In general we must distinguish between an cestor and cosmogonie myths, the myths of devils and of sprites, and the myths that collect about higher anthropopathic divinities. Again, not exactly cosmogonic, but historical, are the myths of floods and wanderings :111(1 of early settlements reflected in tales of hyperborean paradises. As the cosmogonic myths are early attempts to give not a religious, but a scientific or at least a logi cal explanation of the universe, so this class of myths may be called historical, and they. may really reflect some pre-historical movement of races. though most of them are enwrapped in later fable. Thus myths of a deluge may in some cases rest on an actual flood, which as far as the tribe was concerned swept away the world. \\'e cannot suppose, however, that any of these myths have come down to 115 in a pure condition. They are all accretions built up by successive generations. For this reason the higher mythology contains also the lower, though generally the more savage features in the latter have been softened down. Further, in the fre quent amalgamation of tribes into a larger po litical unit myths often lose their original sig nificance and are attached to quite different gods.
Even without visible outward change the hero god becomes modified in spirit, according to the changing theology. Again, as tribes merge mid distribute their myths, so myths by their own eharm from laud to land, the characters being changed. Myths in an advanced stage may become purely allegorical, as when a solar culture-hero is represented as destroying bar barism tinder the guise of a long anthropomor phic tale, such as the epic of the Ham:Vona in India. Again. in the process of anthropomorphiz ing. the hero may become so human as to sug gest that he was a man, and we thus arrive at the Enhemeristie explanation of all myths as tales told about human beings afterwards ele vated to divine rank. Thus. in India the 'mortal gods,' or gods who had originally been men, are a recognized class, the most conspicuous mem ber of the class being the local mesas called Kubera, who is usually regarded as king of the under-world wealth, a Pluto; but in this inter pretation he is a god divinizcd out of a rich man named Kubera.