28 THE WONDERS OF ANCIENT CRETE 



" Labrys " is an ancient word of that region for a 

 double axe, and the sign of the double axe is found 

 all over the palace. From the frescoes on the walls, 

 moreover, we learn that bull-baiting was the favourite 

 sport, and that even maidens were trained for the 

 " ring." It is not impossible that they were kid- 

 napped from Greece (which was still in a state of 

 barbarism), and that this was the source of the 

 legend. 



Some writers lay heavy stress on this bull-baiting 

 as a proof that the ancient Cretans were, in spite of 

 their high art, a brutal people. The real reason for 

 this censure is that, apparently, religion did not count 

 for nearly so much in the lives of the Cretans as in 

 the lives of the Egyptians and Babylonians. No 

 large temples or idols have been discovered. All 

 that we find are small domestic shrines in the palaces 

 and houses and small sacred enclosures (not temples) 

 in the towns. Small statuettes of goddesses also have 

 been found, one with a dove as symbol and one with 

 serpents. It is possible that both represent one 

 goddess — the mistress of the air and the earth — and 

 it is most probable that here we have the original 

 mother-earth goddess, the great fertility-goddess of 

 so many primitive peoples, whose worship remained 

 deep rooted in the Greek and Asiatic world for ages. 

 We find no trace of male gods (except one young man 

 deity) or priests. 



The Cretans probably had no more than this old 

 nature-religion, and we can well believe that it led to 

 very free ideas in regard to sex. I have seen copies 

 of hundreds of seals from the ruins, and many of 

 them are what would now be called "obscene." It 

 is, however, mainly prejudice to say that this feature 



