Travels in Crete Volume 1 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1837 Excerpt: ...as well as Pallas, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Bacchus, in other Greek inscriptions108, and among the ancient Romans the usage was still more generally prevalent109. It seems that the spread of Christianity so gently interfered with this Pagan practice, that words, derived from the old religion of the country, may still be hourly heard in the mouth of any Christian peasant of Greece or Turkey, even in the nineteenth century of our era. Nevertheless, here, as in most parts of Christendom, the names of the favourite saints are those generally bestowed in baptism110: thus a Demetrios and a Constantine, a Spyridon and a Basil, are found in every village111. The inferior deities of the ancient mythology 107 Boeckh, Corpus Inscr. n. 251. 108 Welcker, Syllog. Epigr. Graec. n. 76. 87. 120. 109 As is observed by Welcker, 1. c. p. 166. 110 The inhabitants of the young Otho's kingdom, who have given themselves the name of Hellenes, have, at all events in the large towns, introduced great innovations into the baptismal vocabulary. The petty shopkeeper of Syra or Nauplia, himself a Yannaki or a Dhemetraki, has lately heard so much talk about the ancient Hellenes, whose name " the nation" has assumed, that he has taken care to number among his children an Achilles or a Demosthenes 111 The derivation of Greek names, of a Christian origin, can sometimes be traced to a higher source than the Saints. Derivatives from the name of Christ, as Khristddhulos, are common. The ancients also had many names derived, but without composition, from those of Deities, as from Demeter, Demetrios; from Poseidon, Poseidonios; from Hephaestos, Hephaestion, &c. See Barthelemy, Voyage du Jeune Anacharse, c. Lxvi. and Welcker, 1. c. p. 166. The simple name of "Christ," Khrist...