Page:Myth, Ritual, and Religion (Volume 1).djvu/184

not, of course, possess. These powers of effecting metamorphosis, of "shape-shifting," of flying, of becoming invisible at will, of conversing with the dead, of miraculously healing the sick, savages pass on to their gods (as will be shown in a later chapter), and the gods survive and retain the miraculous gifts after their worshippers (become more reasonable) have quite forgotten that they themselves once claimed similar endowments. So far, then, it has been shown that savage fancy, wherever studied, is wild; that savage curiosity is keen, that savage credulity is practically boundless. These considerations explain the existence of savage myths of sun, stars, beasts, plants, and stones; similar myths fill Greek legend and the Sanskrit Brahmanas. We conclude that, in Greek and Sanskrit, the myths are relics (whether borrowed or inherited) of the savage mental status.