LANGUAGES OF THE INDO-EUROPEAN FAMILY. 421 



streams in tlie three continents of the Eastern Hemisphere, and even 

 designates the sea itself in certain tongues, becomes, with the prefix 

 of the article, by virtue of a strange forgetfulness on the part of the 

 Greek, not more definite or particular, but a general term for every 

 river that fiows. That the word is not confined to rivers is, however, 

 evident in Potamia, a district of Paphlagonia,®* and Potamus an Attic 

 deme of the tribe Leontis,^^ which reproduce BATHAM and Pithom 

 of Arabia and Egypt. The nuphar of Athom and the padma of 

 Lakshmi appear indeed in the Greek lotus of many ancient memories ; 

 but the very Sanskrit padma lives again in the hutonius, a name 

 originally denoting a water plant, and now applied to an order of 

 aquatics presenting certain evident points of analogy with the water 

 lilies, among which the lotus is found.^"" Besides the Potamoi of 

 Homer, various Greek heroes and demi-gods have been mentioned 

 who represent in the language and mythology of their country the 

 Egyptian Athom or Thaom-ka, the Arabian YODHAM and the 

 Indian Yotma or Adima. Did space permit I might show that in 

 this ancient word the oldest traditions of India and Greece, of 

 German and Celtic nations unite, so that on Egyptian ground 

 Buddha and Cadmus, Odin and Hu may be brought to unity. 

 Finally the name Potamon is not unknown to Greek mythology. In 

 him we may expect to find the hero real or imaginary after whom 

 the Paphlagonian district, the Attic deme and the whole tribe of 

 rivers were called. ApoUodorus had a true tradition of the origin 

 of the name, and makes assurance doubly sure by calling him Pota- 

 mon, the son of ^gyptus."^ 



98 Id. xii., 3, 41. 

 9» Id. ix., 1, 22. 



100 Lindley's Vegetable Kingdom, 208. 



101 ApoUodori Bibliothecse, ii., 1, 5. 



