vidence, not only of
Aphrodite's own ancestry and early history, but also of that of the
whole family of goddesses of which she is only a specialized type. For
Aphrodite's connexion with shells is a survival of the circumstances
which called into existence the first Great Mother and made her not only
the Creator of mankind and the universe, but also the parent of all
deities, as she was historically the first to be created by human
inventiveness. In this lecture I propose to deal with the more general
aspects of the evolution of all these daughters of the Great Mother:
but I have used Aphrodite's name in the title because her
shell-associations can be demonstrated more clearly and definitely than
those of any of her sisters.

In the past a vast array of learning has been brought to bear upon the
problems of Aphrodite's origin; but this effort has, for the most part,
been characterized by a narrowness of vision and a lack of adequate
appreciation of the more vital factors in her embryological history. In
the search for the deep human motives that found specific expression in
the great goddess of love, too little attention has been paid to
primitive man's psychology, and his persistent striving for an elixir of
life to avert the risk of death, to renew youth and secure a continuance
of existence after death. On the other hand, the possibility of
obtaining any real explanation has been dashed aside by most scholars,
who have been content simply to juggle with certain stereotyped
catchphrases and baseless assumptions, simply because the traditions of
classical scholarship have made these devices the pawns in a rather
aimless game.

It is unnecessary to cite specific illustrations in support of this
statement. Reference to any of the standard works on classical
archaeology, such as Roscher's "Lexikon," will testify to the truth of my
accusation. In her "Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion" Miss
Jane Harrison devotes a chapter (VI) to "The Making of a Goddess," and
discusses "The Birth of Aphrodite". But she strictly observes the
traditions of the classical method; and assumes that the meaning of the
myth of Aphrodite's birth from the sea--the germs of which are at least
fifty centuries old--can be decided by the omission of any
representation of the sea in the decoration of a pot made in the fifth
century B.C.!

But apart from this general criticism, the lack of resourcefulness and
open mindedness, certain more sp