Mythology among the Hebrews and Its Historical DevelopmentGoldziher, Ignác
Religion
Mythology among the Hebrews and Its Historical Development
Goldziher, Ignác
Jewish mythology; Judaism -- History -- To 70 A.D.
Other Hebrew tribes have names totally free from any mythical character,
and ethnographical (Judah) or geographical in nature. The last
especially must of course have originated after the conquest of Canaan,
since they are connected with geographical peculiarities of that land.
One of these is Ephraim, whose name we shall see in the Fourth Section
of the Eighth Chapter to be derived from the name of the town Ephrathah;
another is Benjamin. The name Bin-yâmîn is associated with the division
of the land, and signifies _Son of the right side_. The tribe was
probably so called by the leading tribe of Judah, on whose right side
Benjamin was his next neighbour.[495] Yet myths have attached themselves
even to these geographical and ethnographical names, as they have to
many historical ones. Concerning some no mythical features have been
preserved, which is most to be regretted in the case of Gad. This name
occurs in a later age with a religious signification (Is. LXV. 11), and
would doubtless yield much instruction if a fuller myth gave us insight
into its original meaning and connexion. Gad is commonly held to be the
so-called Star of Fortune (Jupiter); but it is difficult to determine
whether Gad’s sons, when they were called his sons, were put into
connexion with the Star. If they were, we should have a case analogous
to the Arabic appellation ‘Daughters of the star al-Ṭâriḳ’ (see above,
p. 57). As some Arabian tribes call themselves ‘Sons of the Rain’ (benû
mâ al-samâ), &c. so the Hebrew tribes, at the time when the myth still
lived in the understanding of all, took names from the mythical figures,
one calling itself ‘Sons of the Longhaired,’ another ‘Sons of the
Multiplier’ &c. I think I cannot be wrong in assuming this nomenclature
of the tribes to be older than the assignation of names to each of
Jacob’s twelve sons. When the names of tribes had long been in
existence, they were brought forward to serve as names for Jacob’s sons;
and thus they laid the foundation of the genealogical tradition which
traces the people of Israel to its first father Jacob, and thence goes
back to his father and to Abraham.[496] But the mythical matter
transmitted to us concerning the twelve who are introduced as the sons
of Jacob, independently of what we have already discussed, is very
little. Some names resist any reasonable etymology, or at least any
etymology consonant with the character of mythical appellations. Still,
even from these scanty materials we can pick out some single points that
seem worthy of preservation as relics of the old Hebrew mythology. If
the investigation of this subject is to be successfully pushed further
than I can pretend to do in this treatise, the accurate enquirer will
have especially to adduce the forty-ninth chapter of Genesis, known as
‘Jacob’s Blessing,’ from which I have already borrowed materials. In
this ancient piece I am convinced that many fragments of _hymns_ are
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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