InthemythologyofChinaweconstantlycomeuponlegendsofsuchtransformations——fromthatofthefirstCounselloroftheHandynastytothoseofshepherdsandsheep。IntheBrahmanicmythologyofIndia，Salagrama，thefossilammonite，isrecognisedascontainingthebodyofVishnu’swife，andtheBinlangstonehasmuchthesamerelationtoSiva；so，too，thenymphRambawaschanged，foroffendingKetu，intoamassofsand；bythebreathofSivaelephantswereturnedintostone；andinaverytouchingmythLuxmanischangedintostonebutafterwardreleased。IntheBuddhistmythologyaNatdemonisrepresentedaschanginghimselfintoagrainofsand。
AmongtheGreekssuchtransformationmythscomeconstantlybeforeus——boththechangingofstonestomenandthechangingofmentostones。DeucalionandPyrrha，escapingfromtheflood，repeopledtheearthbycastingbehindthemstoneswhichbecamemenandwomen；HerauloswaschangedintostoneforoffendingMercury；PyrrhusforoffendingRhea；Phineus，andPolydecteswithhisguests，foroffendingPerseus：underthepetrifyingglanceofMedusa’sheadsuchtransformationsbecameathingofcourse。
Tomyth-makinginobediencetothedesireofexplainingunusualnaturalappearances，coupledwiththeideathatsinmustbefollowedbyretribution，wealsoowethewell-knownNiobemyth。
Havingincurredthedivinewrath，Niobesawthosedearesttoherdestroyedbymissilesfromheaven，andwasfinallytransformedintoarockonMountSipyloswhichboresomevagueresemblancetothehumanform，andhertearsbecametherivuletswhichtrickledfromtheneighbouringstrata。
Thus，inobediencetoamoralandintellectualimpulse，astrikinggeographicalappearancewasexplained，andforagespiousGreekslookedwithbatedbreathupontherockatSipyloswhichwasonceNiobe，justasforagespiousJews，Christians，andMohammedanslookedwithaweuponthesaltpillarattheDeadSeawhichwasonceLot’swife。
Pausanias，oneofthemosthonestofancienttravellers，givesusanotableexhibitionofthisfeeling。HavingvisitedthismonumentofdivinevengeanceatMountSipylos，hetellsusverynaivelythat，thoughhecoulddiscernnohumanfeatureswhenstandingnearit，hethoughtthathecouldseethemwhenstandingatadistance。Therecouldhardlybeabetterexampleofthatmostcommonanddeceptiveofallthings——beliefcreatedbythedesiretobelieve。
InthepaganmythologyofScandinaviawehavesuchtypicalexamplesasBorsslayingthegiantYmirandtransforminghisbonesintoboulders；also“thegiantwhohadnoheart“
transformingsixbrothersandtheirwivesintostone；and，intheoldChristianmythology，St。Olafchangingintostonethewickedgiantswhoopposedhispreaching。
So，too，inCelticcountrieswehaveinIrelandsuchlegendsasthoseofthedancersturnedintostone；and，inBrittany，thestonesatPlesse，whichwereoncehuntersanddogsviolatingthesanctityofSunday；andthestonesofCarnac，whichwereoncesoldierswhosoughttokillSt。Cornely。
TeutonicmythologyinheritedfromitsearlierEasterndaysasimilarmassofoldlegends，anddevelopedastillgreatermassofnewones。Thus，neartheKonigstein，whichallvisitorstotheSaxonSwitzerlandknowsowell，isaboulderwhichforageswasbelievedtohaveoncebeenamaidentransformedintostoneforrefusingtogotochurch；andnearRosenberginMecklenburgisanothercuriouslyshapedstoneofwhichasimilarstoryistold。NearSpornitz，inthesameregion，aresevenboulderswhoseformsandpositionareaccountedforbyalongandcircumstantiallegendthattheywereoncesevenimpiousherdsmen；
nearBrahlsdorfisastonewhich，accordingtoasimilarexplanatorymyth，wasonceablasphemousshepherd；nearSchwerinarethreeboulderswhichwereoncewastefulservants；andatNeustadt，downtoarecentperiod，wasshownacollectionofstoneswhichwereonceabrideandbridegroomwiththeirhorses——allpunishedforanactofcruelty；andthesestoriesarebuttypicalofthousands。
AttheotherextremityofEuropewemaytake，outofthemultitudeofexplanatorymyths，thatwhichgrewaboutthewell-knowngroupofbouldersnearBelgrade。Inthemidstofthemstandsonelargerthantherest：accordingtothelegendwhichwasdevelopedtoaccountforallthese，thereoncelivedthereaswineherd，whowasdisrespectfultotheconsecratedHost；
whereuponhewaschangedintothelargerstone，andhisswineintothesmallerones。SoalsoatSalonikiwehavethepillarsoftheruinedtemple，whicharewidelybelieved，especiallyamongtheJewsofthatregion，tohaveoncebeenhumanbeings，andarethereforeknownasthe“enchantedcolumns。”
AmongtheArabswehaveanadditiontooursacredaccountofAdam——thelegendoftheblackstoneoftheCaabaatMecca，intowhichtheangelwaschangedwhowaschargedbytheAlmightytokeepAdamawayfromtheforbiddenfruit，andwhoneglectedhisduty。
SimilaroldtransformationlegendsareabundantamongtheIndiansofAmerica，thenegroesofAfrica，andthenativesofAustraliaandthePacificislands。
Norhasthismakingofmythstoaccountforremarkableappearancesyetceased，evenincivilizedcountries。
AboutthebeginningofthiscenturytheGrandDukeofWeimar，smittenwiththeclassicalmaniaofhistime，placedinthepublicparknearhispalacealittlealtar，anduponthiswascarved，afterthemannersofrequentinclassicalantiquity，aserpenttakingacakefromit。Andshortlythereappeared，inthetownandthecountryroundabout，alegendtoexplainthisaltaranditsdecoration。Itwascommonlysaidthatahugeserpenthadlaidwastethatregionintheoldentime，untilawiseandbenevolentbakerhadridtheworldofthemonsterbymeansofapoisonedbiscuit。
So，too，butafewyearssince，intheheartoftheStateofNewYork，aswindlerofgeniushavingmadeandburieda“petrifiedgiant。”onetheologianexplaineditbydeclaringitaPhoenicianidol，andpublishedthePhoenicianinscriptionwhichhethoughthehadfounduponit；otherssawinitproofsthat“thereweregiantsinthosedays。”andwithinaweekafteritsdiscoverymythswereafloatthattheneighbouringremnantoftheOnondagaIndianshadtraditionsofgiantswhofrequentlyroamedthroughthatregion。[425]
[425]Fortransformationmythsandlegends，identifyingrocksandstoneswithgodsandheroes，seeWelcker，Gotterlehre，vol。i，p。
220。Forrecentandmoreaccessiblestatementsforthegeneralreader，seeRobertsonSmith’sadmirableLecturesontheReligionoftheSemites，Edinburgh，1889，pp。86etseq。Forsomethoughtfulremarksontheancientadorationofstonesratherthanstatues，withreferncetotheanointingofstonesatBethelbyJacob，seeDodwell，TourthroughGreece，vol。ii，p。172；alsoRobertsonSmith，asabove，LectureV。ForChinesetransformationlegends，seeDenny’sFolkloreofChina，pp。96，128。ForHinduandotherancientlegendsoftransformations，seeDawson，DictionaryofHinduMythology；alsoColeman，asabove；alsoCox，MythologyoftheAryanNations，pp。81-97，etc。ForsuchtransformationsinGreece，seetheIliad，andOvid，asabove；
alsoStark，NiobeunddieNiobiden，p。444andelsewhere；alsoPreller，GriechischeMythologie，passim；alsoBaumeister，DenkmalerdesclassischenAlterthums，articleNiobe；alsoBotticher，asabove；alsoCurtius，GriechischeGeschichte，vol。i，pp。71，72。ForPausanius’snaiveconfessionregardingtheSipylosrock，seebooki，p。215。SeealsoTexier，AsieMineure，pp。265etseq。；alsoChandler，TravelsinGreece，vol。ii，p。
80，whoseemstoholdtothelateroriginofthestatue。AttheendofBaumeisterthereisanengravingcopiedfromStuartwhichseemstoshowthat，astotheNiobelegend，atalaterperiod，ArtwasallowedtohelpNature。Forthegeneralsubject，seeScheiffle，ProgrammdesK。GymnasiumsinEllwangen：MythologischeParallelen，1865。ForScandinavianandTeutonictransformationlegends，seeGrimm，DeutscheMythologie，vierteAusg。，vol。i，p。
457；alsoThorpe，NorthernAntiquities；alsoFriedrich，passim，especiallyp。116etseq。；also，foramassofverycuriousones，KarlBartsch，Sagen，MarchenundgebraucheausMeklenburg，vol。
i，pp。420etseq。；alsoKarlSimrock’seditionoftheEdda，ninthedition，p。319；alsoJohnFiske，MythsandMyth-makers，pp。8，9。Ontheuniversalityofsuchlegendsandmyths，seeRitter’sErdkunde，vol。xiv，pp。1098-1122。ForIrishexamples，seeManz，Real-Encyclopadie，articleStein；andformultitudesofexamplesinBrittany，seeSebillot，TraditionsdelaHaute-
Bretagne。FortheenchantedcolumnsatSaloniki，seethelatesteditionofMurray’sHandbookofTurkey，vol。ii，p。711。ForthelegendoftheangelchangedintostoneforneglectingtoguardAdam，seeWeil，universitylibrarianatHeidelberg，BiblischeLegendederMuselmanner，Frankfort-am-Main，1845，pp。37，84。
ForsimilartransformationlegendsinAustraliaandamongtheAmericanIndians，seeAndrewLang，Mythology，Frenchtranslation，pp。83，102；alsohisMyth，Ritual，andReligion，vol。i，pp。150
etseq。，citingnumerousexamplesfromJ。G。Muller，Urreligionen，andDorman’sPrimitiveSuperstitions；alsoReportoftheBureauofEthnoligyfor1880-’81；andforanAfricanexample，seeaccountoftherockatBalonwhichwasonceawoman，inBerenger-Feraud，ContespopulairesdelaSenegambie，chap。
viii。FortheWeimarlegend，seeLewes，LifeofGoethe，bookiv。
Forthemythswhicharoseabouttheswindling“Cardiffgiant“intheStateofNewYork，seeespeciallyanarticlebyG。A。
Stockwell，M。D。，inThePopularScienceMonthlyforJune，1878；
seealsoW。A。McKinneyinTheNew-EnglanderforOctober，1875；
andforthe“Phoenicianinscription。”givenatlengthwithatranslation，seetheRev。AlexanderMcWhorter，inTheGalaxyforJuly，1872。Thepresentwritervisitedthe“giant“shortlyafteritwas“discovered。”carefullyobservedit，andthemythstowhichitgaverise，hasinhispossessionamassofcuriousdocumentsregardingthisfraud，andhopeserelongtoprepareasupplementtoDr。Stockwell’svaluablepaper。
Tothesamestageofthoughtbelongstheconceptionofhumanbeingschangedintotrees。But，inthehistoricevolutionofreligionandmorality，whilechangesintostoneorrockwereconsideredaspunishments，orevidencesofdivinewrath，thoseintotreesandshrubswerefrequentlylookeduponasrewards，orevidencesofdivinefavour。
AverybeautifulandtouchingformofthisconceptionisseeninsuchmythsasthechangeofPhilemonintotheoak，andofBaucisintothelinden；ofMyrrhaintothemyrtle；ofMelosintotheappletree；ofAttisintothepine；ofAdonisintotherosetree；andinthespringingofthevineandgrapefromthebloodoftheTitans，thevioletfromthebloodofAttis，andthehyacinthfromthebloodofHyacinthus。
Thusitwas，duringthelongageswhenmankindsaweverywheremiracleandnowherelaw，that，intheevolutionofreligionandmorality，strikingfeaturesinphysicalgeographybecameconnectedwiththeideaofdivineretribution。[426]
[426]FortheviewtakeninGreeceandRomeoftransformationsintotreesandshrubs，seeBotticher，BaumcultusderHellenen，booki，chap。xix；alsoOvid，Metamorphoses，passim；alsoforegoingnotes。
But，inthenaturalcourseofintellectualgrowth，thinkingmenbegantodoubtthehistoricalaccuracyofthesemythsandlegends——or，atleast，todoubtallsavethoseofthetheologyinwhichtheyhappenedtobeborn；andthenextstepwastakenwhentheybegantomakecomparisonsbetweenthemythsandlegendsofdifferentneighbourhoodsandcountries：socameintobeingthescienceofcomparativemythology——asciencesuretobeofvastvalue，because，despitemanystumblingsandvagaries，itshowsevermoreandmorehowourreligionandmoralityhavebeengraduallyevolved，andgivesafirmbasistoafaiththathigherplanesmayyetbereached。
Suchasciencemakesthesacredbooksoftheworldmoreandmoreprecious，inthatitshowshowtheyhavebeenthenecessaryenvelopesofourhighestspiritualsustenance；howevenmythsandlegendsapparentlythemostpuerilehavebeenthenaturalhusksandrindsandshellsofourbestideas；andhowtheatmosphereiscreatedinwhichthesehusksandrindsandshellsinduetimewither，shrivel，andfallaway，sothatthefruititselfmaybegatheredtosustainanoblerreligionandapurermorality。
ThecominginofChristianitycontributedelementsofinestimablevalueinthisevolution，and，atthecentreofall，thethoughts，words，andlifeoftheMaster。Butwhen，inthedarknessthatfollowedthedownfalloftheRomanEmpire，therewasdevelopedatheologyandavastecclesiasticalpowertoenforceit，themostinterestingchaptersinthisevolutionofreligionandmoralitywereremovedfromthedomainofscience。