Among the Mayas and Egyptians the great serpent of the universe (who symbolises Eternity and Wisdom) was said to be blue in colour but to have yellow scales. In China the golden cock proclaims the dawn. The golden hawk, the golden eagle, the golden ass,[8] and the golden calf were all symbols of deity. Athena, who represented union with the mind of Zeus, had a robe called the “peplus,” a crocus-coloured garment with figures woven into it of the gods conquering the giants. It was suspended to the mast of a ship when it was to be carried in procession, being too holy to be carried by hands. The mundane egg which is to be met with in nearly all ancient religions, whether of India, Egypt, Phœnicia, Japan, or the South Sea Islands, was said to have been a golden one--that is, it represents the sun or deity. Probably our children’s tale of the goose that lays the golden eggs is a survival of one of these ancient beliefs. We must remember, too, that the colour of gold not only partook of the meaning of the colour yellow, but also of the symbolism of the metal gold, which is the metal of the sun. Thus the colour began to mean all that was pure, all that had been refined, and hence glory and wisdom. Thus the halo of saints and of God is often made of gold leaf. Similarly the gates and doors of heaven are nearly always represented as being of gold. [8] Read the _Golden Ass_ of Apuleius, where the hero only regains his real shape by eating roses, which are symbols of prayer. We may remember, too, that among the emblems attached to St John are the eagle and the River Pison. This River Pison is mentioned in Genesis as flowing through Havilah, where there is much gold. It therefore became the river of inspiration and the wisdom of God; and since St John received the greatest vision, it was considered his most appropriate emblem. The ladder which Jacob saw in his dream at Bethel or the House of God is described by Dante as being of gold:-- “I saw reared up, In colour like to sun-illumined gold, A ladder, which my ken pursued in vain, So lofty was the summit.” For it is by the ladder of wisdom that we attain wisdom and receive inspiration. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood made it their particular joy to replace this beautiful symbolism into art. Thus Dante Gabriel Rossetti speaks very beautifully in “The Blessed Damozel” of a golden thread of life that is woven into the robes of the spirits who arrive in the next world after having lived during earth life in unity with God:-- “We two, she said, will seek the groves Where the Lady Mary is, With her five handmaidens, whose names Are five great symphonies:-- Cecily, Gertrude, Magdalen, Margaret and Rosalys. Circle-wise sit they with bound locks And bosoms covered, Weaving the golden thread To fashion the birth-robes for them Who are just born, being dead.” This golden thread is spoken of by the mystic Blake:--