tness
the process whereby this reconciliation between man and the Gods takes
place--surely the supreme matter in life. It is told in the form of the
Fairy Tale or Marvelous Legend, which shifts and changes; we, however,
must cling to the essence else it will escape us, Proteus himself we
must hold fast, and not be misled by his many appearances.

Menelaus begins to feel sorrow, which is a penitent condition
antecedent to all help. Moreover he wanders alone, he has gone apart
from his companions; behold, the Goddess steps out of the air and
speaks. She reproaches him with folly, and turns him to the deity who
can assist him. Who is this Goddess?

It is Eidothea, the Goddess of Appearance, yet the daughter of Proteus,
the old First One, to whom she directs Menelaus, as the only means of
salvation. Mark how she designates Proteus: "he is the true, the
immortal; without error, without death; he knows the depths of all the
sea"--the great sea of Time and Space, which envelops the poor mortal.
But he must be snared and held--surely not an easy task it is to catch
him.

The etymology of the names of these two deities indicates their meaning
and relation. The grand dualism of the world is clearly suggested:
Appearance and Substance, the Transitory and the Eternal, that which
seems and that which is. Menelaus had gone astray, he had neglected the
Gods, he had followed Appearance, Delusion, Negation; the result could
only be death. But even Appearance points to something beyond itself,
something true and eternal. So Eidothea suggests Proteus, who is her
parent; that is, she is the manifestation of his being. She is the
many, he is the one underneath and in the many; she is change, he is
the permanent in all change. He may well be designated as her father,
whose transformations she knows and declares. These transformations are
called his tricks or stratagems, the shapes he puts on in the world of
Appearance; they are indeed Eidothea herself along with her voice
telling what is higher than herself.

When this one first principle is clearly revealed, then all is
revealed; the future becomes transparent, and the distant becomes near.
But you must hold fast to the one true Proteus; he will turn to
fire--hold fast; he will become running water--hold fast; he will
change to tree, beast, reptile--hold fast. Then he will show himself in
his right shape, and will speak the fact. Hold fast; the One is under
all, and is a God, who will