LITERARY ASPECTS OF NORTH AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY. 
51 
Schurtz in his “Altersklassen und Geheimbiinde.” In the main 
the same critique that I have applied to the latter 1 can be applied 
to Ehrenreich. 
The motifs, according to Ehrenreich, are conditioned by 
man’s apperception of the phenomena of nature and what he 
associates with these phenomena. They thus serve as demon- 
strations that the myths were originally concerned with these 
phenomena. As a proof of this, a number of myths were pointed 
out that still possessed all the features of a nature-myth. Taking 
these, then, as a starting point and as reinforcing his primary 
assumption of a single original and correct version, Ehrenreich 
reconstructed primitive mythology. 
As we have repeatedly pointed out, it is quite essential for 
Ehrenreichs’ theory that motifs and episodes serve as a means 
for reconstructing his original versions, and it is just here that 
the importance of the literary analysis becomes apparent; 
for we have shown that the motifs, themes, and episodes are 
used as free elements and are altered not through accidental 
causes but by the exercise of an author-raconteur’s artistic instinct. 
Consequently, even if many of these motifs did conceivably be- 
long to old versions of a myth, there is no possible way of dis- 
covering that now. We know, of course, that nature-myths 
exist, but, considering the nature of the literary tendencies at 
work, it seems quite justifiable to assume that certain author- 
raconteurs showed a preference for developing nature-myths 
or for interpreting any myth in terms of natural phenomena. 
There is abundant evidence for such a tendency in the mythol- 
ogies of many North American tribes. Among the Pawnee, for 
instance, the identification of heroes with stars has become almost 
a formula. 
It will thus be seen that the discussion of North American 
mythology from a literary point of view presents the problems 
customarily dealt with in an entirely different light, and, if it 
does nothing else, it demonstrates at least how intricate are the 
facts involved and how great the data still to be obtained before 
ultimate problems can be attacked. 
1 Cf. P. Radin, “The Ritual and significance of the Winnebago medicine dance,” Journal 
of American Folk-Lore, Vol. XXV, 1911, pp. 149-208. 
