136 



FLORA OF THE 



It was a superstition mixed up no doubt with magic, 

 witchcraft, and devihy. ^ 



It appears that horns of animals, even at the present 

 day, are considered most efficacious in keeping off the 

 injurious effects of the evil eye from anything to which 

 they may be attached. We may, therefore, fairly assume 

 that, in Assyrian days, horns were also used — tied to 

 choice date trees, in order to attract the evil eye from 

 the trees themselves, and so protect those fine varieties 

 from injury. 



Horns must have also been used — fixed on buildings 

 and posts, for the purpose of ward- 

 ing off the evil eye. Fig. 6i shows 

 deer horns fixed on a fortress. 

 Bonomi,^ however, in his 'Niniveh,' 

 considers that these stags' horns 

 Fig. 6i.— Burning of a be- on the top' of the fortrcss were 



sieged city. Fig. 89 of J. 



Bonomi's 'Niniveh' (Botta's intended by the artist to repre- 



pl. 68). ^ ^ 



sent flames, as soldiers in that 

 sculpture are applying fire-brands to the base of the 

 fortress. 



It is of course quite possible that the artist, in a fit 

 of humour, may have used the shape of the stags' horns 



' The following is an extract from the magical texts of the Chaldeans — 

 ' Hibbert Lect.' by Prof. Sayce, p. 330 — " Him who is possessor of the like- 

 ness of another, the evil face, the evil eye, the evil mouth, the evil tongue, the 

 evil lips, the evil breath — conjure, O ! spirit of heaven ! conjure, O ! spirit 

 of earth ! " 



^ He says : The people are in utmost distress, for the flames, shaped like 

 stag horns, are rising out of the towers of the citadel. 



