Wherever the fertilizing God steps, there is fruitfulness. We already have spoken of the symbolic meaning of treading in discussing the nightmares. Kaineus passes into the depths, "splitting the earth with a foot outstretched." Amphiaraus, another chthonic hero, sinks into the earth, which Zeus has opened for him by a stroke of lightning. (Compare with that the above-mentioned vision of a hysterical patient, who saw a black horse after a flash of lightning: identity of horse's footstep and flash of lightning.) By means of a flash of lightning heroes were made immortal.[6] Faust attained the mothers when he stamped his foot.
"Stamp and descend, stamping thou'lt rise again."
The heroes in the sun-devouring myths often stamp at
or struggle in the jaws of the monster. Thus Tor
stamped through the ship's bottom in battle with the
monster, and went as far as the bottom of the sea.
(Kaineus.) (Concerning "kicking" as an infantile
phantasy, see above.) The regression of the libido to
the presexual stage makes this preparatory action of
treading either a substitution for the coitus phantasy or
for the phantasy of re-entrance into the mother's womb.
The comparison of water flowing from the footsteps with
a comet is a light symbolism for the fructifying moisture
(sperma). According to an observation by Humboldt
(Kosmos), certain South American Indian tribes call the
meteors "urine of the stars." Mention is also made of
how Gitche Manito makes fire. He blows upon a forest,
so that the trees, rubbing upon each other, burst into
