The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-02-01
ToA0S IN HISTORY.
Legends. Traditions and Proverbs About
tho Hopping. Creature,

Legends. Traditions and Proverbs About
the Hopping. Creature.
The old Persians made the toad the
symbol and pet of Ahriman, the foe of
light, and declared that his Charleston
or attendant demons, took that form
when they prosecuted Ormuzd, saws
The st. James Gazette. Among the Ty.
rolese it is type of envy, whence the
problem, "Envious as q toad" In
the Middle Ages, among artists and in
many church legends, it appears rs
greed or ayarice; there is even to this
day, IN some mysterious place on the
right bank Of the Rhine, Between Lar
fenberg and Binzgan, q pileof coalxon.
(which sits q toad. That "a 10, ~
Goals they seem 70, the world; but the
pile is all pure gold, and the toad is a
devil who guards it, and he who
knows how can pronounce q smell
which shall ban the grim guardian.
And there is story told by Monzel
cChristiche Symbolik," volume one.
page 50O that long ago there lived in
Cologne q wicked miser, who. when
old, repented and wished to leave his
money to the poor. But when he
opened his great iron chest he found
that every coin in it had turned to a
horrible toad with sharp teeth. This
story being told to his confessor. the
priest saw in it the divine retribution.
and told him that God would have
none OF his money-nay, that it would
go hard with him to save his soul
And he, being willing to do ANYTHING
TO be- free from sin, was locked up in
the chest, with the toads, and lol the
next day when it was opened the
creatures had eaten him up. Only his
clean picked bones remained.
But in the Tyrol it is believed that
the toads are themselves poor s;n1rcrp,-
undergoing penace as Heetschen or
Hoppinen--as they are locally called
for deeds done in human form.
Therefore they arc regarded with pity
and sympathy by all good Christians.
And it's well known that in the Church
Of st. Michael, in Schwatz, on the even
ing before the great festivals, but when
no one Is present, the immense toad
comes crawling before the altar, where
II kneels and prays, weeping bitterly.
The general belief is that toads are, for
the most part, people who made vows
10 go on pilgrimages and died with the
vows unfulhlled. So the poor creatures
go hopping astray, bewildered and per
picked, striving to find their way to
shrlnes which have perchance long
since ceased to exist.
Once there was toad who took
seven years to go from LETTERS to Weis-
sensteln; and when the creature
reached the church it suddenly
changed to resplendent white dove,
winch, lying up 70 heaven, vanished
h<S. - -
there assembled, who bore witness, to.
the miracle. And one day, as q wag-
oner was going from Innsbruck to
Seefeld, as he paused by the wayside
toad came hopping up and seemed de-
sirous of getting into tho wagon, which
he, being O benevolent man, helped it
to do, and gave it place on the seat
beside him.
There it sat like any other respect-
able passenger until they came to the
side path which led to the church of
Seefeld, when, wonderful to relate,
the toad suddenly turned to q maiden
Of angelic beauty clad in white, who,
thanking the wagoner for his kindness
to her when she was but O poor rep
tile, told him she had once been q
young lady who had vowed a nil
grimage to the church of SeefeId.
But, as needless maidens often do, she
had put it off from time to time till
she died. But now, by his help, her
soul was saved. And, saying this,
she tea Mingsa Xsal her sg MaY tS dERsss9s the is
-aro.n n, ~ Ssas
In common with the frog the toad
is an emblem of productiveness and
raks among creatures which are types
of erotic r,assion. have i'm NV nosses-