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 180 The Religion of the Veda

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try like Sweden where the conﬂict is hard and long. Even there these phenomena seem hardly to suggest so ﬁerce and Herculean a contest as that which is supposed to take place between Indra and the frost giant Vritra:

Released from ice are stream and brook, By spring-«title’s enchanting, enlivening look.

These words of Goethe seem to come so much nearer to what might be expected.

But over and beyond, Indra performs in his pro» fessional capacity of Hercules a large assortment of other “stunts.” He releases the cows from the stables of the avaricious who conﬁne them and will not sacriﬁce them to the gods. He also performs the heavenly analogue of this deed: he breaks open the stables of darkness, presided over by another demon of the name of Vala, and releases the heav- enly cows, that is, the light of dawn and the sun. It seems impossible to hold aloof this important myth from the classical myths of Heracles and three—headed Geryon, and Hercules and three-headed Cacus. Hercules carries off the cattle which belong to the monster, or, in the case of Cacus, which the monster had stolen from the hero, and had hidden away in his cave.’ Indra, moreover, kills a great variety of other demons. To the immediate con-

1 See Oldenberg, Dr‘s Religion (fer Veda, p. 14.3 f]

—HI “I “M

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