136 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XIV. 



the White Monastery, which stands in the vicinity, 

 designate it by that of Atrib, or Medeenet Ashaysh 5 

 and the inscription on one of the fallen architraves 

 of the temple distinctly shows that the Goddess, as 

 well as the city, bore the name of Thriphis.* 



The Bear, Weasel, and Otter. 



Herodotus t says " bears are rare in Egypt,'* 

 but there is little doubt that this animal was always 

 unknown there ; and the only instance of it in the 

 paintings or sculptures is when brought by foreign- 

 ers to Egypt, among the gifts annually presented to 

 the Pharaohs. It is therefore singular that Prosper 

 Alpinil^ of Padua should assert it to be a native of 

 that country, and describe it *' as not larger than 

 our sheep, of a whitish colour, more easily tamed 

 and less fierce than our own." 



According to Plutarch §, the soul of Typho was 

 fabled by the Egyptians to have been translated 

 into the constellation of the Bear. This notion is 

 probably derived from the frequent representations 

 of a Typhonian monster in astronomical subjects ; 

 which are the more remarkable, since they date at 

 tlie early period of the 18th Dynasty. That writer 

 also asserts 11 that "the weasel was worshipped by 

 the Egyptians, as well as the asp and beetle, on 

 account of certain resemblances, (obscure as they 

 are), which those creatures are thought to present to 



* Vide infra, p. 229.; and siiprr). Vol. T. (2(1 Series) p. 21)5, 266. 



f IIcroclot.ii.G7. J Trospcr Alpinus, Hist. Nut. ALg. iv. 9, 



§ Pint. (Ic Is. s. 21. II Pint, (le Is. s. 74. 



