- Cosmos and Canon 340
Cosmology. Heaven and earth. Stony skies. Body imagery. World
pillar, world tree. The cosmic serpent. The land of the blest.
Celestial river. Moon and stars. –– Cosmogony. Before heaven and
earth. The solitary Twin. –– Canon and catechism. Proverbs. ––
Riddles. Year riddles. –– The World Wide Web. - Mortality and Fame 375
The origin of humankind. Human and animal lifespans. –– The
Fates. Images of destiny. –– Death. Death as sleep; death as a
journey. Crossing the water. Gates, border control. Beware of the
Dog. Pastures and herds. Going to join the fathers. All Souls
Day. –– Transcending mortality through fame. Names. Fame won
in combat. Fame valued above life. Fame conferred and sustained
by poetry. The embedding of names in poetry. A thesaurus of
glory.- King and Hero 411
Kings. The Queen. King and horse. King and priest. The king’s
qualities. The king’s justice and the land’s fertility. The king’s
liberality. –– The hero. His exceptional nature. Birth and infancy.
Boyhood feats. Bigger animal challenges. The hero in dialogue. ––
The hero and women. Winning a bride. The sword in the bed.
Winning her back; the Husband’s Return. –– The hero and his son.
The Sohrab and Rustum motif. The hero’s child as object of
pathos. –– How to kill a hero. Invulnerability; the weak spot. ––
Conclusion.- Arms and the Man 447
The war-band. Cattle raids. Strongholds. –– The hero as warrior.
Predicates. Alarming symptoms. Eagerness to fight. The vow of
abnegation. –– Weapons. –– Horses. Chariots. –– Battle narrative:
setting the scene. –– The time frame. –– Speeches. Altercations.
Exhortations. –– Events on the field. Divine participation.
Archers. Chariots. Single combat. Doom and downfall. Vindictive
victory. –– Similes. –– The hero’s funeral. Laments. Suttee. Funeral
games.
Elegy on an Indo-European Hero 504Bibliography 505
Index 511
Contents ix