Aradia

Gospel Of The Witches

the Wind.

This is very accurately the story as I received it, but I freely admit that I have very much

condensed the language of the original text, which consists of twenty pages, and which, as regards needless padding, indicates a capacity on the part of the narrator to write an average modern fashionable novel, even a second rate French one, which is saying a great deal. It is true that there are in it no detailed descriptions of scenery, skies, trees, or clouds - and a great deal might be made of Volterra in that way - but it is prolonged in a manner which shows a gift for it. However, the narrative itself is strangely original and vigorous, for it is such a relic of pure classic heathenism, and such a survival of faith in the old mythology, as all the reflected second hand Hellenism of the Aesthetes cannot equal. That a real worship of or belief in classic divinities should have survived to the present day in the very land of Papacy itself, is a much more curious fact than if a living mammoth had been discovered in some out of the way corner of the earth, because the former is a human phenomenon. I forsee that the day will come, and that perhaps not so very far distant,

when the world of scholars will be amazed to consider to what a late period an immense body of antique tradition survived in Northern Italy, and how indifferent the learned were regarding it; there having been in very truth only one man, and he a foreigner, who earnestly occupied himself with collecting and preserving it.

It is very probably that there were as many touching episodes among the heathen martyrs

who were forced to give up their beloved deities, such as Diana, Venus, the Graces, and others, who were worshipped for beauty, as there were even among the Christians who were thrown to the lions. For the heathen loved their gods with a human personal sympathy, without mysticism or fear, as if they had been blood relations; and there were many among them who really believed that such was the case when some damsel who had made a faux pas got out of it by attributing it all to some god, faun, or satyr; which is very touching. There is a great deal to be said for as well as against the idolaters or worshippers of dolls, as I heard a small girl define them.

CHAPTER XII

TANA THE MOON GODDESS

The following story, which appeared originally in the Legends of Florence, collected from

the people by me, does not properly belong to the Witchs Gospel, as it is not strictly in accordance with it; and yet it could not well be omitted, since it is on the same subject. In it Diana appears simply as the lunar goddess of chastity, therefor not as a witch. It was given to me as Fana, but my informant said that it might be Tana; she was not sure. As Tana occurs in another tale, and as the subject is certainly Diana, there can hardly be a question of this.

Tana was a very beautiful girl, but extremely poor, and as modest and pure as she was

beautiful and humble. She went from one contadino to another, or from farm to farm to work, and thus led an honest life.

There was a young boor, a very ugly, bestial, and brutish fellow, who was after his fashion

raging with love for her, but she could not so much as bear to look at him, and repelled all his

advances.

But late one night, when she was returning alone from the farmhouse where she had

worked to her home, this man who had hidden himself in a thicket, leaped out on her and cried, Thou canst not flee; mine thou shalt be!

And seeing no help near, and only the full moon looking down on her from heaven, Tana

in despair cast herself on her knees and cried to it:

I have no one on earth to defend me,

Thou alone dost see me in this strait;

Therefore I pray to thee, O Moon!

As thou art beautiful so thou art bright

Flashing thy splendor over all mankind;

Even so I pray thee light up the mind

Of this poor ruffian, who would wrong me here,

Even to the worst. Cast light into his soul,

That he may let me be in peace, and then

Return in all thy light unto my home!

When she had said this, there appeared before her a bright but shadowy form, which said:

Rise, and go to thy home!

Thou has well deserved this grace;

No one shall trouble thee more,

Purest of all on earth!

Thou shalt a goddess be,

The Goddess of the Moon,

Of all enchantment Queen!

Thus it came to pass that Tana became the dea or spirit of the Moon.