Cox, George - Aryan Mythology Vol 2.pdf

76 MYTHOLOGY OF THE ARYAN NATIONS.
BOOK and their raiment, the rough shaggy locks and uncouth
_J^_— faces of the beings who represent the dark vapours, the pure
white robes and heavenly countenances of the maidens who
dwell in the fair Phaiakian land. Thus the enemies and
friends of the sun attend him throughout his journey, and
the times of peace may at any moment be followed by a time
of war. But these gloomy storm-clouds, which move like
giants with clubs as high as a ship's mast, all rise from the
sea. In other words they are sons of Poseidon, and thus is
explained that enmity of Poseidon for Odysseus which is
partially counteracted by the dawn-goddess Athene. Hence
also many of the beings whom he encounters are only old
friends or enemies in a new form or dress. There is really
no difference in kind between the Kikones, the Laistry-
gonians, and the Kyklopes, between the Lotos-eaters, Kirke,
and the Seirens. It is but a question of the degree of risk
and extent of loss in each case. Thus the Kikones gather
together, like the leaves of the trees in number, and they gain
their victory as the sun goes down in the west. These
beings reappear in more formidable shape on the island
where the Kyklopes feed their shaggy flocks, the vapours
which lie low and seem to browse upon the hills. Necessarily
they can but pasture their herds, for vines or cornfields they
can have none. It is hard to say how far the details of the
story may not be strictly mythical in their origin. Certain
it seems that when Odysseus, having left eleven ships in the
goat island, approaches the home of the Kyklopes with only
one, we see the sun drawing near to the huge storm-cloud
with but a single Phaiakian bark by his side. As his orb
passes behind the mass of vapour the giant becomes the
one-eyed or round-faced Kyklops, who devours one by one
the comrades of Odysseus, as the beautiful clouds vanish one
after the other behind this sombre veil. As the vapours
thicken still more, the face of the sun can no longer be seen ;
in other words, Polypkemos has been blinded, and his rage
is seen in the convulsive movements of the vapours, from
beneath which, as from beneath the shaggy -fleeced rams,
the white clouds which belong to the Phaiakian regions are
seen stealing away, until at last from under the hugest beast