J. F. Campbell Collection > Popular tales of the West Highlands > Volume 4

328 MYTHOLOGY.
by Apuleius, will be found in these volumes, though
in a very rough dress, in Kos. 11., iii., xii., xxxiii.,
xxxix., and the story abstracted above. It is all
over Europe in all sorts of shapes, and it was in India
as a tale of the love of the sun for an earthly maiden,
who was also the dawn. It was part of classical
mythology, though Yenus had surely begun to lose her
power when Apuleius made her a scolding^ mother-in-
law. It seems hopeless to speculate on the origin of the
story anywhere short of the dawn of time ; but if there
be any truth in the " eastern origin of Celtic nations,"
it is reasonable to look eastwards for the germ of Celtic
mythology.
On the other hand, the bodily forms, which the
creatures of Gaelic mythology bear, often seem to have
a foundation in fact.
The WATER-BULL is like a common bull, though he
is amphibious and supernatural, and has the power of
assuming other shapes. He may have been a buffalo, or
bison, or bos primogenious long ago ; or even a walrus,
though, mytholog^^ may have furnished his attributes.
There were human-headed bulls at Kineveh, and sacred
bulls in Egypt, which had to do with inundations.
Bulls are sculptured on ancient Scotch stones ; and
there is a water-bull in nearly every Scotch loch of any
note. Loch Kess is full of them, but " they never go
up to the EaU of Foyers."
Here are some conversations which took place on
the hill-side and elsewhere.