Page:The Mythology of All Races Vol 6 (Indian and Iranian).djvu/85

Rh gods, and the only great one is Uṣas, though Sarasvatī is of some slight importance. To Indra, Varuṇa, and Agni are assigned Indrāṇī, Varuṇānī, and Agnāyī respectively, but they are mere names. Pṛthivī ("Earth"), who is rather frequently named with Dyaus, has only one hymn to herself, while Rātrī ("Night") is invoked as the bright starlit night, at whose approach men return home as birds hasten back to their nests, and who is asked to keep the thief and the wolf away. Originally a personification of the thunder, Vāc ("Speech") is celebrated in one hymn (x. 125) in which she describes herself. She accompanies all the gods and supports Mitra and Varuṇa, Indra and Agni, and the Aśvins, besides bending Rudra's bow against the unbeliever. Purandhi, the Avestan Pārendi, is the goddess of plenty and is mentioned with Bhaga, while Dhiṣaṇā, another goddess (perhaps of plenty), occurs a dozen times. The butter-handed and butter-footed Iḷā has a more concrete foundation, for she is the personification of the offering of butter and milk in the sacrifice. Bṛhaddivā, Sinīvālī, Rākā, and Guṅgū are nothing but names. Pṛśni is more real: she is the mother of the Maruts, perhaps the spotted storm-cloud. Saraṇyū figures in an interesting but fragmentary myth. Tvaṣṭṛ made a wedding for his daughter with Vivasvant, but during the ceremony the bride vanished away. Thereupon the gods gave one of similar form to Vivasvant, but in some way Saraṇyū seems still to have borne the Aśvins to him, as well perhaps as Yama and Yamī, for the hymn (x. 17) calls her "mother of Yama." The fragmentary story is put together by Yāska in the following shape. Saraṇyū bore to Vivasvant Yama and Yamī, and then substituting one of like form for herself, she fled away in the guise of a mare. Vivasvant, however, pursued in the shape of a horse and united with her, and she bore the Aśvins, while her substitute gave birth to Manu. The legend may be old, for it has a curious similarity to the story of the Tilphossan Erinys, though the names do not philologically tally. At any rate the legend seems to have no