Page:The Mythology of the Aryan Nations.djvu/601

Rh CHAP. X. the asphodel meadow, or the god traversing his domain in stately procession. The brave and good who had followed the midnight journeys of Wuotan give place to the wretched throng of evil-doers who are hurried along in the devil's train, or in that of some human being, who for his pre-eminent wickedness is made to take the devil's place. In Denmark the hunter is King Waldemar, in Germany Dietrich of Bern, in France King Hugh or Charles V. ; in England it is Heme the Hunter of Windsor, and the one-handed Boughton or Lady Skipwith of Warwickshire tradition.^ Other myths were sub- jected to the same process of degradation. The kindly Demeter be- comes the devil's mother,^ grandmother, or sister, who still shows something of her ancient character in the part which she plays towards those who throw themselves on her protection. Thus she shields Thor and Tyr in the house of Hymir, as the giant's mother shelters Jack in the nursery story.^ In the lay of Beowulf Grendel's mother is less complying, and avenges on the hero the death of her son. The binding of the devil, like that of Prometheus and Ahriman, is implied in the phrase " the devil is loose," the sequel being " the devil is dead."

One legend of the devil's death furnishes some singular points of comparison with the myth of Polyphemos, although it seems rash to infer any direct derivation of the story from the Odyssey. The devil asks a man who is moulding buttons what he may be doing ;

The death of the blinded Devil.

' Dasent, Norse Tales, introd. Ixxxiv. Grimm, D. M. gcx), 958. In other legends it is Herodias, who, confounded with her daughter, is made to dance on for ever ; or Satia, Bertha, Abundia (names denoting kindliness, briglitness, or plenty), who, with Frigga, and Freya, Artemis and Diana, are degraded into leaders of midnight troops. same level with Orion or Wuotan, Grimm, D. JI. 961. The devil, of course, has his children, "devil's brood," "devil's imps." Grimm remarks that Teufelskind is synonymous with Don- nerskind, and that here again we are confronted with old mythical expres- sions. Thunder is red-bearded, and the devil therefore has a beard of that colour, and the thunder- bolts are his followers. Many expressions common to England and Germany come from the same source. The compassionate phrase " der arme Teufel " was formerly "der arme Donner ; " and the expletives "Hagel' " Donner- wetter " and " un- ser Herr-Gott " point to the time when the heathen Donar was lord of the atmosphere {ib. 965). His conduct to his wife also carries us back to some of the oldest mythical phrases. He is said to beat his wife when the rain falls in sunshine, and the rapid alternation of sunshine and shower is said to be caused by his blanching his grandmother. ing powers of Northern mythology', with an analysis of their characteristics, see Brown, Religion avd Mythology of Aryans of Northern Europe, § 12. In this sombre catalogue Draug is of special interest as representing the Iranian Drukhs, which has dropped out of the Vedic mythology and survives in Greek, it would seem, only in the adjective a-Tp€ic-7jj,and in Latin in trux. In Angurbodhe, the bode or messenger of fear, we have one of the many names which, like Anguis, Echidna, carry us to the choking snake Ahi. In Garm, the devourer, and Managarms, the moon- eater, we have one of the gapers or Bwallowers, to whose company belong Charon, Gorgo, Lamia, Lemures, &c.
 * Here Dionysos is lowered to the
 * For a list of the Adeva or oppos-