1881.] Dr. Mitra— Origin of Myth about Kerberos. 93 



In Norse legends — as in Baldur's Dream in the elder Edda — the animal 

 is described as " spotted with blood on his front and chest." 



In the Vendidad it finds a prominent place ; nor was it unknown 

 among some of the Turanian and Semitic nations. 



The belief in it turns up, curiously enough, among Algonquin tribes of 

 the North American Indians, who say that at the further approach of the 

 snake bridge across the river of the dead there is a warder in the form of a 

 great dog.* 



Local colouring and minor details apart, the myth is the same every- 

 where, and its wide dispersion bespeaks its extreme antiquity. 



But what it means has not yet been satisfactorily settled. According 

 to some Kerberos is a symbol of all-devouring time, and the three mouths 

 of the animal represent the present, the past, and the future. Milton 

 accepted it in the sense of man's conscience, which preyed within him for 

 his past misdeeds. Others believed it to be the symbol of earth, or of 

 the human passions, the victory of Herakles denoting the conquest which 

 he achieved over his passions. Bryant takes Kerberos to be the name of 

 a place — and it signified the temple of the sun, deriving it from Kir-abor 

 " the place of light." The temple was also called Tor-ca_pfi-el, which, it is 

 alleged, changed to Trikephalos. 



The latest theory is that it is an offshoot of the far-reaching solar myth 

 which peopled the eastern and the western heavens with such an endless 

 variety of gods and goddesses. According to this theory, the gloom of the 

 morning and the evening represents the two dogs. (MaxMiiller, ' Science of 

 Language,' Second Series, p. 478.) The learning, ingenuity and tact with 

 which this theory has been worked out leaves little to be desired. Philolo- 

 gical evidence on the subject is overwhelming, and the coincidences are 

 most remarkable. And yet the enquiry does not seem to be complete. 

 The myth of Kerberos may be due to Sarama = Echidna, the prolific mother 

 of so many romantic stones ; but the question remains why was the story 

 elaborated ? and what gave occasion to its repulsive character ? The Dawn 

 is justly associated with every thing that is charming and full of life ; why 

 should it be brought into contact with death and destruction ? Divested of 

 its mythological surroundings, the substance of the story is made up of the 

 presence of dogs at the time of transition from life to eternity ; this is ill 

 explained by the melting of the gloom of night by the appearance of Dawn. 

 The dog is made the son of Dawn, or darkness proceeding from light, and 

 not light proceeding from darkness. Solar influence moreover always 

 typifies exuberant vivification, and not death. It is by itself quite inexpli- 

 cable why the glorious and resplendent Dawn should bring forth two ugly 

 puppies. If we take man's life to be the counterpart of the life of the 

 * Tanner's Narrative, p. 290 



