  | 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 Phoenicians. 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. PalÆoliths, 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). DÊvas, deities, evil spirits, devils. The Severn, Sabrina, Varuna. War between the dÊvas 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 AvatÂra 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. | Page1 | | CHAPTER II. | | FIRE OR SUN WORSHIP AND ITS ATTENDANT SUPERSTITIONS. | | Fire worship denounced by the earlier ecclesiastics. Remnant in modern times. Allhalloween. Beltain fires. Derbyshire tindles and Lancashire teanlas. African notions of the Sun and Moon. Bonfires. The gunpowder plot. Midsummer fires. The elder Aryan fire-gods Agni and Rudra, and their attendants. Prometheus, the fire-bringer, the inventor of the chark, or earliest fire-kindling instrument. Original or "need-fire." Cattle disease. Fire superstitions. Burning wheels, etc. Sacrifices to the god Bel, and to the sun-god Fro or Fricco, in the North of England, etc. The feast of St. John the Baptist. Bone-fires. Dragons and serpents. Agni and the Midsummer demons. Ahi and Kuyava the destroyers of vegetation. The great Vedic serpent Sesha. St. George and other dragon slayers. Dragons, fiery serpents, and huge worms of the North of England, "blasters of the harvest." The Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf. The monster Grendel, of Hartlepool. Dragons and imprisoned maidens, and treasure hid in caves. Merlin's prophecy. Red and white dragons. Dragon poison converted into medical balm. Figurative interpretation. The thunderstorm reduces the heat, waters the parched earth, and promotes vegetable growth. A modern hypothesis as to the origin of dragon superstitions. | Page28 | | CHAPTER III. | | CHRISTMAS AND YULE-TIDE SUPERSTITIONS AND OBSERVANCES. | | Christmas amusements. Date of the nativity. Remnants of pagan superstition denounced by the Church. Etymology of the word Yule. Commencement of the year at the vernal equinox. Old and new styles. Old style yet in use in Lancashire. Clerical denunciation of New Year's gifts. Curious gifts on New Year's Day in Elizabeth's reign. The wassail bowl. The Saxon "wacht heil" and "drinc heil." Singular New Year's day superstitions. Meat, drink, money, and candles interred with the dead. No fire-light or business credit given on New Year's day. Recent instances in Lancashire. Divination at Christmas. Red and dark-haired visitors on New Year's morn. Antagonism of the Celtic and Teutonic races. Forecasting the weather. Twelve days' sleep of the Vedic Ribhus in the house of the sun-god Savitar. The mistletoe and other plants sprung from the lightning. The oak and the ash. The heavenly asvattha, the ficus religiosa, of the Aryan mythology, the prototype of the yggdrasil or cloud-tree of the Scandinavians. Merlin's tree that covers Great Britain and Ireland. Jack and the bean-stalk. Thorns blossoming on old Christmas eve. German Christmas trees. The boar's head. The boar an Aryan type of the wind. His tusks the lightning. Popular belief that pigs can see the wind. | Page53 | | CHAPTER IV. | | EASTER SUPERSTITIONS AND CEREMONIES. | | Sun dancing on Easter morn. Etymology of the word Easter. Original or need-fire. Easter eggs. The red or golden egg an Aryan sun-type. Easter eggs protection against fire. Hand-ball playing by the clergy. Easter mysteries, moralities, or miracle plays. Paschal or "pace" eggs. Lancashire "pace-egging." Lifting of women on Easter Monday, and of men on the following day, a custom still practised in Lancashire. Cross-buns at Easter. Thor's hammer. Ancient marriage oaks. Mid-lent or "mothering" Sunday. Simnel cakes. Curious customs in Lancashire and Shropshire. Etymology of the word "simnel." Braggat Sunday and Braggat ales. Lenten fare. Beans and peas. Curious ancient and modern superstitions connected therewith. Touching for the king's evil. Divine right of kings. | Page70 | | CHAPTER V. | | MAY-DAY CEREMONIES AND SUPERSTITIONS. | | Mock battle between summer and winter. The vernal equinox. Joy on the return of Spring. Bell-ringing and horn-blowing. Midnight gathering of wild flowers and green branches of trees. May-day garlands and decorations. Rush-bearing in Lancashire. Well dressing in Derbyshire. The Roman Floralia. May-poles denounced by the Puritans. King James I. at Hoghton Tower, Lancashire. Speech about "libertie to piping and honest recreation." Whitsun-ales and Morris dances. Washington Irving's first sight of a May-pole at Chester. Modern May-day ceremonies in Cheshire. Gathering hawthorn blossom. The Mimosa catechu, or sacred thorn of India, sprung from the lightning. The Glastonbury thorn. Singular superstition respecting it. Children's love of wild flowers. May-day dew good for ladies' complexions. May-day dew, the milk of the Aryan heavenly cows (clouds), believed to increase the milk of their earthly prototypes. | Page83 | | CHAPTER VI. | | WITCHCRAFT. | | The Lancashire witches—Dame Demdike, etc. Witch superstitions of Aryan origin. Dethroned retainers of the elder gods. The Fates or Destinies. Waxen and clay images. The doom of Meleager. Reginald Scot on witchcraft in 1584. Opinions of Wierus, a German physician, in 1563. Singular confessions of presumed witches. Numbers put to death. The belief in witchcraft c
TRADITIONS, SUPERSTITIONS,
AND
FOLK-LORE.
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