18-6' Origin of Mythology. 



er distinguished characters, among the Teutonic nations.- 

 It is doubtless the word found in the composition of ma- 

 ny Greek names of heroes, or princes, some of them said 

 to exist in the fabulous ages, as Erechtheus, and Erich- 

 thonius, the latter of whom was supposed by the Greeks 

 not to have been a mortal, but the son of Vulcan and the 

 earth.* We have the simple word in Eryx^ a fabulous 

 hero, who wrestled with Hercules.f And indeed the 

 word is no other than the Latin rixa^ conterition, strug- 

 gle, exertion. 



Of the origin of MarSy and the connection of his name 

 with iron, the following appears to be a satisfactory ex- 

 planation. 



In the primitive languages, the word ii« m\ oh\ ur^ 

 signifies light or fire ; Hebrew ii« light, liiberno-Celtic 

 iiv^ fire, vv^hence '^•'^h and^re ; or, gold, from its shining 

 color, whence aurum ;. oir, golden^ and the Celtic oir- 

 theai\ eastern, from the light of the rising sun. Hence 

 the Latin orior^ oriensj from the same circumstance. 



From "n*« the Hebrews formed mxa inart^ a light, a lu- 

 minary.... Genesis i. 14, 16 — and Q^"ii><. urim^ brilliants, 

 set in the breast plate of the high priest... .Exodus 28, 

 Hence the English ore, and the Greek «,«??, polished iron, 

 from their shining appearance. 



Another root of equally extensive use, if indeed it was 

 not originally from the same stock, is i3> ber or bar:, to be 

 clear, ma berhe, bright, M^iich with ''n, to shine or glisten, 

 forms the French briller^ whence we have brilliant. With 

 this root corresponds the Arabic verb ^hj behr^ to shine 

 or be splendid, and the Hebrew "r-na heir^ bright, resplen- 

 dent. 



From the same stock, sprung the Ethiopic berhe^ 

 bright, lucid, resplendent, vv^hich is precisely the Hebrew 

 JT13- Hence the Ethiopic verb barhe^ he shone ; and the 

 nouns harhe^ refulgence, heron^ light, brightness, berar, 

 silver, and braf^ or bart, brass. 



In the Amharic, the present prevailing, but demon- 

 strably the oldest dialect of Ethiopia, ber is silver, the ■ 

 Ethiopic berar ; bar, a verb, he shone, luxit, splenduit; 

 berhe^ lucid, refulgent ; beron, light, splendor ; mebart^ 



* Paus. lib. i. ca. 2. t Paus. lib. iii.ca. IS. 



