Page:The Mythology of the Aryan Nations.djvu/314

282 BOOK also represent the wisdom and brightness or power of Phoibos, and the descent of Cheiron himself connects him with the phenomena of daylight. When Ixion in his boundless pride sought to seize Here the bright queen of the air herself, Zeus placed in his way the mist- maiden Nephele from whom was born the Kentaur/ as the sun in the heights of heaven calls forth the clouds which move like horses across the sky. It is difficult not to see in these forms of Hellenic mythology a reflexion of the Vedic Gandharvas.^ Not only has Indra the Harits (the Greek Charites) as his steeds, but the morning her. self as the bride of the sun is spoken of as a horse,^ and a hymn addressed to the sun-horse says, "Yama brought the horse, Trita harnessed him, Indra first sat on him, the Gandharva took hold of his rein."* It was inevitable that, when the word ceased to be understood in its original sense, the brightness of the clouds which seem to stretch in endless ranks to the furthermost abyss of heaven should suggest the notion of a wisdom which Phoibos receives from Zeus but cannot impart in its fulness to Hermes. What part of the heaven is there to which the cloud may not wander? what secret is there in nature which Cheiron cannot lay bare ? There were, how- ever, other traditions, one of which asserted that Asklepios wrought his wonderful cures through the blood of Gorgo, while another related of him the story which is assigned elsewhere to Polyidos the son of Koiranos.® But like almost all the other beings to whose kindred he belonged, Asklepios must soon die. The doom of Patro klos and Achilleus, Sarpedon and Memnon, was upon him also.

' rind. Pyth. ii. 80. Centaure par excellence, puisqui'l est of the myth of Oidipous, has no doubt correspond au Gandharva vetlique." of their identity. "M. Adalbert Kuhn," * Professor Max Miiller cites the he says, "dans un de ses plus ingenieux explanation of Yaska : " Saranyu, the travaux, a montre I'identite des Gen- daughter of Tvashtar, had twins from taures et des Gandharvas, ces ctres Vivasvat, the sun. She placed another fantastiques, qui jouent dans la mytho- like her in her place, changed her form logic indienne le meme role que les into that of a horse, and ran off. Vi- Ccntaures chez les Grccs. lis portent vasvat the sun likewise assumed the le meme nom : c'est ce que prouve form of a horse, followed her, and I'analyse grammatical des deux mots. embraced her. Hence the two Asvins Comme les Gcntaures, les Gandharvas were born, and the substitute (Savarna) ne forment qu'une seule famille. lis bore Manu." — Lectures on Languaf^e, sont Ic fruit de I'union du Gantlharva second series, 482. These Asvins are avec les Nuees. En examinant les the Dioskouroi.
 * M. Breal, in his masterly analysis le pere de cette famille de monstres : il

passages vcdiques oii il est ([uestion de * Max Miiller, Lectures, second ces divinites, M. Kuhn a demontre que series, 515. Gandharva est le nom du soleil, consi- * Apollod. iii. 10, 3, and iii. 3, i. dere au moment oii il repose parmi les This story, as we have already seen, is nuees et semble celebrer son union avec that of the Snake Leaves, and reappears elles, et que les Gandharvas sont les in Hindu as well as in Teutonic fairy nuages qui paraissent chevaucher dans tales. See p. 94. le ciel. Ixion chez les Grecs est le