. The evolution of the dragon. h Hather or her sen arises (see Budge, Gods of the Egyptians,vol. ii., p. 101 ; and compare Griffiths Hieroglyphs, p. 30): the sameconception was adopted in Mesopotamia (see Ward, Seal Cylinders ofWestern Asia, fig. 412, p. 156) and in the Mediterranean (see Evans, Mycenaean Tree and Pillar Cult, pp. hi et scq.). It is a remarkablefact that Sir Arthur Evans, who, upon p. 64 of his memoir, reproduces twedrawings of the Egyptian horizon supporting the suns disk, should havefailed to recognize in it the prototype of what he calls the herns ef con-secration . Even if
. The evolution of the dragon. h Hather or her sen arises (see Budge, Gods of the Egyptians,vol. ii., p. 101 ; and compare Griffiths Hieroglyphs, p. 30): the sameconception was adopted in Mesopotamia (see Ward, Seal Cylinders ofWestern Asia, fig. 412, p. 156) and in the Mediterranean (see Evans, Mycenaean Tree and Pillar Cult, pp. hi et scq.). It is a remarkablefact that Sir Arthur Evans, who, upon p. 64 of his memoir, reproduces twedrawings of the Egyptian horizon supporting the suns disk, should havefailed to recognize in it the prototype of what he calls the herns ef con-secration . Even if the confusion of the horizon with a cows hernswas very ancient (for the herns ef the Divine Cow supporting the moonmade this inevitable), this rationalization should net blind us as to the realorigin of the idea, which is preserved in the ancient Egyptian, Babylonian,Cretan and Chinese pictures (see Fig. 26, facing p. 188). ^De Visser, p. 103. ^P. 104, The Chinese triquetrum has a circle in the centre and five oreight JIK Fig. 15.^Photograph of a Chinese Embroidery in the Manchester School ofArt representing the Dragon and the Pearl-Moon Symbol DRAGONS AND RAIN GODS 99 the pearl, the swastika and triskele, let us examine further the problemof the dragons ball (see Fig. I 5). De Groot regards the dragon as a thunder-god and therefore, likeHirth, assumes that the supposed thunder-ball is being belched forthand not being sivalloweci by the dragon. But de Visser, as the resultOi a conversation with Mr. Kramp and the study of a Chinese picturein Slackers Chats on Oriental China (1908, p. 54), puts forwardthe suggestion that the ball is the moon or the pearl-moon which thedragon is swallo^ving, thereby causing the fertilizing rain. The Chinesethemselves refer to the ball as the precious pearl, which, under theinfluence of Buddhism in China, was identified with the pearl thatgrants all desires and is under the special protection of the Naga,, the dragon. Arising out of t
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