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LECTURE III.
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an account of the earlier history of some of these Turanian tribes, particularly of the Huns, whom they call Hiongnu, and of the Turks, whom they call Tukiu. They relate that the Huns worshipped the sun, the moon, the spirits of the sky and the earth, and the spirits of the departed, and that their priests, the Shamans, possessed a power over the clouds, being able to bring down snow, hail, rain, and wind?.
Menander, a Byzantine historian, relates of the Turks that in his time they worshipped the fire, the water, and the earth, but that at the same time they believed in a God, the maker of the world, and offered to him sacrifices of camels, oxen, and sheep.
Still later we get some information from medieval travellers, such as Plano Carpini? and Marco Polos,
1 Castrén, Vorlesungen über Finnische Mythologie,' p. 36.
2 . They believe in one God, the Maker of all things, visible and invisible, and the Distributor of good and evil in this world, but they worship him not with prayers or praises or any kind of service. Natheless they have certain idols of felt, imitating the human face, and having underneath the face something resembling teats; these they place on either side the door. These they believe to be the guardians of the flocks, from whom they have the boods of milk and increase. Others they fabricate of bits of silk, and these are highly honoured .... and whenever they begin to eat and drink, they first offer these idols a portion of their food or drink.' See Marco Polo,' ed. Yule, vol. i. p. 249.
3 This is the fashion of their religion. They say there is a Most High God of Heaven, whom they worship daily with thurible and incense, but they pray to Him only for health of mind and body. But they have also certain other gods of theirs called Natigay, and they say he is the god of the Earth, who watches over their children, cattle, and crops. They show him great worship and honour, and every man hath a figure of him in his house, made of felt and cloth; and they also make in the same manner images of his wife and children. The wife they put on the left hand, and the children in front. And when they eat, they take the fat of the meat and grease the god's mouth withal, as well as the mouths of his wife and children. Then they take off the broth and
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