462 LECTURES AND ESSAYS [1880- 



accounts of their ancestors. Such a law of marriage and 

 succession paves the way for transition to the patriarchal 

 system, but could not give a genealogical table of the form 

 which to the later Arabs seemed natural and necessary. 

 We may take it as certain, then, that in remoter times, 

 and these not so very remote after all, gentile groups were 

 not named from an historical ancestor. 



Another very distinct proof to the same effect is 

 afforded by tribal names which have a plural form. 

 Anmar, Kilab, Pibab, Panthers, Dogs, Lizards are 

 originally the names of tribes, each member of which 

 would call himself a Panther, a Dog, a Lizard. The idea 

 of an ancestor bearing the plural name is plainly artificial, 

 invented in the interests of a system. 



Additional light is thrown on the true meaning of these 

 tribal names, when we compare them with others in which 

 the name is identical with that of a deity. Here again, in 

 default of a better source, I turn to Suyuti. 



Shams, sun ; &quot;a sub- tribe of the Azd. The sun was a 

 great Arabian god.&quot; Hildl, crescent moon ; &quot;a tribe 

 of Hawazin and of Namir.&quot; 1 Beni Bedr, sons of the 

 full moon ; &quot; a sub-tribe of Hagr bin Dhu Ro ayn.&quot; 

 Ghanm, &quot; a sub-tribe of the Azd, of the Defenders, and of 

 the Beni Asad.&quot; It is also the name of a god, Osiander, 

 p. 500. Awf, &quot; son of Sa d, a sub-tribe Qays Aylan.&quot; 

 It is also the name of a god according to the Obab and the 

 Qamus (Lane, s.v. ^J^, Osiander, p. 501). Nihm, &quot; a 

 sub-tribe of Hamdan.&quot; Nuhm, &quot; a sub-tribe of Bagila.&quot; 

 Nuham, &quot; a sub-tribe of Amir ben a ca a.&quot; All these 

 plainly belong to the god Nuhm worshipped by the 

 Mozeyna (Bistany, s.v. ^&amp;gt;). 



Such tribal names as these stand on exactly the same 

 footing with the animal names discussed above. The 

 sons of the Moon and the sons of the Panther doubtless 

 stood in similar relation to the beings from which they 



1 On the moon as a god see Osiander, Z.D.M.G. vii. 466, 469, and 

 Dimishqi in Chwolsohn s Ssabier, ii. 404. 



