12 IRANIAN AND ARI/OPIIY LI AN
theism anë 'öf Fatalism, amd'^isii'ofi’g'l^tèn^rasted with thé
theology^of the Shemitè nStions, who^bfely df(alb mankind
appear iff the early ages to havé -récognised 'the existence^of
an extra-mundane God, and a rèal makd'r or origlhêtoP o f’the
universe.; The Iranian systém, whiteh-hvas-R, religion1 of poetry
and philosophy, and which everywhere produced an abundant
growth of my thdlbgfy, Wa s still more strongly contrasted W’rtft
the Superstition of shamanism, ‘ cöniiected with a belieftin
gotcery and spells, and the rude materialism! which prevailed
among all the Allophylian tribes. JThis last form of superstition,
resembling in many particulars the fètissism Of Africa,
appears to have differed in different parts of Europeand Asia,
among the rude aborigines of which it was oïTée Universally
spread. Tt has given way, in most instances, ter the influence
of more systematic modes' of belief, introduced1 by more
polished nations; but Buddhism,which is<a form offthe Ip d |t
European sySfëm, has not extinguished fia-’China and Japan
the original superstitions o f Tao’-sse and Sin^fhu; nor did
Islim, though early adopted by the whole TdrUi’sh-’^fèëv
triumph óver all the native superstitions 'of‘Siberia." Among
all nations of Asia and Europe we d ïsO # ^ an*brdëFÖf
persons who were venerated a t * mediators between ‘the^in-
visiblê' powers and their fellow mortal^; but the prtól’fS,
whether Druids, or Brahmansp%r Magi, of'th é ' cultivated
nations, were revered as the depositories of ahcieht'saéfed
lore, of primitive’ traditions, of the will of the gO’ds ^ p re s s e d
of old to the first men, and handed down, either orally m
divine poems, or presërved in a sacred literature known only
to the initiated: they were the constituted intercessors between
weak mortals and the powers which goveril the universe,
and which they only knew how to approach by ordained
rites. In most instances they wereain hereditary cdste, into
which none were admissible who were aliens to the sacred
race. Far different were the twice-born sages of the Hindoos,
who sprang from the .head of Brahma, to govern the multitude
that issued from his legs and feet, from the sorcerers Or
shamans of the northern worshippers of fetisses, who by
horrible distortions, cries, and yells, by • cutting themselves
with k nives, by whirling and swooning/ assumed the appearance?
RACES COMPARED,
oft something preternatural and portentous, and impressed the
iaul.titU.de with a notion that they were possessed by demons.
Of .this latter description.: were the wizards of the old Finnish
races, whps£, successors, the sorcerers and witches of
Lappland,,lSelhwind.to English mariners. Such were the
angekoks of the Esquimaux, discovered by the missionaries
4®, Greenland ; and such are the shamans of all the eastern
and northern countries of Asia, whither neither Buddhism
nor IslUm have!yet penetrated. By such traits as these,
which xfepiay more(ffilly and certainly than, external manners
and the modes pf s n i p i n g dife/the culture, ot rudeness of
th em in d i'th e hanbaric.ttiheM^ dispersed oyer all the extreum
parts o f the a ^ i e ^ p p n t in e n t ,; ^ distinguished'from the cultivated
.nations Asia, and from the European races
allied to them in language .and descent.
Paragraph 5.—Of the different Grqupes of Nations cpmpre-
^ I bended* among the Allophylian Faces.
T h e ^ p l o g y Pf the Allophylian races is involved in
greatet.oicurityatWn that of the tribes which helongHo the
Indo-European f am i ly .g l l sources of information, respecting
them are more scanty-and difficult ofijccess, and in many
instances remain .yet unexplored. We have however, sufficient
knowledge to convince us that, .manyuof ,th |® nations
are M M particular stems, theupanches.of which are
spread throngk remote regions. A n attentive research has
often discovered traces of connexion between tribes of people
I M M « very ancient times, separated from
each other b y g reat distances of space; and these traces
are p o ^ tim e s^ o definite, as to leave no doubt that theyowe
their ; existence .to affinity and sameness of origin. Such
phenomena have been recognised among rude nations, scattered
through immense spaces,in the north and eastof Asia,
and in tribes inhabiting the great central steppes to the southward
of the Altaic chairs Few a ttem p t have been made to
elucidate, by an extensivei^omparison of languages, the relations
of these dispersed races, though many persons have
studied the histpry of particular groupes. Rudiger, Dobrow