52 PROFESSOR BLACKIE ON INTERPRETATION OF POPULAR MYTHS, 



by the fancy of the Vedic poets, must be regarded in the meantime, at least, as 

 a failure." 



XXXV. Without, therefore, in the slightest degree wishing to throw- 

 discouragement on the delightful and interesting study of comparative mytho- 

 logy, — a study that promises the most fruitful results in the domain of theology 

 and moral philosophy, — the procedure of exact science seems to demand that, 

 before venturing on extensive excursions into foreign regions, we should, in 

 the first place, carefully survey and exhaust our home domain — that is to say, 

 that the Greek traditions with respect to their gods, interpreted by themselves, 

 and the general principles of mythical interpretation laid down in the above 

 propositions, afford a surer basis for this branch of mythological science than 

 hints suggested by Oriental etymologies, or analogies from the Vedic hymns. 

 And in order to make this more clear, I will select a few examples of person 

 ages from the motley theatre of Hellenic legend, which may be best adapted 

 for testing the value of the different methods of interpretation. 



XXXVI. As examples of how the elemental significance of the Hellenic 

 gods reveals itself to a sympathetic eye, from the mere presentation, epithets, 

 attitudes, and badges of the mythologic personages, we need do no more than 

 mention Zeus, Poseidon, and Apollo, in whom all the ancients, who exercised 

 reflection at all on the matter, recognised, with one voice and by an unerring- 

 instinct, the great elemental powers of the sky, the sea, and the sun. And 

 these are precisely the powers which, from their prominence, might a priori have 

 been predicated as certain to obtain a conspicuous place in an anthropomorphic 

 Pantheon of elemental origin. Of these three great gods also, be it noted, that 

 the first is the only one of which we can trace the etymology with any certainty ; 

 but neither does this one etymology, when recognised in the Sanscrit word 

 Diva, to shine, add anything to the already recognised idea of the Hellenic 

 Zeus, nor does the lack of an etymon in the other two cases render our percep- 

 tion of the character of the two gods less clear, or our knowledge of their 

 significance more certain. With regard to Poseidon, Mr Gladstone's recent 

 attempt to fix on him a Phoenician pedigree must be regarded as unsuccessful. 

 The people who at an early period sailed to Colchis and to Troy, did not 

 require to borrow a lord of the flood from the merchants of Tyre and Sidon. 



XXXVII. In Hera who, to the people and the people's poet, was simply 

 the spouse of Zeus, a large class of ancient speculators, as is well known, were 



* It may be proper to state, that the interpretation of certain personages in the Greek Pantheon 

 from sources of Sanscrit etymology, to which Max Muller has given currency, is not at all con- 

 firmed by the judicious sobriety of our countryman Dr Mum. See his paper in our Transactions, 

 vol. xxiii. p. 578. 



