Research source

Here it means the two bulls; but as the word vrishan signifies stallion as well as bull, the two stallions, the…

Date of account: English edition published 1872
Source: Zoological Mythology; or, The Legends of Animals, Volume 1 (of 2)
Reference: Zoological Mythology; or, The Legends of Animals, Volume 1 (of 2) · selected passage 5
Rights: public_domain
Language: English
Record updated: 2026-08-25

Record summary

Here it means the two bulls; but as the word vrishan signifies stallion as well as bull, the two stallions, the vrishanâu Indras and Somas, are, by a natural transition, soon transformed into two horses or horsemen, the two Açvinâu

Published source text

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Source passage

Source text · mention only

Here it means the two bulls; but as the word _vrishan_ signifies stallion as well as bull, the two stallions, the vrishanâu Indras and Somas, are, by a natural transition, soon transformed into two horses or horsemen, the two Açvinâu. Hence, in popular tales, we find near the young princess the hero, who now leads out the cows to pasture, and now, as hostler or groom, takes excellent care of the horses. But we must not anticipate comparisons which we shall have to make further on. Having noticed that, in the _Rigvedas_, we find the moon represented either as a bull or a cow (the masculine, _Indus_, _somas_, _candras_, is always a bull; while the feminine, _râkâ_, suggests more naturally the idea of a cow), let us now consider the bull Indras in relation to the cow Aurora (or spring).

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

This material belongs to a folklore tradition. Story type, collector, community, transmission and literary editing matter when comparing it with other sources.

Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

Lattice compares motifs and reported features without assuming that a traditional being is a biological species or that similar stories document one external cause.

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