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: o avail, becausethe Asuras devoured it; if a man neglected a part of aceremonial performance, a demon might take possessionof him and accomplish his ruin. One of the terrible Asuras is the demon Rahu, whocauses eclipses by swallowing the sun and the moon, likethe Chinese dragon, the wolf Managarm of Teutonicmythology, and the Grecian demons who devour Helena,the sun maiden, sister of the twin Dioscuri. In theVedic period Rahu was represented by the demon Svarb-hanu. The Asuras of Ocean are the Daityas and Danavas,the descendants of the chaos hags Diti and Danu, andKasyapa, a superhuman sage. These are the giants anddemons who fought against the gods like the Titans, theIrish Fomorians, and the Norse Jotuns. Indra confinedthem in this region, which is called Patala, and they re- In the combat between Thor and the giant Hrungner, the thunder-hammersimilarly cleaves a mass of flint hurled by the enemy.—Teutonic Myth and Legend.^ Mahabharata, Vana Par-va section, pp. 679-80, Roys trans.

Text Appearing After Image: z o w a Q2< U OZ <-J o Q 3 3^ DEMONS AND GIANTS AND FAIRIES 65 main there afflicted by Time ,^ and subject to the swayof Varuna. Like the Norse giants, they will be let looseto take part in the Last Battle. An Asura fireburns constantly in Patala, fed by water; it is boundand confined, but cannot be extinguished; when theend of all comes, it will burst forth and burn up thethree worlds. In Teutonic mythology the Universe issimilarly doomed to be consumed by fire at Ragnarok, the Dusk of the Gods . The abodes of these giants and demons are exceed-ingly beautiful; they are agleam with gold and preciousstones; seats and beds are provided in the mansions, andthere are also recreation grounds, and forests and moun-tains resembling clouds. Indeed, the Daityas and Danavaslive pretty much in the same manner as the gods, for the gods and Danavas are brothers, although ever hos-tile to one another. The Danava women are of giganticstature, and wear jewels as large as mountain boulders;when

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