38 The Religion of the Veda

has to befutldle himselfiwith were, in ortlor to get the necessary courage to slay (lemonm lie, am] he alone, has in the Rig—Veda the epithet emit/image. that: is, “ he for whom the sri'mmzsm'e crunlmeecl upon the the m,” or, as we slumlrl my, “ wilt: of the m3” It seems; likely that the Sé‘immVecla is built: up out of remnants nf Savage Shemzmifimmmthe remmblnnee between the words: Semen and Slmmneimm hmvemg is: accidental. Shamanism, as is well known, at“ tempts: to influence the natural order of events by shouts, beating of tam-toms, and frantic oxhortetiorx of the gods. The Brahmaee were in the habit of blending their own priestly pmctieee one] ermeepn tione with a good deal of rough materile which they found current among the people. The Meme mole.» dies, too, betray their popular origin in that they seem to have been Sung originally at certain popular festivals, especially the solstitial fesstieels.it The ex- clamations interspersed among the words: ef the text likely to be substitutes for the excited shouts; of the Shaman priests of an earlier time. It is perhaps worth while to note that in later Vedie times the

1 See my articles, Unfirfrkeme, an Epz’tfiawf Indra, inj’nuwml :7] Me Amrrz'rmz Grimm! Ji‘arz'ajy, vol. xxi., p. 5o 17; ; and, 73%, (9‘01! Indra and the Some-v Veda, in Vienna Grievisz yazzmel, vol. xvii, p. 1:56 j”.

i See A. Hillebran dt, .Dz‘a Swzrzemomrtyieta 2'2; Alt-Judie”, flier!- srfirift firflflfdd [fcgfl'rlzmm, (Erlengen 1839), pp. 32. fend 34 of the reprint.