Page:Mythology Among the Hebrews.djvu/140

100 the sunset is viewed as a fall into the sea; but one new feature is here added, viz., that the two sisters fight, and the black one, the dark Night, throws the brilliant Sun into the sea. In the morning the Sun that had fallen into the sea rises up again out of her night's quarters. The Roman poet expresses the idea 'Never did a fairer lady see the sun arise,' by the words:

and because the sun rises out of the water, a Persian poet calls water in general 'the Source of Light (tsheshmei nûr).' Connected with these ideas is that of the so-called Pools of the Sun, which are assigned to the rising and setting sun alike. But the morning sun is also made to come forth out of mud and morass (as in Homer from the ), as is described amongst others in the Arabic tradition. It is obvious that this conception must have first arisen in countries whose horizon was not bounded by the sea. The same assumption must be made with regard to another conception also, found in the African nation of the Yorubas. These regard the town Ife as a sort of abode of gods, where the Sun and Moon always issue forth again from the earth in which they were buried. No doubt this notion was formed among the portion of the nation that lived at a distance from the sea. A considerable part of the elements of the animal-worship which refers to water animals may be traced back to mythological conceptions which we have exhibited above.