Chapter I: Front Matter

FISHES, FLOWERS, AND FIRE WORSHIP.

Fishes, Flowers, & Fire
AS ELEMENTS AND DEITIES IN THE
Phallic Faiths & Worship
OF THE ANCIENT RELIGIONS OF
Greece, Babylon, Rome, India, &c.
WITH ILLUSTRATIVE MYTHS AND LEGENDS.

PRIVATELY PRINTED.

A. READER, ORANGE STREET, RED LION SQUARE, LONDON.
1890.

_PREFACE._

_The volume now in the reader's hands forms the fifth, and, for the present, the concluding portion of the "Phallic Series" it was found necessary to issue in further explication of certain matters set forth in the first book on this peculiar subject._

_Having dealt with Sex Worship generally, Ophiolatræia, the Round Towers and Holed Stones, Trees, Fishes, Flowers, and Fire, the ground has been pretty well covered, and with the exception of an Appendix, which future demands may possibly call forth, the subject is now complete. It is confidently expected that the present volume will be found equally interesting with those which have preceded it; it opens up entirely new matter, and contains a number of curious traditions not before alluded to._

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

CHAPTER I. (FISHES) 1

Frequent occurrence of the Fish Symbol--Fish Heraldry--Earliest
devices--Fish devices on Churches and other public buildings--The
Catacombs--Ichthus--Fish devices at Glastonbury Abbey, &c.--The
Book-fish--Glasgow Fish-arms--The Fish and the Ring Story of
Scotland--Solomon and the Fish and Ring--The Hermit's Fish Pond
of St. Neot's--The Sacred Perch--The Dolphin--Neptune.

CHAPTER II. (FISHES) 10

The Ancient Sacred Fish--Fish diet and its supposed effects--Fish
and the Jews--The God Krodo--Oanes--Dagon--The Fish-god at
Nimrod--Khorsabad--Fish Worship in Syria--Temple of Dagon at
Azotus--The Dagon of the Bible--Adramelech--Abstinence from
Fish-food--Ancient character of Fish Worship--"Paradise Lost"--
The Irish demi-god Phin--The Fish as a Christian Symbol--Idea
involved in Fish Worship--Holy Fish Ponds--Ancient Caledonian
objections to Fish--Other anti-fish-eating nations--Ishtar.

CHAPTER III. (FLOWERS) 25

Universal Love of Flowers--Indifference to Flowers--Excessive
Love of Flowers leading to adoration--Myths and Legends
connected with Flowers--The Flos Adonis, Narcissus, Myrtle,
Silene inflata, Clover--The Hundred-leaved Rose--Worship of
Lily species--Signification of the Lotos--Hermaphroditic
character of the Lotos--The Indian Mutiny of 1857, part played
by the Lotus during its instigation.

CHAPTER IV. (FLOWERS) 33

Importance of the Lotos--Varieties of Lotos--Statements by
Herodotus, Homer, Theophrastus, Dioscorides, Pliny, Athenæus
and others--The arborescent Lotos--The Sacred Lotos of the
Nile--The Indian Lotos--Nepaulese adoration of the Lotos--
Shing-moo, the Chinese Holy Mother--Lakshmi--The Queens of
Beauty--The Loves of Krishna and Radha.

CHAPTER V. (FIRE) 43

Story of the Fire-god and his Secret--Growth of Fire Worship--
Fire an essential in Hindoo Worship--The Chaldeans--The
Persians--The Hebrews--Fire in Hindu Ceremonies--Duties of
Hindu Life--The Serpent and Fire--Phallo-Pythic Solar Shrines--
Fire and Phallic Worship--Leaping through fire--Fire-treading
in Scotland--Fire-leaping in Russia--The Medes as Fire
Worshippers--The Sabines--Fire and the Ancient Christians--The
Roman Church and Fire--The Jews--Temple of Vesta--Fire Worship
in Ireland--Phallo-fire-worship of the Greeks and Romans.

CHAPTER VI. (FIRE) 60

Fire Worship in the States of the Mediterranean--Special
sacredness of the Public City-fire of Greece and Rome--The
Sacred Fire of Tlachtga--Ceylon Fire Worship--The Parsees--
Persian Monuments--Impiety of Cambyses--Cingalese Terms,
Sanscrit, Welsh, &c.--The Yule Log--Fire Worship in England--
Fire of Beltane--Druidical Fires--May-day Fires--November Fires
in Ireland--Between two Fires--Scotland--The Summer Solstice-fire
Ceremonies--Worship of Baal in Ireland--St. John's Day--
Bonfires--Decree of Council of Constantinople.

CHAPTER VII. (FIRE) 75

Paradise Lost and Moloch--The God of the Ammonites--The slaughter
of Children by Fire, notices in the Scriptures--Fire Ceremonies
and Moloch--Sacred Fire of the Phoenicians--The Carthaginians--
Custom of Oziese--Sardinian Customs and Moloch--The Cuthites--
Persian Fire Worship--House-fires of Greece and Rome--Sacred Books
of the East--Laws of Manu--The Rig Veda and Hymns to Agni, the God
of Fire--Vesta, Worship of--The Magi--Zoroaster.

FISHES, FLOWERS, AND FIRE.