Identifier: indianmythlegend00inmack Title: Indian myth and legend Year: 1913 (1910s) Authors: Mackenzie, Donald Alexander, 1873-1936 Subjects: Hindu mythology Publisher: London, Gresham Contributing Library: Indiana University Digitizing Sponsor: Indiana University

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Text Appearing Before Image: rom any teacher, hewrote, we must first of all, like a historical artist, thinkourselves into sympathy with his position. And if inendeavouring to understand the religious conceptions ofthe ancient forest sages, we, at times, find ourselves in diffi- Jculties, it may be that if a saying is hard to understand,it is because we are thinking of something else —we arelooking on India with European eyes and with Europeanprejudices. There is always, said Stevenson, a rulingspirit behind the code of rules, an attitude, a relation, a pointof the compass, in virtue of which we conform or dissent.^ We are confident that our readers who peruse withsympathy and, we hope, with enjoyment, the chapters whichfollow, will feel themselves drawn closer than hitherto tothe millions of our fellow subjects in the great dependencyof the British Empire, by whom Rama and Yudhishthiraare regarded as ideal types of strong manhood, and Savitriand Sita as perfect women and exemplary lovers and wives. Lav Morals.

Text Appearing After Image: < <Pi< X X < Xh Oz w Pi w p< w Di U t—tJ cq1^ Pio < INDIAN MYTH ANDLEGEND CHAPTER IIndra, King of the Gods Types of Hammer Gods—The Aryan Indra—Chinese World Shaper—Scottish Hunting Deity—Egyptian Artisan God—Greek and Roman ThunderGods—Thor—Hittite, Assyrian, and other types—A Wail from Palestine—Babylonian Influence—Indras Indian Character—A Nature Myth—DroughtDemon slain—Gods and Demons in conflict—Origin of Indras Thunderbolt—Demons plot to destroy Universe—Babylonian Creation Myth—How IndraShaped the World—Elfin Artisans in India, Egypt, and Germania—BabylonianArtisan God—Indra the Harvest God—The God of Battle—Comparison withThor—Aryan Cattle Lifters—Indras Queen and Attendants. The ancient Eur-Asian hammer god, bearing thetribal name of Indra, accompanied the earliest invadingbands of hunting and pastoral Aryans, who hailed withjoy the fresh woods and pastures new of the Punjab,the green country of Fiv

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