The Golden Verses of Pythagoras — with commentary (1917)

* I have said in the above that the name of Helena or Selena was that of the moon in Greek. The root of this word is alike Celtic and Phoenician. One finds it in Teutonic hell, which signifies clear, luminous, and in Hebrew V^n QiMl), which contains the same sense of splendour, glory, and elevation. One still says in German heilig, holy, and selig, blessed; also selle, soul, and sellen, souls. And this is worthy of the closest attention, particularly when one reflects that, following the doctrine of the ancients, the moon helent or seleni was regarded as the reservoir of the souls of those who descend from heaven to pass into bodies by means of generation, and, purged by the fire of life, escape from earth to ascend to heaven. See, concerning this doctrine, Plutarch {De Facie in Orb. Lun.), and confer with Beausobre (Histoire du Manich., t, ii., p. 311). The name of Paris, in Greek TXdpis, comes from the Phoenician words 13 or id {bar or phar), all generation, propagation, extension, and B" (ish), the Being-principle.

The name of Menelaus, in Greek MecAoos, comes from the Phoenician words p (men), all that which determines, regulates, or defines a thing, properly, the rational faculty, the reason, the measure, in Latin mens, mensura; and v\» (adsh), the Being-principle acting, before which is placed the prefix

38 The Golden Verses of Pythagoras 2the principle of generation from that of thought, on account of which the moral and physical passions declare war. But it would be taking me too far away from my subject, examining in detail what might be the meaning of the allegories of Homer. My plan has not been to investigate thite meaning in particular, but to show that it exists in general.

Upon this point I have not only the rational proof which results from the concatenation of my ideas, but also proof of the fact, which is furnished to me by the testimonials of the ancients. These testimonials are recognized at every step, in the works of the philosophers and chiefly in those of the Stoics. Only a very superficial erudition is necessary to be convinced of this.

' But I ought to make an observah (I), to express the genitive case, in this manner, B'iK-'j-nsn (meneh-l-aSsh) , the rational faculty or regulator of the being in general, and man in particular: for VH, Bn«, B", tS"« {ask, aSsh, ish, atsh), signifies equally fire, principle, being, and man. The etymology of these three words can, as one sees, throw great light upon the fable of the lUad. Here is another remarkable point on this subject.

Homer has never used, to designate the Greeks, the name of Hellenes, that is to say, the respleiidents, or the lunars: it was in his time quite a new name, which the confederated Greeks had taken to resist foreign attack; it is only in the Odyssey, and when he is already old, that he employs the name Hellas to designate Greece.

The name which he gives constantly to this country, is that of Achaia ('AxoVo), and he opposes it to that of Troy (Tpuio): now, Achaia. signifies the strong, the igneous, the spiritual; and Troy, the terrestrial, the gross. The Phoenician roots are ' in {ehSi), the exhaling force of fire, and llB {trff) the balancing power of the earth. Refer, in this regard, to Court de Gobelin (Mond. prim., t. vi.,p.64).

Pomponius Sabinus, in his Commentaires sur I'Eneide, said that the name of the city of Troy signified a sow, and he adds that the Trojans had for an ensign a sow embroidered in gold.