Page:The Mythology of the Aryan Nations.djvu/248

216 BOOK his bride while she is bathing, the myth remains essentially the same; and in this form we see at once the germ of the story of Melusina, who is found by Count Raymund, as Daphne is found by ApoUon, near running water, and who, like Bheki or Urvasi, readily consents to marry her human lover on the condition that he shall never attempt to see her on one day of each week. When at length the promise is broken, Raymund sees his beautiful wife in the water, the lower portion of her body being now in the form of a fish. Bu. Melusina did not know that her husband had thus seen her, and, a: in Fouque's story of Undine, the catastrophe comes only when Raymund calls her a serpent and bids her depart from his house.^

Er6s and The idea, common to all these tales, of beings who though united Psyche. closest love may not look upon each other, is but little modified in the story of Eros and Psyche. The version given by Appuleius is commonly spoken of as an allegory. It deserves the name as much and as little as the Odyssey. Here, as in the tales already referred to, no liquid must come near the mysterious being to whom the love of the mortal husband or wife is given. The old phrase that the sun must die at the sight of water,^ has retained its hold on the story-tellers of all the Aryan nations ; but the version of Appuleius assigns reasons where the earlier Sanskrit myth is content to relate incidents. If like Urvasi Psyche brings about her own punishment, she does so because she is under a doom laid on her by Venus. But Venus is Aphrodite Anadyomene, the mother, the wife, or the child of the sun ; and the notion that the love of the sun for ' For other versions and variations rodite) is not, indeed, here described as of this stoiy see Gould, Curious Myths, a frog; but she is a "strange-looking •'Melusina." The same myth is intro- ugly creature" with her hair down to duced by Sir Walter .Scott in his ro- her heels, who in vain entreats Fionn mance oi Anne of Gckrstcin (ch. xi.), and Oisean (Finn and Ossian) to let whose mother's life depends on a bril- her come to their fire. Diarmaid, who liant opal which must not be touched scruples not to say how hideous he with water. This gem, like many thinks her, is more merciful ; but the others, is sympathetic. It is, in short, Loathly Lady (for it is the same myth) the fatal brand of Meleagros. See also becomes as exacting as the little Frog Scott, Border Minstnlsy, introduction in Grimm's story. She has not been to Ballad of Tamlane. long at the fire when she insists on

The idea of ugliness or unseemliness coming imder Diarmaid's plaid. He would naturally come to be connected turns a fold of it between them ; and with Bheki or the Frog. Hence the presently he finds by his side "the most king's daughter in the German story of beautiful woman that man ever saw." the Frog I'rince shows no special fancy She is the Dawn-maiden, and she raises for the little creature which brings up for his dwelling that palace of the sun for her the golden ball (the sun's orb) which the Arabian story-teller delights from the bottom of the well, 'ihe ugli- to describe in the tale of Allah-ud-deen. ncss of Bheki serves to give point to the The same being appears as the "foul beautiful Gaelic legend of Nighean Righ wight " in Chaucer's tale of the Wife of FoThuinn, Campbell, 'I ales of the West Bath, Keightley, fairy Mytholoiiy, ^21. Highlands, iii. 404. The maiden (Aph-


 * Max Mailer, Chips, ii. 248.