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MYSTERIA
OTTO KHYN
By DR.
\
MYSTE
HISTORY OF THE
AND
B,
DR. OTTO HENNE AM RHYN
State Archivist of St. Gall
SWITZERLAND
By J. FITZGERALD
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE.
JOSEPH FITZGERALD.
CONTENTS.
PART FIRST. MYSTERIES OF THE EAST AND
OF BARBAROUS NATIONS.
PAGE
1. Introduction I
2. The Gods 5
3- Egypt 9
4. The Higher Development of Egyptian Re-
ligion 12
5. A Reformation in the Land of Nile 16
6. The Egyptian Realm of the Dead 18
7. The Secret Teaching of the Priests of Nile-
land 20
8. Babylon and Ninive 26
9. Zoroaster and the Persians 32
10. B'rahmans andl Buddhists:
33
11. Secret Leagues of Barbarous Peoples 36
PART SECOND. THE GRECIAN MYSTERIES
AND THE ROMAN BACCHANALIA. .
1. Hellas 38
2. Hellenic Divine Worship 41
3. The Hellenic Mysteries 45
4. Th'e Eleusinian Mysteries 49
5. The Mysteries of Samothrace 57
6. The Mysteries of Crete -
59
7. The Dionysia 60
8. The Roman Bacchanalia 62
9. Debased Mysteries from the East 65
v
t
vi CONTENTS
PART THIRD. THE PYTHAGOREAN LEAGUE
AND OTHER SECRET ASSOCIATIONS.
PAGH
1 .
Pythagoras 72
*
2. The Pythagoreans. . .
79
3. The Orphici 84
4. Mysterious Personages of Ancient Times. ... 86
1. INTRODUCTION.
forms, and for ends the most diverse, but they all have
this in common that they shut out the profane (outsiders),
and that their end is to win and hold power and influence.
But they have also had secondary aims such as could
be attained without secret doctrines or secret association ;
and these aims have been of all kinds. Now the pur-
pose may be to promote social freedom and religious or
scientific enlightenment, anon to repress these; again, it
for the Hellenes and the Teutons the first divine beings
(Uranos and Gaea, Wodan and Ertha). As men further
considered the question how this whole scene of nature,
both in its grateful and in its terrible aspects, came to be,
Heaven and Earth were regarded as sexed beings, Heaven
as fructifying, noble, lofty, male, controlling the lightning
and thunder; Earth as prolific, conceptive, passive, female.
Heaven and Earth formed a union, and Sun, Moon, and
Stars were reputed their children. Among the heavenly
bodies the first held by the Sun, god of day, who,
place is
been let into the secret, knew the meaning of the repre-
sentation. Even the name of Osiris and his abode in the
realm of the dead were kept secret, and outsiders heard
only of the "great god" dwelling in "the West." Besides
the mysteries of Osiris, the most famous of all, there were
other mysteries of local Egyptian gods transformed into
sun-gods; and so the sun mythos was further developed.
Thus Thot, god of Hermopolis, whose sacred animal
was the bird Ibis, became Horos's auxiliary in the war
with Set, and also became the moon-god, the god of chro-
nometry and of order, inventor of writing, revealer of
the sacred books. Memphis alone, capital of the ancient
kingdom, held her god Ptah too exalted a being to share
in the transformation of the rest; for Ptah was regarded
lead a glorious life in the other world, and walk amid the
stars like other gods. The pictures on the walls of the
sepulchral chambers show that the Egyptians conceived
the other life to be much like the present, only pleasanter
and fuller. The deceased is portrayed surrounded by
such enjoyments as were attainable in Nileland ban-
quets, property, the chase, voyaging, music, and the like.
But from the texts of the ''Book of the Dead," which used
to be laid with the dead in the sepulchre, we see that
these representations had a more spiritual import in the
"middle" than in the "old" empire. In these texts the
deceased himself speaks, identifying himself with some
god, or with one god after another; no longer with Osiris
only, for according to the developed teaching of that time
all the gods are one god. The route of the dead toward
the other world is the sun's track from East to West but
;
ference.
tively that the pharao for the time being was always
admitted to membership. Hence the king was the only
Egyptian outside of the priestly order that was acquainted
with the secret doctrine, and thus was all danger of be-
mysteries.
From the hieroglyphic remains, however, it appears
that there existed in Egypt high-grade schools conducted
only because the rest of the people could not read and
write. Afterward there was a special popular form of
writing (demotic) derived from the hieroglyphs and re-
sembling an earlier abbreviated form of hieroglyphic
writing, the hieratic or writing of the priests.
It is different with philosophical and religious specular
,.*-
,
24 HYSTERIA
classwas at stake: the priesthood would lose all its im-
portance once the people were aware that the priests had
no regard for the received religion.
Hence there is no doubt that the secret doctrine of
the Egyptian priests was at once philosophic and reli-
gious that
; is, that it tested the traditional belief, analyzed
it,and accepted what it found to be reasonable and re-
jected what appeared irrational; and it was sharply dis-
tinguished from the popular belief, which took tradition
for absolute and indubitable truth.
gods and when to these had been added the Hindu gods
;
1. HELLAS.
when, the where, the how often, were matters left to the
discretion of each one; and nobody else judged him con-
ligion in
feeling, they deny dependence
its art on
and the beautiful; they ponder and brood over the lost
god, and are ever seeking him. They would subordinate
life and all its interests to his service; they would regulate
and, to that end, of knowing a deity free from all sin, and
hence totally unlike man, mysticism begins and develops.
Expiations came into vogue little by little, especially for
bloodguiltiness, and were used in the popular religion.
These consisted of certain ceremonies in which the blood
of animals and incense were employed; in the case of in-
dividuals such rites might lessen the punishment under
mitigating circumstances; they might, in the case of cities
and states, efface the stains of murderous crimes com-
mitted during revolts or civil strifes. In all the mysteries
purifications and expiations played a great part. What-
ever has been handed down with regard to these mysteries
is found in the sections following.
Know thou that the highest of all the gods is named Jao,
and in Winter Aides, and Zeus in opening" Spring 1
.
The Jaos was the harvest-god tended strong-
fact that
,
;
from God, the quest for the god, the finding of him, and
the consequent reunion, with the result of strengthening
the assurance of the soul's immortality. The excess of sen-
sual delight found in the Bacchanalia, and the extreme re-
nunciation of delights by the castrate ministers of Cybele,
are only variations of one same theory of human life.
Now, as this suffering godhead which was the prime
inspiration ofall these sensualists and adventurers was
an importation from Thrace in the form of Zagreus-
Dionysos, and' from Phrygia as Attis, so was Mithras an
importation from Persia. Among the ancient Persians
Mithras was the light, conceived as a personality, and
hence was the highest manifestation of the good god
Ormuzd, while the darkness represented Ahriman, the
evil god. Hence the worship of Mithras is worship of the
light, and, therefore is the purest cult that heathendom
could imagine; in the later times of the Persian empire
Mithras-worship was combined with sun-worship, and
Mithras, as sun-god, found a place in the religion of
European peoples. In those later times also came belief
Mithra was unknown
in a female deity called Mithra: but
to the primitive Persians, and the name was a trans-
formation of the Babylonian Mylitta, the moon-goddess.
Of the existence of secret cults among the Persians we
know nothing whatever, hence nothing about any mys-
teries sacred to Mithras. To the Greeks Mithras was un-
known, but in the latter days of the Roman empire, among
many mysteries those of Mithras made their appearance
and even gained great pre-eminence, as is proved by
numerous monuments still extant. These monuments all
THE GRECIAN MYSTERIES G'J
Associations.
I. PYTHAGORAS.
garded as fiction.
by him.
stituted
The Doctrine of Pythagoras holds a distinct place
among the philosophic systems of the Greeks. With re-
gard to the opposition existing between the spiritual and
the physical, and the uncertainty and obscurity that reigns
as to the relations between them and the true constitution
of each, the doctrine solves all difficulties by the theory
that Number is at once the form and the substance of all
to live on
meat, and from intoxicating liquors, and hence
bread and fruits only, but beans were an exception to
this rule for some
;
not fully explained reason beans were
an abomination to the Pythagoreans. And that which
2. THE PYTHAGOREANS.
3. THE ORPHICI.
example^
certain mysterious and enigmatical personages
who have remained hitherto quite unnoticed, except by
the learned.
was made after the model of this ideal world. The logos
was God's first work, the world his second: this passed
2. THE ESSENES.
3. CHRISTIANISM.
man should have "made after his own likeness" one with;
ready seen how the Jews were scattered all over the world.
Their synagogues were everywhere, and (noteworthy
fact)they had proselytes in every large city, especially in
Rome. In this we see the first steps in the dissemination
of monotheism: but it could not be propagated on the
large scale by Jews. Few were the persons who took a
liking to the strictness of the Mosaic religion, and the
God of the Jews was too spiritual a being to be grasped ;
besides, very many turned away from Judaism because of
the indefiniteness of the Jewish notions of immortality, or
the strange rites and the peculiar usages of the Jewish
people.
From Judaism, then, the idea of monotheism was the
only feature that could be borrowed what was demanded
:
fallible truth. But the material best fitted for that end
was to be found in the mysteries and in the Pythagorean
and Essenian doctrines. The diverse ideas of the several
secret leagues with regard to the separation of the divine
from the human and their reconciliation, must find their
unity in the Jewish God a thing not difficult to accom-
plish in the times immediately preceding the advent of
Christ, because of the intermingling of Grecian and Jew-
ish ideas: and had to be established by some
this unity
4. JESUS.
dignity required. We
divide these miracles into three
classes the miracles of the birth, the life, and the death
of Jesus.
The birth, of Jesus, as narrated in the
gospel story, is
itself a miracle. The
legitimate son of Joseph, the car-
penter of Nazareth, and of Mary for such he was, ac-
cording to the genealogy found in Matthew and Luke
had be transformed into the Son of God, nay, made
to
God himself, if his doctrine was to appear as of divine
origin. Of types of such transformation there was no
lack in heathendom. The first Christians, it is true, knew
and they, with the shepherds and Simeon and Anna, pay
him homage; and when Herod, purposing to take the
life of the predestined Messiah, in order to compass that
end orders the slaughter of the innocents.
SON OF MAN. SON OF GOD 10.">
-
borrowed from the Jews for the behoof of all men, but
purified of ceremonialism, sabbatism, sacrifices, high-
priesthood: in short, the Christianism of Jesus meant the
coming "Kingdom of God," in which the virtuous man
would enjoy happiness and peace. But the Christianism
108 HYSTERIA
-*-
with God, but was God himself. For the author of the
fourth Gospel the narrative of occurrences in the life of
,r
120 MYSTERIA
embellished story, saw men four or five ells in height,
alsomen who were half white and half black ; dragons, too,
2. THE TEMPLARS.
None of these orders rose to higher distinction than
the order of the Templars, or of "the Poor Companions
of the Temple of Jerusalem," as it was styled ini its rule.
In those days itwas full of the spirit of lowliness, but
the time came when the knights were no longer called
themselves "Poor Companions," but "Knights Templar."
At first the brethren begged their bread, fasted, were dili-
gent in attendance on divine worship, performed the duties
of their religion, fed the poor, cared for the sick. Plain
and unadorned was their attire, in color either black,
white or brown; and the brother who tried to get the
finest habit got the shabbiest. The hair and beard were
close cropped. The chase was not permitted, except for
the extermination of beasts of prey. Women were not
allowed to live in the houses of the order; the brethren
might not so much as kiss their female relations. But
their mode of life became in time very different They
became rich in worldly goods, and so broke the vow of
the order heir of their property; but they did not live
in the houses of the order. These several classes were
distinguished by their attire. Knights wore a white
mantle with an eight-pointed red cross over the left
breast. Clerics wore the cassock, with brown mantle (the
mantle of the higher clerics was white). Servientes wore
a brown garb. The members called each other Brother,
and indeed they stood by each other like brothers; in
battle their personal bravery was irreproachable.
134 HYSTERIA
All these religious orders of knights possessed great
of right to
countries, the case of the Templars belonged
the Papal jurisdiction. Even Philip admitted this; but
the good will of Philip. The Pope, who had long been
urged by the King to suppress the ofder, now made haste
to save the property of the Templars from falling into
secular hands, and so, by the bulls "Vox in Excelso" and
"Ad Providam Christi Vicarii," published April 3 and
toward this end was taken when society's task was dis-
tributed among innumerable fractional parts of itself, each
fraction trying to do its own share of the work the next
;
(graf now
equals count). Not until the time of Karl the
Great (Charlemagne) did the grafs become standing offi-
cials,and later an hereditary order and lords proprietary.
As the functions of government were by degrees entrusted
to fewer and ever fewer hands, being transferred from
the people to favored feudal lords, and from them passing
finally into the hands of an individual sovereign a quite
natural process, for while the people increased in number
they did not become better educated, and therefore grew
ever less fitted for self-government so, too, judgment,
quitting the open, embowered courts amid the lindens,
with heaven's breezes whispering the leaves, and
among
heaven's blue dome overarching withdrew behind
all,
dank and frowning walls, from the countenance of the
whole people to a meeting of a small bench of stern
judges.
Thus gradually were the rights of the freemen di-
minished. The freemen was less and less frequently
called to sit in judgment, for the president of the court,
the graf. was no longer an equal, but a great lord, their
150 MYSTEBIA
superior, who made up the court as to him seemed best,
and who even cared nothing for the Emperor.*
Westphalia was the original home of the Femge-
richte, and they owed their rise to the fact that there the
tion of the free grafs became peculiar the office was often
:
sold and passed from hand to hand. The free grafs, who
were often persons of little means, in order to maintain 1
Not only the King but the duke also had influence
over the free grafships. After the break-up of the ancient
duchy of Saxony, every princely land proprietor within
its territory was duke of Westphalia; this is specially
are held; and I make his wife a widow and his children
ally carried out was, says Lindner, "so very small that one
might readily allow the Feme's decree of outlawry to be
pronounced upon him." Pope Nicolas V. in 1452 con-
demned the capital executions done by the Feme.
If a man under sentence of death should be proved
*
168 MYSTERIA
The masons' brotherhoods were. a distinctly Chris-
members were required by the "Or-
tian institution: the
dinances" to comply with all the usages of the Church.
This was a survival from the time when the lodges had
their origin in monasteries. The sects that arose on
every side despite bloody persecutions, and the illumin-
ism spread abroad by them, contributed to bring about
a chlange in the spirit of the masons which was noticeable
in the I4th and I5th centuries: many, perhaps a ma-
jority, of them acquired a spirit of opposition to Roman
1
3. FRENCH CRAFTSMEN.
Very different from the German societies of crafts-
men were those of France. Whereas, in Germany we
find strenuous endeavor toward perfection in the craft,
cultivation of the beautiful, and a disposition no less ele-
vated in a moral sense than devoutly religious in France
;
and perse-
cuted in -every way by the compagnons; while among
James's children even the members of the building crafts
despise their juniors (trades of less ancient lineage), and
in their ignorance derive the word compagnon from
through the
its lost territory labors of the Jesuits. Long
before the Thirty Years' War the zeal for religious creeds
had died out; people had grown weary of theological
strifes, though they had little taste for other serious mat-
ters and thus it came about that in the transition from the
;
178
FREEMASONRY 179
3. THE IXXDOE.
ture -of the order, its aims and its constitution. The
Second degree deals' with the life of man, its joys, its
griefs, its fears : teaches to withstand passion and tempta-
tion, to know oneself, and to form an idea of the model
human career. Finally, the teaching of the master's de-
gree treats of the end of life, death, its inevitableness ;
193
194 HYSTERIA
woman. There were Esperance lodges in several cities of
join the society, then for the first outsider his own con-
tribution for the month current was remitted; for the
third, fifth and each following: odd-numbered new ac-
cession procurred by him he received a ducat. This vul-
196 HYSTERIA
2. OBSCURANTIST INFLUENCES.
gather the human race in one fold under the great Shep-
herd of souls. For the rest, the work of this degree was
childish play.
Even before this fruit was borne in England, there
came into circulation in France, how or why nobody
knows, a statement that Freemasonry arose in Palestine
4. APOSTLES OF NONSENSE.
216
ILLUMINATI 217
two others under him, and so on, so that the first could
most conveniently govern all. The doings of the order
were kept most strictly secret. Each member took the
name some historic or mythic personage of distinction
of :
and would have been far better pleased to see the order
working on the lines of the Freemasons of that day,
1
Knight of the Golden Crab), or, like the abbe and canon
Augustin Barruel in France, or the ship's captain and
professor, John Robinson, in England: their allegations
were received only with ridicule, and passed into oblivion.
As we have seen, the Illuminati were to be found only
in Germany, where no revolution took place: in fact,
masonry.
PART TWELFTH.
Secret Societies of Various Kinds.
1. SOCIETIES OF WITS.
230
SECRET SOCIETIES OF VARIOUS KINDS 231
affia, Oho.
232 HYSTERIA
2. IMITATIONS OP THE ANCIENT MYSTIC LEAGUES.
3. IMITATIONS OF FREEMASONRY.
the end of the first half of the i8th century, but appears
to have been at first a convivial society of "goodfellows,"
or odd fellows, with mutual benefit as a secondary object.
It was reorganized in 1812, the feature of conviviality
dropped, and the beneficent ends made paramount; this
is the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. A rather
236 HYSTERIA
similar organization, the Ancient Order of Foresters,
was founded England about the same time with the
in
Odd Fellows' order. Forestry also has been transplanted
to the United States. American Oddfellowship severed
its connection with the British Grand Lodge in 1842.
TOKOLOGY WOMAN
Tokology teaches possible painless pregnancy and parturition,
giving full, plain directions for the care of a woman before and
after confinement. The ailments of pregnancy can be prevented
lt_jd the pains and dangers of childbirth avoided
fulwork on the subject of unity and the sacrednesa of all life that I
bave seen."