TAS-MIKAL DEFENDING GOATS AS GOTHS 347

had to defend themselves and their fields by force of arms against the depredations and bitter religious hostility of a world of hungry savage nomadic hordes of Serpent- and

FIG. 65.-Archangel Tas defending Goats ("Goths ") with Cross and Sun emblems on Early Briton coins.

(After Evans and Stukeley.)

Note Goats with Cross and Sun signs by circles, as in Greco-Phoenician on opposite page and legends Tas, Tasciio.

a Long-maned Goat coin (E.B.C.,G. 4) as in Cilician coin, Fig. 64 h, and in Hittite seals (Fig. 59, etc.) with Sun-circles. Obverse bears a Hercules head generally similar to b; with a Sun circle rosette as in Cilician coin, Fig. 64 a, etc. It is essentially a copy of the latter archaic Cilician coin with springing goat and Sun-circles.

b Obverse of similar type of coin (E.B.C., 8, 2) with head of Hercules bearded in style of Hittite rock-sculpture (Fig. 62). Its legend is read "VER by Evans, as place of mintage of Verulam (St. Albans), the capital of Cassi-vellaunus; but it may read "HER Hercules."

"

c Reverse of b (of similar type to a and Cilician Fig. 64 a), showing Cross and rayed Sun behind and above Goat, also circle pelleted Cross on body of Goat identical with that on body of Hercules on Cilician coins, Fig. 64 c.

d Winged Goat on obverse of coin stamped " Tasc" (E.B.C., 6, 1). The winged Goat is not infrequent in Hitto-Sumer seals and Cilician coins. e E.B.Č., 11, 5 Cunobelin coin Winged Tascio or "Resef Mikel " or St. Michael bestowing wreath or fruited Sun. Cp. Cilician coin, Fig. 64 e.

f E.B.C., 10, 12 and 13. Goat nourished by Hercules as "Tasciio." For Goats fed by hand of Tax or Tascio in Hitto-Sumerian seals, see W.S.C., 380, 387, etc.

For

g E.B.C., 5, 10-12. Tas" or " Tasc," with " Celtic" and St. Andrew's Crosses and spear, galloping to rescue Goats (Goths). On obverse, Corn Cross in form of St. Andrew's Cross, with Sun discs. other Corn Crosses of Tax, the Corn Spirit, see former figures. h S.C.B., Pl. 8, 2, etc.

Devil-worshipping aborigines. They achieved their success through the leadership of the great warrior Aryan king, the second king of the First Aryan Dynasty of the traditional lists, who was, I find, the inventor of the Plough and establisher of Agriculture.1 Later, the Aryans gratefully apotheosized him and made him their patron saint and the prototype of the Archangel of their Sun-cult, and represented him armed as a warrior, and he is thus the human original of the Archangel Taxi or Tas, the "Tash-ub" or "Tash of the Plough" of the Hittites, the Tascio of the Briton coins and monuments, and St. Michael the Archangel of the Gentiles who, under his Father, fought against and overcame "the Dragon, the Old Serpent, and his angels," who warred against "the Sons of God"-a favourite title of the Aryans, appearing in early Sumerian inscriptions, and reflected in Genesis.

We now discover why the Archangel Tas or Taxi was invoked in the prehistoric "cup-mark" inscriptions of the Early Britons, and was so freely figured on the great majority of the very numerous mintages of coins of the Early Britons or Catti, many of which bear his name stamped thereon as "Tasc, Tascio, Tascia, Taxci, Tcvi," etc. (see Figs. 61, etc.), along with ears of Corn and Sun Crosses, both the erect True Cross and the X "Cross" or Hammer of his Father "Andrew" or Indara, and as Grain-Crosses, and as defending the Goats or Deer symbolizing the "Goths" or Catti Aryans, and figured in the same conventional manner on the Briton coins as he is represented on the sacred seals of the Catti or Khatti Hitto-Sumerians and on the coins of the Phænicians (compare Figs. 64 and 65 for some of these identities).

We also now see why Taś, as the archangel of the Sun-cult and St. Michael, is figured on the Early Briton coins and prehistoric and pre-Christian monuments often with wings, and often accompanied by the Sun Hawk or Eagle, or the Sun Goose (Michaelmas Goose), or Phoenix of the Phoenicians, as well as with the Sun Horse often winged, and the Sun disc, and all in more or less identical form with the conventional 1 Details in my Aryan Origin of the Phænicians.

PHOENICIAN ST. MICHAEL ON BRITON COINS 349

representations of " Tas "-Michael on the Hittite sacred seals and on the Phoenician coins of Cilicia, in the "Land of the Khatti" or Hittites (see Figs. 66 and 67, etc).

FIG. 66.-Taxi as "Michael" the Archangel bearing rayed
Celtic" Cross, with Corn, Sun Goose or Phoenix on
Phoenician Coins of Cilicia of fifth century B.C.

(Coins after Hill.)1

NOTE in a the Phoenician legend MKLU or "Mikalu "; and in c Phoenix Sun-bird before Fire-altar, with bearded Corn and two-barred handled Cross.

pre-Christian Coins.

(Coins after Evans.)

Note in a the fruited Sun-disc, bearing 12 pairs of fruit, corresponding to the months of the year. In b "Tevi" with head of Dionysos (cp. Fig. 64). c Winged Michael with club of Erakles and legend "E.R." "Tascia" Sun Hawk with two strokes="Sun." e Winged SunHorse tied to Sun, over three "cup-marks"=Earth, or Death (vanquisher of).

a-b, H.C.C., Pl. 16, 13; in a MKLU in Phoenician Script, in b MAGR, presumably for Magarsus, ancient seaport at mouth of Pyrenees in Cilicia. c Ib., Pl. 16, 12.

'a E.C.B., Pl. 3, II. b-c, Ib., 3, 14. d Ib., Pl. 6, 7. f Ib., 8, 14. Sun bearing Eagle transfixes the Serpent of the Deep and of Death.

In Egypt also-now seen to have been Aryanized by the Catti Phoenicians "Michael" actually appears under earlier forms of the latter name as God of the Harvest” and also "of the Red Cross." As" Resef" (i.e., Rashap Mikal) he is a god of the Middle Period admittedly imported from "Syria" (i.e., Syria-Phoenicia) and he is represented as a warrior with the Goat's head as a chaplet, and carrying the handled Cross of Life (see Fig. 69), and his relation to FoodGrain is indicated in his name Resef, meaning Food-Grain.1 He also bears titles equivalent to " Archangel" in " Governor of the Gods" (the Egyptians being inveterate polytheists) and "Lord of the Two-fold Strength among the Company of the Gods." And as "Makhi-al (or Makhi-ar) he is the "Harvest God" and equivalent of Michael.

FIG. 68.-Phoenix Sun-Bird of Tascio with Crosses and Sun-discs,
from Early Briton Cave gravings and Coins.

(After Simpson, Stuart and Evans.)'

Note lozenge-lined Cross of Hittite and Trojan pattern. Cp. Figs. 44 and 46.

The Ancient Egyptians called their Harvest god "Makhi-al" (or Makhi-ar), and named that month after him, the "Mekir" of the Copts for that Harvest month, and also the god of the Harvest. Now this is practically his identical name, as current amongst the Hittites about 2400 B.C., where we find it spelt "Ma-khu-ur"; and he also had a month called after

5

1 Resef in Egyptian =" Food," B.E.D., 433 and Resi=" Corn," 431. B.G.E., 2, 282.

S.A.S., Pl. 342 and cp. S.S.S., 2, Illust. Pl. 33, 1.

c E.C.B., 8, 1.

b S.A.S., Pl. 35, 2.

4 Cp. B.E.D., 286a, I and have the same letter-sign in Egypt.

Ib., 2862, and cp. B.G.E., 293. His harvest month was the sixth month of the Egyptian calendar.

6 Sayce, Cappadocian Cuneiform Tablets from Kara Eyuk, Babylonia, 1910 (4), 2, 7.

MICHAEL AS HARVEST SPIRIT

35I

him. He was also known to the Egyptians as "The Harvest god Makh-unna," or "Makh of the Food-Stuff of Life," and also with an alternative spelling as "Makh of the Red Cross" for significantly this Cross is painted red in the Egyptian tombs, and is described as "The Devouring Fire," i.e., The Fiery Cross of the Sun.

This now explains the Egyptian references to this Red Cross as giving also the meaning "eat" (of food), an association which has hitherto puzzled Egyptologists,' but is now seen to be the association of St. Michael or Tash-ub (or RasepMikal) with the Harvest, as Corn Spirit in the cult of the Cross.

In Ancient Mesopotamia the fuller and apparently original form of his "Michael" name is found as " Me-ki-gal" about 2400 B.C. It is applied to the great Harvest Festival and Harvest month called "The Barley Harvest Cutting -Śe-kin-kud, in which Se, the Akkadian Zeru, or "Seed grain" is disclosed as the source of our word "Seed" and Ceres," and Kud or "cut" as the Sumerian source of our English word "cut."

So important was the Corn or Barley in the economy of the Sumerians that they latterly made that month of Mekigal or the Barley Harvest the first month of their Agricultural year and the month of their chief festivities, although still retaining the solar year in the background. Now the meaning of this name of the Archangel Me-ki-gal, as defined in the Sumerian, is of immense importance for the history of religion. It is defined as "The Door of the Place of Calling in Prayer" or "The Door of Heaven." Thus the Aryan Archangel Michael is called as intercessor between Earth and Heaven, "The Door of Heaven," which thus accounts for the great popularity of his worship, and his title of Saviour," and explains why the Phoenician votive 'Thureau-Dangin, Rev. Assyriologique, 1911, 8, 3, 2 a, 9 and b 13. 2 Cp. hieroglyphs B.E.D., 319b. G.H., pp. 37 and 67 and P.L. 6, Fig. 78.

• Ib., 319b

Ib., 37 and 67.

H.E.R., 3, 73, etc., and Langdon, Archives of Drehem, 1911, 15, etc. For the Sumerian written signs of the name, see Langdon (above) tablets Nos. 24, 37, 43, etc., etc.

On "Door" word-sign, see B.B.W. No. 87, and on Me as "Heaven," see ib. 2, p. 239.

See above.