THE SYMBOLISM OF SALT. 241 



desire, all feelings contradictory of these suffer a total eclipse, and 

 death becomes desirable as a means to obtain what to the passing 

 fancy seems a greater and the supreme end. Translated for the 

 Popular Science Monthly from the Revue Scientifique. 



THE SYMBOLISM OF SALT. 



By MARIE GOLDSMITH WEST. 



DR. WALTER JAMES HOFFMAN, in his paper upon Popular 

 Superstitions, which appeared in the Popular Science Monthly 

 for November, 1896, speaks of the ominous meaning attached to the 

 spilling of salt at table. He traces the origin of this widespread 

 belief to our Lord's Supper and consequent events. Now, this is 

 an erroneous though not infrequent supposition, doubtless gener- 

 ated by Leonardo da Vinci's great picture of the Last Supper, where 

 he represents Judas overturning the saltcellar as he reaches over 

 the table to dip his hand in the dish with our Lord. As a matter of 

 fact, mention of the superstition was made in works anterior to the 

 time of Christ. It was a common belief among the Romans, and 

 may even then have been a survival, since proof exists that this min- 

 eral was held sacred very early in the history of the human race. 



The Romans began their feasts by prayers and libations to the 

 gods. The table was consecrated by placing upon it the images of 

 the Lares and saltcellars. A family saltholder was kept with great 

 care, and .to spill the salt at table was esteemed ominous.* 



The prominence of salt as a religious and social symbol is doubt- 

 less due to the fact that it became a necessity to most nations at an 

 early stage of civilization, and that it was a luxury very hard for 

 primitive man to obtain in many parts of the world. There are 

 still, even in this era of commerce, portions of central Africa where 

 the use of this mineral is a luxury confined to the rich. 



In ancient times and among inland peoples the possession of a 

 salt spring was regarded as a special gift of the gods. The Chaoni- 

 ans in Epirus had one which flowed into a stream where there were 

 no fish, and the legend was that Heracles had allowed their fore- 

 fathers to have salt instead of fish.f 



The Germans waged war for the possession of saline springs, and 

 believed that the presence of salt in the soil invested the district 

 with peculiar sanctity, and made it a place where prayers were most 

 readily heard.J 



* Horace, Od. ii, 16, 14, Test. f Arist., ut supra. \ Tacitus, ut supra. 



vol. lii. 20 



