MEDIEVAL CREATION MYTHS 613 



and say: 'This much earth is enough.' He just doesn't know what to do! " 

 Then God blessed the bee and commanded that its wax should serve to illumine 

 weddings and funerals and its honey should heal the sick. 



In the Kumanian Sage the bee goes to the wise hedgehog for advice 



and the hedgehog says : 



" Plainly God does not know that he must create mountains and valleys to 

 make room for the waters." 



The Setts say (p. 128) : 



As the earth was created it did not fit under the arch of heaven. Where 

 shall one put such a great disk? Just then the hedgehog came along and asked 

 what the trouble was. " Verily the earth is done, but we can not get it under 

 the arch of heaven and it would not do to break a piece off." " That's nothing," 

 said the hedgehog, " You must squeeze the disk together a little and then it 

 will go." Good: God quickly pressed the disk together and it was easy to stick 

 it under the heaven. 



Now there appeared here and there, by the pressure, wrinkles which are the 

 present mountains and valleys. God gave the hedgehog, for his shrewd head, 

 an excellent coat, all of needles, so that no enemy can get near him. 



