Chapter XII: Conclusion

Antiquity of the superstitions commented upon. The common origin of
most of them. Tenacity of superstition and traditionary lore. Some
perhaps have resulted from similar conditions, without any
necessary connection with each other. Supposed communication of
America with Asia in ancient times. Phallic worship in Central
America. Singular custom in the Polynesian Islands. Migration of
the Miocene flora. The Atlantis of the Ancients. Superstitions in
Abyssinia and the Malay Archipelago. Traditions and superstitions
frequently glide into each other. Instances. Scotch warriors at
Preston. Sunken churches. Secret passages beneath rivers. All
ruined castles, abbeys, etc., said to have been battered by
Cromwell's cannon. Recent discoveries in Sanscrit. Max Mueller's
interpretation of Greek myths. Anthropomorphism, or the
personification of natural forces. Growth of a myth. Vedic and
other examples. Wordsworth's interpretation of Greek myths.
Figurative expression, the groundwork of all poetry, at the root of
all language. Shakspere's appreciation of the poetic value of
popular mythology. Importance of the study of these despised
superstitions to philological, ethnological, and psychological
science, as well as to the sound philosophical interpretation of
general history. Page 283

TRADITIONS, SUPERSTITIONS,
AND
FOLK-LORE.