Show THE WHY of f superstitions by H irvina KINQ SILVER AND NEW MOON THIS T ILE man who when he first sees the new moon turns a piece of sliver silver over in hla his pocket for luck would probably be surprised it if told that lie was involving invoking the ald aid of the heathen li ithon goddess diana yet that Is what he is doing and the c ceremony erenio ny was performed by his predecessors on this earth long centuries ago in the days when the nations hailed diana great though thong gh there wore were many moon goddesses before her diana was the ancient italian goddess of the moon particularly it would appear of the moon in its As crescent state as the italian an diana who must be distinguished from efrom the oriental or Eph diana is always represented with the crescent ou on her head now kow silver was the metal particularly dedicated to diana a natural relation from the character of the moons rays the silver moon it would appear that there was some connection also between the Ep ephesian Epli esian heslan or asiatic diana and the moon as though represented as a woman with numerous instead of as the vr virgin in huntress with how in hand a crescent in her halt hair silver was also the metal dedicated to her put but we inherit the roman cult of diana the roman soldier brought it into britain and though it vanished vanis lied there with the power of the slowly fading mistress of the world the connection between silver and the nev ne v moon changed into folk lore and remained to spread to regions caesar never saw therefore as the roman legionary guarding the wall of severus some seventeen centuries ago when he saw the new moon touched if lie he could a piece of silver so some people today when they see dianas crescent in the sky turn over a silver half dollar in their pockets oc by mcclure newspaper syndicate |