Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism: With an Essay on Baal Worship, on the Assyrian Sacred "Grove," and Other Allied SymbolsInman, Thomas
Religion
Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism: With an Essay on Baal Worship, on the Assyrian Sacred "Grove," and Other Allied Symbols
Inman, Thomas
Christian art and symbolism; Symbolism
I have of late heard it asserted, by a man of considerable learning,
though of a very narrow mind in everything which bears upon religious
subjects, that there is no proof that the sun was commonly regarded as a
male, or the moon as a female; and he based his strange assertion solely
upon the ground that in German and some other languages the sun was
represented by a feminine, and the moon by a masculine noun. The
argument is of no value, for [--Greek--] and other Greek and Latin names
of the yoni, are masculine nouns, and Virga and Mentula, the Roman words
for the Linga, are feminine. In Hindostan, the sun is always represented
as a God; the moon is occasionally a male, and sometimes a female deity.
In ancient Gaulish and Scandinavian figures, the sun was always a male,
and the moon a female. Their identification will be seen in Figure
118--as their conjunction is in the one before us--in the position of
the individuals, and in the fleur-de-lys and oval symbol.
Figure 88 may be found in Fabretti's Corpus Inscriptionum Italicarum
(Turin, 1867), plate xxv., fig. 808 f. The coins which bear the figures
are of brass, and were found at Volaterrae. In one the double head is
associated with a dolphin and crescent moon on the reverse, and the
letters Velathri, in Etruscan. A similar inscription exists on the one
containing the club. The club, formed as in Figure 88, occurs frequently
on Etruscan coins. For example, two clubs are joined with four balls on
a Tudertine coin, having on the reverse a hand apparently gauntleted for
fighting, and four balls arranged in a square. On other coins are to
be seen a bee, a trident, a spear head, and other tripliform figures,
associated with three balls in a triangle; sometimes two, and sometimes
one. The double head with two balls is seen on a Telamonian coin, having
on the reverse what appears to be a leg with the foot turned upwards. In
a coin of Populonia the club is associated with a spear and two balls,
whilst on the reverse is a single head. I must notice, too, that on
other coins a hammer and pincers, or tongs, appear, as if the idea was
to show that a maker, fabricator, or heavy hitter was intended to be
symbolised. What that was is further indicated by other coins, on which
a head appears thrusting out the tongue. At Cortona two statuettes of
silver have been found, representing a double-faced individual. A lion's
head for a cap, a collar, and buskins are the sole articles of dress
worn. One face appears to be feminine, and the other masculine, but
neither is bearded. The pectorals and the general form indicate the
male, but the usual marks of sex are absent. On these have been found
Etruscan inscriptions (1) v. cvinti arntias CULPIANSI ALP AN TURCE; (2)
V. CVINTE ARNTIAS SELANSE TEZ alpan TUBCE. Which may be rendered (1)
"V. Quintus of Aruntia, to Culpian pleasing, a gift"; (2) "V. Quintus
of Aruntia to Vulcan pleasing gave a gift," evidently showing that they
were ex voto offerings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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