Volume I Part 4 (1/2)

Anac was a t.i.tle of high antiquity, and seems to have been originally appropriated to persons of great strength, and stature. Such people in the plural were styled Anakim; and one family of them were to be found at [271]Kirjath-Arba. Some of them were likewise among the Caphtorim, who settled in Palestina. Pausanias represents Asterion, whose tomb is said to have been discovered in Lydia, as a son of Anac, and of an enormous size.

[272]???a? de ?ste???? e? ??a?t??? ??a?ta de G?? pa?da--?sta efa?? t?

s??a pe??e???ta e? p?st??, ?? est?? a????p??? epe? d?a e?e??? ??? est??

?p?? a? ed??e?. We may from hence perceive that the history of the Anakim was not totally obliterated among the Grecians. Some of their Deities were styled a?a?te, others a?a?t??e?, and their temples a?a?t???a. Michael Psellus speaking of heresies, mentions, that some people were so debased, as to wors.h.i.+p Satanaki: [273]??t?? de ???? ep??e??? Sata?a??

e?ste??????ta?. Satanaki seems to be Satan Anac, d?a???? as??e??.

Necho, Nacho, Necus, Negus, which in the Egyptian and Ethiopic languages signified a king, probably was an abbreviation of Anaco, and Anachus. It was sometimes expressed Nachi, and Nacchi. The buildings represented at Persepolis are said to be the work of Nacki Rustan; which signifies the lord, or prince Rustan.

ZAR, and SAR.

Sar is a rock, and made use of to signify a promontory. As temples were particularly erected upon such places, these eminences were often denominated Sar-On, from the Deity, to whom the temples were sacred. The term Sar was oftentimes used as a mark of high honour. The Psalmist repeatedly addresses G.o.d as his Rock, [274]the Rock of his refuge; the Rock of his salvation. It is also used without a metaphor, for a t.i.tle of respect: but it seems then to have been differently expressed. The sacred writers call that lordly people the Sidonians, as well as those of Tyre, [275]Sarim. The name of Sarah was given to the wife of Abraham by way of eminence; and signifies a [276]lady, or princess. It is continually to be found in the composition of names, which relate to places, or persons, esteemed sacred by the Amonians. We read of Serapis, Serapion, Serapammon: also of Sarchon, and Sardon; which is a contraction for Sar-Adon. In Tobit mention is made of [277]Sarchedonus; the same name as the former, but with the eastern aspirate. The Sarim in Esther are taken notice of as persons of high [278]honour: the same dignity seems to have been known among the Philistim, by whom it was rendered [279]Sarna, or Sarana: hence came the [280]Tyrian word Sarra.n.u.s for any thing n.o.ble and splendid. In the prophet Jeremiah are enumerated the t.i.tles of the chief princes, who attended Nebuchadnezzar in his expedition against Judea. Among others he mentions the [281]Sa.r.s.echim. This is a plural, compounded of Sar, and Sech, rendered also Shec, a prince or governor. Sar-Sechim signifies the chief of the princes and rulers. Rabshekah is nearly of the same purport: it signifies the great prince; as by Rabsares is meant the chief [282]Eunuch; by Rabmag, the chief of the Magi. Many places in Syria and Canaan have the term Sar in composition; such as Sarabetha, Sariphaea, Sareptha. Sardis, the capital of Crsus, was the city of Sar-Ades, the same as Atis, the Deity of the country.

High [283]groves, or rather hills with woods of antient oaks, were named Saron; because they were sacred to the Deity so called. Pliny takes notice of the Saronian bay near Corinth, and of the oaks which grew near it.

[284]Portus Cnitis, Sinus Saronicus olim querno nemore redimitus; unde nomen. Both the oaks and the place were denominated from the Deity Sar-On, and Chan-Ait, by the Greeks rendered Sa???, and ????e?t??, which are t.i.tles of nearly the same purport. Saron was undoubtedly an antient G.o.d in Greece.

[285]Lilius Gyraldus styles him Deus Marinus; but he was, properly, the Sun. Diana, the sister of Apollo, is named [286]Saronia: and there were Saronia sacra, together with a festival at [287]Trzen; in which place Orus was supposed to have been born. [288]O??? ?e?es?a? sf?s?? e? ?? p??t??.

Orus was the same as Sar-On, the Lord of light. [289]Rocks were called Saronides, from having temples and towers sacred to this Deity: just as groves of oaks were, of which I took notice above. This interpretation is given by [290]Hesychius; and by the Scholiast, upon the following verse of Callimachus:

[291]? p???a? ?pe?e??e Sa????da? ????? ?a??

?e??e?.

As oaks were styled Saronides, so likewise were the antient Druids, by whom the oak was held so sacred. Hence Diodorus Siculus, speaking of the priests of Gaul, styles them [292]F???s?f??, ?e??????--pe??tt?? t??e???, ???

S??O????S ???a???s?. This is one proof, out of many, how far the Amonian religion was extended; and how little we know of Druidical wors.h.i.+p, either in respect to its essence or its origin.

UCH.

Uch, ??, expressed also Ach, Och, ??a, was a term of honour among the Babylonians, and the rest of the progeny of Chus; and occurs continually in the names of men and places which have any connection with their history. I have shewn, in a former [293]treatise, that the shepherds who ruled in Egypt were of that race, and that they came from Babylonia and Chaldea.

Eusebius informs us, that their national t.i.tle was [294]????s??; or, as it was undoubtedly expressed by the people themselves, ?????s??, Uc-Cusus. It is a term taken notice of by Apion and Manethon, and they speak of it as a word in the sacred language of the country, which signified a king: [295]??

?a?' ?e?a? ???ssa? as??ea s?a??e?. I wonder that this word has been pa.s.sed over with so little notice; as it is of great antiquity; and, at the same time, of much importance in respect to etymology. Uc-Cusus signified the royal, or n.o.ble, Cusean: and, as it was a word in the sacred language of Egypt, we may from hence learn what that language was; and be a.s.sured that it was the primitive language of Chus, the same as the antient Chaldac. It was introduced among the Mizram by the Auritae, or Cuthites, together with their rites and religion: hence it obtained the name of the sacred language. Diodorus Siculus affords [296]evidence to the same purpose: and it is farther proved by Heliodorus; who says that the sacred characters of Egypt and those of the Cuthites in Ethiopia were the [297]same. This term occurs very often among the t.i.tles of which the Babylonish names arc composed; such as Ochus and Belochus. Among the Egyptians it is to be found in Acherez and Achencherez; which are the names of two very antient princes. Acherez is a compound of Ach-Ares, Magnus Sol; equivalent to Achorus, another name of the same Deity, a.s.sumed in like manner by their kings. The latter was sometimes expressed [298]Achor, Achoris. Ochuras, Uch.o.r.eus; which are all the same name, diversified in different ages and by different writers. As priests took the t.i.tles of the Deities whom they served, Lucan has, very properly, introduced a priest of Egypt under the name of Ach.o.r.eus:

[299]quos inter Ach.o.r.eus, Jam placidus senio, fractisque modestior annis.

The name of Osiris seems to have been Uc-Sehor, and Uc-Sehoris. According to h.e.l.lanicus, if a person had in Egypt made inquiry about the term Osiris, he would not have been understood: for the true name was [300]Usiris. Philo Biblius, from Sanchoniathon, calls the same Deity [301]Isiris; and adds, that he was the brother of Cna, or Canaan; and the inventor of three letters. ?s????, t?? t???? ??aat?? ???et??, ade?f?? ??a t?? F???????. I take Isiris and Usiris, as well as Osiris, to be all Uc-Sehoris softened, and accommodated to the ears of Greece.

The Sun was styled El-Uc, which the Grecians changed to ?????, Lucos; as we learn from [302]Macrobius. He was also styled El-Uc-Or, which was changed to ?????e??; and El-Uc-Aon, rendered Lycaon[303], ???a??. As this personage was the same as El-Uc, ?????, it was fabled of him that he was turned into a wolf. The cause of this absurd notion arose from hence: every sacred animal in Egypt was distinguished by some t.i.tle of the Deity. But the Greeks never considered whether the term was to be taken in its primary, or in its secondary acceptation; whence they referred the history to an animal, when it related to the G.o.d from whom the animal was denominated.

?????, Lucos, was, as I have shewn, the name of the Sun: hence, wherever this term occurs in composition, there will be commonly found some reference to that Deity, or to his subst.i.tute Apollo. We read of [304]?????? ?p??????? ?e???: of [305]Lycorus, a supposed son of Apollo: of [306]Lycomedes, another son: of [307]Lycosura, the first city which the Sun beheld. The people of Delphi were, of old, called [308]Lycorians: and the summit of Parna.s.sus, [309]Lycorea. Near it was a [310]town of the same name; and both were sacred to the G.o.d of light. From Lucos, in this sense, came lux, luceo, lucidus, and Jupiter Lucetius, of the Latines; and ??????, ?????a, ????e??, of the Greeks; also ???aa?, and af??????, though differently expressed. Hence it was that so many places sacred to Apollo were styled Leuce, Leuca, ????a, Leucas, Leucate.

Mox et Leucatae nimbosa cac.u.mina montis, Et formidatus nautis aperitur [311]Apollo.

Hence also inscriptions [312]DEO LEUCANIae: which term seems to denote, Sol-Fons, the fountain of day. The name Lycophron, ????f???, which some would derive from ?????, a wolf, signifies a person of an enlightened mind.

Groves were held very sacred: hence lucus, which some would absurdly derive a non lucendo, was so named from the Deity there wors.h.i.+pped: as was ????, a word of the same purport among the Greeks.

This people, who received their theology from Egypt and Syria, often suppressed the leading vowel; and thought to atone for it by giving a new termination: though to say the truth, this mode of abbreviation is often to be observed in the original language, from whence these terms are derived.

?????, the name of Cyrus, seems to have suffered an abridgment of this nature. It was probably a compound of Uch-Ur, the same as Achor, and Achorus of Egypt, the great luminary, the Sun. In antient times all kings, priests, and people of consequence took to themselves some sacred t.i.tle.

But as Aneith was abbreviated to Neith, Acherez to Cherez; so Achorus was rendered Chorus, Curus. Thus far is manifest, that Curus signified the Sun.

[313]? e? ??? ????? ap? ????? t?? pa?a??? ???a es?e?? e?e??? de ap? t??

????? ?e?es?a? fas?? ????? ?a? ?a?e?? ?e?sa? t?? ?????. Ctesias likewise informs us that the name of Cyrus had this signification. [314]?a? t??eta?