Identifier: evolutionofdrago00smituoft (find matches)
Title: The evolution of the dragon
Year: 1919 (1910s)
Authors: Smith, G. Elliot (Grafton Elliot), Sir, 1871-1937
Subjects: Dragons Mythology Rain gods -- Egypt Mythology, Egyptian Aphrodite (Greek deity) Incense
Publisher: Manchester, The University press London, New York (etc.) Longmans, Green & company
Contributing Library: Kelly - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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n a sacred column at Carthage(Arthur J. Evans, Mycenasan Tree and Pillar Cult, p. 46). (n) The form of the body of an octopus as conventionalized on the coins of CentralGreece (compare Fig. 24 (d)). Its similarity to the Egyptian pot-sign (;) (which also hasthe significance of mother-goddess) is worthy of note. phonetic equivalent to the sign labelled ^ (in the text-figure) for /z^(k/za), or apparently for ^ alone in many words, The name of the lotus leaf is probably derived from the same root,on account of its shell-like outline or Zicc versa. ^ Compare the two-fold meaning of the Latin tesfa as shell and bowl . Compare the association of shells with altars in Minoan Crete and thewidespread use of large shells as bowls for holy water in Christianchurches. 180 THE EVOLUTION OF THE DRAGON The familiar representation of Horus (and his homologues in Indiaand elsewhere) being born from the lotus suggests that the flower re-presents his mother Hathor. But as the argument in these pages has
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Fig. 7. (a) An Egyptian design representing the sun-god Horus emerging from a lotus, representing his mother Hathor (Isis). (b) Papyrus sceptre often carried by goddesses and animistically identified with them ^^^^^(JS (c) CnSS:J^S:^-o5P^-e triden. and the thunder-weapon. (d) A water-plant associated with the Nile-gods. led us towards the inference that the original form of Hathor was ashell-amulet/ it seems not unUkely that her identification with the lotus Miss Winifred M. Crompton, Assistant Keeper of the Egyptian Depart-ment of the Manchester Museum, has called my attention to a remarkablepiece of exidence which affords additional corroboration of the view thatHathor was a development of the cowry-amulet. Upon the famous archaicpalette of Narmer (Fig. 18), a sporran, composed of four representations otHathors head, takes the place of the original cowries that were suspended from more primitive girdles. , . . . 1 c \c ■ ^A The cowries of the head ornament of pnmitive peoples ot Atnca andAsia (and of the Mediterranean area in

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