Origin of Mythology. 203 



■:ter, that the ancients were led to suppose he was intended 

 as a figTire of Mercury.* 



Dccflalus^ is a mere personification of daring confi- 

 dence, from the Irish Cehic cleacUa^ bold ; dfcidlas, bold- 

 ness. 



In an attempt to dcvelope the origin of the fabled de- 

 ities of antiquity, it would be unjust to omit tlie god- 

 desses, who make a conspicuous figure in mythology. 



Miiiei-va^ is probably derived from the same radical 

 word as Mi?ios, Me?jtor, M-cc\rk, y.yiv, mens^ as a predominant 

 characteristic of the goddess is wisdom. The latter part 

 of this compound is found in the Irish earha., labor ; Ger- 

 man, arheit^ Dutch, arbeid^ Swedish, arbete^ labor, work, 

 employment. Hence Minerva is the skilful laborer^ tjie 

 goddess of manufactures. 



Vesta^ the goddess of fire, is derived from the oriental 

 radical, ast^ asta^ c^to, Hebrew ^^, fire, from which the 

 Greeks had their cci^<^, to burn, and e^-r/^, a hearth ; the 

 Latins t\\tiY asso^ to roast ; and the English their ashes^ 

 From the supposed purifying effects of fire, this goddess 

 became the patroness of the sacred fire, and of vestal 

 virgins. The Hindoo deity Agni, whose name is from 

 the same source as the Latin ignis, fire, has also the 

 character of the purifer.\ 



Juno, the Hindoo To?ii, derived her name from the 

 ^ame root as the Greek their y^vj?, woman, and she repre- 

 sents the generative powers of the species.| 



Diana, the goddess of hunting, is named from the 

 Celtic word dian, v.^hich, in Irish, signifies swift, vehe- 

 ment. She is merely the representative of ardent bold- 

 ness and celerity in the chase ; qualities in high estima- 

 tion among savage nations, who subsist chiefly upon the 

 ilesh of wild beasts. Hence the goddess is painted with 

 a bow in her hand. Pausanias informs us that the Athen- 

 ians had altars erected to shame, iame, and impetuosity.^, 



* Ovid's Met. ix. 689. — Virg. iE.n. viii. 698. The vord 7ieA, we 

 retain in nib, nifi. From this root the Eihiopir, lias ntbtb, or nebab, 

 speech, and nebia, a prophet. The word radicidly signifies the vioiiih, 

 ,and is found in the Celtic as well as the oriental Itinguages. 



t Park, p, 43, 44. — Asiat. Res. i. 263. 



:% Asiat. Res. iii. 364. % Pausan. lib. i. 17. 



