Chapter I: Front Matter

A GUIDE TO MYTHOLOGY

A
GUIDE TO MYTHOLOGY

BY
HELEN A. CLARKE
_Author of “Ancient Myth in Modern Poets,” “Longfellow’s
Country,” “Hawthorne’s Country,”
“The Poets’ New England,” Etc._

GARDEN CITY NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
1918

COPYRIGHT, 1908, BY
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF
TRANSLATION INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES,
INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN

To

MY LITTLE FRIEND

KATHARINE CORFIELD NEWBOLD

PREFATORY NOTE

It is a pleasure to express my thanks to publishers and authors for courteous permission given me to include in this book stories from their collections. To Houghton, Mifflin & Co., the publishers of “Algonquin Legends,” by J. G. Leland, and of Bryant’s translation of the “Odyssey”; to J. B. Lippincott Co., the publishers of “Gods and Heroes of Old Japan,” by Violet M. Pasteur, and of “Old Deccan Days,” by Mary Frere; to A. Wessels Co., the publishers and to Mr. W. W. Canfield, the author of “Legends of the Iroquois”; to Ginn & Co., the publishers of “Classic Myths in English Literature,” based on Bulfinch’s “Age of Fable,” by Charles Mills Gayley; to Macmillan & Co., publishers of “Theocritus, Bion, and Moschus, Done into English Prose,” by A. Lang; to Scott, Foresman & Co., publishers of “Norse Mythology,” by Melville B. Anderson. Other collections, out of print, as far as I know—the original publishers no longer being in existence, from which I have taken stories, are: “Indian Fairy Tales Based on Schoolcraft,” by Cornelius Mathews, and “Indian Myths,” by Ellen R. Emerson; also from the following English publications: “Polynesian Myths,” by Sir George Grey; “Russian Stories,” by Ralston.

I am also deeply indebted, as every one who studies mythology must be, to the following works, among others in various branches of the subject: Max Müller’s “Chips from a German Workshop,” Cox’s “Mythology of the Aryan Races,” John Fiske’s “Myths and Mythmakers,” Frazer’s “Golden Bough,” Hartland’s “Myth of Perseus,” Clodd’s “Childhood of Religions,” Andrew Lang’s “Custom and Myth,” Tyler’s “Primitive Culture,” Mills’s “Tree of Mythology,” Chamberlain’s “The Child and Childhood in Folk Thought,” De Gubernatis’s “Zoological Mythology,” Dr. Brinton’s “American Hero Myths,” “Myths of the New World,” as well as to many collections of folk-tales.

* * * * *

My aim in this book on Mythology for young readers has been to give them solid knowledge on the subject, as far as it is advisable to go with immature minds, based upon the most recent investigations of scholars, and to select the myths used in illustration of the plan, with a view to giving them interesting stories to read, which will, almost unconsciously to themselves, lay a firm foundation for the fascinating study of Comparative Mythology, should they wish to go more deeply into it in the future.

There is much talk nowadays as to the authenticity of the records of savage myths. Much of this talk seems to me futile, for a myth is not a fixed entity. Each successive narrator is almost sure to vary and embellish somewhat the material that comes to him, according to his own inventive fancy. If, therefore, a savage myth recorded by a white man retains the chief characteristics of the savage myth, in spite of some fanciful turns given it by him, to the degree, say, that a story of Ovid’s retains those of a Greek myth, it is to all intents and purposes a savage myth, and the embellishments may be disregarded, as Ovid’s are when we are considering Greek Mythology. I have, therefore, included in this volume those versions of the myths that seemed most readable and attractive, provided the primitive attitude of mind and customs were fully emphasized.

CONTENTS

PAGE

I.—WHAT IS A MYTH? 19

II.—ANIMALS IN PRIMITIVE MYTHS 40

_STORIES_: How the muskrat made the world (_Indians of
British Columbia_).—How a kite helped to make the world
(_Philippine Island_).—How Maui fished up the earth
(_Polynesian_).—The origin of the robin (_Odjibwa_,
Cornelius Mathews, based on Schoolcraft).—The origin of the
hare (_Aino_, B. F. Chamberlain).—How the mole became blind
(_North American Indian_, Mill’s “Tree of Mythology”).—The
boy and the wolves (_North American Indian_, Ellen R.
Emerson, “Indian Legends”).—How Wasbashas, the snail,
became a man (_North American Indian_, Emerson).—The
amazing adventures of Master Rabbit (_Algonquin_, Leland’s
“Algonquin Legends”).—The story of Manabozho (_Iroquois_,
Mathews-Schoolcraft).—How Glooskap made his uncle, the
turtle, into a great man (_Mic-Mac_ and _Passamaquoddy_,
Leland).—Punchkin (_Hindoo_, M. Frere’s “Old Deccan Days”).

III.—ANIMALS IN CULTURE MYTHS 131

_STORIES_: Hymn to Indra (_Hindoo_, “Rig Veda”).—The
Four apes (_Egyptian_, Book of the Dead).—Story of the
Midgard serpent and Fenris, the wolf (_Norse_, Melville B.
Anderson’s, “Norse Mythology,” based on the Eddas).—The
story of Apollo and Phaëton (_Greek_, Gayley, based on
Bulfinch).—The story of Odysseus and the oxen of the sun
(_Greek_, paraphrase from Bryant’s “Odyssey”).—The story of
Athēne and Arachne (_Greek_, Gayley-Bulfinch).

IV.—TREE AND PLANT MYTHS 165

_STORIES_: Ygdrasil, the Norse world tree.—Story of the
Aino who fell asleep at the foot of a pine tree.—Wunzh,
the father of Indian corn (_North American Indian_,
Mathews-Schoolcraft).—Leelinau, the Lost Daughter (_North
American Indian_, Mathews-Schoolcraft).—Birth of the
arbutus (_Iroquois_, W. B. Canfield’s “Legends of the
Iroquois”).—Song at the beginning (_Ancient Mexican_,
Brinton’s “Myths of the New World”).—Flower song (_Ancient
Mexican_, Brinton’s “Myths of the New World”).—The story of
Erisichthon (_Greek_, Bulfinch’s “Age of Fable”).—Story of
Pan and Syrinx (_Greek_, Gayley-Bulfinch).—Story of Pomona
and Vertumnus (_Roman_, Gayley-Bulfinch).—Myth of Osiris
and Isis (Bulfinch).—Story of Adonis (_Greek_, extracts
from Lang’s “Lament for Adonis,” by Bion).

V.—MYTHS OF THE SUN, MOON, AND STARS 207

_STORIES_: Story of the making of the sun, moon, and stars
(_Navajo_, Emerson).—Story of the conquering of the sun
(_North American Indian_, Emerson).—Hymn to the sun (_North
American Indian_, Emerson).—Hymn to Sûrya (_Hindoo_, “Rig
Veda”).—The worship of the sun and the dream of Onawutaquto
(_North American Indian_, Emerson).—The witch and the sun’s
sister (_Russian_, Ralston’s “Russian Folk-Tales”).—The
making of the mirror (_Japanese_, Violet M. Pasteur,
“Gods and Heroes of Old Japan”).—The death of Balder the
Good (_Norse_, Anderson-Eddas).—Battle of Ra and Anapef
(_Egyptian_, Book of the Dead).—Story of Phœbus Apollo
(_Greek_, Gayley-Bulfinch).—Story of Artemis and Orion
(_Greek_, Gayley-Bulfinch).—Story of the child and the star
(_Iowa Indian_, Emerson).—Osseo, the son of the evening
star (_North American Indian_, Mathews-Schoolcraft).—The
wandering star (_Chippewa_, Emerson).—The daughters of the
stars (_North American Indian_, Mathews-Schoolcraft).

VI.—MYTHS OF THE SKY AND AIR 269

_STORIES_: How a hunter visited the thunder spirits
who dwell in Mount Katahdin (_Passamaquoddy_,
Leland).—The thunder and lightning men (_Passamaquoddy_,
Leland).—How Glooskap bound Wuchowsen, the great
wind bird (_Passamaquoddy_, Leland).—The wonderful
exploits of Paup-puk-keewiss (_North American Indian_,
Mathews-Schoolcraft).—The story of Odin’s sword and
Sigmund (_Norse_, Anderson-Eddas).—How Thor conquered the
stone giant (_Norse_, Anderson-Eddas).—How Zeus came to
be king of gods (_Greek_).—Hymn to the dawn (_Hindoo_,
“Rig Veda”).—The lover’s vision of the happy land
(_North American Indian_, Emerson).—The message-bearers
(_Iroquois_, Canfield).—The way of the gods (_Japanese_,
Violet M. Pasteur).

VII.—MOTHER-MYTHS AND CHILD-MYTHS 336

_STORIES_: Malayan story of the sun and moon.—Hymn to
the mother of the gods (_Mexican Indian_, Brinton’s “Rig
Veda Americanus”).—Hymn to Cihuacoatl (_Mexican Indian_,
Brinton).—The children of heaven and earth (Sir George
Grey, “Polynesian Mythology”).—Story of Demeter (_Greek_,
from Hymn to Demeter, Callimachus).—The story of Demeter
and Persephone (_Greek_, Gayley-Bulfinch, drawn from Ovid
and Apollodorus).—Legend of Tu-tok-a-nu-la (_Indian_,
Emerson).—Nezhik-e-wa-wa-sun, or the lone lightning
(_Odjibwa_, Emerson).—Wasis, the baby (_Penobscot_,
Leland).—Ojeeg Annung, or the summer-maker (_Indian_,
Emerson).—The legend of Maui (_Polynesian_, Grey).—The
infant Heracles (_Greek_, paraphrased from Lang’s
translation of the Idyls of Theocritus).—The infant Hermes
(_Greek_, paraphrased from Shelley’s translation of the
Homeric Hymn to Mercury).

ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING PAGE

Automedon and the Horses of Achilles _Regnault_ _Frontispiece_

A Reading from Homer _Alma-Tadema_ 38

Zeus _From Pompeii_ 140

Athēne _Glyptothek, Munich_ 162

Apollo with the Lyre _Glyptothek, Munich_ 232

Diana or Artemis the Huntress _Versailles_ 240

Diana or Artemis _Correggio_ 248

Aurora _Guido Reni_ 270

The Flying Mercury or Hermes _Giovanni di Bologna_ 316

Athēne: Brandisher of the Spear _Capitol, Rome_ 320

Demeter or Ceres _The Vatican_ 340

The Infant Hercules _Louvre_ 384

A GUIDE TO MYTHOLOGY