188 Origin of Mythology. 



under bare. This is the modern baron, a man of brave- 

 ry, a soldier, in its peculiar application, during the mar- 

 tial and feudal ages. 



In conformity to the same ideas, our Saxon ancestors, 

 used the word biight, as an alSx to the names of princes, 

 as in Ethelbert ; the Saxon orthography berJit corres- 

 ponding exactly ^vith the Ethiopic, bei't, berto. 



In the Celtic languages, mar, bright, corresponds Math 

 the oriental root -13, by the change of b into W2— r-a change 

 so frequent in the ancient languages, as to occasion nei- 

 ther surprize nor embarrassment. Hence the Latin 

 Mars, Martis, corresponding with the Hebrew m«D, 

 mart, a luminary, is brightness, or bravery personified, 

 and constituted the god of war. And hence we see the 

 reason why the names of iron, silver, gold and brass, in 

 various languages, have a common origin with Mars.* 



It may be remarked further, that the English word 

 brand, a sword, received its appellation from the same 

 idea of brightness ; being merely the participle of the 

 Saxon brennen, or rather the Swedish branna, to burn, 

 to shine. We still retain the use of the word, but apply 

 it to a different object. 



The latin Mavors seems to be formed from the same 

 radical word as Mars ; perhaps by corrupting mars^ or 

 vir, into- t^or^, and prefixing the oriental ma, great. 



The English word war, which is of Celtic origin, in 

 Yx^^oks. guerre, seems allied to the root oi Mars, andy^r- 

 rum, as Gebeiin has observed ; but the fact may not be 

 unquestionable ; for guerre bears a strong resemblance 

 to the ancient gerrha, an oblong shield, used by the Per- 

 sians ; and if this word is the root of guerre, the radical 

 sense of war is to shield, to protect, or defend. And it is 

 to be observed that war and guard, guerre and garantir^ 

 may be easily deduced from one radical sense. f 



* See Parkhurst, under the radical words mentioned, and LudoIPs 

 Lex. Eth. Column. 231. and Amharic. Col. 40, 41. 



t ^apovvrii yap fJapx ^opoLrioc, ymI smy.ijKSiTipci otM smtx, rev? KeXTiKoVi 

 (vpsovi, jj Tcj ysppa. rx UipTm. 



Bearing small spears and more oblong shields, like the Celtic Thu- 

 reoi, or the gerj-a of the Fersians.,. .Pausanias,^h-caclics. ch. 50. The 

 same author, in his Phoclcsj describes this shield as made of sinall 

 twigsj or wicker work. 



