The sun., 1888-02-12
BENEEICEyT SERPESTS.
They are Myths, However, and net Celd,
Crawling Realities.
From the North American Rerte,r.


They are Myths, However, ana sst Celd,
Crawling Realities.
From the North american Rerte,c.
One Of the most quaint and charming &C.
counts Of beneilcent serpents is tho story OF
VALLEY Of the Neskar. beneath @ tho shadow 'i Of
the castle which bears her name:
heahen Hns reused te nseept
husband OF her fathers choice. alleging as her
objection her lover's adherence to the worship
OF his iorefathers. She fed from her enraged
father. and found shelter in a cavern n few
miles down the river. But the King, having
and n vain sought to persuade her to return
Finding eventually that his arguments were
useless. in his anger, he caught her arm to foree
member came of in his hand
J., In horror he returned to the castle leaving
had he departed when white snake apre ared.
and, licking Nothburga's wound Immediately
R s her to 60 forth nd
Her tomb bears upon 1t a recumbent figure
with only one arm. in memory of the miracle.
were much lumded throughout tho middle ages
and universally deemed a. projection against
any deadly The 6n;eSross who
In the early Egyptian Therapeutics We find
female heads; and. indeed, this class of ser
pents seemed to have, proved equally attractive
to all evidence Of WHICH subtle as
day, pcrenniaily Young and beautiful as though
% SFs r ~5afis family Se ar
mia the witch Of Crete. whose womans heart
tion she suffered during her incarceration nc With
In her scaly prison; nor did she. on renewing the
pristine glory of her human form. completely
MIA tho wife of Cadmus. to be a companion in
her husbands misfortune also took upon her.
Il IS ssd S
other form % Of the Classic Harmonia Which 5 has has
fairy Cientilla, who. in an adders shape. sought
refuge with Prince Leander from the vengeance
era @ days dTonned her sc"iy c " mante nan u and ar
rayed in supernatural charms. mnnilicently re-
warded her protsetor In some , OF the later ac; G;
this sisterhood. Jean d,Arlas represents her
rs serpent "enameed blue and white:' thus
Of Lusignan n fortress which she erected IN
the early days OF her welded happiness. L.
thore be any who wonder that this union Of
serpent and woman should have proved at
tractive to our ancestors might not tho sinu-
ons grace and enigmaic character Of our own
Elsie Nenner plead eloqncntly for the charms
OF her myth born sisterst
1t ia not, however. In this fascinating form
that the serpent usually presents itself. but
Hh wheh ew ss rar
eide or. again. like the winged dragon. per-
haps the most terrible OF all the serpent brood.
nected. strangely enough, with marsh or water:
particularly is this the case in the Hellenic pan
ne3n and n the Norhen legends It 4 no.
consequent upon a residence in the vicinity OF
svampy land, and at the same time sensible of
abundant supply Of water, the ancients may
on observing how frequently the marsh sur
iy mist arising from the former as dragon.
and personifed the latter as n captive maiden
or hidden treasure The universal attribute
possess to subJugate cities. and even king
doms, BY their presidential exhalations:: Flying
by night the the sssn5y tney t
natey blasting man and beast.
Sometimes, as in the story Of Gundel. they
but usually. like the Laidly Worm Of Lam.
beth" they lay, waste whole districts Of .coun-
and an eventnaiIy when their ravenous apnetites
arc LETT unsatisfled, destroying the impover-
ished people themselves.
begin to rise. floating bird like on the night air
yet always preserving serpentine, grace. what
sSeqs sha3 ho eef Hpn cur 5.
alchemy q poetic thought. have transformed
poisonous breath should overcome all heroes.
be they ever so RIaye Pray ana S Ski,fu @ except 81 only
golden arrow the monster must take flight.
The Greek mythology Is full Of examples to
support this theory. probably the most prom
inent OF which is the story OF Python'S death by
peincd iouptaln which issued from the mon
like most of his kindred. was dcnizen Of the
marshes. Cadmus. too. found In his wander
ing that clear and beautiful spring was rem;
dered unapproachable by the seven headed
serpent OF Mars and succeeded In Staying him
only after the monster had devoured or Iois-
oned all the wanderers comDanions: And Her
cues. the hero OF heroes, in whose adventurous
eeeded at last in Staying HydEa LI I. the many;
the air around the fountain Of Anymore. and
thereby enabled the peonle to receive the bens-
III OF Neptunes muniilcence.
The dragon which started up to devour An
dromedn.was also water-born and subject to the
commands Of ,poscidon. who sent him to re-
yenge an insult to Oceans Queen. But 1t was
ESPECIALLY in tho Morse tales that the dragon
myth attained to its fullest development. Here,
OF the ocean. girdling the middle world, dream
Ing ms she waited Of tho twilight OF the gods
when she should slay and 10 slain by the
Slegiricd must needs penetrate black and
treacherons len when se,arrhlhE ior the ally OF
tmally CONQUERED the dragon and came away
Victorious in spite of the monsters siSkeninG
odor and poisonous bi eSha,i.iohs,, io S,s beowqlt
an ana adjacent marsh and nightly devoured the
guests who lay In llyge4ks castle and King
Ortnit's treacherous iather-in-law bade him
place the dragon 5 eggs, which he sont as fair
present. in some damp and marshy blacG that
the heat OF the sun might halcn mem, 70 RIA
the ravages Of these monsters, he went out TO
meet them In mortal combat. but iain ing asleep
in the dragons drmesnc. vas slain by its foul
breath Ii resisted all attack > upon Its marshy
fastness until tho coming OF Wolidietrch by
whom Ii was slain.
In the beautiful story OF tho loves OF Diet
wart and Princess Minnie the pnwary maiden.
sued the @ @woundsd stag into. the damp and
tnckIy wooded recesses Of the whic i9Test ss Vas
woundlnR Dietwart was at length Oyerpowered
by the, hero, not, however; Without having by
IT'S poisonous breath 70 infhmcd me wound
ances, II required The magic balm rossessed by
tho Princess 10 heal H. A. the iairy tales Of
Treasures the dragons. who in tho story, Of
The Fair One with the Golden Locks" watched
the entrance TO the cavern whence lowed the
as we'll ss the monstrous but lethaIgio serpent