TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY. - Centrostudirpinia.it

54 AVOESHIP.
musicians) knows something of. 1
Anyhow, in heathen times vide
animals seem to be in special demand for sacrifice. 2 As for
killing
one of every species (and even Agathias s KOI d\\a drra nvpia does
not come up to that), it would be such a stupendous affair, that its
actual execution could never have been conceivable ; it can only
have existed in popular tradition. It is something like the old
Mirror of Saxony and that of Swabia assuring us that every living
creature present at a deed of rapine, whether oxen, horses, cats,
dogs, fowls, geese, swine or men, had to be beheaded, as well as the
actual delinquent (in real fact, only when they were 3
his property) ;
or like the Edda relating how oaths were exacted of all animals
and plants, and all beings were required to weep. The creatures
belonging to a man, his domestic animals, have to suffer with him
in case of cremation, sacrifice or punishment.
Next to the kind, stress was undoubtedly laid on the colour of
the animal, white being considered the most favourable. White
horses are often spoken of (Tac. Germ. 10. Weisth. 3, 301. 311.
831), even so far back as the Persians (Herod. 1, 189).
The friscing
of sacrifice was probably of a spotless white ; and in later law-
records snow-ivhite pigs are pronounced inviolable. 4 The Votiaks
sacrificed a red stallion, the Tcheremisses a white. When under
the old German law dun or pied cattle were often required in pay
ment of fines and tithes, this might have some connexion with
sacrifices 5
; for witchcraft also, animals of a particular hue were
requisite. The water-sprite demanded a black lamb, and the huldres
have a black lamb and Hack cat offered up to them (Asb. 1. 159).
Saxo Gram. p. 1 6 says ; rem divinam facere furvis hostiis ; does
that mean black beasts ? We may suppose
that cattle were
1 Or will any one trace this incident in the Reynard to the words of the
Vulgate in Matt. 22, 4 : tauri mei et altilia occisa sunt, venite ad nuptios ;
which merely describe the preparations for the wedding-feast 1 Any hint
about males is just what the passage lacks.
2 The Greeks offered male animals to gods,/emZe to goddesses, II. 3, 103 :
a white male lamb to Helios (sun), a black ewe lamb to Ge (earth). The
Lithuanians sacrificed to their earthgod Zemiennik utriusque sexus domestica
animalia ; Haupt s zeitschr. 1, 141.
3
Reyscher and Wilda zeitschr. fur deutsches recht 5, 17, 18.
4 RA. 261. 594. Weisth. 3, 41. 46. 69. conf. Virg. Aen. 8, 82 : Candida
cum foetu concolor albo sus ; and the Umbrian :
trif apruf rufru ute peiu (tres
apros rubros aut piceos), Aufrecht und Kirchh. umbr. sprachd. 2, 278-9.
8 RA. 587. 667. Weisth. 1, 498. 3, 430. White animals hateful to the
gods ; Tettau and Temme preuss. sag. 42.