Chapter I

THE EARLY INHABITANTS OF LANCASHIRE AND THE NEIGHBOURING COUNTIES, AND REMAINS OF THEIR MYTHOLOGY AND LOCAL NOMENCLATURE.

Etymology. Philology. The Aryan theory of the common origin of most
of the European races of men. Sanscrit. The Rig Vedas. Probable
element of truth at the base of Geoffrey of Monmouth's mythical
History of the Britons. The Brigantes. The Ph[oe]nicians. The
Hyperboreans. Stonehenge. Bel or Baal, the sun-god. The Persian
Ormusd. Temple of Mithras in Northumberland. The "Bronze age." The
Cushites or Hamites of Ancient Arabia. Palaeoliths, or ancient stone
weapons. The Belisama (Ribble). Altars dedicated to Belatucadrus in
the North of England. The Brigantes of the East, Spain, Ireland,
and the North of England. The Aryan fire-god Agni, and his
retainers, the Bhrigus, etc. Altars in the North of England
dedicated to Vitires, Vetiris, or Veteres. Vithris (Odin). Vritra
of the Hindoo Vedas. Altars dedicated to Cocidius, The Styx,
Acheron, and Cocytus of the Greeks. The Coccium of Antoninus, at
Walton, near Preston. Ancient local nomenclature. The Belisama. The
Irish god Samhan. The Aryan god Soma. The "heavenly soma." The
amrita or nectar, the "drink of the gods." Madhu. Mead. Brewing and
lightening. Bel, the luminous deity of the Britons. Deification of
rivers. The Wharf, the Lune, etc. The Solway and Eden (Ituna of
Ptolemy). Idunn, the goddess of youth and beauty. Swan maidens.
Eagle shirts. Frost giants, etc. The "Luck of Eden Hall." Phallic
symbols. The Dee (the Seteia of Ptolemy). Devas, deities, evil
spirits, devils. The Severn, Sabrina, Varuna. War between the devas
and the asuras. The Vedic serpent, Sesha. The chark. Churning the
sea, or brewing soma. The lake of Amara, or of the gods, and the
Sitanta mountains, at the head of the Nile. The second Avatara of
Vishnu. The Setantii, ancient inhabitants of Lancashire. The Humber
(the Abus of Ptolemy). The Vedic Arbhus. The Elbe. Elemental
strife. The Wash (the Metaris of Ptolemy). The Vedic Mithra, the
friend of Varuna, the god of daylight. Figurative interpretation.
The origin of language. Page 1