1881. ] Anthropology. 581 
Vale (brother of Balder), Uller, Forsete (the peacemaker), and Loke 
(the evil giant-god). The goddesses are twenty-six in number. 
Odin’s hall is the great Valhal. The tree Ygdrasil, striking its 
roots through all worlds, spreading its life-giving arms through 
the heavens, and furnishing bodies for mankind from its branches 
is beautifully described (188, and 205). The second part of the 
volume, 215-409, constitutes a perfect classical dictionary of 
Norse mythology, adding to its richness of detail the enthusiasm 
of intense sympathy. 
The final destruction of the world, and regeneration of gods 
and men, is called Ragnarak. This theoktonic myth is wanting 
in Greek mythology. Ragnarak is an outbreak of all the chaotic 
powers, a conflict between them and the established order of crea- 
ion 
The student of comparative mythology, upon taking a work of 
this class in his hand, almost instinctively asks what the author 
will do with his body of myths. It is possible to run any theory 
to extremes and to say some very silly things, as Tylor and Bar- 
ing Gould have shown us. Here is the point where the sympa- 
thetic reader trembles for his author. Professor Anderson, while 
taking the nature view of Norse mythology, handles the subject 
with extreme caution. The myth reflects nature and society, the 
One inextricably in communion with the other. The harsh cli- 
mate of the North modified not only the Norse mythology, but 
also molded indefinitely the national character, and then the two 
acted and reacted upon each other 
the name of Dr. Samuel H. Barlow, of New York, and Dr. N. 
oe Bradner, of Philadelphia, dated July, 1873. The characters 
Purport to be Hebrew letters, and the inscriptions cover the four 
es of a truncated pyramid. The story of the finding of the 
Precious relic is briefly told by Col. Whittlesey, and calls to mind 
a remark made by Professor Dawkins to the editor of these notes 
during his visit to America last autumn: “ Is it not too bad,” said 
the learned cave-hunter, “that the question of veracity should be 
raised at the very threshold of an important investigation, to cast 
a cloud of doubt over all future work. And yet we are constantly 
