Far Eastern and Classical Antiquity 13 



cence, De Lunariis . . . , written by Conrad Gesner, bore the com- 

 plete title, A short treatise on rare and marvellous plants that are 

 called lunar because they shine at night and incidentally on other 

 things which shine in darkness. It was published in 1555, just before 

 the era of real scientific approach to natural phenomena which 

 began with the seventeenth century. Selene or Luna as the goddess 

 of luminescence would represent those cold dim lights well known 

 to classical antiquity although there has been no general recogni- 

 tion of her function in this category. 



Alexander von Humboldt (Cosmos, trans, by F. C. Otte, 2: 374, 

 footnote, London 1900) has suggested that the Nereid, Mera or 

 Meira, one of the fifty daughters of Nereus, may represent the " phos- 

 phoric light seen on the surface of the sea, in the same manner as 

 the word ' maira ' designated the sparkling dog-star Sirius." If this 

 is true Meira might be considered the goddess of luminescence. 



The appearance of light without fire or without heat is imme- 

 diately imbued with a supernatural significance. Since the start of 

 the Christian era, many miracles have involved a light shining under 

 mysterious circumstances or a luminous region of the human body, 

 the hand or the face of a saint.*' The folklore and superstition of 

 every people, especially those from mountainous regions, is full of 

 mysterious lights, ignes fatui, corposants, feux follets, corpse candles, 

 glowing hands, glowing tree trunks and shining animals, many of 

 which undoubtedly had their origin in observation of true lumi- 

 nescences—electrical discharges or phosphorescent wood. Schertel 

 (1902) has called attention to certain presumed cases of glowing 

 wood in sagas and fairy tales. 



The word " light " has often been used figuratively, as in Scandi- 

 navian mythology. Balder, the second son of Odin, was said to be 

 a very fine and good man, and so beautiful and fair that light shines 

 from him.'^ The New Testament statement that, when Jesus was 

 transfigured,^ " His face did shine as the sun and his raiment was 

 white as the light," is clearly a figure of speech. The student of 

 luminescence is too frequently confronted with the many meanings 

 of the word " light." 



The Near East 



No doubt the history of any branch of science should begin with 

 the regions bordering the Tigris and Euphrates and the Nile. In 

 Mesopotamia, civilizations of the Neolithic age but of high artistic 



"See E. C. Brewer, A dictionary of miracles, 39, 216-217, 421, Philadelphia, 1895. 

 ' Balder is often designated the Apollo of the North, a god of beauty and light. 

 « Matthew 17: 2. 



