Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 3, 1892.djvu/554

 CORRESPONDENCE.

CHAINED IMAGES.

To the Editor of FoLK-LORE.

Sir, — I have been hoping there would be some reply to Miss Godden's inquiry for instances of chained gods. So- far as I know, it has only called forth a short article by Wilhelm Schwartz in the Zeitschrift des Vereins fiir Volks- knnde, some references to his works, and a vague reference to Preller's GriccJiiscJie Mythologie. I have no access to^ these works, and do not know whether they mention the anecdote related by Diodorus Siculus in the seventeenth book of his History. He there states that during Alexander's siege of Tyre various prodigies happened. Among others^ one of the citizens claimed to have had a vision, in which Apollo appeared to him, and told him he would forsake the city. Although the Tyrians suspected this as a trick in favour of Alexander, who seems to have had a party in the city, yet they took the precaution of chaining Apollo's statue to its pedestal with golden links to prevent his leaving them. I may add that Plutarch, in that storehouse of folk-lore problems, TJie Roman Questions, refers (Ques- tion 6i) to the Tyrians in general terms as being said to bind their images to prevent their being enticed away by the enchantments of their enemies.

E. Sidney Hartland.

MR. HARTLAND'S "SIN-EATER", AND PRIMI- TIVE SACRAMENTS.

To the Editor of FOLK-LORE.

Sir, — Will you allow me to ask Mr. Hartland how the very interesting funeral rites which we owe to his paper on