Agni is one with the sun, with lightning (and thunder), and descends into the plants.[4] To man he is house-priest and friend.  It is he that has “grouped men in dwelling-places” (iii. 1. 17) like Prometheus, in whose dialectic name, Promantheus, lingers still the fire-creator, the twirling (math) sticks which make fire in the wood.  He is man’s guest and best friend (Mitra, iv. 1. 9; above).

An hymn or two entire will show what was Agni to the Vedic poet.  In the following, the Rig Veda’s first hymn, he is addressed, in the opening stanza, under the names of house-priest, the chief sacrificial priest, and the priest that pours oblations.  In the second stanza he is extolled as the messenger who brings the gods to the sacrifice, himself rising up in sacrificial flames, and forming a link between earth and heaven.  In a later stanza he is called the Messenger (Angiras =[Greek:  aggelos]),—­one of his ordinary titles: 

  To AGNI (i. 1).

  I worship Agni; house-priest, he,
  And priest divine of sacrifice,
  Th’ oblation priest, who giveth wealth.

  Agni, by seers of old adored,
  To be adored by those to-day—­
  May he the gods bring here to us.

  Through Agni can one wealth acquire,
  Prosperity from day to day,
  And fame of heroes excellent.

  O, Agni! whatsoe’er the rite
  That thou surround’st on every side,
  That sacrifice attains the gods.

  May Agni, who oblation gives—­
  The wisest, true, most famous priest—­
  This god with (all) the gods approach I

  Thou doest good to every man
  That serves thee, Agni; even this
  Is thy true virtue, Angiras.

  To thee, O Agni, day by day,
  Do we with prayer at eve and dawn,
  Come, bringing lowly reverence;

  To thee, the lord of sacrifice,
  And shining guardian of the rite,[5]
  In thine own dwelling magnified.

  As if a father to his son,
  Be easy of access to us,
  And lead us onward to our weal.

This is mechanical enough to have been made for an established ritual, as doubtless it was.  But it is significant that the ritualistic gods are such that to give their true character hymns of this sort must be cited.  Such is not the case with the older gods of the pantheon.  Ritualistic as it is, however, it is simple.  Over against it may be set the following (vi. 8):  “Now will I praise the strength of the variegated red bull (Agni), the feasts of the Knower-of-beings[6] (Agni); to Agni, the friend of all men, is poured out a new song, sweet to him as clear soma.  As soon as he was born in highest heaven, Agni began to protect laws, for he is a guardian of law (or order).  Great in strength, he, the friend of all men, measured out the space between heaven and earth, and in greatness touched the zenith; he, the marvellous friend, placed apart heaven and earth; with light removed darkness;