Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



between Pan-Syrinx and Vaino-Aino. Mean- 

 time the connection of the dove with Venus 

 may be found in Greek, where a name for the 

 dove is oinas — in all likelihood a word taken 

 up from the old non-Aryan peoples, a word 

 having nothing to do with wine (oinos), but 

 with the bird that at Dodona, and doubtless 

 at many another oak grove, was once identical 

 with a deity. 



There is warrant for the ground that many 

 names of gods were assumed by the Greeks 

 proper from the older people of Greece, whom 

 they more or less perfectly subjected. After 

 stating that the Pelasgians had no special 

 names for gods, a statement of course impos- 

 sible, Herodotus says they first took their 

 god names from Egypt, but afterwards con- 

 sulted the oracle at Dodona, fearing lest they 

 had done wrong. " So when the Pelasgians 

 asked the oracle at Dodona whether they 

 should adopt the names which had come from 

 the barbarians, the oracle, in reply, bade them 



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