of the Blessed Virgin of the Roman
Church, was heretofore dedicated to Cybele.[333:1]

_Minerva_, who was distinguished by the title of "Virgin Queen,"[333:2]
was extensively worshiped in ancient Greece. Among the innumerable
temples of Greece, the most beautiful was the _Parthenon_, meaning, the
_Temple of the Virgin Goddess_. It was a magnificent Doric edifice,
dedicated to Minerva, the presiding deity of Athens.

_Juno_ was called the "Virgin Queen of Heaven."[333:3] She was
represented, like _Isis_ and _Mary_, standing on the crescent
moon,[333:4] and was considered the special protectress of women, from
the cradle to the grave, just as Mary is considered at the present day.

_Diana_, who had the title of "Mother," was nevertheless famed for her
virginal purity.[333:5] She was represented, like _Isis_ and _Mary_,
with stars surrounding her head.[333:6]

The ancient _Muscovites_ worshiped a sacred group, composed of a woman
with a _male child_ in her lap, and another _standing by her_. They had
likewise another idol, called _the golden heifer_, which, says Mr.
Knight, "seems to have been the animal _symbol_ of the same
personage."[333:7] Here we have the Virgin and infant Saviour, with the
companion (John the Baptist), and "The _Lamb_ that taketh away the sins
of the world," among the ancient _Muscovites_ before the time of Christ
Jesus. This goddess had also the title of "Queen of Heaven."[334:1]

The ancient _Germans_ worshiped a virgin goddess under the the name of
_Hertha_, or Ostara, who was fecundated by the active spirit, _i. e._,
the "Holy Spirit."[334:2] She was represented in images as a woman with
a child in her arms. This image was common in their consecrated forests,
and was held peculiarly sacred.[334:3] The Christian celebration called
_Easter_ derived its _name_ from this goddess.

The ancient _Scandinavians_ worshiped a virgin goddess called Disa. Mr.
R. Payne Knight tells us that:

"This goddess is delineated on the sacred drums of the
Laplanders, _accompanied by a child_, similar to the _Horus_
of the Egyptians, who so often appears in the lap of Isis on
the religious monuments of that people."[334:4]

The ancient _Scandinavians_ also worshiped the goddess Frigga. She was
mother of "Baldur the Good," his father being Odin, the supreme god of
the northern nations. It was she who was addressed, as Mary is at the
present day, in order to obtain happy marriages and easy chil