To　any　one　acquainted　with　humanity　this　way　of　talking　is　topsy…turvy。
  It　is　like　saying；　〃The　English　in　the　twentieth　century　believed
  that　a　dead　man　could　smell。　　This　is　attested　by　the　fact　that　they
  always　covered　his　grave　with　lilies；　violets；　or　other　flowers。
  Some　priestly　and　tribal　terrors　were　evidently　attached　to　the　neglect
  of　this　action；　as　we　have　records　of　several　old　ladies　who　were
  very　much　disturbed　in　mind　because　their　wreaths　had　not　arrived
  in　time　for　the　funeral。〃　　It　may　be　of　course　that　savages　put
  food　with　a　dead　man　because　they　think　that　a　dead　man　can　eat；
  or　weapons　with　a　dead　man　because　they　think　that　a　dead　man　can　fight。
  But　personally　I　do　not　believe　that　they　think　anything　of　the　kind。
  I　believe　they　put　food　or　weapons　on　the　dead　for　the　same
  reason　that　we　put　flowers；　because　it　is　an　exceedingly　natural
  and　obvious　thing　to　do。　　We　do　not　understand；　it　is　true；
  the　emotion　which　makes　us　think　it　obvious　and　natural；　but　that
  is　because；　like　all　the　important　emotions　of　human　existence
  it　is　essentially　irrational。　　We　do　not　understand　the　savage
  for　the　same　reason　that　the　savage　does　not　understand　himself。
  And　the　savage　does　not　understand　himself　for　the　same　reason
  that　we　do　not　understand　ourselves　either。
  The　obvious　truth　is　that　the　moment　any　matter　has　passed
  through　the　human　mind　it　is　finally　and　for　ever　spoilt　for　all
  purposes　of　science。　　It　has　become　a　thing　incurably　mysterious
  and　infinite；　this　mortal　has　put　on　immortality。　　Even　what　we
  call　our　material　desires　are　spiritual；　because　they　are　human。
  Science　can　analyse　a　pork…chop；　and　say　how　much　of　it　is
  phosphorus　and　how　much　is　protein；　but　science　cannot　analyse
  any　man's　wish　for　a　pork…chop；　and　say　how　much　of　it　is　hunger；
  how　much　custom；　how　much　nervous　fancy；　how　much　a　haunting　love
  of　the　beautiful。　　The　man's　desire　for　the　pork…chop　remains
  literally　as　mystical　and　ethereal　as　his　desire　for　heaven。
  All　attempts；　therefore；　at　a　science　of　any　human　things；
  at　a　science　of　history；　a　science　of　folk…lore；　a　science
  of　sociology；　are　by　their　nature　not　merely　hopeless；　but　crazy。
  You　can　no　more　be　certain　in　economic　history　that　a　man's　desire
  for　money　was　merely　a　desire　for　money　than　you　can　be　certain　in
  hagiology　that　a　saint's　desire　for　God　was　merely　a　desire　for　God。
  And　this　kind　of　vagueness　in　the　primary　phenomena　of　the　study
  is　an　absolutely　final　blow　to　anything　in　the　nature　of　a　science。
  Men　can　construct　a　science　with　very　few　instruments；
  or　with　very　plain　instruments；　but　no　one　on　earth　could
  construct　a　science　with　unreliable　instruments。　　A　man　might
  work　out　the　whole　of　mathematics　with　a　handful　of　pebbles；
  but　not　with　a　handful　of　clay　which　was　always　falling　apart
  into　new　fragments；　and　falling　together　into　new　combinations。
  A　man　might　measure　heaven　and　earth　with　a　reed；　but　not　with
  a　growing　reed。
  As　one　of　the　enormous　follies　of　folk…lore；　let　us　take　the　case　of
  the　transmigration　of　stories；　and　the　alleged　unity　of　their　source。
  Story　after　story　the　scientific　mythologists　have　cut　out　of　its　place
  in　history；　and　pinned　side　by　side　with　similar　stories　in　their
  museum　of　fables。　　The　process　is　industrious；　it　is　fascinating；
  and　the　whole　of　it　rests　on　one　of　the　plainest　fallacies　in　the　world。
  That　a　story　has　been　told　all　over　the　place　at　some　time　or　other；
  not　only　does　not　prove　that　it　never　really　happened；　it　does　not　even
  faintly　indicate　or　make　slightly　more　probable　that　it　never　happened。
  That　a　large　number　of　fishermen　have　falsely　asserted　that　they　have
  caught　a　pike　two　feet　long；　does　not　in　the　least　affect　the　question
  of　whether　any　one　ever　really　did　so。　　That　numberless　journalists
  announce　a　Franco…German　war　merely　for　money　is　no　evidence　one　way
  or　the　other　upon　the　dark　question　of　whether　such　a　war　ever　occurred。
  Doubtless　in　a　few　hundred　years　the　innumerable　Franco…German
  wars　that　did　not　happen　will　have　cleared　the　scientific
  mind　of　any　belief　in　the　legendary　war　of　'70　which　did。
  But　that　will　be　because　if　folk…lore　students　remain　at　all；
  their　nature　win　be　unchanged；　and　their　services　to　folk…lore
  will　be　still　as　they　are　at　present；　greater　than　they　know。
  For　in　truth　these　men　do　something　far　more　godlike　than　studying　legends；
  they　create　them。
  There　are　two　kinds　of　stories　which　the　scientists　say　cannot　be　true；
  because　everybody　tells　them。　　The　first　class　consists　of　the　stories
  which　are　told　everywhere；　because　they　are　somewhat　odd　or　clever；
  there　is　nothing　in　the　world　to　prevent　their　having　happened　to　somebody
  as　an　adventure　any　more　than　there　is　anything　to　prevent　their
  having　occurred；　as　they　certainly　did　occur；　to　somebody　as　an　idea。
  But　they　are　not　likely　to　have　happened　to　many　people。
  The　second　class　of　their　〃myths〃　consist　of　the　stories　that　are
  told　everywhere　for　the　simple　reason　that　they　happen　everywhere。
  Of　the　first　class；　for　instance；　we　might　take　such　an　example
  as　the　story　of　William　Tell；　now　generally　ranked　among　legends　upon
  the　sole　ground　that　it　is　found　in　the　tales　of　other　peoples。
  Now；　it　is　obvious　that　this　was　told　everywhere　because　whether
  true　or　fictitious　it　is　what　is　called　〃a　good　story；〃
  it　is　odd；　exciting；　and　it　has　a　climax。　　But　to　suggest　that
  some　such　eccentric　incident　can　never　have　happened　in　the　whole
  history　of　archery；　or　that　it　did　not　happen　to　any　particular
  person　of　whom　it　is　told；　is　stark　impudence。　　The　idea　of　shooting
  at　a　mark　attached　to　some　valuable　or　beloved　person　is　an　idea
  doubtless　that　might　easily　have　occurred　to　any　inventive　poet。
  But　it　is　also　an　idea　that　might　easily　occur　to　any　boastful　archer。
  It　might　be　one　of　the　fantastic　caprices　of　some　story…teller。　It
  might　equally　well　be　one　of　the　fantastic　caprices　of　some　tyrant。
  It　might　occur　first　in　real　life　and　afterwards　occur　in　legends。
  Or　it　might　just　as　well　occur　first　in　legends　and　afterwards　occur
  in　real　life。　　If　no　apple　has　ever　been　shot　off　a　boy's　head
  from　the　beginning　of　the　world；　it　may　be　done　tomorrow　morning；
  and　by　somebody　who　has　never　heard　of　William　Tell。
  This　type　of　tale；　indeed；　may　be　pretty　fairly　paralleled　with
  the　ordinary　anecdote　terminating　in　a　repartee　or　an　Irish　bull。
  Such　a　retort　as　the　famous　〃je　ne　vois　pas　la　necessite〃　we　have
  all　seen　attributed　to　Talleyrand；　to　Voltaire；　to　Henri　Quatre；
  to　an　anonymous　judge；　and　so　on。　　But　this　variety　does　not　in　any
  way　make　it　more　likely　that　the　thing　was　never　said　at　all。
  It　is　highly　likely　that　it　was　really　said　by　somebody　unknown。
  It　is　highly　likely　that　it　was　really　said　by　Talleyrand。
  In　any　case；　it　is　not　any　more　difficult　to　believe　that　the　mot　might
  have　occurred　to　a　man　in　conversation　than　to　a　man　writing　memoirs。
  It　might　have　occurred　to　any　of　the　men　I　have　mentioned。
  But　there　is　this　point　of　distinction　about　it；　that　it
  is　not　likely　to　have　occurred　to　all　of　them。　　And　this　is
  where　the　first　class　of　so…called　myth　differs　from　the　second
  to　which　I　have　previously　referred。　　For　there　is　a　second　class
  of　incident　found　to　be　common　to　the　stories　of　five　or　six　heroes；
  say　to　Sigurd；　to　Hercules；　to　Rustem；　to　the　Cid；　and　so　on。
  And　the　peculiarity　of　this　myth　is　that　not　only　is　it　highly
  reasonable　to　imagine　that　it　really　happened　to　one　hero；　but　it　is
  highly　reasonable　to　imagine　that　it　really　happened　to　all　of　them。
  Such　a　story；　for　instance；　is　that　of　a　great　man　having　his
  strength　swayed　or　thwarted　by　the　mysterious　weakness　of　a　woman。
  The　anecdotal　story；　the　story　of　William　Tell；　is　as　I
  have　said；　popular；　because　it　is　peculiar。　　But　this　kind　of　story；
  the　story　of　Samson　and　Delilah　of　Arthur　and　Guinevere；　is　obviously
  popular　because　it　is　not　peculiar。　　It　is　popular　as　good；
  quiet　fiction　is　popular；　because　it　tells　the　truth　about　people。
  If　the　ruin　of　Samson　by　a　woman；　and　the　ruin　of　Hercules　by　a　woman；
  have　a　common　legendary　origin；　it　is　gratifying　to　know　that　we　can
  also　explain；　as　a　fable；　the　ruin　of　Nelson　by　a　woman　and　the　ruin
  of　Parnell　by　a　woman。　　And；　indeed；　I　have　no　doubt　whatever　that；
  some　centuries　hence；　the　students　of　folk…lore　will　refuse　altogether
  to　believe　that　Elizabeth　Barrett　eloped　wit