Preface 



In his work on the origin of mythology 

 (Berlin, i860) Dr. Schwartz contemplates the 

 movement as one from heaven to earth, as 

 if men worshipped the heavenly phenomena 

 first, then brought them to earth and personi- 

 fied them in animals. His favorite example 

 is the lightning, symbolized as dragon or 

 snake. Might not the movement have been 

 the other way ? 



The tracks of the worship of birds and 

 beasts are much dimmer, more overlaid by 

 worship of larger things. The spirits and gods 

 perceived in celestial and atmospheric bodies 

 are of a loftier, more civilized sort, more truly 

 godlike ; while those that retained their bird- 

 like or animal characteristics have come down 

 to us very often in the lower form of demi- 

 gods or heroes. Adam of Bremen says that 

 the Lithuanians sacrificed unblemished slaves 

 to dragons and birds ; under dragon we find the 

 fire-breathing winged creature, a transition from 



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