of a deluge, as may hereafter be mentioned, I fhall apply the judicious obfervation of Voffius, that from the general flood of Noah were derived all the heathen stories of local and particular inundations. In confequence of Venus being a perfonification of the Ark, we find her denominated Arfinoè, or Baris-Noè, the Ark of Noah; Hippodamia, or Hippa-da-Maia, the arkite mother; and Arenta, or Aran-Thea, the goddefs of the Ark. Και τον θεα κλαυθεντα Γαίαντος ταφον, Σχοινιδι μεσοφθαρτον, ΑΡΕΝΤΑ, ξενη, Κραντηρι λάκῳ τον ποτ' εκτανε πελας. She was not however merely the Ark, but the Ark worshipped in conjunction with the Moon; hence the author of the Orphic hymns invokes her in terms, partly applicable to her diluvian and partly to her aftronomical character. He ftyles her the goddess Sprung from the fea, the ruler of the three divifions, the < Voff. de Idol. lib. i. cap. 18. d Strab. Geog. lib. xvii. p. 800. e Hefych. f Lycoph. Caffan. ver. 831. This I apprehend to be an allufion to the triple divifion of the world among the fons of Noah. These three divifions are faid by the poets to be heaven, earth, and hell; hence Diana upon earth is Luna in heaven, and Hecatè in the infernal regions. If we furvey the fame fable in a different point of view, as relating to the three fons of Cronus, heaven is af figned nurfe of Bacchus or Noah", the visible and the invifible, the tutelary deity of Syria and of Egypt. · Αφροδίτη, Ποντογένης, γενέτειρα θεα, φιλοπαννυχε σεμνή, Νυκτερια Και κρατέεις τριτων μοιρών Φαινομένη τ' αφανης Ειτ' εν Ολυμπῳ Ει συ θεα βασιλεία καλῳ γηθεσα προσωπῳ, In the Eaft Venus was worshipped under the appellation of the Syrian goddess. Lucian indeed confiders it as doubtful whether this goddess was Juno or Derceto'; but it matters little which opinion be adopted, for Juno is the dove, and Derceto, or Atargatis, was the fame as Aftartè ", who is declared both by figned to Jupiter, hell to Pluto, and the fea comprehending the earth to Neptune, whence his frequent Homeric title Ενοσίχθων. h In her character of the Ark. She was the fame as Hippa, who is alfo described as the nurfe of Bacchus. i In her character of the Moon. * Orph. Hymn. 54. 1 Αλλοι δε Σεμίραμιν την Βαβυλωνίην, της ηδη πολλα εργα εν τη Ασία 15), ταύτην και τοδε το εδος εισασθαι νομίζεσι, ουκ Ήρη δε εισασθαι, άλλα μητρι ἑωυτης, της Δερκετω δνομα. Luc. de Dea Syra, feet. 14. m Artemid. Oniroc. lib. i. cap. 9. Hence it is evident, that the Syrian goddess is the fame as the Venus-Juno of Laconia. Sanchoniatho and Glycas" to be Venus. Derceto however, or Venus, affumed the form of a fish; and it is remarkable, that her daughter Semiramis was fupposed to have been changed into a dove. -Dubia eft, de te, Babylonia narret, Derceti, quam verfa fquamis velantibus artus Stagna Palæftinæ credunt celebrâffe figura : An magis ut fumtis illius filia pennis Extremos albis in turribus egerit annos. Venus and Juno therefore I apprehend to be the fame as Derceto and Semiramis. The scholiaft upon Aratus indeed fuppofes Dercè, or Derceto, to be the daughter of Venus, rather than Venus herfelf; but, fince he afferts, that they were changed into the two fishes, which were afterwards placed in the zodiac, and fince he particularly mentions Derceto as the Syrian goddefs, it evidently appears to be only a variation of the preceding fable P. The conftellations of Aquarius and the great fish appear to be connected in a fimilar manner with the hiftory of the de n Eufeb. Præp. Evan. lib. i. cap. 10.-Glyc. Annal. p. 184. • Ovid. Metam. lib. iv. ver. 44. See alfo Athen. Legat, p. 33. Ρ Οὗτοι τε εισιν οἱ τε μεγάλες ιχθυος εκγονοι, περι & εν τοις έξης ερει, οἵτινες Δερκην την Αφροδίτης θυγατερα εμπεσέσαν εις θάλασσαν εσωσαν όθεν εις τιμην της θεας ὁ Σύριοι ιχθυων απέχονται. Schol. in Arat. Phonom. p. 32. luge. luge. The fish, which was one of the most ufual fymbols of the Ark, is reprefented fwallowing the water, which flows from the urn. of Aquarius; and it was first seen, according to Ctefias, in a lake near Bambycè. Derceto, or Venus, the Syrian goddefs, falling into the lake, was by this fifh fafely conveyed to the shore 9. According to Xanthus the Lydian, Derceto had a fon, who was denominated Ichthus, or the fish. This Ichthus, I doubt not, was the Dagon, or fish-god of the Philistines, under which name they worshipped the patriarch Noah'.. With regard to the feven Titanides, the mythological daughters of Derceto, or Aftartè, we learn from the author of the works afcribed to Orpheus, that their names were Themis, Tethys, Mnemofynè, Thea, Dionè, Phebè, and Rhea: 4 Ούτος εσιν μεγας καλέμενος ιχθυς, ὃν και πιειν λεγεσι το ύδωρ της ύδροχου εκχύσεως. Ισορειται δε περί τέτε, ὡς φησι Κτησίας, είναι πρότερον εν λίμνη τινι κατα την Βαμβυκην εμπεσεσης δε της Δερκητες νυκτος, σώσαι αυτην, ἣν οἱ περὶ τες τόπες οικέντες Συρίας θεον ονοματ Erat. Cataft. Ixdur. σαν. See Athen. Deipnof. lib. viii. p. 346. where the reader will find a truly Greek derivation of the word targatis. It is remarkable, that a particular kind of fish was denominated Bac cbus from the deity of that name, who was no other than Noah. Athen. Deipnof. lib. viii. p. 356. 'Enla guesલ; Yes, μεν έπλα δε παίδας ανακίας. Θυγατέρας μεν Θεμιν, και ευφρονα Τηθώ, Of thefe Titanides, Rhea, Phebè, Tethys, and Dionè, are the most remarkable characters. Rhea is the fame as Cybelè, a mere personification of the lunar Ark; and Dione is a contraction of Da-Ionah, the dove. Hence we find, that the mysteries of Rhea were. immediately connected with thofe of Bacchus, or Noah, and that Dionè was fometimes efteemed his mother ". Phebè, or Diana, is ufually defcribed the poets as a huntrefs; but, fince fhe is declared by Orpheus to be a Titanis, we are led to conclude, that her real character is that of Orph. apud Proclum in Timæum, lib. v. p. 295. Confequently she is the fame as her fuppofed mother Venus, or Aftartè, as fhall be fhewn at large hereafter, when I treat of the identity of the heathen goddeffes. Sanchoniatho, as we have feen, makes Rhea the fifter of Aftartè, and the confort of Cronus. This variation however is more apparent than real, for the Ark was indifferently reprefented as the wife, the daughter, the fifter, or the mother, of Noah. Ω παι Διώνης, ὃς εφυς μετας θεος, Διονύσε. Eurip. apud Schol. in Pind. Pyth. iii. ver. 177. She is faid by Sanchoniatho to have been one of the wives of Cronus.. a di |