There　is　ample　evidence　that　one　of　the　very　earliest　objects　of　human　worship　was　the　Earth　itself；　conceived　of　as　the　fertile　Mother　of　all　things。　Gaia　or　Ge　（the　earth）　had　temples　and　altars　in　almost　all　the　cities　of　Greece。　Rhea　or　Cybele；　sprung　from　the　Earth；　was　〃mother　of　all　the　gods。〃　Demeter　（〃earth　mother〃）　was　honored　far　and　wide　as　the　gracious　patroness　of　the　crops　and　vegetation。　Ceres；　of　course；　the　same。　Maia　in　the　Indian　mythology　and　Isis　in　the　Egyptian　are　forms　of　Nature　and　the　Earth…spirit；　represented　as　female；　and　so　forth。　The　Earth；　in　these　ancient　cults　；　was　the　mystic　source　of　all　life；　and　to　it；　as　a　propitiation；　life　of　all　kinds　was　sacrificed。　＇There　are　strange　accounts　of　a　huge　fire　being　made；　with　an　altar　to　Cybele　in　the　midst；　and　of　deer　and　fawns　and　wild　animals；　and　birds　and　sheep　and　corn　and　fruits　being　thrown　pell…mell　into　the　flames。＇1＇＇　It　was；　in　a　way；　the　most　natural；　as　it　seems　to　have　been　the　earliest　and　most　spontaneous　of　cultsthe　worship　of　the　Earth…mother；　the　all…producing　eternal　source　of　life；　and　on　account　of　her　never…failing　ever…renewed　fertility　conceived　of　as　an　immortal　Virgin。
  ＇1＇　See　Pausanias　iv。　32。　6；　and　Lucian；　De　Syria　Dea；　49。
  But　when　the　Saviour…legend　sprang　upas　indeed　I　think　it　must　have　sprung　up；　in　tribe　after　tribe　and　people　after　people；　independentlythen；　whether　it　sprang　from　the　divinization　of　some　actual　man　who　showed　the　way　of　light　and　deliverance　to　his　fellows　〃sitting　in　darkness；〃　or　whether　from　the　personification　of　the　tribe　itself　as　a　god；　in　either　case　the　question　of　the　hero's　parentage　was　bound　to　arise。　If　the　'saviour'　was　plainly　a　personification　of　the　tribe；　it　was　obviously　impossible　to　suppose　him　the　son　of　a　mortal　mother。　In　that　caseand　if　the　tribe　was　generally　traced　in　the　legends　to　some　primeval　Animal　or　Mountain　or　thing　of　Natureit　was　probably　easy　to　think　of　him　（the　saviour）　as；　born　out　of　Nature's　womb；　descended　perhaps　from　that　pure　Virgin　of　the　World　who　is　the　Earth　and　Nature；　who　rules　the　skies　at　night；　and　stands　in　the　changing　phases　of　the　Moon；　and　is　worshiped　（as　we　have　seen）　in　the　great　constellation　Virgo。　If；　on　the　other　hand；　he　was　the　divinization　of　some　actual　man；　more　or　less　known　either　personally　or　by　tradition　to　his　fellows；　then　in　all　probability　the　name　of　his　mortal　mother　would　be　recognized　and　accepted；　but　as　to　his　father；　that　side　of　parentage　being；　as　we　have　said；　generally　very　uncertain；　it　would　be　easy　to　suppose　some　heavenly　Annunciation；　the　midnight　visit　of　a　God；　and　what　is　usually　termed　a　Virgin…birth。
  There　are　two　elements　to　be　remembered　here；　as　conspiring　to　this　conclusion。　One　is　the　condition　of　affairs　in　a　remote　matriarchial　period；　when　descent　was　reckoned　always　through　the　maternal　line；　and　the　fatherhood　in　each　generation　was　obscure　or　unknown　or　commonly　left　out　of　account；　and　the　other　is　the　factso　strange　and　difficult　for　us　to　realizethat　among　some　very　primitive　peoples；　like　the　Australian　aborigines；　the　necessity　for　a　woman　to　have　intercourse　with　a　male；　in　order　to　bring　about　conception　and　child…birth；　was　actually　not　recognized。　Scientific　observation　had　not　always　got　as　far　as　that；　and　the　matter　was　still　under　the　domain　of　Magic！＇1＇　A　Virgin…Mother　was　therefore　a　quite　imaginable　（not　to　say　'conceivable'）　thing；　and　indeed　a　very　beautiful　and　fascinating　thing；　combining　in　one　image　the　potent　magic　of　two　very　wonderful　words。　It　does　not　seem　impossible　that　considerations　of　this　kind　led　to　the　adoption　of　the　doctrine　or　legend　of　the　virgin…mother　and　the　heavenly　father　among　so　many　races　and　in　so　many　localitieseven　without　any　contagion　of　tradition　among　them。
  ＇1＇　Probably　the　long　period　（nine　months）　elapsing　between　cohabitation　and　childbirth　confused　early　speculation　on　the　subject。　Then　clearly　cohabitation　was　NOT　always　followed　by　childbirth。　And；　more　important　still；　the　number　of　virgins　of　a　mature　age　in　primitive　societies　was　so　very　minute　that　the　fact　of　their　childlessness　attracted　no　attentionwhereas　in　OUR　societies　the　sterility　of　the　whole　class　is　patent　to　everyone。
  Anyhow；　and　as　a　matter　of　fact；　the　world…wide　dissemination　of　the　legend　is　most　remarkable。　Zeus；　Father　of　the　gods；　visited　Semele；　it　will　be　remembered；　in　the　form　of　a　thunderstorm；　and　she　gave　birth　to　the　great　saviour　and　deliverer　Dionysus。　Zeus；　again；　impregnated　Danae　in　a　shower　of　gold；　and　the　child　was　Perseus；　who　slew　the　Gorgons　（the　powers　of　darkness）　and　saved　Andromeda　（the　human　soul＇1＇）。　Devaki；　the　radiant　Virgin　of　the　Hindu　mythology；　became　the　wife　of　the　god　Vishnu　and　bore　Krishna；　the　beloved　hero　and　prototype　of　Christ。　With　regard　to　Buddha　St。　Jerome　says＇2＇　〃It　is　handed　down　among　the　Gymnosophists；　of　India　that　Buddha；　the　founder　of　their　system；　was　brought　forth　by　a　Virgin　from　her　side。〃　The　Egyptian　Isis；　with　the　child　Horus；　on　her　knee；　was　honored　centuries　before　the　Christian　era；　and　worshiped　under　the　names　of　〃Our　Lady；〃　〃Queen　of　Heaven；〃　〃Star　of　the　Sea；〃　〃Mother　of　God；〃　and　so　forth。　Before　her；　Neith；　the　Virgin　of　the　World；　whose　figure　bends　from　the　sky　over　the　earthly　plains　and　the　children　of　men；　was　acclaimed　as　mother　of　the　great　god　Osiris。　The　saviour　Mithra；　too；　was　born　of　a　Virgin；　as　we　have　had　occasion　to　notice　before；　and　on　the　Mithrais　monuments　the　mother　suckling　her　child　is　a　not　uncommon　figure。＇3＇
  ＇1＇　For　this　interpretation　of　the　word　Andromeda　see　The　Perfect　Way　by　Edward　Maitland；　preface　to　First　Edition；　1881。
  ＇2＇　Contra　Jovian；　Book　I；　and　quoted　by　Rhys　Davids　in　his　Buddhisim。
  ＇3＇　See　Doane's　Bible　Myths；　p。　332；　and　Dupuis'　Origins　of　Religious　Beliefs。
  The　old　Teutonic　goddess　Hertha　（the　Earth）　was　a　Virgin；　but　was　impregnated　by　the　heavenly　Spirit　（the　Sky）；　and　her　image　with　a　child　in　her　arms　was　to　be　seen　in　the　sacred　groves　of　Germany。＇1＇　The　Scandinavian　Frigga；　in　much　the　same　way；　being　caught　in　the　embraces　of　Odin；　the　All…father；　conceived　and　bore　a　son；　the　blessed　Balder；　healer　and　saviour　of　mankind。　Quetzalcoatl；　the　（crucified）　saviour　of　the　Aztecs；　was　the　son　of　Chimalman；　the　Virgin　Queen　of　Heaven。＇2＇　Even　the　Chinese　had　a　mother…goddess　and　virgin　with　child　in　her　arms＇3＇；　and　the　ancient　Etruscans　the　same。＇4＇
  ＇1＇　R。　P。　Knight's　Ancient　Art　and　Mythology；　p。　21。
  ＇2＇　See　Kingsborough's　Mexican　Antiquities；　vol。　vi；　p。　176；　where　it　is　said　〃an　ambassador　was　sent　from　heaven　on　an　embassy　to　a　Virgin　of　Tulan；　called　Chimalman　。　。　。　announcing　that　it　was　the　will　of　the　God　that　she　should　conceive　a　son；　and　having　delivered　her　the　message　he　rose　and　left　the　house；　and　as　soon　as　he　had　left　it　she　conceived　a　son；　without　connection　with　man；　who　was　called　Quetzalcoat＇；　who　they　say　is　the　god　of　air。〃　Further；　it　is　explained　that　Quetzalcoatl　sacrificed　himself；　drawing　forth　his　own　blood　with　thorns；　and　that　the　word　Quetzalcoatlotopitzin　means　〃our　well…beloved　son。〃
  ＇3＇　Doane；　p。　327。
  ＇4＇　See　Inman's　Pagan　and　Christian　Symbolism；　p。　27。
  Finally；　we　have　the　curiously　large　number　of　BLACK　virgin　mothers　who　are　or　have　been　worshiped。　Not　only　cases　like　Devaki　the　Indian　goddess；　or　Isis　the　Egyptian；　who　would　naturally　appear　black…skinned　or　dark；　but　the　large　number　of　images　and　paintings　of　the　same　kind；　yet　extantespecially　in　the　Italian　churchesand　passing　for　representations　of　Mary　and　the　infant　Jesus。　Such　are　the　well…known　image　in　the　chapel　at　Loretto；　and　images　and　paintings　besides　in　the　churches　at　Genoa；　Pisa；　Padua；　Munich　and　other　places。　It　is　difficult　not　to　regard　these　as　very　old　Pagan　or　pre…Christian　relics　which　lingered　on　into　Christian　times　and　were　baptized　anewas　indeed　we　know　many　relics　and　images　actually　wereinto　the　service　of　the　Church。　〃Great　is　Diana　of　the　Ephesians〃；　and　there　is　I　believe　more　than　one　black　figure　extant　of　this　Diana；　who；　though　of　course　a　virgin；　is　represented　with　innumerable　breasts＇1＇not　unlike　some　of　the　archaic　statues　of　Artemis　and　Isis。　At　Paris；　far　on　into　Christian　times　there　was；　it　is　said；　on　the　site　of　the　present　Cathedral　of　Notre　Dame；　a　Temple　dedicated　to　'our　Lady'　Isis；　and　images　belonging　to　the　earlier　shrine　would　in　all　probability　be　preserved　with　altered　name　in　the　later。
  ＇1＇　See　illustration；　p。　30；　in　Inman's　Pagan　and　Christian　Symbolism。
  All　this　illustrates　not　only　the　wide　diffusion　of　the　doctrine　of　the　Virgin…mother；　but　its　extreme　antiquity。　The　subject　is　obscure；　and　worthy　of　more　consideration　than　has　yet　been　accorded　it；　and　I　do　not　feel　able　to　add　anything　to　the　tentative　explanations　given　a　page　or　two　back；　except　perhaps　to　suppose　that　the　vision　of　the　Perfect　Man　hovered　dimly　over　the　mind　of　the　human　race　on　its　first　emergence　from　the　purely　animal　stage；　and　that　a　quite　natural　speculation　with　regard　to　such　a　being　was　that　he　would　be　born　from　a　Perfect　Womanwho　according　to　early　ideas　would　necessarily　be　the　Virgin　Earth　itself；　mother　of　all　things。　Anyhow　it　was　a　wonderful　In