Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-05-17
Misfellanu.
From the Atlantic fer May.
The Descent of Fire.
Concluded.

devious, but VIC have now pursued then
long enough, | believe, to have arrived at
tolerably clear understanding of the origina
nature of the divining-rOd. Its power of re
vealIng treasures has been sufficiently ex
plaihed and it's affinity for water results s,
obviously from the character of the light
ning-myth to need no further comment
But its power of detecting criminals still re
mains to be accounted for.
10 Greek mythology, the being which de
tects and Furnishes crime is the Erinys, the
prototype Of the Latin Fury, figured BY late
writers as a horrible monster with serpent
locke. But this is a degradation of the or
isiual cOncepudn. The name Er,Hys did
not originally mean Fury, and it cannot be
explained IRON Greek sources alone. IJ aI-
pears ia SanskrJ SGrdayu, word which
signifies the light OF morning creeping over
the sky And thus we are led To the start
ling conclusion that, a. the lI1ht of morning
reveals the evil deeus done under the cover
u nIgnt, 50 the lovely Dawn, or Erlnys.
came 10 he regarded under one aspect as tie
t.rTIbie detrcJOr and avenger o. Iuiquty
Y-t startling as the conclusion -, ia Uase
an cstahl shed laws OF phonetic change, ana
cannot be gaIHsaS ed.
But what has the avenglug day break 10 do
.th the lightning and the divinIDg ROD :?
r. the IuUitrn mind the association l. nos
40 obvious one IN antiquity 1t was other
w.-e. MSt OF the dayrTtak and myths Ol
The lightning often resemble each other So
closely that, except 10y delicate pathological
srsivs.-, 10 Is 4 ficul: 10 distinguish the one
.-.ni. tire Yth.r- The reason 10 uhyious. H.
each c;-c tho pherumehon t. be ez! lain,d
- the ruggle between tie daygfd and OLE
20 the dem. ~ If darkEeee There Is essen
-I4IIy no stmc;Iun 70 tie mind Ut the prIn-
.tIyc mn hetH cen the Panl-, who steal In
lra'> lIIgLt ,yw- an KEEP them IN a DARK
cavern aIl rIgtt. aud tie thTUttlIrg snake
Ain ,r Erhldna. WhU lmFiIsIns The waters M
bile -truuzLaid ui o e Ibuud, rel I'd and COW
sI.fIc earth win q sLUIt-nyed daI kUe>s.
.itd the poison, arrows Ol BelleIVEhUu,
Rulch >Iav tie storm dragon, differ III 40 er-
-eutni J, spect from tne shafts wiki winch
DiSs-tus rI4ughtcrs the might GemuI who
j We ur Ten long ours beet bis mansion.
Iuu~ tiIe dIyIuIrG-r'd representing a. rt does
r.e NeaIuu 81 the God uI cay, cUHts le-It-
flst,Il ~, ugh 10y It- function Ui dcttctID2
.ii H;ensins crime
Bur tie ughtr irs not only reFeais strange
treasures anu gives water 10 the thirsty lanu .
snI IusA liam what Is doing under cover
ui laIknes= It also sumet mes KILLS, be
Huut-. or paIalyzts. 1hLs the htaO Oi tht
Congo ii N, dusa tuGrs into stone those who
l..k uIr II. TuLs the ointment OF the
1eryi-,. ia the tale of Baba Abdaiiah, not
laIv reveals all the treasures OF tie earth.
hlr instantly thereafter blinds the UNHAPPY
Eaau wLJ lee It's powers. ANA thus Tie
taud DO glo ~. which bursts open bars ana
tIt- hcuuu.ts also thyse who happen 10 b-
tesr it lnceed, lew OF tie favored morJais
-hI were nd low cd to visit the cayerDs oI ened
94 -estme or the luck -fJwer, escaped with
aut disaster. Tie muDklsn tale Of d" The
DIerk and the Image, - IN which the prime
y4l my ythIcaI features arc curIously distorted,
well illustrates this point
To the citv of Rome there formerly stood
an image with its right hand extended and
g7 Is iOreGnger the words ' strike here
sIsnv wiee men puzzled IL vain over the
wesiiq, of the inscription but at last
certain priest observed that whenever the
sun shonc On the figure, the shadow of the
lnger was III ccrnble On the ground at
itric distance IRON the statue. Having
marked the spot. be waited until midnight, :
and then cran to dig At last his spade 1
struck upon something hard. 1t was trap
door below which II hight OF marble steps }
le- ended into a spacious hall, where many
men were sitting IN solemn silence amid
nil, - of rold and diamonds and long rows OF :
vases Beyond thIs he found an T.
Jti CT room. a gjHGcum filed with beautiful !
women reclining on richly embroidered
,Ofas yet here, too, all was profound 81
ence 4 superb bauqueting-hd next met =
his astonisl cd gaze then a silent kitchen ;
hen grauuries loaded with forage then d ct
bic crowded with motIonless horses. The
whole place was brilliantly lighted by car i
Juucle winch was suspended IN one corner >
IF the, reception-room and opposite stood
N archer, With his bow AID arrow raised,
10 the act OF taking aim At the jewel A.
hc priest passtd back through the hnll, be .
aw a diamUnd-hiited knIte lying on a mar
lie table and wishing to carry away some
.hns wheIcwith to accr.dIt his story, he ~
reached out bis hand TO take II but 10 :,
03nrr had he touched it th an all was dark :
Tie archer had shot with hls arrow, the
JrIght level was shivered into a thousand +,
,Iec,s, the staircase had fed. and the priest =,
Jund himself buried alive 49,
Usually, however, though the Lightning II i
won't 70 strike dead, with lis basllisk giance,
hore who rashly enter it, mysterious cav :,
rns 10 II regarded rather as a bcEeiactUI
IAN as "A destroyer TIE feelings with .
which the myth-nakIng age contemplated
he thunder shower as It revived the earth "
,aral wed bv long drought, are stown N /,
lie myth 81 OIdIIour Tie y hiux. whose :.
name signifies e. tie Ole v bo LInds, l. tie y
!, mon who SITS Oh the cloud-lO,k and Im- ~
p iruI 8 tie IBIn, mutterIng dark sayIu
7Lish nome but the all-knUw ing san may :
III d,isiaLd The hash Of solar light WI ich =
causes th' muusttr To amg herself dpWI y
ON the rha with learlsl roar, restoI es r
= La
be -s-cIIIIun o the thnI deI-stOr witt 4"
he prrJach p summer has produced many -
b y1lr 10 Is hIct u Igl thing 10 symi Ollzeu :
p she Hie-IcituI = WuI i al tie wet, rluus .
gUs. HenCu tie use Ut tie dIvIDing-r'
% tLetuIc % dIleBsc and eIce the laTSt :
smIIy Ui -c Amin myths III Which tie dead -
Re restored u IIie BY leaves or herbs. IN - =
d ID % s tale q the bIee Snake Leaves. -
81 nm ce j. buried al ve (hke SmdbadJ
nth hIs dad g, and seeing snake aIr
reaching . er body, be cuts It IN thee
o, ces. t,sentiy another srake, crawling -.
.lh G corner. saw the other lying dead :,
nd going away room returned with three
reen eaSer IN Ijs mouth tLen laying tie 80
al OF The L,Iy t"teJ er 20 as 10 JOIN, II -
Ut ue Itat on each wound, and the dtau - -
make was I'VE IAN. lie prince, apply
ug tie leaves to fIs wIie's hody, rest re- H.
er afro 10 hlc. = ln the Geek stoIy' -,
old Ly T. Iau ana Al UllOdOIOs, Poly dos IL -
but up with the cOrl re Of GlaukOs, which
e Is UrGeTtd j 10 rtstUle 10 lIie. lie kills :,
rs Lun " hIch Is app OachlDg tile body, bui Ist
IIes.ntly BstOnIshed at seeing another ;
rsgou c,me with a blade Of grass and place
UpUn Its dead comp anIUn, which II stantIy
isez from tie ground. Poly idos takes the :
anne blade OF grass. and Nth it resuecltattE ~
ilaukJs The same incident occurs IN The Ul,
ifudu story Of Panch Phul Rantc, and IL no u"
Uuquc's " ) T ElidOc, wh ch is founded be
Il d Breton legend. We need not wonder, M
hen. d the extraordinary therapeutic prop mma5
ItIes which are in ali Aryan folklore as 70.
ribtd to the various lightning plants. In Cn
voden sanitary amulets are made OF mlstle- i
ce-twIgs, and The plant IS supposed to be eH
Iecifc against epIleEsy aud an antIdote tol NO
5oisons In Cornwall children are passed
hrougb holes in ash-trets ID order to euro .