Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



chariot steeds by poets of antiquity ; but the 

 dove is evidently the true bird of Venus ; 

 other birds are the swallow, because of its inti- 

 mate connection with spring and flowers, and 

 the iynx, a magical bird used for one ingredient 

 of love-philtres and potions. And in her son 

 iEneas certain bird-traits occur, such as his 

 bearing his father Anchises on his back, which 

 resembles the carrying off by the phoenix of 

 his parent bird. The connection in the early 

 history of Latium between ^neas and the old 

 King Latinus, son of Faunus, must belong to 

 the most remote period, antedating the legends 

 about Troy ; because ^neas the dove hero and 

 Venus the dove goddess must have been Italian 

 as well as Pelasgian Greek. 



We are not left without a description, such 

 as it is, of the dove god or goddess belong- 

 ing to the " Pelasgian " or non-Aryan and 

 probably non-Semitic peoples of Syria. In 

 Lucian's time the priests of the Syrian goddess 

 at Hierapolis preserved a golden image " com- 



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