Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive.) FISHES, FLOWERS, AND FIRE WORSHIP. Fishes, Flowers, & Fire AS ELEMENTS AND DEITIES IN THE Phallic Faiths & Worship OF THE ANCIENT RELIGIONS OF Greece, Babylon, Rome, India, &c. WITH ILLUSTRATIVE MYTHS AND LEGENDS. PRIVATELY PRINTED. A. READER, ORANGE STREET, RED LION SQUARE, LONDON. 1890. _PREFACE._ _The volume now in the reader's hands forms the fifth, and, for the present, the concluding portion of the "Phallic Series" it was found necessary to issue in further explication of certain matters set forth in the first book on this peculiar subject._ _Having dealt with Sex Worship generally, Ophiolatræia, the Round Towers and Holed Stones, Trees, Fishes, Flowers, and Fire, the ground has been pretty well covered, and with the exception of an Appendix, which future demands may possibly call forth, the subject is now complete. It is confidently expected that the present volume will be found equally interesting with those which have preceded it; it opens up entirely new matter, and contains a number of curious traditions not before alluded to._ CONTENTS. PAGE. CHAPTER I. (FISHES) 1 Frequent occurrence of the Fish Symbol--Fish Heraldry--Earliest devices--Fish devices on Churches and other public buildings--The Catacombs--Ichthus--Fish devices at Glastonbury Abbey, &c.--The Book-fish--Glasgow Fish-arms--The Fish and the Ring Story of Scotland--Solomon and the Fish and Ring--The Hermit's Fish Pond of St. Neot's--The Sacred Perch--The Dolphin--Neptune. CHAPTER II. (FISHES) 10 The Ancient Sacred Fish--Fish diet and its supposed effects--Fish and the Jews--The God Krodo--Oanes--Dagon--The Fish-god at Nimrod--Khorsabad--Fish Worship in Syria--Temple of Dagon at Azotus--The Dagon of the Bible--Adramelech--Abstinence from Fish-food--Ancient character of Fish Worship--"Paradise Lost"-- The Irish demi-god Phin--The Fish as a Christian Symbol--Idea involved in Fish Worship--Holy Fish Ponds--Ancient Caledonian objections to Fish--Other anti-fish-eating nations--Ishtar. CHAPTER III. (FLOWERS) 25 Universal Love of Flowers--Indifference to Flowers--Excessive Love of Flowers leading to adoration--Myths and Legends connected with Flowers--The Flos Adonis, Narcissus, Myrtle, Silene inflata, Clover--The Hundred-leaved Rose--Worship of Lily species--Signification of the Lotos--Hermaphroditic character of the Lotos--The Indian Mutiny of 1857, part played by the Lotus during its instigation. CHAPTER IV. (FLOWERS) 33