This is sad, but, adds Prof. Du Bois-Reymond, "world-pain is of no avail and yet, the world is not so bad after all" (p. 124).
κρς.
TUISKO-LAND DER ARISCHEN STAEMME UND GOETTER-URHEIMAT. Erläuterungen
zum Sagenschatze der Veden, Edda, Ilias, und Odyssee. By Dr. Ernst
Krause. Mit 76 Abbildungen im Text und einer Karte. Glogau: Carl
Flemming. 1891.
Dr. Ernst Krause, better known by the nom de plume of "Carus Sterne," has of late made a special study of comparative mythology, and many interesting articles of his have appeared in different German periodicals, analysing and collating the myths of the Aryan nations and investigating their material as to their probable origin. Dr. Krause distinguishes between two kinds of myths, (1) those which might and actually do originate in any place, and (2) those which could originate only in a certain and limited locality. The former are most interesting to the psychologist. We can expect that they will afford us an important clue to the development of the human soul. The latter, however, are valuable material to the historian and ethnologist, and from their rich mines Dr. Krause quarries his main arguments to prove the European origin of the Aryas. The course and the effects of the sun vary so greatly in the south and in the north that it would have been strange if the solar myths also did not vary. Now it is natural that such a myth as that of Baldur's death, for instance, could only originate in a northern climate, and if we find the same legend told with slight modifications in the south, we must assume that it has been transplanted there. The attempt has often been made to explain the similarities between the Edda on the one hand and the Greek or Hindoo legends on the other by the influence of the latter on the former; yet we find that this theory is no longer tenable and we must grant, if not to the Edda itself, certainly to the substance of the Edda traditions a far greater antiquity than we ever could have anticipated. Let us compare, for instance, the Baldur myth with the account of Herodotus in "Klio" (Chaps. 34-45), and let us bear in mind that here we have not to deal with history, but with legends, for Plutarch already observes, the ancient historians had noticed that Solon died soon after Kroesos's accession to the throne (563 B. C.); accordingly it was little probable that he saw the Lydian King while at the height of his power. The striking similarity of the two versions can be seen in eight points:
1. King Odin has two sons, of 1. King Kroesos has two sons of whom the one is a model of whom the one excels by his perfection, beloved by God and virtues all his companions, men, while the other appears to while the other appears to be be excluded from the succession unable to succeed his father by the fact of his being blind. on the throne. He is deaf.
2. The Ases have evil dreams, 2. Kroesos dreams that a indicating that some danger is pointed iron will kill his threatening to Baldur. favorite son Atys.
3. Frigga takes an oath from 3. Kroesos removes all iron all created things not to arms within reach of his son. injure her son.
4. Baldur is married young, the 4. Atys is married young, his name of his wife being Nanna. mother's name is Nana.
5. The Ases make a sport of 5. Atys goes a hunting, because
shooting at Baldur because no in this sport he need not fear
missile can hurt him. the tooth of the boar.
6. Baldur's own brother kills 6. A friend (who was a fratricide
him without intention. by accident) kills Atys
unintentionally.