’In North Jutland, when the vapours are seen going with a wavy motion
   along the earth in the heat of summer, they say, “Loki is sowing oats
   today,” or “Loki is driving his goats.”

   ’N.B.—­Oats in Danish are havre, which suggests O.N. hafrar, goats. 
   Modern Icelandic has hafrar=oats, but the word is not found in the old
   language.’

Is Loki a corn-spirit?

Mannhardt’s ‘Mean Argument’

Mannhardt now examines the explanations of Demeter Erinnys, and her legend, given by Preller, E. Curtius, O. Muller, A. Kuhn, W. Sonne, Max Muller, E. Burnouf, de Gubernatis, Schwartz, and H. D. Muller.  ‘Here,’ he cries, ‘is a variegated list of hypotheses!’ Demeter is

   Storm-cloud
   Sun Goddess
   Earth and Moon Goddess
   Dawn
   Night.

Poseidon is

   Sea
   Storm God
   Cloud-hidden Sun
   Rain God.

Despoina is

   Rain
   Thunder
   Moon.

Arion, the horse, is

   Lightning
   Sun
   Thunder-horse.

Erinnys is

   Storm-cloud
   Red Dawn.

Mannhardt decides, after this exhibition of guesses, that the Demeter legends cannot be explained as refractions of any natural phenomena in the heavens (p. 275).  He concludes that the myth of Demeter Erinnys, and the parallel Vedic story of Saranyu (who also had an amour as a mare), are ‘incongruous,’ and that neither sheds any light on the other.  He protests against the whole tendency to find prototypes of all Aryan myths in the Veda, and to think that, with a few exceptions, all mythology is a terrestrial reflection of celestial phenomena (p. 280).  He then goes into the contending etymologies of Demeter, and decides (’for the man was mortal and had been a’ philologer) in favour of his own guess, [Greek]+[Greek]=’Corn-mother’ (p. 294).

This essay on Demeter was written by Mannhardt in the summer of 1877, a year after the letter which is given as evidence that he had ’returned to his old colours.’  The essay shows him using the philological string of ‘variegated hypotheses’ as anything but an argument in favour of the philological method.  On the other hand, he warns us against the habit, so common in the philological school, of looking for prototypes of all Aryan myths in the Veda, and of finding in most myths a reflection on earth of phenomena in the heavens, Erinnys being either Storm-cloud or Dawn, according to the taste and fancy of the inquirer.  We also find Mannhardt, in 1877, starting from the known—­legend and rural survival in phrase and custom—­and so advancing to the unknown—­the name Demeter.  The philologists commence with the unknown, the old name, Demeter Erinnys, explain it to taste, and bring the legend into harmony with their explanation.  I cannot say, then, that I share Mr. Max Muller’s impression.  I do not feel sure that Mannhardt did return to his old colours.