Celtic Mythology and Religion

CHARACTER OF MYTH. T£
variation. Here the hoodie crow is replaced by a
little doggie, and the wife's disobedience is clearly
brought out, while the supernatural machinery—
the magical scissors and needle, for example—is
much more elaborate. The tale also is found in
Norway ; in the Norse tale, " East of the Sun and
West of the Moon," the hero appears at first as a
white bear, who, on his marriage with the heroine,
becomes a man by night.
see him, for light must not fall
She must not, however,
on his body or else
he at once disappears. But the wife, instigated
by her mother, steals a sight of him by lamp-light,
with the consequence that he awakes and vanishes.
Then follow her trials, pursuit, and recovery of him.
The beautiful Greek tale of Psyche and Cupid is but
a variation of the same myth.
Psyche, the youngest
of three royal daughters, incurs the wrath of Venus,
who sends Cupid to inspire her with love for something
contemptible ; as Titania, in Shakespeare,
is made to fall in love with the transformed weaver,
Bottom. But Cupid, captivated by her beauty,
falls in love with her himself, conveys her to a secret
cave, and visits her only at night, under strict charge
of her not attempting to see him by any light. Her
jealous sisters persuade her that she is married to
some ugly monster, and she accordingly determines
to disobey his injunctions, and inspect him by lamplight.
In so doing, she allows in her admiration
of his beauty, a drop of hot oil to fall on his shoulder,
and he awakes, and escapes. She suffers woes