heavenly bodies and earth on the other, was fought.

The Asuras are painted as "gigantic opponents of the gods, terrible
ogres, with bloody tongues and long tusks, eager to devour human
flesh and blood."[2]

And we find the same thoughts underlying the myths

[1. "American Cyclopædia," vol. v, p. 793.

2. Ibid.]

{p. 239}

of nations the most remote from these great peoples of antiquity.

The Esquimaux of Greenland have this myth:

"In the beginning were two brothers, one of whom said, 'There shall
be night and there shall be day, and men shall die, one after
another.' But the second said, 'There shall be no day, but only night
all the time, and men shall live for ever.' They had a long struggle,
but here once more he who loved darkness rather than light was
worsted, and the day triumphed."

Here we have the same great battle between Light and Darkness. The
Darkness proposes to be perpetual; it says, "There shall be no more
day." After a long struggle the Light triumphed, the sun returned,
and the earth was saved.