Ebook: The Indo-European Cattle-Raiding Myth

Article // History of Religions. — 1976. — Vol. 16, No. 1 — Pp. 42-65.The myth with which we will be dealing is one which has long been familiar to scholars. In truth, it combines two of the best known mythic themes: that of slaying a serpent or monster, and that of stealing a neighbor's cattle. The former is almost universal in its dispersion, while the cattle-raiding theme is known among all people who keep cattle. Both of these themes were well known to the Indo-Europeans.