Forlong - Rivers of Life

516
Fig 189—KEY AND LUNAR
SCEPTRE CARRIED BY CELES-
TIAL VIRGIN--ANATOLIA
Rivers of Life, or Faiths of Man in all Lands.
by a staircase; but to this there is no door. Any one may enter the outer
temple, but the inner one is reserved for the most holy of the priests. In the inner
chapel are placed the statues of Jupiter and Juno, to whom the hierarchs give another
name, both being represented sitting, and made of gold; the latter is carried by lions,
the former by bulls. The figure of Juno partakes of the characters of Minerva, Venus,
Luna, Rhea, Diana, Nemesis, and the Parcæ. In one hand she
holds a sceptre, and in the other a distaff,” probably like those
here given as held by the celestial virgin of Anatolia, “in which
the handle of the crown passes through a lotus-flower, and divides
the oval which represents the cross-bar of the key.” In the other
hand this queen of heaven carries a staff with the crescent moon,
has an embattled tower like Isis on her head, stands upon a lion,
and is followed by an antelope. 1 The Dea Soorya had also a tower
on her head, from which issued rays, and a zone round her waist
like Venus Urania. “On her head,” says Lucian, “is a stone called Luknus (Lychnus)
or the lamp which shines brilliantly at night, and seems fiery during the day.
“Between the two statues (Jupiter and Juno) there is,” adds Lucian, “another, also of
gold, but without any peculiarity, and this is called ‘the sign or symbol.’ There is great
doubt about whom it represents; some taking it for Bacchus or Deukalion, and others
for Semiramis, because it has a dove seated on the head. Twice every year it is carried
in procession to the sea at the time of their bringing the water from thence.” In
Russia we may remember that it is Christ, a chalice, or crucifix, which forms the principal
part of the Neva processions, and I have no doubt but that “the sign or symbol”
is the Nishān, or figure, which shows the union of the two—Jove and Juno, for it
looked at once a Bacchus and Semiramis. Lucian had clearly forgotten, or never known
the faith as we in India do. “On the left hand as one enters the temple (the proper
right), there stands the throne of the Sun, but without any image of the Sun itself, for
the Sun and Moon have no statues; the reason assigned being that it is a holy thing
to erect statues to other gods, in as much as their forms are not manifest to us; but the
Sun and Moon are evidently seen by all, and it is unnecessary to make the images of
what we behold in the air.” Beyond the throne of the Sun, Lucian saw a clothed
statue of Apollo with a long beard, and he remarks that all statues save this one are nude,
which, as it is the deliverer of the oracles, and the figure the priests move about with,
it is no doubt merely draped so as to hide sacredotal trickery. Beyond Apollo was
Atlas, Mercury, and Lucina; and outside the shrine was “a very large brazen altar and a
thousand brazen statues of gods and heroes, kings and priests.” Within the temple precincts
there were sacred oxen, horses, eagles, bears, and lions, all perfectly tame and three
hundred priests ministered at the holy offices, all wearing white garments and felt
caps. These annually elected a high priest, who alone wore the solar purple and golden
1 Anc. Faiths, II. 191; Dr. Inman gives the figure from Lajard’s Culte de Venus. [There is a full
description of the scene in Frazer’s Adonis Attis Osiris, chapter “The Gods of Boghaz-Keui.” —T.S.]