Glossary of Renderings
Creuzer’s key terms, with the renderings adopted in this translation. German terms come first, in alphabetical order, followed by the Greek.
| German / Greek | English rendering | First appearance |
|---|---|---|
| Abraxas | Abraxas (Gnostic gems) | ☞ |
| active und passive Zeugungskraft | active and passive generative power | ☞ |
| aegyptisiren | to Egyptianize | |
| Agathodaemon | Agathodaemon, beneficent genius | ☞ |
| agrarische Cultur | agrarian culture | ☞ |
| Ägyptische Grundbegriffe | Egyptian fundamental concepts | ☞ |
| das Ägyptische Tau, crux ansata | the Egyptian Tau, handled cross | ☞ |
| Ahndung | presentiment | ☞ |
| Ahnen / ahnen | divination / to divine (sometimes “presentiment”) | ☞ |
| Allegorie | allegory | ☞ |
| Allegorie durch den Stoff | allegory through material | ☞ |
| Allegorie, ἀλληγορία, ὑπόνοια | allegory, “under-sense” | ☞ |
| Allegorien gemischter Form | allegories of mixed form | |
| allegorisch umdeuten | to reinterpret allegorically | |
| allegorische / symbolische Handlung | allegorical / symbolic action | ☞ |
| allegorische Baukunst | allegorical architecture | ☞ |
| Allgenügsamkeit | all-sufficiency | ☞ |
| allmähliche Rückkehr zu Gott | gradual return to God | ☞ |
| Allmutter | mother of all | ☞ |
| alte Offenbarung | ancient revelation | ☞ |
| androgynisch | androgynous | ☞ |
| Änos, αἶνος | ainos | ☞ |
| das Anschauliche | the vivid | ☞ |
| Anstalten, Werke und Lehrmittel | institutions, works, and means of instruction | ☞ |
| Antithesis | antithesis (an opposing authority, as an outline heading) | ☞ |
| Apisperiode / Phoenixperiode / Canicularperiode | Apis period / Phoenix period / Canicular (Sothic) period | ☞ |
| Apolog, ἀπόλογος | apologue | ☞ |
| Astrotheologie | astrotheology | ☞ |
| ausgesprochene Symbole | symbols put into words | ☞ |
| Bätylien, βαίτυλοι | baetyls | ☞ |
| bedeuten / seyn | to signify / to be | ☞ |
| Bedeutsamkeit / bedeutsam | significance / significant | ☞ |
| das Beharrliche im Raume / das Fortschreitende | what persists in space / what progresses | ☞ |
| berichten / deuten | to report / to interpret | ☞ |
| Besaamer | fertilizer | ☞ |
| Beschließerin der Natur | closer of nature | ☞ |
| das Beseligende / das Erfreuliche | the beatifying / the gladdening | ☞ |
| Besonnenheit | clear reflection | ☞ |
| Betrachtung der Gottheiten und des Götterdienstes | consideration of the deities and of the worship of the gods | |
| Beugung | inflection | ☞ |
| Bild, εἰκών | image | ☞ |
| Bildersprache | picture-language | ☞ |
| Bildlichkeit / das Bildliche | figurativeness / the figurative | ☞ |
| Bildnerei | image-making | ☞ |
| Bildung | cultivation | ☞ |
| Bildungstrieb | formative drive | ☞ |
| bos cornupeta | butting ox | ☞ |
| Buchstabenschrift | alphabetic writing | ☞ |
| Bußungen | penances | ☞ |
| calendarisch-mythologisches System | calendrical-mythological system | ☞ |
| Calenderbild | calendar image | ☞ |
| Canobus / Kanobos | Canobus (the god); Canobus (the city) | ☞ |
| Casten | castes | ☞ |
| Casteneigenthum | property of the caste | |
| Charis, Anmuth | Charis, grace | ☞ |
| Collectivname | collective name | ☞ |
| Colonie | colony | ☞ |
| Context | context | ☞ |
| Cybelischer Bilderkreis | Cybelean circle of images | ☞ |
| Cyklen | cycles | ☞ |
| Decane | decans | ☞ |
| Demegorie | demegoria, speech in a public assembly | ☞ |
| Deus in statu non manifesto | God in an unmanifested state | ☞ |
| Deuten / Offenbaren | interpreting / revealing | ☞ |
| Deutung / Erklärung | interpretation / explanation (Creuzer’s distinction in §19) | ☞ |
| Dichtung / das Erdichtete | fiction, poetic invention / the invented | ☞ |
| Dienstname | name of office | |
| discursiv, διέξοδος | discursive | ☞ |
| Divination, Μαντική | divination | ☞ |
| doctrinell | doctrinally | ☞ |
| Doppelgott | double god | ☞ |
| Doppelnexus | double nexus | ☞ |
| dreifache Symbolik | threefold symbolism | ☞ |
| Dualismus der Geschlechter / Geschlechtsdualismus | dualism of the sexes | ☞ |
| Durchführung, Entfaltung | carrying-through, unfolding | ☞ |
| einfaches / zusammengesetztes Symbol | simple / compound symbol | ☞ |
| Elementendienst / Sterndienst | worship of the elements / worship of the stars | ☞ |
| Emanation, Materialismus, Dualismus, Pantheismus | emanation, materialism, dualism, pantheism | ☞ |
| Emblem | emblem (in the narrow sense of image with motto, or inlay) | ☞ |
| das emblematische Zeitalter | the emblematic age | |
| endeiktisch, ἔνδειξις | endeictic, indication (by signs) | ☞ |
| Entwilderung | taming, civilizing | ☞ |
| Erfindungen von heut und gestern | inventions of today and yesterday | |
| Erkennungswort, Merkwort | password, watchword | ☞ |
| erklärender Mythus | explanatory myth | |
| erwecklich | stirring, awakening | ☞ |
| esoterisch / exoterisch | esoteric / exoteric | ☞ |
| esoterische Philosophie | esoteric philosophy | ☞ |
| esoterische Sätze | esoteric tenets | ☞ |
| ethisch gewendetes Symbol | ethically turned symbol | |
| Euploea, εὔπλοια | she of fair voyaging | ☞ |
| Exeget | exegete | ☞ |
| Exempel, Beispiel, παράδειγμα | example | ☞ |
| Fabelthiere | fabulous beasts | ☞ |
| Farbe | colour | ☞ |
| Festapparat | festival apparatus | ☞ |
| Fetischismus | fetishism | ☞ |
| Fischverbote | prohibitions of fish | ☞ |
| Fischweiber | fish-women | ☞ |
| Formel, Satzung | formula, ordinance | ☞ |
| Formelwesen | formalism | ☞ |
| Fortpflanzung | propagation | ☞ |
| Frauentracht der Männer | women’s dress worn by men | ☞ |
| der Freudige | the joyful one (Charon/Hades) | ☞ |
| Geber des Jahresseegens | giver of the year’s blessing | ☞ |
| das Gedachte in ein Geschehenes umzusetzen | to turn what is thought into something that happens | ☞ |
| das Gefällige | the pleasing | ☞ |
| Geheimdienst / Geheimlehre | secret worship / secret doctrine | ☞ |
| gehemmte und verlorne Zeugungskraft | checked and lost generative power | ☞ |
| gelehrte Muße | learned leisure | ☞ |
| Gelehrtenverein (Alexandria) | society of scholars | ☞ |
| Gemüth | heart, mind (the inward seat of thought and feeling) | ☞ |
| Genealogisiren | genealogizing | ☞ |
| Genesis des Mythus | genesis of myth | |
| Gest | gesture | ☞ |
| Glaubensbekenntnis | confession of faith | |
| Götterbilder, ἀγάλματα | images of the gods | ☞ |
| Göttergeschlecht | generation of gods | ☞ |
| Götterordnungen | orders of gods | ☞ |
| Göttersymbol | symbol of the gods | ☞ |
| Gotteskraft | power of god | ☞ |
| göttliches Walten | divine governance | ☞ |
| das große Jahr | the great year | |
| Häufung der Attribute | heaping of attributes | ☞ |
| Haupturkunde | principal document | ☞ |
| Heilbringer / Demiurg | bringer of blessing / demiurge (of the Nile) | ☞ |
| Heldensage / Stammsage | heroic legend / tribal legend | ☞ |
| Hermeneutik der Bildersprache | hermeneutics of picture-language | ☞ |
| Hieroglyphik | hieroglyphic writing | ☞ |
| Hirtencolonie / Hirtenkönig | shepherd colony / shepherd-king | ☞ |
| historisches / astronomisches System | historical / astronomical system | ☞ |
| das Höchste | the highest | ☞ |
| Hundsstern, Σῶθις | Dog Star, Sothis | ☞ |
| Idololatrie / Bilderdienst | idolatry / image-worship | ☞ |
| ikonisch, τὸ εἰκονικόν | iconic | ☞ |
| Ikonismus | iconism, the whole field of pictorial representation | ☞ |
| Ikonismus / Kyriologie | iconism / kyriology | ☞ |
| Ikonologie, ikonologisch | iconology, iconological | ☞ |
| Incongruenz des Wesens mit der Form | incongruence of essence and form | ☞ |
| Incubationes, ἐγκοιμήσεις | incubation | ☞ |
| Initiirter | initiate | ☞ |
| intuitiv | intuitive (Creuzer’s gloss on endeictic) | ☞ |
| Jahrescyclus | cycle of the year | ☞ |
| Jahresgnomon | gnomon of the year | ☞ |
| Jahresgottheiten / Jahresgott | deities of the year / god of the year | ☞ |
| Käfer, κάνθαρος | beetle, scarab | ☞ |
| kampfrüstiger Stier, θούριος | bull ready for battle | ☞ |
| Kenn- und Wahrzeichen | distinguishing marks and tokens | |
| Klageperiode / Freudentage | period of lament / days of joy | ☞ |
| Klarheit | clarity | ☞ |
| kritische Vorsicht | critical caution | ☞ |
| Kunstdarstellung | artistic representation | ☞ |
| Kunstgebäude | artificial edifices (of systematic mythology) | ☞ |
| Kunstlehre | theory of art | ☞ |
| Kunstsymbol | art symbol | ☞ |
| Kunstsymbolik | art-symbolism | ☞ |
| Kupfertafeln | copperplates | ☞ |
| Kürze | brevity | ☞ |
| kyriologisch | kyriological | ☞ |
| kyriologische Schrift | kyriological writing | ☞ |
| Landesnatur | the nature of the land | ☞ |
| Lattich, θρίδαξ | lettuce | ☞ |
| Läuterung des Symbolischen | purification of the symbolic | ☞ |
| lebendiges Wort | living word | ☞ |
| Lebensansicht | view of life | ☞ |
| Lehre / Lehrart / Lehrvortrag | doctrine / mode of teaching / teaching, discourse | ☞ |
| Lehrvortrag | teaching, mode of teaching | ☞ |
| leidende und sterbende Gottheit | suffering and dying deity | ☞ |
| das Liebliche / das Schöne | the lovely / the beautiful | ☞ |
| Lingumdienst | worship of the lingam | ☞ |
| Literargeschichte | literary history | ☞ |
| Localdienst | local worship | ☞ |
| Localgottheiten | local deities | ☞ |
| Lotus, Λωτός | lotus | ☞ |
| Mährchen | fairy tale | ☞ |
| Mann-Löwe | man-lion | ☞ |
| Mannsphinx, ἀνδρόσφιγξ | man-sphinx | ☞ |
| Mannweib | man-woman | ☞ |
| Mantik / Priesterthum | mantic art / priesthood | ☞ |
| Mantik, μαντεία | the mantic art, divination | ☞ |
| Melissen, Μέλισσαι | Melissae, “Bees” (priestesses) | ☞ |
| Mendesischer Bock | Mendesian goat | ☞ |
| Menschengestalt | the human form | ☞ |
| menschliche Zeichen | human signs | |
| Mimik, gottesdienstliche Mimik | gesture, mimicry; cultic mimicry | ☞ |
| Modius | modius (grain measure worn as a headdress) | ☞ |
| momentane Anschaulichkeit | momentary vividness | ☞ |
| momentane Totalität / Fortschritt in einer Reihe von Momenten | momentary totality / progress through a series of moments | ☞ |
| Mondenjahr / Sonnenjahr | lunar year / solar year | ☞ |
| mystische / plastische Symbolik | mystical / plastic symbolism | ☞ |
| Mythen der Weisen / gemeine Sagen | myths of the wise / common legends | ☞ |
| der Mythen Mutter | the mother of myths | ☞ |
| Mythenvorrath | store of myths | ☞ |
| Mythik | mythic lore | ☞ |
| mythisch gewendet und colorirt | turned and coloured mythically | ☞ |
| mythischer Zusatz | mythic supplement | ☞ |
| Mythus | myth | ☞ |
| das Nakte | the nude | |
| Namenallegorie, Anspielung auf Namen | name-allegory, allusion to names | ☞ |
| Namensymbolik | name-symbolism | ☞ |
| Nationalgottheiten / Nationaldienst | national deities / national worship | ☞ |
| Natur / Convention | nature / convention | ☞ |
| Naturbeschließer | closer of nature | ☞ |
| Naturdienst / Elementendienst / Sterndienst / Thierdienst / Todtendienst | nature-worship / worship of the elements / star-worship / animal-worship / worship of the dead | ☞ |
| Natureinheit alter Religion | the natural unity of the old religion | |
| Naturgeist | spirit of nature | ☞ |
| natürliche / künstliche Divination | natural / artificial divination | ☞ |
| Nekromantie, νεκρομαντεία | necromancy | ☞ |
| Nilmesser, Nilometron | Nile measure, Nilometer | ☞ |
| Nilschlüssel | key of the Nile | ☞ |
| Nomen | nomes | ☞ |
| Nöthigung | compulsion, necessity | ☞ |
| das Nothwendige / das Mögliche / das Wirkliche | the necessary / the possible / the actual | ☞ |
| Opfer | sacrifice | ☞ |
| Opferwahrsagung, ἱερομαντεία | divination from sacrifice | ☞ |
| Orakel, χρηστήρια, μαντεῖα | oracles | ☞ |
| Orakelsprüche, χρησμοί, λόγια | oracular sayings | ☞ |
| Palmenträger | palm-bearers | ☞ |
| Panthei | Panthei (pantheistic figures) | ☞ |
| Pantheum | Pantheum (figure combining many deities’ attributes) | ☞ |
| Parabel, παραβολή | parable | ☞ |
| parasemische Symbole, παράσημα | parasemic symbols | ☞ |
| Persea, περσέα | persea | ☞ |
| Phallagogien | phallagogies, phallic processions | ☞ |
| Pharia | Pharia (epithet of Isis) | ☞ |
| Philosophem | philosopheme | ☞ |
| phonetische / aphonische Symbolik | phonetic / aphonic symbolism | ☞ |
| Planetenchor | chorus of planets | ☞ |
| plastisch und politisch | plastic and political | ☞ |
| Polyonymie | polyonymy | ☞ |
| pragmatische Behandlungsart des Mythus | pragmatic treatment of myth | ☞ |
| Priestercolonien / Priesterstaaten | priestly colonies / priestly states | ☞ |
| Priesterdiät | priestly diet | ☞ |
| Priestergaukeleien | priestly trickery | ☞ |
| Priesterlehre | priestly teaching | ☞ |
| Priesterlehre / Priestersystem / Priesterdogma | priestly teaching / priestly system / priestly dogma | ☞ |
| priesterliche Sänger | priestly singers | ☞ |
| Priestersagen, ἱεροὶ λόγοι | priestly legends, sacred stories | ☞ |
| Psychopompus | Psychopompus, guide of souls | ☞ |
| Puppe / Schmetterling | chrysalis / butterfly | ☞ |
| Quellen | sources | ☞ |
| Räthsel, γρῖφος, αἴνιγμα | riddle | ☞ |
| die räthselnde Jungfrau | the riddling virgin | ☞ |
| redende Wappen | canting arms | ☞ |
| redende Zeichen | speaking signs | ☞ |
| redender Stein | speaking stone | ☞ |
| Reichsarchiv | archive of the realm | ☞ |
| Reichsinsignien | imperial insignia | ☞ |
| Religionsideale | religious ideals | ☞ |
| Religionsinstitute | religious institutions | ☞ |
| Religiosität, εὐσέβεια | religiosity, piety | ☞ |
| Rückkehr der Mystik und Symbolik | return of mysticism and symbolism | |
| Ruhe | repose | ☞ |
| ruhendes Symbol / schreitendes Lied | resting symbol / striding song | |
| Sage | story, legend (where Creuzer plays on sagen, “to say,” the German is kept) | ☞ |
| Sage / Überlieferung | legend / tradition (Creuzer’s two branches of myth) | ☞ |
| Schlangendienst | serpent worship | ☞ |
| Schlangenreiher | serpent-heron (the ibis) | ☞ |
| Schweben | hovering | ☞ |
| Seegensgott | god of blessing | ☞ |
| Seekrebs | crab | ☞ |
| Seelenwanderung | transmigration of souls | ☞ |
| Seher, μάντις / Priester, ἱερεύς | seer / priest | ☞ |
| Seligkeit des Todes | blessedness of death | ☞ |
| Siebenlaut | seven-voiced sound | ☞ |
| Siegelabdruck | seal impression | ☞ |
| Siegelringe | seal rings | ☞ |
| Siglen | sigla | ☞ |
| Sinnbild (lower sense) | emblem | ☞ |
| Sinnbild-Kunst / Sinnbilder-Cabinet | art of emblems / cabinet of emblems (titles) | ☞ |
| Sinnbildnerei | emblem-making | ☞ |
| Sinnspruch | pregnant saying, gnomic saying | ☞ |
| Sistrum, σεῖστρον | sistrum | ☞ |
| Sittenmilderung | softening of manners | ☞ |
| Sperber / Habicht, Falke, ἱέραξ | sparrow-hawk / hawk, falcon | ☞ |
| sprechender Name | speaking name | ☞ |
| Sprichwort / Denkspruch / Sinnspruch | proverb / maxim / pregnant saying, saying for the senses | ☞ |
| Spruchweisheit | gnomic wisdom | ☞ |
| Stammeln in der Bildersprache | stammering in picture-language | ☞ |
| Stammländer | parent lands | ☞ |
| Stammsitze | ancestral seats | ☞ |
| Steigerung | heightening | ☞ |
| Stellvertretung | substitution | ☞ |
| Stiergeborne | bull-born (bees) | ☞ |
| Stuffengang | stages, gradation | ☞ |
| Symbol / Sinnbild | symbol / emblem | ☞ |
| Symbola (Pythagorean) | Symbola | ☞ |
| Symbole doppelter Absicht und Bedeutung | symbols of double purpose and meaning | |
| Symbolica / Hieroglyphica | Symbolica / Hieroglyphica (titles kept in Latin) | ☞ |
| Symbolik als Wissenschaft | symbolism as a science | ☞ |
| symbolische Antwort | symbolic answer | ☞ |
| symbolische Gruppen | symbolic groups | |
| symbolische Handlung | symbolic action | ☞ |
| symbolische Natursprache | the symbolic language of nature | ☞ |
| Synonymie | synonymy | ☞ |
| systematische Einheit | systematic unity | ☞ |
| Tempelapparat | temple apparatus | ☞ |
| Tempelgottheiten | temple deities | ☞ |
| Tempelwache | temple guard | ☞ |
| Theologumena | theologumena | ☞ |
| Theologumena, θεολογούμενα | theologumena | ☞ |
| Theomythie | theomythy | ☞ |
| Thiercharaktere | characters of animals | ☞ |
| Thierdienst | animal worship (glossary: Thierdienst = animal-worship) | ☞ |
| Thiergeschlechter | species of animals | ☞ |
| Thiergott | animal-god | ☞ |
| thierköpfig / Thiermasken | animal-headed / animal masks | ☞ |
| Thierkreis | zodiac | ☞ |
| Tischgott und Freudengeber | god of the table and giver of joy | ☞ |
| Todesgötter / die guten Götter | gods of death / the good gods | ☞ |
| Todtenapparat | apparatus for the dead | ☞ |
| Todtengericht | court of the dead | ☞ |
| Todtenorakel, νεκυομαντεῖα | oracles of the dead | ☞ |
| Todtenrichteramt | office of judge of the dead | ☞ |
| Traumdeutung, ὀνειροκριτική | interpretation of dreams | ☞ |
| Trias | triad | ☞ |
| das Überschwengliche | the transcendent | ☞ |
| Umgebung / Ort / Umstände | setting / place / circumstances | ☞ |
| das Unaussprechliche | the ineffable | ☞ |
| das Ungemäßigte | the immoderate | ☞ |
| Ungenügsamkeit | insatiability | ☞ |
| Unseligkeit des Daseyns / dieses Lebens | wretchedness of existence / of this life | ☞ |
| unverhüllt, ἀπαρακαλύπτως | unveiled | ☞ |
| Urelement alter Religion | the primal element of the old religion | |
| Urkraft / Urlicht / Urmächte | primal power / primal light / primal powers | ☞ |
| Verhüllen | veiling | ☞ |
| versinnlichen | to render sensible | ☞ |
| Verzeichniß der Abbildungen | list of illustrations | ☞ |
| vielgliederige Gottheiten | many-limbed deities | |
| Vogelschau, οἰωνιστική | augury from birds | |
| Völkerwanderung | the Migration of Peoples | |
| Volksbücher | chapbooks | ☞ |
| Volkscharakter | national character | ☞ |
| Volksglaube | popular belief | ☞ |
| Volksglaube / Priesterlehre | popular belief / priestly teaching | ☞ |
| vor-hellenisch / vor-orphisch | pre-Hellenic / pre-Orphic | ☞ |
| Vorderasien | Hither Asia | ☞ |
| Vorwelt | the primeval world | ☞ |
| Vorzeit | the ancient world, the earliest times | ☞ |
| Waffenschmuk | armorial ornament | ☞ |
| Wasserkrug | water jug | ☞ |
| Wechselbegriffe | reciprocal concepts | ☞ |
| das weibliche Principium alles Daseyns | the female principle of all existence | |
| Weibmann | woman-man | ☞ |
| Weihgeschenke, ἀναθήματα | votive offerings | ☞ |
| Weisen und Zeigen | pointing and showing | ☞ |
| weissagender, ahnender Gott | prophesying, divining god | ☞ |
| Weissagung / Wahrsagung | prophecy / soothsaying | ☞ |
| Weltcolonie | world-colony | ☞ |
| Weltey | world-egg | ☞ |
| Weltgeist | world-spirit | ☞ |
| Weltmutter | mother of the world | ☞ |
| Weltspiegel | world-mirror | ☞ |
| Weltstadt | world-city | ☞ |
| Wiedehopf | hoopoe | ☞ |
| Wiederherstellung der Wissenschaften | restoration of learning | ☞ |
| wildgewachsenes Heldengedicht | wild-grown heroic poem | ☞ |
| Wink / Gest | nod / gesture | ☞ |
| wirkende Kraft | operative force | ☞ |
| Zauberbild | magic image | ☞ |
| Zauberer, γόης | magician | ☞ |
| Zeichen, σημεῖον | sign | ☞ |
| Zeichenallegorie | sign-allegory | ☞ |
| Zeitalter der wiedererweckten Literatur | age of reawakened letters | ☞ |
| Zodiakalstier | zodiacal bull | ☞ |
| ἀγαθοδαίμων | good spirit | ☞ |
| ἀγαθὸς δαίμων | good spirit | ☞ |
| αἶνος | weighty word | ☞ |
| ἀρσενόθηλυς | man-woman | ☞ |
| βᾶρις | baris, Egyptian boat | ☞ |
| ἐπιστολογραφική / ἱερατική | epistolographic / hieratic (script) | ☞ |
| εὐβουλεύς | the beneficently counselling one | ☞ |
| Θεοξένια | Theoxenia, the feast of entertaining the gods | ☞ |
| λόγος ἐν μύθῳ | the logos in the myth | ☞ |
| λυχνοκαΐα | burning of lamps, festival of lamps | ☞ |
| παρασχίστης | the slitter (embalmer’s incisor) | ☞ |
| οἱ Παστοφόροι | the Ministrants, pastophori | ☞ |
| πλησμονή | fullness | ☞ |
| πολυσήμαντον | the many-signifying | ☞ |
| συνθήματα | tokens, agreed signs | ☞ |
| Τελετή | Initiation (personified) | ☞ |
| ὕψωμα | exaltation (astrological) | ☞ |
| Φαλλικά | phallic emblems | ☞ |
| ὁ ᾠδός, ὁ ὡροσκόπος, ὁ ἱερογραμματεύς, ὁ στολιστής, ὁ προφήτης | the Singer, the Horoscopus, the Sacred Scribe, the Stolist, the Prophet | ☞ |
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