156 BULLETIN 139^ UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



may he infuse into her the spirit of love, fidehty, and chastity toward 

 me without ever discarding my Kula family.' The bride has next 

 to stand behind the bridegroom, and to pass her hands in front of 

 him as if in embrace, to go round the fire with him, the husband 

 reciting another mantra meaning: 'O lady! I am like the Sama- 

 veda and you are like the Rid-veda. I am like the sky and you are 

 like the earth. We both in the presence of this sacred fire and these 

 Brahams will marry each other, procreate children and endear our- 

 selves to each other by good behaviour, and will live happily together 

 for 100 years.' The bride is then asked to stand on the stone; 

 while she is doing so the bridegroom recites another mantra which 

 says: *0 bride! Do ascend this stone and let yourself be as firm in 

 mind as the stone itself. Conquer your enemies by good deeds. 

 Another offering of the parched rice follows, and another ascent to 

 the stone is performed, repeating the process thrice ; finally the bride- 

 groom has to hold the winnowing basket with its open face or the 

 horns of its horseshoe-shaped rim toward him, and to pour the rem- 

 nants into the fire saying 'Prajapataiswha' etc. 



"The brother of the bride touches the right ear of the bridegroom 

 possibly to remind him that he is forgotten, and he is honoured with 

 a turban."" 



ORIGIN MYTHS 



No origin myths yield so much of interest as those relating to the 

 manner in which fire came to man. Endless outlines of vivid dramas 

 of events through which fire became the valued possession of man 

 are seen in the origin myths. Few of them are tame. 



The differences existing between the myths of peoples form an in- 

 teresting field for conjecture. If we assume that myths are in a con- 

 stant state of flux, meaning social, political, and culture changes, 

 then we can say that America and Africa and Oceania show less 

 change and a more uniform development than Europe and Asia. An 

 estimate may be made of the myth-forming ability of the peoples in 

 the grand divisions of the world based on fire myths. 



American Indian. Practical, logical. Conservative of cause. 

 Medium grade of imagination. 



Polynesia and Oceania. Mythopoetical, dealing in cosmic episodes. 

 Inventive. 



Asiatic. Civilized, highly imaginative and coherent. Uncivilized, 

 crude. 



Africa. Lack perspective; original, crude; ancient, iUogical, imag- 

 inative. 



"A Prabhu Marriage, by Rai Bahadur B. A. Qupte, 1911. Calcutta: Superintendent Government 

 Printing, India, pp. 41-44. 



