514 Reviews,
The Judgment of Paris, and some other legends astrono- mically CONSIDERED. By the Hon. Emmeline M. Plunket. Murray, 1908. 8vo, pp. 199. 111.
M. Casaubon's Key to All the Mythologies is brought to our mind by a perusal of Miss Plunket's volume. Whether the Accadians had a zodiacal year accurately worked out in 6000 B.C., or not, we cannot pretend to decide ; but we do not feel that any evidence is brought by the author to connect this with the three Greek goddesses of whom she writes. On the ground of certain assumptions she makes Athena a moon-goddess, presiding over the thirteenth month of the embolismic year ; Aphrodite a moon- goddess of the mid-year intercalary month : Hera, a moon-goddess of the winter solstice. Besides this, Paris "personified in some way the spring equinox." Miss Plunket seems to respect Max Miiller's view of mythology as a disease of language ; and, as a specimen of the evidence she relies on, I take this : the Pan- athenaic festival came " once in five years " (really it was once in four), and the intercalation of a thirteenth month at the end of a year would occur on an average at intervals of somewhat over five years.
NaTURSAGEN : EiNE sammlung naturdeutender sagen mar- chen fabeln und legenden, mit betragen von V. Armhaus, etc. Herausgegeben von Oskar Dahnhardt. Band H. Sagen zum Neuen Testament. Leipzig and Berlin : Teub- ner, 1909. Svo, pp. xvi-t-316.
This important work has been carried out with the aid of a large number of helpers by the editor ; it deserves a hearty welcome from students. The folk-tales are not all told in full, but only the chief or typical ones ; others are in brief summary, or the significant elements only, but references enable the student to follow up any clue he may find. These tales refer to the life of Jesus, to Mary and Joseph, and to Peter, Paul, and John. Very curious are the forms taken by the scriptural stories under
