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everytime gave it warm coiu s milk to sup.
SNAKE. 687
She suddenly left the
place in a tiff, and when the new maid *vent for the first time to
milk, there lay the golden crown on the milking-stool, with the
inscription : a token of gratitude/ She brought the crown to
her master, who gave it to the girl it was intended for ; but from
that time the snake was never seen again (Moneys Anz. 8, 537).
The adder s crown (atternkronlein) makes any one that wears it
invisible (Schm. 2, 388) and immensely rich as well. In some
districts they say every house has two snakes,
a male and a
female, but they never shew themselves till the master or mistress
of the house dies, and then they undergo the same fate. This
feature, and some others, such as the offering of milk, bring the
liome-snakes near to the notion of good helpful home-sprites (see
Suppl.).
The snake then comes before us as a beneficent inviolable
creature, perfectly adapted for heathen worship. A serpent
twined round the staff of Asklepios, and serpents lay beside
healing fountains (p. 588n.). The ancient Prussians maintained a
it with
large snake for their Potrimpos, and the priests guarded
care; it lay under ears of corn, and was nourished with milk. 1
The Lettons call snakes milk-mothers (peena mahtes) ; they were
under the protection of one of the higher goddesses named
Brehkina (crier), who cried out to all that entered to leave her
peena mantes unmolested in the house (Mag. der lett. gesellsch.
6,144). There is milk set for them in pots. The Lithuanians
also revered snakes, harboured them in their houses, and offered
them sacrifices. 2
Egyptian snake-worship was witnessed by
Herodotus 2, 74. Nullus locus sine genio, qui per anguem
plerumque ostenditur/ Serv. ad Aen. 5, 95.
Snakes were devised as a charm in swords and on helmets
(Seem.
142 b
)
:
liggr me S eggjo ormr dreyf&Sr,
enn a valbosto verpr naffr hala.
The ormr or yrmlingr was supposed to run from the sword s hilt
1
Voigt s Geschichte Preussens 1, 584.
2
Seb. Frank s Weltbuch 55 b
. Mone s Heidenth. 1, 98. Adam. brem. de situ
Daniae, cap. 24, of the Lithuanians : dracones adorant cum volucribus, quibus
etiam vivos litant homines, quos a mercatoribus emunt, diligenter omnino probatos
ne maculam in corpore habeant.