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cause the

would not

are forbid

AFRICA. Aegyptians. "The people," he says, CHAP. V. den to sacrifice even animals, excepting swine, and pure oxen, and male calves, and geese; how is it Aegyptians likely, then, that they should sacrifice men?1 Moreoffer human over, since Heracles was only one, and, as they conand Hera- fess, a mere man, how is it possible that he should slay many thousands? In thus speaking however may I meet with indulgence from from gods and heroes." 3

sacrifices,

cles, the

hero, could

not single

handed

have slain

thousands. Hermes,

2

HERMES is merely named by Herodotus as having perhaps a a temple at Bubastis, which was connected with the formed god. temple of Artemis by a grove of trees.*

mummy

He was probably one of the mummy-formed gods of Aegypt, whom Herodotus identified with Hermes, from the peculiarity of its shape, which most likely resembled the Hermae figures on the public roads of Hellas. At a later period Hermes was identified with Aegyp tian Thoth, the god of letters. In the Aegyptian with Thoth. monuments Thoth is generally represented with the head of the ibis, and holds a tablet and reed pen in

Subsequently identified

1 Sir J. G. Wilkinson fully coincides with Herodotus's disbelief in human sacrifices amongst the Aegyptians, which would be contrary to the usages of so highly civilized a people, and of which no traces can be found on the monuments. But human sacrifices were exceedingly common in the ancient world, even amongst civilized nations like the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, and were not quite unknown to the Greeks themselves; and surely the Mexicans were a highly civilized people, and yet we know that their teocallis were profusely stained with the blood of human victims. We may also mention the Ashantees, who will sacrifice their fellow-creatures by hundreds, and yet punish the killing of a vulture, a hyaena, or any sacred animal with death. With respect to Aegypt, Manetho expressly informs us, (Plut. Is. et Osir.,) that men called Typhonian (i. e. of a red colour) were burnt alive and their ashes scattered to the winds; and Diodorus tells us (i. 88) that these Typhonian men were sacrificed by the ancient kings at the tomb of Osiris. Plutarch also tells us, on the authority of Castor, that the seal, which was placed by a priest on every animal found to be fit for sacrifice, (Herod. ii. 38,) bore the figure of a man kneeling, with his hands bound behind him, and a sword pointed at his throat; and this figuratively symbolic group has been found by Wilkinson himself more than once in the hieroglyphics of sculptures relating to the sacrifice of victims.

2 This slaughtering of the Aegyptians by Heracles is supposed to be a disguised version of Samson's exploit at Ramath Lehi (Judg. xv. 17); and the taking of Heracles to the altar to be sacrificed, and his putting forth his strength, and slaying every one when they began the solemnities, shows that the slaughter of the Philistines was mixed up with Samson's pulling down the temple of Dagon at Gaza (Judg. xvi. 30). Cf. Pococke, Lit. of Ancient Greece.

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his hand. The cynocephalus, or ape, was also, as AFRICA. well as the ibis, an emblem of this deity.

CHAP. V.

of Typhon,, or the evil

ARES, another god, was, according to Herodotus, worshipped at Papremis;' but it is as difficult to haps a form identify him with any of the figures on the Aegyptian monuments as it is to discover Heracles. He principle. seems best to answer to an armed male figure, named Ranpo; but as the hippopotamus was sacred in Papremis, and was an emblem of Typhon, it is probable that the Ares of Herodotus may have been a form of the evil principle. An oracle of Ares is His oracle. mentioned by our author, and was most likely at

2

Papremis.

4

between the

At the festival of Ares at Papremis, the sacrifices Festival at and ceremonies were much the same as in other Papremis. places; but when the sun went down the following performance took place. The statue of the god was to be moved from one temple to another. Accordingly it was placed in a small wooden shrine, gilded all over, and laid upon a four-wheeled car. A body of priests made certain gestures round the statue, whilst others in greater numbers, and armed with wooden clubs, took up a position in the vestibule of the temple, to which the statue was to be conveyed. A crowd of votaries, amounting to more than a Mock-fight thousand men, and each armed with similar clubs, priests and also presented themselves opposite the vestibule. votaries. The priests, who were standing round the statue, then prepared to draw forward the car, but the armed priests in the vestibule refused to give it admittance. The crowd of votaries then advanced to the assistance of their god. An obstinate combat ensued, the votaries endeavouring to gain admittance for the car, and each party attacking the other with their clubs. Herodotus conjectures that many heads must have been broken, and many must have died of their wounds, notwithstanding the assertions of the Aegyptians to the contrary. The inhabitants Popular leof Papremis declared that they instituted this festi

1 ii. 63.
2 Wilkinson, plate 69, 70.
3 Prichard, Analysis, quoted by Kenrick.

4 ii. 83.

5 ii. 63.

gend to ac

origin.

AFRICA. Val from the following circumstance. They said CHAP. V. that the mother of Ares dwelt in the temple, and that Ares, on his return from foreign parts, where he had been educated, desired to see his mother, but that her attendants, not having seen him before, refused to suffer him to pass them, and repelled him from the entrance. Upon this Ares collected a band of men together from another city, and attacked the servants, and thus obtained admittance.1

Perseus and
Proteus.

Temple of
Perseus at
Chemmis.

2

PERSEUS and PROTEUS are both mentioned by Herodotus as having been honoured by the Aegyptians; and here there is some difficulty in reconciling his narrative with an assertion which he makes in another place, that the Aegyptians paid no religious honours to heroes. A temple of Perseus, the son of Danae, was standing in the Theban city of Chemmis, which must not be confused with the city of the same name, situated in the Delta.3 The Chemmitae declared that Perseus frequently appeared to them on earth, and often showed himself in the temple; and they also stated that his sandal, which was two cubits long, was sometimes found, and that after such an occurrence the whole nation of Aegypt was gladdened by a general prosGymnastic perity. Accordingly, the Chemmitae celebrated brated at gymnastic games, in honour of Perseus, and gave Chemmis in cattle, cloaks, and skins, as prizes of the several contests; and were thus the only Aegyptian people His legend- who followed any of the Greek usages. Herodotus ary history himself asked them the cause of this peculiarity, the Chem- upon which they told him that Perseus derived his

His enormous sandal.

games cele

according to

mitans.

origin from their city, through his ancestors, Danaus and Lynceus, who were both natives of Chemmis, and had sailed from thence, to Greece; and they added that when Perseus came to Aegypt to bring away the Gorgon's head from Libya, he visited

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3 See page 377.

4 Wilkinson tells us that the dervishes of a college at Cairo show an enormous shoe, which they say belonged to their founder (Mod. Egyp tians, vol. i.). It has been suggested that the story may be an old Coptic superstition Mahometanized. Herodotus himself saw in Scythia the footprint of Heracles, two cubits long (iv. 82).

Temenus at

Chemmis, and acknowledged all his kindred, and Africa. accordingly the gymnastic games were instituted in CHAP. V. his honour.' Of Proteus, the king of Aegypt who was reigning when Paris carried off Helen from Memphis, Menelaus, Herodotus merely says, that at Memphis Proteus. there was an enclosure sacred to him, which was very beautiful and richly adorned.❜

sacred to

identified

ed with

cow's horns

and confounded by

Herodotus

with Isis.

APHRODITE, according to Herodotus, had a temple Aphrodite in Atarbechis, or the city of Athor, which was situ- with Athor. ated in an island of the Delta, named Prosopitis.3 She may be identified with Athor, from whom indeed the Aphrodite of the Greeks was evidently traced. Athor is frequently represented on the mo- Representnuments in the form of a cow, but generally as a female with a head-dress surmounted with the ears and long horns of a cow, and a solar disc; and it has been remarked that, setting aside the cow's ears, there is more beauty in the face of Athor than in any other of the Aegyptian divinities. When Herodotus tells us that the image of Isis is made in the form of a woman with the horns of a cow, he is perhaps confounding her with Athor. Indeed there was a strong analogy between these two divinities; each goddess is frequently represented with the attributes of the other; whilst the name Athor signifies the habitation of Horus, who was the son of Isis. The annual ceremony in memorial of the Wooden daughter of Mycerinus, was probably connected probably with the worship of this goddess and with that of connected Osiris. Herodotus informs us that Mycerinus, wish- worship and ing to bury his daughter in a costly manner, de- Osiris. posited her body in the wooden image of a cow, which was overlaid with gold. This cow was not buried in the earth, but preserved down to the time of Herodotus; and the historian saw it himself in a richly ornamented chamber of the royal palace of

1 ii. 91.

3 ii. 41.

5

2 ii. 112. See also page 435.
4 Ibid.

The hieroglyphic name of Athor, Thy-hor, Têi-hor, or Eit-hor, consists of a hawk (the emblem of Horus) within a square enclosure, literally signifying "the house of Horus."

vol. iv.

See Wilkinson, Anc. Egyptians,

cow at Sais

with her

with that of

AFRICA. val from the following circumstance. They sai CHAP. V. that the mother of Ares dwelt in the temple, an that Ares, on his return from foreign parts, where had been educated, desired to see his mother, b that her attendants, not having seen him befor refused to suffer him to pass them, and repelled hi from the entrance. Upon this Ares collected a ba of men together from another city, and attacked t servants, and thus obtained admittance.1

Perseus and
Proteus.

Temple of
Perseus at
Chemmis.

His enormous sandal.

2

PERSEUS and PROTEUS are both mentioned 1 Herodotus as having been honoured by the Aegy tians; and here there is some difficulty in rec ciling his narrative with an assertion which makes in another place, that the Aegyptians p no religious honours to heroes. A temple of P seus, the son of Danae, was standing in the Thel city of Chemmis, which must not be confused w the city of the same name, situated in the Del The Chemmitae declared that Perseus frequen appeared to them on earth, and often showed h self in the temple; and they also stated that sandal, which was two cubits long, was someti found, and that after such an occurrence the wh nation of Aegypt was gladdened by a general p Gymnastic perity. Accordingly, the Chemmitae celebra brated at gymnastic games, in honour of Perseus, and g Chemmis in cattle, cloaks, and skins, as prizes of the several his honour. tests; and were thus the only Aegyptian pe His legend- who followed any of the Greek usages. Herod ary history himself asked them the cause of this peculiar upon which they told him that Perseus derived origin from their city, through his ancestors, Dai and Lynceus, who were both natives of Chem and had sailed from thence, to Greece; and t added that when Perseus came to Aegypt to b away the Gorgon's head from Libya, he vis

games cele

according to the Chemmitans.

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3 See page 377.

4 Wilkinson tells us that the dervishes of a college at Cairo sh enormous shoe, which they say belonged to their founder (Mod. tians, vol. i.). It has been suggested that the story may be a Coptic superstition Mahometanized. Herodotus himself saw in S the footprint of Heracles, two cubits long (iv. 82).

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