tself as a natural sign of the winter solstice, the period recognized and
celebrated by most inhabitants of the northern hemisphere as the
turning-point of the year. In a climate like that of Mexico and Central
America, however, where the year divided itself naturally into a dry and a
rainy season, it is evident that the winter solstice would be less
observed and that the ardently-desired recurrence of the rainy season,
after a long and trying period of drought, should be regarded as the
annual event of utmost importance. Indeed, if carefully looked into, the
entire religious cult of these people seems to express but one great
struggling cry to the God of Nature for life-giving rain, and a hymn of
thanksgiving for the annual, precious, but uncertain gift of water.

[Illustration.]

Figure 11.

To these supplicants the winter solstice betokened little or nothing and
it is not surprising to find no proofs of the employment of the triskelion
as a sacred symbol in ancient Mexico. On the other hand, it has been
traced by Mr. Willoughby on pottery from Arkansas, and in Scandinavia,
where the circumpolar constellations have doubtlessly been observed from
remote times, and the winter solstice has ever been hailed as the herald
of coming spring, the triskelion is often found associated with the
swastika.

[Illustration.]

Figure 12.

I am indebted to Prof. Thomas Wilson's work already cited for the two
following illustrations of objects exhibiting this association. The first
is a spearhead found in Brandenburg, Germany (fig. 12). The second is a
bronze brooch from Scandinavia, to which I shall presently revert (fig.
13). It exhibits, besides the triskelion, swastika and circle, the
S-shaped figure which was, as I shall show further on, the sign actually
employed by the ancient Mexicans and Mayas as the image of the
constellation Ursa Minor, whose outline it indeed effectually reproduces.

Before referring to the Mexican and Maya representations of the
star-group, I would next demonstrate that the sacred numbers of Mexico,
and of other countries situated in the northern hemisphere, coincide
exactly with the number of stars in the circumpolar constellations
themselves and in simple combinations of the same.

Ursa Major and Ursa Minor each contains seven stars, and the number seven
is the most widely