Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 8, 1897.djvu/289

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Reviews. 265

14), also need further discussion. It is more than likely that these may often be due to anthropomorphising of an animal deity ; or to substitution of a new deity for the older, which it was all the same not safe to ignore. The whole of this section, if we may except a rather confused unravelling of the Ariadne- Aphrodite myth (632), and an occasional tendency to interpretations too philosophical (629), is full of lucid and cogent reasoning. We would especially point to the discussion of Ourania on page 661. One of the epithets of the goddess, 'Aorpareta, may be a cor- ruption (it is suggested) of Aorapr?; ; but it is also possible etymo- logically to take the prefix d as being not negative, but, as in aTra-ovpia and a few other words, the Greek form of a word mean- ing " with " (sm-). This seems a simpler explanation, as 'Atrrpareia

o

will then be the goddess who goes with the host, and the same as

Aphrodite I,TpaTeia, who is found elsewhere.

Space fails to discuss the remaining sections of the book; but enough has been said to explain its merits and its failings. The latter part of this review ought not to give the impression that the failings outweigh the merits. It has been necessary to examine it specially from the point of view of the Folk-Lore Society ; and here we see at once that a sound knowledge of our subject would have made the book more valuable still. But it remains a monu- ment of sound learning, conspicuous too for sound judgment among the farrago of crude theories that pours forth upon an astonished world. And it is only fair to say that the author has fully carried out his scheme within the limits proposed by himself. The book is quite indispensable to all who are interested in the study of Greek religion.

We understand that the third volume will be fully indexed, and contain a Bibliography, with a complete list of cult-names such as that compiled for Roscher's Dictionary of Mythology. It would be most useful for those who have Httle Greek, if the Appendices of Authorities could be translated into English. We might suggest that Greek and English together might be made into a separate volume.

We have noticed one misprint, Mindos for Myndos, on p. 469.