Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 1 1883.djvu/136

 128 Belgrave Square, on Wednesday, March 14th. Mr. Andrew Lang read a paper on the "Mythology of the Aryans of India." Mr. Lang first pointed out the sources of evidence for Aryan mythology in the Vedas and Brahmanas. Describing these early Hindu books Mr. Lang pointed out how necessary it was that some standard of evidence should be arrived at to distinguish in the Vedas which hymns are modern and which old. He then proceeded to discuss the myths about the origin of the world and of man, and shewed how inconsistent and fanciful savages were in their theories on this subject. Mr. Lang then dealt with the subject of Aryan myths derived from the savage, and gave evidence that one hymn in the Vedas proved the existence of human sacrifices among the Aryans of Lidia, that the gods of the Vedic hymns have power over earth and heaven as well as over the moral world, that the Vedic mythology touches savage mythology in the scurrilous stories told of the gods, wherein every sort of folly is attributed to Aryan deities. The Vedas do not contain the oldest ideas—they contain ideas very old and very new, very mythological and very philosophical; and in the course of his lecture Mr. Lang set forth many examples where savage myths touched upon Hindu myths. In the discussion which followed the President, Mr. Gomme, Mr. Nutt and Mr. Blind took part. Mr. H. S. Milman at the conclusion of the meeting moved a vote of thanks to Lord and Lady Beauchamp for their courtesy and kindness in thus bringing the Members together, and for having taken so much trouble in producing a most enjoyable evening. Lord Beauchamp had very kindly, after the paper was read, arranged for some very excellent glee singing.

It is to be hoped that members will at once take up the important work of Folk-Tale Analysis. Forms are now ready and every information will be supplied. The following members have engaged upon the work: Mr. A. Lang, Savage Folk-Tales; Mr. H. B. Wheatley, Croker's Fairy Legends of Ireland; Mr. Nutt, Campbell's Tales of the West Highlands; Mr. Gomme, Maspero's Contes Egyptiens; Mr. G. L. Apperson, Hitopadesa, Tuscan Fairy Tales, Sébillot's Littérature de la Haute Bretagne, Dasent's Tales from the Fjeld, South African Folk-Lore Journal; Mr. J. William Crombie, Spanish Folk-Tales. It is important that the Folk-Tale Committee should be receiving the analyses as soon as they arc finished, as the work of classification is one of great labour.