is point Bergaigne deprecates the
application of the ritualistic method, and says in words
that cannot be too emphasized: "Mais qui ne voit que de
telles exptications n'expliquent rien, ou plutot que le
detail du rituel ne peut trouver son explication que dans le
mythe, bien loin de pouvoir servir lui-memes a expliquer le
mythe?... Ni le ciel seul ni la terre seule, mais la terre
et le ciel etroitement unis et presque confondus, voila le
vrai domaine de la mythologie vedique, mythologie dont le
rituel n'est que la reproduction" (i. p. 24).]

[Footnote 3: i. 58. 4; v. 7. 7; vi. 3. 4.]

[Footnote 4: iii. 14. 4; i. 71. 9; vi. 3. 7; 6. 2; iv. 1.
9.]

[Footnote 5: Or of time or order.]

[Footnote 6: Or 'Finder-of-beings.']

[Footnote 7: _Herabkunft des Feuers und des Goettertrankes_.]

[Footnote 8: RV. vi. 16. 13: "Thee, Agni, from out the sky
Atharvan twirled," _nir amanthata_ (cf. Promantheus). In x.
462 the Bhrigus, [Greek: phleghyai], discover fire.]

[Footnote 9: Compare v. 2. 1. Sometimes Agni is "born with
the fingers," which twirl the sticks (iii. 26. 3; iv. 6.
8).]

[Footnote 10: Compare ii. 1: "born in flame from water,
cloud, and plants ... thou art the creator."]

[Footnote 11: Bergaigne, i. p. 32 ff. The question of
priestly names (loc. cit. pp. 47-50), should start with
Bharata as [Greek: purphoros], a common title of Agni (ii.
7; vi. 16. 19-21). So Bhrigu is the 'shining' one; and
Vasishtha is the 'most shining' (compare Vasus, not good but
shining gods). The priests got their names from their god,
like Jesuits. Compare Gritsamada in the Bhrigu family (book
ii.); Vicv[=a]-mitra, 'friend of all,' in the Bharata family
(book iii.); Gautama V[=a]madeva belonging to Angirasas
(book iv.); Atri 'Eater,' epithet of Agni in RV. (book v.);
Bharadv[=a]ja 'bearing food' (book vi.); Vasishtha (book
vii.); and besides these Jamadagni and Kacyapa,
black-toothed (Agni).']

[Footnote 12: De Isid. et Osir. 46. Compare Windischmann,
_Ueber den Somacultus der Arier_ (1846), and Muir, _Original
Sanskrit Texts_, vol. ii. p. 471. Hillebrandt, _Vedische
Mythologie_, i. p. 450, believes _haoma_ to mean the moon,
as does _soma_ in some hymns of the Rig Veda (see below).]

[Footnote 13: Compare Kuhn, _Herabkunft d