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ORIGINAL SOURCES OF CULTURE.S3names; the two great epic poems of Homer, and at leastthe Theogony of Hesiod. The case does not becomechanged, even if those productions are, agreeably to a modern opinion,the works of several authors. It would onlybe necessary to say,it was the ancient epic poets of theschools of Homer and of Hesiod, who formed the divineworld of the Greeks ;and perhaps this manner of expressionis at all events the more correct. For it would be difficultto doubt that the successors of those poets contributed theirshare.According to the assurances of Herodotus, these poetswere the first to designatethe forms of the gods ;that is,they attributed to them, not merely the human figure, butthe human figurein a definite shape. They distinguished,moreover, their kindred, their descent, their occupations ;they also defined the personal relations of each individual ;and therefore gave them the epithets which were borrowedfrom all this. But if we collect these observations into one,they signify nothing less, than that the poets were the authors of the popular religion,in so far as this was groundedon definite representations of the several divinities.This is not intended to imply, that Homer made it hisobject to be the creator of a national religion. He did butmake a poetic use of the previous popular belief. But thatpoetic spirit, which left nothing indistinctly delineated inthe heroes whose deeds he celebrated, bringing before oureyes the persons and their characters, effects the same withthe gods.He invented his divine personages as little ashe did his heroes ;but he gave their character to the oneand the other. The circle of his isgods limited to a smallnumber. They are inhabitants of Olympus, and if they donot all belong to the same family, they yet belong to thesame place and; they usually live together, at least, whenthat is required by the purposes of the poet. Under suchcircumstances, an inferior poet might have felt the necessityof giving them individuality. And how much more aHomer? But that he executed this in so perfect a manner,is to be ascribed to the superiority of his genius.Thus the popular notions entertained of the gods werefirst established by Homer, and established never to bechanged. His songs continued to live in the* mouth of the