The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-03-21

DIVINE h"""iH an" N"fship faid To tbs
Bow-Various Names Givcn-A yessep.
ger from Heaven-The Road OF Souls
A Demon.
Many curious beliefs concerning the
u.ulOw--the most beautiful of the lumin.
Gus phenomena Of the sky or air--have
prevailed in all ages and do still survive
The ancicnts have left on record many u
these strange beliefs. They grew and
spread during the Middle Ages. The
symbolism Of Christian art employed the
rainbow as an ornament. Christ being
frequently shown seated on the many
colJred arch OF heaven.
the bow has been recognized as the
deity himself, and divine honors and wor.
ship have been paid 70 It, Ancient Greeks
@, DclOs offered cakes Of -four, meal and
died fruits 20 the rainbow. Iris, the
charming and swift messenger Of the gods,
was the rainbow in early mythology, and
one of the lesser divinities ia Olympus.
in samoa the rainbow is recognized rs
the village god, and Pava god of war;
appeared IN Is shining arch. Mozambique
Turks regard 10 az the bow Of Mouloucou
genius Of good, and Turks as the bow Of
Cousa angel Of clouds) Iu the Philip
pine Islands vows are addressed to it, and
inter rain prayers are said TO it, 1t was
one Of the servants Of the sun In ancient
Perm and "a niche was reserved for It In
tlc Quito temples. in Tahiti IT Is one of
the children Of the God Taaroa.
When not regarded ne the deity himself,
itis often believed to be in some way con-
uccted with him, as many Of modern
names for il indicate Cards consider Il
the basket Of tho God Joulouka:u
>1moycdes, "the edge Of the garment Of
supreme being,n md Kamschatkans,
"thc God Buoucay." It's name in San
scrt was the EARN" or the "bow of
Ildra," God Of the Elements. In Finnish
80 is called "Ukko's bOw;n 1sigauo peas
ants call it the ring Of God, and Scla.
vonians Tho seal OF Cod" Croatians, the
"bclt rod, foot" or ''stave OF God, "
while TO inhabitants Of Archan9el, the
Wali0on country, and to Arabs and
Czcclss il is the Glow Of God" 1t is
known in one part Of France as the
"girdlo Of God
Others credit the saints with power
through IT, Various saints have been Sc
lected as patronymic. In is "St. Marks
bow in parts Of Italy and France; "St
Martins ring" IN other localities Of
France, ana his bow" in still other
places, and IA Spain also. In Belgium it
Is called '5t Michael's humble bee,' In
France est. Demands crown" and in
Lorraine his "bOdy;n in Provence and
Dauphny Lis bridge" 1t is "St. Leon
ards crown in one place, his carriage"
in another Basque folk lore records its
name as the arm Of ST. John" One
Arab name Is the "bow OF the prophet"
i'm accordance with the tradition that
The rainbow was sign and n promise to
Noah. we find ii connected with his name
in many place, and frequently shall also
find 80 IN weather indication. Sicilians
call 10 'No0h's arch;' provincial Rus
slams, 'Noah's legacy" and it is named
Tie boat Of the Holy deluge" in Franche
Compile. Regarded in many lands as Il
messenger from heaven or a way 70 the
celestial regions, the luminous bow Is
named i'm accordance with these beliefs.
lu old French and in modern Finnish dia-
lccts 10 is the celestial arch, while in
Spanish II is the heavenly bow" In Ar
dechc. the "bridge Of the Holy Spritjn
u Welsh, the "arcb OF the Trinity and
in central Russia, the "bow Of pardon.
Ancient Eddaic lore named It "Bifrost,
The bridge between heaven and earth"
over which the gods journey. Later |
Greek mythology represented it as the |
road TO the gods 10y which Iris travelled |
"Arcanum non Trim, sed yiam lridis |
dixit, says Sueyius
In Austria Hungary, the rainbow is the |
bridge by which St Elias descends from |
heaven, and the thunder is the sound Of |
his chariot wheels. Central Asian tribes |
also call II "St Elias Bridge, " and Rus
sian peasants Of kazan name il the I'm |
olued Bridge in one portion OF France |
10 is said 70 be the shadow of bridge /
which exists between earth and heaven
I'm Greenland and Siavonia IL Is the road
~ souls. and is thus COMPOUNDED with the
Milky Way Welch tradition represents
tho rainbow as the way by which the
man in the moon climbed 10 his elevated
perch IL is the way 10y which saints de-
sceud to earth 70 punish aud reward men.
sccOTIing to Iettonlan traditions. Souls
ST The Just ascend to heaven thus IN many
beliefs, and It Is frequently named lad
der Ukraine peasants say the angels de-
scend by 10 TO draw water from the earth
the heavenly reservoir whence
fall the copious showers. New Zealanders
thought II q ladder by which their chiefs
climbed into the sky, and Philippine
Islanders, q stairway by which the souls
Of those dying a violent death assembled 10
heaven An Indian folk tale relates that
mice climbed its threadlike steps to
heaven, gnawing them TO hberate cap
tive there imprisoned
Contrary TO this idea of a celestial orr
gin. the rainbow is sometimes regarded as
The Karens of Burmah
point IL out TO their children as demon
chat VIII deyour human souls. The us
fortunate posscssor Of these viii, they say,
Die q sudden and violent death. II is also
said 70 devour human beings, which
causes It great thirst, and it is then that
10 is seen over n pond drinking the water.
II. 5. Bassett In GlooeD Democrat.