The Round Towers of Ireland; or, The History of the Tuath-De-DanaansO'Brien, Henry
Religion
The Round Towers of Ireland; or, The History of the Tuath-De-Danaans
O'Brien, Henry
Ireland -- Antiquities; Round towers -- Ireland
_Grunie_ was another epithet applied to _Apollo_, as we may read in a hymn
composed by Orpheus, which they could not comprehend. It is derived from
_Grian_, one of our names for the _Sun_.
But, beyond comparison, the most inexplicable of all the epithets applied
to this divinity is _Lycæus_; which, though--as has been the case, you
perceive, in _every subject yet discussed_--it can be explained only in
the _Irish_!--yet, even _there_, it opposes some difficulties to
discourage, but not more than what give way to sagacity and to
perseverance.
At Glendalough, in the county Wicklow, one of the proudest abodes of
Budhism, are found, amongst other sculptures, upon the dilapidated ruins,
those which you see opposite.
The _wolf_ is the most frequent in the multitude of those hieroglyphics.
His character is exhibited in more attitudes than one--and all
mysteriously significant of natural designs.
In one place you observe his tail gracefully interwoven with the long hair
of a young man’s head. That represents the youth Apollo, controlling by
his efficacy--alias, the sun’s genial rays--the most hardened hearts, and
so revolutionising the tendency of the inborn system, as from antipathy
often to produce affection and love!
[Illustration]
Of this illustration, the practical proof is afforded in _Bakewell’s
Travels in the Tarentaise_, to the following purpose, viz.:--
“By way of enlivening the description of the structure of animals, he
(M. de Candolle, Lecturer on Natural History at Geneva), introduced many
interesting particulars respecting what he called _leur morale_, or their
natural dispositions, and the changes they underwent when under the
dominion of man. Among other instances of the affection which wolves had
sometimes shown to their masters, he mentioned one which took place in the
vicinity of Geneva. A lady, Madame M----, had a tame wolf, which seemed to
have as much attachment to its mistress as a spaniel. She had occasion to
leave home for some weeks; the wolf evinced the greatest distress after
her departure, and at first refused to take food. During the whole time
she was absent, he remained much dejected: on her return, as soon as the
animal heard her footsteps, he bounded into the room in an ecstasy of
delight; springing up, he placed one paw on each of her shoulders, but the
next moment he fell backwards and instantly expired.”
Elsewhere you discern two wolves unmercifully tearing at a human head! And
this is symbolical of a species of disease, of which there is published an
account in a work called _The Hospitall of Incurable Fooles_, translated
from the Italian by Todd, to the following effect, viz.:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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