26 Eafael Karstea. [N:o 1 



mism, whatever be its triie nature, ever formed a special stage 

 in the religious history of mankind. 



Nor can it be assumed, as some writers seem to do ^), 

 that before the ancieiit Greeks or Aryans conceived of the 

 natural powers as being in human form they held them to 

 be animal-shaped. We may agree with Professer Oldenberg 

 when he says that „the god is often an animal or becomes 

 an animal; he varies between a human-like and an animal- 

 like nature" 2) I this is indeed a natural conseqaence of the fact 

 that at the lower stages of evolution the boundaries between 

 man and beast are obliterated. But the view that in the his- 

 tory of religion antliropomorphism has been preceded by a 

 special theriomorphic stage is hardly supported by historical 

 or psychological facts. 



The belief in water-deities, i. e. such supernatural beings 

 who were supposed to dwell in seas, lakes, rivers, and springs forms 

 rather an im portant chapter in the history of Greek religion. 

 To that belief and to the religious worship it called forth suf- 

 ficient attention has not been paid by classical students. And 

 yet there are numerous facts in support of the assertion that 

 this primitive view largely prevailed among the Greeks since 

 earliest ages, lingering on as a survival in classical and post- 

 classieal times. 



The ps3^chologica] origin of the belief in water-deities is 

 uot more difiicult to discover than that of the belief in other 

 nature deities. The sea especially with its constant undula- 

 tory motion, sometimes growing to furious gale, its ceaseless 

 murmur, its regular tide, cannot fail to impress an uncul- 

 tured mind, and the idea easily arises that this motion and 

 murmur are caused by living, mighty beings. Even civi- 

 lised man, in speakiug for instance of the „fury of the storm", 

 shows a tendency to personify the natural force of the sea; 

 how much more the uucultured savage. The only dilference 



M Schrader, Reallexikon, p. 677. Even Oldenberg seenis to share the 

 same vieu' {Religion des Veda, p. 41). 

 -) Oldenberg, op. cit. p. 68. 



