e firs t .

kno w ledge of this temple as a d rac ontium w e ,

are indebted to S ir Richard C olt H oare I .

1
Mr Au bre y i i a nt in R
W
’
See . s n te re s t n
g c c ou S ir . C .

H o are ’
s An c i e nt i hi l ts re
3 84 SERPEN T -
T EMPLES .

visited it in and made the foll o w ing

observation s .

The great circl e is at pr e s en t con tained by

'

only thirteen stones and these are general ly ,

small and m u ch w orn by the w eather It is

,
.

probable that the original nu mber w as thirty .

The dimensions of this circle or rather oval ,

are 1 2 6 yards by 1 1 5 .

A small circle of eight s tones 3 2 feet in ,

d l am e te r w as connected w i th its eastern limb

,

by an aven u e of perhaps t w enty stones The

‘

, , .

length of this ave nu e is abo u t 1 0 0 yards and ,

i t is remarkab l e for its v ery great c u rvat u re ,

ret u rning at a sharp an gle to w ards the large

circle as if to represent a snake th ro w m g b ack
'

his head O nly ten sto n es of this aven u e remain

. .

The w estern circle is at the dis tance of 1 5 0

y ards ; and consisted o f ten or t w el ve stones
'

I ts d iameter is forty three yards bu t I c o u ld-

,

trace no aven ue betw ee n it and the oval The .

gro u nd is m u ch broken in this part A w all .

intersects it an d a road to a farm y ard p asse s

'
‘

-
,

thro u gh it S o that the removal of the sto nes may

.

be acco u nted for w i th ou t diffic u l ty I have no

’

d o u bt w hatever that an aven u e connecting this

smaller c l rc l e w ith the great one once existed ,
 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
. 385

for analogy is in favo u r of th e hypo thesis ,

al tho ugh no trace s of the aven u e remain .

I am confirmed in my opinion by a tradition

of th e neighbo u rhood w hich almost u niversally
,

accompanies O phite temples By this it appears .

that K eyna the da u gh ter of a W elsh prince

, ,

w h o lived in the fifth centu ry h aving left her ,

co un try and crossed th e S evern for the p u rpose

of finding some secl u ded spot w here she might ,

devote herself w itho u t in terru ption to religio u s

, ,

contempl ations arrive d in the neighbou rhood of

,

S tanton D re w S he req uested permission from

.

the prince of the co u n try to fix her residence ,

at K eynsham w hich w as then an u ncleared

,

w ood . The prince r eplied that he w o u ld readily

,

give the permission req u ired bu t it w as im p o s

sible for any one to live in that place on acco u nt
of the se rp e nts of the most venomo u s species
, ,

w hich infested it K eyna ho w ever confident

.
, ,

in her saintly gifts accepted the permission

, ,

no tw ithstanding the w arning : and taking pos

session of the w ood converted by her prayers
,

all the snakes and vipers of the place into

”
stones An d to this day remarks Cap grave
.
, ,

the recorder of the legend the stones in ,

that co u ntry resemble the w indings of serpents ,

C C
3 86 S ER I
’
EN T -
T EMPLES .

thro u gh all the fields and villages as if they ,

had bee n so formed by the hand of the

”
engraver .

The transformation of the serp e nts into s tone

is the fable w hich almost al w ays d en otes the
neighbo u rhood of a D racon ti u m as w e may see ,

in the legend of C adm u s and Harm oni a P ython , ,

and others Th e remark of C ap g rave may

. i

all ude to the ang uina or serpent stones so often

2
-
,

fo u nd in the vicinity of D r u idical temples : or

even to the Specimens of the C ornu a Am m on l s
-
,

w hich I believe are sometimes fo u nd in the

neighbo u rhood

4 .D AR T M OO R At M erivale bridge on D art

.

moor fo u r miles from Tavistock is an interesting

, ,

gro u p of temples tw o of the dracontian an d

, ,

tw o of the circ u lar kind The temples on D art

.

moor are u su ally in pairs W henever these .

are c irc l es w e may s u ppose that one of them w as

sacred to the su n and th e other to th e moon
, ,

l ike the d o u ble circles w ithin the grea t circ u lar

area of Ab ury At M erivale the fo u r temples
.
,

are w ithin a fe w yards of each other ; and

u ,
—
tho gh small are tolerably perfec t one of the
circles only being destroyed .
 SERPEN T T EMPLES
-
; 3 87

The aven u es w hic h are s traight ru n parallel

, ,

to each other e as t and w e s t They are 1 0 5

, . .

feet apart th e lo ng e r is 1 1 4 3 fe e t in length :

,
e
'

the shorter 7 9 2 The larger of these temples is

.

of the same ord er as tha t of S tan ton D re w

?
,

having a cen tral circle and tw o aven u es each , ,

terminated by a circle These avenu es are .

'

s traight : bu t this makes no di fference of mo

ment from the theory of serpent te m ples ; for
the y are equ ally D rac ontia i e A ve nue s of ,
. .

the su n The second temple has bu t one circle

3,
.
,

w hich is at th e head and corresponds to the ,

'

C eltic temple of C allernish in the island of ,

L e w is ; b ut the latter is far more magnificent

. ;
.

D r S tukeley p rono u nced C allernis h to be a

'
’

D raconti u m ; bu t from the descriptions of it by

D r Borlas e and others i t can only be considered
.
,

s u ch if th at title be extended to straigh t ave nue s

, ,

as w ell as those w hich ar e sin uo u s .

O f this r e c tilinear order there are other

D rac onti a on D artmoor altho u gh n ot so ex ten
‘ '

sive as those of M erivale O n the brook side .

-

belo w Black Tor are tw o aven u es parallel to ,

each oth e r and ru nning east and w est ; one of

,

w hich may be traced for 3 00 feet and the ,

other for 1 8 0 feet They are for ty feet apart . ,

c c 2
3 88 SERPEN T T E MPLES
-
.

and e ac h i s terminated by a circle thirty fe et

'

in diameter enclosing a cairn The stones

.

average the same height as those at M erivale ,

bein g fro m th re e to fou r feet in e l evation

'

S imilar aven u es bu t ru n ning north and sou th

, ,

occ ur on Gidleigh commo n of w hich the stones

,

are three feet and a half high and triangu l ar .

They may be trac ed for 4 3 2 and 1 2 0 feet

respectively .

O ther mon u ments of th e same natu re are

scatt e red over D artmoor w hich from th e m u lti
,

t u de of s u ch and similar British remains m u st

at one ti m e hav e been very thickl
y inhabited .

V estiges of circ u lar h u ts are n o t u nfreq u ently

seen on the sides of hills n o w seld om pres sed

,

by the foot of man and are m elancholy m e

,

m o ri al s of u nkno w n ages nameless tribes and

, ,

generations lo ng si nce mingled w ith the d u st .

I t is probable that the early inhabitan ts of

D artmoor w ere driven into these bleak an d
,

barren regions from pleasanter and more fertile

lands by the press u re of the Romans S axons ,

and D anes and that the p aral l e l ith a and circles

above described w ere b u ilt in h u mble i m itation
'

of more splendid temples in the lo w er co u ntry .

Al l th e w orks on D artmoor are those of a

 SERPEN T T EMPLES-
. 3 89

feeble and impoverished people bu t amply

“

ill u strative of th e religion w hich they exercised

i n happier times .

5 S HAP The longes t d rac on tl u m l n Britain

. .
,

and the only one th at in ext ent co u ld co m pe te

w ith C arnac w as at S hap in W estmorland
, .

The stones w ere ho w ever small as compared

, ,

w ith those of Ab ury th e large st n o w remaining ,

meas u res o nly eigh t feet in height The temple .

of S hap begins at abo u t half a mile so u th of the

village of that n ame in a field adjoining the
,

K e ndal road ; and from this point proceeds in

a northerly co u rse crossing the road near S hap
,

in tw o ro w s The greatest w idth of th e aven u e

.

is at the head in the field above mentioned ,

and meas u res eighty eight feet At this e x tre

-
.

mity it is bo und ed by a slightly c u rved line of

six stones placed at irreg u lar interval s ; bu t
they appear to have been n ever erected N ear .
'

S hap the tw o ro w s converge to the w idth o

f
fi fty nine feet and again separating bu t not
-
, ,

so m u c h as to des troy the appearance of par

allelism procee d in a northerly direction in
, ,

which co u rse they may be traced at intervals

for a mile and a half The aven u e thro u gho u t
.

preserves the sin u ositie s of the serpent temple -

.
390 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
.

Altho u gh scarcely two m iles of the temple

are n ow recoverable yet tradition states it once
,

exte n ded to M oor D ovey a d istance of se ve n ,

m i l e s rom S hap I
f I n this respect it almost rivals
the celebrated C arnac w hich can only be traced
,

for eight miles b u t in th e nu mber and magni

t u de of its col u m ns it m u st have fallen very
,

shor t of the grande u r of that magnificent d rac o n i

ti u m I ndeed n o th ing i n Bri tain can co m pete

.

w ith this p r ide of Britany Al l o u r p aral l e l i th a

.

contain bu t tw o ro w s of s tones , w hereas the

temple of C arnac h as eleven !
’ '

Abo u t a mi le to the N E of S hap is a circle

'

. .

co mposed of large stones in tolerable preserva ,

tion ; bu t w he ther it w as connected w ith the .

aral l e l ith o n or not I am u nabl e to determine

p
'

.
,

The probability of the connec tion is ho w ever

great but I fear th e temple is in too dilapida ted
a state to solve this q u es tion
D r S tu ke l ey w h o also saw bu t did not su r
.
, ,

vey the temple of S hap prono u nced i t at once,

to be a draconti u m Th e in d ic ati on s m u st at
.
‘

that time (o ne h undred years since ) have been

, ,

mu ch stronger than they are n ow A traveller .

in these days w o u ld hardly notice the fe w stones

w hich lie by the side of the K endal road } D r .

S t ukeley in a let ter to an eminent antiq u ary of

,
 SERPEN T T EMPLES
-
. 39 1

his day mentions w ith approbation a plan of the

,

temple of S hap as dra w n by a gentleman of

C arlisle ; bu t I have not been able to find this
doc u m ent w hich n ow tha t the draconti u m is
,

nearly destroyed w o u ld be almost inval u able

,
.

II The above are the principal kno wn dra

.

contia i n E u rope M any mor

. e m ay be perhaps
discovered u pon diligent inqu iry ; Paral l e l ith a ,

as suc h have been seen by tho u sands of travel

,
'

lers The maj ority have looke d and passed on

.
,

w ith indi fference better informe d persons have

considered them as merely relics of the D ru idical
s u persti tion ; and the coveto u s farmer has con
verted w ith a ru thless hand their venerable
, ,

col u mns into materials for b uilding w alls or

repairing ho u ses Bu t a more enlightened age
may even yet resc u e from annihilation mon u
ments w hich have been at once the w ork and
the admiration of ages The light w hich has
.

been thro w n u pon remote antiqu ity by these

v enerable r u ins is too s trong to be exti n g u ished .

I t is like their ow n perpetu al fi re w hich tho u gh

, ,

qu enched u pon S il bu ry and M o unt S t M ichael .

,

still b u rns in the rites of the ceremonial religion

w hich at the ashes of Baal has kindled the
, ,

tapers of the C h u rch of Rome .

392 SERPEN T T EMPLES-
.
‘

Among the interesting discoveri es w hich re :

s u lt from the theory of d rac onti a is the v ie w

“

w hich i t developes of the origin of c o lum nar

a rc hi tec ture W e admire the bea uties and the

.

grande u r of th e P arthenon : w e gaze w ith rap

t u re on the isolated pillars of exqu isite w ork
manship w hich stan d ing u p on the barren and
,
'

des olated plains of Greece or As i a M inor fill u s ,

al te r nately w ith admiration of the art w hich

exec u ted and indignation at the barbaris m
,

w hich defaced them Bu t w e little think t ha t

.

in the ru de an d ru gged col u mn s of Ab u ry or ,

C ar nac w e see a prototype of the most admired

,

pillars of the most splendid temples of ancient .

Greece or Asia ! An d yet there can be little

do u bt bu t that s u ch is the fact .

The temples of the s u n at P almyra and

Ge raz a both in the co u ntry formerly devoted
,

to the w orship of O U B the serpent god of C a

«
,

naan are ill u s trations in point An examina

,
.

tion of their col u mns w hic h sup p orte d no roof

,

w ill j u stify the inference that they w ere s ubsti

tu te d for those of some ancient d rac o nti a o c c u

i n th same sites The a en u es of P almyra

py g e . v

partic u larly illu strate this theory by their sinuous

co u rse altho u gh sin u osity as w e have before
,

observed is not ind isp e nsably necessary to a dra

,
 SERPEN T T EMPLES
-
. 393

c o n ti u mseveral (s u ch as C allernish and the

,

temples on D artmoor) being straight The .

majority of serpent temples w ere ho w e v er sin u

ous ; and s u ch w as the temple of the su n at
P almyra A long aven u e of tw o do u ble ro w s of
.

col u mns connected the portal w ith the sanc tu ary ,

w hich w as in the shape of a parallelogram .

The sanctu ary of Ge raz a w as formed by a

circle of col u mns connected like th ese of S tone
,

henge by transverse stones resting u pon their

s u mmits A straight aven u e of tw o ro w s led to
.

this circle an d thre w o u t near it tw o arms of a

,

cross The plan of the temple is almost a fac

.

simile of the draconti u m of C allernish ; w hile

the resemblance of its circle to the o u ter one of
S tonehenge w o uld almos t pers u ade u s that the
architects of the one had either had comm u n i
cation w ith those of the other or h ad copied ,

their design .

N othing is more probable than that the firs t

step in templar architectu re being to gro u p
together the isolated baitul i a the se c ond w o u ld
,

be to polish and carve the col u mns already

existing in a r u de state ; or to s u bstit u te for
them others of a more finished kind Th u s by .
,

“ ”
degrees the ro u gh p e tra am brosia of Greece
,

or C anaan w o uld be fashioned into the elegance

394 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
.

of the P arthenon or of the temple of the su n ,

at P almyr a And altho u gh the one had n o

. .

aven u es and the other no ci rcle y e t both being

, ,

c o lum nar may be referred for their origin to the

,

same standard of early architect u re the d rac on ,

ti um : for the varieties of the draconti u m incl u de

every fig ure of the classical temple The dra .

c o n tiu m had its aven u es strai h t an d sin u o u s

g
‘

its c ircl es its l u nes ; its ovals an d its parall el *

o ram s
g M erivale
. A b u ry and C arnac e x e m , ,
»

l
p y if them al l .

M any may deem these n otion s cru de and

extravagant ; bu t I confess that the impression
w hich th ey leave u pon my mind is great ;

n either can I consent to e fface it u ntil other ex

p l anations more satisfactory than any hitherto

,

a d vanced s u pply me w ith a be tter theory

,
1
.

III Another discovery still more interesting

.

and u sefu l arises from th e d o c trin e of d rac ontia ‘

By this may be obtained a key to the many

abs u rd and incredible histories of P agan m yth o
logy respecting e norm ous se rp e nts and d ragons

1
Thi s t ho e
gg d
ry w as fi rs tt m b y m y
sufri n d P
e s te o e e . C «

D e l agard e , E q o f E x t r t w h o se ki d
s . e e d i g n i ty I
o n ne s s an n e u

a m i nd e bte d f r m any imp r m nt i thi di ti o

o o ve e s n s e n.
 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
. 395

c ove r ni g f
ac res o
g r hich
ou nd co u l d have beenw

nothing bu t vas t d rac onti a D r S tu keley the . .

,

inventor of the theory has himself applied it to ,

this p u rpose an d as a fe w more c ases may be

'

add u ced in corroboration of his opinion I w ill ,

add them The facts are c u riou s ; bu t the prin

.

c i l e u pon w hich this treatise w as u n dertaken

p ,

is altogether independent o f their probability ,

altho u gh it may be gr eatly ill u strated by it '

For the u niv e rs al

p re val e nc e o
f t he w ors hi
p fo the

se r e n t w hich it w as my obj e c t to p r ove has I

p , , ,

tru s t been satisf ac torily sho w n

,
.

I t is remarked by S tu keley that the cele ,

brate d P Y T H O N w as originally nothing more

, ,

nor less than a serpentine temple like that of ,

Ab u ry Python i s describe d by O vid (M et i

. . .

as coveri n g several acres tot j u gera ,

ventre p re m e n tem ”
O f the same kind D r
.
'

,
. .

S t ukeley thinks w as the TI TY U s of V irgil w h o

, ,

covered ni ne acres of gro u nd .

Pe r t t oa n ov e m c ui
j u
g er a o rp
c us

”
Po rri gi tur
.

E ne id , v i . 59 6 .

I n corroboration of the firs t of these opinions

 SERPEN T T E M PLES
-

we may obs erve th at H o mer de scribes Apollo as

b u ilding a temple on the sp ot w he re he had s lain
‘

P y thon The sto r

. i es of w hich it w as composed

w ere broad and ve ry l ong H e w as assis ted .

9?

by Trcp honius wh o laid the threshold stone

,
-

and a m u ltitu de Of labo urers b u ilt th e te m ple .

I ts figu re w as c irc u l ar in this part ; for s u c h I

take to be the meaning of the w ord Ampi in t h e ’

line w hich d escribes the labo u r F or it can 2

hardly mean that they b u ilt the tem ple round ”

th e thresho l This then as the sanc tum , , W ,

and may have c o rresponded w ith the gre at c irc l e

of Ab u ry .

The description of the b u ilding here ceases ;

and the confu sed legend makes a tra nsition from
the templ e to the se rp e n t w h o w as slain there by
Apollo and at h i s command p u tre fi e d up on the
,

s o t by th e s u n B u t in a fe w lines after w ards

p .

Apol lo i s described as meditating w hat sort of

men he shall p ut as priests into his S T O NY
”
P YTH O 3
By the same epithe t he describes
.

Pytho in other parts of his w orks and Find e r 4

makes u s e of the same designation I t is tru e .

H y mn to o
Ap l l o , 2 9 4 .
2 ’

q sl
'
3% m ini is va aaa r .

é O l ym p Ode 6
’
3
II I/ 60 7 e vi n er
p n oa
p l . . 39 0 . . .
 SERPEN T T EMPLES
- . 397

t ha t this epithet may all u de on l y to th e rocky

nat u re of the soil bu t it may all u de also to th e .

stones of the temple and w ou ld be employed

,

probably for that p u rpose on the s u pposition ,

that the temple w as o f the serpentine kind .

There is something remarkable in the circ u m

stance that Trop honius sho u l d be con cerned in
laying the chief stone and tho u gh Agamedes is
j oined w ith him in the o ffi ce yet Tro p h o ni u s ,
‘

is ass u redly n o t a b u ilder of the temple b u t

, , ,

the te mp l e i tse lf F or w e have already seen that

.

TR O P H O N I U S is n o other than TO R O PH O N the - -

,

”
temp l e of the so lar se r p e nt H ere then
. w e have
the serpent again and p u tting all these detached
facts together making also d u e allo w ance for
,

poetical imagery an d mythological exaggeration ,

w e may not u nreasonably concl u de that the

, , ,

w hole history relates to the erection of a SERPEN T

T EMPLE like that of Ab u ry

,

I f O vid in describing P ython al l u des to the

, ,

serpentine fig u re of the temple he comes nearer ,

to facts w hen he represents serpen ts c hang e d into

s tone .
(M et xi. 5 6 xii. .

I n these instances of metamorphosis the coin ,

c i d e n t feat u res of the story indicate O h i ol atre i a

p .

Th u s Ap ollo is the person w h o p e trifi e s th e L es

398 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
.

bian dragon (M et and the s c e ne i o f the

. .

second story is B aeotia a co u ntry w here serpent

-
,

w orship w as pec u liarly prevalent .

Bu t the poet c o m e S stil l more closely to the

.
'

mark w hen he describes the fl igh t of M edea

,
:
“

from Attica to C olchis H er chario t w as draw n .

by d ragons and she w as passing from one O phite

,

colony to another I n her passage / ,

ZEo l i am Pi tane m l ae vad e p rte re l i q u i t, a

F A CTA Q UE D E S A X O LO N GI SIMU LA CH R A D R A C O N I S

W hen w e c onsider th at the w ord P i tane may

be immediately d erived from Ins serp e ns w e , , ,

have a pres u mptive e vidence that the serpent w as

w orshipped there and th e above lines from
,

O vi d corroborating the conj ectu re ; describe the

,

temple w hich w as in tru th L O N G I S I M U LA C H R A

, ,

D RA CO NIS H ad th e poet intended to descri b e

.

Ab u ry or C arnac he co u ld n o t have represented

,

them m ore acc u rately .

D r S tu k eley thinks tha t the fable of C adm u s

.
'

”
so w ing serpents teeth all u ded to
’
his ,

b uilding a serpen tine te mple w hich i s not

u nlikely : for u nder s u ch an imagery might the

O vid Me t . . vi i . 357 .
 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
. 399

stones of temple be poetically describe d

th e ,

the ord e r of tee th being tha t in w h ich s u ch

stones w er e erected single and u pright at equ al

, ,

dis tances .

C adm u s and H armonia w ere changed in to

serpen ts at En c h e l iae in I llyria w here s tones , ,

”
and a te mp le w ere erected to their memory .

S c y l ax C ary an d e n sis cited by Bryant ‘

says , , ,

i mom
'
Ka B i App o vl a g i i é vra ii fi a , Ka i isp o v
' ’ ’
Ka e a v
p ov o .

The si tu ation of this temple is half a d ay s ’

sail from the river Arion N o s u ch river

occ u rs in th e maps of the co u ntry ; and Vos
siu s corrects it into D ryl o bu t S c yl ax w h o ,

notices so fe w th m gs and only the most remark ,

abl e i n his brief memoranda co u ld hardly

, ,

have been mistaken in so important a matter as

the name of a river The temple w as O phite ; .
“

and it is very probable that th e nearest rive r

w o u ld be s acred to the solar deity For .

”
Arion compo u nds the tw o titles of th e sun ,
AU R and O N .

”
The temple observes Bryant w as an
'

, ,

O phite P etra w hich i n d u ced people to believe

,

An l a . 47 1 .

2
S c yl ax , P e ri p l u s .
p . 9 . c um i
no t s V o ssii .
4 00 SER PEN T T E MPLES -
.

that there w ere l n these te mples se r p e nts

p e tri a
’

fi ed I
1
t is
. po ssible that in lat er times the deity
m ay h ave been w orshipped u nder this form ;

w hence it might be tru ly said of C adm u s and

Harmonia that they w o u ld one day be exhibi ted

,

in stone Bryant here refers to Nonnu s D ionu

.
’ 3
e

si ac l xliv p
. . 1 1 4 4 w h o says of C adm us and
. .
,

H armonia ,

'
Aa i vé nv iip e h ho v E s w h t t é Se a
’

t
’

nzv
x p pq
o .

This line ho w ever I cannot find in Nonnu s :

, ,

but one no t m u ch u nlike it occ u rs in lib xliv .

. .

line 3 67 o f th at w riter
,

or m
g Xp o vo g e
p ov

# '
9 711 1 6 8 wer
p hw aa v 1
5
s Opté se a p p
o
j
r mv .

I n w hich the allu sion to the serpentine form of

the te mp l e appears evident The conversion o f .

te mp l e s in to g od s is of commo n occ u rrence in

mythology ; and I have no do u bt bu t that the

line from Nonnu s above cited describes the , ,

figu re of the Atti i i p a remarke d by S c y l ax

c ; Ka s y , .

”
Bryant seems to think that the s tone s sacre d
to C adm u s and H armonia w ere merely s ty le

1
T hi s n o tio n w as d rie ve d fro m th e s e r e ntine
p fig ure s of th e

te mp l es hm
t e se l v e s .
 SERPEN T T EMPLES
-
. 40 1

commemo rative pillars ; and conseq u ently l n

“ ”
tro d u c e s the w ord tw o into his translation ,

w hi c h is no t i n the origi nal The w ords of S c yl ax

.

are ,
H e re are the s tones and te mp l e of Cad m us
'

and H arm oni a F rom w hich it does not n e c e s

”
”
s aril y appear th at the s tone s and the te mp l e

w ere not identical I belie v e they w e re and th a t

.

they constitu ted a se rp e n t te m p l e l ike Abu ry : n

or as Bryan t e lse w here empl oys the w ord A

, ,

D R A CO N T IUM .

”
F or th e origin of this w ord d rac on tium he , ,

ad d u ces a derivation by n o means indica tive of

his u s u al penetration Th u s he tells u s that

‘

.
,

to w ard each extremity of the oval temples of

the P h oe nicians w ere erected mo u nds on w hich ,

w ere to w ers These to w ers w ere generally royal

.

e difices and at the same tim e held sacre d

,
.

They w ere termed Tarc hon like Tarc h on iu m ,

in He tru ri a w hich by a corru ption w as in

, , ,

latter times rendered Trac hon The

term Trac hon seems to have been still fu rther
sophisticated by th e Greeks and expressed ,

”
Apd w x v
l
. W hen the Greeks
u nders tood that in these temples the people
w orshipped a serpent deity they concl u ded tha t ,

An l a ii
. . 1 32 .

D d
402 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
.

Trac hon w as
p and hence came
a the se r e nt ;

name of D RA CO to be appropriated to s u ch an

Ho w m u ch more simple and p robable is th e

infe ren c e of D r S tu keley w h o r easons from a
-
.
.

f ac t ? V erbal coinci dences can nev e r be p u t in

com petition w ith historical facts ; bu t in th e

case b e fore u s the se coincid ences are strained
, ,

and the fact of the existence of a serpentine

temple at Ab u ry placed beyond all d ou bt z
.

This error of Bryant leads him into another ,

W
”
w hen he talks abo u t th e w ind ow s of a
draconti u m e sho u ld b e s tartled at a the ory
.
,

fo u nded u pon th e w ind ow s of Abu ry or S tone ,

Th at the conj ectu r e of Bryant in deriving ,

the le gends of the m yth oTogi cal d ragons from

the w ord Tarchon is inadmissible appears , ,

again by an extract from P au sanias w hich ,

c u rio u sly en ou gh he himself q o es to orro

( ) u t C

borate his po sition w hereas it tends directly to ,

confirm that of S tu keley I n the road be .

2
Th e re al a i
m e n n g o f th e w r od d rac ontium i s , p rob bl y , a
an ave nue o f the sun,
”
as I ha ve be for ta t d
e s e .

3
a ii
An l . . 1 48 .
 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
. 4 03

t w een Thebes and Gl isas , y o u may see a place

e nc irc l e d by l
s e ec t s tones , w hich the Thebans call

T HE S E R PE N T s H E A D ’
I v

D r S t u keley also cites this remarkable pas

.

sage to ill u strate h i s observations u p on the

,

HEA D of th e Ab u ry serpent w hich rested u pon

‘

a p rom o ntory c al l e d i n l ike manner S NA K ES

,
.

, ,

HEA D (H ahp e n ) T his w as also a p lac e e nc ir

. .

”
c le d b
y s e l e c t s tone s A n d to complete the .
:

res emblance there is near this Theban temple

, ,

a lofty hill correspo nd ing to Bi lbury u pon w hich ,

a templ e w as erected to Ju p ite r z

.

Bu t tho u gh the premises of Bryant w ere c o n

,

e c tu ral his c ncl u sions w ere for th e mos t part

j o ,

correct and his illu strations ingenio u s I p ro

, .
'

c e e d to s u bjoin some of the m as eq u ally a

" l i
pp
cable to o u r theory .

Ip hic rate s related that in M au ritania there

w ere dragons of s u ch extent that grass gre w

u pon their backs W hat can be meant u nder .

this representation bu t a draconti u m w ith in ,

”
w hose precincts they enco u raged verd u re 7 3

Again : I t is said (by M axim u s Ty riu s ,

D issert 8 c vi p .
, that Tax il e s a mighty
. . .
,

prince of I ndia carried Alexander the Great to ,

P au s . 5 70 .
2
5 70 .
3
An l a ii. . 1 35 .
o

1) d 2
4 04 SERPEN T T EMPLES
-
.

se e a d ragon w hich w as s a cred to D ionu su s

, ,

and itself esteemed a god I t w as of a stu p e n .

d o u s size being in extent e qu al to fi ve a c re s

, ,

and resided in a l bw dee p place w alled ro u nd

, ,

t o a great height The I ndians offered sacri fi ces

.

to it and it w as daily fed by them from their

,

”
flocks and herds Tw o d ragons of the
.

like nat ure are mentioned by S trabo (lib xv ,

. .

p 1 02 2) w hich are said to have resided in the

.

m o u ntains of Abi s are s in I ndia ; the one w as

,

e ighty c u bits in length the other one h u ndred

,

and forty S imilar to the above is the acco u nt

.
,

g iven by P osidoni u s of a serpent w hich h e s aw

i n th e plains of M acra in S y ria H e says

that it w as abo u t a n acre in le n gth and of a ,

thickness s o remarkable that tw O persons on ,

horseback w hen they rode on opposite sides

, ,

c o u ld n o t see one another E ach scale w as as .

big as a s hield and a man might ride in at its

,

”
mo u th W ha t can this description al l u de to
.
,

says Bryant b ut the r u ins of an O phite tem

,

p l e ,w hich is represe nted in this enigmatical

manner to raise admiration 7 The plains of

M acra w ere not far from L ebanon and H ermon ,

w here the H ivites resided an d w here serpent ,

w orship partic u larly prevailed The I ndian .

 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
.
,
4 05

dragon above mentioned seems to have been of

the same n atu re It w as probably a temple
.
, ,

and its environs w here a socie ty of pries ts re

,

sided w h o w ere main tained by th e p u blic and

, ,

w h o w orshipped the deity u nder the semb l ance

of a serpent
Besides these O phite temples Bryan t dis ,

covered a legend of tw o others in the neigh ,

bo u rh o o d of D am asc u s Th ese d ragons ac z

.
,

cording to Non nu s w ere overcome by the hero ,

D am asc e nu s an e arth bo rn giant

, r O ne of the .

monsters w ith w hich he fo u ght is described o f

u —
an enormo s size a serpent i n ex te nt of fifty ,

ac re s : w hich certainly m u st have a reference

to the grove and garde n w herein s u ch O phite ,

temple stood at D amasc u s For the general

, .

m eas u rement of these w onderfu l beings by

ac re s proves tha t s u ch an esti m ate co uld n o t
,

relate to any thing of solid contents bu t to an ,

”
inclos u re of that s u p e rfi c ie s .

The dragon of C ol c h o s w hich g uarded the ,

gol den fleece is also considere d by Bryant to

,

have been a dracontic temple There w as a .

settl ement of O phites in C olchis w hich is in ,

d ic ate d by th e name o f the river Op his This .

Bry an t
. An l a ii
. . 1 0 5 , &c .
2
I bid . 1 42 .
40 6 SERPEN T T EMPLES -
.

ri v er w as so named from a body of peo pl e w h o ,

“

settled upon i ts banks and w ere said to be con ,

d u cted by a serpent
»
3

An attentive peru sal Of D io d oru s S i c ul u s lib , .

iv : 5 47 w i ll perh ap s incline the re ad er to ac

.
,

q u iesce in the concl u sion of Bryant res pec ting

the C olch i an dragon D iOd oru s himself r esolves .

the legend into a story abo u t a te m p le w here .

the tre as u re the golden fl e ece , w as k ep t u nd e r

,
'

the g u ardi anshi p of Tauric soldi e rs Thes e h e .

,
'

contends w ere th e bul ls , w h o w ere associated

,

w ith th e d rag on i n g u ard i ng the treas u re The .

d ra g on w as their commander an o f ce r named

fi ,

r
D rac o The l e g e nd i s tha t th e g gl d en fleece
.
'

, \

deposited there by Ph ry xu s w as g u arded by a ,

sleepless dragon ; an d b u lls breathing fire fro ms

,

their n ostrils l ay wby the altar of th e tem p l e

,
.

Jason h avin g fi rst s u bdu ed the b u lls compelled

, ,

them to the yoke an d plo u ghed u p the gro u nd ,

;
in w hich like C adm u s he sow e d se rp e nts te e th
, ,
. .

These teeth becomi n g animated in the form of

,

armed men; fo u gh t together and destroyed o ne

another H e then l u lled the dragon and bore
.
,

aw ay the fleece 2
.

The explanation of D io d orus is simple and ,

Bry nt An al ii 2 0 8
1
a ,
O id M t 7 . . .
2
v e . .
 S E R PE N T - T EMPLES . 407

i n d e fau l t
e
of a be tter not u nreasonable But , .

”
the w ord Tor w hich he s u pposes to have ,

”
been mis u nders tood for bu lls w hen in reality ,

it all u d ed to men w h o came from Tauric a is ,

m u ch m ore likely to h ave b een the C haldee

'

W
.
:

mm a i tow e r mistaken by Greeks

, , ho w ere ,
'

ig norant of the lan gu age of the co u ntry fo r rm

-
, ,

”
a bull H ence the w hole error The b u lls
. . .

—
w ere tow e rs p erhaps for tified li ghtho u ses ; and

the light w hich b u rned in them gave occasion to

“
the fabl e of fi re bre athing bu l ls
” ”
H aving resolved the b ulls into to w ers ,

w e may reasonably conj ec tu re that the dra .

”
gon w as s tone The temple w ill th u s b ec ome
.

a draconti u m This draconti u m w as stormed

.

by Jason w h o having first taken the to w ers

, ,

w hich protec ted the temple moved against the ,

latter compelling the garriso ns of the former

,

into his s ervice and having by some stratagem

—
perhaps a noct urnal assau lt set the defenders
of the draconti u m against each other s u cceeded ,

i n his en terprise of pl u nde r

ing it of the treas ure .

The sow ing of the s e rp e nts te e th I conceive ’

,
"

to be an expression w hich has crept into the

fabl e from a confu sed recollection of the figure
,

1
Bry a
n t, Anal . ii . 1 06 .
408 SE PEN T T EMPLES
R -
.

of the temple and the m anne r of i ts f orm ation

,

by u pright eq uidistant stones This incident ?

, .

so violently and u selessly introd u ced seems an ,

index to the w hole fab l e and identifies i t as ,

“

relating to the pl undering of a draconti u m .

I n tu rning over the pages of P au sanias and

S trabo w e frequ en tly mee t w 1 th passages w hich
,

may n at u rally be interpreted into descriptions of

O phite temples Th u s near the river C hi m arru s
.

in Argolis w as a circ u lar inclosu re m arhing the

s
p ot w he re P l u to d esc e nd e d i n to Tartarus w i th
”
P ros e rp ine This legend indicates the temple to
.

be a dracon ti u m of w hich the central circle only

remain ed O ther temples occ u r w hich might
.

admit the same inference ; bu t they are for the

most part too obsc u rely described to add u ce as
il lu strations I cannot how ever pass by w it h
.
, , ,

“ ”
o ut a remark the s tone s of A mp hion
,
men ,

ti o n e d by P a u sanias becau se th e legen d

,

attached to them corresponds w ith a tradi tion

v ery common in E ngland respecting the c irc u ,

'

l ar dr u idical temples :
, The stones w hich lie
n ear the tomb of Amphion in B oeo tia are d
( ) ru e

and no t l aboure d b a r t They say that they

y .

w ere the stones w hic h h m usic of

f o l l ow e d t e

”
A mp hion .
 SERPEN T T E M PLE S -
. 409

A similar fable is related of O rphe u s w h o it , ,

w ill be remembered w as th e high pries t o f

,

O p h iol atre i a in Thrace .

R especting th e dru idical circles it w as a ,

common tradition tha t the stones w hich com

posed them w ere once animat ed beings , an d
petrified in the mazes of a dance Th us S tone .

henge w as called the d anc e of the giants and

Ro w l d ri c h a D r u ids temple , near C hippin g
’

N orton in O xfordshire is s u pposed to have bee n

,

a king and his nobles similarl y metamorphosed .

The same is reported of S tanton D re w in ,

S omersetshire w hich is v u lgarly called

, the

w e d d i ngs being s u pposed to have been a

company of friends at a n u ptial fe srival , w h o
w ere petrified in th e midst of a dance .

Another D r u ids temple i n C u mberland is

’

, ,

called Long M eg and he r d aug hte rs from a

“ ”

similar tradition
If these coincidences prove nothi ng else they ,

“ ”
prove that the s tones of A m p hion and 0 r ,

”
p h e as
, w ere circ u lar temples of the dru idical

s tr u ct u re
. The stones of A mp hion w ere pro
”
bably a temple of th e su n ; AM PHI O N being

S tu k e l e y , Abury , 8 3 .
4 10 s B B PE N T T E M PLEs
~

nothing more than A M PH I ON the orac l e o

f
1 ‘‘
‘

- - v

H am t he s un and O R PHEUS itself may be .

—
resol ved into a similar meanin g O R PH I s ol is -
,

The fr e qu ent m tio of serp ent dei ty th e

W
en n -

O PS in co nnexion ith S T O N ES is a re markable

, ,

feat u re in remo te myth olo gy I t w as O PS w h o .

“

dec e ived S atu rn w ith th e stone A bad ir ; and ‘

'

th e h eathen philosophers expl ained O PS as th e

d ivine p ow e r pervading mo u ntains an d stony

l aee s M ight not this conn e xion have arisen
p
frbm the pec u liar co n str u ction of the O phite
;

temples
These circ u ms tances m ay appear trivial bu t
trifl e s not u nfr eq u ently le ad to important res u lts .

I n every w alk of sc i ence a trifle disregarded

:

, ,

by inc u ri ous tho u san ds h as repaid the inq u isi ,

.

tive n e ss o f a single observer w ith u nh o p e d fo r

i

kno w ledge An d w hat has b e en i n s cience

.
.

may be in histOry Little even ts and accidental

‘

w
.
,

all u sions in the mselves insi gnific ant ; may form

,
”

a link in th e c h ai n o f obsc u re mythology w hich

: r ,

shall act as a cond u ctor to scriptu ral tr u th .

1
S e e B ry a n t o n th e w ord A m p hi .
”
An l a i . . 316 .

2
Eu s e b Prae p
. . E a v ng . 1 09 .
 TH E

WS
O R HI P O F T H E S E RPE N T .

C H AP T ER V II .

T H E D E CLI N E O F S ER P E N T WR S
O HIP .
 C HAP T E R VI I .

T H E D E CLI N E O F S ER P E N T - WR S
O H IP .

H A V IN G traced the origin and progress of

O p h i o l atre i a ,
it may be u seful to ascertain
the ca u ses and periods of its decline S u ch an .

inq u iry th o u gh l i ttl e more than a recapitu lation

,
‘

o f facts already mentioned w ill tend to give a

,

c learer vie w of the s u bj ect as a w ho l e ; and to

m eet an obj ec tion w hich migh t be u rge d against

the l e gitim ac y of some o f th e preceding i n

l

fe re n c e s. The arg u ment of O p h i ol atre ia may

in s ome cases appear to have been gro u nded
u pon ins u ffi cient data : fac ts may have been
appealed to in s u pport of the theory w hich may

seem to have had their origin in accident or in ,

s u perstitio n s apparently u nconnected w ith the

w orship of the s erpent Bu t if reasons can be

.

a ssigned for the partial prevalence o f O h i ol a

p
treia in some co u n tries and its non appearance
,
-

in others and its total s uppression in all w here

,

10
4 14 T HE D E C LINE O F SERPEN T W O RSHIP -
.

ever it once reigned in plentit u de of po w er the ,

arg u ment of this treatise w ill be restored and

established .

It is not to be expected that the w orship of

the serpent sho u ld be fo u nd prevailing w ith the
same degree of inte n sity in every co u ntry L ocal .

circ u mstances at this distance of years im p o s

,

sible to be estima ted may have ca u sed m an y

,

modifications even if the idolatry had been

,

originally u nif orm ly di ffu s ed B ut I d o not

.

con ten d for u nif orm di ffu sion the arg u me nt is

,

u nive r and not

s al i t
, y f
u ni orm i t
y .

The preval ence of this idolatry has bee n

proved to be so general that w e have a reason
,

able gro u nd for consideri n g it as at one time

or other u nive rsal . The princi p al ca u ses to
.
'

w hich the decline of serpent w orship m ay be re

-

—
ferred are re ligious w ars hos tile invasi ons
me n t l
a i m p rove m e n t —
the p rogre ss of Chris tiani ty

and the M oham m e d an c onqu es ts .

I n the infancy of mankind tru e religion w as

l imi ted to the descendants of S eth The chil .

dren of C ain carried w ith th e m from P aradise ~

—
all that the Tree of Kno w ledge co ld teach the
u

”
kno w ledge of w orldly good and of moral ,

“ ”
e vi l
. The rapid development of the h uman
 T HE D E C LINE O F SERPEN T W O RSHIP -
4 15

mind in every science w hich tended to the promo

tion of earthly comfor ts w as strongly exemplified
“
in this aposta te family and proved that the ,

” “
children of this w orld w ere al w ays in their
generation w iser than the children of light in
things w hich concern the gratification of the
senses .

O f th e family of S e th little is recorded besides

their names and that little ass u res u s that they
,

”
w ere n o t of this w orld Bu t scarcely had C ain
.

“
departed from the garden of E den before h e
b u ilt him a city and cal led the name of the city
,

after th e name of his son E noch W hen the l

in c rease of his family s u gges ted separation n e w ,

inventions arose from the n e w necessity Jabal .

,

his descendant in th e fi fth degree intro d u ced ,

the u se of tents and the arts of agric u ltu ral and

,

pastoral l ife . H e w as the father of s u ch as

d w ell in tents and of s u ch as have cattle
,
At

the same time as if to sho w that simplicity of

,

manners w as not essentially the characteristic of

a asto ral life his brother J u bal invented the
p ,

elegant art of m u sic H e w as the father of

.

them that handle the harp and organ An d

1
Ge n i v 1 7
. . .
2
l b 20
. .
3
lb 21
. .
4 16 T HE D E C LINE O F SERPEN T W O RSHIP -
.

to complete the pict ure of w orldly ease and

comfort as enjoyed by the more godless of the
,

sons of Adam another brother T u balcain be

, , ,

came an instru cter of every artifi c e r in brass

and iron S o that probably in less than three
h u ndred years from th e creation of man civiliza
tion had arrive d at s u ch a degree of perfection ,

that not only the necessaries bu t even the ,

l u x uries of life w ere to be fo und in the family of

the fu gitive C ain .

N othing like this is recorded of th e posterity

o f S eth Al l tha t w e kno w of them is the simple
.

“
bu t interesting fact that E noch w alked w ith
,

God and w as n ot for God took him

, ,
Ho w
di fferent from that E noch the son of C ain re
.
, ,

membered only by the city w hich bore his name

The a w fu l ex ten t of idolatry in those days
”
o f reb u ke and blasphemy is strongly depicted
in the short bu t memorable record I n those
days began men to call u pon the name of the
L ord 3
N o t that they had ne v er called u pon
this name bef ore bu t that ind u ced by the w ick
, ,

e d n e ss w hich w as increasing aro u nd them the y ,

”
gave th emselves the n more earnestly to prayer .

1
Ge n i v 2 2
. . .
2
Ih . v. 29 .
3
Ih i v 2 6
. . .
 T HE D E C LINE O F SERPE T W O RSHIP N -
4 17

Architec tu re , invented by their un godly kins

m e n had been ab u sed to th e erection of heathen
,

”
temples . Brass and iron introd u ced for
,

domestic p u rposes had been prostitu ted to the

,

service of an insane idolatry : w hile a delirio u s

’

m u ltitu de w ere dancing before its al tars to the

so u nds of licentio u s m u sic I t w as high time.
,

then for the remnant of the sons of S e th to

,

”
call u pon the name of the L ord w hen rival ,

s u perstitions disp u ted the dominion once hel d by

the religion of J E H O V A H .

At that time probably commence d the reigns

, ,

of the tw o great Apostasies w hich for so many ,

ages divided and desolated the heathen w orld

,
.

The w orsh l p of the SUN and the w orship of the

,

—
SERPEN T the one a s u perstition of nat u re th e ,

—
other a s u pers tition of tradition then probably , ,

W
u s u rped the throne of tr u e religion .

e have seen that these tw o w ere the most

ancient of false religions an d that there is every

,

gro u nd of co nj ect u re for assigning to each an

ante di l u vian origin The very form of the e x
.

pression , The n began men to call u pon the

”
n ame of T HE L O R D ,
i ntima tes that som e m e n had
called u pon other names This distinction be .

t w een tru th and falsehood w o u ld hardly have

'

E C
418 T HE D E C LIN E or SERPEN T W O RSHIP -
.

been draw n had there been no fal se religions to

furnish the distinction Th at s o m e kinds of
.

idolatry m u st have prevai l ed b efore the flood is ,

probable from the consideration that m oral tu r

,

i tu d e onl w ou ld scarcely have bee n s u fficient

p y ,

W
to draw do w n the c u rse of God u pon a w hole
w orld . I mmorality do u btless
,
as a w fully ,

prevalent : b ut u ngod liness also m u st ha v e pre

vail ed to an equ al or greater d egree God .

w o u ld scarcely have been so provoked had n o t ,

men prostit u ted their so u ls to S atan as w ell as

their bodies to carnal l u sts .

S u ch being the case no s u perstitions w ere

, ‘

more n atu ral than the w ors hip of the SUN the ,

so u rce of life and s trength an d vegetation and

the w orship of th e SERPEN T the record ed au ,

thor of the most w onderfu l revol u tion in the

moral w orld w hich the tong u es of men and
,

angels co u ld ever record A crea tu re w hich .

,

u nder th e agency of an i n d w elling spirit co u l d ,

destroy th e best w ork of God u pon earth ,

s eemed to the ignorant and carnal mi nd pos

, ,

sessed of a po w er almost if not altogether , ,

. t—
divine H ence the origin of se rp en w orship .

Am on g the many arg u ments w hich prove the

priori ty of these tw o s u perstitions not the least ,
 TH E D E C LINE OF SERPEN T W O RSHIP -
.

availabl e is their c onstant hos ti li ty in every

co u ntry in th e w orld S u ch an hostility w o u ld
.

be the nat u ral res u lt of th e position w hich they

occ u pied as the tw o earlies t of s u perstitions .

Tru e religion bei ng obsc u red (as w e hav e every ,

reason to believe it w as ) the w orship pers of the

,

s u n w o u ld nat u rally arrogate to themselves the

privilege of the tr u th : and th e F all of M an

being remembered as the w ork of the SERPEN T ,

they w o uld as nat u rally regard the O phites as

w orshippers of the D e vi l and feel themselves
,

u nder a bond of eternal enmity against them .

H ence the w hole stru ggle originating in the ,

aggressions of the w orshippers of the s u n and ,

carried on by the retaliation of the w orship

pers of the serpent Tradition is fu ll of their
.

perpet u al fe uds They en ter into almost every

.

leading fable ; are depicted u pon some of the

mos t ancient w orks of art and recorded in some,

of the oldest histories of m an F or the v e rifi c a .

tion of these assertions it w ill be expedient to

,

take a s u rvey of those co u ntries in w hich O p h io

l atre i a has principally prevailed .

1 B A B Y L O N O f Babylon w e kno w little

. .

beyond the fact that they of the c i ty w orshipp e d

,

E e 2
42 0 TH E D E C LINE or SERPEN T W O RSHIP
-
.

”
a d ragon , hom D aniel the prophet destroyed
w

by his prayers I n conseq u ence of this tri u mph

.
,

the idolatry w as prohibited by a royal decree .

The da te of this prohibition is assig ned to the

first year of king C yr u s The symbol ical w o r .

ship ho w ever con tin u ed for many years after

, ,

w ards D i o d o ru s S i c u l u s havi n g seen in the

,

r u ined te m ple o f Bel im ages of sil ver serpents,

asso c iated w ith the ordinary gods of the

Gentiles .

2 P ERSIA L ess acc u rate inform ation as to

. .

circ u mstances bu t equ ally certai n as to th e

,

princi p al fact is fo u nd in the history of P ersia

, .

Ho w far the w orship of the H ost of H eaven m ay

have s u perseded that of the serpent in the time
of C yr u s w h o governed both Babylon and
,

P ersia is u nkno w n I t is probable that the

,
.

decree w h ich s uppressed O p h i ol atre ia in the

former s u ppressed it also in the latter co u ntry
, .

B u t the rise of Z oroa ster and the decisive s u ccess

of his doctrines u nqu estionably overthre w every
,

other false religion in the P ersian empire I f .

this philosopher w as as some s u ppose a servant, ,

of the prophet D aniel the influ ence acq u ired by ,

th e mas ter over th e m inds of the n ation w o u ld

 T HE D E C LINE or SERPEN T W O RSHIP
-
. 42 1

n at urally impart some po w er to the disciple ;

and the roy al decree having opportu nely abo
l i sh e d O p h i o l atre i a an op ening w as made for
,

any n e w system of religion w hich an artfu l and

infl u ential teacher might desire to inc ulcate
’

Z oroaster seized the favo u rable momen t and met

w ith no resis tance . H is s u ccess w as the more
ass u red since he appeared rather as a reformer
,

than an originator The ol d M ag ian idolatry

.
‘

ass u med u n d er his hand a more all u ring appear

, ,

ance . S ome of its me taphysical abs u rdities

\

w ere removed and its simplicity of w orship p u t

,

on the gorgeo u s apparel of a faith w hich appealed

to the senses rather than to the imagination .

”
Fire temples arose above the naked hill al tars
of their r u der ancestors ; an d the sacred flame
w hich his hallo w ed or daring hand w as s u pposed

to have bro u ght do w n from heaven w as religio u sly ,

g u arded by an appointed priesthood S o a w fu l .

w ere the sanctions of th i s n e w religion that the ,

w hole nation gave w ay to the irresistible evide n ce

of its divine a u thority The w orshippers of the

.

serpent if any remained q u ailed under the

, ,

geni u s of a prophet w h o had gazed u pon the

tr u e S c h e c hin ah ; and the portion of fire w hich
h e exhibited in toke n of his asce nt to heaven
, ,
422 T HE D E C LINE or SERPEN T W O RSH IP -
.

le d captive th e m ind s of a trembling p eople

prepared to believe any thing of the servant of
D aniel The w orship of the serpent therefore
.
, ,

fell and there w as no bl ood u pon the s w ord of

,

the tri u mphant religion .

3 . HI N D fi S TA N the case in
. Far di ffe rent w as
Hin d fi s tan The re fable and history alike teem
.

w ith the perpet u al co n flic ts of the s u n and serpent . .

S urya is ever the enem y of B u dha The latter .

,

u nder the hatefu l form of a s e r e n t h ad carried

p ,

o ff the da u ghter of th e so n of M an n a and stol e n a

the sacred books of C rish n a the incarnate son ,

of Brahma O ne of h i s family had also seized

.

u pon a horse w hich the son o f R amah had de

signed to be sacrificed to the s u n The race of

B u dh a w as therefore proscribed an d the chi l d
ren of S u rya i e the w orshippers of the s un
,
. .
,

an d the children Of C ri sh n a i e th e vo tarie s

'

. .
,

of th e i nc arnate S on of God felt themselves .

,

called u pon to exe c ute the sentence The

o ffences im pu ted to the se r p e n t B u dha are re

m arkable The abd uc tion of the w om an and the

.
/ ,

s te a l ing f
o the s ac re d boohs f
o the inc arna te God ,

1
To d ’
s Raj ah stan , 5 3 5 .
 T HE D E C LINE O F SERPEN T -
W
O RSHIP . 4 23

ind icate the event s in P aradise as the remote

and traditional ca u se of the animosi ty .

The e ffec ts of this h osti l ity w ere soon appa

r e n t L ong before the fatal irr u p tion of the
.

M ohammedans the vengeance of the allies had

s w ep t like a simo om over th e cities of the
, ,

O phites Alexander the Great fo u nd this u n

.

happy remnant isolated i ri the range of mo u n

tains w hich lie to the w est of the I nd u s i n
.
,

Ca u b u l . U pon th e mo u n tain Tah u nder their ,

king and priest Taxi les a tribe of Hin d fi s se

,

c u rely w orshipped th e abomination of P aradise .

The M acedonian monarch was sho w n an enor

”
m o u s dragon five acres in ex tent w hich w as
, ,

th e obj ect of their adoratio n This dragon w e

.
,

have seen co u ld have been nothing bu t a d ra

,

c onti um ,
for it is meas u red by its sup e rfic ial e x
te n t i n l and m e asure w hich w as the u niv e rsal
,

method of describing serpent temples both in

poetry and his torical prose I n these i dolaters
.

the invader of I ndia fo u nd n at u ral and faithfu l

allies against the common enemy P or u s Bu t .

his retirement left them at the mercy of their

exasperated foes w h o w ere not slo w in exacting
,

vengeance I n the process of time they w ere

.

expelled from the fas tnesses of Z abu l i stan and

424 T HE D EC LINE O F SE RP EN T -
W
O SHIP
R .

and scattered through th e P unj ab They re .

mained in this broken condition u ntil the M o

.

h am m e d an Afghans b u rs ting in among them

w i th the t erribl e alternative o f the s w ord or '

”
the K oran completed their destru ction
,
.

The feroci ty w ith w hich the w ars of S u rya and

B u dha had been carried on may be estimated ,

by the recital of a single fact The Taksh ac s .

had slain a king of D elhi and his s u ccessor in , ,

revenge sacrificed in one campaign tw enty

,
.

thou san d of this small bu t devoted race 1

.

I t ceases therefore to be a matter of s u rprise

, , ,

that the idolatry of the serpent very soon de

generated in to the mere mythic and symbol ical
w orship w hich n ow characterizes the religion of

the Brahmins .

4 . C HINA B URMAH and S IAM These co u n

, , .

tries retain bu t fe w I mpressions of th e m p rI m e val

s uperstitions They w ere more u nder the infl u
.

ence of Bu d h i sm than Hin d fi stan bu t their -

present religion s are soT fiffe re nt from the sim

r

p l i c it
y of O p h i ol atre i a tha t w ,
e canno t help su s

p e c tin
g th e al terations to have been prod u ced by

1
T o d s Raj ah stan
’

, 536 .
 T HE D E C LINE or SERPEN T W O RSHIP -
. 4 25

the grad ual encroachmen ts of the Br ah minical

doctrine s I t is di ffi c u l t at this distance of time
.
, ,

to assign al l th e reasons of the decline of th e ser

pent w orship w hich from th e adoration of the
'

mystical dragon w e concl u de m u st have once

,

overspread these co untries I n C hina ho w ever .

, ,

the celebrated C onfu ci u s m ight have reformed

the old idolatry and perhaps left it in its present
,

form That C onfu ci u s w as born a serpent w or

.
-

shipper is probable from the fable that tw o se r

,

e n ts a ttended his m ystical w ashi n g

1
p

5 I n ARA B IA the w orship of the serpent w as

.
,

ve r
y early over thro w n an d gave w a
y to the ,

adoration of the H ost of H eaven Bu t if any .

W
traces of this s u perstition lingered among the
inn u merable idolatries of a la n d hich w as o n ce
divided betw een AU R and AU B the s w ord and -
,

the K oran made an equ al end of all .

6 .S YRIA The S yrian O phites w hen scat

.

te re d by the victorio u s arms of J o sh u a preferred 2

, ,

for the most part to resign their co u ntry rather

,

th an forsake their creed Those of th e H ivites .

1
K oe m p fe rJap a n, 246 .

2
Boc h art . See al s o c h . iii . Gre e c e .
426 TH E D E C LINE or SERPEN T W O RS HIP
-
.

of M o u n t L i ban u s w h o co u ld not hide th e m

,

selves among their native rocks (and th u s fu lfil

“
the divine d ecree of being left to pro e I srael) v
,

carried th e irre l ig ion into the islands of the Archi

pelago into Thrace into M acedonia into Gre e c e
'

.
, , ,

Their s u bse quent history is to be fo u nd in the :

fables of mythology in w h ich the synchrono u s ,

-

march o f C adm u s to the Hellespont may indi

ca te th e retreat of a party of K adm on ites in that
d irection Thu s w as the O ph i Ol atre ia of the
.

C anaanites ove r thro w n and the small remnant ,

w hich remained had their re ven g e by tempting

,

the I sraelites to w o r ship the brazen serpen t of 1

.

M oses w h ich had been p reserved as o n e of the

,

memorials of their deliverances in the W ilder -

a

ne ss T his Sm all remnant of H ivites avo we dly

.
,

”
left by Jeho vah to prove I srael , w as never
e n tirely exterminated : for the spirit of O p h i o

l atre i a again manifes ted itself in t h e early ages

of C hristianity in the form of the O phite heresy ,

agai nst w hich the p e Ep ip h an i u s C lemens ,

Al e x an drin u s and Ter t I an w ere so po w erfully

, ,

di rec ted 2
.

7 . E G YP T . O p h iol atre ia w as never predo

1
i
2 K ng s x iii
v . 4 .
2
Se e eh. i . Sy ria .
 T HE D E C LINE or S E RPEN T W O R S HIP
-
. 4 27

minant in E gyp t I t formed b ut one of a

.

m u ltit u de of s u perstitions w hich divided tha t

,

co u ntry into as many religions as there w ere

dis tric ts Their m u tu al ani m osi ty is w ell de
.

scribed by J u venal in his nine teenth S atire .

The immortale odi u m e t n u nq u am san abile ~

.

”
v u ln u s of religio u s antipathy is ill u s trated by
a tale of a ba ttle betw een the O mbi and the
‘

people of Ten tyra — and do u btless the same

Spirit of discord w as u niversal I t w as ho w ever .
, ,

all h u shed by the herme tic seal of th e preachers

of the K oran .

8 . A B YSSINIA M ore di stinct traces of the

.

state of serpent w orship w ere left in E thiopia

-
.

O n the borders of Abyssinia the serpent is still

w orshipped by the S hangalla N e g ro es ; bu t the

glory of its overthro w in the more civilized

portions of the land of Habe sh is ascribed to ,

nine missionaries of the C hristian ch u rch of

Alexandria . Fe w facts in his tory are more

clearly recorded than the conversion of the
Ab yssinian O phites I t occ u rred d u ring the
.

E piscopacy of Athanasius abo u t th e middle of

'

the fo u rth cen tu ry »

4 28 T HE D E C LINE O F SERPEN T W O RSHIP -
.

9W HI D AH E q u ally circ umstantial is the

. .
'

narrative of the s u ppression of O p h i ol atre i a in

W hidah The fatal blo w w as gi v en i n 1 7 2 6
.
,

by the D ahomeys w h o destroyed all the ,

serpents w hich had been kept for religio u s p u r

poses C aptain S n e l g rav e visited the place on l y
.

three w eeks after the event I n other parts of .

Africa the s u perstition s u nk beneath the s c y m e

tars of the M ohammedan Arabs : bu t if it still
contin u e to linger among t h e mo u ntains of the
in terior the sa m e fatal enemy w ill find it o u t
,
1

10 The w orshippers of the serpent had as

.

little rest in E u rope The u nremitting hostility .

of the children of the su n is indelibly stamped

u pon the annals of Grecian fable The contest .

of Apollo and P ython for the temple of D elphi ,

w as a s tr u ggle of the s u n w orshippers for an -

,

O phite sanct u ary O ne remarkable featu re.

,

ho w ever disting uishes the fable The promise

,
.

of P aradise fi nd sTa} sing u lar parallel in the

history of Apollo and this very circ u mstance
2

thro w s a light u pon the c ause of the hostility

against the s erpen t I t w o uld appear by the .

1
L an d r Pr fa
e
’
s Se
“ F ab l
ce. h
2
ee e s,
”
c . v.
 TH E D E C LINE or SERPEN T W O RSHIP -
. 429

fable that the z a be an s took possession of th e

D raconti u m of D elphi and s u b s titu ted their
,

o w n rites for those of th e O phites Bu t w he ther .

the co u ntry w as still fa vo u rably disposed tow ards

the old religion or w hether the u s u rpers desired
,

to innovate grad u ally w itho u t too m uch v iolence

to the prej u dices of the votaries of the serpent ,

they preserved the general form and fig u re of

.

the temple togethe r w it h som e of i ts pec uliar

,

c u stoms The serpentine aven u e w as therefore

.

only so far dist u rbed as to admit a central

circ u lar temple in hono u r of the S U N ; the 1

P y thone ss still gave her orac l es fr

om the d rac ontic
tripod ; and live se rp e nts w ere still kept in the
s u bterranean recesses A similar policy w as
.

observed by the tri u mphant children of the su n

in other parts of E u rope .

11 .The idolatry of the serpent lost its

integrity in T HRA C E M A C E DO NIA and E PIRUS
, , ,

in a more peaceable manner I t grad u al ly .

s u bsided in to the mysteries of D ion u s u s There .

’

is a mention of an attem pt to u nite i t w ith the

‘

idolatry of the s un by a reformer w hom history

has agreed to call O rphe u s The real mean
’

.
.

1
See c h . vi .
 43 0 T HE D E C LINE or SERPEN T W O RSHIP
-
.

”
ing of this w ord is probably The orac le of O R
, .

O
( p )r-
h i . O R w as the same as the O RUS of

the E gyptians and the U R of the C haldees ;

,

and w as a ti tle of the s un taken from his

attrib u te of ligh t Orphe u s then might have
.
, , ~

been som e remark abl e priest of the s u n w h o ,

i n tro d u c e d m any innovati ons into the religion

/

of Thrace O n this accou nt he w as probably

.

m u rdered by the Bacchantes in the h orrI bl e

m ann er described by the poets The Bac .
.

chantes w ere priestesses of the D ion u san O p h io

l atre i a w hich he a tte m pt ed to reform
, .

The persec u tion of O rphe u s by the w orship

pers o f the serpent is corroborated by a c u ri o u s
,

tradition preserved by O vid M etam lib xi

,
. . .

w hich me n tions the fate of his detr u ncated head .

I t w as carrie d by the H ebra s into the sea and ,

thro w n u pon the sands of the island of L esbos ,

w here a se r e n t endeavo u ring to lacera te it w as

’

p
changed by Ap ol lo into s tone ! This m e tam or
phosis relates pr o bably to a d rac ontium at L esbos ,

w hich w as an O phite settl ement : and the '

inference fro m the fable is this that the rem

—
nan t of the follo w ers of O rphe u s escaping from ,

the Thracian massacre and landing at L esbos

, ,

w ere inhospi ta b ly treate d by th e O phi tes of that

 T HE D E C LINE or SERPEN T W O RSHIP -
. 43 1

island bu t had the good fort u ne to el u de th eir

,

v iolence The fable of O rphe u s speaks al so

. .

of his w ife E u rydice havi n g been previo u sly

slai n by a se rp e nt This incident may mean
.

that some O rphic rite erso ni fi e d by this

p , .

name w as destroyed by the serpen t w orshippers

,
-
.

O rphe u s ho w ever seems to have regarded the

, ,

general policy of th e Z abe ans His I ns titu te s .

,

w hich have been preserved u nder the title of

”
the O rphic H ymns enrol th e serpen t as th e ,

chief symbol of the C abiri .

12 . The constant animosity of th e rival reli

gions of the su n and serpent is strikingly ill u s
trate d by the E tr u scan V ases w hich have been ,

lately fo u nd at C anino on the s u pposed site of,

the ancient V i tu l oni a W hether these vases .

w ere of native man u factu re or not the h i s to rl e s ,

w hich they record bel ong to Greece The S u b .

e c ts seem chiefly to be borro ed from th e

j w

Grecian M ythology and the Troj an w ar U pon .

several of the vases are w arriors fi ghting some ,

of w hose shields are charged w ith an e ag l e the ,

device of the su n w orshippers and others w ith

-
1
,

a se rp e nt the emblem of the O phites I n all

,
.

1
Tod ’
s Raj ah s tan , 5 3 5 .
432 T HE D E C LINE or SERPEN T W O RSHI P :
-

of them the w arrior w ith the eagl e shield is re l

presented as victorio u s
’

O ne of the v ases bears w hat is named a .

,

representation of H e c tor and c u rio u sly eno u gh , ,

his device is a se rp e n t N ow w e kno w from other

.

sou rces that the P hrygians w ere O phites and ,

this pictu re opport u nely ill u strates the fact I s .

it possible that the Troj an w ar may ha ve been

u ndertaken u pon a re l igi ous q u arrel I t is cer
tainl y strange that in all these historic pict u res

the Grecian w arriors are denoted by the emblem

of the sun and the Troj an by that of the mysti c
,

s e r e nt
p . The very ca u se of the q u arrel assigned

by tradition remarkably coincides w ith the I nd ian

story of the w ars of S u rya and B u dha The .

a w om an is stated to have been the

f
a bd u c tio n o

or I In of both the I ndian and the Troj an fe u ds

g .

13 . C O LC H o s . Bu t
hatever may have been
w

the tr u e nature of the Troj an w ar another event ,

in Gre c ian history almost as celebrated w as

, ,

u ndo u btedly an expedi tion against the odio u s

race of the serpent .

The voyage ofthe Argona u ts had avo w ed ]y a re s

l i gi o u s obj ec t ; and the storming of the D RA CO N

T IUM of C ol c h o s cannot be mis taken The cre w of .

the Argo might indeed have been w hat Bryant

 T HE D E C LI NE or SERPEN T W O RSHIP
-
. 433

— —
s u pposes they w ere A R K I T ES w o rshippers of
l -

the personified ark of N oah bu t according to

th e p rin c ip l e s of his o w n analysis Jason th e
‘

, ,

leader w as the same name as E son and fEso n ,

”
w as a compo u nd of fES fire and O N th e
,

S olar God The Argona u ts may therefore have

.

been u n d er the gu idance of a w arrior of th e S u n

—an inveterate and u niversal enemy of the
family of the S erpent .

I t matters not ho w ever w hat w as the religio n

, ,

of the naviga tors of th e Argo Their expedition

.

proves the c ustom of religio u s w ars agai nst the

O phites and their s u ccess determines the epoch
of th e o verthro w of O p hi ol atre ia in C olchis .

14 .
— —
B RI T AIN G AUL B RI T ANY &c C hang ,
.

ing the co u ntry w e change only the manner of

telling the same story The d estru ction of
.

O p hi o l atre i a in the w est and north of E u rope ,

tho u gh as complete as in the east w as bro u ght ,

abo u t in a more peaceabl e manner In Britain .

,

Gau l Germany and S candinavia the origi n al

, , ,

w orship of the serpent had been m u ch modified

by civilization before it w as s u bverted by the

missionaries of C hristian Rome .

I n B ritany ho w ever the idolaters maintained

, ,

F f
4 34 TH E D E C LINE O F SERPEN T W O RSHIP -
.

a more d e te rm l n e d op position : and if w e m ay

j u dge frOm some of th e p re se n t s u perstitions of w

the peasantry w ere never thoroug hly Con verted

, .

'

The O l d Z abe an policy o f grad u al con v ersion w as

‘

adopted b y the firs t missionaries of the C hristian

ch u rch I n stead of striking a d e cisive blo w at
1

once they deemed it more pr u dent to w ink

at a fe w errors than by precipitation inc u r the
,
'

d anger of a total fail u re H ence in th e vici nity .

of C ARNA C w hich may be called the Trac h o

,

”
'

nitis of E urope the ora c le of B ELUS is to be ,

found in the parish of B ELS ; the s e rp e n t the

'

u niversal emblem of consecration , decora tes the

exterior of s om e of the oldest c h u rches The .

sacred mo u nt of Fire near the av en u es of the D ra

c o n ti u m is a consecrated spot the ancient dance
of B A AL desc riptive of the O phite hierogram is
,

ann u all y exhibited at the carnival of E rd even

w hile th e peasant still t u rns his face i n pr a yer to
th e K e bi a o f th e O phites — '

the S erpent s head at ’

—
K e rz e rh o w hich bears accordingly the expres

s ive name of the p l ac e of the s tones o

fp yra er

15 . There remains then only one portion of , ,

1
T h e se tw o l atte r fa c ts were c omm i at d t
un c e o m e by m y

fri d
en Ge ne ral de Pe n ho u et.
 T HE D E C LINE o r SERPEN T W O RSH I P - . 435

th e globe in w hich w e have not acco u nted for *

the decline of serpent w ors h ip Bu t remarkable

-
.
,

—
as is the coinc idence w e find i n AMERI C A the
same agen t at w ork w hich overthre w O p h i ol atre ia
in Hin d fi stan in P ersia i n Greece nay in
,
" — , ,

almost every co u n try o f the kno w n w orld .

W e have remarked the prevalence of serpent

w orshi p in P ERU h i s tory has preserved the
ca u se of its e xtinction .

T u pac Yu panq u i the eleventh I nca marched

, ,

against the O phites w h o resided on the borders

of his dominions w ith the avo w ed obj ect o f ex
,

termination o r conversion H is s u ccess against .

tw o tribes o f I ndians is recorded in H arris s

’

C ollection of V oyages vol i p 7 8 4 , . . . .

H u ayna C apac the tw elfth I nca in l ike man

, ,

ner s u ppressed the O p h iol atre ia of the people of

M an ta 1
. I t is probable that at one tim e the
w orship of the serpen t w as the general religion

o f M e x ico and P er u The M exican hie rogl y

.

phi e s and stat u es ab u ndantly illu strate this fact : '

and th e pop u lar traditions of the P eru vi ans re s

e c tin M anco C apac rela te probably to the
p g
firs t s u ccessfu l missionary o f the S u n w h o 2

1
Garc il as so , l i b . ix . c. 8 .

R o
o be rts n s
’
A m e ri c a , ii . 29 3 .

F f 2
43 6 T HE D E C LINE O F SERPE N T W O RSHIP -
.

arrived as th e legends state from a foreign

, ,

co u ntry .

The tri u mphant children of the S u n co u ld

never ho w ever s u cceed in abolishing all traces
, ,

of serpen t w orship Like the rest of the Z abe an s

-
.

in other parts of the w orld they w ere compelled ,

to tolerate w hat they co u ld not extirpate M any .

O phite s u perstitions and practices w ere therefore

retained in the religions of M exico and P eru as ,

w e have seen u nder the head of O p h i ol atre i a in

those co u ntries .

The vic torio u s su n w orshippers co u ld n ot even

-

gain the absol u te ascendancy over the barbaro u s

people of N orth America The H igh P riest of the .

V irginians w ore even to the days of C hristian

,

conq u est a sacerd o tal ornament of snahe s shins

,
’

u pon his head analogo u s to the c u stoms of the

,

W
priests of the E gyptian I sis w hile the natives of
the co u ntry N of L o uisiana (eve n do w n to
. .
,

the ye ar 1 7 4 1 ) had h is body tattooed w ith the

u nited e m blems of the SUN and the SERPEN T and
,

carried in his hand a sacr ificial instr u ment

carved w ith the representation of A SERPEN T
UP O N T HE SUN !
.
1

W e have no w taken a general and c u rsory

1
S e e th e P l ate .
 T HE D E C LINE O F SERPEN T W O RSHIP -
. 43 7

s ur vey of the cau s es w hich pro d u ced the declin e

of serpent w orship the chief of w hich app ears
-

to have been the u niform hostility of the w o r

shippers of the su n W hatever this hostility
.

spared w as almost annihilated by the preaching

,

of the early C hristians or the s w ord and the

'

K oran of the inflexible M ohammedans The .

M ohammedans in the east and the C hristians ,

in the w est completed w hat h ad been begu n by

,

the children of S u rya and carried on by the ,

i —
votaries of C r sh n a or Apollo the advent u rers ,

of the heroic ages and the arms of the host of ,

Josh u a S o th at fe w and almost imperceptible

.

are the traces n o w existing of an idolatry w hich

’

once called the w orld its o w n The s u bj ects of .

the poetical apostrophe of L u can ,

Vos q oq q i
u ue ti i
u o xi
c u nc s nn aN U M I N A te rri s
rp i ti a ra to i tidi f l g o r D RA CO N E S
”
Se s u n u e ,

are n o w coiled obsc u rely in the w oods of the

Abyssinian S hangalla or the almost inaccessible ,

mo u ntains of central Africa protected only by ,

the impossibility or in u tility of the p u rs u it .

Bu t it is not for u s to lament the fee ble traces

of a s u perstition w hich only commemorates the

victory of the evil spirit over the so ul of the
fallen man I dolatry has been permitted long
.
438 TH E D E C LINE or SERPEN T W O RSHIP-
.

ve the divine Chris tianity

e nou
g h to
p ro
f ori
gi n o

an d this po int being established it becomes every,

believer in th e Gospel o f C hrist to pray that

.
.
,

the w hole earth may be filled w ith the kno w

ledge o f the L ord as the w aters cover the sea
,

and that th e ki ngdoms of this w orld may be

come the kingdoms of GOD and of His C HRI S T
”
and tha t th ey may reign w ith the H O LY
'

S PIRI T in one u ndivided Godhead

, F O R E V ER ,

”
AN D E vER .
 TH E

WS
O R HI P O F T H E S E RPE N T .

C H AP T ER V II I .

S U MM A R Y .
 C H AP T ER V III .

S U MM A RY .

IN the preceding pages w e have traced

T HE W O RSHIP O F T H E SERPEN T from B aby l onia ,

east and w est thro u gh P e rsia H ind us tan

, , ,

China, M e x ic o , B ri tain , S c and inavia , I taly , I l ly

ric um , Thrac e , Gre e c e , A sia M inor,
and P hoe
nic i a
. Again w e have observed the same idol
,

atry prevail ing north and so u th thro u gh S cy thia

,

o n the one hand and Af ric a on the other

, .

TH E W O RSHIP O F T HE S ERPEN T WAS T HERE ,

F O RE UNIVERSAL For not only did the sacred

, .

serpent enter into the symbolical and ri tu al

service of every religion w hich recognised T HE
SUN ; bu t w e even find him in co u ntries w here
—
solar w orship w as altogether u nkno w n as in
S arm atia S c and inavia and the Gol d Coas t of
, ,
4 42 SUMMARY .

Af ric a I n every kno w n co u ntry of the ancient

.

w orld the serpent formed a prominen t fe atu re

in the ordinary w orship and made no inc on ,

s i d e rabl e fig u re in their H agiographa entering ,

alike into legendary and astronomical m th o

y
logy .

W hence then did this O NLY UNIVERSAL

, ,
-

I DO LA T RY o rI gIn ate ? That it p re c e d e d P O LY

T HEISM is indicated by the attrib u tion of th e
,

title O PS and the consecration of the symbol

,

I cal serpent to so many of the heathen deities .

The title O PS w as conferred u p on Terra V est a , ,

,
—
Rhea C ybele J u no D ian a and e ven Vu lcan
, ,

is called by C i c ero 0 p as 1
,
x

I n Grecian mythology the symbolical se r ,

pent w as sacr e d to S at u rn Ju p i te r Ap ollo ,

r
, , ,

Bacch u s M ars ZEsc ul ap i u s Rhe a J uno M i

‘

, , , , ,

n e rvaM D i an a ,
—
C eres an d P roserpi ne tha t is , ,

the s erpent w as a sacr e d embl e m of ne arly al l

the go d s and g od d esse s 2
.

The same remark m ay be ex tended to the

Theogonies of Egypt , H ind ustan and M exi c o — ,
v

in all of w hich w e find the s e rpent embl ematic

:
,

n o t of one deity bu t o f m an
y
«
.
,
-

1
Bry ant, i 61 . .
i
2
Jus t . M art Ap o l
. : i . 60 .
 SUMMARY . 443

W hat then ,
is the inference
.
— That the se r

pent w as the m os t anc ie nt o f and the he a the n g od s

that as his attrib u tes w ere m u ltiplied by s u per

s ti tio us d e votion n e w nam e s w ere inve n ted to
,

represent the n e w p e rsoni fi c ation s w hich in the ,

progress o f time di viding the u ni ty destroyed

, ,

the integri ty of the original w orship Ye t each .

of these schismatic s u perstitions bore some faint

trace of its dracon ti c origin in retaining the ,

symbolical serpent S o m e of these d e ifi c atio n s

.

m a be easily traced tho u gh others are obsc u re

y ,

and di ffic ult .

The m ystic serpent entered in to th e m y th o

l ogy o f e ve ry n ation ; consecrated almost every

temple ; s ymbolized alm ost every deity ; w as

imagined in th e heavens stamped u pon the ,

earth an d ru led in th e realms of eve rlasting

,

sorro w . H is s u bti l ty raise d him into an emblem

, ,

of w isd om ; he w as therefore pictu red u pon the

ae gis of Minerva and cro w n ed her helmet
,
The .

hnow l e dg e of f u turi ty w hich he displayed in P ara

dise exalted him into a symbol of vaticination

he w as therefore orac u l ar and reigned at D elphi ,
.

“ ”
The Op e ning of the ey e s of o u r del u ded first
parents obtained him an altar in the temple of
the god of he aling ; he is therefore the constant
10
444 SUMMARY .

comp anion of ZEsc u l ap iu s I n the d istrib u tion

.

of his q u alities the geni u s of mythology did not

even gloss over his malignant attrib u tes The .

fascination w ith w hich he intoxicated the so u ls

of the first sinners depriving them at once of
,

p u rity and immortality of the image of God and

,

of the life of angels w as symbolically remem

,

bered and fatally celebrated in the orgies of

Bacch u s w here se rp e n ts cro w ned the heads of the
,

”
Bacc hantes and the P oc u l u m Boni D ae m on is
,

circ u lated u nder the a u spices of the O phi te

hierogram chased u pon its rim Bu t th e most 1
.

remarkable remembrance of the po w er of the

paradisiacal serpent is displayed in the position
w hich he retains in Tartar u s A c u nod rac ontic
.

C erberu s g u ards the gates ; s e rp e n ts are coiled

u pon the chariot w heels of P roserpine ; s e r e nts
p
pav e the abyss of torment ; and even se rp e n ts
constitu te the cad u ce u s of M erc u ry the talis ,

man w hich he holds w hen he conveys the

so u l to Tartar u s The image of the se rp e nt is
.

stamped u pon every mythological fab l e con

n e c t e d w ith the realms of P l u to I s it not then .

p ro babl e
,
that in the u niversal symbol of hea -

1
S e e Arc h olae . vo l . 7 .
 SU M MARY . 445

then idolatry w e recognize the u niversal obj ec t

—
of primitive w orship TH E SERPEN T o r PARA
D ISE.

Bu t thi s inference depends n o t on m e re

s m bo lic al w ors hip : for w e trace the sacred
y
serpent by the lamp of tradition thro u gh the
, ,

w aters of the del u ge to the w orld w hich they

over w helmed I n the mythological systems of

.

Hi n d fi s tan and E gypt w e find him as T HE , ,

C AUSE of that aw fu l cal amity m ovi n g in the ,

w aters ,
and tro u blin g the deep : and a Bra h
m i n i c al legend indicates his existence even be

ore tha t visi ta ti on I n the channel o f the river

f .

Ganges in the province of Bahar is a remark

, ,

able rock u pon w hich is sc u lptu red a fi g u re of

,

V e sh n u reposing u pon a serpen t This serpent .

is fabled to have been the god dess D E V I or IS I ,

w h o ass u med the form to carry V e sh n u over

the del u ge The sleep of V e sh n u indicates the

.

e riod be tw e e n the tw o w orl d s

1
p M ay w e not .

then infer that this lege n d all u des to the exist

e n ce of the sacred serpent in th e w orld before
the flood An d fu rther is it n o t probable since , ,

this sacre d S erpen t is confou nded w ith IS I ,

”
1
Se e O p h i ol i n Hi n d fi s tan
. .
44 6 SUMMARY .

(the I S I S of E gypt —th e E ve of S cript u re

“
that the tradition recognises T HE S ERPEN T O E R

PARA D I SE ?

The only w orship w hich can vie w ith that

of the serpent in an tiq u ity or u niversality ,

is th e adoration of the SUN Bu t u niformly .

w ith the progr ess of the solar s u p erstition has ,

advanc e d the sac red se r pent from Babylon

to P eru If the w orship of T HE SUN there
. .
,

fore w as the first deviation fro m the tru th ;

,

the w orship of THE SERPEN T w as one of the ’

first innovations of i d olatry W hatever do u bt .

may exist as to w hich w as the firs t error little

’

d oubt can arise as to the p rim i tive and an te d i

l u vian character of bo th For in the earliest
.

heathen records w e find them ine xplicably inter

w oven as the first o f s u perstitions Th u s .

E gyptian mythology informs u s that H ELIUS ,

he s u n) w as the first of the E gyp tian gods ;

( t !

for in earl y history kings and gods are gene

,

rally confo u nded Bu t H eli u s married O PS

.
,

the s e r e n t d e i t ! and became father of O siris

’

p y ,

I sis Typhon Apollo an d V e nu s : a tradition 2

’

i
.
, , ,

”
1
Se e FA B LEs -
Typ on .

2
Eu s e b Prae p
. . E a v ng . p . 4 5, c i ti ng M ane th o .
 SUMMARY . 44 7

w hich w o u ld make th e s u p erstitions coeval .

This fable being red u ced to more simple terms ,

informs u s that the SUN h avin g m arri e d the

, ,
‘

SERPEN T became by this u nion the father of

, , ,

A d am and E ve T HE EVI L SPIRI T the se rp e n t

, ,

s ol ar d e i t
y and LUS T
, ; w hich appears to be a '

confu sion of script u ral tr u ths in w hich chrono ,

logical order is sacrificed frOm the s impli fi cation

— —
of a fable Bu t ex p e d e H e rc u lem from the
.

small fragments of the tru th whi c h are here '

combined w e may j u dge of th e original d im e n

,

sions of the kno w le d ge w hose ru ins are th u s

‘

heaped together W e may concl u de that.

,

since id olatry lus t the se rp e n t and the e vi l sp iri t

, , , ,

are here said to have been synchrono u s w ith

T HE FIRS T MAN and W O MAN the w hole fable
'

is little more than a mythological version of the

'

e v ents in P aradise .

The firs t sinne rs an d the firs t sin are w ell

placed in the same family w ith the a u thor of
all evil : and as thro u gh the serpent he w as
, ,

introd u ced in to P aradise ; and thro u gh the

serpent they died from righteo u sness and
, ,

w ere born ane w in S In — TH E SERPEN T may ,

w ell be allegorically represented as the parent

of each .
448 SUMMARY .

The reviver of O p h iol atre i a after the flood , ,

m u st have b een one of the family of N oah ;

for so high can w e trace its post dilu vian his
‘

tory S an c h oniath o n tells u s that S A T URN

.
, ,

coming into the so uth co untry gave the w hole ,

of E gypt to T HE G OD TA A U TU S for his king

dom 1

No w Taau tu s w as th e inventor of post dil u vian -

O p hi ol atre i a ; and since S at u rn w as N oah

2
,

acc ording to every system for the interpre tation

of mythology it is historical ly certain that
,
*

d u ring the lifetime of this patriarch or shortly ,

after his death T HE W O RSHIP O F T HE SERPEN T ,

w as revived i n E gypt .

Bu t not only in E gyp t m u st w e look for its

early revival W e have traced it in co untries
.

w hich never co u ld have had interco u rse w ith

the kingdom of T aau tu s u ntil the voyages of ,

the P hoe nicians or the conq u ests of the R omans

, ,

opened a passage for its mysteries An d then .

he re i n the remotest regions of the earth

,

amidst the fastnesses of W ales and the w ild s

—
of W iltshire w ere fo u nd a people w h o adored
,

the same god symbolized by the same serpent

, ,

1
Ap u d : Eu s e b Prae p E v p
. . . . 39 .
2
Ibid .
 SUMMAR Y 4 49

and propitiated w ith the sam e A s ac rifi c e —

HUMAN VI C T I M '
W ho remembered in their
~

mythology the same primeval tradition of

T HE W O MAN PERSE C U T E D B Y T HE M ALI G NAN T
D RA G O N ; and blended w ith th e i r fabl e s s u ch ‘

records of the Fall of M an as co u ld hardly

have been de vised by their o w n invention irre ,

lative as they are to every other part of their

idolatry .

Th u s th e v eneration of the O A K (w hich did

n o t cond u ce to an n atio n al u tility as they never
y ,

c u t it do w n ) w as totally u nconnected w ith their

,

theological system an d m u st therefore have been

,

handed do w n to them by immemorial c u stom ,

the meaning of w hich had been lost in the dark

ness of ages .

The same adoration of tre es i n conj u nction ,

w ith serpent w orship

-
prevailed in the still
,

darker regions of S armatia and among the infi ,

n i te l
y more degraded natives of the coast of
Africa An d w h o can have the hardihood to ven
.

t u re an assertion that s u ch a s u perstition w as the

,

inven tion of one polished nation and conveyed , ,

by their commercial or w arlike enterprises into ,

co u ntries c ut off by trackless oceans or i m m e a

sur abl e deserts ? W ho can assert w ith any , ,

“
9
8
4 50 SUMMARY .

hope of making good his hypothesis that the ,

E gyptian philosopher or P h oe nician merchant

, ,

W
or Assyrian conqu eror instr u cted in the same
,

w orship the grovelling h i d an e se the erratic

,

S armatian or the inaccessible Briton

,
?

The i nland progress of the sacred serpe n t

might have been cond u cted by C hald aean colo
n ies into some o f the neighbo u ring districts but
in ages w hen the exploi ts of a Single traveller
fu rnished matter for fables as n u mero u s as they
w ere marve l lo u s i t is not at all likely that a
,

C hald aean colony w o u ld penetrate on th e one

side beyond the O u ral or on the other beyond
,

the Hi m al e h mo u n tains in s u ffi cient force to

,

revolu tionize the religion of those regions An d .

yet in remote C hina and secl u ded S candinavia

, ,

T HE SAME S E R PE N T h o l d s his dominion in the

‘

sea and his reign u pon the land ! Bu t if to

,

these distant d w ellings of the sacred dragon

w e add his immemorial habitation in Peru and

M exico the improbability that O p h i ol atre ia

,

w as a C hald ae an invention increases w ith ad

d itio n al force : and if C h al d ee a be deprived of

' '

the sceptre of u niversal proselytism w here ,

is the nation that can con tend for the dis

tinction
 SUM MARY . 45 1

W ith respect to the introd u ction of O p h i o

l atre i a into Britain it is hi storically certain '

that the P h oe nician s w e re the only people of

antiq u ity w h o p ushed their advent u ro u s barq u es
into these remote latitu des : and altho u gh in
some partic u lars the lang u ages and re ligions
‘

coincide y e t w e cannot imagine th at su c h a ' '

priesthood as T HE D RUI D S co uld have Spr u n g

from the slo w and solitary V essels w hich creep ,

ing along the coasts of Africa and Ga u l dis ‘

charged their ballast u pon t h e desert C assite

rides ; and u nconsciou s of any obj ect bu t that
,

of acc u mu l ating w ealth retu rned home w ith the

,

tin ore of those val u able isl ands That acci .

d ental circ u mstances in the lapse o f ages intro

'
‘

, ,

d u c e d many innovations into the religion of the

W est w e can readily believe : bu t to recognize
,

in the D r u ids th e magi of C haldea the philo

, ,

sophers of E gypt or the Brahmins o f Hin d fi stan

,
'

( except inasm u ch as they are all probably de

scended from the o rigi nal i d ol atro u s priesthood

’

dispersed at Babel ) is a refinement of conj ectu re

,

w hich req u ires more s u bs tantial proofs than have

hitherto been advanced I dentity of remote

.

origin w i l l satisfactorily acco u nt for identity of

opinions in co u ntries so separated by land and
G
g 2
4 52 SUMMARY .

sea w itho u t s u pposing any s u bseq u ent inter

,

co u rse by colonies o r navig ation .

I t appears then that no n ations w ere so geo

, ,

graphically remote or so religio u sly discordant , ,

bu t that one — and O N LY O NE — s u perstitio u s “ 1

cha r acteristic w as common to all that the most

civilized and the most barbaro u s bo w ed do w n
w ith th e s am e d e v o ti o n to the same engrossing
'

deity ; and that this deity either w as or w as ,

rep re sen te d b the same S A C RE D SERPE N T

y , .

I t appears also that in most if not al l the , ,

civilized co u ntries w here this serpent w as w o r

shipped some fable or tradition w hich involved
,

his history directly or indirectly all u ded to TH E

, ,

FALL O F MAN in P aradise in w hich T HE SERPEN T

’

w as concerned .

‘
1.

1
j
I t i s bu t a d r t
u st c eta t i
th a t M r F
to th e re
b r e o s e . a e

obj t t thi
ec s ol i e sw hi h I h attrib t d t th
e xc u s v ne s s c av e u e o e

i r al ity o f rp nt w or hip
u n ve s se I t fo rm d p art o f r g l ar
e -
s e a e u

sy t
s em h o b
,
”
r w
e hi h y t m w
se v e s , i r l ; b t r c s s e as un ve s a u se

p t
en w o-
r hip w n t
s i r al as
pp d t h
o r o w o r
u n ve shi p as o os e o e -
s

d S ab i i m My rti o n w fo nd d p o th
’7
an an s . asse rg as u e u n e a u

m t th at i om p art o f Af ri
en , n s nd i e S rm ti w h r s c a, a n a a a, e e

th l i ing m d i h a
W
e v rp nt w thse
p r e ty t r r
as n t r e su e e e ,
e e a e o ces

o f ny d m o w or hip r S abi i m
a ae n- h ra i
s ry
o an s . e e s n e ve

c o try w h r th
un w e en o bj t f id l atry th
e SU N N
as a ec o o , e S E R PE T

w l o
as a s rt d d i in
v e ne a e as v e .
 SUMMARY . 4 53

W hat follo w s then bu t that the m os t anc ie n t

, ,

ac c oun t respec ti n g th e ca u se and n at u re of this

sed u ction m u st be th e one from w hich al l the

rest are derived w hich represent the victorio u s
serpent victorio u s over man in a state o f i n no
,
-

cence an d s u bd u i ng his so u l in a state of sin

, ,

into the most abj ect veneration and adoration of

hi m self .

This acco u nt w e have in the w ritings of

Mo sEs — confessed l y the most ancient histo
,

rical records w hich exist in the w orld The .

w ritings of M O SES therefore contain the tru e

, ,

h istory and the serpent Of P aradise is the pro

to ty p e of the serpent of all the s u pers titions .

”
F ro m his su bti l ty arose the adop tion of the
“
serpent as an emblem of w isd om from his
re ve aling the hidden virt u e of the forbidden

fru it the u se of the same reptile in divination ;

,

from his conversation w ith E ve the notion that ,

the serpen t w as orac u lar : and after this the , ,

transition from a SYM B O L a T ALISMAN and an

, ,

O RA C LE to a G OD w as rapid an d i m p e rc e p
, ,

tible an d w o u ld natu rally have taken pl ace

,

even had there been no tradition of the celestial

origin of the fallen S pirit w h o b ecame the ser
,

pent tempter
-
.
 4 54 SUMMARY ;

II I n revie w ing the hopes and traditions

.

of the Gentiles w e find that they n o t o n ly pre

,

s e rved in th e i r m y th ol ogi c al w ri ti ngs a memo

i
:

rial of T HE FALL bu t also a stron g m e stig e of ,

the promise o f RE D EMPT I O N The bruising of . .

as eq u al l y kno w n i n the m th o
fr ”
the s e r p e nt w y
logies of E gypt Hi nd fi stan Greece P ersia , , , ,

S candinavia an d M exico I n each Of these w e

,
.

recognize a T RIUMPHAN T G OD and a VAN Q UISHE D ,

SERPEN T N eith er can this any more than th e

. .
,

remembrance of the fall be a cas u al coincidence , .

There is nothing in th e belief w hich w o u ld

.

natu ra ll
y s u ggest itself to the imaginations O f

people so remote and so u nconn ected In .

re sp e c t o f this e xpectation
. therefore w e may , ,

simil arly concl u de that w here so many inde ,

pendent traditions coincide the most ancient ,

m u st be th e one from w hich all the re s t w ere

.

originally deriv e d This w ill again bring u s to .

the P romise of R edemption in the c u rse u pon ,

the serpen t as reve aled to Adam Bu t it w ill

,
.

do more — i t w ill teach u s IN WHA T LI G H T the

first Of men w h o fell and to w hom first it w as ,

“ ”
anno u nced that the w ag e s (f sin is D EA T H ,

“
looked for w ard to the gift of Go d w hich is ,

E T ERNAL LI FE T HR O U G H J ES U S C HRIS T
, ,
 SUMMARY : 4 55
'

”
OU R LO R D I t w ill teach u s that neither
.

“
A dam any more than o u rselves
, looked for ,

transitory promises ; th at the RE D EMP T I O N ’ 3

w hich w as the Obj ect of his ardent faith w as ,

not te mp oral bu t SPIRI T UAL ; that the agent of

,

that redemption in his heaven direc ted eye ,

-
,

w as not a m e re m an heir O f his in fi rm iti e s

, ,

his sins and his mortality b u t GOD MANI FEST

, ,

IN T HE FLESH and that throug h the sufi e rings ,

f

of this JUS T o E i n his conflict w ith the e v il

y ,

”
spirit he expected to bruise the s e rp e nt s he ad
,
’
.

That s u ch w as the faith o f Adam the f ai th of ,

a l l the w orl d d e c l are s F or w hat w as this faith

.

in respect Of T HE VAN Q UISHE D SERPEN T and the ,

T RIUMPHAN T G OD — AP O LL O slays P y thon ; HE R

C ULES the H e sp e r
,
i an d rag on ; C R I S H N A the ,

hing of the N agas and T H O R the se rp e n t w hic h ,

is c as t i n to the se a Bu t Apollo for his victory

“
is doomed to d ep artf rom the w orld H erc u les 1

and C rish na are bi tte n by the se rp e n t the former

in the HEE L w hile Thor gains the victory only
w i th his l i e Ye t Apollo H erc u les C ri sh na
.
, , ,

and Thor are all IN C ARNA T E D EI T IES

,

I f therefore the legends w hich represent

, ,

their tri u mphs be deri ved from the pro m ise Of

1
P l utarc h d e d e f O rac
. .
4 56 SUMMA R Y .

R edemption in P aradise the idea of their I N C A R ,

NA T I O N m u st have been derived from the same

so u rce I t is evident therefore that Adam or
.
, , ,

( w hich is the same th ing) N oah m u st have con ,

s i d e re d the promise to I mply a Redemption

‘

w hich w o u ld be w ro u ght by the s u fferings of . .

”
GOD MANIFEST IN T HE FLESH .

That Adam did not look for transitory pro

mise s is fu rther e vident from the condition in
,
’ 3

w hich he w as left by the F all w hich if not ,

alleviated by some abiding hope m u st have ac ,

c ele r ate d his death by acc u m u lated miseries .

“
To the serpent God said I w i l l p u t e nm i ty ,

be tw e e n the e and the w om an , and be tw e e n thy se e d

an d he r se e d ; i t s hall bruise thy he ad , and thou

”
s hal t bru ise his he e l D arkly as this promise 1
.

may have conveyed the hope that a hope of ,

redemption w as e ffectu ally c onveyed by it w e ,

have every reason to believe from the m ere fact ,

“
that the d ay s of A d am w e re nine hund re d and
thi rty y e ars a nd he d ie d ,
H e died at an age 2
.
9,

to w hich he co u ld not h u manl y c alc u lating , ,

have arrived had his life been so w retched as the

,

fall from innocence and the c u rse of God w o u ld

h ave made it had that fall been irrecoverable and
, ,

1
Ge n . iii . 15 .
2
Ge n . v . 5 .
 SUMMARY . 45 7

th at c u rse irremov able For w hen w e con sider

’

that thro u gh this protracted period he s u stained ,

the trials of an acc u rsed soil of children ,

given bu t to be taken aw ay O f an anxio u s mind

,

—
and an a fflicted body anxiety and a ffliction
,

being the necessary res ult of his laps e from

innocence w hen w e consider that his memory ,

ho w ever im paired w as n ot destroyed bu t co u ld

, ,

c arry back his mind to a period of happiness n o w

no longer exi sting and that his body ho w ever ,

fresh and bea u tifu l and vigoro u s m u st one day

, , ,

ret u rn to the earth as it w as —w e m u st be as

s u red that he had S O ME T HIN G bey ond his p rese nt

,

hop es to comfort an d s u pport him in his pil

,

grimage u pon earth ; that he h ad some w ell

gro u nded and abiding faith in another existence ,

more s u itable to the energies and more con ,

solin g to the necessities of the so u l The only .

comfort w hich revelation has anno u nced for his

s u pport is the promise contained in the c urse
,

u on the s e r e n t ; and as it w o u ld be the extrem e

p p
O f abs u rdity to interpret this l i te ral l w e m u st
y ,

look for a fig u rative and Spiritu al interpretation .

S u ch an interpretation has been p u t u pon it by

S criptu re ; bu t w e can arrive at the same con
e l u sion by independent arg u ments An d as s u ch
.
 SUMMARY .

a line of reasoning is some times admitted by

those w h o w ill hear neither M oses nor the pro -
6

”
p h e ts ; neither C h ris t nor the evange lists
,
it may
not be irrelevant to the Obj ect O f th e present
“

treatise as w e began w ith observations on T HE

,

”
FALL to con cl u de w i th similar remarks on TH E
,

RE D EMP T I O N
.
 THE

WS OR HI P O F THE S E RPE N T .

C H A P T ER IX .

CO N CL U D I N G RE M AR K S ON T H E RE D E MPT I O N
OF MAN .
 C H AP T ER IX .

C O N CL U D I N G RE MAR K S O N TH E RE D E MPT I O N
OF MAN .

F R O M the momen t in w hich Adam by trans ,

g r e ssi o n fell it ,
became ,
apparent t hat o
f h i m ,

f
se l ,
h e co u ld never rise again The c aus e O f .

his fall being e ntire disobe die nc e th e efl c ts of , e

that cau se co u ld only be alleviated by e n tire

o be die nc e — and this he w as not in a conditionto
,

pay H is n atiure had become corr u pt ; his

’

mind his w ill and his affections w ere de

, , ,

p r av e d and the imaginations O f the tho u ghts

O f his heart w ere only evil contin u ally In .

’ 3

his inability therefore to pay perfec t obedi

, ,

ence in his o wn person b e w as compelled to

'

rely for the redemptio n Of his so ul on the p e r

, ,

f e e t o be di e nc e
qf a no the r be i n
g F or the l aw of .

God w as to be kept ; an d some one m u s t keep

it to j us tify m an and g lorify God
, ,
.
4 62 CO N C LU D IN G REMAR K S O N
But even this w o u ld not have been s u ffi cient
for the redemptio n Of the so ul O f man ; since
n o o be di e nc e ,ho w ever perfect can cancel the ,

previo us act of d isobe d ie nc e ; and therefore can

never of itself remove the g u ilt
, ,
I t may .

indeed recommend the g uilty to mercy bu t can ,

never m ake satisf ac tion for the sin .

I t w as u tterly impossible therefore , for ,

.

A dam by any re p e ntan c e o r amendment to

, , : ,

recover his los t comm u nion w ith God S ome .

thing more than entire Obedience w as necessary

to satisfy the JU ST I C E G od be fo re his ,

MER C Y co u ld be sho w n and nothing less than ‘

. . .

the sac rifi c e Of the R ed e emer A s WE LL AS hi s ,

.

e n ti re o be d ie nc e to the l aw co u ld fu lfil th e con

,

d i ti o n s of h u man redemption T h u s and th u s

“

,
.

alone ,
M ercy and Tr u th w o u l d m e e t t ogether ; '

Righteo u sn e s s and Pe ac e x w o u l d kiss e ach

.

other
Bu t thes e conditions co u ld not be fu lfilled by
.

“
a mere child of Adam th o u gh th e se e d of the
,
. z i

w oman w as ord ai n ed f to b r
”
u ise the serpen t s
‘ ’

head For the su bj e c t b f atonement being

.

the sins O f th e w hole w orl d and the B e ing to ,

‘

be appease d G O D ALM I G H T Y the M ediator ,

P al m l xxx 1 0
1
s
'

v. .

10
 T HE RE D EMP T I O N O F MAN
. . 4 63

”
m u st be s u ch as co u ld speak fa c e to face
w ith both . This co u ld not be a man born in ,

the co u rse of nat u ral gene ra tion for s u ch an one ,

co u ld not approach God to satisfy the pre l im i

naries of his JUS T I C E The ins u rm o u ntable
.

barrier of h u man imperfec tion w o uld in terpose

betw een the sin and the atonement .

Bu t as by the Sinfu l disobedience of MAN

,

w as forfeited the earthly Pa radise by the S in ,

.

less Obedience of MAN m ust th e heavenly P ara

dise be entered .

W ha t the natu ral man co u ld not by reason of ,

his corr u ption accomplish an incarnate an gel

, , ,

”
thou gh born of th e seed of the w oman ,

co u ld not e ffect For ho w ever s u perior th e

.

ministers of God in heaven may be to his

, ,

fallen creatu res on earth their p u rity is no t,

s u ffi ciently proof against temptati on to make ,

the Offering of a sinl ess body For God .

c h ar e th even his angels w ith folly and

g
these in their sp iri tu al forms may err as th e ,

angels erred w h o kep t n ot th e ir first estate ,

how m u c h m ore then w o u ld they be liable to

, ,

si n
,
if clo thed w ith the i n fi rm itie s Of h u man
nat u re !
S ince then neither man nor an incarnate
, , ,
4 64 CO N C LU D IN G REMAR K S O N
angel co u ld O ffer a s u itable and s ufficient sa
,

cr i fi c e for the sin of Ada m there remained bu t ,

one a tonement i abl e and s u i c ie n t —

su ,
t
fl I N CA R ,

NA T E D I V INI T Y

W
To this and to no other co u ld Adam have
, ,

looked ith any reasonable gro und for the

”
hope that w as in him That he d id l oc h f or
.

this sp iri tual re d e mp tio n is evident from th e ,

u niversal expectation of the Gentile w orld that ,

an IN C ARN AT E G O D w o u ld des troy th e

SPIRI T UAL SERPEN T .

To HI M as the tr u e sacrifice for

,
“
the
”
r
p p o i tiati on o
f s i ns w as the
,
eye of every
P agan tho u gh dimly directed w hen in ac
, , , ,

c o rd an c e w ith the belief and practice of Abel ,

the blood of the atoning victim w as po u red o u t

u pon the al tar O n HI M as the w om an s se e d
.
,
’

”
e n t s he ad
’
w ho w ou l d bru is e the s e r p w a s the ,

fai th of every P agan tho u gh ignorantl y re

, ,

posed w hen the fabled heroes of heathen m y

,

th o l o g y w ere exalted into th e heave n s for their

services to man on earth To HI M as . th e ,

”
ransom of o ur s ou l s from death w as the hope ,

of every P agan tho u gh bl ind l y tu rn e d w h en

'

, , ,

oppressed u nder a sense of the terrors of d ivine

vengeance he imagined n o atonement SO avail
,
 T HE R E D EMP T I O N O F MAN . 4 65

a b le to avert the w rath of God as THE B L OOD

, ,

O F A HUMAN VI C T I M T HIS w as . T HE U N
’ 3
K N O WN GOD of all the w orld w hom every ,

“ ”
nati on act u ally tho u gh ignorantly w orship p e d
, , ,

in their fab l es and in their sacrifices and i n

, ,

their deified heroes .

”
The tradition of the w oman s seed w as ’

handed do w n by th e three patriarchs w h o

peopled the earth after the del u ge to their
, ,

children s children : and ho w ever corr u pted by

’

the lapse of time or the blindness of idolatry

, ,

the same tradition may be recognized i n the ,

my thol ogy Of every nation w hich has arrived at

the comprehension of a religio u s sys tem Else .
,

WHY that u niversal prevalence of anim al sac ri ~

fi c e in r
p p f
o i ti ation o sins w hich has obtained ,

W
among the mos t enlightened and the mos t ,

barbaro u s O f mankind
'
? HY that more ex
trao rd in ary opinion red u ced to practice that no ,

W
b l ood is so available to avert the w rath of God
as that of a HUMAN VI C T I M ? H Y are these
‘

Opinio n s fo u n d in ALL T HE W O RL D if m an ,

never fell ; if th e R edeemer w as never pro

“
m ise d if God never said I HA V E G IVEN ,

T HE B L OOD UP O N T HE ALT AR T o MA K E AN
—
A T O NEMEN T F O R Y O UR S O ULS FO R I T I s
H h
 4 66 C O N C LU D IN G RE M A R K S O N

W
T H E B L OOD W H I C H M A K E T H A N A T O NE M E N T
”‘
F O R T H E S O UL 7 HY moreover was tha t
, ,

wonderful superstition o f SERPEN T W O RS H I P so -

general l y resorted to by all the w orld if th e ,

evi l spirit n ever triumphed i n the serpent s ’

form ? A nd W H Y were those fables so current

i n mythology which represent T H E SERPEN T
, ,

the e m bl e m of the e vi l sp iri t as fi n ally to be over

,

come by a hero born o f a C ELES T I A L F A T H ER

,

and A T ERRES T RI A L M O T H ER who after h is , ,

if
vic tory sh all be e n rolled am ong the g od s if re v e
, ,

l atio n n ever promised th at T H E SEE D O F T H E

”
W O MAN s hou ld bruis e T H E S E R PE N T s HEA D 7 ’

An d fi n al ly W H Y sh ould i t h ave e n tered i n to

, ,

th e imagination o f my thologis ts to represe nt this

victorious hero as S LA I iI by his dragon e n emy ,

if redemption were n ot promised at the p ric e of

the R e d ee m e r s l ife
’
if JE H O V A H n ever said to th e
'

”
apostate serpe nt Thou shal t bruis e H I s H EEL
,
7

These are ph aenomena to be reconciled ,

by n o rule bu t that o f faith in the w ord o f

Go d which present to th e contemplatio n o f
i

K the untrembli n g sceptic a path of the mos t

ru gged and unbounded di ffic u l ty thro u gh the ,

m az es of which th e Chris ti an with th e Bible in ,

L e vi t . x ii
v . 11 .
 T H E RE D E M P T I O N O F M AN . 4 67

his h an d ,
lo n e sec u rel y tr avel But in
c an a .
,

te rp re te d by th e S criptures they are F A CT S o f ,

the mos t solem n and e n grossi n g i nteres t to ,

which his tory and fable r e ligio n and s u p er

‘

s titio n
, be ar eq ual tes timony ; which instruct
’

while they admonish and s atisfy w h il e the y

,

amaze the mi n d o f the i n qu irer : an d he that

”
would be wise wise unto s alv atio n will
, ,

po n der them in his heart .

The h u mble mi n ded Chris ti an will co n sider

-

them with the serio u s n ess which they solem nly

demand H e will co n sider tha t the agreeme nt
.
,

of T H E W H O LE W O RL D upon a s u bj ec t which ,

co u ld n o t h ave s ugges ted itself spo n tan eo u sl y

.

to th e mind especi ally of people most rem ote

,

an d most d i ssi m i l ar an d pl aced u n der circ u m

b

s tances in every o ther respec t discord ant c an ,

not be the res ul t o f c onsp iracy o rc hanc e ; bu t

th at what h as bee n th e belief o f A LL M A N K I ND ,

ho w ever ign oran tly expressed must h av e h ad ,

for its or1 g1 n O NE F A I T H which was founded ,

u po n O NE PR O M ISE which was accep ted upon

,

—
O NE A SSUR A N C E n a m e l y th at it was T H E T RU T H
, ,

and T H E REVEL A T I O N O F GO D .

Thus if th e R edeem e r of m an ki n d w as T H E
,

”
S H IL O H o f the Jews T H E D ES I RE O F A LL
,

Hh 2 '
4 68 C O N C LU D IN G R E M A R K S O N
N A TI O N S T H E UN K N O W N G O D of every ”

w orship an d TH E T Y PI F IE D V I CT I M of every
,
.

l
a ta r — w e are not o n ly j u s tified in referri ng this
,

coi n ciden ce of belief and prac tice bu t p e re mp ,

tori ly c al l e d up on to ref e r i t to the origi n al reve

l ation m ad e by Go d to A dam and thro ugh him

’

to al l m an ki n d .

2 I t is u nn ec e ss ary to prove what

. holy
“ ” ”
m e n o f God by th e w ord of prophecy , ,

ev an gelists by th e p e n u n der th e guidance

, ,

of th e H oly S pirit and m ar ty rs by their ,

—
blood h ave testified in ch ar ac ters which he ,

” ”
m ay re ad who r u n s that the S hiloh o f the ,

”
Jews the desire of al l n ation s
, the unkn o w n ,

”
Go d o f ever
y w orship whom al l m anki n d ,
/

”
re ally tho u gh ,
ign or antly adored is J ES U S , ,

C H RIS T IT C O UL D HA V E B EEN N O O T H ER F or
. .

HE A L O NE o f all m e n lived w i tho u t sin an d died ,

w i tho u t requ iri ng the mercy o f Go d H e w ent .

1
hi exp re io n i fi r t m d e of in th S eptuagin t
T s ss s s a e us e ,

G en xlix 1 0 W
. h ere th w ord S hiloh i mo t w onderf l ly
. e
”
s s u

p r phr ed— 9 5 l EOm J S th t by th confe ion of

a a as « 00 ox a
’
V. O a e ss

se venty tw l d rs cho n f r thei rl e rning t of th tw el e

-
o e e se o a ou e v

tribe of I r el th R e d eemer f m w
s s a Th expec t
, e o an , as e a

tion of th G e n til e s
”
rly thr
e t ri bf r h w , ne a ee c en u es e o e e as

born
 T H E RE D E M P T I O N O F M AN . 4 69

” “
a bo u t doi ng good ; and he o nly had the «

”
w ords and the po w er o f e tern al life By
his p atie n ce by his i nn oce nce b his l abo u rs
,
y , ,

an d b his resig n atio n he showed himself to be

y ,

m ore th an an ordi n ar m an
y and by his W isdom ,

by his pre achi n g by his prophecies an d by h is

, ,

“
mir acles he evi n ced himself a prophet y e a
, ,

m ore than a p ro he t w hile th consummating

p e

mir acles of his res u rrec tion from th e grave an d ,

asce n sio n i n to glor

y dec,
l ared him to be G O D
B L ESSE D EO R E V ER 1

This was the tr u e vic tim T H E SINLESS T H E , ,

SU FF I C IEN T S A C R I F I C E ; by th e sheddi ng of
w hose b l ood th e si n o f A d am was ato n ed for ,

and A d am res tored to th e commu n ion w hich he

had los t That th e ato n eme n t might be com
.

l e te i t w as i n dispe n s ably n ecess ary that th e

p ,

v ic ti m sho u ld be divine ; i n JESUS w e behold

the D I V INE V I CT I M and in H IS B L OOD the
,

C O M PLE T E A T O NE M EN T F or n ot o nly the

.

miracles w hi c h in f u lfi lm e n t of p rop he cy he
, ,

w ro u gh t ; n o t o n ly the au thori ty e uival e nt to

q ,

tha t of God which he assumed

,
and s u ccess ,

fully exercised ; bu t eve n th e confessio n of the

R om . ix . 5 .
 47 0 C O N C LU DIN G RE M A R K S O N
evil S piri ts hemselves d ecl ared Jes u s to be
t ,

”
th e Chris t the S o n of th e livi n g Go d
, .

T o be ho w ev e r a SUI T A BLE as w ell as a

~
'

, , ,

S U FF I C IEN T S A C RI F I CE fo r the Si n s of men i t w as

'

, ,

n ecess ar that h e should be H U M A N I n JESUS

'

y .

w e re c og n i z e this H U M A N V I CT I M an d poi n t him

.
,

ou t like P ilat e though w i th far di ffere n t feeli n gs

, ,

BE H O L D T H E M A N
Bu t w hile s u fficie nc y for th e end requ ired th e

vic ti m to be divine and s u i tabl e n ess to th e

”

'
l
’

O bj ec t dem anded a hu m an s ac rifi ce th e e tern al ,

n e c es si ty that al l righ teo u s n ess should be

‘ ‘

”
fu lfilled as p e re m p tori l y re q u i re d the tw o ”

natu re s to he u ni te d W i tho ut THE M A N to saf e r .

G o d w o u ld n ot be satis fied w i tho u t T H E GO D

to qualif T H E M A N could not be perfec t In

‘

,
.

JESUS therefore
,
we b e hol d the M Y S T ERI O US
,
‘

U NI O N of GO D an d M A N I n him i t p l e ase d the .

F athe r that al l f u lne ss s hou l d d we l l an d IN

’
1
,

HI M D W EL T A LL TH E FU LNESS OF T H E G O D H E A D
B O D I LY
3 This w as the Redeemer an d this the re
.
,

demp tio n i n an ticip ation o f w hich A dam

, ,

e pi n ed n o t at the se n te n ce w hic h consig ned

‘

him to toil an d sorro w ; which had drive n him

1
C l i 19
o . . C ol ii 9
.
2
. . .
 T H E RE D E M P T I O N O F M A N . 47 1

from a life of e ase to —

l abou r from
a garden
”
o f pl e as u re to a field of thorns Though eve ry .

mo r sel of bre ad an d every drop o f p u re water

, ,

bro u gh t with i t th e recollec tio n of his sin and

“ ”
fal l : though for his s ake th e very ground
, ,

” ”

W
which he tilled was c u rsed an d in sorro w
'

, ,

he as doomed to eat o f it al l the d ay s o f his

life tho u gh the p ar tn er o f his affl ic tio n was
”
still more a ffl icted an d through sorro w w as
, , ,

con dem ned to pass to th e blessed n ess o f a

—
mother y e t did th e faith of A d am s u s tai n his
—
si n ki n g spiri t y e t did he eat the bre ad o f
labour w ith thanksgi ving and y e t did his loved
“
p artn er forget th e sorro w for j oy th at a m an
”
w as born into the w orld FO R in tha t bread o f
.

l abo u r he recog ni z ed the gift of an indulgent

F ather ; an d i n that m an c hi ld she e xp e c te d the
'

re d emp tion and c onso l ation of thei r sou ls Thus .

,

t hough that con sol atio n an d redemp tio n were

remo te ; tho u gh ages must roll o n ages and ,

i ndivid u als become n ations before that desired ,

HO LY O N E co uld e nter into his kingdom so —

fi rm s o c ons tan t and s o c on d e n t w as th e hope of

, , fi
A d am that in the gl an ce of his prospective
, ,

faith he ga thered ages into a momen t and na

, ,

tio n s into an individual when th e voice of his,

472 C O N C LU D IN G RE M A R K S O N
loved p artn er excl aimed w ith holy tran sport
. I have g otte n T H E M A N f rom the L o rd An d 1 x

though fond expectation migh t have give n pl ace

to desp air when th e

,
child o f their m any
”
pr ay ers left them chi l dless i n th e w orld by ,

th e m u rder o f his bro ther an d the b anishme n t ,

o f himself — yet still did A dam hope ag ai n s t

th e seed o f the w om an W O UL D
“
hope tha t
,

”
bru ise the serpent s head A nd he n ce w hen
’
.
,

instead o f him w h o had been br an ded with th e

curse o f Go d ano ther child was gi v e n on him
, ,

they bes to w ed the name o f S —

ET H that is
SU B S TI TU T E D for in their he arts the y be
”
l i e v e d th at he w as s u bs ti tu te d for th e ir fi rst
born ; in his place to co n s ole them through
‘

their pilgrimage upon e ar th and in his pl ace to ,

redeem them from th e l as t pe n al ty of S in Th u s .

AD A M d ie d i n f ai th no t havi ng re c e ive d the

,

” ”
r om ises H e died in th e fai th of a S PI
p .

RI T U A L RE D E M P T I O N
I n th e same faith had died AB EL ; and he
e vi n ced i t in that s acrifice un to which God
”
h a d h ad respec t as o ffered
,
in assurance of th e

”
blood which S hould be shed once for all , ,

at C alv ary .

G en i 1 . vS . F be r H r M ii 5 5
. ee a , o . os. . .
 T H E RE D EM PT I O N OF M A N . 47 3

In th e s ame faith died NO A H the se c ond ,

fa ther o f m ankin d an d bequ eathe d i t as th e ,

best blessi n g of a dep arti n g p are nt to a sur

”
v iv in
g child G od s hal l e n l ar e Ja he th
.
g p ,

was his i nsp ired pro m ise to th e son whom tem

2
poral prosperi ty w o uld m agnify but H E S HA LL
'
‘

DW
”
ELL IN T H E T EN T S O F S H E M was the spiri tu al ,

and e ternal blessing I n the f am i ly of S he m w as .

th e M e s sI ah bo rn and lived, and died ,

He .

”
dwe l t as in a te n t am on
g them

For ages after th e deluge th e tradi tion w as

handed dow n by each d yi ng p atri arch to th at
son who was des ti n ed to be the progen i tor o f
th e hope of I sr ael but the time i n which
this H ol y O ne would e nter i nto his ki n gdom

bei n g s ti l l uncertain it was n ot unti l up on his ,

d e ath be d that the pious patriarch perceived tha t

-

s al v atio n was s till distant The n did th e pro .

h e ti c spiri t which was imp ar te d to th e dyi n g

p
s ai n t ope n th e dim eye to pierc e i nto futurity
,
.

A s th e body dec ayed the soul g athered strength : ,

as e ar th receded heaven appro ached : as all ,

aro u n d him grew d ark al l above him w as ,

“
bright And . T H E SUN OF R I G II TE O U S N E S S
, ,

1
J ohn i . 14 dw l t mong
e a us
”
—l i te ral l y ,
“
li d
ve as in

a te tn or, pitch d hi t n t —
e s e .
” ’ ’

e am 1 vw ae v Ev n
u i y .

I i
47 4 C O N C LU D IN G RE M A R K S ON

”
risi n g w i th he ali n g on his w ings disclosed
'
'

a , ,

through the d ark clo u ds of ad v ancing ages LI F E

‘

, ,

and I MM O R TA LI T Y an d J ES US C H RIS T ,
.

Thus A B R AH A M rej oi c e d to s e e the d ay of

Chris t he saw i t and w as g l ad Th u s I S AA C
,
1
.
9

bl e sse d Jac ob c onc e rning thi ngs to c om e Thus

JA C O B declared his hope an d expec tatio n I
have w ai te d f or thy sal vation 0 L
”
ord 1 E ach ,
3

in his Own life time looke d anxio u sly for th e

’

redemp tio n which each o n h i s de ath bed saw

, .
-
,

”
bu t not nig h In th e prophe tic spiri t which
'

after w ards i n spired th e unworthy Balaam the y .

,

perceived that a s tar w ou ld c om e ou t of Jac ob ,

and a s c e tre w ou l d aris e ou t o Ju d ah u t like

f b
'

p ,

him they were assured

, I s hall se e H im bu t
”
n o t n ow ; I s hall be hol d H im , bu t no t ni
g h /fl

These a ll d ie d i n f ai th , no t havi ng re c e ive d the

p om is e s ;
r b u t having se e n the m a ar o
f f ,
and be i ng

p e rsuad e d o
f the m , and e m brac i ng the m , and c on

f e ssin
g tha t the
y w e re s tran e rs ,
g and i
p gl ri m s on

the e arth They d i d al l e at the sam e sp iri tual

m e at they d id all d rinh the sam e s i ri tual d rink ;

p
ol lowe d
they d ranh f the sp i ri tual roc h that f
"

f or o

the m , and T HA T R O C K W As
‘

C H RIS T

1
John iii 5 6v . .
2
He b . xi . 20 .
3
Ge n xlix 1 8
. . .

N mb xxi
u . v. 17 .
5
He b . xi . 13 .
6
1 C or x 3 . . .
 T H E RE D E M P T I O N OF M A N . 47 5

D w elli ng in tents soon pitched and soo n re

mo v ed wandering from pl ace to pl ace as m e n ,

w itho u t a co u n try the weaned themsel ves from

, y
th e follies and fasci n atio n s o f th e w orld an d fixed ,

their hearts firmly o n that place alo n e w here ,

”
true j oy s o n ly are to be fo u n d The o nly .

heri tage w hich they possessed w as T H E PR O M I SE

th e o nl l an d which the p u rch ased w as A B URI A L
y y
PL A C E : th e o nly rest for their bodies w as T H E
G RA V E the o nly home o f their so u ls w as H E A V EN .

W herefore G o d was n o t ash amed to be called

”
their Go d for he hath prep ared for them a ci ty
a c 1t
y which hath fo u n d atio n s w hose builder ,

and m aker is Go d 1

May all who are p artakers o f th e s ame

,

abiding hope p artake with them i n th e fru i tio n

,

o f the same u n fadi n g glory

H eb xi . . 1 6, an d 10 .

TH E E N D .
 LO N D O N :
GI LBERT R IVI N G TO N , PRI N TERS ,

’
S T . JO H N S S Q U A R E .