Aradia or the Gospel of The Witches

CHAPTER XIV

THE GOBLIN MESSENGERS OF DIANA AND MERCURY

     The following tale was not given to me as connected with the Gospel of
the Witches, but as Diana appears in it, and as the
whole conception is that of Diana and Apollo in another 
form, I include it in the series.

     Many centuries ago there was a goblin, or spirit or devil-angel, and 
Mercury, who was the god of speed and of quickness,
being much pleased with this imp, bestowed on him the gift of running like 
the wind, with the privilege that whatever he pursued, be it spirit, a 
human being, or animal, he should certainly overtake or catch it.
     This goblin had a beautiful sister, who like him, ran errands, not 
for the gods, but for the goddesses (there was a female god for every male,
even down to the small spirits); and Diana on the same day gave to this 
fairy the power that, whoever might chase her, she should, if pursued,
never be overtaken.
     On day the brother saw his sister speeding like a flash of lightning 
across the heaven, and he felt a sudden strange desire in rivalry to 
overtake her.  So he dashed after as she flitted on; but though it was his 
destiny to catch, she had been fated never to be caught, and so the will of
one supreme god was balanced by that of another.
     So the two kept flying round and round the edge of heaven, and at 
first all the gods roared with laughter, but when they understood the case,
they grew serious, and asked one another how it was to end.
     Then the great father-god said:-
    
     "Behold the earth, which is in darkness and gloom!  
     I will change the sister into a Moon, and her brother into a sun.  
     And so shall she ever escape him, yet will he ever catch her with 
     his light, which shall fall on her from afar; for the rays of the 
     sun are his hands, which reach forth with burning grasp, yet which 
     are ever eluded."

     And thus it is said that this race begins anew with the first of every
month, when the moon being cold, is covered with as many coats as an onion.
But while the race is being run, as the moon becomes warm she casts off one
garment after another, till she is naked and then stops, and then when 
dressed the race begins again.

     As the vast storm-cloud falls in glittering drops, even so the great 
myths of the olden time are broken up into small fairy tales, and as these
drops in turn reunite.

     "On silent lake or streamlet lone" 

as Villon hath it, even so minor myths are again formed from the fallen 
waters.  In this story we clearly have the dog made by Vulcan and the wolf -
Jupiter settled the question by petrifying them - as you may read in 
Julius Pollux,/i> his fifth book, or any other on 
mythology.
 
         "Which hunting hound, as well is known,
          Was changed by Jupiter to stone."

     It is remarkable that in this story the moon is compared to an onion. 
"The onion," says Friedrich, "was, on account of its many skins, among the
Egyptians the emblem and hieroglyph of the many formed moon, whose different
phases are so clearly seen I the root when it is cut through, also because 
its growth or decrease corresponds with that of  the planet.  Therefore it 
was dedicated to Isis, the Moon Goddess."  And for this reason the onion 
was so holy as to be regarded as having in itself something of deity; for 
which reason Juvenal remarks that the Egyptians were happy people to have 
gods growing in their gardens.