cH.xvii MYTHS, LEGENDS, STORIES 137 



much the same spirit and on the same occasions as 

 the animal stories, of which also the people are fond, 

 and they may be said to be sustained by the purely 

 aesthetic or literary motive, rather than the religious 

 or scientific motives. In fact it is not possible to 

 draw any sharp line between myths and fables. If 

 it is asked. Do the people believe the myths.? no 

 clear answer can be given ; for few of the myths 

 have any direct bearing upon practical life, and 

 therefore belief in them is not brought to the test 

 of action, the only test that can reveal the reality of 

 belief, or indeed differentiate belief from merely 

 unreflective acceptance of a story. Where such 

 practical bearing is not altogether wanting, we 

 commonly see conduct regulated in conformity with 

 the myth or story, as in the case of the story of the 

 bat carrying to the creatures in the river the news 

 of the intention of the people to poison the water. 



A certain number of the Bornean myths and 

 legends have been published in Mr. Ling Roth's 

 book and elsewhere, especially those of the I bans. 

 We have chosen for reproduction some repre- 

 sentative specimens that have not hitherto appeared 

 in well - known publications. A few stories that 

 properly belong to this chapter are scattered in 

 other parts of this book. 



We give first in a condensed form the substance 

 of a long rambling creation-myth current among 

 all branches of the Kayan people. This myth is 

 sung in rhymed blank verse, a fact which is partly 

 responsible for the wealth of names occurring in it. 



In the beginning there was a barren rock. On 

 this the rains fell and gave rise to moss, and the 

 worms, aided by the dung-beetles, made soil by 

 their castings. Then a sword handle {haup malat) 

 came down from the sun ^ and became a large tree. 



^ The sword handle is sometimes made of hard wood, but generally of deer's 

 horn, very elaborately carved (see PI. 129). It seems possible that this 



