BABYLON AND PERSIA

ARYAN myths IN THE AVESTA. 6/and driest mention of her, in a prayer to be recitedat break of day, and where she is called " the beau¬tiful Dawn, the shining, of the fleet and glitteringhorses," and is said to wake men to their work andto give light within the house.9. Far more accentuated and developed is themythical individuality of the Eranian Mithra, whenseparated from his original companion.One of, thelongest and finest hymns (Yesht X.) is devoted tohim.In order to fully comprehend the mythicaltraits in it, it must be borne in mind that Mithra,like his Aryan namesake, is Light, the pure light ofda)', which fills the space apart from the splendor ofthe sun, whence his standing surname " lord of widepastures " (heavenly .space) ;whence also he is saidboth to precede the sun at his rising iind to followhim after his setting ;he is the morning and eveningtwilight, the dawn and the gloamintr:"llie first of the heavenly gods who reaches over tlie Hara, be¬fore tlie undying, swift-horsed sun ; who foremost, in golden array,takes liold of the beautiful suniniits, and from thence looks with abeneficent eye over the abodes of the Aryans, where the val¬iant chiefs draw up their many troops in array, where thehigh mountains, rich in pastures and waters, yield plenty tothe cattle ; where the deep lakes with salt waters stand ; wherewide-flowing rivers s^vell and hurry. . . ." Who goes over tlie earth, all her breadth over, after the settingof the sun, touches both ends of this wide, round earth, whose endshe afar, and surveys every thing that is between the earth and theheavens." He who moves along all tlie Karshvars,* a Yazata unseen, andbrings glory. ... ,^ ^"^ ^'irth is divided into seven regions or Kakshvars, of whichEran is the largest and central one.