Hela, the dreadful goddess of death. Saga, the goddess of waterfalls. Vara, the witness of oaths. Lofen, the guardian of friendship. Synia, the avenger of broken faith. The notions the Scandinavians entertained of hell were very remarkable; it was called Niff hien, and consisted of nine vast regions of ice, situated under the North Pole, the entrance to which was guarded by the dog of darkness, similar to the Grecian Cerberus. Loke, the evil genius, who was the cruel enemy of gods and men, with his daughter Hela, the goddess of death; the giantess Angherbode, the messenger of evil; the wolf Femis, a monster, dreaded by the gods, as destined to be their destruction, and the equally formidable serpent, resided in this gloomy abode, which has been described by Gray, in his "Descent of Odin." The Scandinavians believed that what formed their highest enjoyments in this world, would likewise constitute their happiness in the next. They imagined that the souls of heroes who had fallen in battle, would pass their days in hunting shadowy forms of wild beasts, or in combats with warriors, and at night would assemble in the hall of Odin, to feast and drink mead or ale out of the skulls of their enemies whom they had slain in their mortal life. This view of happiness in a future state of existence, has prevailed amongst almost all nations. We now cone to the religion of our forefathers, the Celts, which was also that of the ancient Germans and Gauls. The Celtic priests were called Druids. All the Celtic nations, like the early Scythians, performed their religious ceremonies in sacred groves, and they regarded the oak and the mistletoe growing upon it with peculiar reverence: their principal deities were, Teutates, the god of war. Dis, the god of the infernal regions, and the Pluto of after times. The god of war was the divinity of the greatest importance; upon his altars human victims were sacrificed; and though criminals were deemed the most acceptable offerings, innocent persons were frequently immolated. Druid is derived from the word deru, which in the Celtic language signifies an oak; because their usual abode was in woods. These priests were most highly revered; they were referred to in all civil as well as religious matters; and so great was their influence in the state, that even kings could not ascend the throne without their approbation. They were divided into four classes,- druids, bards, sarronides, and vates or eubages; the first were the supreme chiefs, and so highly reverenced, that the inferior orders could not remain in their presence without permission to do so. The bards, whose Celtic name signifies a singer, celebrated the actions of heroes in verse, which they sang, and accompanied upon the harp. The sarronides had the charge of instructing youth, whom they were enjoined to inspire with virtuous sentiments; and the vates or cubages had the care of the sacrifices, and applied themselves particularly to the study of nature. The Druids enjoyed great privileges; they were exempted from serving in war and paying taxes. Numbers aspired to gain admission into this order of society, for it was open to all ranks; but this was rather difficult, as the candidates were obliged to learn the verses which contained the maxims of their religion and political government. It was unlawful to commit the druidical doctrines to writing, and therefore they were taught, and transmitted from generation to generation, entirely by the poems recited by the Druids, who required a period of fifteen or even twenty years to acquire an adequate knowledge on that .subject. The Druids considered the mistletoe as a special gift from the divinity to the oak, and the gathering of this plant was the most sacred of their ceremonies. SEC. VII.-RELIGIOUS BELIEF, CEREMONIES, AND CUSTOMS OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS AND ROMANS. THE Greeks are supposed to have derived many of their deities from the Egyptians, as well as no small number of their religious ceremonies. The Egyptians, no doubt, at an earlier period, believed in one Deity as supreme, the Maker and Ruler of all things; but after that they worshipped the sun, moon, and stars, under various forms, as well as living creatures and lifeless things. In the first ages of the world, men had neither temples nor statues for their gods, but worshipped in the open air, in the shady grove, or on the summit of the lofty mountains, whose apparent proximity to the heavens seemed to render them peculiarly appropriate for religious purposes. Ignorantly transferring to the works of the Supreme Being that homage which is only due to their Author, they adored the sun as a god, who, riding on his chariot of fire, diffused light and heat through the world; the moon, as a mild and beneficent divinity, who presided over night and silence, consoling her worshippers for the departure of the more brilliant light of day. It is thought that the Greeks received from the Egyptians the custom of building temples, which were erected, some in valleys, some in woods, and others by the brink of a river, or fountain, according to the deity who was destined to inhabit them; for the ancients ascribed the management of every particular affair to some particular god, and appropriated to each a peculiar form of building, according to his or her peculiar character and attributes. But when temples were first erected, the ancients still continued to worship their gods, without any statue or visible representation of the divinity. It is supposed that the worship of idols was introduced amon Greeks in the time of Cecrops, the founder of Athens, in the yea B. C. At first these idols were formed of rude blocks of wood or stone, until, when the art of graving, or carving, was invented, these rough masses were changed into figures resembling living creatures. Afterwards, marble, and ivory, or precious stones, were used in their formation, and lastly, gold, silver, brass, and other metals. At length, in the refined ages of Greece, all the genius of the sculptor was employed in the creation of these exquisite statues, which no modern workmanship has yet surpassed. Temples, statues, and altars, were considered sacred, and to many of them was granted the privilege of protecting offenders. Chaos was considered the most ancient of all the gods, and that Coelus, or heaven, followed him. Vesta Prisca, or Terra, the earth, was the wife of Cœlus, and ranked as the first goddess. The Greeks divided their deities into three classes, celestial, marine, and infernal, though there are many others not embraced in this classification : JUPITER. Jupiter, the father of gods and men, is said to have been born in Crete, or to have been sent there in infancy for concealment. He was the son of Saturn, the god of Time, and of Cybele, otherwise called Rhea. He was the most powerful of all the gods, and everything was subservient to his will. His father, Saturn, had received the kingdom of the world from his brother Titan, on condition of destroying all the sons who should be born to him. Saturn, therefore, devoured his children immediately after birth. This may be considered as having an allegorical meaning; namely, that time destroys all things. As soon as he was a year old, Jupiter made war against the Titans, a race of giants, who had imprisoned his father, Saturn, and having conquered them, set his father at liberty. But Saturn having soon after conspired against him, was deposed by Jupiter, and sent into banishment. Being thus left sole master of the world, Jupiter divided his empire with his two brothers, Neptune and Pluto. For himself he reserved the kingdom of heaven; to Neptune he gave dominion over the sea, and to Pluto the infernal regions. His first name was Jovis, from which, by the addition of Pater, father, was formed Jupiter. But the appellations given to him were numerous, and were derived either from the actions which he performed, or from the places where he was worshipped. As the ancients, inconsistently, attribute to their gods all the passions and vices which disgrace human nature, so they frequently represent Jupiter as having recourse to the most unworthy artifices, in order to accomplish the basest designs. Their poets describe him as a majestic personage, sitting upon a throne of gold or ivory, under a rich canopy, holding a thunderbolt in one hand, and in the other a sceptre of cypress. At his feet, or on his sceptre, sits an eagle with expanded wings. He has a flowing beard, and is generally represented with golden shoes, and an embroidered cloak. The Cretans depicted him without ears, to signify impartiality. APOLLO. Apollo was the son of Jupiter and Latona, and brother of the goddess Diana. He was born in the island of Delos, where his mother fled to avoid the jealousy of Juno. He was the god of all the fine arts; and to him is ascribed the invention of medicine, music, poetry, and eloquence. He presided over the Muses, and had the power of looking into futurity. His oracles were in general repute over the world. Apollo had various other surnames. He was called Delius, from the island where he was born; Cynthius, from a mountain in that island; Delphinius, from the city of Delphi, in Boeotia ; Didymæus, from a Greek word, signifying twins; Nomius, which means a shepherd; Pæan, from his skill in shooting arrows; and Phoebus, from the swiftness of his motion. It is generally supposed that by Apollo the sun is to be understood; for which reason he was called Sol by the Latins. He is represented as a graceful youth, with long hair, on his head a laurel crown, in one hand. a bow and arrows, in the other a lyre. His head is generally surrounded with beams of light. His most celebrated oracle was at Delphi, and he frequently resided with the Muses, upon Mount Parnassus. The olive, the laurel, and the palm-tree were sacred to him; as were, also, the griffin, the cock, the grasshopper, the wolf, the crow, the swan, and the hawk. MARS. Mars was the god of war, and son of Jupiter and Juno. He was educated by the god Priapus, who instructed him in every manly exercise. His temples were not numerous in Greece, but from the warlike Romans he received unbounded honours. His priests were called Salii. Mars presided over gladiators, and was the god of hunting, and of all warlike exercises and manly amusements. He married Nerio, which signifies valour, or strength. The Areopagus, which means the Hill of Mars, was a place at Athens, in which Mars, being accused of murder, was tried before twelve gods, and acquitted by six voices. He gained the affections of Venus, and was the father of Cupid, the god of love. MERCURY. Mercury was the son of Jupiter and of Maia, the daughter of Atlas. He was born in Arcadia, upon Mount Cyllene, and in his infancy was intrusted with the care of the seasons. He was the messenger of the gods, and more especially of Jupiter. He was the patron of travellers and shepherds. He conducted the souls of the dead into the infernal regions, and not only presided over merchants and orators, but was also the god of thieves, and of all dishonest persons. He was the inventor of letters, and excelled in eloquence. Hence he was called by the Greeks Hermes, which signifies interpreting, or explaining. He first taught the arts of buying, selling, and trafficking, from whence he derived his name of Mercury, and is accounted the god of merchants and of gain. He is represented as a young man, with a cheerful countenance. has wings fastened to his sandals and to his cap. In his hand he ho the caduceus, or rod, entwined with two serpents. A touch of this wand would waken those who were asleep, or cause sleep in those who were awake. BACCHUS. Bacchus was the god of wine, and the son of Jupiter and Semele. Semele was the daughter of Cadmus, celebrated as the inventor of the alphabet, and of Hermione, the daughter of Mars and Venus. She was destroyed by the jealous cruelty of Juno. It is probable that Bacchus was an ancient conqueror and lawgiver. He was born in Egypt, and educated at Nysa in Arabia. He taught the culture of the grape, the art of converting its juice into wine, and the manner of making honey. He was, on that account, honoured as a god by the Egyptians, under the name of Osiris. The festivals of Bacchus are called orgies, bacchanalia, or dionysia. These festivals were celebrated with riot and excess. The priestesses, called Bacchantes, ran wild upon the mountains, with dishevelled hair, and torches in their hands, filling the air with shouts, and chanting hymns in his praise. The Romans called these feasts Brumalia. During their celebration the people ran about the city in masks, or with their faces daubed with the dregs of wine. The fir, the ivy, the fig, and the pine, were consecrated to Bacchus, and goats were sacrificed to him on account of the propensity of that animal to destroy the vine. He is represented sometimes as an effeminate youth, and sometimes as a man advanced in years. He is crowned with ivy and vine-leaves. In his hand he holds a thyrsus, which is a javelin with an iron head, encircled with ivy or vine-leaves. He sits in a chariot drawn by tigers and lions, and sometimes by lynxes and panthers, while his guards are a band of riotous satyrs, demons, and nymphs. At other times we see him riding upon the shoulders of Pan, or of his foster-father Silenus; and again he is represented sitting upon a celestial globe, bespangled with stars. Bacchus married Ariadne, the daughter of Minos king of Crete, after Theseus had forsaken her in the island of Naxos, and gave her a crown of seven stars, which after her death was made a constellation. VULCAN. Vulcan was the son of Juno: he was the god of fire, and the patron of all those artists who worked in iron or other metals. He was educated in heaven, but Jupiter being offended with him, hurled him from Olympus. He lighted on the island of Lemnos, and was a cripple ever after. He fixed his residence there, built himself a palace, and raised forges to work metals. He forged the thunderbolts of Jupiter, and the arms of the gods and demi-gods. The golden chambers, in which the gods resided, were his workmanship; also their seats and their council table, which came selfmoved from the sides of the apartment. Vulcan is usually represented at his anvil, with all his tools about him, forging a thunderbolt, with a hammer and pincers in his hand. His forehead is blackened with smoke, his arms are nervous and muscular, his beard long, and his hair dishevelled. The fable of Vulcan shows us how |