the horrible three-formed harpy pursuing the enchanter, and beside
her the evil spirit with the dragonfly wings.

At last this succession of images ceased, and I beheld a desolate
region, in the midst of which sat the woman with the enchanter beside
her, his head reposing in her lap. Either the sight of her must
have become familiar to him and, so, less horrible, or she had
subjugated him by some spell. At all events, they were mated at
last, and their offspring lay around them on the stony ground, or
moved to and fro. These were lions,--monsters with human faces,
such as I had seen in the beginning of my dream. Their jaws dripped
blood; they paced backwards and forwards, lashing their tails.
Then too, this picture faded and sank into the wall as the others
had done. And through its melting outlines came out again the words
I had first seen: "This is the History of our World," only they
seemed to me in some way changed, but how; I cannot tell. The
horror of the whole thing was too strong upon me to let me dare
look longer at the wall. And I awoke, repeating to myself the
question, "How could one woman become three?"

--Hinton, Feb. 1877





IX. The Banquet of the Gods