Note 95 — ANALYSIS

All this relates to the Cusean priests of Vulcan or Hephaistos, and to the priesthood established in his temple: which priesthood was kept up by succession, and never became extinct. What was Cusean, the Greeks often rendered Χρυσειον, as I shall hereafter shew. The same people were also styled Cuthim; and this word likewise among the antients signified gold: from hence these priests were styled Χρυσειοι κυνες. We find the like history in Crete: here too was a golden dog, which Zeus had appointed to be the guardian of his temple[95]. By comparing these histories, I think we cannot fail of arriving at the latent meaning. The God of light among other titles was styled Cahen, or Chan-Ades: but the term being taken in the same acceptation here, as in the instances above, the Deity was changed to a dog, and said to reside in the infernal regions. From hence he was supposed to have been dragged to light by Hercules of Thebes. The notion both of Cerberus and Hades being subterraneous Deities took its rise from the temples of old being situated near vast caverns, which were esteemed passages to the realms below. Such were in Messenia, in Argolis, in Bithynia, and at Enna in Sicily; not to mention divers other places. These temples were often named Kir-Abor; and the Deity Chan-Ades; out of which terms the Greeks formed Τον Κερβερον κυνα ἁδου; and fabled, that he was forced into upper air by Hercules, through these infernal inlets. And as temples similar in name and situation were built in various parts, the like history was told of them all. Pausanias takes notice of this event, among other places, being ascribed to the cavern at [96]Tænarus; as well as to one at [97]Trœzen, and to a third near the city [98]Hermione. The Poet Dionysius speaks of the feat being performed in the country of the Marianduni, near Colchis.