Origin of Mijthology. 209 



Saturn, or time. In the same manner, Ops^ another name 

 of the earth, had Saturn for a husband.^ 



That this word Rhea, ";?■> is the root of Frea, the Ve- 

 nus of the northy I will endeavor to prove, or at least to 

 render probable, by citing an analagous fact, which 

 shows how extensively the opinion, that the earth was 

 the mother of all productions, prevailed in primitive ages, 

 and which unfolds the origin of the word motJwr, in its 

 different senses, which has hitherto been unexplained. 



In a passage of Sanchoniathon, preserved by Euscbi- 

 lis, the historian informs us that in the creation of the 

 World, the spirit, operating upon chaos, produced M<ar, 

 mot, which the author explains by 7nudj a putrid mass 

 of wet earth, from which were created intelligent ani- 

 mals, men, the sun, Vulcan, and his son Adani.f 



Plutarch informs us that the Egyptians called Isis, 

 muth, which signifies motJier. Macrobius writes that 

 Osiris is the sun, and Isis the earth. Jablonski and Kir- 

 cher agree that muth is the surname of Isis. Tacitus 

 informs us that the Germans worshipped Herthum, that 

 is, terram matrem, mother earth. | The scriptures also 

 inform us that man was made out of the dust or earth.^ 



* Hesiod^ Theog. v. 453. — Lempi'iere under i?^<?a and 0}is. 



t See the observations of Bocbart on this passage of Sanchonia- 

 thon.. ..Phosn. lib. ii. ca. 2. This author states, that in the begin- 

 ning there was ^rva-^v «=^e5 ^expa^a^ — a spirit of dark air, which he calls 

 X«4<)5 £jO£^iy^£?, a chaos of Erebus or darkness. "And darkness was 

 upon the face of the deep".. ..Gen. i. 2. All ancient authors seem 

 to have had similar ideas. See Hesiod. Theog. -v. 123. 



Ex ;(j«ea5 ^e epsQo^ re, f^$>icdvci re Noi| c/euvro. 

 From chaos sprung Erebus, and black night. 



Savs Sanchoniathon, ey. rov avrov crvyj7r>,6-Kr,(i rev TTVEV/Azroi eyevero fMir j 

 ■puro ri'jei (puriv i>\.vv, oi JV v^arw^sq jKj'|f»s (riji^iv. From this connection 

 of the spirit v/as produced Jtiot, which some call clay or slime, and 

 ftlhers a putrid moist mixture. 



I Plut. de Iside. Not having Plutarch to consult, I cite this pas- 

 sage from Cluver. Germ. Antiq. lib. i. ca. 27. See also Macrobius. 

 Saturn, lib. i. ca. 21. Tacitus, de Mor. Germ. 40. Tiie authori- 

 ties of Jablonski, Kircher and Macrobius are cited at second hand. 

 It has been already remarked that Isi is still in Coptic the nam^i of 

 ^e earth. And see Parkhurst under ks. 



