i6 PRIMITIVE PATERNITY 



an explanation of the fundamental identity of Zagreus 

 and Dionysus." l The relics of Christian saints and 

 martyrs have a special procreative virtue. A Nestorian 

 legend edited from a Syriac text by Dr. Wallis Budge 

 relates that a certain man whose name was Zedkoi of 

 the village of Perdth was deprived of the blessing of 

 children. He came with his wife to Rabban Bar 

 'Idta and with bitter and sorrowful tears besought his 

 help. On the promise if she have three sons to give 

 one of them to the holy man, the latter says to the 

 woman : " My daughter, take these three little cakes 

 of martyr's dust and go to thy house in faith, and each 

 day take one little cake." Her compliance is rewarded 

 by the birth of a son, whom she sets apart in payment 

 of her vow, and by the subsequent birth of two more 

 boys. 8 In a Breton legend the Apostle Philip is burnt 

 to death in obeying a command of the Saviour to set 

 fire to a chapel. " Poor Philip ! " says the Saviour ; 

 " but let us see if we cannot find any remains of him, 

 any piece of calcined bone." He finds a piece of bone 

 which has the shape of a soup-spoon, and puts it in his 

 pocket. That evening He comes with Peter and John 

 to a farmer's house. They are well received ; but there 

 are only two spoons. The Saviour produces the bone 

 and asks the servant-maid if the soup is good. " I 

 think so," she replies. " But have you tasted it?" 

 " No." " Then take a spoonful to see." And He 

 gave her a spoonful of soup, but she swallowed the 

 bone-spoon and all. "Good God!'' she exclaimed, 

 " I have swallowed the spoon. I don't know how 

 that happened." Of that spoon she became pregnant, 



1 Jevons, Introd. 356. 



2 Budge, Rabban Hormuzd^ ii. 262. 



