The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c16.s8.12

v1.c16.s8.12

Much stress has of late¹² been laid on the moon as the source of many myths which appear in our texts in connexion with the sun; thus the ritual use of swinging has plausibly been regarded as unnatural as a sun rite, but easily explicable as one derived from the moon; the conception of the sun as a boat or a vessel stands in a similar relation, while in German mythology such Indian beliefs as the hare in the moon, and the ceremonial striking of the calves with a fresh twig to produce milk in connexion with the new and full moon offerings, appear transferred to the sun. The importance of the moon in early times as giving the means of measuring time is insisted upon, and even the connexion of the fish with fertility is traced to the apparent connexion of shape between the fish and the sickle of the moon. These conjectures, fortunately, need not be seriously considered in regard to Vedic mythology; if they have any validity, they refer to a period distinctly earlier than the religion of the Veda.