Page:Primitive Culture Vol 2.djvu/287

Rh :'Tanno Vâto mayobhu vâtu bheshajam tanmâtâ Prithivî tatpitâ Dyauh.'

Greek religion shows a transition to have taken place like that among the Turanian tribes, for the older simpler nature-deity Gaia, Γῆ πάντων μήτηρ, Earth the All-Mother, seems to have faded into the more anthropomorphic Dēmētēr, Earth-Mother, whose eternal fire burned in Mantinēa, and whose temples stood far and wide over the land which she made kindly to the Greek husbandman. The Romans acknowledged her plain identity as Terra Mater, Ops Mater. Tacitus could rightly recognize this deity of his own land among German tribes, worshippers of 'Nerthum (or, Hertham), id est Terram matrem,' Mother Earth, whose holy grove stood in an ocean isle, whose chariot drawn by cows passed through the land making a season of peace and joy, till the goddess, satiated with mortal conversation, was taken back by her priest to her temple, and the chariot and garments and even the goddess herself were washed in a secret lake, which forthwith swallowed up the ministering slaves — 'hence a mysterious terror and sacred ignorance, what that should be which only the doomed to perish might behold.' If in these modern days we seek in Europe traces of Earth-worship, we may find them in curiously distinct survival in Germany, if no longer in the Christmas food-offerings buried in and for the earth up to early in this century, at any rate among Gypsy hordes. Dewel, the great god in heaven (dewa, deus), is rather feared than loved by these weatherbeaten outcasts, for he harms them on their wanderings with his thunder and lightning, his snow and rain, and his stars interfere with their dark doings. Therefore they curse him foully when misfortune falls on them, and when a child dies, they say that Dewel has eaten it. But Earth, Mother of all good,

1 'Rig-Veda,' i. 89. 4, &c., &c. 2 Welcker, 'Griech. Götterl.' vol. i. p. 385, &c. 3 Varro de Ling. Lat. iv. 4 Tacit. Germania, 40. Grimm, 'Deutsche Myth.' p. 229, &c. 5 Wuttke, 'Deutsche Volksabergl.' p. 87.