The Sign of the Dove Excerpts from a rare text, Anacalypsis by Godfrey Higgins: The name of the chief Grecian city of the Ionians, Athena, was the name of the female generative principle, as was also Helena, called by Lycophron the Dove, which is a translation of the word Pleias, and also of the word Semiranis,* and Ion or Ione. The Ionian Athenians claimed to be called Athenians from Athena, which was the name of Minerva, who was both the female generative principle and divine wisdom. The Greeks were called Hellenes, which has precisely the same meaning as Ionians. And they were called Argives from the ship Argo, which was invented by Minerva. * Nimrod, Vol. I. p.451. Mr. Bryant says, "The Grecians were, among other titles, styled Hellenes, being the reputed descendants of Hellen. The name of this personage is of great antiquity: and THE TRUE ETYMOLOGY FOREIGN." Again, "The Hellenes were the same as the Iönim, or Iwnhj, whence Hesychius very properly mentions Iwnaj, Ellhnaj. The Ionians and Hellenes are the same family. The same is said to be said of the Æolians and Dorians: they were all from one source, being descended from the same ancestors, the Ionim of Babylonia and Syria. ... The term Hellen was originally a sacred title. I will now add a few more observations respecting the celebrated Semiranis, or the Indian Sami-Rama-Isi. Nimrod says, "The name of Semi-Ramis will occur to every reader; she was both a queen of unrivalled celebrity, and also a goddess mother, worshiped under the form of the dove that accompanied Noah in the Ark. Her name signifies the supreme dove, and is of precisely the same value as the Peleias or Pleias of the Greeks, and the Iona of the Syrians, Babylonish Chaldees, and Culdees or HEBRIDEAN* Chaldees. The learned Lycophron calls Helen a dove by two names of that bird, Peleias (which has been explained) and Oinas or the Bacchic dove. Helen** was born out of a waterfowl's egg, and that Hyginus relates evinces fully that she was the Babylonian Venus and the Dea Syria. ... * Here are the Culdees of the Hebrides, of whom I have treated at large in my Celtic Druids, with their saint Iona or saint and bishop Columba. ** Myrrha Mæris. ... The Holy Ghost was generally female. In the Syrian temple of Hierapolis, where between the statues of Jupiter and Juno stood the statue of Semiramis with the dove on her head, it was the custom of the priests to emasculate themselves, and to wear the dress of women. The same practice prevailed in the temple of Cybele in Phrygia. Mr. Knight knows not how to account for this. I believe it was done in honour of the female principle, the Ionism, which prevailed in these places in a peculiar manner. ... From this we see that the pillar saints were not peculiar to Christianity, and that they preceded it many generations. Lucian also says, the temple at Hierapolis, or the sacred city, resembles the temples of Ionia. At Hierapolis the female statue with the dove upon its head was called Sema.* This was the Semi-ramis of the Assyrians converted into a dove, and the Rama-Sema or Sema-Rama of India.** ... * Faber, origin. Pag. Idol. Vol. III. pp. 33, 34. ** See Asiat. Res. Vol. IV. p.369. The Goddess of Dodona had a dove on her head, and was called Dione. This Dione was evidently Di-ioni or Di-iune, that is, the holy Iune-diva Iune. Noah, or Nh, or MNH, or Menu, or Mind, sent out a raven-the emblem of darkness-which made no return, produced nothing; he then sent out the dove, the emblem of Love, which brought back the olive, the emblem of wisdom, of Minerva. Efwj, Divine Love, was the Protogonos, the same as wisdom. The above observations are strikingly supported by the following passages of the Jewish writings [Vulgate]: Jeremiah xxv. 38, xlvi. 16, l. 16 ... The crime of the Samaritans was a return to the adoration of Taurus and the double principle, evidenced by setting up of the calves, doubtless both male and female, at Dan, and Bethel, and by the dove found in their temples, as reported by Rabbi Meir. In the time of Rabbi Meir, as I have already stated, the image of a dove was found in the temple of Mount Gerizim. This serves to shew, that one reason of the schism between the Jews and Samaritans was the return of the latter to the adoration of the Queen of Heaven. The Macaifaj EllhnicÁj, the Hellenic Sword, clearly proves the truth of what I have before said, that Helen and Ione had the same meaning - that of the female generative power. The Septuagint often serves as a most useful gloss. Philo Judæus says, that Moses learnt the rest of the sciences of the Hellenes ... And Clemens Alexandrinus says, that the Hellenes educated him in Egypt as a princely child, and instructed him in the whole circle of the sciences. ... Mr. Bryant says, "From what has been said, it appears plainly, that the Hellenes and Iones were the same people under different appellations. They were the descendants of Hellen and Ion, two names of the same personage; among whose sons idolatry first began in the region of Babylonia. He was styled Iön, Iönian, Ionichus, and was supposed to be the author of Magic. From him the Babylonians and the name Iönim, as well as of Hellenes; for these terms were used as in some degree synonymous." Thus Semiramis, or Semi-rama-isi, was the same as Helen, or, in short, Venus, or Divine Love. Her visible form was that of a dove, as well as that of the woman, who was the Io of the Ionites, or Ionians of Syria, who was carried on the back of the TAURI-form Jove to Europe, where her followers were known by the name of Ionian Pelasgi, or Ionian sailors. ... ... Again Nimrod says, "The wheel upon which criminals were extended was a cross, of which two spokes confined the arms and two the legs. The dove of Venus (born on the banks of the Euphrates) was a mænad of fanatic bird, crucified on a wheel with four spokes ... " From the Sibylline oracles I learn that the dove sent out by Noah was black. The mysticism of this black dove is pretty clear. I have seen very dark-coloured but never a raven-black dove. The dove was the only bird offered in sacrifices by the Jews. Although we have found in Egypt the goddess Neith, or their Minerva, the Nat of North India; yet we have not found the Ras or Wisdom so marked as in most other countries: but, nevertheless, it was really there, as we might expect. Plutarch says, that Isis means Wisdom; that her temple is called Iseion: alluding to that knowledge of the Eternal and Self-existent Being which may be there obtained. ... She is also called Athena, which we have formerly seen was the name of Helena, and meant Wisdom; in fact, Athena is only the reverse way of reading the word Neithe a little transposed. ... Again he observes, that Isis is frequently called by the Egyptians Athena, signifying, in their language, I proceeded from myself. In the same section he says, that Typho is called Seth. In section 9 he says, that Isis is called Minerva. ... There can be no doubt that the names Isis of Egypt and Isi of India, were derived from the word of the ancient language: Iso, to save, and meant Saviour, and consequently Logos as the Saviour: yet, as the Logos, according to my system, it ought to mean Wisdom, as we have every where seen the Logos to mean Wisdom, and this it did, as I have just shewn. 
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