350 THE GERMAN PASSION-PLA Y 



the apocryphal gospels. 1 The reader, who has examined 

 the earlier studies in this volume, can hardly fail to 

 have been impressed with the important part played 

 among the primitive Germans by the mother-goddess. 

 She is the goddess of fertility in man, in beast, and in 

 the soil. She is the goddess of birth and of death. 

 Her symbols are the spindle and the pitchfork, the ripe 

 fruit and the protecting mantle. All the rich wealth 

 of ideas which the primitive German associated with 

 his ancient goddesses, he ultimately distributed over 

 the Christian pantheon ; many fell to the lot of local 

 saints, others went to enrich his demonology, but not a 

 few attached themselves to the person of the Virgin ; 

 and, under Western influence, she remains no longer the 

 mere gospel outline of the mother of Christ, she attains 

 all the richness of colour which is characteristic of a 

 primitive mother -goddess. She becomes a centre of sex- 

 emotion, and a symbol of archaic race feeling. She 

 becomes a goddess of childbirth ; with the ears of corn 

 in her hand she stands as the deity of agriculture, 2 

 springs and meadows are consecrated to her, the 

 flowers receive her name, and mankind flies for refuge 

 under her mantle. 3 She is the goddess of life and death. 

 Her gifts are the loaf which never comes to an end, or 

 her own breast whence the divine wisdom may be 



1 Particularly the Pseudo-Mathew and Protevangelion of James. 



2 She fills all the barns with wheat ; her three ears of corn sprout miracu- 

 lously through the snow ; her image can be found in every ear of wheat. She 

 and her child are seen in the corn-field, or her image is found to have been de- 

 posited where the corn grows luxuriantly. 



3 On a misericord on the north side of Gayton Church, Northamptonshire, 

 will be found a fifteenth-century carving of the Virgin with her mantle of grace 

 round a number of nude figures representing souls. The protecting mantle will 

 be found with many saints having in part heathen attributes, e.g. St. Ursula, St. 

 Felicitas, St. Symphorosa, etc. 



