Page:The Mythology of the Aryan Nations.djvu/269

Rh to man. Thus the flame of fire and the solar rays, being both ahke CHAP, vahni, became vehement and fiery horses. So, too, the morning and the evening, the gloaming and the dawn, became, as we have seen, twin steeds — the Asvins — joined together in a mysterious bond which made it impossible to draw a line between the approach of the one and the vanishing of the other. But this step taken rendered another step necessary. The glorious being whose light wakes a sleeping world to life must be enthroned in a burning chariot, of which the rays that stream across the heaven must be the gleaming steeds ; and thus the sun who had himself been Hari, the flashing, now became Indra, or Surya, or Savitar, whose car was drawn by the glistening Harits. Where we say that " the sun is rising," or that " he is high in the heaven," they said, " the sun has yoked his steeds for his journey," or that " his horses have borne his chariot to the house of Dyaus." But how little the name Harit had lost its original meaning, is clear from the many terms which are used in describing them. The Vedic poet knew well the differences of mean- ing in the words which he uttered when he spoke of them as Harits, or Rohits, or Arushis ; yet under each of these names was growing up a distinct personality, and thus the Harits, whose number is given sometimes as seven, sometimes as ten, become sisters who fly on beautiful wings.^ But while even in India the idea of loveliness was beginning to predominate over that of mere animal strength, among the Western Aryans the glistening Harits became the lovely Charites whom the Latins called the Gratise and we the Graces. Yet by the side of these fair creations of human thought, the root which yielded these names was discharging a more homely function : and the grease with which our wheels are rubbed is but another form of the names of Charis in the Iliad, and the Graces of Canova.

Arushi, however, is only the feminine form of arvan, a horse ; .^rushi. and the masculine arusha is a common Vedic epithet for the sun. But this name is applied to him only at his rising. He is arusha, when " Night goes away from her sister the dawn, and the dark one opens the path for the bright god." But arusha is also a child. " The seven sisters have nursed him, the joyful, the white one, as he was born, the Arusha with great might ; as horses go to the foal that is born, so did the gods bring up his son when he was born."^ He has the eyes of a man, and he is also Saparnas, with beautiful wings. More evidence can scarcely be needed to show that in this picture we have the Hellenic god of love, the bright and winged Eros. But

' Max Miiller, Chips, &>€., ii. 131. Muses nursinir the infant Phoibos in the
 * This is precisely the picture of the Homeric hymn. Max Miiller, il>. 136.