The _Hindoo_ legend of the "Confusion of Tongues," is as follows:
There grew in the centre of the earth, the wonderful "_World Tree_," or the "_Knowledge Tree_." It was so tall that it reached almost to heaven. "It said in its heart: 'I shall hold my head in heaven, and spread my branches over all the earth, and gather all men together under my shadow, and protect them, and prevent them from separating.' But Brahma, to punish the pride of the tree, cut off its branches and cast them down on the earth, when they sprang up as _Wata trees, and made differences of belief, and speech, and customs_, to prevail on the earth, to disperse men over its surface."[36:1]
Traces of a somewhat similar story have also been met with among the _Mongolian Tharus_ in the north of India, and, according to Dr. Livingston, among the Africans of Lake _Nganu_.[36:2] The ancient _Esthonians_[36:3] had a similar myth which they called "The Cooking of Languages;" so also had the ancient inhabitants of the continent of _Australia_.[36:4] The story was found among the ancient Mexicans, and was related as follows:
Those, with their descendants, who were saved from the deluge which destroyed all mankind, excepting the few saved in the ark, resolved to build a tower which would reach to the skies. The object of this was to see what was going on in Heaven, and also to have a place of refuge in case of another deluge.[36:5]
The job was superintended by one of the _seven_ who were saved from the flood.[36:6] He was a _giant_ called Xelhua, surnamed "the Architect."[36:7]
Xelhua ordered bricks to be made in the province of Tlamanalco, at the foot of the Sierra of Cocotl, and to be conveyed to _Cholula_, where the tower was to be built. For this purpose, he placed a file of men reaching from the Sierra to Cholula, who passed the bricks from hand to hand.[36:8] The gods beheld with wrath this edifice,--the top of which was nearing the clouds,--and were much irritated at the daring attempt of Xelhua. They therefore hurled fire from Heaven upon the pyramid, which threw it down, and killed many of the workmen. The work was then discontinued,[36:9] as each family interested in the building of the tower, _received a language of their own_,[36:10] and the builders could not understand each other.