pe still displays episodes of
nature-myth, may be seen in the following story of _Vassalissa, the
Beautiful_.

Vassalissa's stepmother and two sisters, plotting against her life, send
her to get a light at the house of _Baba Yaga_, the witch, and her
journey contains the following history of the _Day_, told, as Mr. Tylor
says, in truest mythic fashion:

"Vassalissa goes and wanders, wanders in the forest. She goes,
and she shudders. Suddenly before her bounds a rider, he
himself white, and clad in white, and the trappings white.
_And Day began to dawn._ She goes farther, when a second rider
bounds forth, himself red, clad in red, and on a red horse.
_The Sun began to rise._ She goes on all day, and towards
evening arrives at the witch's house. Suddenly there comes
again a rider, himself black, clad in all black, and on a
black horse; he bounded to the gates of the _Baba Yaga_, and
disappeared _as if he had sunk through the earth_. _Night
fell._ After this, when Vassalissa asks the witch, 'Who was
the white rider?' she answered, 'That is my clear _Day_;' 'Who
was the red rider?' 'That is my red _Sun_;' 'Who was the black
rider?' 'That is my black _Night_. They are all my trusty
friends.'"[559:1]

We have another illustration of allegorical mythology in the Grecian
story of Hephaestos splitting open with his axe the head of Zeus, and
Athene springing from it, full armed; for we perceive behind this savage
imagery Zeus as the bright _Sky_, his forehead the _East_, Hephaestos as
the young, not yet risen _Sun_, and Athene as the _Dawn_, the daughter
of the Sky, stepping forth from the fountain-head of light,--with eyes
like an owl, pure as a virgin; the golden; lighting up the tops of the
mountains, and her own glorious Parthenon in her own favorite town of
Athens; whirling the shafts of light; the genial warmth of the morning;
the foremost champion in the battle between night and day; in full
armor, in her panoply of light, driving away the darkness of night, and
awakening men to a bright life, to bright thoughts, to bright
endeavors.[559:2]

Another story of the same sort is that of Kronos. Every one is familiar
with the story of Kronos, who devoured his own children. Now, Kronos is
a mere creation from the older and misunderstood epithet Kronides or
Kronion, the ancient of days. When these days or time had come to be
regarded as a person the