ar agree with
Dr. Haug as to affirm that the fundamental idea of the Purusha Sukta,
namely, the creation of the world or portions of the world out of the
fragments of a fabulous anthropomorphic being is common to Chaldeans,
Iroquois, Egyptians, Greeks, Tinnehs, Mangaians and Aryan Indians. This
is presumptive proof of the antiquity of the ideas which Dr. Muir and
Mr. Max Muller think relatively modern. The savage and brutal character
of the invention needs no demonstration. Among very low savages, for
example, the Tinnehs of British North America, not a man, not a god, but
a DOG, is torn up, and the fragments are made into animals.(4) On the
Paloure River a beaver suffers in the manner of Purusha. We may,
for these reasons, regard the chief idea of the myth as extremely
ancient--infinitely more ancient than the diction of the hymn.

(1) Ancient Sanskrit Literature, 570.

(2) Sanskrit Texts, 2nd edit., i. 12.

(3) Sanskrit Text, 2nd edit., ii. 463.

(4) Hearne's Journey, pp. 342-343.

As to the mention of the castes, supposed to be a comparatively modern
institution, that is not an essential part of the legend. When the
idea of creation out of a living being was once received it was easy
to extend the conception to any institution, of which the origin was
forgotten. The Teutonic race had a myth which explained the origin of
the classes eorl, ceorl and thrall (earl, churl and slave). A South
American people, to explain the different ranks in society, hit on the
very myth of Plato, the legend of golden, silver and copper races,
from which the ranks of society have descended. The Vedic poet, in our
opinion, merely extended to the institution of caste a myth which had
already explained the origin of the sun, the firmament, animals, and so
forth, on the usual lines of savage thought. The Purusha Sukta is the
type of many other Indian myths of creation, of which the following(1)
one is extremely noteworthy. "Prajapati desired to propagate. He formed
the Trivrit (stoma) from his mouth. After it were produced the deity
Agni, the metre Gayatri,... of men the Brahman, of beasts the goat;...
from his breast, and from his arms he formed the Panchadasa (stoma).
After it were created the God Indra, the Trishtubh metre,... of men the
Rajanya, of beasts the sheep. Hence they are vigorous, because they were
created from vigour. From his middle he formed the Saptadasa (stoma).
After it were created the gods called the Yisvadevas,