pring sun entered the sign of the Fishes, the love goddess in
bird form returned to earth.

Advocates of the Totemic theory, on the other hand, may hold that the
association of doves with snake goddesses and fish goddesses of
fertility was due to the fusion of tribes who had various animal
totems. "The Pelew Islanders believed", says Professor Frazer, "that
the souls of their forefathers lived in certain species of animals,
which accordingly they held sacred and would not injure. For this
reason one man would not kill snakes, another would not harm pigeons,
and so on; but everyone was quite ready to kill and eat the sacred
animals of his neighbours."[491] That the Egyptians had similar
customs is suggested by what Herodotus tells us regarding their sacred
animals: "Those who live near Thebes and the lake Moeris hold the
crocodile in religious veneration.... Those who live in or near
Elephantine, so far from considering these beasts as sacred, make them
an article of food.... The hippopotamus is esteemed sacred in the
district of Papremis, but in no other part of Egypt.... They roast and
boil ... birds and fishes ... excepting those which are preserved for
sacred purposes."[492] Totemic animals controlled the destinies of
tribes and families. "Grose tells us", says Brand, "that, besides
general notices of death, many families have particular warnings or
notices: some by the appearance of a bird, and others by the figure of
a tall woman, dressed all in white.... Pennant says that many of the
great families in Scotland had their demon or genius, who gave them
monitions of future events."[493] Members of tribes which venerated
the pigeon therefore invoked it like the Egyptian love poet and drew
omens from its notes, or saw one appearing as the soul of the dead
like the lover in the ballad of "The Bloody Gardener". They refrained
also from killing the pigeon except sacrificially, and suffered
agonies on a deathbed which contained pigeon feathers, the "taboo"
having been broken.

Some such explanation is necessary to account for the specialization
of certain goddesses as fish, snake, cat, or bird deities. Aphrodite,
who like Ishtar absorbed the attributes of several goddesses of
fertility and fate, had attached to her the various animal symbols
which were prominent in districts or among tribes brought into close
contact, while the poppy, rose, myrtle, &c., which were used as love
charms, or for making love potions, were als