SACRED ISLES IN THE WEST.:. 3S 



Athunea in Latins resides in the White Islands they are intimate to each 

 Qther^ and cannot exist separately. 



Under the name of Cshiray the PFhite Island appears to be the Scheria 

 of Homer,, and other ancient writers. The word Cshira, in Sanscrit^ 

 signifies milk; but it appears that its original meaning was White, pure^ 

 clear, sheer: Skirr in the Edda signifies exa<5lly the same thing, and 

 "Xiroi in Japanese signifies white also, SkeiraSf sMras, skirra, in Greeks 

 signified white, and for that reason it became the name of chalk. There 

 were the skiroi theoi, the white gods, or the gods of Skerr, or Scheria^ 

 mentioned by Plutarch. There was also a nation of that name in 

 Europe^ mentioned by Stephanus of Byzantium,- 



The word csMr is always pronounced khir in the vulgar diale6ls, and 

 hhdr in Tibet: and it appears that Scherta Was also called Kheria. (^> This 

 is the same island, which is called Kyre and Kyrie by Pal^phatus ; and 

 Was the native country of Phorcus, (Kyrene or Certte appears in a deri- 

 vative form, from Cirna m Sanscrit.) These islands were three in number, 

 like those of the Hesperides in the north-west, according to Apollodorus, 

 There were three islands of the Gorgones, and tliree more belcmging. to 

 Geryon, These were probably the same, and made what wats called the 

 tyestern Cerney which, like the Hesperides, were misplaced. The eastern 

 Cerne was Sumatra; but which, like the Cerne m the west, included also 

 the eastern Tri-ciita. The wind called skiron 3.1 Athens, was called by 

 the Gauls, Circius, which is to be pronounced kirkius; and which appears 

 to have been originally the same with Corus or Caurus, as long as the 

 ancients remained satisfied with the old division of the horizon into eight 



(') Steph. Bj/zmt. v. Kli/: 



