102 MYTH AXD SCIENCE. 



By the primitive personification of the special 

 fetishes -whence he was evolved, the Indra of Vedic 

 India is shepherd of -the herd of heavenly kine. Vritra, 

 a three-headed monster in the form of a serpent, steals 

 away the herd and hides it in his cave. Indra 

 pursues the robber, enters the cave with fury, 

 overwhelms the monster with his thunderbolt, and 

 leads back the kine to heaven, their milk sprinkling 

 the earth. This myth gradually assumed in the 

 Vedic hymns more splendid and artistic forms, and 

 more amazing personifications. The original motive 

 of the myth, as it has been interpreted even by Indian 

 commentators, was the storm with all its alternations 

 which bursts forth with more terrific violence in 

 hot climates. The luminous clouds which bring rain 

 are the purple kine whom a black demon tries to steal ; 

 the fruitfulness of the earth depends on the issue of 

 the contest, and the thunderbolt disperses the cloud, 

 which falls on the earth in rain, while Indra, that is, 

 the blue sky, appears in his splendour.* 



It may be clearly seen from these examples how 

 the specific myth was gradually developed. We have 

 said that in addition to the myth which referred to 

 types constructed from special and manifold sugges- 

 tions, alike or analogous in extrinsic circumstances, 

 others were formed from definite natural objects, in 

 their relations to men and to their acquaintance with 

 cosmic facts in those very early times. These, how- 



* Michel Brfeal : Hercule et Cacus. 



