well-known savage totems none is more familiar than the sun. Men
claim descent from the sun, call themselves by his name, and wear his
effigy as a badge. {270} Were there suns in Rome? The Aurelian gens is
thus described on the authority of Festus Pompeius:--'The Aurelii were of
Sabine descent. The Aurelii were so named from the sun (aurum, urere,
the burning thing), because a place was set apart for them in which to
pay adoration to the sun.' Here, at least, is an odd coincidence. Among
other gentile names, the Fabii, Cornelii, Papirii, Pinarii, Cassii, are
possibly connected with plants; while wild etymology may associate
Porcii, Aquilii, and Valerii with swine and eagles. Pliny ('H. N.'
xviii. 3) gives a fantastic explanation of the vegetable names of Roman
gentes. We must remember that vegetable names are very common in
American, Indian, African, and Australian totem kin. Of sun names the
Natchez and the Incas of Peru are familiar examples. Turning from Rome
to Greece, we find the [Greek] less regarded and more decadent than the
gens. Yet, according to Grote (iii. 54) the [Greek] had--(l) sacra, 'in
honour of the same god, supposed to be the primitive ancestor.' (2) A
common burial-place. (3) Certain rights of succession to property. (4)
Obligations of mutual help and defence. (5) Mutual rights and
obligations to intermarry in certain cases. (6) Occasionally possession
of common property.

Traces of the totem among the Greek [Greek] are, naturally, few. Almost
all the known [Greek] bore patronymics derived from personal names. But
it is not without significance that the Attic demes often adopted the
names of obsolescent [Greek], and that those names were, as Mr. Grote
says, often 'derived from the plants and shrubs which grew in their
neighbourhood.' We have already seen that at least one Attic [Greek],
the Ioxidae, revered the plant from which they derived their lineage. One
thing is certain, the totem names, and a common explanation of the totem
names in Australia, correspond with the names and Mr. Grote's explanation
of the names of the Attic demes. 'One origin of family names,' says Sir
George Grey (ii. 228), 'frequently ascribed by the natives, is that they
were derived from some vegetable or animal being common in the district
which the family inhabited.' Some writers attempt to show that the Attic
[Greek] was once exogamous and counted kin on the mother's side, by
quoting the custom whic