Doane 077

Red Riding-Hood, the story of, explained, 80, 557. Semiramis appeared at Joppa as a mermaid, 83. [More references at bottom of this page.]
Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions CHAPTER IX. (Page) 77 JONAH SWALLOWED BY A BIG FISH. IN the book of Jonah, containing four chapters, we are told the word of the Lord came unto Jonah, saying: “Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness is come up against me.” Instead of obeying this command Jonah sought to flee “ from the presence of the Lord,” by going to Tarshish. For this purpose he went to Joppa, and there took ship for Tarshish. But the Lord sent a great wind, and there was a mighty tempest, so that the ship was likely to be broken. The mariners being afraid, they cried every one unto his God; and casting lots that they might know which of them was the cause of the storm the lot fell upon Jonah, showing him to be the guilty man. The mariners then said unto him; “ What shall we do unto thee? ” Jonah in reply said, “ Take me up and cast me forth into the sea, for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.” So they took up Jonah, and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceased raging. And the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord out of the fish’s belly. And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. The Lord again spake unto Jonah and said: “ Go unto Ninevah and preach unto it.” So Jonah arose and went unto Ninevah, according to the command of the Lord, and preached unto it. There is a Hindoo fable, very much resembling this, to be found in the Somadeva Bhatta, of a person by the name of Saktideva who was swallowed by a huge fish, and finally came out unhurt. The story is as follows: (Page) 78 BIBLE MYTHS. “ There was once a king’s daughter who would marry no one but the man who had seen the Golden City of legendary fame and Saktideva was in love with her; so he went travelling about the world seeking some one who could tell him where this Golden City was. In the course of his journeys He embarked on board a ship bound for the Island of Utsthala, where lived the King of the Fishermen, who, Saktideva hoped, would set him on his way. On the voyage there arose a great storm and the ship went to pieces, and a great fish swallowed Saktideva* whole. Then, driven by the force of fate, the fish went to the Island of Utsthala, and there the servants of the King of the Fishermen caught it, and the king, wondering at its size, had it cut open, and Saktideva came out unhurt.” ^a ^a Taylor: Early Hist. Mankind,* pp. 344, 345. In Grecian fable, Hercules is said to have been swallowed by a whale, at a place called Joppa, and to have lain three days in his entrails. Bernard de Montfaucon, speaking of Jonah being swallowed by a whale, and describing a piece of Grecian sculpture representing Hercules standing by a huge sea monster, says: “ Some ancients relate to the effect that Hercules was also swallowed by the whale that was watching Hesione, that he remained three days in his belly, and that he came out bald-pated after his sojourn there.” ^b ^b “ En effet, quelques anciens disent qu’ Hercule fut anssi devorà par la beleine qui gurdoit Hesione, qu’il demeura trois jours dans son ventre, et qu’il sortit chauve de ce sejour.” (L’Antiquitè Expliqueè, vol. i. p. 204.) Bouchet, in his “ Hist, d’Animal,” tells us that: “ The great fish which swallowed up Jonah, although it be called a whale (Matt. xii. 40), yet it was not a whale, properly so called, but a Dog-fish, called Carcharias. Therefore in the Grecian fable Hercules is said to have been swallowed up of a Dag, and to have lain three days in his entrails.” ^c ^c Bouchet: Hist, d’Animal, in Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 240. Godfrey Higgins says, on this subject: “ The story of Jonas swallowed up by a whale, is nothing but part of the fiction of Hercules, described in the Heracleid or Labors of Hercules, of whom the same story was told, and who was swallowed up at the very same place, Joppa, and for the same period of time, three days. Lycophron says that Hercules was three nights in the belly of a fish.” ^d ^d Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 638. See also Edward B. Tylor Primitive Culture; Researches into the Development of Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, &c., vol. i. p. 306, and Chambers’s Encyclopaedia: A Dictionary of Universal Knowledge for the People, American Revised Edition, article “ Jonah.” We have still another similar story in that of “Arion the Musician” who, being thrown overboard, was caught on the back of a Dolphin and landed safe on shore. The story is related in “ Tales of Ancient Greece,” as follows: JONAH SWALLOWED BY A BIG FISH. (Page) 79 Arion was a Corinthian harper who had travelled in Sicily and Italy, and had accumulated great wealth. Being desirous of again seeing his native city, he set sail from Taras for Corinth. The sailors in the ship, having seen the large boxes full of money which Arion had brought with him into the ship, made up their minds to kill him and take his gold and silver. So one day when he was sitting on the bow of the ship, and looking down on the dark blue sea, three or four of the sailors came to him and said they were going to kill him. Now Arion knew they said this because they wanted his money; so he promised to give them all he had if they would spare his life. But they would not. Then he asked them to let him jump into the sea. When they had given him leave to do this, Arion took one last look at the bright and sunny sky, and then leaped into the sea, and the sailors saw him no more. But Arion was not drowned in the sea, for a great fish called a dolphin was swimming by the ship when Arion leaped over; and it caught him on its back and swam away with him towards Corinth. So presently the fish came close to the shore and left Arion on the beach, and swam away again into the deep sea. ^e ^e Tales of Ancient Greece, p. 296. There is also a Persian legend to the effect that Jemshid was devoured by a great monster waiting for him at the bottom of the sea, but afterwards rises again out of the sea, like Jonah in the Hebrew, and Hercules in the Phenician myth. ^f This legend was also found in the myths of the New World. ^g ^f See Hebrew Mythology, p. 203. ^g See Edward B. Tylor’s Researches Into the Early History of Mankind, and the Development of Civilization, and Primitive Culture, vol. i. It was urged, many years ago, by Rosenmüller— an eminent German divine and professor of theology— and other critics, that the miracle recorded in the book of Jonah is not to be regarded as an historical fact, “ but only as an allegory, founded on the Phenician myth of Hercules rescuing Hesione from the sea monster by leaping himself into its jaws, and for three days and three nights continuing to tear its entrails.” ^h ^h Chambers’s Encyclopaedia, article “ Jonah.” That the story is an allegory, and that it, as well as that of Saktideva, Hercules and the rest, are simply different versions of the same myth, the significance of which is the alternate swallowing up and casting forth of Day, or the Sun, by Night, is now all but universally admitted by scholars. The Day, or the Sun, is swallowed up by Night, to be set free again at dawn, and from time to time suffers a like but shorter durance in the maw of the eclipse and the storm-cloud. ⁱ ⁱ See John Fiske: Myths and Myth-Makers; Old Tales and Superstitions Interpreted by Comparative Mythology, p. 77. and note; and Tylor: Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 302. (Page) 80 BIBLE MYTHS. Professor Goldzhier says: “ The most prominent mythical characteristic of the story of Jonah is his celebrated abode in the sea in the belly of a whale. This trait is eminently Solar. . . . As on occasion of the storm the storm-dragon or the storm-serpent swallows the Sun, so when he sets, he (Jonah, as a personification of the Sun) is swallowed by a mighty fish, waiting for him at the bottom of the sea. Then, when he appears again on the horizon, he is spit out on the shore by the sea-monster.” ^j The Sun was called Jona, as appears from Grater’s inscriptions, and other sources. ^k In the Vedas— the four sacred books of the Hindoos— when Day and Night, Sun and Darkness, are opposed to each other, the one is designated Red, the other Black. ^l ^j Ignaz Goldzhier: Mythology among the Hebrews, and its Historical Development, pp. 102, 103. ^k This is seen from the following, taken from Pictet: “ Du Culte des Carabi,” p. 104, and quoted by Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 650: “ Vallancy dit que Ionn étoit le memê que Baal. En Gallois Jon, le Seignenr, Dieu, la cause prèmierè. En Basque Jawna, Jon, Jona, &c., Dieu, et Seigneur, Maitre. Les Scandinaves appeloient le Soleil John. . . . Une des inscriptions de Gruter montre ques les Troyens adoroient le mème astre sous le nom de Jona. En Persan le Soleil est appelè Jawnah.” Thus we see that the Sun was called Jonah, by different nations of antiquity. ^l See Goldzhier: Mythology among the Hebrews, pp. 146. The Red Sun being swallowed up by the Dark Earth at Night— as it apparently is when it sets in the west— to be cast forth again at Day, is also illustrated in like manner. Jonah, Hercules and others personify the Sun, and a huge Fish represents the Earth ^m The Earth represented as a huge Fish is one of the most prominent ideas of the Polynesian mythology. ⁿ ^m See Edward B. Tylor: Researches Into the Early History of Mankind, p. 345. and Ignaz Goldzhier: Mythology among the Hebrews, pp. 102, 103. ⁿ See Tylor: Early History of Mankind, p. 345. At other times, instead of a Fish, we have a great raving Wolf, who comes to devour its victim and extinguish the Sun-light. ^o The Wolf is particularly distinguished in ancient Scandinavian mythology, being employed as an emblem of the Destroying Power, which attempts to destroy the Sun. ^p This is illustrated in the story of Little Red Riding-Hood (the Sun) ^q who is devoured by the great Black Wolf (Night) and afterwards comes out unhurt. ^r ^o See John Fiske: Myths and Myth-Makers; Old Tales and Superstitions Interpreted by Comparative Mythology, p. 77. ^p See Richard Payne Knight: The Symbolical Language of Ancient Art and Mythology, pp. 88, 89, and Mallet’s Northern Antiquities. ^q In ancient Scandinavian mythology, the Sun is personified in the form of a beautiful maiden. (See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities, p. 458.) ^r See John Fiske: Myths and Myth-Makers, p. 77. John Thackary Bunce: Fairy Tales: Their Origin and Meaning, with some account of Dwellers in Fairy-land, 161. The story of Little Red Riding-Hood is mutilated in the English version. The original story was that the little maid, in her shining Red Cloak, was swallowed by the great Black Wolf, and that she came out safe and sound when the hunters cut open the sleeping beast. ^s ^s Tylor: Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 307. “ The story of Little Red Riding-Hood, as we call her, or Little Red-Cap, came from the same (i. e., the ancient Aryan) source, and refers to the Sun and the Night.” “ One of the fancies of the most ancient Aryan or Hindoo stories was that there was a great dragon that was trying to devour the Sun, and to prevent him from shining upon the earth and filling it with brightness and life and beauty, and that Indra, the Sun-god, killed the dragon. Now, this is the meaning of Little Red Riding-Hood, as it is told in our nursery tales. Little Red Riding-Hood is the evening Sun, which is always described as red or golden; the old grandmother is the earth, to whom the rays of the Sun bring warmth and comfort. The wolf which is a well-known figure for the clouds and darkness of night is the dragon in another form. First he devours the grandmother; that is, he wraps the earth in thick clouds, which the evening Sun is not strong enough to pierce through. Then, with the darkness of night, he swallows up the evening Sun itself, and all is dark and desolate. Then, as in the German tale, the night-thunder and the storm-winds are represented by the loud snoring of the wolf; and then the huntsman, the morning Sun, comes in all his strength and majesty, and chases away the night-clouds and kills the wolf, and revives old Grandmother Earth, and brings Little Red Riding-Hood to life again.” (Bunce, Fairy Tales, their Origin and Meaning, p. 161.) JONAH SWALLOWED BY A BIG FISH. (Page) 81 In regard to these heroes remaining three days and three nights in the bowels of the Fish, they represent the Sun at the Winter Solstice. From December 22d to the 25th— that is, for three days and three nights— the Sun remains in the Lowest Regions, in the bowels of the Earth, in the belly of the Fish; it is then cast forth and renews its career. Thus, we see that the story of Jonah being swallowed by a big fish, meant originally the Sun swallowed up by Night, and that it is identical with the well-known nursery-tale. How such legends are transformed from intelligible into unintelligible myths, is very clearly illustrated by Prof. Max Müller, who, in speaking of “ the comparison of the different forms of Aryan Religion and Mythology,” in India, Persia, Greece, Italy and Germany, says: “ In each of these nations there was a tendency to change the original conception of divine powers; to misunderstand the many names given to these powers, and to misinterpret the praises addressed to them. In this manner some of the divine names were changed into half-divine, half-human heroes, and at last the myths which were true and intelligible as told originally of the Sun, or the Dawn, or the Storms, were turned into legends or fables too marvellous to be believed of common mortals. This process can be watched in India, in Greece, and in Germany. The same story, or nearly the same, is told of gods, of heroes, and of men. The divine myth became an heroic legend, and the heroic legend fades away into a nursery tale. Our nursery tales have well been called the modern patois of the ancient sacred mythology of the Aryan race.” ^t ^t Max Mailer’s Chips, vol. ii. p. 260. How striking are these words; how plainly they illustrate the process by which the story, that was true and intelligible as told originally of the Day being swallowed up by Night, or the Sun being swallowed up by the Earth, was transformed into a legend or fable, too marvellous to be believed by common mortals. How the divine myth “ became an “ heroic legend” and how the heroic legend faded away into a “ nursery tale.” (Page) 82 BIBLE MYTHS. In regard to Jonah’s going to the city of Ninevah, and preaching unto the inhabitants, we believe that the old “ Myth of Civilization,” so called, ¹ is partly interwoven here, and that, in this respect, he is nothing more than the Indian Fish Avatar of Vishnou, or the Chaldean Oannes. At his first Avatar, Vishnou is alleged to have appeared to humanity in form like a fish, ² or half-man and half-fish, just as Cannes and Dagon were represented among the Chaldeans and other nations. In the temple of Rama, in India, there is a representation of Vishnou which answers perfectly to that of Dagon. ³ Mr. Maurice, in his “ Hist. Ilindostan,” has proved the identity of the Syrian Dagon and the Indian Fish ivatar, and concludes by saying: “ From the foregoing and a variety of parallel circumstances, I am inclined to think that the Chaldean Oannes, the Phenician and Philistian Dagon, and the Pisces of the Syrian and Egyptian Zodiac, were the same deity with the Indian Vishnu.” ⁴ ¹ See Ignaz Goldzhier: Mythology among the Hebrews, p. 198, et seq. ² See Maurice: Indian Antiquities, vol. ii. p. 277. ³ See Isis Unveiled, vol. ii. p. 259. Also Fig. No. 5, next page. ⁴ Hist. Hindostan, vol. i. pp. 418-419. In the old mythological remains of the Chaldeans, compiled by Berosus, Abydenus, and Polyhistor, there is an account of one Cannes, a fish-god, who rendered great service to mankind. ⁵ This being is said to have come out of the Erythraean Sea. ⁶ This is evidently the Sun rising out of the sea, as it apparently does, in the East. ⁷ ⁵ See Pilchard’s: Egyptian Mythology, p. 190, Bible for Learners, vol. i. p. 87. Higgins Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 646. Cory’s: Ancient Fragments, p. 57. ⁶ See Higgins Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 646. Smith: Chaldean Account of Genesis, p. 39, and Cory’s: Ancient Fragments, p. 57. ⁷ civilizing gods, who diffuse intelligence and instruct barbarians, are also Solar Deities. Among these Oannes takes his place, as the Sun-god, giving knowledge and civilization. (Rev. S. Baring-Gould: Curious Myths, p. 367. Prof. Goldzhier, speaking of Oannes, says: “ That this founder of cizilization has a Solar character, like similar heroes in all other nations, is shown ... in the words of Berosus, who says: 1 During the day-time Oannes held intercourse with man, but when the Sun set, Oannes fell into the sea, where he used to pass the night. Here, evidently, only the Sun can be meant, who, in the evening, dips into the sea, and comes forth again in the morning, and passes the day on the dry land in the company of men.” ⁸ ⁸ Ignaz Goldzhier: Mythology among the Hebrews, p. 214, 215. Dagon was sometimes represented as a man emerging from a fish’s mouth, and sometimes as half-man and half-fish; ⁹ It was believed that he came in a ship, and taught the people. Ancient history abounds with such mythological personages. ¹⁰ There was also a Durga, a fish deity, among the Hindoos, represented as a full grown man emerging from a fish’s mouth. ⁹ ⁹ See Inman’s Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 111. ¹⁰ See Chamber’s Encyclo., article “Dagon.” JONAH SWALLOWED BY A BIG FISH. (Page) 83 The Philistines worshiped Dagon, and in Babylonian Mythology Odakon is applied to a fish-like being, who rose from the waters of the Red Sea as one of the benefactors of men. ¹¹ ¹¹ See Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible, and Chamber’s Encyclo., article “Dagon.” in both. On the coins of Ascalon, where she was held in great honor, the goddess Derceto or Atergatis is represented as a woman with her lower extremities like a fish. This is Semiramis, who appeared at Joppa as a mermaid. She is simply a personification of the Moon, who follows the course of the Sun. At times she manifests herself to the eyes of men, at others she seeks concealment in the Western flood. ¹² ¹² See Baring-Gould’s Curious Myths. The Sun-god Phoibos traverses the sea in the form of a fish, and imparts lessons of wisdom and goodness when he has come forth from the green depths. All these powers or qualities are shared by Proteus in Hellenic story, as well as by the fish-god, Dagon or Oannes. ¹³ ¹³ See Cox Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 26.
Fig. No. 5, is a representation of Dagon. In the Iliad and Odyssey, Atlas is brought into close connection with Helios, the bright god, the Latin Sol, and our Sun. In these poems he rises every morning from a beautiful lake by the deep-flowing stream of Ocean, and having accomplished his journey across the heavens, plunges again into the Western waters. ¹⁴ The ancient Mexicans and Peruvians had likewise semi-fish gods. ¹⁵ ¹⁴ Ibid, p. 38. ¹⁵ Curious Myths, p. 372. Jonah then, is like these other personages, in so far as they are all personifications of the Sun; they all come out of the sea; they are all represented as a man emerging from a fish’s mouth; and they are all benefactors of mankind. We believe, therefore, that it is one and the same myth, whether Oannes, Joannes, or Jonas, ¹⁶ differing to a certain extent among different nations, just as we find to be the case with other legends. This we have just seen illustrated in the story of “ Little Red Riding-Hood,” which is considerably mutilated in the English version. ¹⁶ Since writing the above we find that Mr. Bryant, in his “Analysis of Ancient Mythology” (vol. ii. p. 291), speaking of the mystical nature of the name John, which is the same as Jonah, says: “ The prophet who was sent upon an embassy to the Ninevites, is styled Ionas: a title probably bestowed upon him as a messenger of the Deity. The great Patriarch who preached righteousness to the Antediluvians, is styled Oan and Oannes, which is the same as Jonah.” (Page) 84 BIBLE MYTHS. Fig. No. 5, is a representation of Dagon, intended to illustrate a creature half-man and half-fish; or, perhaps, a man emerging from a fish’s mouth. It is taken from Layard. Fig. No. 6, ¹⁷ is a representation of the Indian Avatar of Yishnou, coming forth from the fish. ¹⁸ It would answer just as well for a representation of Jonah, as it does for the Hindoo divinity. It should be noticed that in both of these, the god has a crown on his head, surmounted with a triple ornament, both of which had evidently the same meaning, i. e., an emblem of the trinity. ¹⁹ The Indian Avatar being represented with four arms, evidently means that he is god of the whole world, His four arms extending to the four corners of the world. The circle, which is seen in one hand, is an emblem of eternal reward. The shell, with its eight convolutions, is intended to show the place in the number of the cycles which he occupied. The book and sword are to show that he ruled both in the right of the book and of the sword. ²⁰ ¹⁷ From Maurice: Hist. Hindostan, vol. i. p. 495. ¹⁸ Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 634. See also, Calmet’s Fragments, 2d Hundred, p. 78. ¹⁹ See the chapter on “ The Trinity,” in part second. ²⁰ See Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 640. Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., pp. 088 et seq. Doane, Bible Myths pp. 058 et seq. INDEX of Subjects. Martian Visitor ( Home ) Metaphysics: Which is PRIMARY? The Pagan origins of Easter THE WORLD’S SIXTEEN CRUCIFIED SAVIORS or Christianity Before Christ CONTAINING New, Startling and Extraordinary Revelations In Religious History, Which Disclose The Oriental Origin of All The Doctrines, Principles, Precepts, And Miracles Of The CHRISTIAN NEW TESTAMENT And Furnishing A Key For Unlocking Many Of It’s Sacred Mysteries, Besides comprising the History Of 16 HEATHEN CRUCIFIED GODS BY KERSEY GRAVES Copyright, 1875

Red Riding-Hood, the story of, explained, 80, 557.
Semiramis appeared at Joppa as a mermaid, 83.
[More references at bottom of this page.]

Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions
CHAPTER IX. (Page) 77
JONAH SWALLOWED BY A BIG FISH.

IN the book of Jonah, containing four chapters, we are  told   the  word of the  Lord came unto  Jonah, saying: “Arise, go  to Ninevah, that great  city, and cry against  it, for their  wickedness is come  up against  me.”
Instead of obeying this command Jonah sought to  flee “ from the presence of the  Lord,” by  going to  Tarshish. For  this purpose he  went to  Joppa, and there took  ship for Tarshish. But the  Lord sent a great  wind, and there was a mighty tempest, so  that the  ship was likely to be  broken.
The mariners being afraid, they  cried every  one unto his  God; and casting  lots that they might know which of  them was the  cause of the  storm the  lot fell upon Jonah, showing him to  be the guilty  man.
The mariners then said unto  him; “ What shall we  do unto  thee? ” Jonah in  reply said, “ Take me up and cast me forth into the  sea, for I  know that for my  sake this great tempest is upon  you.” So they took  up Jonah, and cast  him into the  sea, and the  sea ceased  raging.

And the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow  up Jonah,   and Jonah was in the belly of the  fish three  days and three  nights.   Then Jonah prayed unto the  Lord   out  of the fish’s belly. And the  Lord spake unto the  fish, and it vomited  out   Jonah upon the dry  land.

The Lord again spake unto Jonah and  said:
“ Go unto Ninevah and preach unto  it.” So Jonah arose and went unto  Ninevah, according  to the command of the  Lord, and preached unto  it.

There is a Hindoo fable, very  much resembling this, to  be found in the Somadeva Bhatta, of a  person by the name of Saktideva who was swallowed by a huge fish, and finally came  out unhurt.   The story is as follows:

(Page) 78 BIBLE MYTHS.
“ There was once a king’s daughter who would marry no one but the man who had seen the Golden City of legendary fame and Saktideva was in love with her; so he went travelling about the world seeking some one who could tell him where this Golden City was. In the course of his journeys He embarked on board a ship bound for the Island of Utsthala, where lived the King of the Fishermen, who, Saktideva hoped, would set him on his way. On the voyage there arose a great storm and the ship went to pieces, and a great fish swallowed Saktideva whole. Then, driven by the force of  fate, the fish went to the Island of Utsthala, and there the servants of the King of  the Fishermen caught it, and the king, wondering at its size, had it cut open, and Saktideva came out unhurt.” ^a

^a Taylor: Early Hist. Mankind, pp. 344, 345.

In Grecian fable, Hercules is said to have been swallowed by a whale, at a place called Joppa, and to have lain three days in his entrails.
Bernard de Montfaucon, speaking of Jonah being swallowed by a whale, and describing a piece of Grecian sculpture representing Hercules standing by a huge sea monster, says:
“ Some ancients relate to the effect that Hercules was also swallowed by the whale that was watching Hesione, that he remained three days in his belly, and that he came out bald-pated after his sojourn there.” ^b

^b “ En effet, quelques anciens disent qu’ Hercule fut anssi devorà par la beleine qui gurdoit Hesione, qu’il demeura trois jours dans son ventre, et qu’il sortit chauve de ce sejour.” (L’Antiquitè Expliqueè, vol. i. p. 204.)

Bouchet, in his “ Hist, d’Animal,” tells us that:
“ The great fish which swallowed up Jonah, although it be called a whale (Matt. xii. 40), yet it was not a whale, properly so called, but a Dog-fish, called Carcharias. Therefore in the Grecian fable Hercules is said to have been swallowed up of a Dag, and to have lain three days in his entrails.” ^c

^c Bouchet: Hist, d’Animal, in Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 240.

Godfrey Higgins says, on this subject:
“ The story of Jonas swallowed up by a whale, is nothing but part of the fiction of Hercules, described in the Heracleid or Labors of Hercules, of whom the same story was told, and who was swallowed up at the very same place, Joppa, and for the same period of time, three days. Lycophron says that Hercules was three nights in the belly of a fish.” ^d

^d Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 638. See also Edward B. Tylor Primitive Culture; Researches into the Development of Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, &c., vol. i. p. 306, and Chambers’s Encyclopaedia: A Dictionary of Universal Knowledge for the People, American Revised Edition, article “ Jonah.”

We have still another similar story in that of “Arion the Musician” who, being thrown overboard, was caught on the back of a Dolphin and landed safe on shore. The story is related in “ Tales of Ancient Greece,” as follows:

JONAH SWALLOWED BY A BIG FISH. (Page) 79

Arion was a Corinthian harper who had travelled in Sicily and Italy, and had accumulated great wealth. Being desirous of again seeing his native city, he set sail from Taras for Corinth. The sailors in the ship, having seen the large boxes full of money which Arion had brought with him into the ship, made up their minds to kill him and take his gold and silver. So one day when he was sitting on the bow of the ship, and looking down on the dark blue sea, three or four of the sailors came to him and said they were going to kill him. Now Arion knew they said this because they wanted his money; so he promised to give them all he had if they would spare his life. But they would not. Then he asked them to let him jump into the sea. When they had given him leave to do this, Arion took one last look at the bright and sunny sky, and then leaped into the sea, and the sailors saw him no more. But Arion was not drowned in the sea, for a great fish called a dolphin was swimming by the ship when Arion leaped over; and it caught him on its back and swam away with him towards Corinth. So presently the fish came close to the shore and left Arion on the beach, and swam away again into the deep sea. ^e

^e Tales of Ancient Greece, p. 296.

There is also a Persian legend to the effect that Jemshid was devoured by a great monster waiting for him at the bottom of the sea, but afterwards rises again out of the sea, like Jonah in the Hebrew, and Hercules in the Phenician myth. ^f This legend was also found in the myths of the New World. ^g

^f See Hebrew Mythology, p. 203.
^g See Edward B. Tylor’s Researches Into the Early History of Mankind, and the Development of Civilization, and Primitive Culture, vol. i.

It was urged, many years ago, by Rosenmüller— an eminent German divine and professor of theology— and other critics, that the miracle recorded in the book of Jonah is not to be regarded as an historical fact, “ but only as an allegory, founded on the Phenician myth of Hercules rescuing Hesione from the sea monster by leaping himself into its jaws, and for three days and three nights continuing to tear its entrails.” ^h

^h Chambers’s Encyclopaedia, article “ Jonah.”

That the story is an allegory, and that it, as well as that of Saktideva, Hercules and the rest, are simply different versions of the same myth, the significance of which is the alternate swallowing up and casting forth of Day, or the Sun, by Night, is now all but universally admitted by scholars. The Day, or the Sun, is swallowed up by Night, to be set free again at dawn, and from time to time suffers a like but shorter durance in the maw of the eclipse and the storm-cloud. ⁱ

ⁱ See John Fiske: Myths and Myth-Makers; Old Tales and Superstitions Interpreted by Comparative Mythology, p. 77. and note; and Tylor: Primitive Culture, vol. i. p. 302.

(Page) 80 BIBLE MYTHS.

Professor Goldzhier says:
“ The most prominent mythical characteristic of the story of Jonah is his celebrated abode in the sea in the belly of a whale. This trait is eminently Solar.  . . .   As  on occasion of the  storm the storm-dragon or  the storm-serpent swallows the  Sun, so  when he  sets, he (Jonah, as  a personification  of the  Sun) is  swallowed by a mighty  fish, waiting for  him at the bottom of the  sea. Then, when he appears again on  the horizon, he  is spit out on the  shore by the sea-monster.” ^j

The  Sun was  called Jona, as  appears from Grater’s inscriptions, and other  sources. ^k

In the Vedas— the four sacred books of the Hindoos— when Day and Night, Sun and Darkness, are opposed  to each  other, the one is designated Red, the other Black. ^l

^j Ignaz Goldzhier: Mythology among the Hebrews, and its Historical Development,   pp. 102, 103.
^k This is seen from the following, taken from Pictet: “ Du Culte des Carabi,”   p. 104,   and quoted by Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i.  p. 650:   “ Vallancy dit  que  Ionn étoit le  memê que  Baal. En  Gallois Jon, le  Seignenr, Dieu, la  cause prèmierè. En  Basque Jawna, Jon, Jona,  &c., Dieu, et  Seigneur, Maitre. Les  Scandinaves appeloient le  Soleil John. . . . Une  des inscriptions de  Gruter montre ques les Troyens adoroient le  mème astre sous le  nom de  Jona. En  Persan le  Soleil est  appelè Jawnah.”   Thus we see that the  Sun was  called Jonah, by different nations   of  antiquity.
^l See Goldzhier: Mythology among the Hebrews,   pp. 146.

The Red Sun being swallowed up by the Dark Earth at Night— as it apparently is when it sets in the west— to be cast forth again at Day, is also illustrated in like manner. Jonah, Hercules and others personify the Sun, and a huge Fish represents the Earth ^m The Earth represented as a huge Fish is one of the most prominent ideas of the Polynesian mythology. ⁿ

^m See Edward B. Tylor: Researches Into the Early History of Mankind, p. 345. and Ignaz Goldzhier: Mythology among the Hebrews, pp. 102, 103.
ⁿ See Tylor: Early History of Mankind, p. 345.

At other times, instead of a Fish, we have a great raving Wolf, who comes to devour its victim and extinguish the Sun-light. ^o The Wolf is particularly distinguished in ancient Scandinavian mythology, being employed as an emblem of the Destroying Power, which attempts to destroy the Sun. ^p This is illustrated in the story of Little Red Riding-Hood (the Sun) ^q who is devoured by the great Black Wolf (Night) and afterwards comes out unhurt. ^r

^o See John Fiske: Myths and Myth-Makers; Old Tales and Superstitions Interpreted by Comparative Mythology,   p. 77.
^p See Richard Payne Knight: The Symbolical Language of Ancient Art and Mythology,   pp. 88, 89,   and Mallet’s Northern Antiquities.
^q In ancient Scandinavian mythology, the  Sun is  personified in the form of a beautiful maiden.   (See Mallet’s Northern Antiquities,   p. 458.)
^r See John Fiske: Myths and Myth-Makers,   p. 77.   John Thackary Bunce: Fairy Tales: Their Origin and Meaning, with some account of Dwellers in Fairy-land,  161.

The story of Little Red Riding-Hood is mutilated in the English version. The original story was that the little maid, in her shining Red Cloak, was swallowed by the great Black Wolf, and that she came out safe and sound when the hunters cut open the sleeping beast. ^s

^s Tylor: Primitive Culture,   vol. i.  p. 307.
“ The story of Little Red Riding-Hood, as  we call  her, or Little Red-Cap, came  from the  same (i. e., the  ancient Aryan) source, and refers  to the  Sun and the  Night.”
“ One of the fancies of the most ancient Aryan or Hindoo stories was that there was a great dragon that was trying to devour the Sun, and to prevent him from shining upon the earth and filling it with brightness and life and beauty, and that Indra, the Sun-god, killed the dragon. Now, this is the meaning of Little Red Riding-Hood, as it is told in our nursery tales. Little Red Riding-Hood is the evening Sun, which is always described as red or golden; the old grandmother is the earth, to whom the rays of the Sun bring warmth and comfort. The wolf which is a well-known figure for the clouds and darkness of  night is the dragon in another form. First he devours the grandmother; that is, he wraps the earth in thick clouds, which the evening Sun is not strong enough to pierce through. Then, with the darkness of  night, he swallows up the evening Sun itself, and all is dark and desolate. Then, as in the German tale, the night-thunder and the storm-winds are represented by the loud snoring of the wolf; and then the huntsman, the morning Sun, comes in all his strength and majesty, and chases away the night-clouds and kills the wolf, and revives old Grandmother Earth, and brings Little Red Riding-Hood to life again.”   (Bunce, Fairy Tales, their Origin and Meaning,  p. 161.)

JONAH SWALLOWED BY A BIG FISH. (Page) 81
In regard to these heroes remaining three days and three nights in the bowels of the Fish, they represent the Sun at the Winter Solstice. From December 22d to the 25th— that is, for three days and three nights— the Sun remains in the Lowest Regions, in the bowels of the Earth, in the belly of the Fish; it is then cast forth and renews its career.
Thus, we see that the story of Jonah being swallowed by a big fish, meant originally the Sun swallowed up by Night, and that it is identical with the well-known nursery-tale. How such legends are transformed from intelligible into unintelligible myths, is very clearly illustrated by Prof. Max Müller, who, in speaking of “ the comparison of the different forms of Aryan Religion and Mythology,” in India, Persia, Greece, Italy and Germany, says:
“ In each of these nations there was a tendency to change the original conception of divine powers; to misunderstand the many names given to these powers, and to misinterpret the praises addressed to them. In this manner some of the divine names were changed into half-divine, half-human heroes, and at last the myths which were true and intelligible as told originally of the Sun, or the Dawn, or the Storms, were turned into legends or fables too marvellous to be believed of common mortals. This process can be watched in India, in Greece, and in Germany. The same story, or nearly the same, is told of gods, of heroes, and of men. The divine myth became an heroic legend, and the heroic legend fades away into a nursery tale. Our nursery tales have well been called the modern patois of the ancient sacred mythology of the Aryan race.” ^t

^t Max Mailer’s Chips, vol. ii. p. 260.

How striking are these words; how plainly they illustrate the process by which the story, that was true and intelligible as told originally of the Day being swallowed up by Night, or the Sun being swallowed up by the Earth, was transformed into a legend or fable, too marvellous to be believed by common mortals. How the divine myth “ became an “ heroic legend” and how the heroic legend faded away into a “ nursery tale.”

(Page) 82 BIBLE MYTHS.
In regard to Jonah’s going to the city of Ninevah, and preaching unto the inhabitants, we believe that the old “ Myth of Civilization,” so called, ¹ is partly interwoven here, and that, in this respect, he is nothing more than the Indian Fish Avatar of Vishnou, or the Chaldean Oannes. At his first Avatar, Vishnou is alleged to have appeared to humanity in form like a fish, ² or half-man and half-fish, just as Cannes and Dagon were represented among the Chaldeans and other nations. In the temple of Rama, in India, there is a representation of Vishnou which answers perfectly to that of Dagon. ³ Mr. Maurice, in his “ Hist. Ilindostan,” has proved the identity of the Syrian Dagon and the Indian Fish ivatar, and concludes by saying:
“ From the foregoing and a variety of parallel circumstances, I am inclined to think that the Chaldean Oannes, the Phenician and Philistian Dagon, and the Pisces of the Syrian and Egyptian Zodiac, were the same deity with the Indian Vishnu.” ⁴

¹ See Ignaz Goldzhier: Mythology among the Hebrews,   p. 198,  et seq.
² See Maurice: Indian Antiquities,   vol. ii.  p. 277.
³ See Isis Unveiled,   vol. ii.  p. 259.   Also Fig. No. 5,  next page.
⁴ Hist. Hindostan, vol. i. pp. 418-419.

In the old mythological remains of the Chaldeans, compiled by Berosus, Abydenus, and Polyhistor, there is an account of one Cannes, a fish-god, who rendered great service to mankind. ⁵ This being is said to have come out of the Erythraean Sea. ⁶ This is evidently the Sun rising out of the sea, as it apparently does, in the East. ⁷

⁵ See Pilchard’s: Egyptian Mythology, p. 190,   Bible for Learners, vol. i.  p. 87.   Higgins Anacalypsis, vol. i.  p. 646.   Cory’s: Ancient Fragments,  p. 57.
⁶ See Higgins Anacalypsis, vol. i.  p. 646.   Smith: Chaldean Account of  Genesis, p. 39,   and Cory’s: Ancient Fragments,  p. 57.
⁷ civilizing gods, who diffuse intelligence and instruct barbarians, are also Solar Deities.   Among these Oannes takes his place, as  the Sun-god,   giving knowledge and civilization.   (Rev. S. Baring-Gould: Curious Myths,  p. 367.

Prof. Goldzhier, speaking of Oannes, says:
“ That this founder of cizilization has a Solar character, like similar heroes in all other nations, is shown ... in the words of Berosus, who says: 1 During the day-time Oannes held intercourse with man, but when the Sun set, Oannes fell into the sea, where he used to pass the night. Here, evidently, only the Sun can be meant, who, in the evening, dips into the sea, and comes forth again in the morning, and passes the day on the dry land in the company of men.” ⁸

⁸ Ignaz Goldzhier: Mythology among the Hebrews, p. 214, 215.

Dagon was sometimes represented as a man emerging from a fish’s mouth, and sometimes as half-man and half-fish; ⁹ It was believed that he came in a ship, and taught the people. Ancient history abounds with such mythological personages. ¹⁰ There was also a Durga, a fish deity, among the Hindoos, represented as a full grown man emerging from a fish’s mouth. ⁹

⁹ See Inman’s Ancient Faiths, vol. i. p. 111.
¹⁰ See Chamber’s Encyclo., article “Dagon.”

JONAH SWALLOWED BY A BIG FISH. (Page) 83

The Philistines worshiped Dagon, and in Babylonian Mythology Odakon is applied to a fish-like being, who rose from the waters of the Red Sea as one of the benefactors of men. ¹¹

¹¹ See Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible, and Chamber’s Encyclo., article “Dagon.” in both.

On the coins of Ascalon, where she was held in great honor, the goddess Derceto or Atergatis is represented as a woman with her lower extremities like a fish. This is Semiramis, who appeared at Joppa as a mermaid. She is simply a personification of the Moon, who follows the course of the Sun. At times she manifests herself to the eyes of men, at others she seeks concealment in the Western flood. ¹²

¹² See Baring-Gould’s Curious Myths.

The Sun-god Phoibos traverses the sea in the form of a fish, and imparts lessons of wisdom and goodness when he has come forth from the green depths. All these powers or qualities are shared by Proteus in Hellenic story, as well as by the fish-god, Dagon or Oannes. ¹³

¹³ See Cox Aryan Mythology, vol. ii. p. 26.

Fig. No. 5, is a representation of Dagon.

In the Iliad and Odyssey, Atlas is brought into close connection with Helios, the bright god, the Latin Sol, and our Sun. In these poems he rises every morning from a beautiful lake by the deep-flowing stream of Ocean, and having accomplished his journey across the heavens, plunges again into the Western waters. ¹⁴

The ancient Mexicans and Peruvians had likewise semi-fish gods. ¹⁵

¹⁴ Ibid, p. 38.
¹⁵ Curious Myths, p. 372.

Jonah then, is like these other personages, in so far as they are all personifications of the Sun; they all come out of the sea; they are all represented as a man emerging from a fish’s mouth; and they are all benefactors of mankind. We believe, therefore, that it is one and the same myth, whether Oannes, Joannes, or Jonas, ¹⁶ differing to a certain extent among different nations, just as we find to be the case with other legends. This we have just seen illustrated in the story of “ Little Red Riding-Hood,” which is considerably mutilated in the English version.

¹⁶ Since writing the above we find that Mr. Bryant, in his “Analysis of Ancient Mythology” (vol. ii. p. 291), speaking of the mystical nature of the name John, which is the same as Jonah, says: “ The prophet who was sent upon an embassy to the Ninevites, is styled Ionas: a title probably bestowed upon him as a messenger of the Deity. The great Patriarch who preached righteousness to the Antediluvians, is styled Oan and Oannes, which is the same as Jonah.”

(Page) 84 BIBLE MYTHS.
Fig. No. 5, is a representation of Dagon, intended to illustrate a creature half-man and half-fish; or, perhaps, a man emerging from a fish’s mouth.
It is taken from Layard.

Fig. No. 6, ¹⁷ is a representation of the Indian Avatar of Yishnou, coming forth from the fish. ¹⁸ It would answer just as well for a representation of Jonah, as it does for the Hindoo divinity. It should be noticed that in both of these, the god has a crown on his head, surmounted with a triple ornament, both of which had evidently the same meaning, i. e., an emblem of the trinity. ¹⁹ The Indian Avatar being represented with four arms, evidently means that he is god of the whole world, His four arms extending to the four corners of the world. The circle, which is seen in one hand, is an emblem of eternal reward. The shell, with its eight convolutions, is intended to show the place in the number of the cycles which he occupied. The book and sword are to show that he ruled both in the right of the book and of the sword. ²⁰

¹⁷ From Maurice: Hist. Hindostan, vol. i. p. 495.
¹⁸ Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 634. See also, Calmet’s Fragments, 2d Hundred, p. 78.
¹⁹ See the chapter on “ The Trinity,” in part second.
²⁰ See Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. i. p. 640.

Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels
in other Religions, 7th ed., pp. 088 et seq.

Doane, Bible Myths pp. 058 et seq.

INDEX of Subjects.

Martian Visitor ( Home )

Metaphysics: Which is PRIMARY?

The Pagan origins of Easter

THE WORLD’S
SIXTEEN CRUCIFIED SAVIORS
or
Christianity Before Christ
CONTAINING
New, Startling and Extraordinary Revelations In
Religious History, Which Disclose The Oriental
Origin of All The Doctrines, Principles,
Precepts, And Miracles Of The
CHRISTIAN NEW TESTAMENT
And Furnishing A Key For Unlocking Many Of
It’s Sacred Mysteries, Besides comprising the
History Of 16 HEATHEN CRUCIFIED GODS
BY
KERSEY GRAVES Copyright, 1875