ing, and for a time
seemed to satisfy the wants of a thoughtless multitude. But there were
thoughtful men at all times, and their reason protested against the
contradictions of a mythological phraseology, though it had been
hallowed by sacred customs and traditions. That rebellious reason had
been at work from the very first, always ready to break the yoke of
names and formulas which no longer expressed what they were intended
to express. The idea which had yearned for utterance was the idea of a
supreme and absolute Power, and that yearning was not satisfied by
such names as "Kronos," "Zeus," and "Apollon." The very sound of such
a word as "God," used in the plural, jarred on the ear, as if we were
to speak of two universes, or of a single twin. There are many words,
as Greek and Latin grammarians tell us, which, if used in the plural,
have a different meaning from what they have in the singular. The
Latin "aeedes" means a temple; if used in the plural it means a house.
"Deus" and [Greek: Theos] ought to be added to the same class of
words. The idea of supreme perfection excluded limitation, and the
idea of God excluded the possibility of many gods. This may seem
language too abstract and metaphysical for the early times of which we
are speaking. But the ancient poets of the Vedic hymns have expressed
the same thought with perfect clearness and simplicity. In the
Rig-veda (I. 164, 46) we read:--

"That which is one the sages speak of in many ways--they call it
'Agni,' 'Yama,' 'Matari_s_van.'"

[Footnote 67: See W. Spottiswoode's 'Tarantasse Journey,' p. 220,
Visit to the Buddhist Temple.]

[Footnote 68: The only trace of the influence of Buddhism among the
_K_udic races, the Fins, Laps, &c., is found in the name of their
priests and sorcerers, the Shamans. Shaman is supposed to be a
corruption of _S_rama_n_a, a name applied to Buddha, and to Buddhist
priests in general. The ancient mythological religion of the _K_udic
races has nothing in common with Buddhism. See Castren's 'Lectures on
Finnish Mythology,' 1853. Finland was ceded by Sweden to Russia in
1809, See the Author's 'Survey of Languages,' second edition, p. 116.
Shamanism found its way from India to Siberia via Tibet, China, and
Mongolia. Rules on the formation of magic figures, on the treatment of
diseases by charms, on the worship of evil spirits, on the acquisition
of supernatural powers, on charms, incantations, and other branches of
Shaman witchcraft,