Page:The Journal of English and Germanic Philology Volume 18.djvu/411

 The Origin of the German Carnival Comedy 407 identified with Jahveh and not with the tablets of the law is proven by several passages in the Bible. 24 The flood story also points to the ship as the symbol of the god. The Carnival can be traced back historically to the cult of Isis. This goddess figured prominently among the Egyptian and other Oriental deities, which were brought to Greece. At first the Greeks were fain to recognize in her their earth- goddess Demeter, but soon they also came to see in her the sea-goddess and dedicated to her, also, a ship on the annual reopening of navigation. The ship-procession, as has already been noted, 25 was not altogether a foreign importation to Greece. It was observed in Athens long before Isis was known in the Greek lands. 28 A ship formed an essential part of the Dionysiac cult. A representation of the epiphany of Dionysus in a ship was seen by Loeschcke on a black-figured amphora of Greek provenience from the end of the seventh century at Corneto. 27 A carrus navalis undoubtedly formed the central feature of the Dionysian festal procession in Athens. An Attic vase of the sixth century now at Bologna represents the god Dionysus in a ship set on wheels and drawn by Silenes. 28 From Greece the worship of Isis penetrated to Rome and Italy. We do not know when the Egyptian goddess arrived there, but we learn that during the closing years of the Roman period, a festival called Namgium Isidis in honor of the Egyp- tian Isis was held on March 5, in which a ship-car (carrus navalis) dedicated to the goddess was led in solemn procession. 2 * The fact that the Carnival of modern Italy and the Namgium Isidis of ancient Rome occur at about the same time confirms 24 Cf. I. Sam. vi. 3 and II. Sam. vi. 14. On the question whether or no Jhvh was present in or on the ark see Karl Budde, "War die Lade Jahwes ein leerer Thron?" Theol. Studien u. Kritiken 1906, pp. 4&9sqq. 26 Supra, p. 406. 26 The Athenians, who are believed to have been colonists from Egypt, may have brought the cult with them from that country. 27 Cf. Usener, op. tit., p. 116. 28 See illustration ibid., p. 118 and in Diimmler, Skenische Vasenbilder, Rhein. Museum /. Philologie xliii. (1888) 355. 29 Cf. L. Lersch, "Isis u. ihr Schiff," Jahrbucher d. Vereins von Altertums- freunden im Rheinlande ix. 100; K. Simrock, "Nachtrag z. d. Schiff der Isis," ibid. t x. 80; J. W. Wolf, "Die Dea Nehalennia," ibid. t xii. 2sqq.; J. Grimm, Teutonic Mythology, Engl. tr. by Stallysbrass i. (1882) 258.