Page:The Mythology of the Aryan Nations.djvu/438

406 BOOK

and friends of the sun attend him throughout his journey, and the times of peace may at any moment be followed by a time of war. But these gloomy storm-clouds, which move like giants with clubs as high as a ship's mast, all rise from the sea. In other words, they are sons of Poseidon, and thus is explained that enmity of Poseidon for Odysseus which is partially counteracted by the dawn-goddess Athene. Hence also many of the beings whom he encounters are only old friends or enemies in a new form or dress. There is really no difference in kind between the Kikones, the Laistrj'gonians, and the Kyklopes, between the Lotos-eaters, Kirke, and the Seirens. It is but a question of the degree of risk and extent of loss in each case. Thus the Kikones gather together, like the leaves of the trees in number, and they gain their victory as the sun goes down in the west. These beings reappear in more formidable shape on the island where the Kyklopes feed their shaggy flocks, the vapours which lie low and seem to browse upon the hills. Necessarily they can but pasture their herds, for vines or cornfields they can have none. It is hard to say how far the details of the story may not be strictly mythical in their origin. Certain it seems that when Odysseus, having left eleven ships in the goat island, approaches the home of the Kyklopes with only one, we see the sun drawing near to the huge storm-cloud with but a single Phaiakian bark by his side. As his orb passes behind the mass of vapour the giant becomes the one-eyed or round-faced Kyklops, who devours one by one the comrades of Odysseus. As the vapours thicken still more, the face of the sun can no longer be seen ; in other words, Polyphemos has been blinded, and his rage is seen in the convulsive movements of the vapours, from beneath which, as from beneath the shaggy- fleeced rams, the white clouds which belong to the Phaiakian regions are seen stealing away, until at last from under the hugest beast of the flock the sun himself emerges, only to draw down on himself another savage attack from the madly rushing storm-cloud, Poly- phemos has been smitten, and as on the discomfiture of Vritra, or the Sphinx, or the Pythian dragon, the mighty waters burst forth, and the ship of Odysseus is wcU-nigh overwhelmed in the sea.

Odysseus The incidents which follow the departure of Odysseus from the island of Aiolos are a picture of a violent gale followed by profound calm. Aiolos himself gives to Odysseus a bag containing all the winds, from which he might let out the Zephyr to waft him on his way. As he sleeps, his comrades bewail the evil fate which sends them home empty-handed while Odysseus has received from the king of the winds vast treasures which would enrich them all. This notion