50 THE ALAN OR ALAUNT. 



What makes it still more presumptive that the Irish gibue 

 is of Phoenician origin is that in the Amharic language the 

 arched back hyaena is called gib, and in the Ethiopic, zibee. 

 It has also been stated that the antique swords found in the 

 bogs of Ireland have on analysis been proved to consist of 

 material precisely similar to the Punic swords, dug up by Sir 

 \\m. Hamilton in the field of Canmr, and it was the custom 

 of the ancient Irish, after the manner of their Scythian 

 ancestry to bury the favourite sword of their heroes along 

 with them, and Moore lias referred to this practice in his 

 beautiful melody "Lay His Sword by His Side." 



The custom of the Sarmatian Alans of painting their bodies 

 with the forms of animals is mentioned by Herodian, and 

 Buchanan in his history of Scotland, Lib. ii. says of the Picls 

 in endeavouring to trace their origin "1 do not see any more 

 certain data to follow than the fact of their painting their 

 bodies/' 



From these historical particulars I think it is quite possible 

 that the name Alan was the original name borne by the 

 Asiatic mastiffs, imported to this country by the Phoenicians, 

 such has been the accepted idea as we see from Arrian's 

 writing, or else the ancient Britons or a portion of them were 

 of Sarmatian origin and brought their dogs and customs with 

 them, although it is worthy of consideration that Camden 

 mentions that Alans served in the Roman garrisons in Britain, 

 and these may have brought specimens of their white Asiatic 

 mastiffs with them. 



While the word Alan is evidently of Slavonic derivation, I 

 have not found it in connection with the dog previous to 

 Twici and Chaucer, the latter mentioning it in The Canterbury 



