Seven years of revelry and debauch were passed, and the minstrels heart began to feel a strange void. The story-root of the Venusberg is this:. Marco Polo says that the true monarch of Abyssinia is Christ; but that it is governed by six kings, three of whom are Christians and three Saracens, and that they are in league with the Soudan of Aden. . [106] Gittin, Ixviii. The Jesuit Kircher also experimentalized several times on wooden rods which were declared to be sympathetic with regard to certain metals, by placing them on delicate pivots in equilibrium; but they never turned on the approach of metal. (De Arte Magnetica.) Popiel took refuge within a circle of fire, but the mice broke through the flaming ring; then he fled with his wife and child to a castle in the sea, but was followed by the animals and devoured. The original of these three last was the History of Melusina, by Thuring von Ringoltingen, published in 1456; Augsburg, 1474; Strasburg, 1478. 34. Captain Weddell, well known for his geographical discoveries in the extreme south of the globe, relates the following story:A boats crew were employed on Halls Island, when one of the crew, left to take care of some produce, saw an animal whose voice was even musical. ii. Above the head of the deity is the triangle, or symbol of the Trinity. There is a curious story told by Fordun in his Scotichronicon, which has some interest in connection with the legend of the Tanhuser. A third Egyptian cross is that represented Fig. Thereupon Solomon summoned the spirits to inform him of the whereabouts of this substance. [7], The earliest known printed version was as a broadside in the 1770s and it first appeared in book form in Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, Heroic Ballads, etc. This monster has a very horrible face, with broad brow and piercing eyes, a wide mouth, and double chin[167]. The Landnama, or Icelandic Doomsday book, speaks of a Marmennill, or merman, having been caught off the island of Grimsey; and the annals of the same country relate the appearance of these beings off the coast in 1305 and in 1329. Neither is she mentioned in the Martyrology of Rabanus Maurus, who died in 856. Arriving there, they were horrified to find his mangled body lying on the ground, though the nature of the lacerations showed that he had not had to suffer long ere death released him. After a while, however, his absence was observed, and the party paused, thinking he would rejoin them. A beautiful deity, killed by the furious Boar god. i. Christ at last will descend to earth, and in a great battle will destroy the Man-devil. In his admirable treatise on metals, Agricola speaks of the rod in terms of disparagement; he considers its use as a relic of ancient magical forms, and he says that it is only irreligious workmen who employ it in their search after metals. Sigebert of Gemblours (d. 1112) is the first author to narrate them. Prester John, for so they are wont to call him, at length routed the Persians, and after a bloody battle, remained victorious. That an Englyshman now cannot travayle in another land by way of marchandyse or any other honest occupyinge, but it is most contumeliously thrown in his tethe that all Englyshmen have tails. Here are found the emeralds, sapphires, carbuncles, topazes, chrysolites, onyxes, beryls, sardius, and other costly stones. An inscription in Thessaly, (Greek) is accompanied by a Calvary cross; and Greek crosses of equal arms adorn the tomb of Midas, in Phrygia. At the time of our Lords suffering he was thirty years old, and when he attains the age of a hundred years, he always returns to the same age as he was when our Lord suffered. In some places a woman is believed to accompany him, and she has a butter-tub with her; in other localities she is replaced by a dog. Gambr. Similar stories are told of other places. I have little doubt myself that Pope Joan is an impersonification of the great whore of Revelation, seated on the seven hills, and is the popular expression of the idea prevalent from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries, that the mystery of iniquity was somehow working in the papal court. The third Tell rose and asked the time. Don Fernando could scarce believe that this was not all a dream. And this took place a third time again[108]. I believe the story of the Knight of the Swan to be a myth of local Brabantine origin. The air was fragrant with the breath of the fir-woods and the luscious exhalations of the flowery acacias. At midnight she was awakened by a ghastly and supernatural scream, and looking out of bed, beheld in the moonlight a female face and part of the form hovering at the window. The canoes, bodies, timber, and nuts, washed up on the western coasts of Europe, may have originated the belief in there being a land beyond the setting sun; and this country, when once supposed to exist, was variously designated as Meropis, the continent of Kronos, Ogygia, Atlantis, the Fortunate Isles, or the Garden of the Hesperides. Often have I had it repeated to me that the personin extremiscould not die, that he struggled to die, but was unable till the casement was thrown open, and then at once his spirit escaped. Rufin. And he tooke to wife and spouse Mata-brunne the doughter of an other king puissaunt and riche mervailously. By his wife Matabrune, the king became father of Oriant, the which after the dyscease of his father abode with his mother as heir of the realme, whiche he succeded and governed peasiabli without to be maried.. It may be remembered that Lord Monboddo, a Scotch judge of last century, and a philosopher of some repute, though of great eccentricity, stoutly maintained the theory that man ought to have a tail, that the tail is adesideratum, and that the abrupt termination of the spine without caudal elongation is a sad blemish in the origination of man. The said kings had met with their Persian, Median, and Assyrian troops, and had fought for three consecutive days, each side having determined to die rather than take to flight. The Hom was pounded in a mortar, and the juice was poured on the sacrificial flames, and thus carried up into heaven in fire; in the legend of the demigod, Hom was a martyr who was cruelly bruised and broken in a mortar, but who revived, and ascended to the skies. Bosi slays Sigurd, puts on his skin and clothes, and taking the harp, goes in this disguise to the banquet-hall of king Godmund, where his true-love is about to be wed to another man. The rod moved over the two children only, aged respectively ten and nine years. Jacobus Sarugiensis, a Mesopotamian bishop, in the fifth or sixth century, is said to have been the first to commit it to writing. A man falls in love with a woman of supernatural race. IN that charming mediaeval romance, Fortunatus and his Sons, which, by the way, is a treasury of Popular Mythology, is an account of a visit paid by the favoured youth to that cave of mystery in Lough Derg, the Purgatory of S. Patrick. 39; in Fornm. But the moor-hen was so distressed at having broken her oath to the Prince of the Sea that she slew herself[106]. Wright. This visionary solved the difficulty, to the great edification of the faithful. In this version, also, Eindridi is prepared to revenge himself on the king, should the child be injured. ; anHistoire de la Vie et du Purgatoire de S. Patrice,par R. P. Francis Bouillon, O. S. F., Paris, 1651, Rouen, 1696; and alsoLe Monde Enchante,par M. Ferdinand Denys, Paris, 1845, pp. The Danish Eirek, deterred by the prospect of an encounter with this monster, refused to advance, and even endeavored to persuade his friend to give up the attempt to enter Paradise as hopeless, after that they had come within sight of the favored land. On his deathbed he committed her to the care of Frederick von Telramund, a brave knight, who had overcome a dragon in Sweden. As this earth is very rich in phosphates, it is much appreciated by the agriculturists as a dressing for their land. Once again will he revisit the hill, and that will be on the eve of Judgment. There, as a Faroese ballad says, Fly along, oer the verdant ground,Glimmering swans to the rippling sound, Sweetly swans are singingIn the summer time.There a swan as silver white,In the summer time,Lay upon my bosom lightLily maiden,Sweetly swans are singing!, The venerable Edda of Soemund relates how that there were once three brothers, sons of a king of the Finns; one was called Slagfid, the second Egil, the third Volund, the original of our Wayland smith. Jacques de Voragine says that he was first attached to a cross, and torn with iron hooks till his bowels protruded, and that then he was washed with salt water. From the waist downwards, this monster resembles a fish, with scales, tail, and fins. A curious phenomenon is, that Bleton is able to make the rod turn between another persons fingers, even without seeing it or touching it, by approaching his body towards it when his feet stand over a subterranean watercourse. Rudolph Botoreus says, under this date, I fear lest I be accused of giving ear to old wives fables, if I insert in these pages what is reported all over Europe of the Jew, coeval with the Savior Christ; however, nothing is more common, and our popular historieshave not scrupled to assert it. [91] Munter, Religion d. Babylonier, Taf. O Serafina! It occurs amongst the Mixtecas and in Queredaro. In 1187, a merman was fished up off the coast of Suffolk. She entered into retreat for two days, and prayed with fervor. xx. what brings you with such thoughtless frivolity to this strange lake? Some curious stories of the appearances of the sacred virgin companions of Ursula, and of the marvels wrought by their bones, occur in Caesarius of Heisterbachs gossiping Dialogue of Miracles. And another, from the hall of Nisroch, carries an emblematic necklace, consisting of the sun surrounded by a ring, the moon, a Maltese cross likewise in a ring, a three-horned cap, and a symbol like two horns[89]. Thus Herodotus tells us how that at Memphis the death of the sacred bull was a cause of general wailing, and its discovery one of exultation. She cried bitterly, and exclaimed, I will be the wife of him who has stolen my dress, if he will restore it me. He replied, No, I will not give you back your feather dress, or you will spread your wings, and fly away from me., Not far from here are seven Samojeds, who range the neighbourhood by day, and at night hang their hearts on the tent-pegs. Probably the Mexican Coxcox or Teocipactli (i.e. There are, however, other Venusbergs in Germany; as, for instance, in Swabia, near Waldsee; another near Ufhausen, at no great distance from Freiburg (the same storyis told of this Venusberg as of the Hrselberg); in Saxony there is a Venusberg not far from Wolkenstein. In the year 1599, says Canon Moreau, acontemporary historian, a rumor circulated with prodigious rapidity through Europe, that Antichrist had been born at Babylon, and that already the Jews of that part were hurrying to receive and recognize him as their Messiah. Original Price $116.55 He was therefore King of Tongres. it burns clear, but with the air around,Its dead ingredients mingle deathliness[118].. Here he lived with a holy widow. Wheat, barley, millet, and beans have been found about the piles, together with the stones of wild plums, sloes, and cherries, also crab-apple pips. Again, in connexion with the mention of Isis, he alludes to a rite observed by the Suevi of carrying about a ship in her honour. A late fable relates how that Achilles and Helen were united on a spirit-isle in Northern Pontus, where they were served by flights of white birds[201]. In a curious Indian painting reproduced by Muller (Tab. These swan-maidens are the houris of the Vedic heaven; receiving to their arms the souls of the heroes. Many sellers on Etsy offer personalized, made-to-order items. An Armenian work on the rivers of Paradise was translated by M. Saint Marten in 1819; and in 1842 Sir W. Ouseley read a paper on the situation of Eden, before the Literary Society in London. 483, 484. they whisper!Angels say,Sister spirit, come away!. Whilst passing the street between the amphitheatre and St. Clements, she was seized with violent pains, fell to the ground amidst the crowd, and, whilst her attendants ministered to her, was delivered of a son. Saxo Grammaticus says that in the reign of King Snio of Denmark there was a famine. Original Price $37.82 They came to the tent, and the man secreted himself, but the damsel became invisible. On this occasion he received presents from the burgers. In this ancient Indian book the story runs as follows:. Ashokan Farewell by Jay Ungar Video unavailable Watch on Our land will reappear some day, say the old men to the young folk, as they lead them on a certain day of the year to a mountain-top, and point out over the sea to them; the fishers also on their coasts pretend that they see towns and villages at the bottom of the water. IT will be remembered that, on the giving of the law from Sinai, Moses was bidden erect to God an altar: Thou shalt not build it of hewn stone, for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it (Exod. Das Lied von dem Danhewser. Nrnberg, without date; the same, Nrnberg, 1515.Das Lyedt v.d. Thanheuser. Leyptzk, 1520.Das Lied v.d. Danheser, reprinted by Bechstein, 1835.Das Lied vom edlen Tanheuser, Mons Veneris. Frankfort, 1614; Leipzig, 1668.Twe lede volgen Dat erste vain Danhsser. Without date.Van heer Danielken. Tantwerpen, 1544.A Danish version in Nyerup, Danske Viser, No. The wolf deserted the swamp, the bear forsook his forest lair; they ascended the hedge, and the hedge gave way. Joan was the daughter of an English missionary, who left England to preach the Gospel to the recently converted Saxons. The gates were unlocked, and Aymar, under the same guidance, directed his steps towards four prisoners lately incarcerated. However much the burlesque poets of the Middle Ages might laugh at this mysterious western region of blissful souls, it held its own in the belief of the people. Yes, I know there is no light; alas! The examination of the tombs of Golasecca proves in a most convincing, positive, and precise manner, that which the terramares of Emilia had only indicated, but which had been confirmed by the cemetery of Villanova; that above a thousand years before Christ, the cross was already a religious emblem of frequent employment[94].. But for to returne to the subject of the cronykill of the noble Helias knight of the swanne. From this tabular view of the legends it is, I think, impossible not to see that S. George, in his mythical character, is a Semitic god Christianized. He went round the water, rod in hand, and it turned at spots where he said the fish had been drawn out. The baker, examining the coin, inquired whether he had found a treasure, and began to whisper to some others in the shop. How can we doubt the facts, seeing that the place, Beth-Gellert, is named after the dog, and that the grave is still visible? A second time was he slain, and again did God restore him to life. . In Sclavonic tales the magical instrument has a quite opposite effectit sends to sleep. A man may drink and not be drunk It was a vial discovered in a most ancient palace, the matter and art of which was a subject of wonder to the Roman people., Gervase drew from Comestor (Regum lib. Scarce had they reached those latitudes, than they were separated by a violent tempest. 4. Any one touching her received a violent shock; one medical gentleman, having seated her on his knee, was knocked clean out of his chair by the electric fluid, which thus exhibited its sense of propriety. There false-faced women grind earth for food. For as the child is in its mothers womb living and not suffering, so have we lived without suffering, fast asleep. And having thus spoken, they bowedtheir heads, and their souls returned to their Maker. The passage is as follows: It is evident both from the letters of Rambam (Maimonides), whose memory be blessed, and from the narration of merchants who have visited the ends of the earth, that at this time the root of our faith is to be found in the lands of Babel and Teman, where long ago Jerusalem was an exile; not reckoning those who live in the land of Paras[20] and Madai,[21]of the exiles of Schomrom, the number of which people is as thesand: of these some are still under the yoke of Paras, who is called the Great-Chief Sultan by the Arabs; others live in a place under the yoke of a strange people . Beer, Leipzig, 1859. The Prince de Cond submitted him to various tests, and he broke down under every one. [74] Gull-Thoris Saga. The king took the nest along with the poults to his palace, and put it into a glass vessel. In Sandabar and Syntipas it has become a dog. At first sight it seems probable that Helias is identical with Helios; but the difficulty of explaining how this classic deity should have become localized in Brabant is insurmountable, and I prefer the derivation of the name Helias from the Keltic appellation of the swan. At Thespia, a dragon ravaged the country round the city; Zeus ordered the inhabitants to give the monster their children by lot. Presently there came a second weasel, as if to seek his comrade, and when he found him dead, a mournful scene began; he touched him as if to say, Wake up, wake up, let us play together! And when the other little animal lay dead and motionless, the living one sprang back from him in terror, and then repeated the attempt again and again, many times. A shepherd crept into the cave where they rest. It is, therefore, probable that the fourth, Isis, is named from a resemblance of attributes, rather than identity of name. Each of their months is named after some excellent and learned man, who was one, in ancient times, of those Nabathaeans that inhabited the land of Babel before the Chaldaeans. (Scott, Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border.) Compare with this the ancient ballad of Tamlane. The remains consisted of a mansion two hundred feet long, paved throughout with mosaic: it was divided into summer and winter apartments; the latter heated by means of hypocausts, and of small size; the former very large, and opening on to a corridor above the river, once adorned with white marble pillars, having capitals of the Corinthian order. Sir Galahad, Sir Percival, and Sir Bors met in the forest, and rode together to the castle of King Pelles. The father hushes the child, and bids him not to listen, for it is only the whistling of the wind among the trees. It is placed by Muller, in his Glauben, Wissen, und Kunst der alten Hindus, in the hands of Seva, Brahma, Vishnu, Tvashtri. This month is called Tammuz, according to what the Nabathaeans say, as I have found it in their books, and is named after a man of whom a strange long story is told, and who was put to death, they relate, several times in succession in a most cruel manner. The badge was a chain from which was suspended an image of the Virgin, and underneath that a swan. To mem'ry now I can't recall Konigsberg, 1711, i. p. 351. In the churches of Troyes alone, it appears on the windows of S. Martin-es-Vignes, of S. Panta-leon, S. Madeleine, and S. Nizier[102]. His head was small in proportion to his body, and had short, curled black hair, which did not reach below his ears; his eyes lay deep in his head, and he had a meagre face, with a black beard; about the body downwards, this merman was quite pointed like a fish[168]. But when Roland observed the man, he asked who he was. The youth, thinking that he was discovered, and that they were about to conduct him to the emperor, implored themto let him alone, offering to leave loaves and money if he might only be suffered to escape. It offered no resistance, nor attempted to bite, but uttered a low, plaintive sound. Scarcely was she dead before fresh discoveries in the old cemetery reopened the scandal. Sultan overhears the conversation, and complains bitterly to the wolf, who suggests an ingenious plan by which the master may be induced to spare his dog. My answer is, that the pre-Mohammedan Arabs had a worship very similar to that of Tammuz, Baal, Adonis, or Osiris, and that, on their conversion to the faith of the prophet, they retained the ancient legend, adapting it to El Koudir, whom they identified with S. George, because they found that the Christians had already adopted this course, and had fixed the ancient myth on the martyr of Nicomedia. According to Mr. Crofton Croker, OSullivan More, Lord of Dunkerron, lost his heart to one of these beautiful water-sprites, and she agreed to be his, but her parents resented the union and killed her. Click here to read some Traditional toasts in Irish ( Gaeilge) and English. The classic fable of Helios sailing in his golden vessel deserves notice in connexion with the myth of Helias. And adiable boiteuxhe has ever remained. You've already signed up for some newsletters, but you haven't confirmed your address. In the time of Solomon, this was the noblest of the trees of Lebanon; it surpassed all in the forests of King Hiram, as a monarch surpasses those who crouch at his feet. 1, 2. The Egyptian sun-god was born at the summer solstice and died at the winter solstice, when processions went round the temple seeking him, seven times. We two have paddled in the stream, All over England the peasants believe still that the spirits of unbaptized children wander in it, and that the wail at their doors and windows are the cries of the little souls condemned to journey till the last day. His she consented to be, but subject to one condition, that her Saturdays might be spent in a complete seclusion, upon which he should never venture to intrude. They scared the little creature away, little thinking it was the soul of the miller, and they were never able to rouse him again. Myth. The maiden which the dragon attemps to devour is the earth. One day the crown slipped from Ogiers head, and fell into the fountain: immediately his memory returned, and the thoughts of his friends and relatives, and military prowess, troubled his peace of mind. I am disposed to believe that there really was such a person as S. George, that he was a martyr to the Catholic faith, and that the very uncertainty which existed regarding him, tended to give the composers of his biography the opportunity of attaching to him popular heathen myths, which had been floating unadopted by any Christian hero. Virtue invariably arouses the spirit of detraction, and Theophilus, by his refusal of the bishopric, was thrust into public notice, and attracted public attention. At Villanova, in the Commune of S. Maria delle Caselle, near Bologna, has been discovered a cemetery of this ancient people. Sir Thomas Malory gives a different account of the wounding of the king from that in the Romans du San Greal, and makes his healing depend on the arrival of a knight who is a clean maid, who shall apply to him the sacred blood. beautiful song. [35] Mmoires . Ishould wish to make an apology; how can I do so?, The hare replied, Come along with me, and I will show you., The elephant asked, Where is his Excellency at present?, The other replied, He is now in the lake, hearing the complaints of the maimed hares., If that be the case, said the elephant, humbly, bring me to my lord, that I may tender him my submission., So the hare conducted the king of the elephants to the edge of the lake, and showed him the reflection of the moon in the water, saying, There stands our lord in the midst of the water, plunged in meditation; reverence him with devotion, and then depart with speed..