Book II, p. 61.

Footnote 535:

By Ares, the Egyptian Typhon is probably meant.

Footnote 536:

In the Polynesian Maui myth, the act of the sun-hero is very plain: he robs his mother of her girdle. The robbery of the veil in myths of the type of the swan maiden has the same significance. In an African myth of Joruba, the sun-hero simply ravishes his mother (Frobenius).

Footnote 537:

The previously mentioned myth of Halirrhotios, who destroyed himself when he wished to cut down the holy tree of Athens, the Moria, contains the same psychology, also the priestly castration (Attis castration) in the service of the great mother. The ascetic self-torture in Christianity has its origin, as is self-evident, in these sources because the Christian form of symbol means a very intensive regression to the mother incest.

Footnote 538:

The tearing off from the tree of life is just this sin.

Footnote 539:

Compare Kuhn: “Herabkunft des Feuers.”

Footnote 540:

Nork: “Wörterbuch s. v. Mistel.”

Footnote 541:

Therefore in England mistletoe boughs were hung up at Christmas. Mistletoe as rod of life. Compare Aigremont: “Volkserotik und Pflanzenwelt.”

Footnote 542:

Just as the tree has the phallic nature as well as a maternal significance, so in myths the demonic old woman (she may be favorable or malicious) often has phallic attributes, for example, a long toe, a long tooth, long lips, long fingers, pendulous breasts, large hands, feet, and so on. This mixture of male and female motive has reference to the fact that the old woman is a libido symbol like the tree, generally determined as maternal. The bisexuality of the libido is expressed in its clearest form in the idea of the three witches, who collectively possessed but one eye and one tooth. This idea is directly parallel to the dream of a patient, who represented her libido as twins, one of which is a box, the other a bottle-like object, for eye and tooth represent male and female genitals. Relative to eye in this connection, see especially the Egyptian myths: referring to tooth, it is to be observed that Adonis (fecundity) died by a boar’s tooth, like Siegfried by Hagen’s spear: compare with this the Veronese Priapus, whose phallus was bitten by a snake. Tooth in this sense, like the snake, is a “negative” phallus.

Footnote 543:

Compare Grimm: Vol. II, Chap, iv, p. 802. The same motive in another application is found in a Low-Saxon legend: Once a young ash tree grew unnoticed in the wood. Each New Year’s Eve a white knight upon a white horse rides up to cut down the young shoot. At the same time a black knight arrives and engages him in combat. After a lengthy conflict, the white knight succeeds in overcoming the black knight and the white knight cuts down the young tree. But sometime the white knight will be unsuccessful, then the ash will grow, and when it becomes large enough to allow a horse to be tied under it, then a powerful king will come and a tremendous battle will occur (destruction of the world).

Footnote 544:

Chantepie de la Saussaye: “Lehrbuch der Religionsgeschichte,” Vol. II, p. 185.

Footnote 545:

Further examples in Frobenius: Ibid., passim.

Footnote 546:

See Jensen: “Gilgameshepos.”

Footnote 547:

In a Schlesian passionale of the fifteenth century Christ dies on the same tree which was connected with Adam’s sin. Cited from Zöckler: Ibid., p. 241.

Footnote 548:

For example, animal skins were hung on the sacrificial trees and afterwards spears were thrown at them.

Footnote 549:

“Geschichte der amerikanischen Urreligionen,” p. 498.

Footnote 550:

Stephens: “Central America” (cited by Müller: Ibid., p. 498).

Footnote 551:

Zöckler: “Das Kreuz Christi,” p. 34.

Footnote 552:

H. H. Bancroft: “Native Races of the Pacific States of North America,” II, 506. (Cited by Robertson: “Evang. Myths,” p. 139.)

Footnote 553:

Rossellini: “Monumenti dell’ Egitto, etc.” Tom. 3. Tav. 23. (Cited by Robertson: Ibid., p. 142.)

Footnote 554:

Zöckler: Ibid., p. 7. In the representation of the birth of a king in Luxor one sees the following: The logos and messenger of the gods, the bird-headed Thoth, makes known to the maiden Queen Mautmes that she is to give birth to a son. In the following scene, Kneph and Athor hold the Crux ansata to her mouth so that she may be impregnated by this in a spiritual (symbolic) manner. Sharp: “Egyptian Mythology,” p. 18. (Cited by Robertson: “Evangelical Myths,” p. 43.)

Footnote 555:

The statues of the phallic Hermes used as boundary stones were often in the form of a cross with the head pointed (W. Payne Knight: “Worship of Priapus,” p. 30). In Old English the cross is called rod.

Footnote 556:

Robertson (Ibid., p. 140) mentions the fact that the Mexican priests and sacrificers clothed themselves in the skin of a slain woman, and placed themselves with arms stretched out like a cross before the god of war.

Footnote 557:

“Indian Antiquities,” VI, 49.

Footnote 558:

The primitive Egyptian cross form is meant: Τ.

Footnote 559:

Zöckler: Ibid., p. 19. The bud is plainly phallic. See the above-mentioned dream of the young woman.

Footnote 560:

I am indebted for my information about these researches to Professor Fiechter of Stuttgart.

Footnote 561:

Zöckler: Ibid., p. 33.

Footnote 562:

The sacrifice is submerged in the water, that is, in the mother.

Footnote 563:

Compare later the moon as gathering place of souls (the devouring mother).

Footnote 564:

Compare here what Abraham has to say in reference to pupilla (“Dreams and Myths”).

Footnote 565:

Retreat of Rê upon the heavenly cow. In a Hindoo rite of purification, the penitent must creep through an artificial cow in order to be born anew.

Footnote 566:

Schultze: “Psychologie der Naturvölker.” Leipzig 1900, p. 338.

Footnote 567:

Brugsch: Ibid., p. 290.

Footnote 568:

One need not be amazed at this formula because it is the animal in us, the primitive forces of which appear in religion. In this connection Dieterich’s words (“Mithrasliturgie,” p. 108) take on an especially important aspect. “The old thoughts come _from below_ in new force in the history of religion. The revolution _from below_ creates a new life of religion in primitive indestructible forms.”

Footnote 569:

Dispute between Mary and the Cross in R. Morris: “Legends of the Holy Rood.” London 1871.

Footnote 570:

A very beautiful representation of the blood-red sun sinking into the sea.

Footnote 571:

Jesus appears here as branch and bud in the tree of life. Compare here the interesting reference in Robertson: “Evangelical Myths,” p. 51, in regard to “Jesus, the Nazarene,” a title which he derives from Nazar or Netzer = branch.

Footnote 572:

In Greece, the pale of torture, on which the criminal was stretched or punished, was termed ἑκάτη (Hecate), the subterranean mother of death.

Footnote 573:

Diez: “Etym. Wörterbuch der romanischen Sprachen,” p. 90.