TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL. IV

FIRE.
14G5
out of Pnuuiva, the bow and arrow of self (the lotus-flower).
The
Arabs call the old-fashioued fire-rubbiug sticks zend and zendet,
the first being the upper and male, the second the female or lower
one with the hole iu it ; striking steel and stone together is
reckoned a barbarism, Riickert's Hariri 1, G48-9. Finn, lielavalhja
(fr. hela, the spring festival), ignis nou ex silice, sed ex
lignis duobus vi coufricatis elicitus ; also klUcan-valki/a, rub-fire,
Kenvall 1, 04.
p. 611.] K 'perpetual fire was kept up by the Israehtes, Levit.
6, 12-3; and is still by Parsees and Guebers, as among the
ancient Persians. Such a fire burned on the altar of Athena
Polias at Athens, Pans. i. 26, 7, and in the temple of Pan in Arcadia,
viii. 37, 8. Famous oracles maintained ever-burning fires,
as that of Delphi, whose priests in time of war conveyed the sacred
flame to Platcea, Plut. Numa cap. 9 ;
conf. Valckenaer on Herod.
6, 108 ; so the fires of Delos were carried to Lcniuos, Welckor's
Aeschyl. Trilog. p. 247 seq. We know the undying fire of Hestia,
Yesta. Colonies took i\\e\v sacred fire with them from the mothercity
; if it happened to go out, there alone could they light it
again, Larcher on Herod. 1, no. 360. Wachsm. Hell, alterth. i. 1,
102. ii. 2, 118. Miiuter's Rel. d. Carth. p. 49. The Samogitians
nourished a perpetual fire, Lasicz. 56. On the eternal lamp in
the worship of Mary, see Lange's Abh. v. d. ewigen lampe (Verm,
schr., Leipz. 1832) pp. 191—20 1.
p. 614.] Toland's Hist, of Druids (quoted in Hone's Yrbk 876
seq.) supposes three healtmes in the year. May ], Midsum. eve,
Nov. 1. The first of May and of Nov. were called beltan, says
Villemarquc's Bardes Bretons p. 386-7. GDS. 108. On Bel,
see Diefeub. Celt. 1, 185, Stokes 349. Jamieson (Daybk 2, 659).
The great and little Bel, Meier's Schwab, sag. 297. On Bella inc,
Belton eve, see Stewart's Pop. superst. 258 seq. Brand's Pop.
Antiq. 1, 337. Stokes 349. Michelet 1, 452 seq. Ir. sag. u.
mlirch. 1, 275-6. 2, 479. The May fire is also called hoelkerz,
coelcerth, Villem. B.B. 232. 385-6-7, but he does not explain the
word ; elsewh. coel is omen, fides, and certh signum. An Armoric
folk-song speaks of eight fires, and of the father-fire being
lighted in May, Villem. Barzas breiz I, 8; Hone's Daybk 2, 659.
866 puts the chief fire on Midsum. Day. Sainbhuinn means Nov. 1
(O'Brien: samhainn = AUiiallows-tide). The Druidic November-