F O L K - Forgotten Books
470
-
Upload
khangminh22 -
Category
Documents
-
view
0 -
download
0
Transcript of F O L K - Forgotten Books
F O L K -LO R E
A Q UARTERLY RE VIE W
OF
MYTH ,TRAD ITION ,
IN S TI TUTION , Gr CUS TOM
BEiNG
THE TRANSACTION S OF THE FOLK-LORE SOCIETY
And incorporating THE ARCH/EOLOGICAL REVIEW a nd
THE FOLK-LORE JOURNAL
VOL. V I I I .- 1 89 7 .
LONDON
PUBLISHED FOR THE FOLK-LORE SOCIETY BY
DAV I D N UT T , 2 7 0 , S T R A N D
CONTENTS .
I .— (MARCH
Neapol i tan Wi tchcraft . J . B . ANDREWSProceed ings a t Mee t ing of Tuesday, November 1 7th , 1 896Some No tes on the Phys i que , Cus toms , and Superst i t ions of the
Peasan try of Innishowen , Co . Donega l . THOMAS DOHERTYProceedings a t Mee t ing of Tuesday,
‘
December 1 5th , 1 8 96
Proceedings a t Annua l Mee t ing , Tuesday, January 1 9th , 1 89 7N ine teen th Annua l Report of the Counci lPres iden t ia l Address. ALFRED NUTT
II.
Proceedings a t Mee t ing of Tuesday, Februa ry roth,1 89 7
The H istory of Sindban and the Seven W ise Mas ters , trans la tedfrom the Syriac . HERMANN CoLLAc . M .A .
Proceedings at Mee t ing of Tuesday, March 1 6th,1 89 7
Dea th and Buria l of the Fio te . R. E . DENNETTThe Fe tish View of the Human Sou l . MARY H . KINGSLEY
III .-(SEPTEMBER
Proceedings a t Mee t ing of Tuesday, Apri l a 7 th , 1 8 9 7Proceedings a t Mee t ing of Tuesday, May 1 8 th , 1 8 9 7Folklore Para l le l s and Coinc idences . M . J . WALHOUSE
Procedings a t Mee ting of Tuesday, June 29 th , 1 8 9 7Ghos t Ligh ts of the Wes t H igh lands. R . G . MACLAGAN, M.D .
IV .— (DECEMBER
No tes on Orendel and o ther Stories . Prof W. P . KER , M .A.
Some Oxfordshire Seasonal Festivals. PERCY MANN ING, M .A .,
The B inding of a God : a Study of the Bas is of I dolatry .
W . CROOKE, B A.
iv Con ten ts .
REV IEWS
H . C lay Trumbu l l ’s Tlze Tkr es/zold Covena ntC. Horstman
’
s Ric/l a rd Roi/e of Hampole, Vol . I .Mrs. K . Lang l oh Pa rker
’
s Austr a l i a n Legenda ry Ta les
D . G . Brin ton ’s l eMy t/zs of Me N ew Wor ld .
Franz Boas’ I ndia niscke Sagen von der N ord—P aczfisc/zen Kuste .
I ta l o Piz z i ’5 Le N ovel/e Indea nc di Visnnsa rma (P a ncia ta ntr a ) .
F. B . Jevons’ An I ntroduct ion to tke fI i slory of Relig ion
F . Max Mii ller’s Contr ibuti ons to t/ze Science of Ilfy tkologyR . Andree ’s B r a nnsckwezger VolkskundeP . Sébillot
’
s Legendes et Cnr iosilés desMétier sR . Schm i dt ’s D er Tex tus Or na i ior der a a sap ta ti
R . Fick’s D ie Socia le G lieder ung in: N ordo'
stlzc/zen I ndien z n
B a ddka’
s Zezt
M . H . K ings ley’
s 1” "
r avels in PVest Af r icaMrs . K . Mccosh C lark’s Maor i Ta les a nd Legends
E . Hahn ’s D emeier und B a noo .
W . F .
‘Cobb’s Or ig ines [nda icd
E . H iggens’ Heorezo Idola try a nd Sc er si itzon
H . Ling Ro th’
s Tli e N a tives of Sa r awak a nd B r itzskN or ik
B or neo
W . H . D . Rouse ’s l e f a iaka, Vol . II . , and H . T . Franci sand R . A . Ne i l ’s T/zef a taka ,
Vol . I I I . JOSEPH JACOBS . B .A.
L. R . Parne l l ’s Tke Cu lts of tlze Greek S l a tes, Vols . I . and I I .\V. G . Aston ’
s M'
lcongi, Ckronicles of japa n Vol . I I .J . Jacobs’ Tke B ook of Wonder Voy ages
W. Crooke ’S T/ze N or t/z Wester n P rovinces of I ndiaW. Crooke ’s Tlze Popula r Rel ig ion a nd Folklor e of N or tlzer n
PAG
L. M . J . Garne t t and J . S . S tuart—G lenn ie ’s Gr eek Folk-PoesyL. W. K ing
’
s B abylonia nMag ic a nd Sorcery . Prof. SAYCE ,M .A .
W . H Seager’
S N a lnr a l If isiory in S/zakespea re’
s Time
Mrs . J . H . Ph i lpo t’s T/ze S acred Tr eeR . \Vrench
’
s Corpus I nscr zp tionzcm A tti .carn;n W. R. PATONE . Owen
’
s PVels/z Folk Lore
C Beauquier’
s B la son Popu la ir e de F r a nc/ze ComteA. Nutt s Tke Celtic D octr i ne of Re-oi .r tk Prof. YORKPOWELL , M .A.
K . Pearson ’
s T/ze Cka nces of B ea t/z . ALFRED NUTTA . Lang
’s TlzeM r acles of Madame Sa int K a t/u r ine of E'
eroois
CORRESPONDENCE
S ta ffordsh ire Supers t i t i ons . L. L. . DUNCAN , D . TOWNSHEND .
The S ta ffordsh ire Horn Dance . M . PEACOCK
Con ien ls . v
PAGE
The Hood-Game at Haxey . M . PEACOCK , H . FJ . M . MACK INLAY
Doz z ils . W. CROOKEI r ish Funera l Cus tom . W . CROOKEThe Ten Wa z irs . L. GOLDMERSTEINTommy on the Tub ’s Grave . W . P . M .
Folk lore Firstfruits from Lesbos . W . H . D . ROUSEWa ter in Marriage Customs . LOU ISE KENNEDYSuperna tura l Change of S i te . E . S . HARTLAND,ATK INSON
Bap t isma l R i tes . M . P .
Al l Sou ls . M . P .
Holy Week Observance 1n the Abruz z i . A . DE N INO
The Hare . M . E . JAMESFert i l isa t ion of B irds . WARMF IELDSpiders. E . PEACOCKOmens of Dea th . M . PEACOCKI ta l ian Amu le ts .
M ISCELLANEA
Ba l och i Ta les (X IX . A Legend Of Nadir Shah, XX . Dosten and
Shiren ) . M . LONGWORTH DAMESThe Partplayed bywa ter InMarriage Customs . L .GOLDMERSTEIN
Marks on Ancien t Monumen ts . C . G . LELANDThe S traw Gobl in . C . G. LELANDCharms from Siam . Shears and Mangala S tand . M. C . FFENNELLMore S taffordsh ire Superst i t ions. C . S . BURNECharm for the Evi l Eye . M . H . DEBENHAMMarr iage Superst i t ions . E . S . HARTLANDThe SWISS Folk-Lore Socie tyFOlk—Med1cine in Coun ty Cork . K . LAWLESS PYNEA Buria l Superst i t ion in Coun ty Cork . K . LAWLESS PYNEA Fo lkta le from Kumaon . BHAGWAN DAS SARMAP lough MondayFo lk Med ic ine l n Oh io . Mrs. GEORGE A. STANBERYThe Sacred Fishes of Nan t PerisAn cien t Custom a t Sea . E . A . MELV ILL R ICHARDSSnake -S tones . M . J . WALHOUSE
Fa iry Go ld. W . H . D . ROUSE .
Couvade . W . H . D . ROUSEA Fo lk ta le concern ing Jesus Chr ist . N . W . THOMASFolk l ore from the He br i des— II . M . MACPHA ILSome Coun try Remedies and the ir Uses . J . H . BARBOURThe Pa insw ick Dog-p ie . Mrs . A. B . GOMMEFour Yorksh ire Fo lkta les . S . O. ADDY
vi Contents .
OB ITUARY
W . A. CLOUSTONREV . DR . GREGOR
B ibl iography 95, 1 89 , 2 8 5, 39 7
Index
LIST OF PLATES
I . S iamese Amu le ts Tof acepageI I . Group of Morris Dancers
,Bampton
I I I . The same,dancing
IV . Art icles used by Morr is Dancers, Oxfordsh ireV . Oxfordsh ire Maces
VI . Pee l ing-horns.”Duckl ington , Oxon
VII . Pipes and Tabours, Oxfordsh ire
ERRATA .
Page 1 8,l ine 1 8
, for D ecenzker I é tk readPage I 58 , l ine 9 , for a na log ies read a na logues .
Page 1 7 1 , l ine 8 , for Higgi ns read H iggens .
Page 1 9 2 , l ine I 4 , for xxx i .i i to xxxv. read cxxx i .i i to cxxxv.
Page 20 1,foo tno te , for D r . Groot read D e Groot .
Page 259 , l ine 23 , for B knddag/zosa read B udd/zaglzoslza .
The Folk-Lore S ociety.
lawsihent .
ALFRED NUTT.
U iceflfirrs ihents.
THE HON . JOHN ABERCROMBY.
MIS S C. s . BURNE .
EDWARD CLODD .
G . LAURENCE GOMME ,E .S .A .
ANDREW LANG,M .A .
THE R IGHT HON . SIR JOHN LUBBOCK,BART , M.P .
,D .C.L .
LL .D . , P . S .A .
LIX-GEN . P ITT-RIVERS , E .S .A .
PROFESSOR F . YORK POWELL,M .A .
,E .S .A .
PROFESSOR J . RHYS , M .A . , LL .D .
,F .S .A .
THE REV . PROFESSOR A . H . SAYCE ,M .A .
PROFESSOR EDWARD B . TYLOR,LL .D . ,
F .R.S .
QIDIIIICII.
c . J . B ILLSON , M .A . PROF . A . C . HADDON ,M .A . , D .so.
,
DR . KARL BL IND . MR LA .
MISS M . ROALFE COX. E . S IDNEY HARTLAND,F .S .A .
W . CROOKE ,B A . T . W . E . HIGGENS
i3LELAND L . DUNCAN ,E .S .A . JOSEPH JACOBS ,
A . J . EAGLESTCN ,M.A . W . F . K IRBY , F.E . .S
J. P . EMSLIE . J . T . NAARE.
ARTHUR J . EVANS , M .A .
,E .S .A . T . FAIRMAN CRU ISE , F .S.A .
DR. M . GASTER. W . H . D . ROUSE ,M .A .
J . G . FRAZER,M .A . M . J . WALHOUSE .
HENRY B . WHEATLEY, E .S .A .
522011. Greaaurer.
E. W. BRABROOK , P residen t of the An thropologica l Inst i tute,1 7 8 , B edford Hi l l , B a lham, S .W .
123011 . fiuh ttors.
ERNEST W . CLODD . F . G . GREEN.
S ecretary .
F . A . M ILNE , M .A . , 1 1 , Old Squar e , Linco ln ’s Inn , London , W. C.
iBuhIicatiuns C ommittee.
E . S . HARTLAND (Cha irman) ; G . L . GOMME (V ice Ch a irman ) ; J .JACOB S ;
W . F . K IRBY ; MISS ROALFE COX .
fi tt l iograpbg C ommittt e.
G . L . GOMME (Cha irman ) L . L . DUNCAN ; J . JACOBS W. F .KIRBY ;
J . T . NAARE.
mtmeumC ommittee.
G . L . GOI‘IME ; ARTHUR J . EVANS ; J . P . EMSLIE ; PROFESSORA . C. HADDON ; M ISS M . C . FFENNELL ; A . R . IVRIGHT. :
f inanre am) ®rncraIHummers C ommittee.
E W . BRABROOK (Cha irman) ; G . L . GOMME ; REV . DR .GASTER ;
T . W . E. H IGGENS : T . F . ORDISH ; F . G . GREEN,H
. RAYNBIRD,
W . H . D . ROUSE ;M. J . WALHOUSE .
The Presiden t and Treasurer a re ex-ofioio members of a l l Comm ittees .
Ofi cer s a ndMembers .
MEMBERS (corrected to F ebrua ry ,
Tire let ter C . p la ced bef or e a Member’
s name i ndi ca tes tha t he or alto ha s
comp ounded.
Abercromby,Hon . J 62
,P a lmerston P lace, Ed inburgh ( Vice-P r esiden t ) .
Aberdeen Pub l ic Library, per Wyl l ie and Co .
,247 Un ion S treet , Aberdeen .
Aberdeen Un ivers i ty L ibrary, per P . J . Anderson , E sq. (L ibra r ia n) .
Addy, S . O.,Esq.
,M .A . , George S treet, Sheffield .
A ldenh am, Righ t Hon . Lord , S t . Dun stan’
s, Regen t ’s Park , N .W
A l lsopp, Hon . A . P ercy, B at tenha l l Moun t,near Worcester .
Amsterdam, the Un iv. Library of
, per K irberger Resper , Booksel lers ,Amsterdam.
Andre, J. Lewis, Esq. , Sarce l les , Horsh am.
Andrews, J . B . , Esq. , Reform C lub , Pa l l Ma l l , S .W .
Andrews, Mrs. E . F . , 4, S t . George ’s Square, Regent ’s Park , N .W.
An ichkov, Professor E .,Idan i Borovitchy , Novgorod.
An t iquar ies , the Society of , Bur l ington House , W .
Arnold , Professor E . V . , 10, B ryn S eiriol , Bangor .
Asher , S . G . , Esq. , 89 , W igmore S treet , W .
Aston , G . F . , Esq . 52, Tregunter Road . South Ken s ington , S .W .
Astor Libra ry,New York
, per B . F . S tevens, 4, Trafa l gar Square, W .C.
Backhouse , Jona th an E . , Esq.,B ank, Dar l ington .
Ba l four, C. B . , Esq . ,Newton Don , Ke lso, N .B .
B a lfour,Mrs . M . C. , S t . Jean 5 Beauregard, St . Servan
,France .
Ba l lantyne,W . ,
Esq., 727 , S . B ackwe l l , Ch icago , I l l U.S .A .
B arnet t,J . Dav ies, Esq.
, Grand Trunk Ra i lway , S tra tford , Ontar io,Canada .
Barwe l l , T .
,Esq.
, The Woodlands , K irby Mux loe, near Le icester.
B asset,Mons. René
,L
’
Agha , 7 7 , Rue Michele t , A l g iers .
Beard , J . T .,Esq .
,Royston House
,Upper Richmond Road
,Pu tney , S.W .
B eauch amp , R igh t Hon . the Ear l , Madresfiel d Cour t, Grea t Ma lvern .
B eer , W .
,Esq. , Howard Memor ia l L ibrary
, New Or lean s, U .S .A .
B e l l, J.
,Esq .
,101 , V incen t S treet , G la sgow .
B en t , J . Theodore , E sq.,M .A . , 13 , Grea t Cumber land P lace , W .
Ber l in Roya l Library, per Ash er and Co.
,1 3
,B edford S treet , Coven t
Garden ,W .C .
B esan t , Sir Wa l ter , Frogna l End, Hampstead , N.WB il lson , C . J .,
Esq ., M .A .
, St . John ’s Lodge , Clarendon P ark Road ,
Le icester .
B irm ingh am F ree Library, care of J . D . Mu l l ins, Esq., Ratcl iffe P lace ,
B irm ingham.
Ofi cers a nd Member s .
B irmi ngham L ibrary,care of C. E . Scarse, Esq. , Librar ian , Un ion S treet ,
B irm ingh am .
B lack,G. F . , Esq .
,care of H . J . Horstmann
,Esq.
,410, John Street, East
Newark , New Jersey , U. S .A .
B l ind, D r . Kar l , 3 , W inchester Road , South Hampstead , N .W .
Bol itho,J . R.
,Esq.
,Trengwa in ton , Hea Moor
,R.S .O. Cornwa l l .
Bonaparte , P r ince Roland, B ib l iotheque , 10, Avenue d ’
Iéna , Par is.
Boston Athenaeum, The , Boston , per Kegan P au l , Trench , Trubner ,Co. , Ld.
, Char ing Cross Road, W .C.
Boston P ub l ic Library (Mass ) , per G . E . S teehert , 2, S tar YardCarey Street , W .C.
Bourdil lon,F . W .
,Esq. ,
Me l ton Lodge , Ma lvern .
Bowd itch . C . P .,E sq .
,28 , S tate Stree t , Boston , Mass , U.S .A .
Bowen,H . Courthope, E sq .
,M .A .
,3,York S treet
,Por tman Square, W .
Bower , H . M. , Esq . ,E lmcrof ts
,R ipon .
B rabrook,E . W .,
Esq .
,17 8
,B edford Hil l, Ba lham , S .W .
( Tr ea sur er ) .
B renan,Rev . S . A . , Knocknacarry, co . An tr im,
Ire land .B r igh ton Town Counci l
, per the Town C lerk, Town Ha l l , B r igh ton .
B r in ton , Professor D . G .
,A .M.
,M .D .
,LL .D . D .Sc.
,2041 , Chestnu t Street,
Ph i lade lph ia , U .S .A .
Br itten ,James , Esq . ,
1 8, West Square, Sou thwark, SE .
B r ix,M . Cam i l le de, 13 , Rue V ictor Hugo , Doua i , France .
B roadwood,Miss Lucy E .
, 52, St . George ’s Square, S .W .
B rockhaus,F . A .
,Esq .
,Leipz i g , per H . W i l l iams
,48 , Old B a i ley , E . C .
Brooke,Rev. Stepford A . , 1 , Manchester Square , W .
B rough,Mrs . C . S .
,Rosenda le Ha l l
,West Du lw ich , S E .
B rown,Henry Thomas
,Esq .
,Roodeye House, Chester .
B rowne , John , Esq . , Chertsey Hou se , P ark Hil l R ise, Croydon .
B rushfiel d, D r . T . N Th e Cl iiI , B ud le i gh-Sa l terton ,Devonsh ire.
Burne , Miss, 24, Cambray P lace, Che l tenham ( Vice-P r esident ) .
Caddi ck , E .
,Esq.
,We l l ington Road, Edgbaston ,
B irm ingh am .
Campbe l l , Lord Arch iba ld, Coombe Hil l Farm ,K ingston-ou -Thames.
Carpen ter , P rofessor J . Estl in,109
,Banbury Road
, Ox ford .
Charencey , Comte de , 24, Rue de la Cha ise , P ar is.
Ch icago Pub l ic Library, I l l ino is, per B . F . Stevens , 4, Tra fa l garSquare , W .C .
Chor l ton , Thomas , Esq .
,32
,B raz ennose S treet , Manchester.
C incinna t i P ubl ic Library, per B . F . S tevens
,4,Trafa l gar Square , W .C.
Clark , Oscar W . , Esq . ,M .A . , M. B . , Rahere, B runswick Road , G loucester .
C lark , Mrs,Wentwor th House , John S tree t , Hampstead, N .W .
C larke,Rev. T . ,
Devon Lodge , 2, A lexandra Roa d , Sou th Hampstead , N .W .
Clodd , Edward , Esq. ,1 9
, Car l eton Road, Tufn e l l P ark , N . ( Vice-P r esiden t )Clodd, Ernest W . , Esq.
,1 9
, Car leton Road, Tufne l l P ark , N . (Audi tor ) .
Ofi cer s a nd Member s .
Cobb , Rev. Dr .,35
,We l l ington Street, Strand , W .C .
Columb ia Col lege, New York , per G . E . Steeher t,2, Star Yard, Carey
Street, W .C .
Congress , The Library of , W ash ington , per E . G . A l len,Esq .
,28 ,
Henrietta Street, Coven t Garden , “LC.
Conybeare , F . C . , Esq .
,M .A .
,1 3
, Norham Gardens, Ox ford .
Cooke , John ,Esq . , M .A .,
66,Morehampton Road, Dubl in .
Corne l l Un ivers i ty L ibrary, The , per E . G . A l len,Esq .
,28
,Henr iet ta
Street,W .C.
Cosqu in ,M . Emanuel
,V i try-l e-F rancois, Marne
,France .
Cox ,Miss Ma r ian Roalfe
,107
,Ear l ’ s Cour t Road
,W .
Cromb ie, James E . , Esq. , Ba l gown ie Lodge , Aberdeen .
Cromb ie, John W .,E sq .
, M.P .
,9 1 , On s low Square , S .W .
Crooke, “L,E sq .
,B .A .
,West Leigh
,Arterberry Road
, W imbl edon , S W .
Dab is,Miss A . , 1 3 , G lebe P lace , Ch e lsea , S W .
Dames, M . Longworth,E sq .
,Deputy Commandan t
,Feroz epore, Punj ab ,
per H . S . K ing Co .
,45
,P a l l Ma l l
,S .IV.
Damp ier, G . R .
,Esq .
,care of Messrs . Gr ind l ey
,Groom and Co . ,
Bombay .
Dav is,Lieu t .—Col . John
,Byfron s, F arnborough .
Debenham,Miss Amy, Cheshun t P a rk, Herts.
Debenham,Miss Mary H .
, Cheshun t Park , Herts .
Defr ies,I V
Olf,E sq .
, B .A . ,4,Danes Inn
,W .C.
Denn ett , R . E .
,Esq .
,Loango
,Congo F ranca is. (Pa rce l s r id Lisbon
,S t .
Thomé,and Gaboon . )
Detro it Publ ic L ibrary , Mich i gan , per B . F . S tevens, Esq .
D iack , A . H. ,E sq .
,Lahore
,Punj ab
, Ind ia (Ea st Ind ia Uni ted Serv iceC lub, S t . James ’s Square , per T . R. G i l l ies, 1 8 1 , Un ion Street ,Aberdeen .
D ick,T . E . M. , Esq .
,1 8 , Penge Road, South Norwood , S .E .
D ickson ,Miss M. ,
“l ye House , Bux ton , Derbysh ire.
Duncan ,Le land L .
, E sq Rossla ir,Lingard Road
,Lewisham
,
SE .
Eagleston A . J .,E sq .
,M .A . , 1 10, Sarsfeld Road , B a lham .
Ed inburgh Publ ic Library, per R . Adam E sq .
, City Ch ambers, Edinburgh .
Eggers and Co .,Messrs , S t . P etersburg
, per Sampson LOW and Co .,Fetter
Lane , E C.
E l ton , O . . E sq .
, B .A .
,6, Heaton Road, W
' ith ington , Manchester .
Emerson , P . H. , E sq .
,Th e Nook , Oul ton B road , Lowestoft .
Empson , C . W .
,Esq .
, Ch i ldren ’
s Hosp ita l , P add ington .
Ems lie , J Esq . , 153 , Grove Lane , Camberwel l , S E .
Enoch P ra tt Librar y , Ba l t imore C ity , per E . G . A l len, Esq .
,28 ,
Henr iett a S tree t, W'
.C .
Eraut , A . ,Esq.
,G rammar School
,Galxvay .
Ofi cers a nd Members . v
Er langen Un ivers i ty L ibra ry, per Sampson Low Co .
,Fetter Lane
E C.
Evan s,Ar thur J Esq .
, M .A ., Ashmolean Library
, Ox ford .Evans, Mi ss E . M.
, S t . Mary ’s,Ely .
Evans, F. P . F ranklen ,
Esq.
,The B ays
,Kn igh ts ’ Hill
,West Norwood, S E .
Evan s, S ir John , LL .D .
,Na sh Mil ls
,Heme l
Hempstea d .Eyre
,Miss
,Th e Hudnal l s
, St . B r iave ls , G loucestersh ire .
C . F ah ie, J . J E sq.,C laremont Cour t, C la remon t Hi l l , Jersey .
Fawcett, F .
,E sq. , care of Messrs . A rbuthn ot 8 : Co .
,Madra s .
Fe i lberg, Rev . H . F .
,A skov
,Vej en
,D enmark .
Ferryman,Ma jor A . F . Mock ler, F .R .G .S .
, Oak Grove House, Roya l
M il i ta ry Co l lege , Camber ley, Surrey .
Ffenn el l , Miss Margare t C .,1 72, The Grove , Hammersm i th , W .
F itz gera ld, D .
,Esq .
,care of J . F itz gera ld, E sq. ,
Mayford House, B arnes .
S .W .
For long,Maj or-Gen . J . G . R . , 1 1 , Douglas Crescen t , Edinburgh .
F ranks , Sir Augustus W . ,123
,V ictor ia S treet
, S W
Fra ser , D . C .
,Esq .
,M .A .,
3,B uck ingham Road ,
”
Wa l la sey.
Fraz er,J . G .
,E sq .,
M .A . , Tr in ity Col lege , Cambr idge .
F raz er , Mrs . J . G . , Cambr idge .
Freer,Miss Goodr ich ,
27, Cleve land Gardens , Hyde P ark , W
Freer , Wm . J E sq.
, Stoneyga te , near Le icester .
F reshfield, W . D . ,Esq.
,Th e W i lderness
,Re iga te .
Fulch er,Miss A . G .
,E lmh am
,Dereham
,Norfolk .
Gardner,F . L . ,
Esq .,14
,Mar lboro’
Road,Gunnersbury , TV.
Gaster , Dr . M 37 , Ma ida V a l e, W .
George,Char les W .
,E sq.
, 51 , Hampton Road, C l ifton ,B r isto l .
Gerish,W . B . , Esq .
,Ivy Lodge , Hoddesdon
,Herts .
G ladstone,Dr . J . H.
,17
,P embr idge Square
, W .
G ladstone,Th e R igh t Hon . W . E .
,Hawarden
,F li n tsh ire .
G la sgow Un ivers ity Library, per Messrs .Ma cl ehose,6 1
, St . V incen t S tree t,G lasgow.
Godden,Miss Ger trudeM. , Ridgfield , W imbl edon .
G ol dmerstein,L . , Esq . , 4 , Wa l ton We l l Road
, Ox ford .
Go l lancz,I . , Esq . , M .A .
, Chr ist ’s Col lege , Cambr idge .
Gomme, G . L .
,Esq .
,24
,Dorset Square
,N .W . ( Vice P resident ) .
Gomme , J . F .
,Esq . , C i ty B ank , Oxford S treet, W .
Giitt ingen Un ivers i ty Library, The, per Asher and Co. , 13 , B edford Street,Coven t Garden, W .C.
G ow , Horace K .
,E sq .
,36
,Leadenha l l S treet, E .C.
G ow,Dr . James, High School , No t t ingham .
G ow land, T .
,Esq. ,
12, Tavis tock Road, Har lesden , N .W .
Ofi cers a nd Member s
Granger,Dr . F Cranmer S treet , Nott ingh am.
Green,Frank , Esq .
, Filstone , Addiscombe Grove, Croydon (Audi tor ) .
Green,Miss Mar ian
,G ir ls ’ High School , B lackburn .
Greeven ,R .
,Esq .
,1 64
,Camberwe l l Grove, Denma rk Hi l l , S .E .
Gregory,H . E . ,
Esq .
,Boarz e l l , Hawkhurst, Sussex .
Gre ig,Andrew
,E sq .
,36
,Be lmont Garden s, Hi l lhead, G lasgow.
Gr ierson, Geo . A .
,Esq . , B ank ipur, Pa tna , B enga l .
Grimsey , Miss Grace , S tokeLodge , Ipsw ich .
Grove , Miss F lorence, 10, Mi l ton Chambers , Cheyne Wa lk , S .W .
Gu i ldha l l L ibrary,E .C .
Gu tch,Mrs.
,Ho lga te Lodge, York .
Gwynne,James E . A .
,Esq .
,97
,Har ley Stree t, W .
Haddon ,Prof . , A . C .
,M .A .
,D .Sc .
,Iuisfa il , Hi l ls Road , Cambr idge .
Hannah,R . , Esq .
,82
,Add ison Road , Kensington , W .
Hardy,G . F .
,E sq .
,12
, Wa ter loo P lace,S .W .
Harr is, Miss Em i ly, 9, Q ueen Square , B loomsbury, W .C.
Harr ison and Sons,Messrs ,
59,P a l l Ma l l
,S .W .
Har tland,E . S idney
,Esq. ,
Highgar th , G louces ter .
Hartland,J . Co le , Esq .
, care of Messrs. Hun t and Co.,Yokohama
,Japan .
Harvard Col lege L ibrary, per Kegan Pau l and Co.
,Ld . , Char ing Cross
Road, W .C.
Hensman, W . M.
,Esq . , 32, Derngate, Northampton .
Herbertson , Joh n T . ,Esq .
,Por t Dunda s, G la sgow .
Hervey,D . F . A . , Esq .
, The Res idency , Ma lacca , per H . S . K ing 85 Co .
Hewi tt,J . F .
,Esq. ,
Devoke Lodge, Wa l ton-ou-Thames .
Higgens,T . W . E .
,E sq .
,1,Ed ith Terrace
, Che l sea , S .\V.
Hinuber,Miss
,34, L inden Road, Bedford .
Hodgk in,John
,Esq .
,12
,Dynevor Road, R ichmond
,S .W .
Ho l land, C l ive , E sq .
,Bergen ,
B ra nksome Wood Road,B ournemou th .
Howard,David
,Esq.
,Devon House
,Buckhurst Hi l l
,Essex .
Hur lbur t,Theodore D .
,Esq .
,104
,Hicks S treet
,B rook lyn
,New York ,
U.S .A .
Hussey, A .
,Esq . , W ingeh am ,
near Dover .
Hu tch inson,Dr . Jona than
,15
, Cavend ish Square , W .
Ind ia Office Library , Wh i teha l l , S .W .
, per C. H . Taw ney , Esq.
Jackson,A . M . J .
,Esq .
,Bycul lah C lub, Bombay (Ass istan t Col lector ,
Na s ik,Bombay) .
Jacob , H . F .,Esq.
,2, Oak V i l la s , G loucester Road , Red Hil l , Surrey.
Jacobs,Joseph , Esq .
,B .A .
,18 , Lansdowne Terrace
, West Hampstead ,
Jevons,F . B .
,Esq .
, M .A . , Litt .D . ,The Ba i ley, Durh am.
Ofi cer s a nd Members . vii
Johns Hopk in s Un ivers i ty L ibrary, B a l t imore, per E . G . A l len , 28 , B en
r iotta S treet , Coven t Garden , W .C.
John ston , A . W .
,Esq . , Imper ia l Inst i tute , S .W .
Jones , B ryan J Esq.
,B arracks, T ipperary .
Jones , D . B rya r, Q . C .
,M.P . ,
22, Bryanston Square, W .
Jones,W i l l iam
,E sq .
, Abberly Ha l l , Stourport .
Karlow icz,Dr . John
,Jasna , 10, Warsaw
,Poland .
Kegan P au l,Trench
,Trubn er , Cc . , Ld.
,Messrs . (Amer ican
Char ing Cross Road, W .C .
Kenn edy,Miss L .
,Fa ir acre
, Concord, Mass,U.S .A .
Ker, C .
,E sq .
,1,W in dsor Terra ce
,W est G lasgow .
Ker, Professor W . P .
,95, Gower S treet , W .C .
Kermack,John
,Esq .
,9,Hil l S treet
,Ed inburgh .
K inahan,G . H .,
Esq ., Woodlands , F a irv iew ,
co . Dubl in .
K inca id, Gen era l W ., per A . F letcher , 2, St . He len ’
s P lace, E .C .
K irby,W . F .
,Esq .
,Hilden
,Sutton Cour t Road, Ch isw ick .
Ki tts,E . J .
, Esq.,B arei l ly , Ind ia .
K lincksieck, C .
,P ar is
, per Th . Woh l leben ,46
, G t . Russe l l S treet, W .C.
Know les, W . J Esq . F l ix ton P lace,B a l lymena , Ire land .
Ladbury , Miss E . J Goldness , Har tlebury, K idderm in ster.
Lang , A .
,Esq.
,M .A .
,1, Mar loes Road
,Ken sington
,W . ( Vi ce-P r esident ) .
Layton , C. Mil ler,Esq.
, Shor tlands , Fol kestone .
Leathes , F . de M.
,Esq .
,1 8 , Radnor Park Road
,Folkeston e .
Leicester Li terary an d Ph i losoph ica l Society, per G . Hu l l , Esq .,1 3
,
A lex andra Road . Le icester .
Le land , C . G .
,E sq .
,Hote l V ictor ia , 44, Lung ’ Arno V espucci , F lorence.
Lemekue B uechner , Messrs , 8 12, B roadway, N ew York , U .S .A .
Letts, C ., Esq 24
,B ar tlett ’s Bu i ld ings , E .C .
Levy , C . E .
,E sq.
, Roundstone Lodge , F arnham, SurreyLew is
,J . P .
,E sq .
,M .A .
,Negombo
,Ceylon .
L ibrary of the Supreme Counc i l of th e 33rd Degree, etc.
,for England
8: Wa les,and th e Colon ies, 33 , Golden Square, W .
Lindsay,Lady
,41
,Han s P lace
,W .
Lockhar t, J . H . S tewar t,Esq .
,Regi strar-Genera l of the Legis la t ive
Counci l , Hong Kon g .
London Inst itut ion ,F insbury C ircus , EC .
London Library,S t . James ’s Square, S .W .
L '
owy , Rev . A .
,1 3
,Acol Road , West End Lane
,N .W .
Lubbock,Righ t Hon . Sir John , Bart ,
M.P . ,High
E lms,B eckenh am ( Vice-P r esi den t ) .
Lynn Lin ton ,Mrs . E .
,B rough am House , Ma lvern .
Macbean , E . ,Esq. , Fu l l arton House , by TOl lcross , Lanarksh ire .
McCorkel l , G i lmour , Esq . , G.S .
, Ahmedabad , Goojerat , Bombay.
C
t o “
Ofi cers a nd Members .
MacCul loch , S ir Edgar , P.S .A Guernsey .
M acgregor , A .,Esq .
,S tamford B rook Hou se
,Hammersm i th , W.
Mackenz ie,“T.
,Esq .
, Crofters Commiss ion ,6, Par l iamen t Square, Ed in
burgh .
. Mack in lay,Dr . , 6, Grea t Western Terrace
,Kelvinside
,G lasgow.
Maclagan , R . Cra ig , Esq .
, MD . 5 , Coates Crescen t, Ed inburgh .
Ma i tland,Mrs . J . A . Fu l ler , 39 , Ph il l imore Gardens , Kens ington ,
W .
Major , A . F .,Esq .
,1 7 , Grosvenor Road
,NVestm inster .
Man ,E . H. ,
Esq care of A . F . Man,Esq . , 2, P a lace Road , Surb i ton .
Mann ing , P .,E sq .
,44
,B road S treet Ox ford (B eechfield, Wa tford) .
Manchester F ree Library , K ing Stree t , Manch ester.
Marsh ,R . H . ,
Esq .,Ingles ide
,Epp ing , Essex .
Marsha l l,I V
. Gore, Esq.
,Hamb leton Ha l l , Oakham.
Marston ,E . ,
Esq .
, S t . Dunstan’s House , E .C .
Massou ,D . P .
,Esq Manag ing D irector , The P unj ab B ank , Lahore, per
II . S . K ing and Co .
,65
,Cornh i l l , E .C.
Mat thews, Miss E l iz abeth , The Hol l ies, Swatfham . Norfolk .
Mendham ,Miss Ed ith , Shepscombe House , Stroud, G loucestersh ire .
Mercan t i le Library, Ph i lade lph ia , per G . E . S tecker t, 2, S tar Yard,Carey S treet , W .C .
Merr ick , W . P . ,E sq .
,Manor F arm , Shepperton .
Metropol i tan Museum of Art,N .Y . , per G . E . Steehert 30
, “Y
el l ington S treet
,S trand , \V .C .
Meyer , P rofessor Kuno , 57 , Hope Street , Liverpool .Meyr ick Library , Jesus Col lege
, Ox ford , per IV. M . Lindsay, Esq .
,
Librar ian .
Midd lesborough Free Library , per Baker Hudson , Esq .
,Middlesborough .
Milne,F . A . Esq . , M .A .
,1 1
, Old Squa re , Lincoln ’s Inn ,W .C . ( S ecr eta ry) .
Minot , Miss J .
,care of Miss Ju l ia Dyk e , G lovers , S i tt ingbourne , Ken t .
Minnesota , Un ivers i ty of , Minneapol is , per G . E . S teeh ert,2, S tar
Yard , Carey S tree t , W .C .
Mitch e l l Library , 21 , Mil ler S treet , G la sgow, care of F . T. Barrett, Esq .
Librar ian .
.Mocat ta , F . D . ,Esq .
,9 , Connaugh t P lace , IV.
Mend ,Mrs . F r ida , 20, Avenue Road, Regen t ’s P ark , N .W .
Moore,A . Esq .
, M .A . ,VVoodbourne House
,Douglas
,I s le ofMan .
Moore , C . H.,E sq.
,Cl in ton
,I ll .
,U.S .A .
Mor ison ,Miss C. I .
,43 , P embr idge V i l la s, IV.
Mor ison ,Theodore , Esq . , A l igarh , Ind ia .
Mun ich Roya l Library , per Asher and Co . , 13 , B ed ford S treet , \Y.C.
Murray-Ayns ley , Mrs . J . C .,G rea t B rampton ,
Hereford .
Musters ,Mrs . Ch aworth , VViver tou Ha l l , B ingham,Notts.
.Mvres,J . L . ,
Esq .
, M .A .
, Ch r ist Church, Ox ford .
Naaké,J . T . ,
Esq.
,Library
,B r i t ish Museum,
\V.C.
Ofi cer s a nd Member s . ix
Na t iona l L ibrary of I rel and, per Hodges, F i ggis, and Co. , 104, Grafton
S treet, Dub l in .
0. Nesfield, J . P .,Esq . , Stratton House, 2, Mad ley Road, Ea l ing .
Newberry Library , Ch icago, per B . F . Steven s,4,Trafa l gar Square , W .C.
Newcast le Literary and Ph i losoph ica l Society, Newcastle-ou-Tyn e .
New Jersey , The Co l lege of,P r inceton ,
N .J . , per E . C. OsbornEsq. Trea surer .
New York , Co l lege of the City of, per G . E . Steeh ert,2,S tar Yard
,
Carey S treet , W .C .
New York Sta te Library, per G . E . Steehert,2, Star Yard, Carey St .
,W .C .
N icho lson , C . N . ,Esq.
,3 5
,Harr ington Garden s, S .W
N icholson ,Mrs . Loth ian , 7 7 , Be lgrave Road
, S W
Ninn is, B e l grave ,E sq . , M .D ., B rockenhurst
,A ldr ington
Road, S trea tham S .W.
Nott ingham F ree P ub l ic Library .
Nutt , A l fred, Esq .,270, S trand (P r esiden t ) .
Oel sner , H. , Esq .
, Spr ingfie ld , Honor Oak P ark , S .E .
O ldfie ld , Capt . F . H. , R .E .
,Scott ish Conserva t ive Club , Ed inburgh .
Olrik, Ax e l , Esq .,Sortedamsgade , 1 1 , Copenhagen , Denmark .
Ordish , T . F .,Esq . , W
'
arwick House , Warw ick Cour t,Gray ’s Inn
,
W .C .
Owen ,Rev. E l ias , M .A . ,
Llanyb lodwe l V icarage, Oswestry .
Owen , Miss Mary A .
,306
,Nor th N in th S tree t, S t . Joseph , Missour i ,
U .S .A .
Paget,Lady
,care of Miss Morr ison ,
102,Redclyfie Gardens, S .W .
C . P ar is , M . Gaston Membre de l ’In st itut , 2, Rue P ommereu,Passy
,Par is .
Pa ton , W . R .
,Esq . , V a thy , Samos, Turkey, r id. Smyrna .
P ayn e , Mrs. George, The P recincts , Rochester .
P eabody Inst itu te , B a lt imore , per E . G . A l len,Esq.
, 28 , HenriettaS treet , W .C .
Peacock , E .,Esq .
,Duns tan House, K ir ton-in-L indsey , L incolnsh ire .
P eorio ,~
Pub l ic Library of, per G . E . S teckert, Esq.
, 2, Star Yard , CareyS treet , W .C .
Ph i lade lph ia , The Libra ry Company of, per E . G . A l len
, Esq. , 28 ,
Henr ie tta S treet , W .C .
Ph i lpot, Mrs. J . H. , 61 , Chester Square , S .W .
Phipson ,Miss
,5,P ark P lace, Upper B aker S treet, N .W .
P ineau ,Mons . Léon ,
60,B ou levard Beranger, Tours , France .
P i tt-R ivers, Lieu t .-Genera l , Rushmore, Sa l isbury
Vice-P residen t ) .
P lymou th Inst itu t ion and D evon and Cornwa l l Na tura l H istory Society,
per C. S . Jago , Esq . , P lymou th Pub l ic School .Pock l ington-Co ltman , Mrs. ,
Hagnaby Pr iory, Sp i l sby, Lincolnsh ire.
x Ofi cer s a nd Member s .
Powe l l , Professor F . York,M .A .
, Chr ist Church , Oxford ( ViceP res iden t ) .
C . Power, D '
A rcy , Esq., M .A .
,M.E ., 10A , Chandos Street , Cavendish
Square , W .
P r ice , F . G . Hi l ton,Esq.
, 1 7 , Col l ingham Gardens , S . Ken
s ington , S .W .
P rov idence P ub l ic Library, per G .E . Steehert , 2, S tar Yard, Carey St . ,W .C.
P u l l ing , A l ex ander , Esq.
,20
, S tanford Road, Kens ington .
Pusey,S. E . Bouver ie
,E sq . ,
Raynbird, H ., j unr .
,Esq. , Garri son Gateway Cottage
, Ol d B as ing ,Bas ingstoke .
Reade , John ,Esq .
,270, Lava l Avenue , Mon trea l
, Canada .
Re iche l , H . R . ,Esq .
,P enra l l t , Ban gor , N . Wa les .
Reyno lds, Llywarch , Esq B .A ., Old Church P lace , Merthyr Tydvil .
Rh y s,P rofessor John ,
M .A . ,LL .D . ,
Jesus Col lege , Ox ford ( ViceP r es iden t ) .
R is ley ,H . H .
,Esq .
,care of Messrs. Thacker
,2, CreedLane ,Ludgate
Hi l l,E .C.
R ivett-Carnac, J . H.,Esq.
,C.I .E . F . S .A .
,Gh az ipfir, Ind ia .
ROhrsch eid and Ebbecke , Messrs .,B uehhandlung , Am Hof
,28
,Bonn .
t ossa l l , J . H. ,Esq . , Char levi l le , Roscrea
,I re land .
Rouse, IV
. H . D .
,Esq . ,
M .A .
,4, B i l ton Road , Rugby .
Row l ey, Wa l ter , Esq. ,A lder H i l l
,Meanwood, Leeds .
Roya l I r i sh Academy, p er Hodges, F iggis , an d Co. ,104
, Grafton Street,Dub l in .
Rylauds , Mrs .
,Langford Ha l l , Stretford, Manchester , per Arnold Green ,
56 , Pa ternoster Row , E .C .
Sa l isbury , J. ,Esq . , 48 , F lee t Lan e , E .C.
Saunders , J . E .
,E sq.
,9,F insbury C ircus
,E C .
S aussaye , P rofessor P . D . C . ,B eek , near Nymegen , Holl and .
Savage , Rev . E . B .
,M .A . ,
S t . Thomas’V icarage
,Douglas
,Isle
of Man .
Sayce , Rev. P rof . A . H.,M .A .
, Q ueen’s Col lege, Ox ford ( Vice-P resident ) .
Scott , J . G . ,E sq.
, per R . F . Scott, Esq .,S t . John ’
s Col lege, Cambr idge .
Sébil lot , MOIIS . P au l , 80, B ou leva rd St . Ma rce l , P a r is .
Seebohm ,F .
,Esq. , Th e Herm itage, Hitch in , Her ts .
Se l igmann, C. G . ,
E sq .,82, Sha ftesbury Avenue , W .
Sess ions , F Esq.
,Monkle igh ton , A lex andra Road , G loucester .
S idgw ick , Mrs . C .
,The Manor House, K ingston , Taunton .
S igne t Library , Ed inburgh .
S ikes, E . E .
,Esq.
,S t . John‘s Col lege, Cambr idge .
S impk ins , J . E . , Esq .
, Museum Of An t iqu i t ies,Edinburgh .
S inger , P rofessor , 9 , F a lke spla t z , B ern , Sw i tz er land .
S ink inson ,Mrs. ,
Le igh House, South End Road , Hampstead, N .W.
Skilbeck , J . H.
,Esq.
, l , Portman Mans ions , B aker Street, IV.
Ofi eer s a nd Member s .
Travancore, His Highness the Maharajah of,Ha z ier
, Cu tcherry, Trevandrum
, per P . Macfadyen and Co .
, W inchester House, Old B roadS treet, E .C.
Turnbu l l , A . H. ,Esq .
,Elibank
,We l l ington
,New Zea land
, per A . L . E lderand Cc .
, 7 , S t . He len ’
s P lace, E .C.
Tylor, P rofessor E . B .
,LL .D .
,The Museum House
, Ox ford Vice
P r esiden t ) .
Uda l , Th e Hon . J . S .,Attorney-Genera l
,F ij i I sl ands
, per Messrs . Love l l ,Son, and P itfield, 3 , Gray ’s Inn Square, W .C.
V an S tockum,W . P . ,
and Son,3 6
,Bui tenhof , The Hague, Hol land.
Voss’
Sor timen t (G . Haess ler) , Le ipz ig .
Wa lhouse,M . J E sq .
,28
,Ham i l ton Terrace, S t . John ’
s Wood, N .W .
Wa lker , Dr . Robert, Bud lei gh-Sa l terton , Devon , per E . W . Wa tson ,Esq . ,
22,Highbury New P ark , N .
Wa lpole , H.
,Esq .
,Indi a Office
,Wh iteha l l
,S .W .
Wardrop , Miss Marj ory,B r it ish V ice-Consu late , Ker tch , Cr imea , Russia .
Warner , S . G . ,E sq .
,E lms ide , Bol ingbroke Grove , S .W
Wa ters, W . G . , Esq .,7, Mansfield S treet , Portland P lace , W .
Wa tk inson Library, Hartford, Connect icut, per E . G . A l len , 28 ,
Henr ietta Stree t, Coven t Garden , W .C .
Westermann and Co .,Messrs .
,8 12
,B roadway
,New York , per
H . Greve l and Co.,33
,K ing S treet, Coven t Garden ,
W .C. (2 cop ies) .Weston
,Miss J . L . , B arnavie , Lansdowne Road , Bourn emouth .
Wheat ley, Henry B . ,Esq. ,
2, Opp idans Road, P r imrose Hil l , N .W .
Wh ite , Miss D iana , Old P r iory , Sydenham .
Wh ite , George, Esq . , A sh ley House, Epsom .
W i l l iams,A . M.
,Esq .
,41 , Wh itmarsh S treet, P rovidence, RI , U.S .A .
W i l l iamson,Rev . Char les A .
,14
,Upper Moun t St ., Dub l in .
W i l l s,Miss M . M . Eve lyn
,Heathfield , Swansea .
W i lson,R . H.
,E sq .
,23
, Cromwe l l Crescen t, S .W .
W indle , P rofessor B . C . A ., M .D .
,D .Sc.
, M .A .
,Dean of Q ueen
’
s Facul ty of
Medicin e,Mason Co l lege , B irm ingham.
Wissendorff,H. , 1 9 , Nadeschkinska ra
, S t . P etersburg,Russia .
Woman’s An thropolog ica l Soc iety, Wa sh ington
,D .C .
, care ofMrs.
M . P . Seaman,1424
,E leventh Stree t , N .W . , Wa sh ington
,D .C .
, U.S .A .
Wood, A lex ander , E sq.
,Thorn ly , Sa l tcoa ts , N .B .
W'
ooda l l,E .
,Esq .
,W ingthorpe, Oswestry.
Worcester F ree Pub l ic Library, Mass, per Kegan P au l
,Trench ,
Tr iibner, and Co .
,Ld .
Wr i gh t , A . R .
,Esq ,
H.M. P a ten t Office,25
, Southampton Bui ld ings,Chancery Lane, “LC .
Wr igh t,W . A ld is
,Esq.
, M .A .,Tr in i ty Co l lege
, Cambr idge.
\Vurt z burg , J . H.
,Esq.
, C laver ing, 2, De Greys Road , Leeds .
Wyndham , George , Esq . , M.P ., 35, P ark Lane W .
TRAN SACTI ON S OF THE FOLK LORE SOCIE TY.
VOL. V I I I . ] MARCH , 1 897 . [No. I .
NEAPOL ITAN W ITCHCRAFT .
BY J. B. ANDREWS .
‘
SOUTHERN ITALY has for'
many ag e s b e en the fa v our itecountry for w itche s ; they came from a ll pa rt s of the p en insula to the Grand Coun c i ls he ld unde r the wa lnut-tre e of
Ben e vento , and even from more d istan t lands , for its fame
i s ce lebra ted in Men tonne se trad it ion . Th i s tre e is sa idto ha ve be en de s troye d by S . Barba to in 660 , dur ing the
re ign of Duke Romua ldo , in contend ing aga in st supe rst i
t ion . B enevem‘o w a s forme r ly ca l le d Ma l even to, a name
p e rhaps s ign ifican t . The s ite of the tre e i s now d isputed , it sve ry ex i stence doubted ; but w itche s st i l l pre te nd to me e t onthe spot whe re it g rew . The Neapo l ita n s have an occu ltre l ig ion and governmen t in w itchcraft , a nd the Camor r a ;
some app ly to them to obta in wha t offic ia l organ i sa t ion scann ot or w i l l not do . As occa s iona l ly happ en s in s im i la rca se s , the Camor r a fea rs and yie lds to the w itche s
,the
tempora l to the sp ir itua l . The re a re a l so w iz a rds , but a s
e lsewhere they a re much ra rer ; accord ing t o the usua l
1 Th is paper conta ins a more extended account of the charms k ind ly presented by Mr. Andrews to the Society than it was possib le to give in th e few
remarks wh ich time perm itted a t the meeting of the 16th June la st, when he
exh ib ited them . See vol . vii . , p . 350. ED .
VOL. V I I I . B
2 Neapol ita n
exp la na t ion they ha ve more d ifficu lty in flying , b e ing heav ier.
I t i s sa id tha t the dev i l a s a ma n pre fe rs women ; they forthe ir pa rt a re am iab le t o him
,a t t ime s e ve n se duc ing h im .
The re a re spec ia l depa rtments of the a rt— the re i s tha t of
the e a rth a nd of the s ea— hav ing the ir spe c ia l a depts . The
firs t w i l l on ly be trea te d of now ; a ny w itch can , howe ve r ,re nder se rv ice t o s ea-fa r ing fo lk , in g iv ing a good hau l offi sh or a ve rt ing a storm . Among s t w itche s by b irth a re
women born on Chri stma s Eve , or on the Fe a st of the Conve rs ion of S t . Pau l . Whoeve r invoke s the dev il on Chr is tma s
Eve be fore a m irror may be come a w itch .
An ins truc t ion in the me thods is by i t se lf suffic ient ; i t isfre quen t ly g ive n by the m other to her daughte r , but not
e xc lu s ive ly ; a ny one may lea rn the a rt,e ven those kn ow ing
on ly a s ing le in ca nta t ion can make use o f it . Whe n a n ew
w itch ha s comp le te d he r e duca t ion,the two women ope n
a ve in in the ir a rms ; ha v ing m ixe d the b lood , the o lde rw itch make s a cros s w ith it unde r the le ft th igh of he r pup i l ,who says : Cr oce
,e r oee
,s ez
'
ag u r a ta sono. The re i s no
V is ib le s ign by wh ich to de te ct them ,t hey recogn ise on e
a nother by look ing in to the ir eye s ; then the on e who firs tleave s s a lute s the othe r by s tr ik ing her w ith her le ft ha ndon the le ft shou lde r a nd s imp ly s aying :
“ Me ne s o. In
paymen t for the powe r he g ive s , the dev i l rece ive s her sou lw ith those of the o thers she p rocure s for him ; in w i tne s sof he r fide l ity she mocks a t re l ig ion , a nd w i l l profane the
Hos t by tramp l ing on it . But she me ans to chea t him and
save he r s ou l a t the hour of dea th . She g oe s to ma s s , fi l lshe r room w ith p iou s p icture s
,be fore wh ich
,howeve r , she
doe s not work her cha rms . In he r dea th-ag ony she sendsfor the pr ie st
, g ive s up to him a l l he r appa ratus to be burnt ,the n confe sse s a nd re ce ive s ab so lut ion . He r compan ionstry to s ave s ome of t he mos t pre c iou s obj ects from the
flame s . The re a re ce rta in cr ime s for wh ich there is no for
g ivene s s , such a s hav ing cau se d de a th or ma de a hunchba ck .
Among the many devi ls the head of a ll i s ca l led S a tamzsso.
N eapol z'
z‘a n 3
Esp e c ia l ly ma l ic iou s is the D z
’
avolo Zappa (the lame dev i l) ,proud
,v io len t
,and trea cherou s he occup ie s h imse lf much
w ith love rs . Othe rs a re Lucibel lo, La r d’ino, Lu r dz
'
m'
no,
Tu r bionone , S ca r tel l a to, B a l da ssa r e . The ir a id
is invoked,
'
they a re p re sen t a t the coun c i l s . The w it che s
go to me e t them flying through the a ir,ofte n on hors e
back . In orde r to b e ab le t o fly , a fte r ha v ing comp le te lyundre s se d a nd un done the ir ha ir , they go a l ittle be forem idn ight to an i so la te d spot out of s ight , away from e ve rysa cre d obj e ct . I t is forb idden to s ee them ,
but not to speakto them . Then they ano int the ir bod ie s w ith the fo l lowing comp os it ion ,
the quant ity va rying a ccord ing to t he irwe ight : t en pounds of sp ir its of w in e
,ha lf a poun d of
sa lt of S a t u r n ,ha lf a poun d of D r ager z
'
o, to b e le ft for fou rhours in a cove re d ve s se l . Then ,
saying S orta Z’
a cqua
e soz‘z‘o z
'
l vem‘o, sot z‘o i ! noce d z
'
B enevem‘o, Lucibe l lo
par tamz
’
dove 618 650 a nda r e,” they fly away .
The me e t ing s take p lace a t m idn ight in the coun try ,when the w itche s dance and take counc i l toge the r . Any
one se e ing them may c la im a g ift ; thus a hunchback once
got rid of his hump . H ea r ing them s ing ing“ S a ba to e
D omem’
ca in en d le ss rep et it ion,he a dded “ E Gz
’
oved z'
mor z z'
l lo”
(a nd S hrove-Thursday) , a fa vourab le day for
W itchcraft , a s is a ls o S a turday . Th is story i s on e of thosemost w ide ly spread in Europe . I t i s ind ispen sab le tha tthe w itche s shou ld re turn b e fore dawn : once the hour ha spa sse d
,they fa l l in the ir fl ight and a re k i l le d . As a proof
,
it is sa id tha t some have b een found ve ry ea r ly in the
morn ing in the s tre e ts of Nap le s ly ing de ad a nd n aked .
On the ir w ay they can ne ither tra verse a runn ing s treamnor cross roads ; they a re ob l ige d
“ t o go round them .
”
They can turn themse lve s in t o an ima ls , e sp ec ia l ly in tob la ck ca ts
, but not into inan imat e obj e cts . However,they
may b ecome w ind,”
so a s to e nter a house in order t oca rry off s ome one , or to tra n sform him , or for other badpurpose s . If when in the hous e the w itch is se iz ed by the
B 2
4 N eapol ita n Wi tchcr af t .
ha ir and so he ld unt i l day-b re ak , she d ie s ; but if in rep lyto he r que s t ion “ W ha t do you ho ld ? i s sa id :
“ I ho ld youby the ha ir,
”she a n swe rs , e scap ing :
“ And I s l ip aw ay l ikea n e e l . On e nte r ing a house she should say : [a en t r a
in gues ta ca sa came a em‘a p er pig l ia rmi gues t a fig l ia , e a
Z’
ar a in m i me l a r uba, a’ea
’
esser e f r asea ra a n t /t a la mar ia .
”
If she mea n s to tra n sform the pe rson she says : [a non
sarza cr is z‘ia na, sana a n ima l e 6 $0720 er ez‘ica, e a
’
apa a’
i awar e
er et ica fa, lz a f a t ta a
’iven ta r e gues i a a
’
anna (uama a f a nciaZ/a ) a n ima l e , ea
’ ia a’iwaw‘a p i i‘i a n ima/e a
’
i gues ta danna .
”
Be s ide the bed she says : “ l a 50720 a enu ta per f a r z a a’el
a’
eman ia, i ! a
’ia val a m i lza par ta z
‘a 3 2; di un cava l l a, 6 came
d z'
a val a, e nan came cr is z‘ia rza, ia mi lza p r esa ques ta damza .
”
The ir a id i s invoke d in quarre l s . The Camorr ists and
bu l l ie s br ing the ir a rm s to have them ma de inv inc ib le . Aw itch pre sen t a t a fight can preven t the b lows from strik inghome
, or she may stop the fight by saying unde r he r brea th :F erma
, f erma , a rma f e r ace, came Ges z‘i f erma l a cr ace ,
came i ! p r ei e a l l’
a l ta r e, Z’
as z‘ia in baaca ea
’il ca l ice in
ma na .
”
W itche s a re much sought a fter in affa irs of the affect ion sb e twe en love rs , a nd be twe en husbands and w ive s , and tore store l ove betwe e n pa rents and ch i ldren . They u se an
“a cqua a
’el l a cancar a
’ia
”and an
“a cqua a
’
el/a
To br ing ba ck a n un fa ithfu l love r the w itch g oe s a t n ightto the ceme te ry , d ig s up w ith he r na i ls the body of an
a s sa s s in,w ith he r left han d cut s ofl the thre e j o in ts of
the r ing-fing er , then re duc ing them to p owde r in a bronz emorta r, she m ixe s it w ith a cqua aenea
’
ez‘z‘a senz a mar t i ,
”
bought a t the Chem i st’ s . The love r is to spr ink le the roadbe twe en his hous e a nd h is swe e thea rt ’s w ith th i s wa te r ,and th is w i l l ob l ig e the be love d one to re turn .
Another ve ry powe rfu l powde r i s made by scrap ing thele ft hume rus of a dea d prie st ; the powde r is the n made intoa sma l l pa rce l and h idden on the a lta r by the se rve r a t a
ma s s pa id for by the w itch . When the prie st say s : “ Cr ista
Neapol ita n I/Vitc/zcr af t . 5
e l eison,
she must mutte r : Cr is ta nan e l eisan . Sucha bone w a s shown me by a w itch ; it had be en purcha se dfor fifty francs from on e of the servan ts of a confra te rn ity .
I t had be longe d to the w itch’s mothe r , who w a s a ls o a
w itch , and'ha d be e n sto len from the obj e ct s g iven by he rbefore dying t o the p rie s t to b e burn t . I t mu st be the
Zef z‘hume rus , “
the r ig/i i hav ing be en use d for g iv ing thebene d ict ion .
”
I t i s pos s ib le to make a lover come in the fo l low ingma nn e r . At n oon pre c ise ly take ho ld of a shutte r or
door of the room w ith the le ft hand , shut it qu ick ly thre et ime s , the n s tr ike the floor heav i ly thre e t ime s w ith the
le ft foot . Th is ce remony is repea te d thre e seve ra l t ime s ;
a t the e nd the shutte r is s lamme d w ith v io lence . Ea cht ime the door or shut te r i s shut
,say :
“ P ar i a , a/ze va i e
vien i ; then a t the la st t ime of a ll : “ P r ena’il a , D ia aal a,
e nan l a t r a z‘z‘ien i ; g ia cche sei il D ia aala Zappa, por tami
N a viva a mar i a .
”
To prevent a love r from l ik ing a nother , stand in front ofa wa l l so tha t your shadow fa l l s on it ; speak to the shadowa s if to the love r , saying : B a ana ser a , ambr iccia ala mia ,
ba ana se r a a me e aa ana ser a a z‘e ; awam‘i a N z
‘u z‘z‘e
ar a l‘i‘e figu r e, ea
’ ia bel la came una Ja na .
”In speak ing
of one se lf, touch the brea st ; the shadow , in nam ing the
love r ; in saying ae l la , touch the fa ce ; in ment ion ing the
moon ,the wa l l . W itche s unde rtake to pun ish the um
fa ithfu l . They prepa re thre e cords w ith knots , a b lackcord for the hea d , red for the heart , wh ite for the sexua lorgan s . To cau se pa in in the head , they take ho ld of
the b lack cord, ga z e a t a sta r , and say :
“ S i‘al l a i ma ,
s z‘el la a
’
a e , s fel la t r e, s z‘eZZa ga a z
‘i r a , ia Ze ce r vel la a
’
i N
a t ta cca , g l ie l e a t ta cca i a n z‘af ar z‘e,c/zep er me passa p r ena
’er e
[a mar te .
” Th i s is repea te d five t ime s outs ide the w itch’ sdoor . For the hea rt , s ay :
“ B a ana ser a,ba ana ser a , N
mia, a’ove e s z
‘a fa ? D ia aal a a
’a me nan e a eeas z
‘a z‘a; a
’ia '
aal a, z‘a
gues ta ser a me l a a’
ea i chiama r e e gu i me la a'ea i par ta r e .
”
6 Neapol ita n I/Vitclzcr aft .
Tak ing ho ld of the-wh ite cord , is sa id : 1 “ D ia valo, ia in mono
lza ques to l a ecio ; ia g l i l eg a c i e c— a, da nessa no
e ea’
imp r eg na r e ; solo a gues ta f — a possaa a
’
ar a r e . The incanta t ion fin ishe d , the cord mu st b e wornin orde r to ke ep the knots in ta ct , for if unt ied the cha rm i sbroke n . A lemon
,ora ng e , or even a pota to , stuck over
w ith p ins of va riou s co lours and na i l s a nswe rs the same
purpose . The p in s a nd na i ls a re in serte d a t m idn ight inthe open a ir
,de ep ly or supe rfic ia l ly , a ccord ing to the ha rm
in tende d . In s t ick ing in e ach pin ,is sa id :
“ S tel l a , s tel la ,
o’e l l e f a r e f or e , a
'
iavala gna t t r a , a’
iavola n ave , ia ones ta
sp il la in t es ta a N ineh iaa’a, g l ie l a inc/z ioa
’
a ta n taf or teclze per me ne a
’eve p r ena
’er e la mar te .
” Then knots a re
made round some of the p in s w ith a co rd secret ly boughtby the w itch for th is spe c ia l purpose , re fus ing t o takechange ; if the se l le r ca l l s he r back she te l ls him tha t he i smad . In kn ott ing the cord , i s sa id :
“D ia vol o Zappa , ia met t a
ques ta sp il l a in t es ta a’i N viva a mar t a .
” Then the
obj e ct is h idden to preven t a d isenchan tment , a s by throw ingit in t o a dra in or into the se a . The he a d , hea rt , or l iver of
an an ima l i s a lso u sed , the head of a cock for a man, of
a hen for a woman . To pre ve n t an unfa ithfu l love r froms leep ing , the woman g oe s to bed qu ite nake d , take s ho ld of
the left s le eve of he r chem ise , saying :“ R issa , r issa ,
a’ia val a , ia mi vena
’o gnes ta camicia ,
non me l a vena’a per
a’ena r o. P a l ei , cimici, p ia t tol e e t af a n i e l
’
ar t iea cam
pa iuala ,a’a N ve ne a na
’
a te , ea’a l lar a pa ce possa t r o
va r e , gua na’
o aa es ta camicia s i vien e a p r emie r e .
” The n, put
t ing the chem i se in the m idd le of the b ed, she s ta nds a t the
foot , p la ce s h e r a rm s cro sse d on the b ed, and turn s them fou rt ime s so that th e la s t t ime the pa lms a re turne d upwards ,saying :
“ l l l et ta a’
iN non l o vea’a , non lo so. A i p iea
’
i
e i met ta a’ne ca ndel ier i , a l l a tes ta ci met to a n capo a
’i
mar te , nel mez z o a’ne sp ine a
’i Cr is ta . D ia valo, per
Th is coarseness is inevitab le .
8 Neapol ita n VVitc/i craf t .
s eialg a ga es to ma z z a, cos i scialga anes to c— o. S omet ime sa dance of nake d w itche s take s p lace round the bed of a
s ick pe rson , re ca l l ing the dev i l dance s in Ceylon , the obj e ctof both be ing to cure the i l lne ss . The re must b e thre e or
five w itche s ; if five , one rema in s a t the back, one stands
a t each corn er of the bed, ho ld ing be twe e n them cordswh ich must cros s the bed d iagona l ly , then danc ing , theys ing Ta g l i l
’
li a i f a t ta , ea’
ia g l i la talga , go ing roun dthe bed . When there a re on ly thre e w itche s the le ft corn era t the foot of the bed rema in s empty , the cord be ing he ldla te ra l ly . They cure a ll d isea se s , emp loying me dic ina lhe rbs as we l l a s mag ic , or even p ious obj ects . M e da l s of
S . Ana sta s io a re much re commende d aga ins t in fe ct ion ;they a re a lso most e ffica c iou s amu let s aga in st the Ev i l Eye ,a s a re a l so sp inn ing whor l s a nd the we l l-kn own horn s .
As rega rds the Ev i l Eye , w itche s cann ot make it , but theycan ave rt its influe nce . A sma l l packe t of s a lt w orn on the
p erson i s a protect ion aga ins t it ; but a ccord ing to the Nea
politans i t is u se le ss aga ins t w itchcraft , contra ry to the
b e l ief in some othe r p lace s . For tha t,a l itt le bag fu l l of sand
i s good , the w itch be ing ob l ige d to count e ach gra in beforework ing he r spe l l , in the meanwh i le the hour of he r powe rpa sse s . A comb
,thre e na i ls dr ive n in beh ind the house
door,a nd the horse shoe a re a lso recommende d aga in st
w itchcraft . W itche s ca n make storms cea se , or rende rthem ha rmle s s , by saying before an open w indow : F erma ,
f e rma , tnana, come Ges i‘i f ermo l
’a ama, e came ane l l a
sch zf osa pr ete a l l’
a l ta r e, can os t ia in bacca ea’ il ca l ice in
ma no .
”
W itchcra ft is powe r le s s on We dne sday , during Ho lyW eek , and (con tra ry to wha t is thought in some othercountr ie s ) on the eve of S t . John Bapt ist ’s Day . I t i sbe l ie ve d that a t m idn ight then He rodiade may be seen inthe sky seate d a cross a ray of fire , saying :
Mamma , mamma , perclie lo a’icesti
F igl ia , f ig lia , per alia laf acest i .
9
N eapol ita n IVitcacr a ft . 9
The were-wo lf i s kn own , but not a s the crea t ion of
w itche s . I t is a curse on men born on Christma s Eve ; theya re kn own by the lengt h of the ir na i ls . The ma la dy se iz e sthem in the n ight ; they run on a l l fours trying to b ite , butthey re ta in the human form . If they a re wounde d so a s tolose b lood
,the madne s s i s stopp ed a t on ce . G ir l s born on
Christma s Eve a re not ma iden s .
The foreg o ing informa t ion w a s obta in ed qu ite re cen t lyfrom w itche s in Nap le s . W hen a ske d wha t b ooks they u sed
,
they an swe re d None , tha t the ir kn ow le dge i s en t ire ly trad it iona l . The incan ta t ion s , ofte n compose d in ve rse
,have
be come in t ime so damaged tha t it ha s seeme d be tter not toa ttempt to ind ica te the ve rse s . S t i l l , l ite ra l a ccura cy inrepe a t ing the spe l l s i s b e l ieve d to be of the g rea te st importance . A s ca rre d tongue w a s shown to me a s the con se
quence of a m i stake .
S ome of the appa ratu s of w itchcraft ment ioned w a s
p re sente d to the S oc ie ty tha t it m ight be p lace d in the
Cambr idge Mu seum .
I ow e much to the k ind a id of S ignor Lu ig i M o l ina rode l Ch ia ro , of Nap le s , founde r of the paper , Giamaa t t is taB as ile , so much apprec iated by amateurs of I ta l ian tra d it ion s . Unfortuna te ly it ex i sts no longer .
Le Pigautier, Menton, Septemoer , 1 896.
I O Minutes of Meeting .
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17th, 1896.
The PRES IDENT (Mr . Edwa rd Clodd) in the Cha ir .
THE minute s of the la s t me e t ing we re read and confirme d .
The re s ignat ion of the Rev . A . A . Lamb ing , Miss De ndy ,Mi ss S argant , S ir A . W . Franks
,Mr . G .Wha le
,Mr . R . F . Ye o ,
Mr . L . W h ite K ing , and the Le ice ster Pe rmanen t Libra ry,
we re reporte d .
The e le ct ion of the fo l low ing n ew membe rs wa s announce dMiss C . J . M orr is on , Mis s M . D ickson
,Mr . N . W . Thoma s ,
Mr . R . H . Ma rsh , M e ssrs . Van S tockum a nd Son , Mr . P .
Mann ing , Profe s sor S ing e r , Mr . F . S e ebohm , Rev . T . C la rke ,and Mrs . K . M . C la rk .
The fo l low ing new books wh ich had be e n pre sen te d tothe S oc ie ty s ince the la s t me e t ing we re la id upon the tab le ,viz . : Voy age of B r a n , by K . M eye r a nd A . Nutt
, vol . i . , pre
sen ted by Mr . Nutt ; An th r opology of the Taa'
a s a na’K a ta s
of the N ilg ir i H il l s , by E . Thurston , p re s ente d bythe Ma dra s Gove rnmen t ; The F ce r ey inga S ag a ,
by F . YorkPow e l l
,p re sen te d by Mr . Nu tt S ix th Repor t of the
Aus t r a l a s ian Associa t ion f or the Adva ncemen t of S cience ,pre sente d by the As soc ia t ion ; The My ths of the N ew
War l a’
,by D . G . Br in ton , pre sen ted by the Author ; B il a’er
a us dem Fa s tna ch ts l ehen im a l te n B a s e l , by E . Hoffman
Kraye r , pre se n te d by the Author ; A r chivia'
a’el l a S ocieta
Roma na a’i S tor ia P a t r ia ,
vol . xix . , pre sented by the
S oc ie ty ; F ina l Repor t on the La na’Revenue S e t t l emen t
of the Wes te r n D ua r s of B eng a l , by D . H . E . Sunde r, pre
sente d by the Au thor .
Mr . F . G . Gre e n read a pape r e n t it le d One -s ide d Fo lkl ore ,
”a nd a short d iscu s s ion fo l lowed , in wh ich Dr . Ga ste r
a nd Mr . Gomme took pa rt .
A n ote by M iss M . Debenham on a cure for huma n
b e ing s , or ca ttle , ove r looke d by the Ev i l Eye (see p . 9 2)w a s rea d by the Pre s iden t .
Minutes of Meeting . I I
The Pre s ident a l so rea d the fo l low ing le tters from Mr .
Thoma s Ha rdy and Mr . J . G . Fra z e r
MAX GATE, DORCHESTER .
Octaher 30 , 1 896.
MY DEAR CLODD,
Here is a bi t of folklore tha t I have just been rem inded of.
If you p lan t a tree or trees,and you are very anx i ous tha t they
shou l d thr ive , you mus t not go and l ook at them, or l ook out of
the w indow at them on an emp ty stomach .
” There is a blast inginfluence in your eye then wh ich w i l l make them pine away . And
the s tory is tha t a man, puz z led by th is w i thering of h is new l y
p lan ted choice trees, wen t to a wh i te w i tch to enqu ire who was theevi l-worker. The wh i te w i tch
, after ascerta in ing the fac ts, toldhim i t was himself .
You w i l l be able to c lass ify th is,no doub t
,and say exac t l y
where it be l ongs in the evolutionary cha in of folklore .
Yours s incere l y,
THOMAS HARDY .
The Pre s ident hav ing commun icate d the sub stance of
th is le tte r t o Mr . Fra z e r , and sugge ste d tha t the e xp lana t ionlay in the hung ry man look ing on the tre e s , wh ich the rebybecame sympa the t ica l ly s tarve d , a nd so d ied
,Mr . Fra z er
rep l iedTR IN ITY COLLEGE, CAMBR IDGE .
N ovemher 1 st,1 8 96 .
DEAR MR . CLODD ,
The superstition you men t ion was unknown to me, but your
explanation of i t seems h igh l y probable .
As exp la ined by you , the superst i t ion is a very in terestingexamp le of the supposed sympa the t i c connect ion be tween a man
and a tree . As you say, i t bears very c lose l y on my exp lana t ionof the connect ion be tween the priest of D iana a t Aricia and the
sacred tree , he having to be a lways in the prime of hea l th and
vigour in order tha t the tree m igh t be so too . I am plea sed tofind my theory (wh ich I confess often seems to me far-fe tched
,so
remo te is i t from our n ine teen th cen tury educa ted ways of though t)confirmed by evidence so near home . I t is one more indica tion
1 2 The Phy s ique , Customs , a nd Super stitions
of the persistence of the most primi t ive modes of though t benea ththe surface of our civi l isa t ion . Thank you for bring ing it to mynot ice .
Yours very tru l y ,JAMES G . FRAZER .
Short note s on “ S traw Gob l in s and “ Mark s on Anc ien tM onument s ” (se e pp . 8 7 , by Mr . C . G . Le land , we rere a d ; and s ome obse rva t ion s upon the la tter we re offeredby Mr . Gomme
,Mr . Na aké , and Dr . Ga ster .
Mr . L . Goldme rste in rea d a pap er e nt it le d “ The Pa rtp laye d by W a te r in Ma rr iage Customs
”
(see p . In the
d iscu ss ion wh ich fo l lowed , Dr . Ga ste r, M e s srs . Gomme and
Nutt , and the Pre s iden t took part .
A paper on the “ Cus toms of the Pea santry of Innish
owen ,
” by Mr . Thoma s D ohe rty of Carndonagh , w a s rea dby the Pre s ident . A d iscuss ion fo l lowe d
,in wh ich Me s srs .
Nutt , H iggens , and K irby took pa rt .
SOME NOTES ON THE PHYS I QUE,CUSTOMS ,
AND SUPERSTITIONS OF THE PEASANTRYOF INNISHOWEN, CO . DONEGAL .
BY THOMAS DOHERTY .
Ha ir .— A long the seaboa rd d is trict s , the preva i l ing co lour
of the ha ir among men and women i s red,l ight red, or sandy .
Many a s sert tha t th is is to be a ttr ibute d to some p ecu l ia ra ct ion of the sea a ir, the sa lt wa ter , the d ie t (ch iefly fish ) ,or the emp loyme nt . M os t of the pe op le in the se p lace sa re engage d in outdoor pursu its , in a ll sea son s and in a ll
wea the rs— pr inc ipa l ly agr icu l ture and fi sh ing . I ra the rth ink tha t he re d ita ry influence s a re the pre va i l ing cau se s .
The inhab itants a re most ly de scendant s of the old Ce lt ictribe s , pre tty ta l l , strong ly made , of s tra ight long v isage ,
of the Pea sa n try of [nn zshowen 1 3
w ith h igh cheek-bone s . A few Eng l ish and S cotch , sa idto b e de scendan ts of the p lan ters of Jame s I . and El iz abe th
,
a re found among them but the se a re of an en t ire ly d iffe ren tca s t of coun tenan ce , w ith b lue or b lack eye s and b la ck ha ir ,except ‘where they or the ir fa the rs have in terma rr ie d w iththe abor ig ine s . In tha t ca se , the ch i ldren of such have a
tendency to the tra d it iona l flor id fe a ture s and red ha ir of
the Ce lt . As w e come in lan d, red ha ir i s but s e ldom me t
w i th . Very few a re ba ld .
Ey es .-The co l our of the eye s is b lue or l ight b lue , some
few ca se s b la ck , wh i le in land it i s g rey or a m ixture of greya nd b la ck . Sp e cta c le s a re se ldom used ; the eye s re ta inthe ir ke enne ss a nd v ig our un impa ire d
,or but s l ight ly so ,
up t i l l the age of se ven ty , e ighty , and above . I kn owseve ra l in stance s whe re o ld men and women fo l low the iravoca t ion s
,in wh ich good v is ion i s ve ry requ is ite , w ithou t
the a id of g la s se s . S e cond-s ight is qu ite common . Theya re a long-l ive d p e op le . The re is ha rd ly a v i l lage whe reon e may not find ha lf-a-doz en o ld p eop le whos e ave rage
ag e s a re n ea r one hundre d yea rs .
D r ess .— Ch iefly ma de from the woo l of the she ep
,wh ich
the women in the long w inte r n ights ca rd , sp in on the
ord ina ry sp inn ing-whe e l , and have woven by the we ave rshe re on the old hand-looms . The se c loths a re then dye da nd s e n t t o the tuck-mi l l (fu l l ing-m i l l) , whe re they a re
pounded tog e the r by la rge b locks of wood,and a fterwa rds
fre e d from grea s ine s s by hav ing a s tream of wa te r pa ssove r them . To a ss ist in thi s proce s s
,fu l ler’ s-ea rth or cham
b e r-lye is used,la rge ly the la tte r . The se c loths a re ve ry
wa rm , and e ven when soake d through , a s they often a re bythe ra in s s o fre quen t he re
, a re ha rd ly eve r chang e d by thewea re r , pos s e s s ing a hea t a ltoge the r unkn ow n by the owne rsof more h igh ly-fin ished and cons equen t ly cos t l ie r ga rmen t s .
Many of the pe op le go bare foot , more e spe c ia l ly dur ing thesummer months .
D iet — Up to a few years ago tea was a lmo st unknown .
14 The Phy s ique, Cus toms,a na
’ Supers titions
Now it is la rge ly used, often thre e and four t ime s each day .
In a dd it ion,potatoe s
,Ind ian mea l porr idg e , and la rge qua n
t it ie s of fish a re con sumed . F le sh-mea t not common .
Cu s toms .
— In wa lk ing a long the roa ds eve ry one sa lute se ve ry othe r one m e t , whe the r prev ious ly a cqua inte d or othe rw ise . On e nte r ing any hou se whe re churn ing i s g o ing on
the v is itor i s expe cte d to b le s s the work e ither in the I r ishor the Eng l ish tongue . I r i sh i s l iked be tte r . Go m-beannu ig id Dia anba agus ba inne (God b le s s your cow s and
m i lk) i s the u sua l sa luta t ion . To e nte r or le ave w ithoutdo ing so i s a sure ind icat ion of tak ing the but te r aw ay bysuperna tura l mean s . S hou ld one e nte r a hou se whe re theabove work (churn ing ) i s go ing on
, the v is itor i s expectedto rema in unt i l the work is fin ished . If one ’s fire goe s out
(ge t s quen che d ) he ca nn ot ge t a coa l from h is n e ighbour’ s
w ithou t firs t br ing ing in two“ tu rf” (pea t) and p la c ing them
on the fire from wh ich he w ishe s to ge t the coa l s . D o ingcon tra ry porte nds the tak ing away of a ll g ood luck . Tolend sa lt br ing s bad luck . To me e t a red-ha ire d woma n is
a sure omen of m isfortune . A ba refoote d or a ba reheade dwoman mea ns the same .
Whe n in a boa t , the fishe rme n wou ld a lmost throw one
ove rboa rd shou ld he cha nce to wh is t l e . They say wh is t l inga lways p re sage s a storm . The re i s no obj e ct ion to s ing ing .
Afte r the boa t is launche d a nd a few ya rds from the b each ,e ve ry hea d i s uncove re d , the oars l ie id le , and p rayers a re
sa id for a m inute or tw o . A strang e r n e ve r forg e ts th isscene . Noth ing appea rs more so lemn . The long s tretchof p ebb ly bea ch , the heav ing wa ve s , the rugge d crag s and
s e rra te d rock s a round, the w ide and bound le s s ocea n ou t
s ide , the l itt le cock le she l ls , a s the boa ts s e em,bobb ing up
and down, and the n not a murmur i s hea rd except the
sw i sh of the wa ve s or the sha rp scream of the gul l . A l l iss i len t a s a churchya rd , and the re in the boa t the crew ,
c ladin o i lsk in s , w ith fa ce s b ronz ed by w ind and wea the r, p leading w ith c la sp e d hands and upturne d eye s to the God of thetempe st .
1 6 The Phy s ique, Cus toms,a nd Super s tit ions
of a she a ss . An othe r remedy 18 to lead the boy or g ir la ffe cte d w ith the d i sea se t o a sou th-runn ing stream,
in
hr a nhs . Branks a re a k ind of wooden brid le u se d for
ca tt le in c ountry d is tr icts .
Sp r a ins or B r ahen Limbs — The se are cure d by charms ,wh ich cons is t in touch ing the injured pa rt w ith the handsa nd re c it ing s ome formu la: in words .
E vil Ey e— Ma ny pe rson s he re a re supposed to have an
Ev i l Eye”
— red-ha ired women in pa rt icu la r . Any an ima lexcept an a ss , even a ch i ld looked upon by the se pe rson s ,i s sa id to be b l inke d , or unde r the influence of the “ Ev i lEye ,
”a nd so w i l l p ine away and die .
S uper s t it ions a s toF ish — Forme r ly Lough S uille (Sw il ly) ,an in le t of the s ea
,twenty-five m i le s in le ng th and t en m i le s
from Londonde rry , on wh ich Bune rani
a is bu i lt , w a s the grea tcen tre of the he rr ing-fishing industry here . Hun dre ds of
boa ts we re to b e found engage d in tha t pu rsu it ; a nd often,
the old men say , the beach w a s s trewe d w ith tons and ton sof the fish— no ma rke t be ing had . At the b eg inn ing of the
p re sent ce ntury the w itche s of S cot lan d , pos se ss ing supe riorpowe rs to those of the Iri sh
,came ove r a nd ent ice d the finny
den iz en s of the lough to S cot land . S ince tha t t ime ve ry fewhe rr ing s a re caught in the lough . I t is to ld tha t the fishe rmen were e ngage d a s u sua l . The n ight w a s ve ry ca lm .
H e re , the re , and eve rywhe re wa s the lough dotte d w ith boatsw ith the ir crews . Up from the entrance of the in let w a s s e en
ru sh ing a s ilver he rr ing of a la rg e s iz e . Qu ick ly it rushe dthrough the wa ters , pa s s ing by the boa ts w ith the ir out
stre tched ne ts . Up one s ide it rushed , fo l lowed by count le s smu lt itude s of herr ing s , away a cros s , then down the othe r s ide ,it s fo l l ow ing st i l l increa s ing , un t i l , hav ing ga there d a ll the
herr ings in its tra in ,it swe pt away down the lough w ith
a roa r a nd rush re semb l ing tha t of a m ighty wh ir lwind .
The fishe rmen , sp ee ch le ss w ith te rror, rowe d qu ick ly a shore ,m inu s the ir ne ts , and he rr ing-fishing on Lough S uille b ecamea th ing of the pa st .
of the Pea sa ntry of [nn ishow en . 1 7
In Clonmany,a d i str ict extending from Ma l in to Lough
S uille , is a r ive r in wh ich sa lmon and trou t a re n ever found,though the se fish abound in the n e ighbour ing streams . Toprove th is
,s ome ind iv idua l s manag e d to capture seve ra l
from a r iver a long s ide , a nd p la ced t hem in the one men
t ioned, but they imme d ia te ly d ie d . The rea son g iven i s
tha t Columkille , the pa tron sa in t of D onega l , be ing on h is
trave l s in the d istr ict, and we ar ie d a nd hungry , came upon
some boys who had a fire k ind le d on the banks of the
stream , in wh ich they we re roa st ing s ome trout caughtfrom it . The sa int a ske d for s ome to sa t isfy h i s hung e r ,but the boys refu se d to sha re the repa st . S a int Columkillethen pronounce d a ma le d ict ion ,
a nd to ld them tha t neve raga in wou ld a t rout or sa lmon b e foun d in the s tream .
Othe rs te l l tha t the sa int had w ith h im a goa t wh ich sup
p l ie d him w ith mi lk dur ing h i s w a nde r ings , tha t the boyswe re out fi sh ing , a nd com ing on the a n ima l , wh ich w a s
brows ing on the rocks a t some d i stance from whe re Co lumk i l le lay s le ep ing , they k i l le d it , a nd mak ing a fire cooke dit , ea t ing a ll but th e hoofs and horn s . The s a in t w a s s oenraged on awaken ing and find ing out wha t had happen ed ,tha t he curse d the stream and the p lace .
Witches — The se (human or de v i l) are s a id to be not
uncommon a round h e re . Old women p r inc ipa l ly fo l low the
a voca t ion,oftent ime s cha ng ing them se lve s int o ha re s and
roam ing a round dur ing n ight-t ime or by dayb reak , v i s it ingthe ir ne ighbours
’ byre s (cow-hous e s) , from wh ich they a reab le by some myste riou s powe r to take w ith them the m i lka nd butt e r . S ome of the s e w itche s Of h ighe r powe rs haveno ne e d to tra n sform themse lve s , but a re ab le by the a id of
a p e cu l ia r ha ir-rope — made from the man e of a s ta l l ion inwh ich the re is not a s ing le wh ite ha ir— and the re c ita l ofs ome que e r inca nta t ion s to e ffect the ir obj e ct . Ba e lt ine
, or
May-ev e
,is the on ly day in the ye a r for we av ing the s e
sp e l l s a nd mak ing the fe tte rs . On s e vera l occa s ion s the sew itche s in the form of hare s have be en shot a t , but w ithout
VOL. V I I I . 0
I 8 Minu tes of Meeting .
succe ss . The on ly , th ing tha t can in j ure them is a s ilver
bu l le t made from a S ixpe nce or a sh i l l ing . I have hea rd tha twhe re the y have be en w ounded by such fire d from a gun ,
in stea d of the ord ina ry l ea d-p e l l e ts , on fo l low ing up the
w ounde d an ima l it w a s found in the form of a woman ,
sea te d w ith in j ured a rm or leg in the corne r of he r ow n
dwe l l ing-hou se .
Old horse -shoe s na i le d ins ide doors a re qu ite common .
They a re sa id to a ct a s a p revent ive aga in st the spe l l s of
the w it ches . W hen churn ing ,the tong s a re put in the fire ,
or a p ie ce of hea te d iron is put unde r the churn ,a nd kept
there t i l l the op e ra t ion is fin i she d . Al so a p iece of ha irrope is some t ime s put round the ve ss e l . S eve ra l t ime sha ve I hea rd me n a nd w omen comp la in tha t they m ightchurn for days but cou ld ge t no butt e r , ow ing t o the spe l l sof the w itche s . The butte rm i l k too w a s frothy and fu l some
in t a ste and sme l l, a nd could not be use d .
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16th,18 96.
The PRES IDENT (Mr . Edw a rd Clodd) in the Cha ir .
THE m inu te s of the la st g enera l me e t ing we re rea d and
confirm e d .
The re s igna t ion of Lady Lew is,Mr . T . Heath Joyce , and
Mr . Ulr ico Hoepl i w e re r eported .
The e lect ion of the follow ing n ew membe rs w a s announ ce dMis s E . W i l ls , Mi ss Je s s ie L . W e ston
,Mrs . S idgw ick , Pro
fe ssor W . P . Ke r,Mr . G . G . Trahe rne , Mr . A . Macgregor ,
Mr . S . G . Ashe r , Mr . L . Go ldmers te in .
Mi ss M . Ffe nn e ll exh ib it ed ( I ) a cha rm of invu lne rab i l i ty,
(2 ) a w it ch cha rm ,Offe n s ive a nd de fen s ive , a nd (3 ) a pa ir
Of shea rs a nd manga l a s tan d u se d in the ton sor ia l r it e,a l l
from S iam ; a nd a short e xp la na tory pape r wr itte n by he r
(se e p . 88 ) w a s read by the Pre s ident .
Minu tes of Meeting s . 1 9
Mr . Whea t ley read a pape r e nt it led “ The Fo lk lore of
Pepys ; a nd in the d iscus s ion wh ich fo l lowe d , the Pre s ide nt ,Me ssrs . Ems l ie
, Na aké , a nd H iggen s , a nd Dr . Ga ste r to okpa rt .
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19th, 1897 .
ANNUAL MEETING .
The PRES IDENT (Mr . Edwa rd Clodd) in the Cha ir .
THE m inute s of the la st annua l me e t ing we re rea d a nd
confirme d .
On the mot ion of Mr . Gomme , s econde d by Mr . Ja cob s ,it w a s re so lve d tha t the Annua l Report , S ta temen t of
Accoun ts,a nd Ba lance S he e t (a copy of wh ich had be en
s ent t o a l l the membe rs of the S oc ie ty ) be rece ived a nd
a dopted .
Mr . W right move d , Mr . Ha rt land se conde d , a nd it w a sre so lved tha t Mr . A lfre d Nutt be e le cte d Pre s ide n t for theyea r 1 89 7 , and tha t the la die s and g e n t lemen nom ina te dby the Counc i l a s Vice-Pre s iden ts , M embe rs of Counc i l ,Trea sure r , Aud itors
,a nd S e cre ta ry re spe ct ive ly b e e lecte d .
Mr . Clodd the reupon va ca te d the Cha i r, wh ich w a s takenby Mr . Nutt
,the new ly-e le cte d Pre s iden t , who de l ive re d
h i s pre s ident ia l a ddre s s , h is subj e ct be ing“ The Fa iry
W or ld of Eng l ish Lite ra ture : it s O rig in a nd Na ture . Atthe conc lus ion of the a ddre ss a hea rty vote of thanks w a s
accorde d to Mr . Nu tt on the mot ion of Profe s sor Rhys ,seconde d by Profe s sor York Powe l l ; and a short d iscu ss ionfo l lowed , in wh ich Mr . K irby
,Mr . Bowe r , and Mr . A lba ny
Ma j or took pa rt . In re turn ing tha nks , Mr . Nutt urge dupon the membe rs p re s e n t to do a ll in the ir powe r t oincrea se the numbers and influence of the S oc ie ty .
0 2
N INETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE
COUNC IL .
1 9TH JANUARY, 1 89 7 .
THE Counc i l a re g la d to report tha t the inte re s t take n in
the work Of the S oc ie ty ha s dur ing the pa st yea r be e n we l lsu sta ine d .
A survey of the conten ts of the Journa l shows tha t it ha sma in ta ined the leve l of forme r yea rs . I t is s t i l l conducte dby a Pub l ica t ion s Comm itte e con s i st ing of Mis s Cox
,M e ssrs .
Ha rt land , Gomme,K irby
,a nd Nutt , and the Pre s iden t a nd
Tre a sure r ; bu t a s the burden of the work , pa rt icu la rly tha tof e d it ing the j ourna l , fa l l s on the Cha irman of the Com
mitte e , Mr . Ha rt land , the Counc i l fe e l tha t the S oc ie tyowe s him a deep debt of gra t itude for h i s ab le and z ea lou sse rv ice s .
I t w a s s ta te d in the la s t Annua l Report tha t , in couse
que nce of the he avy out lay up on the extra vo lume s of
p re v iou s ye a rs , it might be found n e ce s sa ry for the ba lanc ingof the income a nd expe nd iture of the S oc ie ty to de fe rthe i ssu e of any extra vo lume un t i l 1 89 7 . The Counc i la re
,however , p le a se d to a nnounce tha t
, a fte r ca refu l lycons ide ring the que st ion of ways a nd me a n s
,they ha ve
a rra nge d to pub l ish a MS . by Mr . H . M . Bow e r on“ The
Ele va t ion and Proce s s ion of the Ce r i a t Gubb io ” a s a n
a dd it iona l vo lume for the yea r 1 896 . Th is work, w h ich
the Counc i l rega rd a s one of excep t iona l inte re s t a nd
imp ortance , i s now in the pre ss , a nd w i l l be is sued tomembe rs e a rly in the yea r . The extra vo lume for 1 89 7
w i l l be a furthe r in s ta lme n t of Coun ty Fo lk lore from Pr inte dS ource s . Two co l lect ion s , viz . Northumbe r land
,by Mrs .
M . C . Ba lfour , a nd Nott ingham sh ire , by Mrs . ChaworthMus te rs , a re a lrea dy in the hands of the Pub l ica t ions Com
A n nua l R epor t of the COZtfl CZt . 2 1
mit te e and the Comm ittee have a ls o in hand a quan t ity ofAb e rdeensh ire Fo lk lore co l lecte d by Dr . Gregor . No difli
cu lty w i l l be exp er ienced , the refore , in find ing ma tte r forthe pre s s .
The Counc i l aga in inv ite offe rs of he lp from mem
bers in unde rtak ing the co l le ct ion of the fo lk lore fromp rinted source s of the una l lotted coun t ie s . At p re sen tthe on ly coun t ie s a l lotte d , be s ide s those the fo lk lore of
wh ich ha s be en a lrea dy pub l ished , a re , in Eng land : Yorksh ire (North Rid ing ) , Notts , S taffordsh ire , Norfo lk , H erts ,Midd le sex ,
Kent , a nd Surrey ; in S cot la n d : M oraysh ire ,Banffsh ire , Abe rde ensh ire , K inca rd ine , and Forfarsh ire ; inI re land : Antr im andTy rone ; and the I s le ofMan . A lthoughno re sp onse w a s rece ived to a s im i la r inv ita t ion g iven a
vea r ago , they hope tha t th is ren ewe d appea l may se cureco-Ope ra t ion in a w ork wh ich can on ly be succe ssfu l lyca rr ie d out by the vo lun ta ry he lp of memb e rs gen e ra l ly .
I ts pra ct ica l ut i l ity ha s a lready b e en po inte d out , a nd
ne ed not be he re in s i ste d on . Many of the s ources a re
ina cce ss ib le save to inhab itants of the coun t ies conce rn e d .
Hen ce it can on ly b e undertaken by coun try membe rs ,to whom it affords a n Opportun ity , e ven when theya re not in a pos it ion to a ss i st in the co l lect ion and
pre se rva t ion of st i l l l iv ing tra dit ions , to render p ermanen tse rv ice to sc ience , a nd whom it b ring s into t ouch w iththe gene ra l work of the S oc ie ty . Whe reve r the re may
be a suffic ie nt numb er of memb ers re s iden t in a county,
the forma t ion of a loca l comm itte e for the purpose w i l lpe rhap s b e found u se fu l . Div is ion Of labour tends tol ighten a nd expe dit e the ta sk ; the mu lt ip l ica t ion of
worke rs , if p rope r ly organ i se d , increa se s the probab i l ityof thoroughn e s s in its pe rformance ; wh i le the ir re-un ionfrom t ime t o t ime , a s it proce eds , for the d i scu s s ion of
inc iden ta l que st ions he lps to qu icke n the ir inte re st, not
me re ly in th e rema ins of the pa st w ith in the ir ow n county,
but a l so in the w ide r prob lems offe re d by the S c ience of
22 A nn ua l R epor t of the Council .
Trad it ion . At the same t ime , a loca l comm ittee is by nome an s ind ispen sab le ; for mos t of the co l le ct ion s w h ichhave h ithe rto reached the Counc i l have be en made byworke rs e ithe r s ing le -hande d or w ith on ly s l ight externa la s s i s tance .
The Counc i l fe e l tha t the first duty of the S oc ie ty i s t osupe r intend the co l lect ion of fo lk lore in the Un ite d K ingdom .
In order t o dea l adequa te ly , howe ve r , w ith the fa st pe r ish ingma ss of Brit ish tra d it ion s , it is ne ce s sa ry tha t inte re st inthe subj ect shou ld be sprea d much more w ide ly than it is a t
pre sen t . W ith th i s end in v iew , the Counc i l appe a l tomemb e rs of the S oc ie ty , and e spe c ia l ly to those in the prov ince s , to make know n among the ir fr iends a nd ne ighboursthe obj ects of the S oc ie ty , a nd to a ss i st in obse rv ing a nd
record ing the curre nt fo lk lore of the ir ow n n e ighbourhoods .
I t is fe l t tha t the re must be ma ny pe rsons in a ll pa rts of
the k ingdom to whom loca l an t i qu it ie s and pe cu l ia rit ie s a re
a subj e ct , not mere ly of cur ios ity , but of in te l l igen t inte re s t .
If such were ma de awa re of the ex is ten ce and a ims of the
S oc ie ty , and of the g re a t h is tor ica l and a rchae o log ica lva lue of the saying s , supe rst it ion s , s ong s , ta le s , and cu stoms
wh ich have be en r ife among the pea santry , a nd wh ich a re
now fa st dying out , it is b e l ie ve d tha t they wou ld be g ladto render a ll the a ss istance in the ir power in re cord ing them .
The Counc i l wou ld we lcome such he lp,a nd g lad ly unde r
take the pub l ica t ion not me re ly of co l lect ion s , but a lso , inth e Tran sa ct ion s , of a ny authent ic item s of fo lk lore w h ichw ou ld otherw ise become forgotten . Dur ing the pa s t yea rma te r ia l has be en pub l ishe d from Abe rdeen sh ire , the Ara nI s lands
,Argyle sh ire , Connaught , De von sh ire , Donega l ,
G lamorgansh ire , G louce ste rsh ire , the H ebr ide s , H e refordsh ire , H e rtfordsh ire , Ke n t , La nca sh ire , Le itrim ,
Linco lnsh ire
,M idd le sex ,
Norfo lk,Oxfordsh ire
,Pe rthsh ire
,Rad
norsh ire , S ome rse tsh ire , S taffordsh ire , a nd Suffo lk . Muchof th is w a s pre v ious ly unpub l i she d
,or s ca tte red and p ract i
ca l ly inacce s s ib le .
24 A nnua l R epor t of the Council .
The Counc i l beg to,
expre s s the ir thanks to the severa ldonors .
During the pa st yea r e ven ing mee t ing s have b ee n he lda nd paper s rea d the rea t a s underjan . 22 . President’s Address .
F eb. 1 8 . Fa iry Ta les from MSS . of the roth and I z th Centuries . ByD r . Gaster.
March 1 7 . Fa iry Be l iefs and other Folk lore Notes from co. Le itrim . ByL . L. Duncan .
Apr il . 2 1 . Persona l Experiences ofW itchcraft . By Dr . McAldow ie .
Ba l lads and th e ir Folk lore . By Professor F . York Powe l l .The Genesis of a Romance-Hero as i l lustrated by th e Evo lution
of Ta i l lefer de Léon .
” By F . W . Bourdillon .
The Hood-game as p layed at Haxey, in Lincolnsh ire . By MissMabe l Peacock .
The Hare . By the Rev . D r. Gregor.
Devi l-dancing in Ceylon . By J . B . Andrews.
Buried Gold . By R. Greeven .
Executed Crimina ls and Fo lk-Med icine . By Miss M . Peacock .
Lewis Fo lk lore . By The Rev . M . McPhail .
june 1 6. Funera l Masks in Europe . By the Hon . J . Abercromby .
S taffordsh ire Fo lk and the ir Lore . By Miss Burne .
Nov . 1 7 . One-sided Fo lk lore . By F . G . Green .
S traw Gob l ins and Marks on Ancient Monuments. By C . G .
Le land .The Par t p layed by Water in Marriage Customs . By L. Goldmerstein .
Customs of th e Peasantry of Innishowen . By Thos . Doherty.
D ec. 15. The Fo lk lore of Pepys . By H . B . Wheat ley .
Two S iamese Charms. By Miss M . C . Ffenne l l .
S ome spec ia l ly inte re sting examp le s of fo lk lore obj ectsfrom Abe rde en sh ire a nd Ga l loway , inc lud ing a he rd ’s c lub ,a lamp use d in fa rm k itche n s
,a fa iry-bott le , a w itch-bott l e ,
a nd an Old-fa sh ioned re e l for w ind ing ya rn , we re exh ib itedby Dr . Grego r a t the e ven ing me e t ing in June , and ve ryk ind ly p re sen te d by him to the S oc ie ty . They have be enadded to the exh ib its in it s ca se in the Mu seum of Archaeo logy a nd Ethno l ogy a t Camb r idg e . A numb e r Of othe rObj e cts aw a it the con s ide ra t ion of the Museums Committe e
,
a nd the Counc i l w i l l g lad ly we lcome furthe r contr ibu t ion sfrom the membe rs or the ir friends .
A nnua l R epor t of the Counci l . 25
Anothe r inte re st ing fea ture of the Jun e me e t ing w a s the
exh ib it ion by Mr . J . B . Andrews of a number of charm s
obta ine d by him from a profe s s iona l w itch a t Nap le s , a nd
g ene rou s ly pre sen te d to the S oc ie ty . The S oc ie ty i s undermuch ob l igat ion to Dr . Greg or a nd Mr . Andrews , and a l soto Miss Eyre , Mis s Ffenne ll , Mrs . Gomme , andMr . Higgen s ,who have dur ing the pa s t ye a r exh ib ite d obj ects of in te re st .I t i s unde r the cons idera t ion of the Counc i l , w he n funds
pe rm it , to prepa re a sc ien t ific index to the Transa ct ion sof the S oc ie ty , a nd they hope nex t year to be in a pos it iont o lay a scheme be fore the S oc ie ty .
The Counc i l a re g lad to b e ab le to report tha t g oodprogre ss is be ing made w ith the propose d Eng l ish B ib l io
g raphy of fo lk lore , a con s iderab le contr ibut ion towa rds theb ib l iography of books of trave l con ta in ing fo lk lore hav ingbe en rece ive d fromMr . Na aké
,and substan t ia l work done in
the a rrangement of the t it le s of works a lready ca ta logued .
Dur ing the yea r the S oc ie ty ha s lo st 4 membe rs bydea th , wh i le 24 have re s ign e d . But a s 30 n ew membe rshave be e n e lect e d , the re is a s l ight increa s e in the yea r inthe ro l l of membe rs , w h ich now sta nds a t 3 79 . The
Counc i l wou ld empha s i se the ina dequa cy of the numbe r of
membe rs in v iew of the p opu la t ion and w ea l th of the
Emp ire,and of the sc ien t ific importance of the s tudy .
The a ccoun ts of the S oc ie ty a s aud ite d a re pres en te d he rew ith , toge the r w ith a sta temen t of it s a s se t s a nd l iab i l it ie s .
In a ccordan ce w ith the re commen da t ion of the Counc i lsubm itt e d to the annua l me e t ing of the S oc ie ty in 1 894 ,
wh ich p rov ide d for a utoma t ic re s igna t ion a t the c lose of a
two yea rs ’ te rm , Mr . Clodd, who ha s so ab ly occup ie d thep re s ident ia l cha ir dur ing the pa s t tw o yea rs , ha s not be e nn om ina te d for re -e le ct ion . The Coun c i l de s ire to take th i sopportun ity of p la c ing on re cord the ir h igh appre c iat ionof h i s se rv ice s , a nd to exp re ss a hope tha t they may for
many yea rs to come have the benefit of h is expe r ie nce and
a dv ice in ca rrying on the w ork of the S oc ie ty .
26 Annua l R epor t of the Council .
The Counc i l a nd office rs for the e nsuing yea r nominate dby the Counc i l a re a s fo l lows
iBreat‘ueut .
ALFRED NUTT.
ZHt'
t eABrtsi‘omtS.
THE HON . JOHN ABERCROMBY . LT.-GEN . P ITT-R IVERS ,
M ISS c. s . BURNE. F .R. S P . S .A .
EDWARD CLODD . PROFESSOR F . YORK POWELL ,
G . LAURENCE GOMME ,F . S .A. M .A . , P . S .A.
ANDREW LANG , M .A. PROFESSOR J . RHYS , M .A .
RT . HON . SIR J . LUBBOCK, BART. , REV . PROF . A . H . SAYCE , M .A .
M.P . , LL.D . , F .R. S . EDWARD B . TYLOR , LL.D . , F .R .S .
Count il .
c. J . B ILLSON , M .A . PROF . A . C . IIADDON ,M .A . ,
D . Sc.
DR. KARL BL IND . E . S I DNEY HARTLAND , P . S .A .
M ISS M . ROALFE cox . T. W . E . H IGGENS .
W ILL IAM CROOKE , B .A . JOSEPH JACOBS , B .A .
LELAND L. DUNCAN , F . S .A. W . F . K IRBY, F .E .s .
A . J . EAGLESTON, M .A . J . T . NAARE.
J . P. EMSL IE. T . FA IRMAN ORDISH, P . S .A.
ARTHUR J . EVANS , M .A. , F. S .A . W . H . D . ROUSE ,M .A .
J. G . FRAZER , M .A . M . J . WALHOUSE .
DR. M . GASTER . HENRY B . WHEATLEY, P .S .A .
$011. QIZrt aSurer.
E . W . BRABROOK , F . S .A. P residen t of the An thropologi ca l In st i tu te,1 78 , BEDFORD H ILL , BALHAM , S .W .
fiuhftors .
ERNEST W. CLODD . F . G . GREEN .
é t t rt tarp .
F . A . M ILNE , M .A . , 1 1 , OLD SQ UARE, LINCOLN ’s INN ,
W .C .
EDWARD CLODD,
F. A . M ILNE,
S ecreta ry .
Annua l Repor t of the Council .
0 00 00 0 5 0 0CO M O 0
03 00 00 m u m5 00 11 1 0)
N
N O' 0 0
O xx xx N~<l" O N
omeccso
m
Bic
befl
emm
fl
bfio
bo
m
30
8m
3.
82
3
vmammm
to
fiéfl
mwc
fioo
zucm
c
gmD
e
womco
mx
m
o
m.
mow
:
Soo
m9582Mo
8m
m
0
0um,
GOmQ
Em
mv
250
84wc
6
5m
6
s.
so
lmsws
SOC
A
32
mo~c
30
>
we
gou
dmmo
Qa
wewfimoau
s
stfisbx
n
o“
$3
0
5mEZfi
wz
m
o
>
PEN
x
2x;
wc
uc
cmmsoo
c
fi
PRES IDENTIAL ADDRESS .
THE FAIRY MYTHOLOGY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE
ITS OR IG IN AND NATURE .
[The t i t le of the fol low ing study is, perhaps, too w ide and
general in scope . TO adequa te l y discuss the or ig in or na ture of
Eng l ish fa iry my thology wou l d demand volumes . Wha t I have heredone is to essay an exp lana t ion of the spec ia l part played by fa irymy thology in Eng l ish l i tera ture , as we l l as of the essen t ia l concep tions wh ich under l ie genera l l y tha t my thology, and from wh ichi t derives force and sanct ion . The two problems are by nomeansnecessari l y connec ted ; but I found tha t by emphas is ing certa ine lemen ts , undu l y neg lected h i therto
,in the fa iry creed I was
brough t in to con tact w i th h istor ic fac ts and condi t ions wh ich , asi t seems to me , adequa te l y expla in why Eng land , a l one Of moderncoun tr ies, has adm i t ted the fa iry wor l d in to i ts h ighest imag inative l i tera ture .
My paper is in rea l i ty an ou tcome of my work in the secondvolume of the Voy age of B r a n . In tha t volume
,wh ich w i l l
appear Short l y,I discuss the Ce l t ic doc trine Of re-birth . I was
compel led to form a theory, wh ich wou l d fi t the facts, of pr im it ive concep t ions Of l ife and sacr ifice compe l led a lso to de term inethe real na ture of the Tua tha de Dananu
,the ances tors of the
fa iries be l ieved in to th is day by the I rish peasan try . In postula t ing an agricu l tura l bas is for the Tuatha de Danann my thologyand ri tua l I do but find myse lf in accord w i th a ll recen t studen ts ofmy thology in th is coun try . I need but men t ion the mos t s trikinginstance of the way in wh ich Mannhardt
’
s teach ing has bornefru i t in th is coun try : Mr. Fa rnell
’
s Cu lts of the Gr eeh Goa’
s . But
when I insis t upon the dom inan t na ture of the agr i cu l tura l e lemen tin the fairy creed, I by no means deny or overlook the numerouso ther e lemen ts wh ich have en tered in to i t . The la t ter, however,are
,I be l ieve
, secondary, the former pr imary .
I have not though t i t necessary to burden th is paper with
30 Pr es iden tia l Addr ess .
references . As far as Eng l ish l i tera ture is concerned , the fac tsand instances ci ted may be found in any good edi t ion of the
jll z'
dsummer N igh t’
s D ream ( I have used Mr. E . K . Chambers’
edi t ion,London ,
1 8 9 7 ) or in Ha l l iwe l l’
s I l lustr a tions of Shahe
spea re’
s Fa iry My thology (London , 1 845, or repr in ted w i th addit ions by Haz l i t t , London, 1 8 7 The I rish references w i l l befound in the firs t vo lume Of my Voy age of B ra n (London, 1 89
or ma in l y in the forthcom ing second volume ]
FEW th ing s a re more marve l lou s in our ma rve l lou s p oe t icl ite ra ture of the la st thre e ce ntur ie s than the pe rs istence of
the fa iry n ote throughout the who le of it s e vo lut ion . As
w e pa ss on from Shake sp ea re and h i s imme d ia te fo l lowe rsto H err ick an d Mi lton
,through the la st ba l la d wr ite rs t o
Thomson a nd Gray,a nd then n ote in Pe rcy and Cha tte rton
the beg inn ings Of the roma n t ic rev iva l w h ich cu lm inatedin Kea t s a nd Co le ridg e , w a s cont inued by Te nnyson , the
Ros se tt is , and Mr . Sw inburn e , unt i l in our ow n days itha s re ce ive d a fre sh a cce s s ion of l ife a l ike from I re la nd and
from Gae l ic S cot la nd , w e a re neve r for long w ithout hea r ingthe horn s of Elfla nd fa int ly w ind ing , neve r for long a re w e
de n ie d a cce ss to those
Charmed magic easements open ing on the foamOf peri lous seas in faery lands forlorn .
We cou ld not b lot out from Eng l ish poetry its v i s ion s ofthe fa iryla nd w ithou t a s en se of irrepa rab l e loss . NO othe rl ite ra ture save tha t of Gre e ce a lone can vie w ith Ours init s p icture s of the land of fanta sy a nd g lamour , or ha s
brought ba ck from tha t my s te r iou s rea lm of unfa d ing b eautyt re a sure s of more exqu is ite a nd endur ing charm .
The re i s no phenomen on w ithout a cau se ; but in the
immense comp lex ity of h is tor ica l record it is not a lway se a sy to de tect the true ca use , a nd to tra ce it s g rowth a nd
wo rk ing unt i l the re su lt de l ights u s . Le t us con s ide rto-n ight if w e may find out why the fa iry note r ing s s o
32 Pr es ident ia l A ddr ess .
it is e ithe r of so ge ne ra l a chara cte r a s to yie ld no a s suredwa rrant of k in sh ip , or the re i s rea son to suspect contam inat ion of the popu la r form by the l ite ra ry idea l der ived fromand bu i lt up out of S hake spea re . Ye t if w e turn ba ck tothe poe t of the Midsummer N igh t
’
s D r eam w e can de te ctin his p icture a ll the e sse nt ia ls of the fa iry cre ed a s it ha sappea led
,a nd st i l l app e a ls
,to the fa ith and fa ncy of gen e ra
t ion s more coun tle s s tha n e ve r a cknow ledge d the sw ay of
a ny of the grea t wor ld-re l ig ion s , w e can re cove r from it thee lemen ts of a concept ion of l ife a nd na ture o lde r tha n themost anc ient re corde d u tte ran ce of e a rth ’s mos t anc ie n tra ce s .
M ode rn comme nta tors have po inted out tha t S hake spe a redrew h is a ccoun t Of the fa iry wor ld from a t lea s t two source s :the fo lk-be l ie f of his day and the roman ce l ite ra ture of the
prev iou s four c e ntur ies . Th is or tha t tra it ha s be en re fe rredto on e or the other s ource ; th e d iffe re nce s be twe en the se tw o
have be en dw e lt upon,a nd the re
,a s a ru le
,the d iscus s ion
ha s be en a l lowe d to re st . Wha t I sha l l e ssay to prove i stha t in rea l ity s ixte e n th-ce n tu ry fo lk-be l ie f a nd me d iaeva lfa iry-roman ce de r ive the ir or ig in from on e a nd the same s e t
of be l ie fs a nd r ite s ; tha t the d iffe re nce s b etw e e n them a re
due to h istor ica l a nd p sycho log ica l ca use s , the work ing of
wh ich w e can tra ce ; tha t the ir reun ion , a fte r ag e s of sepa rat ion
,in the Eng land of the la te s ixte e nth ce n tury
,i s due t o
the con t inue d w ork ing of those same cau se s ; and tha t a s a
re su lt of th is reun ion ,wh i ch took p la ce in Eng la nd be cause
in Eng land a lone it cou ld take p la ce , Eng l ish p oe trybe came fre e of Fa irydom ,
a nd ha s thus b e en enab led top re se rve for the mode rn w or ld a source of j oy and b eautyw h ich must othe rw i se hav e pe rished .
I obse rved j u s t now tha t the mode rn l ite ra ry p re sentat ion of Fa e ry (w h ich is a lmost who l ly depe nde nt uponS hake sp ea re ) d iffe re d e sse nt ia l ly from the popu la r one s t i l ll iv ing in va riou s d istr icts of Europe , n ow he re , p e rhap s ,mo re te nac ious ly than in some of the Ce lt ic-speak ing
Pr es iden tia l A ddr ess . 33
port ion s of the se i s le s . I may here n ote , a ccord ing to thela te st
,and in th is re spect the be s t, ed itor of the Mid
summer N igh t ’s D r eam ,Mr . Chambe rs , wha t a re the
cha racte r ist ics of the S hake spea rian fa ir ie s . He range s
them a s fol lows
(a ) They form a commun ity unde r a k ing and que en .
(5) They a re exce ed ing ly sma l l . (c) They move w ith ex
treme sw iftne s s . (d) They a re e lem e n ta l a iry sp ir it s ; the irbraw l s incense the w ind and moon ,
and cau se tempe sts ;they take a sha re in the l ife of nature ; l ive on fru it ; de ckthe cows l ips w ith dewdrops ; w a r w ith n ox iou s in sects a nd
rept i le s ; ove rca st the sky w ith fog , &c . (e ) They dancein orb s upon the gre en . (f ) They s ing hymn s and ca ro l sto the moon . (g ) They a re inv is ib le and appa re nt ly immorta l . (h ) They come forth ma in ly a t n ight . (i ) Theyfa l l in love w ith morta l s . (j) They ste a l bab ie s a nd leavecha nge l ing s . (h) They come t o b le ss the be st br ide-b edand make the increa se there of fortuna te .
Th i s orde r of cha ra cte r i st ics i s , I make l itt le doubt , wha twou ld occur to mo st we l l-read Eng l i shme n , a nd denote swha t imp re s se d the fancy of Shake spe a re ’ s contempora rie sa nd of the afte rwor ld . The fa iry commun ity w ith it s
qua int ly fanta s t ic pa rody of human c ircumsta nce ; the
m inute s iz e a nd extreme sw iftn e ss of the fa ir ie s , wh ichin sens ib ly a ss im i la te them in our m ind to the w ingedinse ct wor ld— the se tra it s wou ld s trike us a t firs t b lush ;on ly on s econd thoughts shou ld w e note the ir sha re inthe l ife of na ture , shou ld w e re ca l l the ir sway ove r it sben ign a nd ma l ign man ife sta t ion s .
Ye t a momen t ’s reflect ion w i l l conv ince us that the
cha racte r i st ics upon w h ich S hake sp ea re se ems to lay moststre ss , wh ich have influence d later p oe ts a nd s tory-te l le rs
,
and to wh ich h is la t e st e d itor a ss ign s the first p la ce,a re
on ly seconda ry,a nd ca n in no way exp la in e ithe r how the
fa iry be l ief a rose nor wha t w a s it s rea l ho ld upon popu larimag inat ion . The pea san t s toop ing ove r h i s spa de , to i l
VOL. VIII . D
34 Pr es identia l Addr ess .
fu l ly w inn ing h i s bread from M othe r Ea rth , w a s sca rce so
e namoured w ith the l itt le he knew of k ing s and que ens tha the mu st fe ign the ex isten ce of a n Inv Isible rea lm nor wou ldthe contra s t
,wh ich touche s a l ike Our fan ta sy a nd our sen se
of the lud icrou s,be twe en m inute s iz e a nd supe rhuman
powe r app ea l to him . He had fa r othe r cau se to fea r a nd
re ve re nce the fa iry wor ld . In h is da i ly strugg le w ithnature he wou ld count upon fa iry a id if he pe rformed w ithdue ce remony the anc ie n t r itua l handed down to him by hisforefa the rs ; but w oe bet ide h im if through ca re le ssne ss or
s lutt ish neg lect of the se r ite s he a rou se d fa iry wra th— not
he lp , but h indra nce and pun i shmen t wou ld b e h i s lot . And
if neg le ct w a s hate fu l to the se mys te r iou s powe rs of na ture ,s t i l l more SO wa s prying inte rfe ren ce— they work a s theyl i st
,and whe n man e ssays to change and
,in h i s ow n con
ce it , to bette r the old orde r,the fa iry va n ishe s . A l l th is the
pea san t knows ; it is pa rt of tha t a nt ique re l ig ion of the
so i l wh ich means so much more t o him than our re l ig ions doto u s
,be cau se upon it
,a s he
i
conce ive s , depend his a nd his
ch i ldren ’
s su stena nce . But b e he a s a tte n t ive a s he may tothe r ite s by wh ich the fa iry wor ld may b e p laca te d a nd
w ith w h ich it must be worsh ippe d , the re come t ime s a nd
sea son s Of myster iou s ca lam ity , convu ls ions in the inv is ib lewor ld
,a nd then
The ox ha th therefore stretch’
d his yoke in va in ,The p loughman lost his sweat, and the green corn
Ha th rotted ere h is youth at tain’
d a beardThe fo ld stands empt y in th e drowned fie ld ,And crows are fa tted with th e murrion flock
9&
N0 n igh t is now with hymn or caro l b lestTh erefore th e moon, the governess of floods ,Pa le in her ange r, washes a l l the air ,
That rh euma tic d iseases do aboundAnd thorough th is d istempera ture w e see
The seasons a l ter.
S uch ca lam it ie s a re luck i ly ra re , though , a s the pea san tfu l l we l l knows , the powe rs he drea ds and b e l ieve s in can
Pr es identia l A ddr ess . 35
overcas t the n igh t ,The starry we lk in cover up anon
W ith droop ing fog a s b lack as Acheron.
But a s a ru le they a re k ind l ie r d ispose d ; not a lone do theyw a r w ith b l ight , and fog , a nd flood , and a ll powe rs hos t i let o the g rowth of veg eta t ion ,
but in crea se of flock and he rd,
of mank ind a l so , s e em s good in the ir eye s — it may be be cau sethey know the ir t ithe s w i l l be du ly pa id , a nd tha t the ir own
inte re sts a re inextr icab ly bound up w ith tha t of the morta l swhom t hey a id and mock a t
,whom they coun se l and reprove
and befoo l .H e re le t me n ote tha t not unt i l the pea sa nt be l ie f has
come into the ha nds of the cu lture d man do w e find the
concept ion of an e s sent ia l incompa t ib i l ity be twe en the fa iryand the huma n wor lds— of the n ece ssa ry d isappea rance of
the one before the adva n ce of the other .
1 Chaucer , if Im i stake not
,firs t vo ice d th is concept ion in ~Eng l ish l ite ra ture .
In words to be quote d p re sen t ly he re lega te s the fa ir ie s toa fa r ba ckwa rd of t ime
,a nd a ss ign s the ir d isappea ra nce ,
sa t ir ica l ly i t i s true , t o the prog re ss of Chr ist ian ity . To thepea sant , fa irydom is pa rt of the n e ce ssary ma ch inery bywh ich the scheme of th ings , a s known to him ,
i s orde re d a nd
g ove rne d ; he may w ish for le s s uncanny de it ie s , he cou ldnot conce ive the wor ld w ithou t them ; the ir ab sen ce is no
ca use of rejo ic ing , ra the r of a nx ie ty a s due to h i s ow n
neg le ct of the Obse rvan ce s wh ich they expe ct and wh icha re the pr ice of the ir favour .
I do not of course c la im tha t the forego ing br ie f ske tch of
th e psycho log ica l ba s i s of the fa iry be l ie f foun d among thep ea san try repre sent s the v iew of it taken by S hake spea re
1 Mr . Lang ca l ls my a ttent ion to the fact that Jeanne d’Arc disbe l ieved inthe fa iries whose existence was cred ited by h er fe l low-vil lagers , and benea thwhose sacred trees sh e rece ived the first incitings to her m iss ion . I venture toth ink the instance confirms what I advance in the tex t Jeanne ’s be l ief in a
h igh er order of supernatura l man ifesta t ions was strong enough to carry herbeyond h er trad itiona l fa ith , j ust as the cu ltured man
’
s h igher inte l lectua lknowledge carries h im a lso beyond it
36. Pr es iden tia l A ddr ess .
and h is con tempora r ies , but it i s ba se d who l ly upon ev ide ncethey furn ish . And if w e turn to the ba ld and scan ty note sof Eng l ish fa iry mytho logy , to wh ich w e can w ith ce rta intya s s ign a da te ea r l ie r than theMidsumme r N igh t
’
s D r eam ,w e
sha l l find wha t may b e ca l le d the ru s t ic e lement of the fa irycre e d in s is ted upon
,p roport iona te ly , to a fa r grea ter exte n t
than in S hake spea re . Reg ina ld S cot a nd the few wr ite rswho a l lude to the subj ect a t a ll ignore e nt ire ly the de l ica tefan ta st ic tra it s tha t cha ra cte r ise S hake spea re ’ s e lve s ; theya re want ing pre c is e ly in wha t w e , w ith a n idea l de r ivedfrom S hake spea re in our m ind
,shou ld ca l l the fa iryl ike
touch ; they a re rude and coa rse a nd ea rthy . And, not
imp l ic it ly bu t exp l ic it ly,a concept ion of the true n ature of
the se pe a sa n t de it ie s found exp re s s ion in Shake spea re ’ s ow n
days . At the ve ry t ime the Midsumme r N igh t’
s D r eam w a s
be ing compose d or p layed , Na sh wrote a s fo l lows : “ The
Rob in-good-fe l lows , e lfs , fa ir ie s , hobg ob l in s Of our la tte rage , wh ich ido la trous forme r days a nd the fan ta st ica l worldof Gre ece yc le pe d Faun s , S a tyrs , D ryads , Hamadrya ds , d idmost of the ir pra nks in the n ight — a pa ssage in wh ich thepara l le l sugge ste d is fa r c lose r a nd we ight ier in import tha nit s a uthor imag ine d .
S o fa r then a s rega rds the popu la r e lemen t in S hakes peare ’s fa iry mytho logy . In re a l ity i t i s the same a s tha tte st ified to by s omewha t e a r l ie r wr ite rs , but touche d w iththe fine st sp ir it a l ike of gra ce and of humour, and p re sen te din a form exqu is ite ly poe t ica l . If w e s e ek for the e ssenceof the con cept ion w e mus t ne eds recogn ise a se rie s of
pea sa n t b e l iefs a nd r it e s of a s ingu la rly a rcha ic cha ra cte r .
If w e furthe r note tha t,so fa r a s the outwa rd gu ise and
figure of his fa ir ie s i s concerne d , S hake spea re i s borne out
by a se r ie s of te st imon ie s reach ing ba ck to the twe lfthce n tury Ge rva se of T i lbury and Ge ra ld the We lshman ,
who
g ive u s g l imp se s of a world of d im inut ive and tricky sp r ite sw e ne e d not dwe l l longe r a t pre sen t upon th i s a spect of e l fland , but ca n turn to the fay of romance .
Pr es identia l A ddr ess . 37
Tha t Shake spea re derive d from med ia—zva l romance , tha ti s from the Arthur ian cyc le , from those secon dary works ofthe Charlemagne cyc le , w h ich , l ike Huon of Bordeaux , we remode l le d upon the Arthur roma nce s
,a nd from the st i l l la te r
pure ly l ite ra ry im itat ion s a l ike of the Arthur a nd the Char lemagne stor ie s , tha t he the nce , I say ,
de r ive d both the ideaof a fa iry rea lm reproduc ing the exte rna l a spe ct of a
me d iaeva l court , and a lso the name of h i s fa iry k ing , a l l
th is i s ev ident . But the Obe ron of romance has be e nrega rde d a s a be ing tota l ly d ifferent in e s se nce and or iginfrom the Rob in Goodfe l low,
the Puck of p easan t be l ie f, andthe ir br ing ing toge ther in the Mids ummer N igh t
’s D r eam
a s an in sp ira t ion of ind iv idua l gen ius . W ha t I sha l l hop eto Show i s that the two s trands of fict ion have a commonsource
, and tha t the ir un ion , or ra the r reun ion , is due tode eper cau se s than any man ife sta t ion , however potent , of
gen iu s .
W hat has h itherto be en over looke d, or a l l too insuffi
cient ly n oted , is the s tand ing a ssoc ia t ion of the fa iry worldof med iaeva l romant ic l ite ra ture w ith Arthur . Chauce r
,in a
pa ssage to wh ich I ha ve a lrea dy a l lude d,p roc la ims th i s
unhe s ita t ing ly
In the Olde daies of the King Arthoure
Of wh ich tha t Bretons speken grete honoureA l was th is land fu lfild of fayerye
Th e e lf-queen wi th byr jo l ly companyeDanced ful oft in many a greene mede .
W e firs t me e t the med iae va l fa iry in w orks of the Arthurcyc le a s la die s of the lake and foun ta in , a s dw e l lers in thefa r-off is la nd pa rad ise of Ava lon , a s m i stre s se s of or cap t ive sin myster iou s ca s t le s , the en chan tmen ts of wh ich may be
ra i se d by the daun t le ss kn ightw hos e gue rdon is the ir love a ndne ve r-e nd ing b l is s , the se fanta st ic be ing s p lay a most importa n t pa rt in the wor ld of dream and mag ic ha z e p e op led byArthur and h is kn ights and the ir lady love s . If a n instan ce b eneeded how v ita l is the connect ion be twe en Arthur and Fa e ry ,
38 Pr es identia l A ddr ess .
it i s furn ished by the romance of Huon of Bordeaux . As
fa r a s p lace a nd c ircumstance and pe rsonage s a re conce rned ,th is romance be long s who l ly to the Cha rl emagne cyc le in
it Obe ron make s h is first appearance a s K ing of Fa e ry , andi t i s h i s r a”l e to prote ct and susta in the he ro , Huon ,
w ith thecea se le s s indefa t igab le indu lgen ce w h ich the superna tura lcoun se l lor so often d isp lays towa rds his morta l p rotégéa l ike in he ro ic lege nd and in popu la r ta le . He fina lly leave s
him h is k ingdom but before Huon can e nj oy it Obe ron mustmake pea ce be twee n him and Arthur .
“ S ir, you know we l ltha t your rea lme and d ign ity you gave me a fte r your decea se ,
say s the Br it i sh k ing . In sp ite of the Caro l ing ian se tt ing ,Huon of Bordeaux is a t hea rt an Arthur ian hero ; and thete l le r of h is fortune s knew ful l we l l tha t Arthur w a s the
c la imant to the throne of Fa e ry , the r ightfu l he ir to the l ordof fan ta sy and g lamour a nd i l lus ion .
D ism iss ing for a wh i le con s idera t ion of the Arthur ian fay ,w e may a sk wha t is the Arthurian romance , a nd whencecome s it ? I am about t o en te r deba teab le g round , and
you mu st take on trus t sta temen ts the fu l l proof of wh ichwou ld demand more t ime than w e can g ive th i s even ing .
To put i t br iefly , the Arthurian romance is the Norman
French and Ang lo-Norman re-te l l ing of a ma s s of Ce lt icfa iry ta le s , pa rt ly myth ic , pa rt ly hero ic in the shape unde rwh ich they be came kn own to the French-speak ing world ,wh ich reache d the la tte r a l ike from Br ittany and fromWa le s in the course of the e leventh and twe lfth centurie s .
S ome of the se fa iry ta le s ha ve come down to us in We l shin a form e nt ire ly unaffe cte d by French influence , othe rsmore or le s s a ffe cte d , wh i l st some of the We lsh ve rs ion sa re s imp le tran s la t ion s from the Fre nch . The n ea re s ta na logue s to the W e lsh-Bre ton fa iry ta le s p re se rve d to u s
pa rt ly in a W e l sh , but most ly in a French dre ss , a re to b efound in I re land . Tha t coun try posse s s e s a romant icl ite ra ture wh ich , so fa r a s inte re st a nd a n t iqu ity of re corda re conce rned , far surpa sse s tha t of Wa le s , and wh ich, in
40 Pr es iden tia l A ddr ess .
of I rish fa iry trad it ion is the fa ct tha t the fa iry fo lk a re fa r
more defin ite ly a s soc iated w ith spe c ia l d istr icts and loca l it ie sand tr ibe s and fam i l ie s than i s the ca se in Eng lan d .
W e can de t e ct a s oc ia l organ i sa t ion in many respectsak in to that of mank ind , w e can draw up a map of fa iryI re la nd a nd s ay , he re ru le s th is ch iefta in , the re that ch ie fta ine s s ha s sway— nay more , the se poten tate s of the inv i
s ib le rea lm a re named , w e a re informed a s to the ir a l l ia nces and re lat ion sh ips , w e note tha t the ir te rritory a nd
inte re sts se em a t t ime s to ta l ly w ith those of the gre a tsepts wh ich rep re se n t the tr iba l organ i sat ion of anc ien tIre land . O
’
Brien is not more defin ite ly conne cte d w ithMun ste r , O
’
Connor w ith Connaught , than is th i s or tha tfa iry c lan .
If w e turn from trad it ion a s s t i l l re coverab le from the l ipsof the I ri sh-speak ing popu lat ion of to-day , a nd inve st iga tethe extreme ly r ich store Of roman t ic na rra t ive s wh ich
,
pre se rve d in MSS . da t ing from 1 1 00 A.D . to fifty ye a rsba ck
,repre se nt an e vo lut ion of romance extend ing ove r
fu l ly years (for the o lde st MSS . ca rry u s back some
200 to 300 ye a rs from the da te of the ir tra nscr ipt ion ) , w eme e t the same supe rna tura l p e rsonage s a s figure in con
tempora ry fo lk lore , p laying often the same pa rt, endowe d
w ith tra its and cha ra cte r i st ic s of a s im i la r k ind . Centuryby cen tury w e can trace them back , the ir a ttr ibute s va ryingin de ta i l
,but the e ssen ce of the ir be ing pe rs is t ing the
s ame,unt i l a t la s t the ve ry o lde s t texts pre sen t them unde r
a n a spe ct so obv iou s ly mytho log ica l tha t e ve ry unpre j ud ice da nd compe ten t student of I r ish trad it ion has re cogn ise d inthem the d i sposse sse d inma te s of a n I r ish Panthe on . Th ismyste rious ra ce is known in I r ish myth ic l ite ra t ure a s the
Tua tha de Da na n n ,the fo lk of the godde s s Da nu , and in
s ome of the ve ry o ldes t I ri sh ta le s , ta le s ce rta in ly 900 perhaps yea rs o ld , they a re de s ignate d by the ve ry te rmapp l ie d to them by the I r ish pea sa nt of to-day , a es s idhe ,
the fo lk of the s idhe or fa iry h i l l ocks .
Pr es identia l A ddr ess . 4 1
The ta le s in wh ich th is w iz ard ra ce figure s fa l l into twowe l l-defined c la s s es . By fa r the la rge r port ion a re he ro icsaga s , ta le s tha t i s wh ich de scr ibe a nd exa lt the p rowe s s ,va lour, and cunn ing of famous champ ions or ch iefs . The rea re se ve ra l we l l-defined cyc le s of he ro ic saga in I rish trad it ion
, and the ir pe rs onage s a re a s s igne d to pe r iods centur ie sapa rt . Ye t the Tua tha de Dana nn figure equa l ly in the
va r iou s cyc l e s— ch ie fs a nd champ ion s die a nd pa s s away,not they . Undying , unfa d ing ,
ma s te rs and mi stre s se s of
in exhaust ib le de l ight , sup reme in craft a nd coun se l , theyappear aga in a nd aga in a s opp onents a nd p rote ctors of
morta l he roe s , as wooers of morta l ma idens , a s lady-love sof va l ian t champ ion s . The pa rt they p lay in the se saga smay b e m ore or l e s s prom ine n t , but it s cha ra cte r is a lway sse conda ry ; they ex i st in the story for the conven ience of
the morta l he ro or he ro in e , to a id in the a ccomp l ishmen t ofthe huma n ly impos s ib le , to act a s a fo i l to morta l va lour or
beauty , to be stow upon morta l champ ion s or p rince sse s theboon of immorta l love .
Such is , a l l too br iefly ske tche d , the na ture of th i s bodyof roman t ic fict ion . W hos o is fam i l iar w ith Arthur ianromance de te cts a t once an unde r ly ing s im i la rity of con
cept ion ,p lot
,a nd inc iden t . In both , spec ia l ly , doe s the
woman of the immorta l race stand before us in c lea re r out
l ine and more v iv id co lour ing than the man . Nor i s there a son far to se ek : the mort a l he ro i s the ce ntre of a ttrac
t ion ; the love of the fa iry ma iden who come s from her
wonder land of e te rna l j oys lure d by h i s fame i s the m os ts tr ik ing token and the h ighe s t gue rdon of his prowe s s . Todep ict her in the mos t b r i l l ian t co lours is to effe ctua l lyhe ighten his g lory .
Both the se bod ie s of roma nt ic fict ion a re in the ma invar ia t ion s upon on e s e t of theme s— the love of immorta l formorta l , the str ife or frie ndlv comra de sh ip be twe en he ro and
god or fa iry .
If now w e turn back to the l iv ing fo lk-be l ief of the I rish
42 Pr es identia l Addr ess .
peasant a fter our survey of the me d iaeva l romant ic l ite ra turew e a re se em ing ly a t fau lt . The fa irie s a re the l inea l descendant s of the Tua tha de Danann ; name and a ttr ibute sa nd s tory can be trace d
,and ye t the outcome is so d iffe ren t .
The I r ish pea san t be l ie f of to-day is ag ricu ltura l in its scopea nd intent , a s is the Eng l ish— the I ri sh fa irie s a re be stowe rsof increa se in flock and he rd
,p rote ctors a nd foste re rs of
vege tat ion , j ea lous gua rd ian s of a nc ient country r ite s . In
sp ite of ident ity of name a nd attr ibute, can the se be ing s
be rea l ly the same a s the court ly,amorous w i z ard-kn ights
and pr ince s se s of the romance s ? The d iffe rence i s a s g rea ta s be twee n Ob e ron and Puck . And ye t , a s w e have s e en ,
the h istor ica l connect ion i s unden iab le ; in I re land the un ityOf the fa iry wor ld ha s neve r be en lost s ight of a s it ha s inEng land .
H ithe rto I have brought before you stor ies in wh ich theTua tha de Dana nu p lay a subord inate pa rt b e cau se the
morta l he ro or hero ine ha s to be g l or ifie d . But the re ex istsa ls o a g roup of stor ie s in wh ich the se b e ing s a re the so lea ctors
, w h ich a re who l ly conce rne d w ith the ir fortune s .
W e a re in a pos it ion to demon stra te tha t the se stor ie sb e long to a ve ry e a r ly stratum of I ri sh myth ic l ite ra ture .
After the introduct ion of Chr ist ian ity into I re land the ta le sto ld of the Tuatha de Dana nn , the old g ods , s e em to havecon s ide rab ly exerc ise d the m inds of the l ite ra ry and prie st lyc la s se s . They we re too w ide ly popu la r t o be d iscardedhow then shou ld they b e dea lt w ith ? One w ay wa s t o m in im i se the fanta st ic sup erna tura l e lement and to p re sen t there s iduum a s the sobe r h istory of k ings and he roe s who hadl ived in the dim ag e s b e fore Chri st . Th i s w ay w a s taken
,
a nd a large body of re su l t ing l ite ra ture ha s come down tous . But a ce rta in numbe r of fragmen ta ry stor ie s , and one
long one,to wh ich th is m in im i s ing , ra t iona l i s ing p roce s s
has be en app l ied s ca rce ly , if a t a l l , ha ve a ls o be e n p re se rved ;a nd the se mu st ob v iou s ly b e O lde r than the ra t iona l i se dvers ions . And a s the la tter can be trace d back to the e ighth
Pr es iden tia l A ddr ess . 43
and n inth centur ie s,the former must b e long to the e arl ie s t
stag e s of I rish fict ion .
Now if w e exam ine the se few rema in s of I r ish mytho logya s con tra d ist ingu ishe d from Ir ish he ro ic legend , w e no longe rfind the Tuatha de Dana nn ,
a s in the latte r , figuring ma in lya s amorou s w iz a rds a nd love-lorn p rince s se s whose ch ie foccupa t ion i s to in tr igue w ith or aga inst some morta l he roor he ro ine— they come be fore u s a s the d iv in e d r ama t isp er
s anee of a se r ie s of myths the theme of wh ich i s , large ly , theag r icu ltura l prospe r ity of Ire la nd , they a re a ssoc ia te d w iththe or ig in and regu la t ion of agr icu lture , to them a re a scr ib edthe in st itut ion of fe st iva ls a'nd ce remon ie s wh ich a re ce rta in lyof an agr icu ltura l cha racte r . Ica nnot g ive you the e v ide nce inany de ta i l , but I may quote one or tw o in s tance s . The mytho
logy to ld of the s trugg le s of the Tua tha de Damann aga in stothe r c lan s of supe rna tura l be ings ; in one of the se s trugg le sthey ove rcome the ir a dve rsa r ie s and capture the ir k ing ;about t o be s la in
,he se eks to save h i s l ife : he offe rs tha t
the k ine of Ire land sha l l a lways be in m i lk , but th is doe snot ava i l him ; then tha t the me n of I re la nd shou ld rea p a
ha rve st e ve ry qua rte r of the yea r, but his foe s a re inexor
ab le ; fina l ly he name s the lucky days for p lough ing a nd
s ow ing a nd reap ing , and for th is he is spare d . The mytho
logy wh ich re la te s the tr iumph of the Tua tha de Dana nn
a lso chron ic le s the ir discomfiture a t the hands of the son sof Mil but even a fter the se have e stab l ishe d the ir sway ove rthe who le of v i s ib le I re land and dr ive n the Tua tha de Danann
in to the she lte r of the ho l low h i l l , they st i l l have to makete rms w ith them . The ch ie f of the Tua tha de Danann i s theDagda , a nd th is i s wha t an ea r ly storyte l ler says of h im
Grea t w as the powe r of the Dagda ove r the s on s of Mil,
e ven a fte r the conque st of I re land ; for his subj ects de stroye dthe ir corn and m i lk , so tha t they mu st n e e ds make a trea tyof pea ce w ith the Dagda . Not unt i l then , and tha nks toh i s g oodw i l l , we re they ab le to harve st corn and drink themilk of the ir cows .
44 Pr es iden tia l A ddr ess .
The re runs moreove r throughout the se storie s a ve in of
rude and g ross bufloone ry wh ich con t ra sts strong ly w ith thecha ra cte r a ss igned to the Tua tha de Danann in the he ro icsaga s .
The true chara cte r of th is myste r iou s race may now se emevident , and the ir s ub stant ia l ident ity w ith the fa iry of
l iving pea sant lore re qu ire no furthe r demon strat ion . But
I must quote one pa s sage wh ich shows that the anc ie n tIrish not on ly posse sse d a mytho logy , but a lso a n organ ise dr itua l , and tha t th is r itua l wa s of a n ag r icu ltura l sa crific ia lna ture . Trad ition a scr ibe s to Pa tr ick the de struct ion of
Cromm Crua ich a nd his tw e lve fe l low ido l s wh ich stood on
the p la in s of Mag S lecht .
Here i s wha t I ri sh my th ic legen d ha s to te l l of the worsh ip pa id to the Cromm
He was their godi
To him without gloryThey wou ld k i l l the ir p iteous wretched offspringW ith much wa i l ing and peri lTo pour the ir b lood around Cromm Cruaich .
Milk and corn
They wou ld ask from him
In return for one third of the ir hea l thy issue.
Such then a re the I r i sh Tuatha de Danann ,be ing s wor
sh ipped a t the outse t w ith b loody sacr ifice s in re turn for theincrea se of flock and he rd and veg e tab le growth a s soc ia te din the o lde st mytho log ica l ta le s w ith the orig in a nd we lfa re o fagr icu lture ; figur ing in the o lde s t he ro ic ta le s a s lords of a
wonde rland of inexhau st ib le de l ights , unfad ing y outh , andin sat iab le love ; st i l l the obj e c t s of pea sa nt reve re nce a nd
drea d ; ca l le d to th i s ve ry day , a s they w e re ca l le d centurie sago , and st i l l re ta in ing much of the h ie ra rch ica l organ isa t ionand ma te r ia l equ ipmen t due to the ir incorpora t ion in the
h ighe r imag ina t ive l ite ra tu re of the ra ce .
The cha in of de ve lopme n t wh ich can be fo l low e d in
I re land can on ly be su rm ised in Eng land ; but the Ir isha na l og y a l lows , I th ink , the con c lu s ion tha t the fa iry o f
Eng l ish romance ha s the same or ig in a s the Tua tha de
Pr es iden tia l A ddr ess . 45
Danann w iz ard hero , or prince s s of I rish romance , in otherwords the same u lt ima te or ig in a s the e lf or Puck of p ea san tbe l ief. Thu s Obe ron and Puck a re members of one c lan
of sup e rnatura l b e ing s a nd not a rb itrar i ly a ssoc ia te d by the
gen iu s of S hake sp eare .
He re le t me fore sta l l a p oss ib le obj e ct ion . Shake speare ’ sfa ir ie s a re
,it may be sa id , Teuton ic , a nd on ly Ce lt ic ev ide nce
ha s be en a dduce d in favour of my the s is . I wou ld an swe rtha t
,s o fa r a s th e ma tte r in hand i s con ce rn e d
,the an t ithe s is
9,of Ce lt ic and Teuton ic is a n imag ina r y one . I u s e Ce lt ice v iden ce be cau se , ow ing to h i stor ica l cau se s I sha l l touchupon pre se nt ly
, Ce lt ic ev idence a lon e is ava i lab le . Tha tev idence ca rr ie s us ba ck to a pe r iod long ante da t ing the
r ise of Chr ist ia n ity ; and a t tha t p er iod there w a s , I be l ieve ,substant ia l agre emen t be twe en Teuton and Ce l t in the irconcept ion of the proce s se s of nature and in th e r ite s and
pract ice s by wh ich the re la t ion s b e twe en man and naturewe re regu la te d . The fa iry be l ief of the modern Ge rman
pea san t is c lose ly ak in to tha t of the modern Ir ish p ea sant ,not b ecause one has borrowed from the other
,but be cau se
both go back to a common cre ed expre s s ing itse lf in s im i la rce remon ie s . The a ttempt to d iscr im ina te modern na t iona lcha racter ist ics in the o lde r stra tum of Europ ean fo lk loreis not on ly id le but m isch ievou s , b ecause ba se d upon the
uns c ient ific a s sumpt ion that ex ist ing d iffe rence s , wh ich a re
the ou tcome of compara t ive ly re cen t h istor ica l cond it ion s ,have a lways ex i ste d . I w i l l on ly say tha t , p os s ib ly , thed im inut ive s iz e of the fa iry ra ce be long s more e spec ia l lyto Teuton ic trad it ion a s deve lope d w ith in the la s tye ars , a nd tha t in so far the popu lar e lemen t in S hake speare ’ sfa iry wor ld is , poss ib ly , Teuton ic ra ther than Ce lt ic .
No , the fa iry cre e d the cha ra cte r i st ics of w h ich I havee s saye d to in d ica te , and wh ich I have brought in to organ icconne ct ion w ith the o lde st rema in s of Ce lt ic myt ho logy ,w a s , I ho ld , common to a l l the Aryan-sp eak ing pe op le of
Europe , to the a nce s tors of Gre ek and Roman and S la vs,
a s we l l a s t o the a nce stors of Ce lts a nd Teutons . I leave
46 Pr es identia l A ddr ess .
a s ide the que st ion of'
it s or ig in— the Aryan s may , a s my
fr ie nd Mr . Gomme ho lds,have taken ove r a nd deve loped
the rude r fa ith of the s o i l-t i l l ing race s whom they subj ugateda nd upon whom they impo se d the ir spe e ch . I conte n t myse l f w ith n ot ing tha t it w a s the common fa ith Of Aryanspeak ing Europe a n s , and furthe r , tha t Gre eks a nd Ce l ts havepre se rved its e a r l ie st forms
,a nd have embod ied it most
la rge ly in the comp le te d fabr ic of the ir mytho logy . Le t u s
ha rk back to Na sh’s pa ra l le l of e lve s a nd Rob in Goodfe l lowsw ith the fauns and sa tyrs of the fan ta st ica l wor ld of Gre e ce .
The para l le l i s a va l id a nd i l lum ina t ing one , for the faun s
a nd sa tyrs a re of the tra in of D ionysus,a nd D ionysus in h is
o ldes t a spect is a d iv in ity of grow th , vege tab le and an ima l ,worsh ippe d , p la cate d , and streng the n e d for his ta sk , uponthe due pe rformance of wh ich depends the ma te r ia l we lfa reof mank ind
,by r i tua l sa cr ifice .
D ionysus w a s thus a t firs t a god of much the same nature .
and s tand ing on the same p lan e of deve lopmen t , a s , by a ssumpt ion , the I r ish Tua tha de Danann . But in h is ca se thea ccount s a re a t once fa ir ly ea rly a nd ex te ns ive , in the irsla te and sca nty . I have quoted
,for in stance , a lmost the
on ly d ire ct p iece of informa t ion w e have concern ing the
r itua l of the I r ish gods ; tha t of the Gre ek god, on the othe rha nd , w h ich surv ived , in a mod ifie d and a tte nua te d form ,
far down in to h is tor ic t ime s , is kn own to u s in de ta i l . I tundoubte d ly cons i ste d or ig ina l ly in an act of sacrifice sha re din by a l l the membe rs of a commun ity
,who l ikew ise share d the
fle sh of the v ict im ,wh ich w a s app l ie d to inv igora te a l ike the
indwe l l ing sp irit of vege tat ion and the pa rt ic ipa t ing w or
sh ippers,who thus e n te re d into commun ion w ith the ir god .
The c ircums ta nce s of the s e sacr ific ia l r ite s we re or ig ina l lyof savage horror , and the part ic ipants w e re wrought up to ap itch of the w i lde s t frenz y in wh ich they pa s sed b eyond theord ina ry l im its of sense a nd e ff ort .
Gre ek e v ide nce not on ly a l lows us to re con st itute th i sanc ien t ritua l , Sha re d in a t one t ime by a l l Aryan-speak ingEuropean s , i t a l so enab le s us to e stab l ish a psycho log ica l
48 Pr es identia l A ddress .
l ife m ight come to wear in the popu lar m ind the a spe ct of
ra ids upon human by a n unhuman s oc ie tyMany of the phen omena of fa irydom thus find a rea son
ab le— nay , in ev itab le — inte rpre ta t ion in the conce pt ion sinhe ren t to the cu lt ; othe rs a re refe rab le t o the r itua l inwh ich it found expre s s ion .
1 The pa rt ic ipants in the se r ite sme t by n ight ; by rap id mot ion pro longed to exhau stion
,by
the mon otonous repe t it ion of mus ic madden ing to the sense s ,by sudden change from the b lackne ss of n ight to the fie rcefla re of torch a nd bonfire , in short by a ll the a ccompan imentsof the m idn ight worsh ip wh ich w e kn ow to have chara cte r ise dthe cu lt ofD iony sus among themounta ins ofThra ce , a ndwh ichw e may surm ise to have cha racte r ise d s im i la r cu lts e lsewhere ,
they p rovoked the god-posse sse d e csta sy in wh ich M aenadand Ba ssa r id
,w ith se n se s e xa ce rba ted to insens ib i l ity
,ren t
a sunde r the l iv ing v ict im and de voure d h is qu ive r ing fle sh .
The de vote e s we re stra ightway j ust ifie d in the ir fa ith for in
th i s sta te of ecs ta sy they became one w ith the obj ect of the irworsh ip
,h is powe rs a nd a ttr ibute s were the irs for the t ime ,
they pa sse d to and we re fre e of h i s wonde rland fu l l of e ve ryde l ight tha t c ou ld a l lure and gra t ify the ir sen se s .
Have w e not in r ite s such a s the se the source of ta le sfound eve rywhe re in the pea san t fa iry lore of Europe a nd
re pre sen te d w ith spe c ia l v iv idne ss in Ce lt ic fo lk lore ? At
n ight the be lated wan dere r s e e s the fa iry hos t danc ing the irrounds in many a g re en mead ; a l lure d by the stra ngeenchantmen t of the sce ne he draws nea r , he en te rs the round .
If he eve r reappea rs , mon ths , ye a rs , or even centur ie s havepa sse d , se em ing bu t m inute s to him , so ke en and a ll absorbing ha s b e en the j oy of tha t fa iry dance . But ofte ne r heneve r re turns a nd is know n to be l iv ing 0 11 in Fa e ry
,in the
land of undea th and una l loyed b l is s .
H e re , if I am right , l iv ing tra d it ion ha s pre served the
memory of a cu l t wh ich the Gre ek of two thousand yea rs
I aga in repeat tha t I do not a ttempt to account here for a ll the e lements ofthe fa iry creed. But those upon wh ich I lay stress a re , I be l ieve , the root andguid ing conceptions of th is most antique of a l l fa iths .
Pr es iden tia l A ddr ess . 49
ba ck he ld to be of immemoria l ant i qu ity . H istorica l mythology and curren t tra d it ion confirm and in te rp re t ea chothe r . Ye t it wou ld
,I th ink
,b e a n e rror to regard the p e rs i s
te nce and w ide sprea d of the story a s due to the impre ss ionma de upon the popu lar min d by the fie rce and dark r ite s ofwh ich it is an echo . Ra ther ha s it surv ive d becau se itsums up in one v iv id symbo l so many a spe ct s of the fa irywor ld . I t not on ly kept a l ive a memory , it sa t isfie d a
p sycho log ica l demand .
Inde ed,when an in c iden t ha s become a n orga n ic port ion
of a myth— a nd to do th i s it must fu lfi l log ica l a nd psycholog ica l requ ireme n t s wh ich a re none the le ss rea l be caus ethey d iffer from tho se w e shou ld frame— the connect ion pe rs is ts so long a s the myth re ta in s a spark of l ife . W e saw
tha t the de it ie s wh ich we re gra dua l ly e labora te d out of the
pr imit ive sp ir it s of vege ta t ion a re e ssent ia l ly amorou s and
e n dowed w ith the powe r of transforma t ion or re inca rnat ion .
A v iv id form of exp re ss ing th i s idea is to repre sent the
god amorous of a morta l ma iden , and fa the r by he r of a
sem i-d iv in e son whose nature partake s of his ow n, and who
i s a t t ime s a s imp le inca rna t ion of h imse lf . W ha t furthe rcontr ibute d to the vogue a nd pe rs is tence of th i s inc iden tw a s tha t it len t itse lf a dm irab ly t o the purpose s of he ro iclegend the eponymou s founde r , the he ro pa r ex cel l ence of
a race cou ld a lways be conne cte d in th i s w ay w ith the c lanof the immorta l s . W e me e t the inc ident a t a l l stag e s ofde ve lopmen t . At t ime s , a s in the ca se of Arthur
, or of
Cuchulinn,son of Lug , the I r ish Apo l lo-D ionysus , it ha s
become who l ly he ro ic i sed,and the sem i-d iv ine ch i ld ha s to
conform to the he ro ic standa rd ; a t other t ime s , a s in theca se of M er l in
, or of M ongan ,son of Ma nannan mac Lir, the
I rish sea god, the wonde r ch i ld man ife sts his d ivine or ig inby craft and gu i le ra ther than by s trengt h a nd va lour ; iIn
e spec ia l he posse s se s the a rt of shape sh i ft ing , wh ich ea r lyman se ems to have regarded a s the most va luab le a ttributeof godhead . There ex ists a tract e nt it led , Rabin Goad
fel low ; H is [Wa d P r a nhs a nd Mer ry S‘es ts , The
VOL . V I I I . E
50 Pr es identia l Addr ess .
on ly known ed it ion bea rs the da te 1 628 , and it has be enmuch deba te d if i t w as compos ed b efore or a fte r the Midsumme r N ight ’s D r eam . Mr . Chambe rs inc l ine s to the
la tter op in ion . Now in th is tra ct , Rob in Goodfe l low is'
son
of the fa iry k ing by a ma iden whom he came n ight ly tov is it , “ but ea r ly in the morn ing he wou ld go his w ay ,
wh ithe r she kn ew not , he wen t so sudda in ly . La ter , theson ha s a v is ion ,
in wh ich he beho lds the da nce s and hea rsthe s tra ins of fa iryland , and when he awake s he finds ly ingby h i s s ide a scro l l , beg inn ing w ith the se words
Rob in, my on ly sonne and he ire ,
in wh ich the fa the r p rom ise s , amongst other g ifts
Thou hast the power to change thy shape
To horse , to hog , to dog , to ape
and a s sure s him
If thou observe my just commandOne day thou sha l t see Fayry Land .
I be l ieve tha t in th is doggre l chap-book w e have the
worn-down form of the same in c ide n t found in the legendsof Arthur and M e r l in , of Cuchu linn and M onga n ,
to ld a l soin Greek mytho logy of no le s s a pe rson than D ionysus , sonof Zeus and S eme le , the m isch ievous youth who , a s w e
lea rn from the H ome ric Hymn,amu se d h imse lf by fr ighten
ing Gre ek sa i lors by tran sforma t ion tr ick s of much the same
na ture a s those dea r to Puck .
We may now re ve rt to our s tart ing po int , to the que st ionwhy shou ld the fa iry wor ld be spe c ia l ly promine nt inEng l ish l ite ra ture , a que s t ion wh ich , if a sked be fore , ha sdoubt le s s be en an swe re d by unmean ing gene ra l it ie s aboutnat iona l temperament . But na t iona l tempe rame nt is the
outcome of h istor ic cond it ions and c ircumstance s wh ichex is t n one the le s s though w e cannot a lways tra ce them .
In e s saying an answer I w i l l p ick up the va r ious droppedthreads of the inve s t iga t ion and e ndeavour to weave theminto one connecte d stra nd .
Mytho logy pre suppose s be l iefs and a lso r ite s in wh ich
Pr es identia l Addr ess . 51
those be l iefs find pract ica l expre ss ion . Rite s compr i seforms of words a nd symbo l ic a cts . The form of words , thel iturg ic chant may deve lop in to a na rra t ive , the symbo l icact may requ ire exp lana t ion and g ive r ise to anothe r na rra
t ive . As the inte l le ctua l and re l ig iou s horiz on of the w or
sh ipp ing ra ce w ide n s , the se na rra t ive s a re amp l ifie d, are
d iffe rent ia te d,a re enriched w ith new fanc ie s and concept ion s .
In course of t ime the narra t ive s crys ta l l iz e a round spec ia ld iv ine be ing s ; and a s the se la tter deve lop and acquIre
fre sh a ttr ibute s , so the ir a ttendant na rra t ive group s , the irmyths
,may come t o tran scend the germ when ce they have
sprung , and to symb o l i se conc ept ions of such fa r w ide rscope a s to obscure the conne ct ion be twe en or ig in and
comp le te d g rowth . Th i s happene d in Gre e ce w ith the
D ionysus myths,but not unt i l they had be en note d a t such
a stage a s to a l low re cogn it ion of the ir true na ture . Gre ekmytho logy conquere d Rome , ent ire ly dr iv ing out the o ldRoman myths (many of wh ich had probab ly p rogre s se dl itt le beyond the agr icu l tura l stage ) , a lthough the re l ig iousconse rvat ism of Rome ma inta ined the rite s in a n archa icform . Rome conque re d S outhe rn and much of W e ste rnEurope and imp osed Gre e k mytho logy In Lat in dre s s uponthe se lands . But in We ste rn Europe I re land , who l ly , andBr ita in , pa rt ly , e scape d Roman influence . Ce lt ic mytho logy ,start ing from the same ba s i s a s Gre ek D ionysu s mytho logy ,w a s le ft a t l ibe rty t o deve lop upon it s ow n l ine s . The
Greek D iony s iac myths , e xpand ing w ith the marve l lousexpans ion of the He l len ic gen iu s , grew away from the irpr im it ive ru st ic ba s i s
,a nd conne ct ion w a s b roke n be twe e n
the pea san t cree d a nd the h ighe st imag ina t ive l ite ra ture .
Ce lt ic mytho logy de ve lope d l ikew ise , but to a n exte n t a s
fa r le ss a s the Ce lt had lagge d b eh ind the Gre ek in the
race of c iv i l i sa t ion . The o ld g ods , them se lve s an out
come of the p rim it ive agricu ltura l cre ed , we re transformedinto the w i z a rd champ ions and enchantre sse s of the
romance s , but they rema ine d in touch w ith the ir ea r l ie s tforms ; the l ink be tween the fa iry of the pe a sant a nd
E 2
52 Pr es iden tia l A ddr ess .
the fa iry of l ite rature (for he ro ic saga is l ite ra turea lthough trad it iona l l itera ture ) w a s n eve r who l ly snappe dand when the t ime came for the h ighe s t imag inat ion of the
race to turn to the old pre-Chr is tia n world for in sp ira t ion ,
in the se is lands a lone w a s the re a l ite ra ry convent ion wh ichs t i l l led back to the wea lth of in c iden t and symbo l pre se rve dby the fo lk . In the se is lands a lone , I s ay , and why ? Becau sethe Arthur ia n romance , tha t form of imag inat ive l ite ra turewh ich re vea le d Ce lt ic Mytho logy to the w or ld
,a l though i t
en te red Eng l ish la te r than it d id e ither Fre n ch or Ge rman
l ite ra ture , a lthough Fra nce first gave it to a ll mank ind , andGe rma ny be stowe d upon it it s nob le s t me d ieva l form , y e t
he re it w a s a t home , on the Con t in en t it w a s a n a l ien .
Whe n the de s t ine d hour struck a nd the s lumbe ring p r ince ssof Fa e ry shou ld awake
,i t wa s the younge s t que ste r who ga ve
the re lea s ing k iss and w on he r to be h is b r ide ; if w e se e kthe ir offsp ring w e may find i t in the Eng l ish poe try of thela st thre e cen turie s .
When the de s t ine d hour had s truck ! for the p r ince s s m ightnot be rouse d from her s lumbe r b efore the appo inted t ime .
W e a ll kn ow the s ixte enth cen tury a s the age of Re na i ssanceand Re form . But wha t is imp l ie d pre c ise ly by the se words ?For ove r a thou sand years the comprom ise come to be twe e nChr ist ia n ity and the p re-Chri st ia n wor ld had subs iste d sub
ject , a s a re a ll th ing s , to fluctua t ion a nd mod ifica t ion,but re
ta in ing , substa nt ia lly , it s ou t l ine a nd a n ima t ing sp irit . At la s tit yie lded b e fore the on s laught. of tw o d iffe re n t force s
,sym
pa the t ic know le dge of the pre-Christ ian c la ss ic wor ld
,and
de s ire to re ve rt to the e a r l ie st form of Christ ian ity be forethe la tter had e ffected it s c omprom ise w ith c la s s ic c iv i l isat ion . The me n who had pa s sed through the impa ct of
the se force s upon the ir he a rt s a nd bra ins cou ld no longe rlook upon the p re
-Chr is t ian world,unde r wha teve r form
it appe a re d to them , w ith the s ame eye s a s the me n of the
Midd le Ag e s . I t s t imu la ted the ir cur ios ity,i t touche d the ir
imag ina t ion , it w a s fraught to them w ith prob lems a nd
pos s ib i l it ie s the ir p rede c e s s o rs ne ve r dreamt of. Through
Pr es iden tia l A ddr ess . 53
out the l ite ra ture of the s ixte enth century w e may note thesame pre
-occupa t ion w ith romant ic theme s wh ich a re o lde rthan
,and outs ide , Chr ist ia n ity . In I ta ly
,a s w a s but natura l ,
the pure ly c la s s ic s ide of the rev iva l p re dom inate d , and theroman t ic poems of Pu lc i , Be rn i , and Ar ios to , a re on lyb ri l l ian t examp le s of con sc ious l ite ra ry a rt ; in Fran ce ,pea san t fo lk lore and romance forme d the g roundwork of
the g rea t rea l ist ic bur le sque in wh ich the ch ief ma ste r of
French p rose sa t ir i sed the soc ie ty of his day a nd ske tche dthe soc ie ty of h is dreams ; in Ge rmany , n o sup reme l itera ry
g en iu s a ro se to vo ice the tenden cy of the age , bu t the re w a s
de ve lope d the la st of the g rea t impers ona l le g ends of the
wor ld,the story of Faustu s , ready to the han ds of Ge rmany ’ s
ma s te r poe t when he shou ld come , and rem in d ing u s tha tw iz a rdcra ft ha s the same u lt ima te or ig in a s
, and i s but theunho ly and ma l ign s ide of, the fa iry be l ief. In Eng land ,whe re Ce lt ic mytho logy had l ive d on a s the Arthur ianromance , whe re the la tte r , a lthough a la te comer , w a s a t
home , whe re a lone l ite ra ture had not be en who l ly d ivorce dfrom fo lk-be l ie f, Shake sp ea re crea t e d his fa iry wor ld .
S in ce his days , fa irydom b ecame,ch iefly ow ing to the
pe rfect ion of h is embod ime n t , a me re l ite ra ry conven t ionand g ra dua l ly lost l ife and savour . In stea d o f th e s impe ring pupp e ts— stock prope rt ie s of a mach in e -ma de ch i ldren ’
s
l ite ra ture — to wh ich the fa ir ie s ha ve be en degra de d , I havebrought be fore you to-n ight be ing s of an c ie nt a nd awfu la spe ct , e lementa l powe rs , m ighty , capric iou s , crue l , a nd
ben ignan t a s i s Na ture he rse lf. I be l ieve tha t the fa irycre ed , th is anc ien t source of in sp ira t ion , of symbo l ic in te r
pre ta t ion of ma n’
s re la t ion to na ture,i s not y et dr ie d up , a nd
tha t Eng l ish l ite ra ture , w ith its m ixe d stra in of Teuton icand Ce lt ic b lood , w ith its sha re in the mytho log ie s of boththe se ra ce s , and in e spe c ia l w ith it s c la im to the s o le bodyof mytho logy and romance , the Ce lt ic , wh ich grew up
who l ly unaffecte d by c la ss ic cu l ture , is de s t ine d to dr inkde ep ly of i t in the future a s in the pa st , and t o find in itthe ma teria l for new crea t ions of undying b eauty .
RE VIEWS.
THE THRESHOLD COVENANT, OR THE BEG INN ING OF REL IG IOUSRITEs . By H . CLAY TRUMBULL. Edinburgh : T . and T .
Clark, 1 896 .
DR . TRUMBULL is a lready well known to anthropologica l studen tsas the au thor of The B lood Covenant . In pursu ing his researcheson the subject of tha t va luable work for a second edit ion he foundthe ma in idea of The Thr eshold Covenant so importan t as tojust ify separa te trea tmen t . Hence the present volume . Here heinvest iga tes a w idespread ri te of we l come, by wh ich a s tranger isreceived with the ou tpour ing of blood a t the threshold or uponthe door-posts. Th is involves the rite of sacrifice at or upon thethreshold
,and leads to an inqu iry in to the sacredness of the
threshold . The au thor derives i t from the hearth , holding tha tthe famil y fire was orig ina l l y a t the threshold of the ten t or cavewherein the fami l y dwe l t . From the threshold he passes to thefounda t ion stone and to the boundary s tone . Having
‘identified
— or at least very in t ima tely connec ted— these , he seeks the
or igin of the rite,and finds i t in the covenan t of conjuga l un ion .
The rema inder of the work is ch iefly devo ted to an expos i t ion ,often excel len t as i t is new,
of various passages in the B ib le conta in ing a l lus ions to the rite .
We can go a long way w i th Dr. Trumbu l l , though some of his
i l lus tra t ions are , perhaps, a l i t t le s trained but we find difficu l t iesin accep t ing h is theory in its en t ire ty . There is an ana l ogybe tween the threshold and the boundary stone but the ir iden t i tycan on l y be adm i t ted w i th much reserve . Th is
,however, is by
no means the weakes t l ink in his argumen t . To derive the
sacredness of the threshold from tha t of the hearth is to gobeyond the evidence produced . I t may turn out to be correc t
,
but not because Dr. Trumbu l l has col lec ted a convinc ing a rrayof proofs . The sacredness Of the camp-fire , to wh ich he hardlya l ludes, poin ts in th is d irect i on . So does a marr iage-ri te , here
56 R eviews .
YORKSH IRE WRITERS Q R ICHARD ROLLE OF HAMPOLE , ANENGL ISH FATHER OF THE CHURcH, AND HIS FOLLOWERS .
Edi ted by C . HORSTMAN . Vol . I . London : Swan , Sonn enscheim and Co .
,1 8 95.
MADE in Germany ! ” Edi ted in Germany,prin ted in Ger
many . We l ook at books l ike th is, des igned to promo te the
s tudy of Earl y Eng l ish language and litera ture , w i th a m ixture of
gra titude to the German scholars who undertake the edi torsh ipand shame tha t the neg lec t of our own coun trymen has thrownthe work in to the hands of fore igners, though fore igners so near
akin to us . Dr. Horstman is a lready we l l known to studen ts, aswe l l of folklore as of ph i lol ogy, by h is edi t ions of some of our
earl y sacred legends . In th is volume h is in troduction,marked
by his usua l learn ing, ske tches the deve l opmen t of Eng l ishmedieva l mys t icism and expounds the posi t ion of R ichard Rol leas a mys t i c . The texts comprised in the volume are re l ig iouswri t ings of various kinds. For folklore studen ts the mos t va luable con ten ts are some charms for the too thache, a reve la t ionrespecting purga tory, and some sca t tered mora l ta les. The la t terare , perhaps, not so much tradi t iona l as de l ibera te l y inven ted bythe monkish writers : a t least th is seems the case w i th certa inof them.
AUSTRAL IAN LEGENDARY TALES : FOLKLORE OF THE NOONGAH
BURRAHS AS TOLD To THE P ICCAN INN IES . Col lec ted byMRS . K . LANGLOH PARKER, w i th In troduct ion by ANDREWLANG
,M .A. London : D . Nut t, 1 896 .
FOLK-TALES of the Aus tra l ian na t ives w i l l be so much the morewe lcome tha t h i therto very few have been reported . We haveplent ifu l accoun ts of the manners and customs of the B lackfe l l ows,their tables of kindred and affin i ty
, even the ir mos t secre t r i tes ;but of the ir ta les we have on l y had a few cosmologica l my ths.
Ye t all studen ts have fe l t sure tha t ta les were to be bad, if on l ysomebody cou l d be found w i th the tac t and the Opportun i ty toge t them . Mrs. Parker, endowed w i th bo th
,has made an exce l
len t beg inn ing in the presen t vo lume .
Savage ta les are , of course , condi t ioned by savage l ife . In a
primi t ive democracy you canno t expec t to find the princes and
R eviews . 57
princesses of European stor ies . In the ta les, as in na t ive be l ief,men are on the same foo t ing, not mere l y w i th one ano ther, butw i th beasts, birds, and rep t i les. In fac t, men are beasts and beas tsmen, w i thou t the in terven t ion even of a w icked mag ic ian . Mag icians and “ doc tors there are bu t the ir parapherna l ia are more
s imple,ahd th ey know no th ing of the mysteri ous horror of for
bidden know ledge . In European ta les the l ine wh ich divides thena tura l from the superna tura l is fa in t and uncerta in ; in pure l ysavage ta les i t does not ex is t . In the former we have a grow ingcivi l isa t ion pervaded by the m ists of savagery in the la t ter wehave savagery and no th ing e lse . The g lamour of the true fa iryta le is therefore wan t ing . Even the art of ta le-te l l ing is but l i t t ledeve l oped . The inciden ts are s imp le and few
,though the beg in
mings of p l o t are to be fa in t l y d iscerned .
To the studen t the in teres t of these ta les l ies in the inciden ts, inthe germs wh ich they exh ib i t of inciden ts we know elsewhere
,and
in the ir reflect ion of savage l ife and though t . The shapes and
colours of various an ima ls ; why some have few young ones ando thers many the or ig in of fire
, of dea th , of certa in stars, of certa inlakes ; stories of hun t ing, of revenge ; savage l ove-making and
br ide—cap ture the power of curses savage treachery and fide l i tythese are . among the subjects of th is very in terest ing co l lect i onmade from a tr ibe , now fast dy ing out
,on the Narran R iver in
New Sou th Wa les— a co l lec tion of documen ts precious to all whoset any va lue on the s tudy of the human m ind .
Mr . Andrew Lang, in addi t ion to a short in troduct ion , hasenr iched the volume w i th a number of draw ings by an un taugh tAus tra l ian na t ive .
“ They were g iven to me,”he says
,
“some
years ago by my bro ther, Dr . Lang, of Corowa .
THE —MYTHS OF THE NEW WORLD : A TREATISE ON THE SYM
BOLISM AND MYTHOLOGY OF THE RED RACE OF AMER ICA .
By Dan ie l G . B rin ton,A .M.
, M.D . , LL.D .,D .Sc . Th ird
Edi t ion ,revised . Ph i lade lph ia : David McKay, 1 8 96 .
IT is e igh t-and— twen ty years s ince the first edi t ion of Dr . Br in ton ’s
My ths of theN ew Wor ld was issued . In prepar ing the n ew edi t ionhe has had the advan tage of a ll the fresh informa t ion wh i ch hasbeen given to the worl d by studen ts of the American tribes
,and
58 R eviews .
of all the discuss ions wh ich have taken place as to the orig in and
mean ing of my thology in general . If h is Views rema in unchanged,they are a t least now s ta ted after cons idera t ion of all tha t has beensa id on the o ther s ide, and shou l d be studied by everyone whodiffers from him . When he firs t wro te he was a p ioneer through ana lmos t unknown doma in ,
a doma in peopled by a ll sorts of ghostsconjured up by the fan tasy of previous i l l— informed and deep l yprejudiced wri ters. To h im be l ongs the honour of firs t surveyingthe coun try, and in a large measure of clear ing the ground . His
book was not addressed to the an t iquary , but to the though tfu lgenera l reader. But though i t is st i l l in tended ch iefly for thela t ter
,i t i s a necessary handbook for all inqu irers in to the be l iefs
of the Amer ican aborig ines.
Wh i le we regre t tha t on some poin ts Dr . Brin ton has not seenr igh t to modify Opin i ons expressed th irty years ago, before we
knew qu i te so much of savage modes of though t as we do now,
we must emphas ise the importance of h is con tribu t ion to the solution of some of the prob lems affecting tradi t ions all over the worl d ,such as the source of the Crea t ion and De luge my ths, and the mean
ing— in Amer ica , a t all even ts— of the myst ica l number four and of
the Cross . Nobody who s tudies the folklore of the Red Race can
fa il to be struck w i th the fac t tha t the number four occup ies thep lace of the number three in the Old Wor l d and we have veryl i t tle doub t tha t Dr. Brin ton suppl ies the key to its mean ing . In the
face of h is explana t i on i t is t ime tha t the in terpre ta t ion p laced bymany Eng l ish and French inqu irers upon the Pre-Christ ian Crosswere recons idered . No t tha t the true in terpre ta t ion of the symbolin the Old Wor l d is necessar i l y the same as in the New but tha ti t is suscep tible of more in terpre ta t ions than tha t wh ich has so
often been ascribed to i t,with — in many cases— too l i t t le evidence .
Dr. Brin ton ’s exp lana t ion of the Crea t i on and De luge my ths we
be l ieve to be absolu te l y r igh t ; and i t is an example of the va lueof an extens ive ph i l osoph ica l cu l ture appl ied to the fac ts of savagetradi t ion . The explana t i on has the force and the certa in ty of anin tu i t ion .
Here , as everywhere in Dr. Brin ton ’
s wr i t ings, he ins ists on
the un i ty of the Red Race and the independen t orig in of its
cu l ture . In t ima te l y connec ted as these two quest ions are,they
are dist inc t ; and i t i s poss ib le to hold the au thor’s View of the
one w i thout the o ther. We be l ieve, however, tha t on bo th he will
Reviews . 59
be found to be much nearer the tru th than his opponen ts. We
are aware tha t the Asia tic proven ience of American civiliz a tionhas en listed some grea t names on its s ide . But the evidence as
yet brough t forward in support seems to us whol l y inadequa te ,s triking as some of it is wh ile the theory encoun ters enormousdifficul ties in the absence of any historica l evidence, and in the
purely indigenous charac ter of the cereals and anima l s domestica ted in the New Wor l d .
I t is imposs ib le in the space at our command to do more thanthus bare l y a l lude to some of the subjec ts touched in this learnedand eloquen t work . I t is by no means an exhaus t ive accoun t ofthe rel igion of the Amer ican race . I t does not aim a t th is. But
so far as it goes, and w i th reserves as to the mean ing of severalprominen t my ths and be l iefs , i t re ta ins, and mus t re ta in for some
t ime to come , its pos i t ion as the ch ief exponen t of the my thologyof the aborig ines of the Western Worl d .
IND IAN ISCHE SAGEN VON DER NORD-PACIFISCHEN KUSTEAMER IKAS von Franz Boas. Sonder-Abdruck aus den Ver
handlungen der Ber l iner Gese l lschaft fii r An thropolog ie ,Ethnolog ie und Urgesch ich te 1 8 9 1 bis 1 8 95. Berl inA. Asher Co .
,1 8 95.
NO con tribu tion to the study of folkta les of equa l importancew i th th is has been publ ished for many years . I t cons ists of a
col lec t ion of s tor ies ob ta ined by Professor Boas, ch iefly a t firs thand, from the Red Men of Bri t ish Columbia , fol lowed by an
inquiry in to the p lace of orig in of two of the mos t prom inen tcycles— those of the Raven and the Minx— and fina l l y a sta t ist icalinqu iry in to the number of sagas and saga
-e lemen ts common tod ifferen t tr ibes and races . The co l lect i on of s tories a l one wou l dbe indispensable a l ike to the s tuden t of the peop les of the Northwest and to the s tuden t of folk— ta les . But Wha t const i tutes thespecia l va lue of the book is the chap ter of inqu ir ies . Theirme thod and the s ta tist ics on wh ich Professor Boas’ conclus ionsare based deserve the most carefu l exam ina t i on .
Professor Boas is concerned first of all w i th the problem of
migra t ion ,and only u l tima te l y and, as it were , indirect l y w i th the
problem of orig in . He analyses some of the most importantsagas in to their inciden ts, and by means of tables exhibi ts the ir
60 R eviews .
distribu t ion among the various peoples w i th wh i ch he dea ls .
Ne ighbourhood and race he shows to be the grea t agen ts in the
dis tribu t ion of my ths and by ascerta in ing where a cyc le is mostfu l l y known , and in the most homogeneous manner e labora ted , heis able to ass ign the tribe to wh ich i t orig ina l l y be longs . His
conclus ions, however, mus t be regarded as provis iona l on l y ;because further inqu iry may serious l y modify them
,and there i s
s t i l l some room for doub t whe ther the grea tes t deve l opmen t is aninfa l l ible index of or ig ina l inven t ion of a my th . Other tablesdisclose the proport ion told among each tr ibe of s tor ies wh ichare common to o ther tribes. And here i t is no t iceable tha t
,
a l though ne ighbour ing tr ibes and those connec ted by race havethe grea tes t proport ion of ta les in common , st i l l the proport ionwh ich they have in common is compara t ive l y sma l l . The T l ing i tand Tsimschians, who have the grea tes t number of inciden ts incommon , on l y possess in common abou t one-ten th . Some of the
sagas told among the tribes of the North -west are , as m igh t beexpec ted , known all over the North American con t inen t . Pro
fessor Boas g ives examp les from the Poncas of the M iss issippibas in , the M icmacs of the
'
North At lan t ic coast,and the Atha
bascans of the Mackenz ie bas in ; and h is tables Show the pro
port ion of ta les from these fam i l ies wh ich appear to have spreadamong the inhabi tan ts of Br i t ish Columbia and Sou thern Alaska .
Compara t ive distance and seclus ion are here , of course , the ch iefobstacles to transm iss ion . Ye t
,if the tables may be re l ied on ,
there are some remarkab le divergences from the ru le . Thus, theCh inook, l iving a t the mou th of the Columbia R iver, in the S ta tesofWash ington and Oregon ,
display the grea tes t number of storiesin common w i th the M icmacs. These may, as the au thor con
jectures, have descended the r iver . Again ,a large tribu tary of the
Columbia is the Lew is or Snake R iver, by wh ich i t may be con
jectured tha t the Ponca s tories have trave l led from the sou th-east .But we find tha t the Ch inook are acqua in ted w i th no larger proport ion of s tories in common w i th the Poncas than are the Nu tkaon the coast of Vancouver I s land, l more than one hundred and
Professor Boas conj ectures , if w e understand h im aright , tha t th e knowledgeof the Micmac and Ponca storie s w as transm itted by th e Ch inook to theseand oth er coast tribes . But a re no Micmac and Ponca storie s known to the
coast tribes wh ich are not known to the Ch inook ? The Ch inook stories , itshou ld be sa id , are not compr ised in the presen t co l lect ion. They a re to be
found in the same author’s Ch inook Tex ts .
R eviews . 6 1
fifty m iles further away, and with even a sma l ler proport ion thanthe st i l l more norther l y Shuswap, who dwe l l on the m i ddlereaches of the Fraser R iver be tween the Athabascans and the
Koo tenay . Professor Boas g ives no informa t ion as to the Koo tenay, the sou th-eastern ne ighbours of the Shuswap, through whom,
perhaps, the rou te of the Ponca ta les may be traced . Moreover,i t is curi ous tha t , a l though de tached branches of the Athabascansare the immedia te ne ighbours of the Ch inook to north and sou th ,and the terri tory occupied by the ma in body of the Athabascantribes is not much more than 200 m i les away
, the proport ion of
ta les common to the Ch inook and Athabascans i s less than ha lfthe proport ion of those common to the Ch inook and M icmacsacross the whole bread th of the con t inen t ; wh i le i t is fifty percen t . grea ter than the proport ion of those common to the Athabascans and the Tsimsch ians, who are nex t ne ighbours to the bu lkof the Athabascan tribes . Other examples m igh t be given . Pro
fessor Boas does not ca l l a t ten t ion to these divergences ; and
we are consequen t l y left to guess a t the ir cause . But theysugge st e i ther tha t there is much more tradi t i ona l wea l th to beco l lected, or tha t there are obstacles to transm ission more powerful than mere distance or remo teness from the phys ica l poss ibilities of in tercourse . In o ther words
,if the tradi t ional wea l th
a lready col lected represen t fa irl y the sum of the folklore of the
North-west, and if the tables be accura te , race and soc ia l conditions are probably a more efficien t h indrance to tran sm iss ion of
s tories than Profe ssor Boas wou l d seem w i l l ing to a l l ow .
Q ues t ions are thus ra ised wh ich demand for the ir solu t ion an
observer as able , as experienced, and as in t ima te l y acqua in tedw i th the people as Professor Boas h imse lf. Some of them,
indeed,are among the mos t difficu l t w i th wh ich the studen t of folklore isca l led upon to dea l , such as the quest ion whe ther a g iven . s toryhas arisen independen t l y among two differen t tribes, or beenborrowed by one media te l y or immedia te l y from the o ther. The
au thor assumes tha t s tories common to the M icmacs or the
Poncas and the North-western tribes have been borrowed, and
not separa te l y evolved . But he does not,in his concluding words,
exc lude the poss ib i l i ty of elemen tary ideas (elementa rgeda nhen )aris ing independen t l y . Nobody can doub t, he te l ls us
,tha t the
human m ind has aga in and aga in brough t forth certa in cycles of
ideas, and s t i l l does so but nobody can say where the boundary
62 R eviews .
l ies be tween tha t which is evolved e lemen tari l y out of the men ta ls tock and tha t wh ich requ ires the in terven t ion of s trangers to itsdeve lopmen t . Tha t may be true ; and ye t there are numerouscases in wh i ch iden t ica l i deas take shape in the folklore of popu
~
la tions at such a distance in poin t of space and t ime tha t i t wou l dseem imposs ib le to connec t them by any borrow ing theory, at
leas t w i th our presen t know ledge . Such are the class ica l s tor iesof Phae ton , and of the frogs tha t disturbed the s lumbers of
Perseus, and the Norse ta les of the robbery of Suptung’
s Mead, andof the Man in the Moon who carried off two ch i ldren . These are
a ll found in Br i t ish Columbia ; and the ta les of Phae ton , and of
the robbery of Suptung’
s Mead in part icu lar, are prom inen t in thetriba l my tholog ies .
If the problems re la t ing to the psychological evolu t ion of man
kind, wh ich constitu te the deepest in teres t of the science of folklore
,are ever to be studied effec t ive ly, it must be , we cordia l l y
agree w i th Professor Boas, by a carefu l exam ina t ion ,h istori ca l ,
socia l , and geograph ica l , of l im i ted areas . There is no roya l road,no mag ica l carpe t to waft us to our goa l . I t mus t be won byde l ibera te plodding a l ong a pa th where anx ious and m inu te cir
cumspection a l one wil l preven t us from missing our foot ing.
Professor Boas has set us an example wh ich we commend to thea t ten tion of a ll serious studen ts .
An exce l len t index of incidents concludes the volume .
LE NOVELLE IND IANE D I VISNUSARMA (PANCIATANTRA) . Trado t te dal Sanscri to da I talo Piz z i. Torino : Unione Tipografico Editrice , 1 896 .
TH IS is an I ta l ian transla tion of the Pancatan tra . I t seems to bemean t for the general reader, as the verses are rendered w i thsome freedom ,
and the names a re not exac t l y trans l i tera ted .
Some sacrifice of exac tness is necessary where the verse-renderings are
,as here , me trica l ; but where I have compared i t w i th
the orig ina l I have not no t iced any m istake . The trans la t ionseems to be n i ce l y done , and can be recommended to those whow ish mere l y to enjoy wha t they read but the s tuden t w i l l preferBenfey . No tes are g iven to expla in proper names, and o therw isewhere they are necessary ; and a table of the s tories is given at
64 R eviews .
cons idered, w i th in his power ; by i t he cou l d con trol a varie ty offorces externa l to h imse lf : hence mag i c was from the beg inn ingdifferen t from ,
and opposed to , re l ig ion . Re l ig ion is not derivedfrom mag ic, nor is mag i c a conven ien t term under wh ich a
number of surviva ls of earl ier re l ig ions may be classed . On the
th reshold, therefore , we are met by a ques t ion wh ich,if decided
in the sen se advoca ted by Mr. Jevons,w i l l demand recons idera
t ion of some of the pos i t ion s tha t many inqu irers have duringrecen t years been disposed to assume .
After rendering an adm irable accoun t of Taboo, though ra is ingissues wh i ch we have no space to men t ion , the au thor pa ssesto a discuss i on of To tem ism . Here he con tends w i th grea t force ,and we th ink successfu l l y, tha t i t i s to to tem ism tha t we owe
c ivi l isa t ion,because the domes t ica t ion of an ima l s and the cu l ture
of gra in and fruit orig ina ted in to temism,and i t is due s imply to
these tha t man was enabled to r ise ou t of the hun t ing stage .
“ I tis to tem ism a l one ,” he says
,wh ich cou l d have produced tha t
trans i t ion from the na tura l to an art ificia l bas is of subs istence ,wh ich is effec ted by the domest ica t ion of p lan ts and an ima ls, andwh ich resu l ts in c ivi l isa t ion .
”The presen t re l ig ious condi t ion of
mos t savage races he ascr ibes to the dis in tegra t ion of to tem ism .
To tem ism is a s tage through wh ich they have passed, but forwan t of domest icable an ima ls
, or from socia l and pol i t ica l causes,they have not reached tha t grade of civi l isa t ion in wh ich a devel oped and an thropomorph i c poly the ism is poss ible , wh i le on the
o ther hand the socia l and pol it ica l influences a t work among themhave broken up the old to tem ism. Hence when , from s tress ofca lam i ty or any o ther reason ,
a need for he lp has arisen beyondtha t conce ived to be a fforded by the ir to tems, they have had re
course e i ther to mag ic or to individua l pro tec tors ; some of the
old to tems have perhaps been found powerfu l in certa in direct ions, and have thus gradua l l y been l im i ted in the ir powers, becom ing inchoa te departmen ta l gods, wh i le often rema in ing specia lObjects of worsh ip of one fam i l y or clan . Th is appears to afforda sa t isfac tory exp lana t ion of problems wh ich must have puz z leda ll s tuden ts . Evolut ion
,as Dr. Jevons righ t l y ins is ts, is not
equ iva len t to progress . The surviva l of the fi t tes t is not necessarily the surviva l of the h ighest, bu t mere l y of tha t wh ich bes tsu i ts the environmen t ; and i t as often ,
perhaps more often,re
sults in decadence than improvemen t .
R eviews . 65
Good service is rendered, we may remark inciden ta l l y , to scienceby Dr . Jevons’ repea ted cri t ic ism of the use of terms
,and by his
a t temp ts to define more accura te l y . Thus, a god,”he says, is
not a superna tura l be ing as such , but one having sta ted fr iendlyre la t ions w i th a defin i te c irc le Of worsh ippers, orig ina l l y b loodre la t ions of one ano ther.
”By app l y ing th is defin i t ion to the
accoun ts of trave l lers and m iss ionaries we may often clear up
difficu l t ies, of wh ich D r. Jevons has g iven us a va luable examplein the case of Sasabon sum
,a spiri t to whom so pa instaking an
observer as the la te Colone l E l l is gave the t i t le of god, w i th theresu l t of landing h imse lf in perp lex i ty . Ano ther instance of the
au thor’s acumen is his cr i t ic ism of the much-abused terms“ fe t ish
and “fe t ish ism .
” Henceforth , for all ser ious studen ts the vagueuse of these terms w i l l be w i thou t excuse and i t w i l l be no th ingbut a ga in to an thropology if they be en t ire l y discarded or a t
least l im i ted to certa in classes of charms and to the system of
emp l oying these charms . Le t us even carry the princip le in tothe use of the term “ charm
,
” wh ich is a lmos t equa l l y vague . I tough t to be l im i ted s tr ic t l y to spoken and wri t ten incan ta t ionsa ll o ther charms
,
”such as are worn or depos i ted for luck or pro
tection,are
,according to Dr . Jevons’ defin i t ion ,
fe t ishes.
One term ,however
,tha t he has not disen tang led is Sympa
the t ic Mag ic . I t has been la te l y the custom to labe l all mag i cas
“sympa the t ic mag ic . Th is is to confuse a t least th ree kinds
of mag ic . First,we have Incan ta t i on s
,in wh ich the objec t is
a t ta ined by the use of certa in verba l formu lar ies . Next , we haveM ime t ic Mag ic . When the savage flaps a blanke t to cause a
w ind to blow,
as the sa i lor st i l l wh is t les to bring a wh ist l ingga le
”
; when before going on the warpa th or the chase he execu tesa dance in wh ich the quarry or the foe are represen ted as fa l l ingbefore h is weapon ,
” to secure success when wa ter is spr inkled toproduce ra in ; and so forth
,all th is is not
“ Sympa the t ic”bu t
M ime t ic Mag ic .
” I t is to th is kind of mag ic tha t the max iml ike produces l ike is specia l l y app l icable . We shou l d confine
the term “Sympa the t i c Mag ic to pract ices, whe ther of injury or
ben efi t,upon substances iden t ified w i th , though in effec t de tached
from , the person (or th ing) we in tend to reach , pract ices wh ichare be l ieved direc t l y to a ffect the person (or th ing) a imed at bymeans of sympa thy be tween h im (or i t) and the substance ac tua l l yoperated on .
VOL. VI I I .
66 R eviews .
Importan t as w i l l be -the con trovers ies aroused by Dr. Jevons ’
View of the re la t ions of re l ig ion and magic and by his chap ters ontaboo and to tem ism, they w i l l be by no means the on l y ones .
Bu t wh i le we canno t here even a l lude to many of the quest ionsdeba ted, there is one wh ich must not be whol l y passed over . In
a chap ter on Pr ies thood abl y and carefu l l y reasoned he comba tsthe view of the or ig in of the pries t set forth w i th unr iva l ledlearn ing in The Golden B ough . Dr . Jevons argues tha t in a ll
cases the human ‘image’of the god is dist ingu ished from the
god [h imse lf] , and tha t the divine spiri t must en ter the man
before he can be the human represen ta t ive of the god .
Further, the modes of consecra t ion are var ious, bu t theycan be all traced back to the pr im i t ive i dea of the sacrificia l mea l ,name l y, tha t i t is by part icipa t ion in the blood of the god tha t thesp iri t of the god en ters in to the worsh ipper .
” He therefore l ooks“ to some fea ture of the r i tua l of the prim i t ive sacrificia l mea l ”
for the solu t ion of the problem ; and he finds i t in the fac t tha tit is the pr ies t who dea l s the firs t and fa ta l b low at the Vict im .
”
But thi s is to ki l l the god, and blood-gu i l t iness a t taches to theact . According l y the cr im ina l wou l d be immedia te l y s la in , bu t
tha t he drinks of the blood — and dr inks firs t of i t, therebyob ta in ing a grea ter share of the sp iri t of the god than his
fe l l ows,becoming , in fac t, sacro-sanct. All who partake be
come in a measure un i ted to the god . The un ion ,however,
does not last for ever : i t requ ires perpe tua l renewa l . Beforethe per iod — usua l l y a year — comes round for the next ordinary sacrific ia l mea l
,the un ion gradua l l y d issolves, and w i th
i t the sacro-sanct i ty of the pr ies t . Be ing now unpro tected byhis sacred character
,the pena l ty wh i ch he has incurred by l ift ing
h is hand aga inst the god may be— must be— enforced, and the
pries t mus t be put to dea th . He is then ki l led,not as god, but as
the s layer of the god . In t ime his lease of l ife wou l d be extended,in consequence of the difficu l ty of ge t t ing any one to act as pr ies ton these terms or a subst i tu te wou l d be s la in or a mock-dea thwou l d be undergone . U l t ima te l y the an ima l s la in ceased to beregarded as divine . No pena l ty a ttached to the slaugh ter of a
cha t te l , and the priest became permanen t l y emancipa ted from the
l iabi l i ty to render l ife for l ife . Th is hypo thes is has much to re
commend it beyond its ingenu i ty . I t wou l d assuredly obvia temany difficu l t ies . Whe ther i t wou l d accoun t for a ll the fac ts— for
ins tance , the excess ive and long-con t inued sanct i ty of the pries t
R eviews . 67
king, or the sanctity of and venera t i on for human victims, l ike theMeriah , who are ne i ther pries ts nor kings— remains for a closerexamina t i on by o ther inqu irers .
An expos i t ion of savage theor ies of a fu ture l ife , including a keenana l ysis of the Egyp t ian , the H indu, and the Py thagorean doc tr inesof Transm igra tion, paves the way for an accoun t of the Mys ter ies,to wh ich are dedica ted two of the most in teres t ing and va luablechapters of the book . For col lect ing and p iecing toge ther the
sca t tered no t ices wh ich ha lf-revea l and ha lf-conceal the subjects,and for pour ing over them the un ifying and vivify ing flood of
an thropolog ical learn ing, few indeed are so we l l fi t ted as Dr.
Jevons . And he has g iven us wha t we m igh t expec t : the firs tfa ir l y comp le te and trustworthy accoun t of a movemen t w i thou twhich , histor ica l l y speaking, the spread of Chris t ian i ty wou l d havebeen impossible . Wha t he has not g iven us, because i t was notwithin the scope of his work
,bu t wha t is of prime importance for
the s tuden t of re l ig ions, is the re la t ions of the Myster ies to Christianity . Dr . Anrich
’s work is usefu l but there is ye t much to be
done before the obscure and difficu l t quest ions of these re la t ionscan be he l d to be sa t isfactori l y answered .
In to the psycholog ica l argumen ts and theo log ica l conc lusion of
the final chap ter i t does not become us to en ter here . One observation of a general cha rac ter may be made in bring ing to an end thisvery inadequa te no t ice . The inextr icable involu t ion of the pro
h lems of re l ig i on and civi l isa t ion becomes more and more apparen tthe more we inqu ire in to the past of our race . Dr. Jevons has, ofcourse
,recogn ised th is, as every tra ined an thropolog is t must , and
has been enabled by means of re l ig ion to accoun t for importan ts teps in the l ong progress of human i ty . Nor has the converseinfluence of socia l and pol itica l cause s upon re l ig ion escaped him .
We wish he had made even larger use of considera tions quitede tached from re l ig ion , as re l igion is apprehended in modern and
civi lised life . His argumen t , for examp le , on the disin tegra tion of
to temism wou l d,i t seems to us, have been grea tly s trengthened by
cons idering the influence of mo ther-r igh t in those communitieswhere
,though the kinsh ip is reckoned through fema les, the fa ther
is the head of the fam i l y, and a true pa triarcha te is in course of
evolu t ion, or perchance in decay . Moreover, a mos t importan t
inquiry,and one affect ing the very founda tions of his sys tem,
is,
Wha t preceded the recognition by primitive man of kinsh ip, andhow did that recognition come about ?
F 2
CORRESPONDENCE .
STAFFORDSH IRE SUPERSTITIONS .
(Vol . vii. , p .
THE S taffordshire “ Hobth irst is, no doub t, the Yorksh ire “ Hobthrus t,” a Robin-Goodfe l low or Robin-Round—Cap , who resemblesthe Sco tch Brown ie on the domest ic S ide of h is character, 1 al
though in o ther aspects he seems to be awoodland-gobl in .
9 According to a lady who is we l l acqua in ted w i th the vi l lage spoken of,
there is a farm— the Manor Farm— at Eas t Ha l ton ,in Linco lnsh ire ,
wh ich was popu lar l y sa id to be haun ted by a Hobthrust t i l l threeor four years ago, if not a t the presen t t ime .
“ Mrs . who
l ived in the house , used to be l ieve tha t its appearance was in
some way connected w i th an old iron cau l dron in the ce l lar, wh ichwas fu l l of sand and bones . The se bones she supposed to be‘ch i ldren ’
s thumb-bones .
’
If the bones and sand were st irred ,the Hobthrust wou l d Show h imse lf a t twe lve o ’c lock . Wha t hewas l ike I do not know
,nor wha t he did . When we were ch i ldren
I and my bro ther used to te l l Mrs . we were going to the
ce l lar to s t ir the con ten ts of the cau l dron ,a threa t wh ich a lways
troubled her very much . After Mrs. left the farm,the cau l
dron was brough t up from the ce l lar to be used, and no evi l resu l tsfol lowed . There is ano ther Hob thrust a t Lindholme
,nearWroo t ,
but I do not know wha t the stories connec ted w i th him are .
”
I t has been sugges ted to me tha t thrust is Ang lo-Saxon pyrs,I ce landic purs, puss, the g ian t or gobl in of Eng l ish fable : hencethurs-house or thurse—hole
,a rock-cave serving for a dwe l l ing
(Kenne t in Ha l l iwe l l , s . v . Thurs-house) . So in the Me trica l Lifeof St . Cuthbert, 2 1 7 8
Cuthbert in a prine p lace beganIn a p lace with oute h is ce l le ,Now ca lde pe th rus house men te l l .
MABEL PEACOCK .
D unsta n House, Ifir ton-tu-Lindsey .
J . N icho lson , P ath-Lore of E a st Yorhshir e p . 80 .
2 Atk inson’s Glossary of the Cleveland D ia lect, under Hobtrush .
Cor r espondence . 69
The following extract from a le t ter da ted 3 1 st October, 1 893 ,
from East Hal ton, Ulceby, Lincolnshire
,may be of some
in terest“ I have waited to answer your le t ter, as I wan ted to get a l i t t le
more informa t ion abou t Old “ Hob Thrus t . When the S —’s
l ived on
’
the bill they a lways burn t a l igh t in one of the bedroomw indows to keep Hob Thrust qu ie t a t n igh t . I have seen the
ligh t myse lf many t imes, com ing home ; and there is st i l l an ironpot in the ce l lar which had sand in i t, but they took i t out and leftthe po t in the ce l lar . They have often heard no ises in the housel ike cha irs fa l l ing and someone com ing down sta irs and across thefloor to the firep lace . Th is is wha t they have told my husband .
I wi l l now,as we l l as I can remember, te l l you all the old ta les
that I have heard since I came here,near 50 years ago . I once
heard the Rev. J . Byron a lso name the legend in one of h is
lectures . One old ta le is tha t they began to bu i l d the church inthe cen tre of the vil lage , but wha t they bu i l t in the day
-t ime HobThrus t removed at n igh t, so tha t they were obl iged to bu i l d i twhere i t is . Once upon the t ime
,a s the s tory goes, the people in
the house got t ired of i t and were removing the ir furn i ture , wh enthey met some one on the road . They remarked tha t they wereflit t ing, and Hob Thrust popped up its head out of an old churn
,
and sa id :“ Yes, we’re flut ting .
”SO the peop le sa id : “
Oh, if you
are going w i th us, we ’ l l go back aga in . So they re turned . I t wassome t imes very usefu l , as i t wou l d fe tch up the horses in a morn ing,a lso the sheep up overn igh t in to the barn for cl ipping . One
n igh t he told them tha t the l i t t le brown sheep had taken morege t t ing up than them a ll and when the men l ooked i t was a hare .
Hob Thrust was a lso a t t imes very m isch ievous and d id somewonderful th ings, such as pu t t ing the wagon on the top of the
barn , &C . The ta le is tha t they used to leave i t a clean sh irt ona Sa turday n igh t ; but they offended i t in not leaving one to itsl iking, for in the morn ing ashes were sca t tered a ll about the floorand the words were wri t ten
Harden , harden , hemp ,
Harden ,harden , gear,
If you ’d have given me l inen to wearI’d have served you fa ith ful ly many a year.
’
So I suppose tha t hemp was too coarse for him,and by gear he
would mean his clo thes. I th ink th is is all about our old HobThrus t.” LELAND L. DUNCAN .
70 Cor r espondence .
May I send you ano ther version of the Al l Sou l s’ Day rhymeg iven by M iss Burne in her Staffordsh ire No tes ?At H i lders tone , on the borders of Derbysh ire , forty years ago ,
the boys used to singA sou l cake , a sou l cake ,G ive me a penny for a sou l cake .
One for Peter,One for Pau l ,One for Him who made us al l .
Put your hand in your pocketAnd pu l l out your keys ,
Go down to your ce l larAnd fetch what you p lease.
An app le , a pear, a p lum, or a cherry,Or any good th ing to make us merry.
A sou l cake ,” &c. , ad l ib.
This was cal led going souling .
I do not th ink we had any May-day Observances , but Chr istmas
brough t gu isers one of them was St . George , who fough t andki l led the Prince of Paradise . Our m ist le toe bush was qu i te “
a
golden bough ,” decora ted with oranges and co loured r ibbons, and
it hung t i ll Shrove Tuesday, when the pancakes were supposedto be cooked over it .Trusting you will pardon my troubl ing you with these old
memories,DOROTHEA TOWNSHEND.
80, Woodstach Road
, Oxford.
THE STAFFORDSH IRE HORN-DANCE .
(Vol . VII. , p .
After describing the horn-dance at Abbo t ’s Bromley, in her
art ic le on S taffordsh ire Folk and the ir Lore , M iss Burne drawsthe conclusion tha t the primary in ten t ion of the performance wasthe assert ion of some ancien t common r igh t or pr ivi lege in regardto the chase . May not th i s be the secondary ra ther than the firs ts ign ifica t ion of the custom ? I s i t not poss ible tha t in orig in the
dance resembled the buffa lo-dance of some North AmericanI ndian tribes, and tha t by na tura l evolut ion and transforma t ion
7 2 Cor r espondence .
THE HOOD-GAME AT HAXEY.
(Vol . vii. , p .
S ince my paper on Haxey-hood wen t to press, my a t ten t ionhas been drawn to the fac t tha t the game has a remarkableana l ogy w i th Corn ish hur l ing, a l though in the la t ter amusemen t aba l l , not a rol l of sacking or lea ther
,is the cen tre of in terest .
According to an accoun t g iven of the Corn ish custom in The
Shetch, November 1 1,1 896, p . 1 09, hurl ing is s t i l l kep t up a t St .
Columb Major, and p lay ing is annua l l y commenced on Shrove
Tuesday . A ba l l of app le-wood w i th a th ick coa t ing of s i lver isthe object con tended for
,and there are two goa ls each a m i le
distan t from the p lace where the ba l l is thrown up , be ing thustwo mi les apart from each o ther. One is des igna ted the “ towngoa l
”and the o ther the “ coun try goa l
”
; and the aim of eachparty of p layers is to get the ba l l to its own goa l . Hur l ing musthave former l y been a quas i-eccles iast ica l amusemen t, as i t appearsto have a lways been indu lged in a t some sacred season , or on
Sunday, the east w indow of the par ish church be ing common l y a
goa l wh i le tradi t ion says tha t in one parish a t leas t the ba l l wasthrown up in the church i tse lf, and tha t the clergy took a leadingpart in the game . Hun t in his Popu la r Roma nces of the West
of E ng land (edi t ion p . 400 , speaks of hurl ing as recen t l ypract ised in the par ishes wes t of Penz ance on Sunday a fternoon .
The game was usua l l y be tween two par ishes, “some t imes be tween
Burian and Sancreed, or aga inst St . Leven and Sennen ,or the
h igher s ide of the parish p layed aga inst the l ower.
The game had its name from “ hurl ing a wooden ba l l abou tthree inches in diame ter, covered w i th a p la te of S i lver, wh ich wassome t imes g i l t and had common l y a mo t to
,Gware wheag yeo
gware teag, i .e. Fa ir p lay is good p lay . The sport was formerl yprac t ised annua l l y by those who a t tended corpora te bodies insurveying the bounds of par ishes ; but from the many acciden tstha t usua l l y resu l ted i t is now rare l y p layed . A St . I ves corresponden t informed Mr. Hun t tha t the game had not ye t d ied out
a t St . I ves,S t . Columb , and St . B laz ey, on the ann iversary of the
dedica t ion of the church .
Cor r espondence . 7 3
In ano ther in teresting descript ion of the custom,
1 the St . I veshur l ing—ma tch is spoken of as having been he l d on the sands on
the Monday after Q u inquages ima Sunday , the ba l l be ing formedof cork, or l igh t wood, covered w i th s i lver . And i t is no ted tha tin ear l y days the m im ic con ten t ion used to be common l y be tweentwo or more parish es, or be tween one par ish and ano ther, but tha tnow one part of a par ish hurls aga inst ano ther, the He lstoninstance be ing among the examp les quo ted, in wh ich two stree tsp lay all the o ther s tree ts on the 2nd May, wh en the townbounds are renewed . In some pr iva te fam i l ies the ba l ls carriedoff by the ir ancestors in the ear l y years of the last cen tury are
st i l l re l igious l y preserved as he irl ooms . Ye t a Dru id ic circ le a t
St . C leer, in Eas t Cornwa l l , is known as“the Hurlers
,
”from a
tradi t ion tha t a party of men hur l ing on a Sunday were for the irw i ckedness turned in to stone . Th is s tory has probably superseded an older legend, wh i ch embodied a more correc t idea of
some ancien t re la t ionsh ip be tween the prehistori c rema ins and thepopu lar game .
The ana logy be tween Corn ish hurl ing, the Linco lnsh ire hoodgame
,and the Eastert ide ba l l —p lay of France , descr ibed by Sou
vestre and Laisnel de la Sa l le , is obvious. They are all examp lesof ancien t solar r i tua l wh ich have survived to modern t imes underthe aeg is of Chr ist ian i ty . The hood-game , however, is conspicuousamong them on accoun t of the curious l y barbar i c scen e wi th wh ichi t ough t properl y to conclude . Smoking the fool
”appears to be
known at Haxey a l one . Ye t there is no reason why s im i lar pract i ces may not be found to ex ist on some of the sca t tered is le ts offolk-custom,
tha t st i l l manage to l ift the ir crests above the t ide of
modern though t, wh ich now washes over the S inking con t inen t ofEuropean my th . In stances of symbo l ic sacr ifice to the sun may
yet be ch ron icled . Wherever flam ing whee ls, or bonfires, are kindledin connect ion w i th some sacred day represen t ing a preh is tor i cfest iva l of the seasons, there is a poss ib i l i ty tha t traces of archa i cblood-offer ing may l inger in recogn isable form .
Cabsow, the ba l l-game wh ich t i l l some few years ago was p layeda t C lee thorpes on Chr istmas-Day, seems to be a lmost iden t ica l inname w i th scahshew or scahshew ,
the Cumbr ian word for hockey or
1 M . A . Courtney, Corn ish Fea sts and Falh-Lare pp . 20,2 1 , 25, 26.
74 Cor r espondence .
bandy, wh ich is ment ioned in an art ic le describ ing the me thod or
playing golf in the seventeen th cen tury in the Gentlema n ’s Maga
z ine Lihr a ry : Ma nner s a nd Customs , p . 250 .
In the January number of the Reliqua ry a nd I l lustr a ted Archae
ologist (vol . i i i . , p . Mr . J . M . Mackin lay says, in commen t ingon an art ic le on Churchy a rd Games in Wa les
,wh i ch appeared in
the same publ ica tion last Ju l y , tha t a t the hamle t of Tu l l ich , nearBa l la ter, is a ru ined church s tanding in a circu lar graveyard .
Outside the ru in, but w i thin an iron ra i l ing, is a col lect ion of
five or six ancien t scu lptured s tones, some show ing a cross inc isedon them
,and one having the curi ous m irror-l ike symbol so puz
z ling to an t iquar ies . St . Na thalan , sa id to have been born in thedis trict
,was the pa tron sa in t of the church . His day was kep t as
a hol iday in the parish t i l l with in the last twen ty-five or th irtyyears . I t fe l l on the 8 th of January
,and was held on or abou t
the 1 9th , according to the old sty le of reckon ing . Foo tba l l wasthe favourite amusemen t on the occas ion . The churchyard
,wh ich
had then no wa l l round it,was the p lace se lected for the game ,
and the ba l l was kicked abou t over the tombs, often am id snow.
”
In reference to ba l l-play on Sco tch fest iva ls, Mr. Mackin layinforms me tha t foo tbal l is a common sport on New Year
’
s Day,
and tha t it is be l ieved tha t mos t of the prac t ices now in vogue inSco t land on the firs t day of the year were “ transferred to tha tday from Chr is tmas at a time when the Church se t its faceagainst Yu le-tide Observances at the end of the s ixteen th cen turyand la ter. Napier,” he adds
,
“ has worked out th is po in t in h is
Falhlare of the West of Scotland. Foo tba l l used to be commona lso on Fastern
’s-E
’
en (Shrove Tuesday) , no tably at Scone, inPerthsh ire .
”
In the Glasgow IIer a ld, January 2 , 1 8 97 , foo tba l l is men tionedas having been played in many par ishes on the preceding day .
At K irkwa l l,we are informed
,bal l-p lay ing began on the
stree ts at ha lf-past e igh t in the morn ing . The first two ba l l swere easi l y got by players from the harbour end of the town , but
the adu l t ba l l a t one o ’clock wen t to the upper end.
At K irkca l dy “the ru ins of Ravenscraig Cast le and adjacen t
grounds were , in accordance with an old cus tom, thrown open bythe new proprie tor of Dysart House, Mr. M . B . Na irn . Therethe ancien t Scot t ish game of “ She Ky les was played . She
Ky les,
” Mr. Mackin lay te l l s me , i s n ine-pins ; and he notes a
Cor r espondence . 75
curious fac t wh ich may be connected w i th ba l l-games on hol ydays. Mr. Th ist le ton Dyer, i t appears, men t ions in h is P opula r
B ritish Customs, tha t a t Tenby, on St . Cr isp in s Day, the 25th
Oc tober, a figure of the sa in t used to be hung up , and after be ingtaken down i t was kicked abou t as a foo tba l l . Wha t is h is
authori ty for the s tatemen t ?M . PEACOCK.
I t is in teresting, in connec tion with the descrip t ion of the
plough-bu l locks and the ir cry of “ Largus, to compare wha t i ssa i d by C lemen t Scot t in his “ POppy Land
”
(4th ed . , Jarrold,
pp . 20, papers descrip t ive of scenery on the Eas t Coast . He
says : I m igh t here no te one of the cur ious harvest customs tha tmust have come down direc t from Norman t imes. When the
reapers are in the fie l d they are a l lowed, or ra ther i t is the custom,
to demand ‘largesse from the passer-by . Indeed , the very same
old French word is used . The phrase goes,‘P lease da me a
largesse , Sir I wh i ch I made a brown-cheeked labourer trans la te ,Please give me some th ing to drink your jol ly good h ea l th w i th .
’
H . F. JACOB.
DOZZILS.
(Vol . vii . , p .
Are not the Doz z ils men tioned by M iss Peacock iden tica l w i ththe Roman Oscilla , “ faces or heads of Bacchus, wh ich were sus
pended in the vineyards, to be turned in every direc t ion by thew ind . Wh ichever way they looked they were supposed to makethe vines in tha t direc t ion fru i tfu l . (Sm i th , D ictiona ry of Anti
quities, s .v.
,w i th i l lustra t ions . )
The locus cla ssicus is V irg i l , Georgics, ii. , 38 8 , sqq .
E t te, P acche, vaca nt per ca rmina lwta
,tihique
Oscil la ex a l ta susp enda nt mol lia p inu ,H inc amnis la rgo puhescit vinea f etu
Camp/entur va l lesque cava sa l tusquep rof undi,E t quocumque deus circum caput egiz honestum.
W i th Conington’
s no te sut loco.
W. CROOKE .
76 Cor r espondence .
IR ISH FUNERAL CUSTOM .
Recen t l y in the coun ty Cork a gent leman died . The coffin wasabou t to be removed for in termen t in a distan t graveyard ; and
before the-fr iends left, the son of the deceased asked the old fam i l yhousekeeper to have the dea th-chamber cleared out tha t day, sotha t on his re turn the mournfu l associa t ions m igh t be absen t . Sherep l ied tha t i t was con trary to ru le tha t the room of the dead man
shou l d be touched un t i l the mourners re turned after the funera l .Does th is imp l y tha t the spir i t was in the ne ighbourhood of the
scene of dea th un t il the funera l ri tes were concluded ?W. CROOKE .
THE TEN WAZIRS .
Be ing engaged at the presen t momen t on the prepara t ion of an
edi t ion and trans la t ion of the U igur text of the Bahhtiy a r —namah ,
in the in troduc t ion to wh ich a fu l l trea tmen t of the s tory of TheTen Wa z irs w i l l be a t temp ted (spec ia l a t ten t ion be ing pa i d to the
Ma lay version s), I shou l d be much obl iged to any one engagedin the same work for commun i ca t ing w i th me as soon as poss ible .
L . GOLDMERSTEIN .
4 , Wa lton Well Road, Oxford .
MISCELLANEA
BALOCH I TALES.
Concluded from Vol . iv. , p.
X IX .
A Legend of Nadir Shah .
[Nadir Shah invaded Northern Ind ia and overthrew the Em
peror Muhammad Shah in A .D . 1 7 39 . On h is re turn journey tohis own coun try by way of the Bolan Pass he came in con tac tw i th the Sara i or Ka lhora ru ler of S indh . Khudayar Khan was
at tha t t ime the Ka lhora ch ief. His son Ghu lam Shah was on a
subsequen t occas i on a t tacked by Ahmad Shah Durran i , whosucceeded to Nadir Shah ’s power in Afghan istan and the IndusVa l ley . The two invas ions are m ixed up in th is narra tive ]There was a K ing of Deh l i named Muhammad Shah Chugha t ta ,
and in h is fa ther’s t ime Sa ’adu l lah had been Wa z ir . He was a lsoWaz ir a t first under Muhammad Shah , but afterwards MuhammadShah appoin ted a new Waz ir. One day Muhammad Shah was
s i t t ing on his throne and the new Waz ir was si t t ing below him
when Sa ’adu l lah came in to pay his respec ts . The custom of the
Waz irs was to come in and join the ir hands and sa laam, and
then turn round and go and sit in the ir appoin ted places .
Sa’adu l lah after making his sa laam turned round and wen t to
h is place . The K ing and the new Waz ir laughed a t him and
sa id : He turned round just l ike a monkey .
”Sa
’adu l lah caught
wha t they were saying, and he sa i d “ I wasWaz ir in your fa ther’st ime
, and now you say I am l ike a monkey . I swear to God Iw i l l make monkeys dance for you on the ba t t lemen ts of Deh li.He then wrote to Nadir Shah : Deh l i is deserted come
,s trike,
and take it . On l y one man wi l l resis t you, Muhammad Shah ’sWaz ir, who will r ide on an e lephan t
’s howdah , and draw his
sword on you . Nadir Shah thereupon s tarted, and came toHindustan and a t tacked Deh li ; and i t was only then tha tMuhammad Shah heard tha t Nadir Shah had come to Deh li. A
7 8 Miscel la nea .
ba t t le fol l owed ; and the new Wa z ir moun ted his e lephan t anda t tacked Nadir Shah w i th the sword
, bu t was ki l led in the figh t .Nadir Shah s tormed and took Deh l i and made Muhammad Shahhis prisoner.
Now Nadir Shah heard tha t Muhammad Shah had an extreme l ybeau t ifu l w ife , so he sa i d to Muhammad Shah :
“Come and see
my w ife , and then le t me see your w ife . He took MuhammadShah and showed him h is w ife and then he came and saw Mu
hammad Shah ’s w ife . She turned her back on Muhammad Shahand turned her face to Nadir Shah . On th is Nadir Shah askedher why she turned her back on her husband and turned he r faceto him . She rep l ied :
“ K ing ! he is my husband, and you are
my fa ther. How shou l d I turn my back on my fa ther ?” Then
Nadir Shah sa id :“ Now,
as you have made so good an answer,you sha l l be my daugh ter indeed ; and I make you a presen t ofDeh l i as your dowry .
”
Afterwards Nadir Shah sa id to Muhammad Shah : I haveg iven you Deh l i , and now I wan t four th ings from you ; the firs tis your cook, and then two handma idens to brush my tee th forme
,and one concubine .
” Muhammad Shah gave them as he
w ished .
Nadir Shah told the cook to boil h is pot for h im . The cooksa id Firs t g ive me a thousand rupees
,and then I w i l l boi l i t for
you . Nadir Shah gave him a thousand rupees . The cook thenboi led some masar dal ( len t i ls) in the pot and brough t i t to theK ing and at the same t ime he brough t back w i th h im the thousand rupees the K ing had g iven him. The K ing sa id “ You haveburn t th is dal , I w i l l not ea t i t . G ive me back the thousandrupees I gave you .
”The cook gave back the thousand rupees
wh ich he had brough t w i th h im,and took up the pot and wen t
out . A dry log was l y ing there , and on th is log be poured ou t the
con ten ts of the pot and wen t his way . Next morn ing when NadirShah arose he saw tha t th is dry log was covered w i th green leaveswherever the dal had fa l len on i t . Then he was very sorry in hisheart for wha t he had done , th inking : “ Th i s was good food, i t hadbeen we l l had I ea ten i t .”
After th is be summoned the handma i dens and sa i d :“Come
and brush my tee th .
” They came , one of them bring ing wa terand the o ther the tw igs to rub his tee th w i th . Nadir Shah rubbedhis tee th , and took some wa ter and r insed h is mou th and garg led .
80 Misce l la nea .
wi l d Ba l och tribes, who were swarming down in the commencemen t of the s ixteen th cen tury from the up lands of wha t is now
ca l led Ba l och istan (here spoken of as Khorasan) in to the va l leyof the Indus, and the Mugha l Emperors Babar and Hamayt
'
m
and the ir fol lowing from Cen tra l As ia , who were founding the
Mugha l Emp ire of India a t the same period . They are popu lar l yand correct l y spoken of as Turks . Another body of Mugha ls, orTurks, the Arghun fam i l y, who founded a short-l ived dynasty inKandahar and Northern S indh , a l so came in to col l is ion w i th theBaloches a t the same period . Harrand is an ancien t fort wh ichat tha t t ime was he l d by a Mugha l garrison to keep the H i l lBaloches in check . It / commands the en trance to the ChacharPass, one of the eas ies t rou tes from the Indus va l ley in to the h i l lcoun try near the poin t where the Indus is joined by the un i tedfive r ivers of the Punjab . Here the s tory is loca l ised
,and the
names men t ioned in the narra t ive of the fl igh t through the passare s t i l l borne by var ious spo ts in the Chachar Gorge .)There was once a R ind named Dosten , and he was be tro thedto Sh iren ,
a daugh ter of Lal Khan . The two learned to readand wri te the Pers ian language toge ther. But i t happened tha tone day the Turks made a ra id on the R ind vi l lage and s lewsevera l men and se i z ed Dosten and carr ied him away w i th ano therboy as pr isoners, and brough t them to Harrand, where they passedmany years in cap tivi ty . After th is Sh iren ’
s fa ther and mo therbe tro thed her to ano ther R ind, and he too was ca l led Dosten .
Then Sh ir’
en made a poem and wro te i t on paper, and sen t i tto Dosten a faqir brough t i t and de l ivered i t to him.
Now as time wen t on ,the Turk who ru led at Harrand as repre
sentative of HumafI (Humay1‘1n ) made Dosten a groom to look
after h is horses ; and as he worked we l l , the head—
groom became
fr iendly to him,and en trusted him w i th two fi l l ies, saying :
“ Tra inthese , tra in them very carefu l l y .
” When the mares were four yearsold they saddled them ,
and Dosten and the o ther R ind, his com
panion
,used to ride them abou t to tra in them . But before taking
off the ir fe t ters the Turk made them g ive the ir word not to escapesecre t l y ; and Dos ten sa id : I w i l l not go off secre t ly ; I w i l l not
got i l l I have your leave .
”And so they rode and tra ined the mares
un t i l the day of the I d ’arr ived , when the Turk had horse-races
and he sa id to Dos ten :“ You two have leave to take out the
mares and race them .
”And Dosten sa id : Have we your leave
Mi scel la nea . 8 1
to go ?”
The governor replied : “Yes, you have my leave to go .
So they let the ir mares go, and left a ll the o thers behind, andcame ga l l oping past the post where the governor was sit ting and
Dosten ca l led out : “ Governor ! we have your leave to go, and weare going and with that they started off. The governor ca l ledto his army to fol low them . Do not let them go Ca tch themK i l l them ! ” he shouted ; and off wen t all the troop at the irhee ls . They made for the Chachar Pass. When they had gota li t tle beyond Toba (a Spring) a grey mare (among the pursuers)fe l l and died, and ever s ince then the p lace has been ca l led NiliLakri (the Grey-Mare
’s-Plat eau) . And further on tha t day a dun
horse came down and died, and the place is s ti l l ca l led m a
Push t (Dun-Horse-R idge) . And at Nila—Khund (Grey-HorseVale) , be low the Phailawagh Pla in , a grey horse stumbled and
fe l l and died . Al l these names have been fixed to these spo tsever S ince . And a t Phailawagh the troop gave up the pursuitand re turned to Harrand .
Dosten and his companion made the ir way to Narmukh,for
there h is home was . When they arrived there in the even ing theysaw a boy graz ing a flock of lambs, and they no t iced tha t he wasweeping . Dost ’en asked him wha t he was weep ing for, and theboy sa id :
“ My bro ther was carried away in to cap t ivi ty a l ongt ime ago, and left his br i de beh ind him and now they have givenher to ano ther, and to-day they are marrying her. Tha t is why Iam weeping .
”
Then Dosten sa id : Wha t was your bro ther’s name ? and the
boy said : “ He was called Dost‘en . Then Dosten sa id : Do not
weep,for God wil l bring your bro ther back again .
” Then he askedthe boy to show him where the wedding was to take place . He
poin ted out the place and they rode on , and coming to the vi llagesaw all the prepara tions for a wedding going on
,and a ligh ted by
the wedding scaffold . The Rinds said :“ Who are you ?
”and
Dosten said :“ We are Doms ” (the minstrel tribe) . Then the
peop le asked if they knew any songs, and Dosten sa i d : “ Certain l ywe do ; are we not Doms ? Bring out a dambiro,
1 and I’
ll s ingyou ba l lads enough . They brough t him a dambiro , and he sa t
down and sang tha t song which Shiren had written on paper andsen t to him, and this is the song he sang :
An instrument resemb l ing a guitar.VOL . V I I I . G
8 2 Miscel la nea .
“ I 1 swear to you by your beard, by the soft down on your face ,that my mare who runs down the w i l d ass is pin ing away ; Shecanno t drink the wa ter of the river or eat the coarse grass of theIndus p la ins ; she l ongs for her own moun ta in pastures, for theherds of w i l d asses wh ich roam the upland s lopes
,for the fema le
w i ld asses of the Phitokh Pass,for the pools fi l led w i th spark l ing
wa ter. The mosqu i tos and sand-flies irri ta te her, the verm in a l l owher no s leep, the hard barley of the gra in-se l lers hurts her tendermouth .
“ A man came down from Khorasan, his clo thes were sta inedwith trave l l ing. Ba les of madder he brough t w i th h im , saddle-bagsfu l l of the finest bhang, loads of swee t scen ts from Kandahar ;and w i th h im he brough t a message from the R inds , a true love
’
s
gree ting from Sh iren .
“ The storm-clouds 2 have ra ined upon Konar, on the pla insand slopes of Mungachar, on the p leasan t up lands of San i a ll
the pools are ful l to overflow ing , the surface of the wa ter trembleslike the leaves of the wil d pistach io , the wave le ts bend l ike the
join ted sugar-cane .
The graz iers are preparing for the march, the owners of sheep
and goa ts, Sahak and Yaran . The women have t ied up the irbaggage , the came l-men have laden the ir beas ts they go byNigahfi, and over the pass of Bhawanar the ye l l ow came ls hurtthe ir knees on the rocks
,the ma les in l ong s trings, the tender
foo ted fema les.
Sh iren has pitched her l i t tle hut in the w i l d land of Narmukh .
She ca l ls her be l oved handma i den and takes an earthen cup ;
she goes to a pool of fresh l y fa l len wa ter and washes and combsher looks ; then she comes back to her hut , and shu ts i t down on
every side , and spreads out a palm-leaf ma t and l ies down uponi t . She pu ts her hand in to her bag and pu l ls out a si lver m irror,rests i t on her knee , and l ooks upon her own beau ty . The tearscome to her tender eyes and drop upon her bodice . In come
her friends and s is ters,fa ir compan i ons forty and four ! They
come and sit down by her, and ask after her heart and her cond i tion .
‘Why, ’ they say,‘are your jewe ls neglected, your red
and blue c lo thes thrown as ide,your ha ir unkemp t and dusty, your
The first part of th is poem is spoken by Dosten in his own person .
Shiren’
s message begins here .
84 Miscel la nea .
THE PART PLAYED BY WATER IN MARR IAGE CUSTOMS .
IT does not seem to be easy to exp la in the part p layed by wa terin the marriage customs of differen t peoples but there can hardlybe any doub t as to the fact . The B ib le men t ions three cases
where w ives are found a t we l ls : Gen . xx iv .
,1 1 ; xxix.
,2 ; and
Exod . i i . , 1 5. In the last instance Rasch i,the class ica l com
men ta tor of the B ible and Babylon ian Ta lmud,adds he
l earned i t (i .e. to seek a w ife a t a we l l ) from Jacob, who found forh imse lf a w ife a t a pool .
”The o ther commen ta tors (Ramban,
Raschbam, Ibn-Ez ra , Abi-Ez ra ) do not g ive any exp lana t ion of
th is passage . Th is prac t ice was not confined to the Hebrews .
Nes tor,in his Chron ic le , speaking of the earl y S lavon i c tr ibes,
says “ but the Drevlyans were l iving l ike beasts, l ike w i ld beasts ;they ki l led one ano ther, a te every impure th ing, had no marriage ,but used to s tea l g ir ls a t the wa ter.
” Nes tor goes on to say, tha twhen the o ther S lavon ic tribes had no regu lar marriage ceremon ies(some of them had) , they used to s tea l g ir ls a t dances . I t is poss ib le tha t the Drevlyans, ow ing to the inaccess ibi l i ty of the ir s i tes,and to the rough way of l iv ing, preserved old cus toms be tter thanthe o ther tr ibes . In the t ime of Nes tor
,indeed
,they were not ye t
for the most part converted to Chr ist ian i ty . In a Li t t le Russiansong, a mo ther te l ls her daugh ter not to go to a we l l and not tolook on young men . I th ink
,in th is instance , there i s no need
of exp lana t ion, for i t is c lear tha t the we l l may easi l y become a
mee t ing-place of young people , as i t i s adm irably described inLa f or tune de Raugans of Em i le Zola . Every one can see tha t i tis so in the Vi l lages of Li t t le Russ ia , Rouman ia
,As ia M inor, and
Pa les t ine , where i t‘was no t iced in the fifth cen tury A .D . Th iscus tom is further exemp l ified in the Indian s tory of The TwoFr iends
, g iven by M iss S . M . Tay lor in Folk-Lor e,vol . Vi.
,
p . 399 , and my para l le ls from A lif Leilah we Leila/z in Falté
Lar e, vol . vii ., p . 1 99 . Some poin ts in the s tory of The Three
Damse ls of Baghdad (A l if Leilah w e Lei/ah , vol . i . , p . 24, edi t ionof 1 305 A .H . ) cou l d be compared, bu t unfortuna te l y the sceneis too gross to be quo ted here . The same is the case w i th the
frame—story . Al l the cus toms quo ted above are compara t ive l ytransparen t . They are the pr im i t ive cus toms . But bes ides these
have some deve l opmen ts of the customs, where the primi t ive
Miscel la nea . 85
custom was lost . To such be l ongs the follow ing custom, given bythe Sheh-Zade in the S tory of The For ty Viz ier s, p . 1 6 (Constan t inople edi t ion ,
1 30 3 If you are a s tranger, go and sit downa t the door of the ba th-house and ask every woman who comes out
of the ba th-house , ‘Have you a husband ?’ And wha tsoever woman
says,I have no husband, ’ must
,according to the cus tom of th is
city,become your w ife .
” I t may be no ticed,however, tha t th is
passage can be brough t to bear upon the famous passage in Herodotus, speaking of the immoral i ty of Babylon ian women ,
and,
perhaps, upon Q u in tus Curtius, V. , 1 but the fac t that th is customwas connec ted w i th the ba th-house st i l l rema ins.
To the same ca tegory of rudimen tary customs be longs probablythe divina t ion by the bridge . Not having here the book whereit is described, I can give no reference to i t, and therefore I am
obl iged to describe i t fu l l y, according to wha t I have read and
seen . Christmas n ight is though t in Russia to be one of the besttimes for divina t i on . Among many forms of i t
,divina t ion by the
br idge is large l y used . Sma l l bi ts of wood are bound so as toform a rough im i ta t i on of a br idge , and put under the p i l l ow.
Before going to bed the gir l (th is divina t ion is never used by men )says : Soosheny
—ryasheny, pr i di ko mnye, proviedyi myenya ,”i .e.
,
My be tro thed, appoin ted for me,come to me , and lead me over
the br idge . In the divina t ion by the m irror,two m irrors are
placed one aga inst the o ther, w i th two candles and two g lasses ofwa ter be tween . The two g lasses of wa ter, however, hardly be l ongto the same class of facts for divination
i
by the m irror canno t bevery old, and the g lasses may form a part, or appear instead, of acomple te dinner, wh ich is some t imes served for the g ir l and hermysterious vis i tor . D ivina t ion by harken ing at the w indows of anold , for the most part di lapida ted , ba th-house , comes nearer to thepoin t
, a nd is, perhaps, connected w i th the above-quo ted Turkishstory . I cou l d not find th is case of divina t ion amongst the Tartarsin the Sou th of Russ ia ; bu t I was told in As ia M inor tha t th iscustom ex ists there as we l l , a l though the Mohammedan avers ionto all superst i t ious customs did not a l l ow me and my in ter l ocu torsto en ter in to any de ta i ls as to the t ime and mode of this divinat ion .
I canno t as yet ven ture to g ive any exp lana t ion of the abovemen t ioned customs
,for the ma teria ls are hardly large enough . I
may, however, poin t to the Swan-ma iden type of folk tales, and
86 Miscel la nea .
a ll its varian ts, excep t the Russ ian ta le of Wassilissa-Tza ryevna,
who, be ing transformed in to a frog, cou l d hardly be found faraway from wa ter. A man who saw a g ir l naked must marry herin order to rehabi l i ta te her honour . I have a fine ta le in the
Ana tol ian Turkish dia lec t, but i t i s too gross, as indeed most ofthe Orien tal ta les are , to be g iven here , I hope , however, to edi tthe Ana tol ian text of i t ere l ong. In th is ta le a s trong support forthe above expressed opin i on is found . In the we l l-known Greeklegend, a hun ter who saw Diana naked was ki l led, for by the fac tof h is see ing her thus be offended her . In the East
,no one but a
near re la t ive or husband can see a woman ’s face , a l though th is
custom is not s trict l y adhered to in sma l l vi l lages w i th pure l yMoslem popu la t ion . There is, however, no grea ter ofi
'
ence to a
woman than to tear away her ve i l in a publ ic p lace . Can the
S lavon ic custom have orig ina ted from the indecency of see ing a
woman unclo thed w i thou t be ing her husband, or simply from the
ease of s tea l ing a g irl at the wa ter (river, lake , or sea) w i thoutleaving any traces P
L. GOLDMERSTEIN .
S f.jol m’s College, Oxford.
MARKS ON ANC IENT MONUMENTS .
6
Abou t fifteen years ago I was in Egyp t, and one day when on
the N i le , an officer of the Khedive ’s household named Sami B ey ,
po in ted out to me a group of peasan t women knee l ing as if in
s i len t prayer a t the base of the wa l l of an old temp le .
“ You can have no idea of wha t they are doing,”he remarked .
We l l , they are in a certain way worsh ipping the deit ies of
ancien t Egyp t , or ra ther I sis. Observe tha t all are scra tch ing thes tone w i th kn ives or pebbles . When a woman w ishes to becomea mo ther, she goes to some ancien t bu i l ding or monumen t
,wa l l
or p i l lar, and scra tches on i t a deep groove . Then , as she be l ieves ,her des ire w i l l be gran ted .
”
I exam i ned the marks thus made , and subsequen t l y found themby thousands on many ancien t ru ins . Many appeared to becoeva l w i th the bu i ld ings themse lves . They were pecu l iar or un
88 Miscel la nea .
chased in Verona for ten soldi three sma l l Etruscan images Of
burned terra-co t ta, wh ich were qu i te the same w i th the P agliaccio,
wearing the short sh irt and an t ique cap . One day, by acciden t,one Of these was broken in two
,and I found pass ing at fu l l length
through i t an unburn t straw . Th is inclos ing a straw in a burn ingsubstance wh ich does not scorch i t is a we l l-known trick to us,
but it was a grea t wonder in the olden t ime . The cu t lers of
London four hundred years ago sore l y puz z led the men of Sheffie l dby sending them a kn ife in wh ich , when broken , a straw was foundunconsumed. A s traw is in I ta l ian pagl ia , whence P ag liaccz
'
o, a
s traw-man .
Such a toy wou l d very natura l l y be ca l led a S traw-Man,wha t
ever the equ iva len t for tha t may have been in E truscan ; and as
the appearance Of the ancien t and modern figures is iden t ica l i tseems tha t we have here— tru l y “
strung on straw — the proofs Of
a very ancien t and curious tradi t i on .
CHARLES GODFREY LELAND .
CHARMS FROM S IAM .
The two charms exh ibi ted come from S iam . One is a charmof invulnerabi l i ty, the o ther a w i tchcraft-charm Offens ive and
defens ive . They were recen t l y taken from two no torious Ma laybrothers, named respective l y Ah-Ma t and Mut , we l l known as
the perpe tra tors of many murders and robberies comm i t ted uponS iamese and o thers in and around the ne ighbourhood of Bangkok .
The bro thers were repea tedly sho t a t , stabbed and cut at wi thswords, chased and surrounded by part ies of men sen t out t imeafter t ime to take them,
but to no purpose ; bu l le ts and swordshad no effect, no th ing cou l d harm them,
because— as the S iamese
dec lared -they wore powerfu l charms. I t is th is be l ief Of theS iamese tha t has enabled me to Show the presen t specimens for
when ,a few weeks ago, the Ma lay desperadoes were a t las t
cap tured, the S iamese were so terror-stricken by the presence Of
those two dangerous eng ines tha t the au thori t ies found i t necessary to have the charms a t once removed from the prisoners .
Fortuna te l y they were not des troyed, but short l y after sen t toEng land w i th o ther Objects of interest .
90 Miscel la nea .
Br i t ish Museum,in the ir severa l departmen ts , have mos t kindly
iden t ified them for me . I g ive them in the order in wh ich theyappear on the string z— four vertebrae Of the Py thon r ei icu la tus
(th is is the famous n lwar sawa Of the Ma lays) , a p iece Of me ta l ,port ions of a t ige r
’
s too th , a deer’s horn and a human bone , fourport ions Of hornbi l l bones , too much cut and worn to name any
part icu lar species, of wh ich there are severa l,and n ine vertebrae of
D ena’
rop lzis, one Of the tree-snakes. W i th the excep t ion of the last(wh ich , so far, I have been unable to iden t ify w i th any Of the na t ivenames of omen or medicina l snakes), a ll the an ima ls are amongthose taking a prom inen t pos i t ion in S iamese
,Ma layan
, &c . , folklore . Myths and folklore Of man , t iger, deer, and snakes are
constan t l y p resen ted to us in One form or ano ther ; but I do not
recol lec t tha t the hornbi l l has as ye t been before the Socie ty. Afam i l iar bird over its own reg ion Of Sou th-eastern India
,including
Burma,S iam, the Ma lay Pen insu la , and the grea t is lands Of the
arch ipe lago, where i t is reverenced as one of the mos t importan tomen-birds to ki l l i t brings down certa in vengeance on the sacrile
g ions murderer. I t plays an impos ing part as Ma layan war-god— a
pos i t ion i t dispu tes w i th a large wh i te and brown hawk . NumbersOf m in ia ture effigies Of the hornbi l l are met as sp iri t-co l lec tors at
harvest-feasts and a t harves t and head-hun t ing fes tiva ls a largewooden effigy of the b ird is worsh ipped under the name of
Teny a la ng w i th food-ofi'
erings and invoca t ions . This efi‘igy is sa idon occas ions to be worsh ipped as Singa lang Burong, the grea t birdancestor of some Of the wi l d tr ibes Of Borneo . The folklore of
the hornbi l l is represen ted by severa l spec imens in the Bri t ishMuseum ,
and in the Indian Art Museum at Sou th Kens ington .
I am sorry I canno t ass ign wha t part i cu lar func t ions are g iven i tto perform‘in the bone charm .
SHEARS AND MANGALA STAND .
Out of some s ixty u tens i ls and symbol ic ornamen ts used in the
S iamese tonsor ia l r i te common l y known as the Kon Chuk or
Topkno t-cu t t ing, I am on l y able to show two— the shears and
manga la s tand . These are close l y connected w i th the actua lremova l Of the ha ir, a t wh ich astrologers, Buddh ist monks, and
Brahm in pr iests take part . A fu l l descr ip t ion Of the r i te is g ivenin G . E . Gerini
’
s Clznlakantama nga la , or Tonsure Cer emony a s per
Miscel la nea . 9 I
formee’
in Siam,publ ished in 1 895. The two examp les I show
come from Bangkok, and are the same in form as those on
Pla te I I . of Gerini’s book but the shears, in p lace Of be ing in la idw i th gold, as was the example g iven by Gerini, are in laid w i ths i lver.
M . C . FFENNELL.
MORE STAFFORDSH IRE SUPERST IT IONS .
An a t tached and favour i te servan t was married from my housea t Che l tenham in November, 1 896 . Her Old fa ther, rep l y ing forh imse lf and h is w ife to my invi ta t ion to the wedding, wro te to me
We bo th hope you' w i l l p lese try to arange for S ing le peop le to
go w i th them to [be] Marr ied,
on the ground, i t was exp la inedto me
,tha t i t is very un lucky for a married man or woman to make
part Of a wedding—party . The fa ther and h is e l des t (married)daugh ter even tua l l y made the journey from near Wa lsa l l (S taffordsh ire) to Che l tenham for the occas ion , going and re turn ing the
same day ; but though they had taken a ll th is trouble they en t ire l yrefused to go to the church . They brough t a presen t to me fromthe mother, in acknowledgmen t of the favour I was show ing totheir daugh ter. I t cons isted Of a myrt le-p lan t in a flower-pot ,in tended as a ta l isman to pro tect the house from l igh tn ing . The
old woman had a lways kep t a myrt le in her own house for th ispurpose, and had “
reared a cu t t ing from it for me as a specia lmark Of a t ten t ion . Another difficu l ty in the wedding arrange
men ts was started by the bride herse lf. I t’
s so un lucky to try a
wedding r ing on 5 but th is having been overcome by try ing ano therring and ma tch ing the siz e , the pa ir were safe l y marr ied and set
out for the ir fu ture home,the bride be ing cau t i oned by her S ister
to be sure to carry a B ible abou t her when she wen t in to her new
house (no reason s ta ted) .I never met w i th th is remarkable extens ion Of the taboo on
paren ts at weddings before ; and i t is the more curi ous because a t
Edgmond (Sa l op) , c lose to the wes tern border of Staffordsh ire,it
was though t lucky for one Of the wedding party to be a marriedman or woman (see instances in my S/zropslz ire Folk-Lor e, p .
I cannot locate the contrary be l ief w i th perfec t certa in ty, as, wh i le
92 Miscel la nea .
the old man above men t ion ed is a na t ive of South Staffordsh ire ,his w ife , who equa l l y adheres to i t, comes from the north Of the
coun ty, where I mus t say I never heard of i t . They are agricul
tura l not indus tria l people but I am incl ined to th ink the ideaabou t the B ib le comes from the industr ia l popu la t ion , among whomthe daugh ter who advised i t has marr ied ; for the res t Of the fam i l ydid not seem to be anx i ous on the poin t . The bride ’s Che l tenhamacqua in tance urged her to take a ch i l d w i th her to church for luck ;and as she did not take the advice
,I Observed tha t two women
took the ir Own l i t t le daugh ters to see the ceremony, eviden t l y toput ma t ters stra igh t
CHARLOTTE S . BURNE .
CHARM FOR THE EV IL EYE .
An Old woman l iving at K illiechonan on Loch Rannoch gaveme the fol l ow ing part icu lars as to the cure Of human be ings orca t t le “ over l ooked ” by the Evi l Eye . Draw wa ter be tween sunse tand sunrise from a s tream cross ing a publ ic road wh ich has beenpassed over by the l iving and the dead . Put a piece Of s i lver inthe wa ter and pour i t over the person or an ima l you des ire to curein the name of the Trin i ty . If the s i ckness has been caused bythe Evi l Eye the s i lver w i l l st ick to the bo t tom of the vesse l . Myinforman t sa id She had frequen t l y used the charm herse lf
,and tha t
in her younger days some peop le possessed mag ic stones wh ichwere emp loyed instead of the s i lver piece .
MARY H . DEBENHAM .
Clzeslza nt P a rk, Her ts .
MARR IAGE SUPERST IT IONS .
The w ife of a Sco t t ish clergyman in Berw icksh ire , wri t ing on the26th December, 1 895, says :
“ TO—morrow my husband w i l l haveto dr ive in to the coun try four m i les to marry a coup le a t 7 . 30 pm .
The las t Fr iday Of the year is a favouri te day w i th the common
peop le .
”
E . S IDNEY HARTLAND .
OBI TUAR Y
W. A . CLOUSTON .
WE deep l y regre t to record the sudden dea th of Mr . W. A .
C louston , on the a3rd October last, a t a compara t ive l y earl y age .
His numerous wri t ings on the subjec t Of folk ta les are we l l knownto the members Of the FOlk-Lore Socie ty . A w ide acqua in tancew i th old and out—Of-the-way l i tera ture enabled him often to i l lustrate the h is tory and m igra t ions Of stor ies in an unexpec ted manner,and to throw much l igh t upon Obscure and difficu l t ques t ions .
His earl iest work of any length was h is priva te l y pr in ted edi t ionOf Sir W i l l iam Ouseley
’
s trans la t ion Of Tke B akz‘yar NamaTh is was qu ickly fol l owed by a compan i on volume
,Tke B ook of
S ina’ioa
'
a’ His no tes to Sir R ichard Burton ’
s A r aoian
M'
gkfs added grea t l y to the va lue of the supplemen ta l volumes Of
tha t work ; and he con tr ibu ted in a s im ilar manner a mass of
importan t ma ter ia l to the Cka ucer Ana logues , bes ide wri t ing a
volume of disserta t ions on l e Squire’s Ta le
,bo th issued by the
Chaucer Socie ty . Among h is o ther works on the subjec t Of folkta les are A Group of E a siern Romances a na
7
S tor iesf rom t/ze P er
sia n,Tamil , a na
’
Ura’
u and F lower sf rom a P ersia n Ga rden
a nd oi lzer P apers Bu t h is opus magnum was the twovolumes of P opu la r Ta les a na
’Ficl ions , tlzeir Migr a tions a na
’
Tr a nsforma tions a monumen t Of industry wh ich did muchto popu lar ise the study Of tradi t iona l s tor ies in th is coun try .
He did not enqu ire in to the orig in and mean ing of the narra
t iy es ; his concern was w i th the ir trave ls ; and so far as he had
any defin i te theory on the ir birthp lace he was disposed to ass igni t to India
,though in la t ter years the researches of o thers led to
his taking a somewha t doub tfu l a t t i tude . His O ther l i teraryworks were numerous bu t we need not speak Of them here . Afac i le style , wh ich did not pre tend to dis t inc t ion , rendered hisbooks a lways pleasan t and readable. Generous in h is apprecia
t ion of the labours of O thers, he never refused ass istance to fe l l ows tuden ts. Unfortuna te l y , l ife to him was throughou t more or lessof a struggle , in wh ich be secured but few Of the rewards tha twa i t on worl d ly success .
B JBZJOGRA PH Y
1 8 96, UNLESS OTHERW ISE STATED .
B OO K S A N D P A M P H L E T S .
ANDREWS (J . Tradi t ions Popu la ires, Superst i t ions, Croyances, e t Usages (Locaux e t con temporains) Q ues t ionna ire .
Nap les : Fr . G iann in i e t figli . 8vo . 1 1 pp . [Usefu l memoranda for con t inen ta l folklore co l lectors ]
BADEN-POWELL (B . H ”) The Indian V i l lage Commun i ty exam inedw i th reference to the Phys i ca l
,E thnograph i c, and H istor ica l
Condi t ions of the Provinces . Longmans. 8vo . xvi . , 456 pp .
BHATTACHARYA (J . N H indu Castes and Sects an Expos i t ionof the or ig in of the Hindu Caste Sys tem and the bearing of
the sec ts towards each o ther and towards o ther re lig ioussystems . Ca lcu t ta : Thacker.
COFFEY (G ) . Preh istori c Ceno taphs . Dublin Un iversi ty Press .
8vo . , pp . 29 . [Reprin ted from the Proceedings Of the Roya lI rish Academy . The au thor g ive s an accoun t of a numberOf barrows never occupied by the dead
,and propounds the
ingenious theory tha t an effigy or some o ther subs t i tu te wasbur ied
,in order to g ive the sou l res t . He br ings toge ther
much class ica l and an thropolog ica l evidence and there can
be l i t t le doub t his conclus ions are correct . ]D ITCHF IELD (P . H “ ) Old Eng l ish Customs extan t a t the Presen tT ime . Redway. Crown 8vo . xvi . , 344 pp . [Sheer, un
abashed bookmaking . Q u i te use less for s tuden ts, and misleading for o thers ]
HOFFMANN-KRAYEK B i lder aus dem Fastnachtsleben im
a l ten Base l . Zurich : Baumgartner. Cr . 8vo, 2 2 pp . [Abdruck aus der Al lgeme inen Schwe i z er-Ze i tung . ]
HOPK INS (E . The Re l ig i ons of India . Arnold .
HAHN Deme ter und Baubo : Versuch e iner Theorie derEn tstehung unsres Ackerbaus . Liibeck . 8vo . 7 7 pp .
KING (L. Babylon ian Mag ic and Sorcery . Luzac . 8vo .
KINGSLEY (MARY Trave ls in Wes t Afr ica (Congo Franca is,Corisco, and Cameroons) . Macm i l lan . 1 89 7 . 8vo. xvi .
743 PP
PH ILPOT (MRS . J . The Sacred Tree , or the Tree in Religionand My th . Macmil lan . 1 89 7 . 8vo . xvi. , 1 79 pp .
96 Bib l iog r aphy .
SPENCER Report on the Work Of the Horn Scientific Expedi t ion to Cen tra l Austra l ia . Part IV .
,An thropology . Du lau .
4to . 200 pp .
STARR The Az tecs of Ancien t Mexico . Syl labus of a
Course of Six Lec tures S tudies in An thropology . Ch icagoUn ivers i ty Press. [A very in terest ing course , embracing a ll
tha t is known Of Az tec civi l isa t ion ]TROMBATORE (L. Folklore Ca tanese . Turin : C lausen .
1 2 7 pp .
PER IOD ICALS .
The Conlenls of P er iodica ls exclusively deooz’ed lo Folklor e
a r e nol nol ed .
Ant iquary, xxxu ,11 and 12. A . W. B uckla nd
,The S ign ificance
Of Holes in Archaeology .
Cornh i l l Magaz ine, February , 1 8 97 . E . 11 . P a rker,D ie t and
Medicine in Ch ina .
Journal of the Ant hropolog ica l Institute, xxvi, 2. C . M. P ley l e,
An unpubl ished Ba tak Crea t ion Legend . P . .M. Connol ly ,
Socia l Life in Fan t i-Land . Ger ir udeM. Godden , Naga ando ther Fron t ier Tribes Of North-east India .
Nineteenth Century, December. Mrs . Sa nnomiya , A Sh in toFuneral .
Proceedings of the Society of Bibl ica l Archaeology, xviii, 6 . S ir
P . Le P age Renouf , The Book of the Dead, no tes to chap .
cxxvii i . 8 ; xix, 1. D r .M Gaster , TWO unknown HebrewVersions of the Tobit Legend .
L’Anthropologie, vii, 5. .Dr . Tauta in , No tes sur l’Ethnographiedes fles Marqu ises .
— 6 . M Zahorozoski, Le circoncis ion , sesorig ines e t sa repartition en Afrique e t a Madagascar.
Internat ionales Archiv f'
ur Ethnographic, ix , 4. S . K . K usnez ow ,
Ueber den G lauben vom Jense i ts und den Todtencultus derTcheremissen .
— 5. G . Schlegel , La Féte de Fou ler le FeuCé lébrée en Ch ine — Supplement z u Band ix . F B oas
,
Songs Of the Kwakiu t l Indians . H . Ker n, Menschenfleisch
a ls Arz enei . E . B . Ty lor , On American Lot-Games .
98 Minu tes of Meeting .
been s t uck to make s ome one i l l . l Lemon s thu s bew itche da re frequent ly brought to the p r ie sts tha t they may b re akthe spe l l
, w h ich they do by mere ly tak ing the p ins a nd na i l sou t . The p re sen t co l lect ion had be e n g iven to Mr . Andrewsby the pr ie st to w hom the lemon conta in ing them had be enbrought for th is purpose .
Mr . Gomme a ls o exh ib ite d a Bre ton R ing conta in ingtw o wo lf’s te e th , e v iden t ly , from the two m in ia ture keys andtr iang le a ttache d to it
, a Cha rm r ing . The r ing w a s pre
s e nted by Mr . A . R . W r ight , to b e p la ce d in the S oc iety’ s
ca s e a t the Cambr idge Mu seum .
The fo l low ing b ooks and pamph le ts , wh ich had bee na dded to the S oc iety’ s l ibra ry s ince the la st ord inary mee ting , we re la id on the tab le , vizDwa rf S u r viva ls a nd Tr adit ions a s to Pygmy Ra ces ,
by R . G . Ha l iburton ,p re sente d by the Author ; Ga e l ic
l nca n ta t ions w ith Tr a ns l a t ions , by W . Ma cken z ie , pres ente d by the Autho r ; Naga a nd other F r on t ier Tr ibes ofN or th-ea s t I ndia ,
by M iss G . M . Godden,p re sen ted by the
Author ; The Caves in A l l t Gwy n ,by La dy Page t , pre
sen te d by the Author ; and E inf u’
h r u ng in d ie D eu tsch
bohmische Vol kskunde nebs t einer B ihl iog r aphie , by Ado l fHaus sen , Volks thu
'
ml iche O'
he r l ief e r u ngen a us Tep l it zu na
’
Umgehung ,by Profe s sor Dr . Gus tav Laube , a nd
A l tnordische S taf e u nd S tudien in D eu tsch l a nd , byR icha rd Ba tka , a ll p re sen te d by the Roya l S oc ie ty .
Profe s sor Ke r rea d a pape r en t it le d Note s on Ore nde l
a nd othe r S tor ie s .
”Dr . Ga ste r a nd the Pre s ident took
pa rt in the d i scu ss ion wh ich fo l lowed . At the conc lus ionof the me e t ing a hea rty vote of thank s w a s a ccorded toProfe s sor Ke r for h is pape r . A trans la t ion from the Syr iac ,by Mr . Hermann Go l la ncz , Of The H is tory of S indha n
a nd the S even Wise Ma s ter s , w a s read .
The best account Of th is I ta l ian practice is to be found in Dr . Pitre sB ibl ioteca del/e Tr ad. Pop. S ici l ia n e, vol . xvii . p . 1 29 . The passage is citeda nd commented on
,Leg end of Perseus , vol . II. p . 99 . ED .
THE H ISTORY OF S INDBAN AND THE
SEVEN W ISE MASTERS .
Tr a ns la ted f or thefir s t t ime f r om the Sy r ia c in to E ng l ish ,
BY HERMANN GOLLAc , M .A .
OF a ll the ve rs ions Of the S e ve n W i se Ma ste rs , the O lde sttha t ha s thus far come down to u S is the Syr ia c ve rs ion ,
pub l ishe d for the first t ime by Ba e thge n , Le ipz ig ,1 8 79 .
Th is ve rs ion repre sen ts , on the one hand , the suppose dArab ic or ig ina l , refle cted in European l ite ra ture in the O ldSpan ish ve rs ion ; and i t rep re sen t s , on the other ha nd ,the immed ia te source of the Gre ek tran s la t ion ma de byAndreOpolos .
I n e ed not dwe l l he re upon the re lat ion wh ich e x is tsbe twe en the va r iou s ve rs ion s Of th i s co l lect ion of ta le s
,
cons ide r ing tha t thi s subj e ct ha s be en exha ust ive ly trea te dby Compa re tt i , whose w ork ha s be e n pub l ished by th isS oc ie ty in an Eng l ish form . Nor ne e d I touch upon the
re la t ion in wh ich the Syr ia c text s tands to the Arab ic a nd
othe r Or ienta l ve rs ion s (Peh lev i , a s Profe s sor NOldekein h i s rev iew Of Ba e thge n
’
s e d it ion ,ha s re ferre d to the se
po in ts in h is u sua l ma st e rly‘ma nne r . S ince then , C louston
ha s tran s la ted in pa rt,andMr .W . Rog ers more fu l ly , the P e r
s ian ve rs ion , C lou ston a dd ing a ske tch Of the h istory of thew ork ; and Pau lu s Ca s se l ha s pub l ished a m inu te compar isonb etween the Syria c , Gre ek a nd H ebrew ve rs ion s
,in his
Mischl e S indhad , Be r l in ,1 8 88 . The se va r ious re sea rche s
te st ify to the h igh va lue wh ich a tta che s t o the Syr ia c textin rega rd to the h i story of tha t wor ld-w ide cyc le Of ta le swh ich c lu ster round the name of S indba d .
For th is ve ry rea s on I c on s ide re d tha t an Eng l ish transla t ion
,p repared from the Syr iac d ire ct , m ight not p rove
H 2
1 00 The His tory of S indba n a nd
unwe lcome , and wou ld a t the same t ime add a new l ink tothe Cha in Of e v idence s adduced by Compare tt i in his work .
It is to b e regre tted tha t the Syria c ve rs ion is not qu it ecomp le te . I have s tr iven to be a s l ite ra l a s poss ib le ,mak ing no sub stant ia l a lte ra t ion s , but on ly correct ing he re
and the re some S l ight inaccura c ie s in the text ; and in one
pa ssage a lone ha ve I sub st ituted a paraphra se in p lace Of
the l ite ra l trans la t ion .
TRANSLATION .
I n the N ame of ou r Lord , the H is tory of the w ise S indba n
a nd of h is comr ades .
The re w as once a k ing whose name w a s Cyrus , and a ll
the days of h i s l ife he had no Ch i ld , though he had sevenw ive s . SO he rose and p raye d and vowed a vow ,
a nd
a no inte d h ims e lf (or fa ste d P) . And it p lea sed God to g ivehim a son
,and the boy g rew and flour ishe d l ike a ceda r .
S O he ga ve h im aw ay,that he m ight lea rn w isdom and he
w a s thre e ye a rs w ith h i s teache r w ithou t hav ing lea rn t a nyth ing . W he reupon the k ing exc la imed If th i s lad we ret e n thousand yea rs w ith h i s teacher he wou ld learn n oth ing .
Now I w i l l g ive h im to the w ise S indban ,s ince he i s a w ise
man and exce l s a l l ph i losophers .
”S o the k ing ca l le d S indban
and sa id to him :“ Te l l me how you w ish to teach the boy .
”
And S indban an swe red,a nd sa id to the k ing :
“ I w i l linstruct the boy in s ix months
,so tha t he sha l l be ab le t o
d iscu ss w ith a l l the ph i losophe rs tha t a re unde r thy ru le .
And if I do not fu lfi l tha t wh ich I ha ve s ta ted , le t my l ife bede stroyed from Off the earth
,and let a l l tha t I p o sse s s be
yours ; for I ha ve le a rn t tha t , a s regards the lan d in wh icha j u st k ing i s born , and the k ing ,
who i s son of a k ing ,
is d il ige nt , he is a s runn ing wa te rs both to the r ich and
poor , a s a phys ic ia n who doe s not a ct w rongfu l ly , but u se sh i s profe ss ion among ma nk ind
, in a manne r so a s to do (orlead ) to tha t land a l l those th ing s wh ich w e a re t o have in
1 02 The His tory of S indba n a nd
And a s soon a s S indba n saw it , he tremb le d hand and foot ,and w a s sore ly troub led on h is a ccount . And a s the lad
saw h is ma ste r in troub le , he sa id un to h im :“ Why is th i s
th ing SO gr ievou s to the e ? for if you b id me not to speakfor a month , I wou ld do it ; on ly bid me tha t wh ich youde s ire .
”S indban rep l ie d :
“ Accord ing to the covenan tw h ich I ma de w ith your father ( I sent word)
‘To-morrowthy son w i l l come to the e .
’ Now it doe s not se em r ightfor me to a lte r it , nor do I de s ire to be fa l se to your fa ther .
As for myse lf, the re fore , I w i l l h ide myse lf ; and you ,my
son ,look to it tha t you speak not un t i l s ix [s ic] days sha l l
have pa s se d .
”On the morrow ,
he ba de the youth go tohis fa ther . Now the fa ther , out Of love for h i s son
,had
a ssemb led for him such compan ion s a s u se d to be w ithhim ,
a nd had made for h im a banquet . Then his fa the rca l le d him ,
and b rought him to him and k i sse d him,and
conve rse d w ith him ; bu t he d id not conve rse w ith his
fa the r . And h e bega n to que st ion him, but he rep l ied not
a word .
Then the k ing sa id un to those round about him :“ Wha t
i s the ma tte r w ith my son ? And one an swe re d and sa idHis ma ste r ha s an o inte d him w ith some root in order tha t
he m ight cau se his in struct ion to ga in firm g round in him,
a nd by mean s of tha t root h i s tongue i s bound .
”And th i s
occurre nce on the pa rt Of the ch i ld w a s a source of d istre s sto the k ing ; and a s one Of the k ing
’s w ive s saw it , she sa idto the k ing : Leave him w ith me
,h im andme a lone ; maybe
he make s known unto me his a ffa ir,ina smuch a s he had
confide nce in me Of O ld , a nd th ings wh ich he w a s in the
hab it o f not te l l ing his mothe r , he wou ld te l l a nd revea l un tome .
”And be cau se the mother of the boy w a s d istre sse d on
a ccoun t of his S i lence , the woman took the boy and broughthim to he r hou se ; and She began to c onve rse w ith him ,
but
he d id not speak to he r, nor a n swe red he r a word . The reupon she sa id un to him “ I do not understand you , foo l !a nd b e s ide s , a re you not k ing ? You don ’t e scap e my
the Seven Wis e Ma s ter s . 103
purpose . I w i l l te l l you s ome th ing , and I don’ t le t you go
t i l l you ca rry it out , and if you be a fe l low (a t a l l) and youde s ire it , do tha t wh ich I te l l you . I know tha t your fathe ris O ld , a nd weak , a nd exhau s te d ; I w i l l s lay your fathe r ,and you w i l l be come k ing in h is ste ad , you tak ing me amongyour w ive s , and I be com ing your w ife .
” Now,afte r she
had spoke n the se th ings to the youth,he w a s much en
raged , a nd s aid un to he r : “ Kn ow tha t I sp eak n e ithe rto the e , nor to a ny on e e lse
,unt i l seven days sha l l ha ve
pa s se d , when forthw ith you w i l l hear my rep ly t o yourwords .
”
Now a s s oon a s she he a rd the se words,she knew tha t
she had fa l le n from he r g lory , a nd she w a s a fra id , a nd
de l ibe ra te d a s to wha t She shou ld do unto him . Whe reuponshe ra ise d he r vo ice a loud
,struck he rse lf on the fa ce , and
tore he r ga rments . The k ing , hav ing hea rd he r cry , ca l le dhe r
, and a sked her,and sa id “ Wha t a i ls the e ?” Whe re
upon She rep l ie d unto h im :“ I w a s te l l ing your son to
Speak to me , when sudden ly he fe l l upon me,and w a nte d
to in su lt me , a nd tore my face . I d id kn ow tha t a ll s ortsOf v ice s were in him ,
but I w a s not awa re Of th i s v ice inhim .
”And a s she sa id the se th ing s t o the k ing , he w ith
drew h i s favour from h is son , and orde re d him to b e put todea th .
But , a s it happened , the k ing had ph i losophers a s counse llors
,so tha t h e shou ld do n oth ing in ra shn e ss be fore h i s
hav ing con su lt ed w ith them . And whe n they hea rd th is ,how the k ing had commande d tha t h is son shou ld be k i l le dw ithout hav ing con su lte d w ith them ,
they con s ide re d w ith inthemse lve s tha t the th ing wh ich the k ing had orde re d hew a s do ing in rage , hav ing be l ie ve d the woman ; and the
ph i losophers sa id : He da re not be k i l le d , nor da re the
k ing k i l l h is son , ina smuch a s u lt ima te l y he w i l l reproa chh im se lf, and remove u s from h i s pre sen ce . But le t us
de l ibe ra te in wha t manne r w e may de l ive r the youth fromdea th . The reupon one of them sa id :
“ Le t ea ch of u s go
1 04 Th e His tory of S indba n a nd
and save him ,on e day each a nd he wen t a nd ente red the
p re sence Of the k ing , a nd prostra te d h imse lf, and sa idK ing s shou ld do noth ing un t i l they a re sure of the
t ruth .
”
I ST PH ILOSOPHER . I.— The first ph i l osopher spake
Long l ive my s overe ign lord ! I he ard tha t the re w a s
once a k ing ,t o whom the re w a s n oth ing so p lea san t a s the
l ove of women . One day he b ehe ld a nd saw a beaut ifu lwoman
,a nd love for he r e nte re d h is hea rt , a nd he be came
enamoure d Of he r ; SO on e day he se n t a nd ca l led he rhusba nd , and sent him upon a me s sage ; the n the k ingwen t to tha t woman , a nd reque ste d to have inte rcoursew ith he r . She , howe ve r , in he r w isdom ,
sa id to the k ing‘My lord , I am thy se rvan t , do a ll tha t thou w ishe st .
’ Nowhe r husband had a book wh ich a dmon ishe d g reat ly con
c e rn ing forn ica t ion ,a nd she bade the k ing re ad tha t book .
The k ing took (it ) , rea d,and saw tha t it conta ine d a
wa rn ing aga in st forn ica t ion ; SO the k ing ros e in ha s te and
depa rte d , a nd h is r ing fe l l benea th the couch . Thu s hele ft , a nd the woma n w as save d . He r husba nd came home
and s a t upon the couch , saw the r ing and re cogn ise d it ,wh i le his w ife d id not n ot ice it . The husband thoughtw ith in h imse lf : The k ing ha s be e n ,
a nd ha s had conne ct ionw ith my w ife .
’ He w a s a fra id Of the k ing , SO he d id not l ivew ith he r for some long t ime . The w ife then sen t to he rfa the r , and informe d him tha t he r husband had e strange dh imse lf from he r . He r fa the r wen t to the k ing , a nd sa id‘I had a fie ld a nd gave it to th i s ma n in orde r tha t hem ight work it ; h e worke d a t it for a t ime
,but now he ha s
e strange d h im se lf from it , he doe s not work a t it, but de se rts
it . ’ The k ing Spake to the hu sband of the woman :‘Wha t
ha ve you to say ?’
And he a n swe red and sa id :‘In ve ry
de ed , my lord , ha s he g iven me a fie ld,nor have I neg
lected it s cu lt iva t ion a s fa r a s lay in my powe r . But ithappen e d one day tha t I obse rved tha t the re had come
upon it the pa th Of a l ion ’
s paw , and I wa s a fra id on
106 The His tory of S indba n a nd
the b ird has t o ld me aga in st my w ife i s fa l se , for the re w asno ra in dur ing the who le Of th i s n ight .
’But it w a s through
the cunn ing a nd w ickedne ss Of the woman tha t she had
e ffe cte d th is , name ly , tha t she made out the b ird a l ia r .
The owne r Of the b ird b rought it out and k i l le d it,a nd
w a s reconc i le d to h i s w ife . Now ,my s ove re ign lord ! unde r
stand tha t the re ex is ts not a man who can ove rcome w ickedNwome n . And the k ing gave the orde r , that h i s son shou ld
not be put to dea th .
W IFE . I I I .
— The rep ly Of the w icke d woman on the
se cond day , when , am id tea rs , she a ddre s se d the k ing“ A man who de se rve s dea th must on ly b e put to dea th ,whe the r it be one ’s son or one ’ s brothe r’ s son . For if thoudost not k i l l him ,
no man w i l l have confidence in thyj u st ice . For the re w a s once a fu l le r who w a s wa sh ing ina stream ; h is son w a s w ith him ; he began to p lay in the
wa te r , and h is fa the r d id not re s tra in h im . The streamca rr ied him away a nd he got drowne d , and the fa the r w a s
drowne d w ith h im . I t w i l l happen to the e in the same
w ay , if thou dos t not qu ick ly k i l l thy son ,before he waxe s
strong and de stroys the e . H ereupon the k ing orde redh i s son to be put to dea th .
2ND PH ILOSOPHER . IV .— Then the se cond w ise man
e nte re d and ma de Obe i sance to the k ing , and sa id : Longl ive my s ove re ign l ord ! Know
,tha t if thou hads t a hundred
son s,it wou ld not b e r ight Of the e to s lay one Of them
,le t
a lone tha t thou ha st but one,and him thou orde re s t to be
put to dea th . I t behove s the e to inve st iga te the ma tte rbe fore thou k i l le st thy son . Bewa re , my s overe ign lord ! le stthou k i l l him
,and a fte rwa rds i t repent the e , and thou
ca l l t o m in d tha t thou ha st a cte d w icked ly , it happen ingto the e a s it be fe l l a ma n
, who , whene ve r he u se d to se e
anyth ing nau se ou s , wa s won t ne ithe r to ea t nor dr ink .
Now once upon a t ime he wen t on bus in e ss,a nd s taye d
in a ce rta in town , and sent h i s lad to ma rke t to buy b rea dfor themse lve s , a nd the lad went and found two loave s
th e Seven Wise Ma sters . 07
of wh ite bread a t a g irl’ s sta l l . He was h igh ly de l ighte d
w ith them , purcha sed them,and b rought the bread to h i s
ma ste r ; he a t e Of i t , and the ta ste Of it p lea se d the mercha nt ,and he sa id to the lad : Fe tch u s eve ry day Of tha t same
And da i ly the lad u se d to buy of the same g ir la nd br ing i t to his
‘
mast er . Now on ce it happ ened , a s hewe nt , tha t he found n oth ing a t the g ir l
’
s , and he re turn e dto h i s ma ste r a nd to ld h im The g ir l ha s n oth ing that w e
can buy of her .
’And his ma ster sa id : Ca l l the g irl , tha t
w e may learn from he r how she use d to make the bread,
so tha t w e may make s ome a s she w a s won t , and not buy
Of the marke t .
’The lad we nt a nd ca l led the g irl , a nd
brought he r to h is ma ste r,who e nqu ire d of he r thu s
‘Te l l me how you u se d to make the brea d wh ich the ladbought of you ; w e wou ld make it in l ike manne r
,for I
en j oye d the ta ste of it immen se ly .
’
The g ir l a n swere d theme rchan t : My ma ster had a bad ab sce s s come out on his
ba ck , and the doctor p re scr ibed for him thus :“ Take a
pa ste Of fine mea l . and knea d it w i th honey and fa t , p la ceit on the bo i l , a nd you w i l l b e cure d .
” W e d id SO : and a s
soon a s the pa ste w a s heavy w ith the (d ischa rge Of the )bo i l w e threw it away . Th is I use d to p ick up and bake ,
and a s I went out to marke t , your boy u sed to come and
buy it of me . But when my ma s te r had re cove re d fromthat absce s s , w e made no more Of the l ike .
’ W hen the
me rcha n t hea rd i t , he w ishe d dea th to h imse lf,a nd sa id
LO,my hands and mouth I may wa sh , but my s tomach
,how
can I wa sh ! ’
Now,my s ove re ign ma ste r ! I tremb le le s t it may b e
fa l the e a s i t b efe l l him , le s t thou se ek thy son a nd sha ltnot find him . But l i sten furthe r to the w i le s Of w icke dwomen
2ND PH ILOSOPHER . V .-“ The re w a s once a woman
.
whochose a pa ramour from among the k ing
’ s body-gua rd, fromthose who us e d to bea r a rms be fore him . One day , he se n th i s page to tha t woman to se e whe the r he r hu sband was
1 08 The His tory of S indba n a nd
there or not ; but , a s soon a s the woman e sp ie d the me s senge r ,She la id ho ld Of h im , in orde r tha t he m ight comm it a s in
w ith he r . Be ing thu s engaged , he w a s de layed (in re turn
ing ) to h is ma ste r,who we nt a fte r him . Now when the
woman recogn ise d tha t her pa ramour had, a ccord ing t ocustom
,come to he r to stay w ith he r , she ba de the page go
to the inne r room,wh i le his ma ste r ente re d to have conn e c
t ion w ith her . But dur ing the t ime the se two we re occu
p ie d , he r hu sba nd a rrive d : she w a s a fra id Of he r pa ramourente r ing the inne r room
,le s t he wou ld see h i s page the re ,
so she cr ie d to he r pa ramour ‘Draw your sw ord , a nd go out
a t the door , curs ing me and saying e ve ryth ing that’s bad
of me, but don
’t speak to my husband.
’ He r pa ramourd id a s She had sa id : he drew h i s sword
,and le ft , curs ing and
swea r ing a t the woma n . At once he r hu sband e nte re d , anda sked he r wha t w a s the ma tte r w ith tha t fe l low w ho had h i ssword drawn and w a s curs ing he r . And the w ife rep l ie d tohim The servan t of the k ing came tremb l ing w ith fr ight ,a nd en te re d my abode
,a nd took re fuge w ith me ; a nd so I
stood up aga in s t th is ma n, and p re vente d h im from e nte r ing
the house ; a nd thus he le ft , curs ing me .
’
And the husbandenqu ire d :
‘W he re i s the se rvan t ? ’ She answe re d :‘LO
,
in the inner room .
’On the hu sband g o ing out to se e
whe ther the ma ste r Of the se rvan t had g one , a nd on his not
s e e ing h im ,he re turned a nd ca l le d the s ervant from w ith in ,
a nd to ld him to go in pea ce , s ince h is ma ste r had depa rte d .
And he a ddre s sed h i s w ife thu s : I am of Op in ion tha t youa cted k indly to tha t se rvan t .
’
And now ,my sove re ign lord !
be awa re tha t tha t wh ich I have to ld the e is for th is purpo se
,tha t thou shou ldst not g ive e a r t o w icked wome n
,for
they a re ba se to exce s s .
”And the k ing gave orde rs tha t
his son b e not k i l led .
W IFE . VI.—The re p ly Of the woma n on the th ird
day z— When the woman hea rd the se th ing s , she spake to
the k ing on the th ird day thu s :“ The se thy ph i losophe rs
a re w icked men ,a nd they w i l l be inj uriou s to the e .
” T he
I I O The His tory of S indba n a nd
l iver you from h is ha nds .’ He an swe rs : ‘Thou ha st Spoken
we l l . ’ He then ra ise d his eye s towa rds heave n ,a nd sa id :
‘O Lord, g ive me strengt h aga inst th is demon , and de l ive rme from her w icke dne s s .
’AS s oon a s she heard the se
words , she flung he rse lf upon the ground and wa l lowe d inthe dust . She wa nte d to r ise , but she w a s unab le . The
young man spurre d h i s horse,and w a s re scued from the
demon .
As for thee , my sove re ign lord ! confide not in w icke dph i losophers , for they do not seek thy g ood . And now
,if
thou exa ct not the pena lty from thy son ,I sha l l s lay my
se lf w ith mine own hands .
And the k ing gave orde rs for h i s son to be put to dea th .
3RD PH ILOSOPHER . VII.— Now the th ird ph i losopher
a rose and prostra ted h imse lf before the k ing , and sa id :
“ O my sovere ign lord , l ive for ever ! Know tha t humanb e ing s are apt to magn ify a n inc ident or ig ina l ly of l itt lemomen t . I t once happene d
,for examp le , that the in
hab itants of two la rge town s ann ih i la te d one anothe r on
a ccount Of a drop of honey .
”The k ing exc la ims : H ow
i s th i s po s s ib le ? ” The ph i losophe r rep l ie s a s fo l lows“ The re wa s once a huntsman who found a beeh ive on the
moun ta in ; he took it and wen t to se l l it . Now he had a
dog w i th him . The man came to the shopke eper, and
show e d him the honey ; but the shopke epe r had a we a s e l,
a nd a s the wea se l saw a be e com ing out Of the honey , shewe nt to ca tch it . The dog saw the wea se l , pounced uponi t
, and s trang le d it . The shopke eper took a st ick , thra shedthe dog ,
and killed‘it . Now the owne r Of the dog rose a nd
thra shed the shopke epe r , and the re e n sued a g rea t row ;
the. two town s a s semb led for wa r , and de stroye d on e anothe r ,so tha t not a man w as le ft Of them .
And now ,my s ove re ign lord , do not s lay thy son for the
sake of a trifl ing matte r .
3RD PH ILOSOPHER . VI I I .— “ Furthe rmore , hea rk en thou ,
my lord . There w a s once a man who sen t h i s w ife to
th e Seven Wis e Ma s ter s . 1 1 1
ma rke t to buy a z u z -worth Of r ice ; his w ife wen t to themarke t to buy the r ice , a nd ga ve the shopman the z uz .
On h er tak ing the r ice,the shopman says to he r : ‘R ice
isn ’t e a te n w ithout suga r ; poss ib ly you have some ?’ She
an swe rs : ‘NO, I ha ve n one .
’The shopke epe r say s to he r
‘If you w i l l come w ith me into the shop ,I w i l l g ive you
some sugar .
’
She rep l ie s : ‘G ive it me , a nd I w i l l e nte r
(the Shop ) in your company , for I am we l l awa re of the
cra ft ine ss Of men .
’
S O he we ighe d and gave it to he r . and
She bound the r ice a nd the s ugar tog e the r in he r wrap , and
gave it in charge Of the Shopboy , a nd the n en tere d the shopin company w ith the shopke eper . The boy rose there and
then ,unt ie d the (bund le of) r ice a nd suga r , and t ie d up dust
in p la ce of them . The woman came out,and not not ic ing
anyth ing tha t the boy had done , fr ightened a nd tremb l ing ,she took h er wrap and we nt home . She gave he r bund le of
a wrap (l it . he r wrap t ie d toge the r) in Charge Of he r husband ,wh i le She wen t to fe tch the saucepan . He r hu sband loose ne dthe kn ot Of he r C loak and saw the dust , and addre s se d he rthus : ‘W ife , is it dust or r ice tha t you have brought u S ?
’
In an in stan t the woman saw it , let go the saucepan a nd
brought a s ie ve , saying to her husban d Lis ten ! a s I w a swa lk ing in th e ma rke t , a ca lf k icke d me from beh ind , a nd
the m oney d roppe d from m e . I looke d for it , but found it not ;so I brought the du s t in to wh ich it had fa l len . Take a nd s iftit , pe rhaps the mone y may be found .
’ He r hu sba nd cre d ite dhe r s tory and began to S ift , the sand g o ing up into h is bea rd ,wh i le she w a s laugh ing at him in he r hea rt .
And now ,my sove re ign ,
re a l ise the ba se ne s s of women,
tha t it i s not t o be ove rcome .
”
SO the k ing gave orde rs tha t his son shou ld not be k i l le d .
W IFE . IX .— Rep ly of the w icke d woman —On the
fourth day , the w icked woman came and sa id to the
k ing :“ If you do not g ive me sa t isfa ct ion for your son ,
I sha l l k i l l myse lf w ith a kn ife , but I have fa ith in Godtha t he w i l l g ive me victory ove r your w i se men ,
as he
I 1 2 The His tory of Sindba n a nd
gave (v ictory) to the son of a ce rta in k ing ove r a ce rta inph i losophe r . Whe reupon the k ing says to he r : How w a s
th is ?” She rep l ie s : “ The re w as a k ing who had a son ,
whom he engage d to the daughte r Of a k ing ; the la tte rk ing s en t a fte r the son Of the forme r k ing , saying :
‘S e ndme my son-in-law ,
tha t I may make a ba nque t in his hon our,a nd w hen he p lea se s , w e sha l l g ive him his wife and he may
depart .
’
The k ing accord ing ly bade his son go , b idd inga l so h i s tutor to accompany him . Now , wh i le the p r in ceand his tutor we re trave l l ing , they we re in que s t Of wa te r ,a nd found but one spr ing (wh ich had th is property) , tha tthe man who drank Of it be came a woma n . Now the tut orknew the se cre t Of the Spr ing ,
w ithout re vea l ing it to thepr ince , a nd sa id to the p rince :
‘Wa it for me a t th i s spr ing ,
w h i le I l ook whe the r the re is a pa th he re or no .
’ He le ftthe youth by the spring , and re turned to the k ing and sa idto him :
‘Thy son ha s be e n devoure d by a l ion .
’
The
youth w as wa it ing for the tut or, and h is th irs t hav ing
grown up on h im,he drank Of tha t spr ing a nd b e came a
woman . AS h e w a s stand ing and not know ing wha t to do ,
a man came by and sa id to him :‘Whence a rt thou , and
who b rought the e h ithe r ?’
TO whom he rep l ie d :‘I am
a k ing’s son , and w a s about to go to such-and-such a
k ing , who w a s abou t t o make a banque t in my honou r . Ip roce e de d w ith my compan ion s , but I have got los t fromthem ,
a nd came h ithe r and drank of th i s wa te r , a nd now
have I be come a woman .
’And the man had compa ss ion
upon h im ,a nd a ddre sse d him , saying I w i l l be a woman
in your stea d for four mon ths , unt i l you sha l l have takenpa rt in the banquet ; neve rthe le s s , swe a r to me by God
,tha t
a t the exp ira t ion Of the four mon ths you w i l l re turn t o me .
’
And the pr ince swore to tha t ma n‘I w i l l re turn to the e
Tha t ma n be came a woman in h is p la ce , a nd po inted out tothe k ing
’ s son the roa d by wh ich h e Shou ld go ,in orde r to
ce lebra te the ma rr iage-banque t . Now,
a fte r the fourmonths , he (the p r ince ) remembe red the oa th wh ich he d id
1 14 The His tory of S indba n a nd
woma n enqu ire s of the Old lady : ‘Wha t a i ls the e , tha t thouwe epe st , a s doe s a lso thy dog ?
’The old woman a n swe rs
Th is b itch wa s once upon a t ime my ne ighbour : She w a s
ve ry beaut ifu l , so a young man fe l l in love w ith her , butShe d idn ’ t wa nt him . On a ccoun t Of h i s love towa rds he rhe cr ied unto God conce rn ing he r, and she be came a b itch
,
a s you se e ; a nd a s She Observed tha t I w a s com ing to youshe came w ith me , and I am we ep ing out Of p ity for he r .
AS the young woman hea rd the se words from the Old dame ,
She sa id to he r : ‘Afte r me a l so a ce rta in young fe l low w a s
runn ing , a nd he w a s importun ing me exce s s ive ly , but Id idn ’ t ca re for him ; now tha t I s e e your dog , I am ve rymuch a fra id Of tha t c ircumsta nce , on accoun t of w h ich (a s
you say) the g ir l w a s turne d into a b itch,fea ring les t he
might pe t it ion God aga in st me , a nd I be come a b itch .
But r ise,a nd go t o the man , and b r ing him to me
,and wha t
e ve r you demand I w i l l g ive you .
’The O ld hag rep l ie s
You r ise,deck yourse lf, and e nj oy yourse lf t i ll I come
ba ck .
’S O the young woman a rose a nd a dorne d he rse lf, and
spre ad he r couch . She prepa re d a mea l too ; and the Old
woman we n t out a fte r tha t man ,but found him not . But she
rea sone d w ith in he rse lf thu s : Th is young woman prom ise dto g ive me a p re se n t ; I
’ l l look for an othe r man , a nd br inghim to he r . So the O ld woman wen t and wa lke d about ,( look ing ) after anothe r young man . Now a s she w a s go ingabout , she l ighte d upon the husba nd Of tha t (young ) woman
return ing from a j ourney : and hav ing se en him,She ad
dre s se d him :‘Come in p ea ce ! come and stay in a nea t
house,con ta in ing e ve ryth ing tha t you may de s ire .
’The
ma n answe rs the O ld dame :‘Go on in fron t ! ’ SO she w e nt
on ,he fo l low ing he r, unt i l she a rr ive d a t h is own dwe l l ing .
W hen the man saw tha t she had b rought him to his ow n
hou se , he w a s much d istre s sed , a nd sa id in h i s he a rt : ‘Th isha s be en my w ife ’s occupa t ion from the t ime I le ft he r .
S uch a re he r p ra ct ice s ! ’ And the O ld woma n brought himin , a nd bade him sea t h imse lf up on h i s ow n couch . Now ,
the Seven Wise Ma s ter s . 1 1 5
a s the w ife p erce ive d tha t it w a s he r husband who w as there ,she re s orte d to a s tra tagem : she rose in an exc ite d mann e r ,
caught ho ld Of h i s bea rd , and began bea t ing him in h i s face ,wh i le she took to crying and ca l l ing out :
‘Oh, you fraud !
you ’
re‘a g en t leman ! The se a re the oa ths and prom ise s
wh ich you gave me tha t w e Shou ld not be trea che rou s t oeach othe r and you ve be en wa lk ing a fte r th i s O ld woman‘The husba nd says to he r : ‘W ha t’s the ma tte r w ith you ?
’
She a n swe rs him :‘I heard to-day tha t you we re re turn
ing from the j ourn ey , and I wa n ted to se e whethe r youwou ld ke ep the contract wh ich w e had ma de w ith ea ch otheror no . I
,a ccord ing ly , prepare d myse lf, and se n t th is old
w oman to go forth to me e t you , and t o lea rn your intent ions ,whe the r you m ight be led a stray (to go) a fte r a du lte ry , andI have found you transgre s s ing aga in st the vows wh ich youp l ighte d to me . And now I have no long e r any love forthe e .
’ He r husban d re j o in s : ‘I w a s a l s o con temp la t ingaga ins t you , tha t th i s ha s be en you r game from the t ime
tha t I ha ve b e en away from you , tha t you had ma de such
(p repa ra t ion s) for some on e e l se .
’
AS her husband spakethe se words , She ca l le d h im a l ia r , a nd wou ld not be l ie vehim
,but proce e ded to bea t he rse lf about the fa ce and to
tear he r ga rmen ts,Shout ing a t him :
‘O the imposturew h ich ha s b e en p ract ise d on me And She w a s in a t em
pe r w ith him for a long t ime, and d id
’
n t make it up unt i l hehad made her p re sen ts of g i l t orname nt s and a numbe r of
dre s se s of e very de script ion ,a fte r wh ich She be came recon
c i le d .
“ And now,my sove re ign lord , unde rstand tha t no man
is ab le to surmoun t the w icke dne s s of women .
As the k ing hea rd the se th ing s , he gave orde rs tha t h i sson shou ld not be k i l led .
W IFE . XI . — The woma n’s rejoinde r z— Now a s the woman
heard t ha t the k ing had g iven orde rs tha t his s on shou ldnot be put to dea th , she wen t and s tood in h i s p re sence ,and sa id to h im “ Beho ld the dea d ly po ison w h ich I have
1 2
I 1 6 The History of S indba n a nd
I swear by the l iv ing God, tha t , if thou dost not do me
j ust ice aga in st thy son , I w i l l drink it and die : and thouw i lt have to a nswe r for my se lf-de struct ion , wh i le thyph i lo sophe rs— those who have g ive n the e bad coun se lsw i l l a va i l the e nought . I t w i l l , more ove r , occur to the e a s
it d id to a sow , who w a s in the hab it of go ing to a ce rta infig
-tre e , in orde r to ea t Of the fru it wh ich u se d to drop off.
Now one day She came to the tre e , a ccord ing a s she wa s
wont , and found tha t an ape had a scended the tre e and w as
e a t ing of the figs , and a s i t behe ld the sow benea th,it threw
her a fig , and the sow a te it, and e nj oye d it much morethan tho se wh ich use d to drop upon the ground . The Sow ,
more ove r,w a s ga z ing up a t the ape tha t he shou ld go on
throw ing , and SO long d id She hang he r hea d back in fron tOf the ape , tha t the ve in Of he r ne ck w ithe re d a nd she
pe rished .
Now when the k ing he a rd from the woman the se words,
he w a s a fra id le st she m ight drink of the p o ison and die ;
so he orde re d his son to be put to dea th .
STH PH ILOSOPHER . XI I .— As th e fifth wise man hea rd tha t
the k ing had orde re d h is son to be put to dea th , he en te redand bowe d in the pre sen ce of the k ing and exc la ime d :
Long l ive my sove re ign lord ! I t is a confirme d trutha s fa r a s thou a rt conce rne d , tha t thou a rt a w ise and
inte l l igent person . Now , whe re fore , dost thou act ra shlybe fore a rr iv ing a t the truth ? But
, l is ten , my lord and
ma ster ! The re w a s once a man in the se rv ice Of the k ingwho posse ssed a dog wh ich he had rea re d from a l itt lepuppy
, and wha teve r he used to te l l h im he obeyed,j us t
l ike a huma n be ing . Now he was exce e d ing ly fond Of tha tdog . I t happene d one day tha t the man
’s w ife le ft home
t o go to he r pa rents , and le ft he r son in cha rge Of his
fa the r , saying to him : Look a fte r your son t i l l I re turn .
’
Wh i le the man w a s s itt ing (by the ch i ld) , the k ing’ s mes
s e nge r a rr ive d and knocked a t the door, and the man we nt
out to se e who it was . The me sseng e r announced tha t the
1 1 8 The His tory of S i ndban a nd
dame‘You go to he r
-
and te l l he r to do my b idd ing , and
I ’ l l g ive you a ll you w ish .
’ Now a s the woman heard the sewords from tha t man , she an swe rs : ‘I ’ l l do w hat you wa nt ,on ly you go to he r hu sba n d to the ma rke t and buy of
him some sort of ga rme nt ,’and she gave him a S ign . He
wen t to the ma rke t , saw the man who had the S ign wh ichthe O ld dame had g iven h im ; and he knew that he w a s the
husban d of tha t la dy . So he approache d him,and sa id to
him :‘Ho l loa , my ma n
,se l l me a c loak ! ’ He , the reupon ,
S o ldi t h im, and he took the c loak , and brought it to the O ldwoman . She then took the c loak a nd burn t it in thre e p la ce s ,te l l ing the man to stay in he r hou se , so tha t no one shou ld s e ehim . Then she took the c l oak , and w en t to tha t lady , and
pa sse d a wh i le w ith he r ; in the course Of s i l ly conve rsa t ion
(l it . storie s) on one top ic or anothe r,she depos ited the c loak
benea th the p i l low Of the woman’s husband , w ithout the
woman Obse rv ing it , and , ha v ing stayed a l itt le longe r , we nthome . Now when the me rchan t re turn ed a t mea l-t ime , and
re c l ine d a ccord ing to hab it upon h i s c ouch,he found the
p i l low somewha t h igh , and w a s about to smooth it down ,whe n
he d i scove red unde r his p i l low the c loak wh ich he had so ld .
He , howe ve r , d id not inform h i s w ife on the subj e ct of thec loak ; but he there and then s e t abou t dea l ing he r manyb lows , b ea t ing he r a lmo st to dea th . S O the woman left ina tempe r a nd w e n t to he r pa ren ts , w ithout kn ow ing wha t w a s
the ma tte r . Now w hen the O ld hag got to hea r tha t herhusband had b e en be a t ing he r about , she wen t to he r , saying‘I’Ve he a rd tha t your hu sband ha s be en bea t ing you ,
and
tha t w icke d pe op le ha ve b e en exe rc i s ing a spe l l ove r you .
Now ,if you a re w i l l ing , you may come to my house ; for I
have a t home a ce rta in pe rson who ha s j us t a rr ive d , a doctor ,a nd he w i l l trea t you w ith ca re .
’And a s the la dy hea rd th is
from the O ld woman ,she p lace d fa ith in he r , a nd w a s much
re j o ice d,a nd sa id to the O ld dame :
‘I ’ l l come w ith you , and
if I ge t re store d to hea lth , I’l l make you a g rand pre sen t .
’
The reupon the Old woman took her, and brought her t o
the Seven WiseMa s ters . 1 1 9
he r house and sa id to the man :‘Th is i s the lady ! ’ whe re
upon the ma n j umpe d up , caught ho ld of he r , and rav ishe dhe r . When morn ing came
,the man a ddre s se d the O ld
woman as fo l lows : I ow e you an acknow ledgmen t : ne ve rt he le ss I am hea rt i ly sorry and d isp lea sed tha t you shou ldhave ma de m isch ief be tween man and w ife The Old dame
rep l ie s to the man : Don ’t be sorry,for I ’ l l manage a tr ick
to make the ma tter smooth (l it . love ) b e twe e n them : on ly
you go to he r hu sband and stay w ith him ; and a s soon a s
he que st ions you concern ing the c loak, you an swe r tha t
you we re cove ring yourse lf w ith it by the fire , and wh i le
you we re sea te d , the fire rea che d the C loak and burn t it inthre e p la ce s : you were ve ry sorry about it
,and gave it to
an O ld dame , t o take it to some one to mend . And the O lddame took it , and you
’ve se en n oth ing furthe r of it
,a nd
don ’ t know wha t ha s b ecome of it . The man w i l l te l l youto fe tch the O ld dame to whom you gave the c loak , a nd
I ’ l l g ive the rep ly .
’S O the man wen t a nd d id a s she to ld
h im,a nd took a sea t in the shop b e long ing to the lady
’
s
hu sba nd ; the O ld woman to whom he had g iven the c loakcame by
,he ca l le d her , a nd a sked he r abou t the ga rmen t .
But she cra ft i ly an swe re d the me rchan t : For God ’s sakeI beg of you de l ive r me from th i s fe l low , be cause he gaveme a c loak to take to the ta i lor , to have it patched a nd
mended . I made a ca l l a t your w ife ’ s , hav ing the ga rmen tw ith me ; and I don ’ t know whe the r it rema ine d in yourhou se , or in anothe r p lace .
’Now when the me rchan t hea rd
th i s from the Old woman ,he sa id : God kn ows tha t b oth
I and my w ife have had g rea t annoyance on a ccoun t of th isc loak .
’ And he gave it to the man and to the old woma n ;a nd the me rcha nt wen t and be came reconc i le d to his w ife
,
and gave he r pre sen t s ; but it w as w ith d ifficu lty tha t shesuffe re d he rse lf to be re con c i le d to h im . And now
,my
sove re ign lord , rea l ise tha t the re is no end to the ba sene s sof women .
”
And when the k ing heard it , he gave orders that his son
Should not be k i l led .
1 20 The History of S indba n a nd
W IFE . XIV .
— Rep ly Of the w icked woman — When the
woman hea rd tha t the k ing had orde re d tha t his son b e
not k i l le d,she e nte red the pre sence Of the k ing , and
a ddres sed him : I have fa ith in God , tha t he w i l l grant me
V ictory ove r th ose ph i losophers of th ine who g ive the e ba secounse ls , j ust a s be grante d v ictory to a ce rta in man over al ion a nd ove r an ape .
”The k ing answe rs : How so ? ”
She rep l ie s : “ There w a s a cara van of me rchants j ourneying on the way , and they had a grea t quant ity of ca tt le . Asn ight approached , they ente red and ta rried in a la rge ya rd ;but they d id not c lose the ga te . S O a l ion came and e nte re damong the ca tt le , w ithou t anyone Obse rv ing it . Now a th ie fcame in orde r to stea l , but it w a s n ight-t ime a nd dark . The
th ie f fe l t the ca tt le , to s ee wh ich bea st w a s the fa tte st tos tea l , it be ing da rk ; a nd wh i le
,hav ing e nte red , he w a s
fe e l ing about , h i s ha nd came in contact w ith the l ion ,a nd ,
hav ing pe rce ive d tha t it w a s fa t,he caught ho ld of it
dragge d it out , and mounte d it , wh i le , through fr ight , thel ion leaped forth a nd came out , for the l ion thought w ith inh imse lf ‘The one of whom I have hea rd tha t pe op le ca l lh im the n ight-watchman i s sure ly he who ha s moun tedme .
’And the l ion w a s a fra id Of him, and ra n a ll n ight
l ong , w ith the man on h i s back . W hen it w a s morn ing ,the
l ion e nte re d a th icke t ; and the th ie f, re cogn is ing tha t it w a s
a l ion ,In his fea r
, stre tche d forth h is hand to one of the
branche s of the tre e , a nd c l imbed up the tre e . The l ione scap ed from benea th him and scampe red Off
,when a n ape
me t him ,and a ske d him why he w a s tremb l ing , to w hom
the l ion rep l ie s : ‘Th is n ight there caught ho ld Of me
the one whom me n style the Wa tchman Of the N ight : hemounte d me
,and I ran w ith him on me a ll n ight long ,
t i l lw ith d ifficu lt y I have be en re lea se d from him .
’
The ape
sa id to him :‘And w here is he ? ’ He behe ld the man ,
wh i le the l ion w a s stand ing a t a d ista nce a fra id, a nd w a s
look ing on , to lea rn wha t the ape wou ld do . Now the ma n ,
out Of fe a r both for the l ion and for the ape , e sp ie d a
1 22 TheHistory of S indba n a nd
came , the re wa s the moi sture of ra in ,the se eds swe l led , and
the ho le became fu l l ; and a s the dove saw it,he wa s g rea t ly
d i stre s sed , a nd became awa re tha t he had comm itte d a gre a twrong . And now ,
my s ove re ign lord , unde rs ta nd tha t if
you k i l l your son w ithout go ing to the root of the matte r , itw i l l happen to you a s it happe ne d to tha t dove .
OTH PH ILOSOPHER . XVI. And l isten furthe r, my lordand ma ste r ! The re w a s once on a t ime a hu sbandman , and
when it w a s ha rve s t , he wen t out t o reap wha t he had sown ;a t mea l-t ime h is w ife wa s bring ing h im to the fie ld a roa stedch icke n and a ba rley-cake . She had p lace d them in a ba ske t ,and w a s s ta rt ing for the fie ld . But
,a s she w a s go ing on the
w ay , She pa sse d a ru in ; and there came out of the ru in a
robbe r , who caught ho ld of he r , and took he r in to the ru in ; hede voure d a ll she had w ith he r , leaving on ly a l itt le of the
cake,an d form ing it into the shape Of a n e lephan t ; he
p lace d the same in the ba ske t a s it w a s, and trea te d he r
w ith Shame . The woman took up the ba ske t in ha ste,
cove red a s it w a s , for she knew not tha t i ts c ontents hadb e en e a ten by the robber , and brought it and p lace d it a t
the S ide of her hu sband . The husband opene d it , and saw
tha t the re wa s noth ing in it but a b it Of cake in the shape of
an e lephan t . The man a ske d h i s w ife wha t wa s the mean ingof it . As s oon a s the w ife saw th is , She unde rstood tha t th i shad b ee n don e by the robbe r . SO she h it upon a p lan and
sa id to he r husban d : ‘Th is n ight I saw in my dreams,wh i le I w a s a s le ep , tha t I w a s mounte d on an e lephant , andI fe l l Off, a nd w a s tramp le d unde r foot . Now when I awokeI w a s in a grea t fr ight , SO I be took myse lf to a n inte rpre te rof dreams , and repea te d to him (my dream) . He ga veme the inte rpre ta t ion of the dream ,
a nd ba de me makea cake in the shap e of an e lepha n t , br ing it to my hu sband ,and my dream wou ld b e so lve d . S e e to e a t it , so tha t no
ha rm be ta l me .
’The husba nd a te the cake , be l iev ing tha t
his w ife had been te l l ing the truth .
”AS s oon a s the k ing
saw it , he gave orders tha t h i s son should not be put to dea th .
the Seven I/Vise Ma s ters . 1 23
Rep ly of the w icke d woman z— H e reupon the womanwa s b itte rly wroth
, and sa id w ith in he rse lf : “ If the lad
be not k i l led th is day ,to-morrow he w i l l speak and do me
ha rm , a nd I sha l l be hande d ove r to de struct ion And if Ido not de stroy myse lf
,I have no defence to u rge . There
upon she co l lecte d e ve ryth ing tha t She pos se s se d , a nd presente d it to he r re la t ion s , b idd ing them ga the r for he r hugelogs . The se She k ind led w ith fire
,inte nd ing to throw he r
se lf into the fire before the se ve nth day had run out , fear ing ,
a s She d id , le s t the youth m ight te l l , and be cau se of tha twh ich she had p ropose d to h im . And the k ing hea rd th i sn ews and w a s a fra id . Whe reupon he sa id to he r : “Wherefore wou ld you throw yourse lf in t o the fire ?
”She rep l ie s
“ Be cause thou ha st not done m e jus t ice aga in s t thy s on .
”
So he prom ise d he r tha t h e wou ld no longe r suffe r h i s son tol ive . Upon th is (a s suran ce ) she re stra ine d he rse lf fromthe fire . And the k ing commanded tha t h is son b e pu t t odea th w ithout de lay . But when the ph i lo sophe rs hea rdtha t the k ing had orde re d h is s on to be pu t to dea th , theywe re ve ry much d is tre s se d ; a nd the s eve n of them rose
,and
went to the execut ion e r a nd pe rsua de d him , te l l ing him to
wa it a l itt le , and not to k i l l the you th . And he w a s ta lke dove r by mean s of g ift s w ith wh ich they p re se n ted him ; and
s o he d id not k i l l him .
7TH PH ILOSOPHER . XV I I .
— The n the seven th w ise ma n
en te re d the k ing’ s pre se nce , made Obe i sa nce to him
,a nd
spake a s fo l lows : “ Long l ive my ma ste r and s ove re ign !
Re a l ise tha t , in orde r ing your son to be k i l le d upon the reportOf the w icke d woma n , you a re abou t to comm it a n ex treme lyw icke d a ct ion and do you not kn ow tha t , in con seque nce of
vows and p e t it ion s , God gave you th is son ? But l isten,my
sovere ign lord ! There w a s on ce a man who pos se s sed thesp ir it Of d iv inat ion ,
wh ich u se d to cau se g rea t p rofits to a ccrueto him , and u se d to instruct him in the en t ire a r t of hea l ing ,(in fact ) it u se d to a cqua in t him w ith e ve ryth ing conce rn ingwh ich pe op le a ske d him. By
‘means Of it he ama ssed great
1 24 The His tory of S indba n a nd
wea lth . Now it happene d one day tha t the Sp irit a ddre sse dthe ma n a s fo l lows : ‘I am about to depa rt
, and you w i l ln e ve r aga in beho ld me ; neverthe le s s , I Sha l l teach you thre eth ing s , a nd then I
’
m off.
’S O the man went about ve ry
mise rab le a t the depa rture Of the sp irit . On h i s w ife beho ld ~
ing him ,she a ske d him :
‘Wherefore is thy coun tenancesad
,and thy co lour changed ?
’ He an swers her : ‘Becau sethe sp ir it wh ich I p osse s se d , wh ich w a s won t to in struct me
in a ll th ing s , a nd out of wh ich I use d to make p rofit , hasnow g one from me , neve r to re turn .
’And a s the man
to ld his w ife the se th ing s , she a l so w a s troub led ; and se e inghe r troub led , h e sa id to he r : But he taught me th i s AskOf God thre e th ings , and he w i l l g ive them the e .
’And she
a n swe re d h im :‘Th i s i s suffic ient for thee , don ’t grieve !
’
The hu sba nd says to he r : Now wha t do you advise me toa sk Of God ? ’ The w ife , ow ing to he r be ing intempera te inhe r de s ire , an swe red him thu s : You a re awa re tha t the reis n oth ing wh ich is a s p lea s ing to a ma n a s inte rcourse w ithwomen . Now
,pe tit ion God tha t he in crea se unto you your
de s ire .
’And h e rep l ie d : Thou ha st spoken we l l . ’ And
he be sought God to g ive him increa sed de s ire , (he had bu tone be fore ) ; and he furthe rmore be sought ince s sa nt ly , so
tha t he had qu ite a numbe r,and they hara ssed him . When
he saw wha t had b efa l len him , h i s w ife became an Obj e ct ofsport in his ow n eye s , he in su lted his w ife w ith reproache s ,a nd gave he r b lows , and sa id to he r Are you not a shame dOf yourse lf on my account , tha t such we re your coun se ls ?
’
To wh ich she rep l ied to him ‘D on ’ t g rie ve ! there rema into you two th ing s : Pe t it ion God tha t the se may depa rtfrom you !
’ Thereupon he p raye d to God , and a ll Of themdepa rte d from h im
,inc lud ing the one wh ich he had pre
viou sly . Now the man be came te rrib ly exc ite d and wan tedto k i l l h i s w ife and she a sked him Why a re you exc ite d ?the re rema in s to you ye t on e th ing Be se e ch God to re storeto you the firs t one .
’And now ,
my sove re ign lord , don’t
g ive e a r to the story of a w icked w oman .
1 26 The His tory of S indba n a nd
Not a s you have spoken doe s the ca se s tand,for the fau l t
i s not the boy ’ s . The re i s noth ing more e xce l le nt thantruthfu ln e s s ; and whoeve r th inks w ith in h imse lf tha t he isw ise a nd ye t l ie s , ‘he i s counte d not among the w ise me n ,
bu t among l ia rs .
”
K ING '
S SON . XIX — Then the k ing ba de his son speak .
And the boy l ifte d up h is vo ice a nd a ddre s se d the philoso
phe rs thus :“ My w isdom compa re d w i th your w isdom i s
l ike a fly compa red to a mons t er . Neve rthe le ss , the re w a s
once a man who made a banque t, and gave mi lk a s a beve rage . Now whe n the m i lk w a s a ll g one , the man s en t h isma id to ma rke t to buy s ome m i lk . S O she took the pa i l ,a nd went and bought the m i lk ; and she ca rr ie d the ve s se lon her hea d . But as the woman wa s re turn ing to come
home , a fa lcon happen e d to pa s s ove r he r hea d bea rings e rpent ; and, the w ind hav ing b lown upon tha t se rpe nt , itspew e d it s po ison into the pa i l of m i lk , w ithou t the ma idpe rce iv ing it . She brought it to the ma ste r , he gave his
gue st s to dr ink , and a l l Of them d ied through the m i lk .
”
And the lad spake : Whose fau lt wa s it ?”
The firs t ph i los ophe r began and s a id :“ The fau lt be
long e d to the ma s te r of the house ; be cau se , be fore hav ingg iven his gue sts to dr ink , he ought to have g ive n the m i lkto the woman to ta ste .
”
The se cond began a nd sa id : “ I t i s not SO for the ma s
t e r Of the hou se wa s not the s inne r : it wa s the se rpen t ’sfau lt .The th ird one an swe re d and sa id : ’
Tis not so ; the se r
pen t w a s not a t fau l t , for in its stra its it le t go and spewe dthe po ison .
”
The n S indb an answe re d and sa id : Le t it be understoodby you , tha t eve ryth ing wh ich God ha s cre a te d , and ha s
w ith in i t a l iv ing sou l , ea ts Of tha t w h ich God ha s put intoit s na ture ; a nd s o a l so the fa l con
,the food wh ich God
g ive s it , i t w i l l e a t . And there fore no fau lt a tta che s to th isc reature .
”
the Seven Wis e Ma s ters . 1 27
The k ing a ddre s se s his son thu s : “ I am of Op in ion , tha tthe se ph i lo sophe rs do not know whose w a s the fau lt . But
a s for you ,wha t d o you say ?
”And the k ing
’
s son an swe re da nd sa id : In ve ry truth
,my sove re ign lord , it i s not a t a l l
in the powe r Of any of the ph i losophe rs Of K ing Cyru s tounde rs ta nd the c ircums tan ce wh ich occurre d to thos e w hodrank Of the m i lk . I am of Op in ion tha t it occurred be cau s eit w a s de te rm in e d that th i s shou ld b e the ir fa te .
”Now a s
the k ing hea rd the s e words from h is son,he w a s g re a t ly
re j o ice d , a nd began and sa id to S indba n :“ Ask of me
whateve r you p lea se , I w il l g ive it the e ! bu t if, m ore ove r ,you have (more ) w isdom , tea ch the lad . And S indban
an swe re d the k ing :“ He i s qu ite pe rfe ct a nd pre-em in en t
in w i sdom,above the w ise men in thy dom in ion .
”The
k ing a ddre sse d the ph i losophe rs : IS th i s true , wha t S indban a s se rts ?” They an swe r him :
“ I t i s true .
”The lad
b egan and s a id : “ Let it b e kn own to the e , my sove re ignlord
,tha t men who ha ve not a fin ishe d e duca t ion do not
repay w ith k indn es s the pe rson who ha s don e them a k indne s s . My ma s te r , S indban ,
ha s ins tructed m e in the w ho lerang e of kn owledge , by d in t of g rea t d il igen ce wh ich he ha sapp l ie d to me . S ure ly it shou ld b e repa id him in the ma n
ne r tha t he ha s a cte d towa rds me , S in ce the ph i los ophe rssay tha t I exce l them in w isdom .
K ING ’
S SON . XX .
—“ Listen t o th i s parab le (cont inue d
the k ing’s son ) .
“ The re we re two boy s,one thre e yea rs
old,and the othe r five ; a nd the re w a s a n Old ma n b l in d
and lame,who w a s gre a t in w isdom .
” His fa the r sa id“ How w a s th i s ?” The lad answe re d and sa id : “ Therewa s a man in whom the love for women w a s exce ss ive ;and wha tever woman he hea rd about , tha t she wa s b eaut ifu l
,
he w a s in the hab it of vi s it ing . Now on e day he heard of
a beaut ifu l w oman ,a nd we n t to her ; but th is woma n had a
boy thre e yea rs of ag e , who sa id to h is mothe r :‘Make me
some th ing to ea t !’And a s the woman s aw tha t the man
w a s impat ient , she sa id to him ‘S it down , wh i le I p repare
1 28 The History of S indba n a nd
some th ing for my son: to ea t .
’ Whe reupon he rep l ie d‘Leave your son a lone and a ttend to me , for why sha l l Iwa it ? ’ The woman a nswe rs him :
‘If you knew the se nsetha t th is young fe l low ha s " And the woman rose , a nd
t ook the r ice wh ich she had bo i led a nd se t it be fore he r son .
But he sa id to his mothe r : ‘G ive me more,for I am not
fu l l ! and she ga ve him more , but he did not cea s e crying .
S O that ma n b egan and spake to the boy : ‘You a re ve ryimpudent
, and have no sense ; be cau se , if th is had be enp laced before a coup le of men ,
it wou ld have sa t isfied them .
’
The boy an swe red and sa id to the man‘You a re the on e
wa n t ing in s en se ; for you’ve come out to c la im tha t wh ich
is not yours,a nd you ’
ve se le cted for yourse lf a bus ine s sw h ich God doe s not approve . But
,more ove r, wha t do you
th ink Of (the re su l t of) my want of s en se a nd of my we eping ? On ly tha t it make s my eye s the brighte r , and c lea rsmy n ostr i ls from the ir na sty mucu s
,a nd I ge t re l ie f from
my head-ache ; and,be s ide s
,through my hav ing cried , I
got an add it iona l quant ity of food .
’ Now whe n the man
hea rd tha t he exce l le d him in s en se , he rose,fo lded h i s
a rms , and bowe d dow n t o the boy , saying :‘I w i l l not be
cu lpab le in your pre sence , for I d id not th ink tha t you hadse n se .
’And the ma n rose and wen t home
,w ithout hav ing
comm itte d a ny wrong .
K ING ’
S SON . XXI . And the fo l low ing is the story Ofthe five-yea r-old boy : The re we re thre e compan ion s whowen t to a strange p la ce ; a nd they e nte red a t ow n
,and
staye d a t an Old woman’
s . Now they wanted to go to theba ths , a nd they sa id to the Old woman :
‘Put out for u s
e ve ryth ing tha t’ s re qu is ite for a wa sh in the ba th .
’
She
a ccord ing ly p lace d e ve ryth ing ready for them,but forgot
to put the comb . Now the se men de l ive re d to he r the irmon ey and sa id to he r :
‘Don ’t you g ive th is money toa ny one Of us
,except w e three a re a s semb led toge the r .
’
And the woma n a nswe re d : I ’ l l do SO .
’
And they proceeded to go to the ba ths . Now w hen they not iced
1 30 The His tory of S indba n
Now,my lord , order them to bring the ir compan ion ,
tha t thethre e Of them be a ssemb led , a nd tha t they may rece ive the
m oney . SO the old woman re turne d to the ru le r,a nd
spake to him a s the boy had taught he r . And the j udgea ddre sse d the me n : IS it true (wha t) the Old woma n thus
(says ) They rep ly : ‘Ye s .
’ He says to them : GO and
b ring your compan ion , and take the money .
’
The ru le rthe n knew tha t some on e had in structed he r, and he
a ddre s se d he r : ‘D isc lose to me,O ld la dy , who ins tructe d
you in th is ma tte r ? ’ The Old la dy rep l ie s : ‘A boy fiveyea rs Old taught me .
’S O the ru le r s e nt , a nd had the boy
brought , and a ddre sse d him :‘D id you in struct the old
lady in the se th ing s ?’
TO wh ich he rep l ie d :‘Ye s
,my
l ord The reupon the ru le r took him ,and ma de him ch ie f
over the ph i los ophe rs .
K ING’S SON . XXI I .—
“ Now th i s is the story of the
b l ind man . There wa s once a me rchant , who boughtswe e t-sme l l ing wood ca l le d a loe s-wood . And he moreover heard .
[The MS . breaks Off abrupt ly he re ; a ll the re st i s m i ss ing ]
Minutes of Meeting 1 3 1
TUESDAY, MARCH 16th, 1897 .
The PRES IDENT (Mr . A lfre d Nutt) in the Cha ir .
THE minute s of the la st me e t ing we re rea d and confirmed .
The e le ct ion of the fo l low ing new members w a s a n
nounced, viz . : Mis s A . B . H ende rson ,and Mr . H . S .
Charr ington .
The S e cre tary exh ib ited a“ Poplady Cake , so ld a t
S ta ine s on New Yea r’
s Day , 1 89 7 , sen t by Mr . W . P .
Me rr ick , Of Sheppe rton,a nd a photograph of a War
God from the Boma D istr ict , Cong o Fre e S ta te , now in
the Na t iona l Museum of Ethn ography a t Le ide n , k in d lysent by Dr . Schme ltz , the cura tor , to Mr . E. S . Hart land .
Mr . Pe rcy Mann ing exh ib ited a number Of Obj e cts i l lu st ra t ing some Oxfordsh ire Fe st iva l s , a nd read a Short ex
plana tory pape r . He a lso exh ib ite d a d iv in ing rod for
find ing wa te r, cut and u sed by John Mu l l in s , of Co le rne ,nea r Ch ipp e nham
, W i lts .
The S e cre ta ry read a pape r by Mr . R . E. Denne tt,on
the “ Dea th a nd Bur ia l of the F iote (French a fte rwh ich Miss Mary H . K ings ley read a pap e r on
“ The Fe t ishView Of the Human S ou l .” Mis s K ing s ley a ls o exh ib ite dthe fo l low ing cha rms
, e tc .
,u sed by the Fa n s , viz ( I ) A
Ba ske t for ca tch ing Human S ou l s ; (2 ) A H orn wh ich , ifca rr ied by a man
,renders him invi s ib le to Elephants ; (3 ) A
B ian made Of p ineapp le fibre , wh ich p reven t s a ma n fromlos ing h i s w ay in the fore st ; (4) A S acrificia l Kn ife w ithb la de in the shape Of the b eak of the H ornb i l l , a b ird muchrespecte d by the Fan s ; (5) A F ight ing Kn ife ; (6) A Ba ske tw ith a l id a t e ithe r end
,u se d for d iscove ring who ha s be
w itched a pe rson .
In the d iscu ss ion wh ich fo l lowed Mr . Crooke , Dr . Lowy,
Dr . Ga ste r, Mr . Gomme , Mr . Clodd, and the Pre s iden t tookpa rt ; and a t the conc lus ion Of the me e t ing a hea rty voteof thank s wa s accorde d to Mi ss K ing s ley for he r paper .
K 2
DEATH AND BUR IAL OF THE FIOTE.
l
BY R. E. B ENNETT .
ONE Of my cook’ s many fa the rs hav ing d ied ( th i s t ime
,h is
rea l fa the r ) , he came to me w ith tea rs in h i s eye s to a sk me
for a l itt le rum to take to town ,whe re he sa id h is fam i ly
we re wa it ing for him . S ome days prev iou sly the cook hadto ld me tha t h i s fa the r wa s suffe ring from the s le ep ings ickne ss
,and was n ea ring h is end, so tha t when I heard
the cry of Chiba i-i”
(Chibji) float ing a cros s the va l l eyfrom a l itt le town c lose to tha t in wh ich the cook l ive d ,I gue s se d who the dea d on e wa s
,a nd wa s prepa re d to lose
h is se rv ice s for a ce rta in numbe r Of days .
The death Of the fa ther Of a fami ly i s a lways a ve ry sade ven t , but the de a th Of the fa the r Of a F iote fam i ly se emsto me t o b e pecu l ia r ly pa the t ic . H is l itt le V i l lage a t oncea s sume s a de se rte d appeara nce ; h is w ive s and s iste rs ,str ipped of the ir gay c loths , wande r a imle s s ly a round a nd
about the s i len t corpse , crying and wr ing ing the ir hands ,the ir tea rs cours ing down the ir che eks a long l itt le channe l swa shed in the th ick coa t ing Of oil a nd a she s w ith wh ichthey have be smeare d the ir dusky fa ce s . Nake d ch i ldre n ,
be re ft for the t ime be ing of the ir mothe r’ s ca re , cry
p ite ous ly ; and the me n,w ith a b lue ban d of c loth t ied
t ight ly round the ir hea ds , S it apart and in s i le nce , a lreadywonder ing wha t ev i l pe rson or fet ish ha s cause d them th i sove rwhe lm ing loss .
The term F iote , otherwise written Fjort , as used by Mr. Dennett , means“the tribes tha t once formed the great k ingdom of Congo .
” He has residedfor many years in French Congo , and is st i l l l iving a t Loango . He has pa idcons iderab le a ttention to the na tives of that coast , with whose language and
modes of though t he is int ima te ly acqua inted . Some t ime s ince be forwardedto the Counci l an interest ing and va luab le co l lection of the ir trad itions , wh ichit is hoped to print a t an early date and issue to Members of the Society as anextra volume — ED.
1 34 Dea th a nd Bur ia l of the Fiote .
(2) or tha t SO-and-so ha s bew itched him, (3) or tha t he d ie dbe cau se h i s t ime had come .
The re la t ion s then go to the Nganga Of the fe t i sh or
Nkis si ment ione d , and a sk him if he rememb ers so-and-SO
knock ing a na i l in to it , a nd if so w i l l he k in dly po int outthe na i l t o them ? He may say ye s ; then they w i l l pay himto draw it out , so tha t the re st Of the fam i ly may not die .
Or the re la t ion s g ive the pe rson ind ica te d by the Ngangaa s hav ing bew itched the de a d man , the SO-ca l le d na
’
otch i
(w itch ) , a powde re d ba rk , wh ich he mu s t swa l low a nd vom itif he b e rea l ly innocen t . The ba rk name d MB undu is
g ive n to the man who own s to be ing a w itch , but den ie shav ing k i l led the pe rson in que st ion . Tha t Of NK a ssa
i s g iven to those who deny the cha rge Of be ing w itche sa l toge the r . The w itche s or othe r pe rs on s who , hav ing takenthe ba rk , do not vomit a re e ithe r k i l le d or die from the effectsOf the po ison ,
and the ir bod ie s u se d to be burnt . S incec iv i l i z e d g ove rnmen ts have occup ied the country a s l ightimprovement ha s take n p lace , in tha t the re la t ion s Of thew itch a re a l lowe d to bury the body . If e ve nts turn ou t a s
d iv ined by the Nganga , he re ta in s the c loth g iven to himby the re la t ion s or the ir me s senge rs : otherw i se he mustre turn it t o the fam i ly , who take i t to anothe r Nganga .
Wh i le a ll th i s i s go ing on , a ca rpente r i s ca l led in t o bu i ldthe coffin ; and he i s pa id one fow l , one ma t Of rushe s
, and
one c lose ly woven mat pe r day . Rum and a p iece Of b luec loth a re g iven to him on the day he cove rs the ca se w ithred c loth . Pa lm-w ine , rum ,
a nd c loth a re g iven to h im a s
paymen t on it s comp le t ion . And now tha t a ll pa lavers a refin i shed , and the coffin re ady , the fami ly a re once moreca l led toge ther ; and the pr in ce Of the la nd a nd strange rsa re inv ite d to come and hea r how a ll the pa la ve rs havebeen se tt led . A squa re in front of the shimbec 1 conta in ing
Miss K ings ley k ind ly exp la ins tha t sh z’
mhec is the “ Congo name for anynat ive hut , possib ly a Portuguese word origina l ly .
”
Dea th a nd Bur ia l of the Fiote . 1 35
the coffin is c leare d of he rbs and gra ss , a nd care ful ly swept ;and he re , during the who le n ight p revious t o the Offic ia lme et ing , women and ch i ldren dance . Ma t s a re p la cedimmed ia te ly in fron t Of the shimbec for the fami ly and
the ir fet ishe s (Poomba ) ; the S ide Oppos ite i s prepare d forthe pr ince a nd h i s fo l lowe rs ; and the other two s ide s a re
kept for those strange rs and gue sts who ca re to come . Atabou t thre e O’c lock gun s are fire d Off a s a s igna l tha t a l l i srea dy . The fam i ly headed by the ir e lde r and sp oke sman
then sea t themse lve s ready to re ce ive the ir gue st s . Thenthe gue sts g l ide into the V i l lage and make the ir way to thee lder , pre sen t themse lve s , a nd the n take the ir a l lotte d se a t s .
W he n a ll a re a ssemb le d , the e lder a ddre sse s the twofami ly fe t ishe s he ld by two Of the fam i ly . Po in t ing a nd
Shak ing h is hand a t them ,he te l l s them how the de cea se d
d ie d , and a ll the fami ly has done to se tt le the ma tte r ; hete l ls them how they have a l lowed the fa ther to be taken
,
and prays them t o p rote ct the re st of the fam i ly ; and whenhe ha s fin i she d h i s a ddre ss , the two who ho ld the fe t i she s ,or wooden figure s , p ick up a l itt le e a rth a nd throw it on theheads of the fe t i she s , then , l ifting them up , rub the ir hea dsin the e a rth in front Of them .
Then the e lde r a ddre sse s the pr ince and h i s pe op le , andthe strangers who ha ve come to hea r how the decea se d ha sd ied
, and Offers them e a ch a dr ink . When they havefin i she d drink ing , he turn s to the fe t ishe s and te l ls themtha t they have a l lowe d e v i l to ove rtake the decea sed
,but
p rays them to protect h i s gue sts from the same . Then thefe t ishe s aga in have earth thrown a t them, and the ir headsa re once more rubbe d in the ea rth .
And now the e lder a ddre sse s the w ive s and te l ls themtha t the ir hu sband has b e en crue l ly taken from them
, and
tha t they a re now fre e t o ma rry a n othe r ; and then ,turn ing
to the fe t i she s , he tru sts tha t they w i l l gua rd the w ive s fromthe ev i l tha t k i l led the ir hu sband ; and the fet i she s are
aga in dusted and rubbed In the earth .
1 36 Dea th a nd B ur ia l of the Fiote .
On the occa s ion that I watche d the se procee d ing s thee lde r got up and a ddre s sed me
,te l l ing me tha t my cook ,
who had s e rve d me s o we l l and whom I had s ent to t ow n
when he w a s S ick , e tc .
, e tc ., had now lo s t his fa ther ; a nd
once more turn ing to h i s fe t ishe s , the poor cre a ture s we reaga in made to k i ss Old mothe r ea rth , th i s t ime for myb enefitIf a w itch has to underg o the ba rk-te st , rum i s g iven to
the prince , and he is to ld tha t if he hea rs tha t the Ndotch ihas been k i l led he i s to take no offic ia l not ice of the fa ct .
Then the men dance a l l through the n ight ; a nd the nextday the body i s p lace d in the coffin a nd buried . In KaCongO
the coffin i s much la rge r than that made in Loango ; and
i t i s p lace d upon a hug e ca r on four or s ix so l id whe e l s .
Th is ca r rema in s ove r the grave ,orname nte d in d iffe re nt
ways w ith stuffed an ima l s , and empty demij ohn s , an ima lboxe s , and other e arthenware g oods , in accordance w iththe wea l th of the decea se d . I can remembe r when s lave sand w ive s were bur ied toge the r w ith the pr ince ; but th iscus tom ha s now d ie d out in Loango and KaCongO, and w e
on ly hear Of it s tak ing p lace far away in land .
The “ fe t ish Chibingo” some t ime s w i l l not a l low the
corpse to c lose its eye s . Th is is a sure s ign tha t thede cea se d is ann oye d about some th ing , and doe s not w ishto be bur ied . In such a ca se no coffin is made , the bodyis wrapped in mats a nd p lace d in the woods nea r to an
Nlomba tree . Shou ld he b e burie d in the ord ina ry w ay a ll
the fam i ly wou ld fa l l s ick and die . S hou ld h is Chinyumba
(KaCongO Chimhina’
i , mean ing r evena n t ) appea r to one of
h i s fam i ly , tha t pe rson wou ld sure ly die . But othe rs not Ofthe fami ly may se e it and not die .
The decea se d w i l l Often not re st qu ie t unt i l h i s Nku l u
(s ou l ? sp irit ?) i s p laced in the hea d of one Of h is re la t ion s ,s o tha t he ca n commun ica te w ith the fam i ly . Th is is doneby the Nganga p ick ing up some of the e a rth from the
g ra ve of the de cea se d , and, a fte r mix ing it w ith othe r
THE FETISH V IEW OF THE HUMAN SOUL .
BY MARY H . K INGSLEY .
I mus t first br iefly expre s s the p l ea sure it g ive s me t oa ddre s s a few words to you ,
a soc ie ty Of expe rts in the
subj e ct I am de ep ly inte re ste d in— Fe t ish , a nd my gra t itudefor the hon our you have done me in reque st ing me to do so .
I am qu ite awa re tha t the Fo lk-Lore S oc ie ty has Spec ia l ise din the d ire ct ion Of the fo lk lore Of the Br it i sh I s lands and
the ir corre lat ive fo lk lore s . I fre e ly confe s s , from be inga cqua in ted
,through the pub l ica t ion s of the soc i ety and the
indep e nde nt one s Of some of its lead ing memb e rs , w ith theexce ed ing b eauty and poe t ic cha rm , pa rt icu la r ly Of the
Ce lt ic fo lk lore , tha t I do not wonde r tha t the soc ie ty ha sfo l lowe d th i s l in e of inve st iga t ion ,
e ven apa rt from the
g rea te r in te re st t o the gen e ra l pub l ic tha t th ing s conce rn ingthe be l ie fs a nd cu stom s Of the ir fa the r la nd mu s t have . S t i l l ,I most s ince re ly w ish tha t th is soc ie ty cou ld form a spe c ia lcomm itte e for the con s ide ra t ion Of African fo lk lore , for I amce rta in it wou ld do good work for th e Br it ish Emp ire . W he nI had the p lea sure of hea r ing the Pre s ide n t ia l Addre s s theothe r e ven ing he re , Mr . Nutt
, if I remembe r r ight , s ta te dtha t a l l poe ts Shou ld j o in the Fo lk-Lore S oc ie ty . If it hadan Afr ican comm itte e I shou ld have no he s ita t ion in sayingtha t a ll members Of Pa r l iame nt and Offic ia l s a t the Fore igna nd Co lon ia l Office s Shou ld be compe l le d to j o in the Fo lkLore S oc iety ; for I am sure tha t the work it would do in theca refu l and unp rej ud ice d study OfAfrican be l ie fs and customswou ld lea d to a true know ledge Of the Africans , whom w e
have now to dea l w ith in thou sands , a nd whom w e Sha l l soonha ve to dea l w ith in hundre ds of thousands ; and the re m ightb e hope tha t by th i s true kn ow ledge , hundreds of l ive s , bothb lack and wh ite ,
wou ld b e saved and a sound ba se e stab
lished , from w h ich the Africa n could a dvance to an improvedculture-cond it ion .
The'
Fetish View of the Huma n Soul . 1 39
It i s imposs ib le for me in the t ime a t my d i sp osa l to sp eakw ith anyth ing l ike fu l lne ss Of th i s g rea t form Of re l ig ionFe t ish . But I mus t de ta in you a few m inute s to exp la in wha tI mean by Fe t i sh ; for the word now-a-days is ge tt ing ve ryloose ly use d in Eng la nd , a nd I now and aga in come a crossit app l ie d to ca se s of sympa the t ic mag ic .
When the Portugue se ear ly nav iga tor s— unde r the pa tronage Of Hen ry the Nav iga tor— re -d i scove re d theW e st Coa st ofAfr ica in the ea r ly pa rt of the fifte e n th cen tury , they found , a s
you w i l l find in the la tte r part Of the n ine te en th ce ntury , thena t ive s u s ing in the ir re l ig iou s e xe rc ise s numbe rs of mate r ia lObj ects . The se the Portugue se ca l le d F eit ico; a nd from th i sword come s our word Fe t ish . The re i s anothe r name for th isre l ig ion some t ime s use d in the p lace Of Fe t i sh , name ly
, 9a.
_
‘7 u . The or ig in Of th is word is by no mean s SO C lea r a s tha tof Fe t ish
,some author it ie s ho ld ing it come s from g r ou-g r ou ,
wh ich they say i s a nat ive word , but wh ich na t ive s say i s a“ wh ite-ma n-word
,
”and SO on . I be l ie ve it ha s a s im i la r
h is tory to Fe t i sh, and tha t ? u 7 a comes from the Fre nch
word for a do l l or toy— jou-jou . For the French c la im t o haveV is ited the W e st Afr ican Coa st be fore the Portugue se ,name ly , in the la tter pa rt Of the fourte en th cen tury ; a nd
,
whe the r th is c la im can be su sta ine d or no,the Fre nch we re
ce rta in ly on theW e s t Coa st p re tty frequen t ly in the fifte e nth ;and no doubt ca l led the l itt le Obj e cts they saw the na t ive sva lu ing so strange ly , jou-jou , a s I ha ve hea rd many a
Frenchman do in my t ime . Now I mere ly beg to exp la intha t when I say Fe t ish or Ju Ju , I mean the re l ig ion of the
nat ive s Of We st Afr ica . I am not a compa ra t ive e thno log ist ,SO I do not p re tend to expre s s a n Op in ion about Fe t i sh be inga un ive rsa l ly d iffuse d form of re l ig ion , and so on . I t i s notne ce s sa ry for me a s a studen t Of Fe t i sh to look up wha tpe op le do in othe r pa rts Of the wor ld be s ide s We st Afr ica
,
in orde r to unde rstand wha t they mean by wha t they do inW e st Africa , for the re is a ll the ma te ria l the re a t hand . A l lthat i s ne ce ssary i s the ab i l ity to unde rstand it . I t i s
,I own ,
140 The Fetish View of the Huma n Sou l .
no ea sy th ing to understand Fe t i sh probab ly it can on ly bethorough ly done by a wh ite whose m ind i s not a h igh lyc iv i l i sed one , a nd who i s ab le to th ink b lack . I beg youw i l l not th ink from my c la im ing th is powe r I am mak ing a n
id le boa st ; for I have r i ske d my l ife for month s a t a t ime on
th is one chance of my be ing ab le t o know the w ay peop lewe re th ink ing round me
,and Of my be ing ab le to speak to
them in a way tha t they wou ld re cogn ise a s j ust , true and
log ica l . Fe t ish i s , when v iewed from the outs ide , comp lexa nd strange ; but I th ink I may say it i s ve ry S imp le in
its unde r ly ing idea , ve ry log ica l ly thought out, and v ery
rea sonab le to the pa rt icu la r make Of m ind pos se s se d bythose who be l ieve in it ; a nd you w i l l s oon se e
, when studyingit a t c lose qua rte rs , tha t , g iven an an im ist ic V iew Of na tureand tha t log ica l form of human m ind posse ssed by the Afr ican ,
a ll those se em ing ly we ird forms a nd ce remon ie s of Fe t isha re but ne ce s sary con seque nce s— tha t , in fa ct , the re l ig ionha s ma de the Fe t i sh-p r ie st and the w itch-doctor
,not they
the re l ig ion they serve unde r .
There i s a po in t tha t w i l l strike you early in your inve st i
ga t ion of Fe t ish ; and tha t i s tha t the African doe s not d iv ideup the wor ld , a s many Europ ean and As ia t ics seem to
,into
thre e d iv i s ion s , God, man , and na ture“
. TO him the re is no
Sharp d iv is ion b e twe en the se th ings , they a re pa rts Of a grea twho le . Man i s a ve ry imp ortan t pa rt , he be longs to a ve ryh igh orde r of sp irits , but not to the h ighe st ; for the re a re
above and beyond h i s abso lute contro l two C la sse s— the re isa grea t c las s equa l to him— and lowe r than h im in powe rthe re are many c la s ses .
During my first study Of Fet ish in Afr ica itse lf in 1 893 , Ire cogn ise d tha t , in order to ga in a c lear conception Of
Fe t i sh , it wou ld be nece ssa ry t o ga in a concept ion Of the
gra de s of the sp irit-wor ld Of Fe ti sh ; and,so far a s I have
g one , I th ink ,I may say fourte en c la sse s of sp irits a re
c l ear ly d isce rn ib le . I w i l l not w ea ry you w ith th is matte r .
Dr. Na s sau , of Gaboon ,th inks the sp ir it s common ly a ffect
142 The Fet ish View of the Huma n Sou l .
fl ed him w ith Jehovah , and worked on the mind Of the na t ive sfrom th is po in t , cau s ing fre quent ly a ve ry strange confus ionof idea s the re in . The name s unde r wh ich you me e t w ithth i s g rea t Ove r lord of gods a re ma ny ; among the Kru
men,Ny isw a ; among the Effeks , Aba sibum ; among the
Ashan te e s and Fa nte e s , Y’
ankumpon ; N z am ,N z amb i
, An
z am, &c . among the Bantu tr ibe s . B ut ne ithe r among
Neg roe s nor Ban tu w i l l you anyw he re find a cu lt Of th is god .
He i s he ld to b e the god tha t crea te d men and a ll th ing sma te ria l a nd many sp ir it s
,but not a ll
,for you a lway s find
ce rta in sp ir it s rega rde d a s b e ing coeva l w ith him and se lfex istent . Th i s N z am— t o take the Fa nn ’ s name for h im
is rega rde d a s tak ing no intere st in those th ing s he ha scre a te d , leav ing them t o the dom in ion Of lowe r sp ir its
,ove r
whom , howe ve r, he ha s powe r, if he choose to exe rt it ; a ndto the managemen t of the se sp ir its , whom he i s in immed ia tet ouch w ith
, the Afr ica n turn s his a ttent ion . I t i s on ly whe nhe fa i ls w ith them,
when th ing s go ve ry bad ly , when the
r ive r r ise s h igher than u sua l a nd swe eps away h i s home a nd
his p la n ta t ion s , when the S potted Dea th come s into the land,
a nd day and n ight the corpse s floa t down the r ive r and he
finds them j amme d among his can oe s and Chok ing up his
fish-traps , and when the dea th-wa i l g oe s up n ight and dayfrom h is own V i l lage , then w i l l the ch ie f r ise up a nd ca l lupon th is g rea t Over-God to re s tra in the e v i l w o rk ing of
the g rea t Nature-sp ir it s , in a te rror ma ddene d by de spa ir ;for he fe e l s it w i l l be in va in .
Rega rd ing the Fe t ish V iew Of the sta te and cond it ion of the
human sou l,the re a re ce rta in idea s wh ich I th ink I may safe ly
say a re common to a l l the va r iou s cu lts Of Fe t ish , both Negroand Ban tu ,
in W e s t Afr ica . F irst ly , the C la s s of Sp irits tha ta re human sou l s a lways rema in human sou ls ; they do not
be come de ified , nor do they s ink in grade p e rmanen t ly . Iam awa re I am now on dange rous ground and I s tan d tocorre ct ion ,
for I have b een ma in ly led to th i s conc lus i onfrom my ow n study Of the subj ect . You w i l l find in a lmost
The Fetish View of the Huma n Sou l . 143
a ll W e s t Afri can d is tr icts (not a ll, for it doe s not ho ldna tura l ly in those whe re re-inca rna t ion i s be l ieved to bethe common lot of a ll human Sp irits) , a c la ss of sp ir it s ca l le dthe
“ we l l-d ispose d one s,
”
a nd they a re ance s tors . Th ing s a re
g iven to them— I do not say sa cr ificed , becau se sacr ifice isqu ite an othe r matte r
,but th ing s a re g iven to them— for the ir
con so la t ion a nd support ; a nd they do wha t they ca n tobenefit the ir ow n V i l lag e and fam i l ie s . Then come s a n othe rpo int , wh ich I am much inte re ste d in
,but on wh ich I do not
fe e l a t pre se n t j u st ifie d in s ta t ing a n op in ion,name ly
,the
que st ion of the immorta l ity of the human sou l . I have no
ev idence t o lay before you to p rove tha t th i s is be l ieve din . Tha t the s ou l surv ive s the de a th Of the body for a
cons ide rab le per iod , whe ther a ny r ite s and funct ion s a re
pe rformed by the fam i ly or pr i e s ts , or not , i s qu ite ce rta in ;but I th ink the re is rea s on to be l ieve tha t it doe s not l iveOn for eve r . I d id my be st to find out wha t had
_
b ec0me of
the sou l s Of tr ibe s rememb e re d to have occup ied d istr icts Iha ve be en in
,bu t wh ich a re now ex t inct , an d foun d a lway s
it w a s taken a s a ma tt e r Of course tha t a s the tr ibe w as no
more , so we re the sou l s Of it no more . And the anx ie tyto p rovide Offe r ing s for s ou ls in the Tschw i, S rahmanda z i,
and the Gboniadse Of the O j i po ints to there b e ing a fea r
tha t , if n eg le cted , the se sou l s m ight suffe r and in revengeinfl ict pun ishments on the l iv ing , or tha t they m ight p er ishand no longer b e ab le to a fford he lp . A l l human s ou ls a re
not he ld to be Of equa l va lue , whe the r gene ra l re-inca rnat ion is be l ie ve d in or not . Among the Effek , for examp le ,the grea te st care i s take n on the dea th of a p erson knownto have p osse s se d a rea l ly g rea t sou l . He may have be e na grea t Fe t i sh p rofic ient , demon strat ing he had the p owe rt o influence grea t sp ir it s , or he may have be en wha t w e
shou ld ca l l a succe ssfu l man Of the world,a fgood trade r .
To secure tha t s ou l com ing back to ke ep ing in )the hou se , i s a matte r Of imp ortance , a nd when the nextbaby is born t o the house , mean s a re taken to see wh ich Of
144 The Fetish View of the Huma n Sou l .
the import an t sou l s who ha ve rece nt ly le ft the hou se may
have re turned to it . I have Ofte n hea rd a mothe r , rep roa ching a ch i ld for some fau lt , say :
“ Oh ! w e made a bigm istakewhen w e thought y ou we re SO-and-SO a nd th is ce rta in ly ha sa good effect in g iv ing to young p e op le who be l ieve thems e lve s to b e in pos ses s ion of a g rea t s ou l a sense Of re spon s ib ility . The re i s a grea t hou se now fa l l ing in to de struct ionand decay in Bonny R ive r
,wh ich but a gene ra t ion s ince w a s
one of the r iche st , proude s t , and most powe rfu l . I knowby loca l op in ion tha t the se e v i l t ime s have come on it froma man ha v ing be en p la ce d ove r it by the g overnmen t
, a
man e duca ted in Eng la nd , who ha s neg lected the fam i lyr ite s , whe reby the strong One s have be en lost to the
hou se . He nce a ve ry b itte r fee l ing is in the hea rts of
the dependents Of the hou se , who suffe r pove rty and aba seme nt , aga in st the g ove rnment who p la ce d tha t man a t the
head of i ts affa irs .
Anothe r po in t tha t i s important i s the p lura l ity of s ou l sto the ind iv idua l . The se a re common ly he ld to be four :the human sou l the sou l in a n an ima l , neve r in a p lant , inthe bu sh ; the sha dow on the path ; and the dream-sou l .Th is subj e ct i s a ve ry comp lex on e . I th ink I may say Ibe l ie ve the s e four sou l s to b e on e centra l sou l
,the othe rs
be ing , a s it we re , it s sen se s , whe reby it works wh i le l iv ingin a body
,for the dream-sou l , bu sh-s ou l and shadow-sou l do
not surv ive dea th . NO cus toms a re made for them a t de a thand if, dur ing l ife , the in te rcommun ica t ion of the se s ou lsw ith ea ch othe r i s in any w ay damage d , the e s se n t ia l ce ntra lsou l suffers , suffe rs to the ex ten t s ome t ime s Of bod i ly death ,but doe s not die itse lf.The re is an othe r po int rega rd ing the human sou l wh ich I
mus t me nt ion ,in orde r to exp la in the g rea t importance Of
fune rea l cu stoms,and wh ich throws some l ight on w itch
c ra ft te rror ; and that i s , tha t each huma n sou l is be l ieved tohave a ce rta in span Of l ife due or na tura l to it for it s inca rna t ion . It shou ld be born and grow up through ch i ldhood ,
146 The Fetish View of the Huma n Sou l .
t ion tha t his t ime had come wou ld not have bee n e nte rta ined .
There i s st i l l one othe r cau se of bod i ly death that I mu stment ion , be cause it is an othe r Of the ca ses wh ich no one
is put to death for , and it is s o common ly sa id tha t a t eve rydea th in We s t Afr ica innoce nt pe op le a re S la in . Th is ca sei s tha t Of a w itch be ing k i l le d by his , or h er , ow n fam i l ia rsp ir it . I t i s he ld tha t a pe rs on who ha s the powe r Of be
W i tch ing othe rs ha s in his pos se ss ion ,unde r his con tro l ,
a non-human sp irit , and th is non-human Sp irit is , in the ca seOf w itche s , Of a ma levo len t c la ss . Thi s sp irit , among the
true Neg ro Tschw i, i s kept in a s uhman , a th ing you w i l lfind mos t a ccurately de scr ibe d by the la te S ir A . B . El l i s inh i s Tshi-speaking peopl es , p . 98 , sag. I have rea son to be
l ieve tha t among the true Negroe s th i s ma levo len t sp irit iskept in an exte rna l home a s a gene ra l ru le ; s ti l l it ha s SO
c lose an inte r-commun ion w ith the othe r sou l s of its own er ,tha t if they ge t weakene d it can inj ure them s o a s to cau seh is death . Among a ll the Ban tu tr ibe s I know , th i s sp iritis kept in the w itch ’s own in s ide ; a nd it is he ld tha t it isl iab le to k i l l him , if he keep s it unemp loyed , unf ed , toolong . You w i l l hea r— when s omeone has b e e n injured w hodoe s not seem to have me rite d inj ury in any pa rt icu lar way ,
s ome one who ha s not g ive n any other pe rson rea s on to ha tehim
, or when a s er ie s of m inor a cc ide n ts a nd a run of i l lluck come s to a V i l lage—
“ Ah ! someone is fe e ding h i s w itchpowe r ;
”and mean s a re , of course , taken to find out who
tha t s ome one is , a nd to put a n end to him . There is no doubttha t the African method of inve st igat ing crime doe s en ta i lthe destruct ion Of many innocen t l ive s ; but by no mean sha lf the pe op le k i l led for w itchcraft are pun ished un j ust ly .
Many of the pe rson s a ccu sed by the w itchdoctor— the cure rOf the act ions of ma levo lent sp irits— a re pun i she d j ust lyenough . And a lthough his me thods seem to most Europea nssuch tha t must a lmo st nece s sa r i ly lea d to fa l se a ccu sa t ions ,they a re not rea l ly so ; for beh ind the tak ing on and Off Of
The Fetish View fiof the Huma n'
Sou l . 147
ba ske t l ids , the throw ing down Of se eds , the look ing in toba s in s Of wa ter , &c .
,tha t pre cede h is accusa t ion Of a pe rson
Of hav ing cau sed a dea th by w it chcraft,the re i s in the m ind
o f the w it chdoctor a know leg e Of the dome s t ic and tradea ffa irs Of the decea sed and a know le dge of who in the
V i l lag e is mos t l ike ly to have po ison e d him . I w i l l not say
tha t the w itchdoctor u s e s th is knowledg e a lways jus t ly .
He is l iab le to be a ctua t e d by lu st Of p ow e r,by ava r ice ,
by e ve ry bad pa ss ion tha t ca n come in t o the heart Of man ,
but not a lways . You cannot buy e ve ry w itchdoctor on the
We st Coa st , but you can mos t Of them ,and the na tive kn ows
th i s a nd doe s it ; for in the w i t chdoctor ’ s hands l ie s the
powe r Of l ife and dea th g iven him by the be l ief in w itchcra ft . Th i s be l ie f is so profound , SO unque st ion ing , and theterror of w itchcraft so g rea t , tha t l have s e e n doz en s ofmen ,
women and ch i ldre n,whom I have kn own we l l a s doc i le ,
k ind ly , fr ie ndly s ou ls,turne d a t a momen t into inca rna te
de v i ls a t tha t one word W itch . I t i s no use ta lk ing sen se tothe se te rror-madden e d crea ture s , un le s s you ta lk it in the
language Of te rror— Fe t ish . I have ce rta in ly ne ve r ye t tr ie d ;because the se ou tburs ts come upon one l ike a fla sh , a nd Ihave be e n a t the t ime inte n t on sav ing the l ife Of some
wre tche d , pa n ic-pa ra lyz e d man or w oman , who , but a mo
men t be fore the accusa t ion fe l l,had lov ing w ife or husba nd ,
ch i ldren and fr iends , and now ha s none : n oth ing bu t a w i ldmob of ye l l ing e n em ie s aroun d h im or h er . When I havebee n confron te d w ith such a ffa irs I have a lways found tha tthe one s a ne
, cl ea r -hea ded ma n w a s the w itchdoctor , and
tha t through h im ,by w ay Of Fe t ish know le dge , I cou ld s tay
k i l l ing ,he not w ish ing to k i l l if w ithout k i l l ing he cou ld
ma in ta in h is influe nce . S t i l l , one Often come s a cros s ca s e swhe re the v ict ims a ccuse d do not deny gu i lt , but g lory init , a s in the ca se C ite d by Mr . F it z ge ra ld Ma rr iot in the“ Q ue en of the 22nd of February , w he re in he says
“ An in te re st ing ca se tha t occurre d wh i l s t I w as in the
Go ld Coa s t Co lony la st yea r , shows wha t Fe t ish ism or
L 2
148 The Fetish View of the Huma n Sou l .
w itchcra ft i s in it s mOre ha rm le ss forms . An O ld womana t Elm ina , we l l ve rs ed in such ma tte rs
,had be en w a tch ing
w ith inte re st an O ld man putt ing up Fe t ish Obj ects , such a s
stone s a nd eggs , ove r or in front Of h i s door . The ira rra ngement w a s in a ccordan ce w ith e ve ry p rin c ip le Of the
wh ite mag ic wh ich cou ld wa rd Off the vengefu l sp irit Of
s ome V ict im Of whom the murde re r might b e a fra id . The
hag , the re fore ,rose up a nd informe d the authorit ie s tha t
the O ld fe l low w a s a murde re r . I doubt whe the r she w a s
r ight in Roman or sta tutory law , but the re w a s ce rta in lyW e st African e v ide nce in he r favour . Howeve r , j ust then ,
a s if to confirm the age d crea ture’ s a s se rt ion , the rumour
sprea d tha t the K ing Of Elm ina had sudde n ly d ied . The
fa cts we re tha t,after a short wa lk , he had, a s usua l , re turne d
to h is hou se , and in the sha de in fron t Of it had sea te dh imse lf upon h is‘s too l
,
’the same a s those low ,
comfortab le , curve d s ea ts tha t are known a s Ashant i stoo ls , and
Often part ly ca rved . In do ing so it is sa id tha t l itt le na i l sor sp l in te rs of wood ran into him ; a t any ra te he imb ibeda po i s on from its surface , and a ccord ing ly d ied . The O ldma n w a s sen t for
,a nd a cknow le dge d, to the p roud gra t ifi
ca t ion Of the age d woman ,tha t he had prepa re d a nd
po is oned the s too l,but he sa id tha t he had k i l le d many
b e fore,and had othe rs in pro spe ct ive . S O he w a s kept
a l ive t i l l it cou ld be p rove d that a ce rta in ch ie f in Elm inaha d orde red him to do the de ed , for i t w a s suppo sed tha tth i s ch ief w ished to c lea r away a ll r iva ls to the posse ss ionof the hea d ch iefta in sh ip for h imse lf.
”
I t i s Often he ld tha t the break ing down Of na tive customsin Afr ica , such a s th i s tria l for w itchcraft , must ne ce ssa ri lylea d to g ood . I myse lf fee l tha t , a lthough no on e w ishe smore de ep ly than I do for the a dvancement a nd p rosper ityof that exce e d ing ly worthy sect ion Of the human race , theAfr ican , th is break ing down Of the mean s he has h imse lfthought ou t and deve lope d into a system for the ke ep ingdown Of crime a nd for the ma intenance Of law and orde r ,
150 The Fetish View of the Huma n Sou l .
Then come s the gre a t d ifficulty of the re be ing no writtenauthor ity to con su l t : hence you have to depend on ora lte s t imony and the persona l Ob se rvat ion Of customs . In
do ing th is you have to exe rc i se g rea t ca re tha t it i s pureFe t ish you a re dea l ing w i th . Fe t ish fre e from S em it icinflue nce , e ithe r in a Christ ian or M ohammedan form ; forthe m in d Of the African ha s a wonde rfu l powe r Of a ss imi la ting othe r forms of be l ie f, a nd w hen he ha s had a fore ignidea put into h i s m ind it rema in s there
, gradua l ly tak ing on toit se lf a Fe t ish form , the Fe t ish idea ove rma ste r ing it ; not itthe Fe t ish , if the fore ign idea ha s b e en le ft w ithout re inforceme n ts . The se fore ign idea s w i l l rema in in the m ind Of the
Afr ican long afte r the m i ss ionar ie s who have put them the rehave pa s se d away . You w i l l find ma ny Of them in the fo lklore Of the Fjort , Of wh ich Mr . R . E. Denne tt ha s so profoun d a know ledge . For in the fifte en th century th is pa rt ofAfr ica w a s unde r the dom in ion Of m is s ionarie s Of the Roma n
Ca tho l ic Church ; they a tta ine d a p owe r over the na t ive stha t ha s n eve r be en equa l le d by Chr ist ia n m is s ionarie s e lsewhe re in Africa , and then , en t ire ly from po l it ica l mo t ive s ,they w e re driven away from the ir work by Portuga l , the nthe a sce ndan t p owe r in the Cong o reg ions . The re is
,
how eve r , S t i l l left to u s studen ts Of Fe t ish , an immen se reg ionun influenced by S em it ic cu lture , nam e ly the in ter ior Of the
g rea t equa tor ia l fores t-be lt ; and Obse rva t ion s ma de in th isreg ion g ive on e , I th ink , a certa in powe r of recogn i s ingw ha t is pure Fe tish in a s tory
,custom
,or be l i ef, from w ha t
is me re ly a ve ry inte re s t ing fos s i l .The re i s anothe r th ing I th ink shou ld b e ca re fu l ly gua rde d
aga in st wh i le studying Fe t ish ; a nd tha t i s the se em ing l ikene ss be tw e e n ce rta in cus t oms you w i l l find in W e s t Afr icaa nd tho se you w i l l find e lsewhe re
,s ay in Eng la nd , Ea st e rn
Europ e , Po lyne s ia , a nd so on . I am qu i te aw a re of the
fa sc ina t ions of compa ra t ive e thn o logy , and Of the he lp thekn ow l e dge Of the unde r lying facts Of a cu stom in one re
o uon ca n g ive you t o the unde rs ta nd ing Of a s im i la r cus tom
The Fetish View of the Huma n Soul . 1 51
e lsewhere ; but during ethno log ica l bu sh-work I have be e nrepe ated ly confronte d w ith d ifficu lt ie s tha t years Of e thmolog ica l book-work ne ve r gave me a ny rea son t o exp ect .
In Short,I have found cu stoms agre e ing in exte rna l sem
b lance strong ly w ith cus toms I have rea d Of occurr ing fa raway among utte rly d iffe re nt ra ce s , a nd I ha ve found tha tthose cu stoms I w a s Obse rv ing had
,unde r ly ing them ,
utter ly d iffe ren t ide a s from those g iven for other cu stoms .
There are three way s for on e ou t Of th is d ifficu lty
( 1 ) those other cu stoms have not been p rop er ly Ob se rved ;(2 ) you a re not prope r ly Observ ing your pre sent customs ;(3) me n w i l l do the same th ing from d iffe ren t mot ive s . Iw i l l say noth ing to influence your cho ice among the se thre e ;for in one ca se it may be one
,in an other an othe r , a nd it i s
not ne ce s sa ry to ca rry th i s he s itat ion in a ccept ing the deduct ions of the compa ra t ive e thno log ist too fa r . But whe n
you a re , a s I am ,on ly a spe c ia l i st on one form of re l ig ion ,
and when tha t form is SO ve ry r ich in mate r ia l a s Fe t i sh is ,I think you w i l l do sounde r work by d ism i ss ing from yourm ind the con s ide ra t ion of wha t may be the fa sh ionab lethe ory for the t ime be ing in Eng land . You w i l l findbefore you lots Of th ing s tha t supp ort the b ib l ica l a ccoun tOf the creat ion— lot s of th ing s tha t cou ld be worke d up
int o the theor ie s of e ither He rbe rt Spence r, Cox ,Max
Mii lle r,
or Fra z er— a nd you w i l l find a g rea t ma s s Of
fa cts wh ich fly in the face Of a ll wr itt en author it ie s saveProfe s sor E. B . Tylor .
R E VIE WS.
CONTR IBUT IONS To THE SC IENCE OF MYTHOLOGY . By the R igh tHon . Professor F . MAX MULLER
,K .M.
,Member of the
French Ins t i tu te . 2 vols. Longmans, Green 81 Co . ,1 8 9 7 .
STUDENTS of my thology and folklore by th is t ime qu i te understand wha t they may expec t from a book by tha t ve teran scholar,Professor Max Miiller. In his last work, wh ich sums up the
resu l ts Of the studies of a l ife t ime,they w i l l find the same evidence
Of wide ph i l ol og ica l learn ing, the same grace Of sty le,the same
ingenuity in de tec t ing the weak p laces in the argumen ts of h is
Opponen ts , the same deftness in treading l igh t l y over the difficulties wh ich surround his Own conc lus ions. No t tha t the bookcon ta ins much tha t is fresh or s tart l ing. The d iscuss ion of Vedicand Greek my ths follows the Old fam i liar l ines . But here and
there he touches nove l ground, as in his remarks on Mordvin ianmy thology and the influence of r iddles on the growth Of my th .
He makes no apology for h is neg lec t Of one vas t body Of evidence .
He need hardly have complacen t l y informed his readers tha t hedoes not read the Transact ions Of all the Folklore Socie t ies . Is
there even one German Professor who does? But he shows tha t hehas never rea l ised the va lue Of folk ta les for the exp lana t ion of pr im it ive be l iefs and r i tua l seems l i t t le to in teres t him
,a l though many
my ths are Obvious l y ae t io l og ica l and were framed to accoun t forsome ancien t r i tua l pract ice, so old tha t i ts orig ina l mean ing hadbeen forgot ten .
The book, too, str ikes us as rambl ing and i l l-arranged . I t is inthe ma in a con trovers ia l a t tack on the me thods Of the E thnolog ica lSchool , and yet we find nowhere a c lear sta temen t Of the pos i t ionwh ich he des ires to assa i l , and no references to the works wh ichhe cr i t ic ises . He men t ionsMr. Fra z er and Dr . Ty lor w i th respec tbut h is readers w i l l regre t to no t i ce an acerbi ty Of tone and an
a lmost con temp tuous deprecia t ion ofMr. Andrew Lang, wh ich illbecome a sober s tuden t address ing a scien t ific audience . Nor are
I 54 R eviews .
Aga in , when he comes to cons ider the differences of Opin ionbe tween the experts who ca n read Vedic Sanskri t
,wha t he te l ls us
is th is “ I t is qu i te true tha t they differ on certa in poin ts,but he
(Mr. Lang) ough t not to forge t tha t they differ no more thano thers who cu l t iva te any progress ive science , no more than pol i t ica l econom ists, Egyp tolog is ts, e lectric ians, theologians, nay, evenan thropolog is ts
”
(vol . i. , p . But he does not rem ind us tha tthough experts differ as to the na ture of the Ron tgen rays
, s t i l lour te legraph cables and te lephones do not s top working . The
bas is of Mr . Max Mil ller’s Whole sc ience is the establ ishmen t ofcerta in po in ts of iden t i ty be tween the names of the gods of the
Vedas and those Of Greece and Rome . If Athene is not Ahana,
Hermes not Sarameya , and so on , wha t rea l l y is left ? “ We donot wan t e tymology or compa r isons ,
”he urges, to te l l us who
Se lene or Artem is was, who was Pho ibos or even PhoibosApol lon (vol . i i . , p . 78 1 , sq. ) But
,adm i t t ing tha t these are a ll
lunar or solar deit ies, a re a few names of wh ich the e tymologymay be obvious a sufficien t bas is for the m igh ty s tructure wh ichhe a t temp ts to rear ?
Wha t,then
,i t may be asked, is ga ined by comparing a god of
the Vedas w i th a Greek or Roman de i ty ? To th is his answer IS“ When we say tha t the Vedic Dyaush-p i ta, or the Pro to-AryanDyeus pa ter, is the same god as the Greek 2e 71
'
a 7'
7l
ip, we do not
mean tha t he m igra ted, as Wodan was supposed to have done ,from the Caucasus to Germany , and tha t when he had se t t led inGe rmany he assumed the war l ike character of the Eddic Tyr.
Al l tha t is mean t , and all tha t can be mean t,is tha t when the sky
in some of its aspec ts had been conce ived as an agen t and ca l ledDyaus or Dyeus, tha t name , w i th thousands of o ther names, was
carr ied a l ong by the Aryan Speakers in the ir m igra t ions fromsou th to north or from east to west . I t formed part of the ircommon Aryan he ir l oom qu i te as much as the numera ls fromone to ten , or the names for fa ther, mo ther, bro ther, and all the
rest . The concep t of th is agen t of the sky was modified, Of
course , according to the various aspects wh ich the sky presen tedto the though ts of men in Pers ia , Greece , I ta l y , and Germany(vol . i. , p . 1 28
,sa ) . Th is is a more modest accoun t of the ma t ter
than we have been accustomed to hear from some wr i ters Of thel ingu is t ic school ; but how far is th is res iduum Of any prac t ica lva lue
R eview s . 1 55
Last l y, how does he deal with the savage e lemen t in Greekritual ? The s tock case is tha t of the Brauronia, in which the
girls dressed as bears . This is how he expla ins it : “ Almos tevery fresh race tried to trace its or igin back to Zeus. If, then ,
the Arkas, the ancestor of the Arcadians, had been recogn ised as
one of themany sons of Zeus. who could we l l be his mo ther, ifnot the favourite goddess Of the coun try, tha t is Artemis, underone Of her many names ? One Of her names was Kallisté, the
most beau t iful . Bu t how cou l d the virg in goddess herse lf bethe mo ther of Arkas ! Th is be ing imposs ible , her worshippershad no grea t trouble in finding a way out of the ir difficu l ty bys l igh t l y changing the name of Kallisté in to KallistO
,and repre
sen ting her, not as the goddess herse lf, but as one of her a t tendan tcompanions . However, even then Ka llistOhad incurred not on l ythe jea l ousy of Here , but l ikew ise the anger of Artem is, and as
the name of Arkas reminded the Arcadians Of a rktos or a rkos,
bear,and as there was a famous a rktos
,the Ursa Major
,as a con
s te l la t ion in the sky, wha t was more na tura l,I ask aga in ,
thantha t KallistO shou l d be changed in to an a rktos, a She-bear, S la inby Artemis
,and then p laced by Zeus, her l over, in the sky as the
brigh t star shin ing in the win ter n igh ts ? The change in to a she
bear was suggested probably by the custom ca l led c’
tpxre z’
Jew,wh ich
mean t the dedica t ing of the young Arkadian g irls to the serviceof Artem is and the ir perform ing the service of the goddess in the irwe l l-known urs ine disgu ise
”
(vol . ii. , p . 7 3 7 , so ) How far is th ishe lpfu l to a studen t of pr im i t ive cu l ts ?The discuss i on of the e tymo logy of the names of Vedic and
Greek de i t ies, to wh i ch a large part of the book is devo ted, serveson l y to emphas ise the uncerta in ty of the ph i lo l og ica l me thod of
solving the secre t of the my ths . I t is qu i te poss ible tha t ProfessorMaxMii ller may be
'
correct in h is conclus i ons ; but em inen t au thorities
, the foes of h is own household, con tes t them. D ionysos,we are told may D ios-snu tya , wh ich poss ibl y means nurs l ingOf Zeus,” or
“the flow Of the sky or l igh t
”
(vol . i. , p . 3 7 2 , so) The
connect ion ofAhana and Athene is fierce l y dispu ted (vol . i. , p . 405,
so) The equa tion Br ise is-Brisaya is pract ica l l y abandoned (vol . i . ,p . For Apol lo we have a choice Of the Vedic Sarparyenya ,worsh ipful
,
”or Apa
—var—yan,“ opener Of the heaven l y ga tes .
”
Aphrodi te is not from the Sanskr i t Abhradita, “ come forth fromthe cloud but
,according to Bech te l , connected w i th fordus , in
156 R eviews .
the sense Of “ pregnan t w oman ; or d ! p6s, we a re told , may bea weak form of ve tppés, kidney . Ver i l y the love-goddess has inthese la t ter days fa l len on more evi l t imes than even when the
bard Demodocus tol d scanda lous ta les about her.
And, even gran t ing tha t Zeus Dyaus, how are we to accoun tfor the oak of Dodona , the doves, and o ther fragmen ts of Obscurecu l ts wh ich She l ter under h is w ing ? How e last ic th is me thod Of
dea l ing w i th my th may be i l lus tra ted from the ana l ys i s of He rmes.
Hermes,as the son of Sarama
,be l ongs certa inly to the dawn
and the tw i l igh t, but the morn ing w ind be longs by righ t to the
same doma in , and as the tw i l igh t of morn ing and even ing wasfrequen t l y conce ived as one
,the god of the morn ing may we l l
fin ish his course as a god of the even ing . In th is way the variousCharacterist ics of Hermes, as messenger of the gods, as w inged,as the robber of the cows
,and as mus ician, may all be traced
back to one and the same concep t”
(vol . i i . , p.
Wh i le then we disagree w i th the me thods and conclus ions of
the school of wh ich Professor Max Miiller is leader, we g ladlyrecogn ise the learn ing and fert i l i ty of resource in wh ich th i s bookabounds . I t is in a large measure due to his wr i t ings tha t thecompara t ive s tudy Of my ths has ga ined such popu lari ty . AS he
says h imse lf, “ Why then shou l d not the fol lowers of these threeschoo ls [the genea l og ica l or l ingu ist ic, the ana log ica l , the e thno
l ogica l] work in harmony ? They have the same end in view, tora t iona l ise wha t seems irra t iona l in the ancien t be l iefs and customs
Of the wor l d. Le t the members Of each do the ir work conscien
t iously, serious l y , and in a scholar-l ike Sp iri t, and wha tever of sol idgold they can bring to l igh t from the ir differen t shafts w i l l bemost we l come (vol . i. , p . I t wou l d have been we l l if th isspiri t had preva i led throughou t these volumes . They con ta in
,i t
need hardly be sa id,much very fasc ina t ing reading ; and where
th is ve teran in the craft i l lustra tes the “ many-s idedness of the
Old gods, the danger Of the indiscrim ina te use of terms l ikefe t ish ism and to tem ism w i thou t adequa te defin i t ion, the cau t ionaga inst der iving the gods of Greece en ma sse from Semi t ic lands,he w i l l carry most compe ten t scholars w i th h im.
I 58 R eview s .
and o thers, whom the au thor constan t l y ci tes in h is foo tno tes .
He has done w ise l y to confine h imse l f to subjec ts Of wh ich theyg ive us l i tt le or no th ing . By th is means he has exac t l y fi l led the
blank tha t was wan t ing to comp le te our know ledge of the peasan tand peasan t-l ife in the Duchy he l oves .
To Eng l ish s tuden ts i t adds not a l i t t le to the in teres t of thebook tha t Dr. Andree has been able frequen t l y to i l lustra te frompubl ica t ions of the Folk—Lore Socie ty the customs and supersti
t ions of Brunsw ick by ana l og ies in Eng land , pract ised and he l dby men and women of presumably Saxon , or a t least Teu ton ic ,descent . And his cla ims to our gra t i tude are comp le ted by an
index.
LEGENDES ET CURIOS ITES DES MET IERS, par PAUL SEEILLOT .
Par is . Ernes t Flammar ion .
M . SEBILLOT g ives us in twen ty qua rto numbers the trade supe r
s titions and cus toms, the popu lar n icknames and sayings, con
nected w i th ta i l ors,bakers , blacksm i th s, barbers, semps tresses,
lacemakers, m i l l iners, shoemakers, ha t ters, pastrycooks, bu tchers,carpen ters, cabine t—makers, woodcu tters, charcoa l-burners, s tonecu t ters
,masons
,s la ters, m i l lers, t inkers, l ocksmi th s, na i lers,
Spinners, cra te-makers, besom-makers, sabo t-makers, coopers,laundresses and washerwomen, whee lwrigh ts, turners, pa in ters,weavers, netmakers , ropemakers, pr in ters. Dyers, brewers, po t ters ,tanners, g l overs, Ch imney-sweepers are a lmost the on l y leadingtrades om i t ted . A more order l y arrangemen t than the abovewou l d have made it a much eas ier task to est ima te the con ten tsof the work
, bu t in any case a very cursory exam ina t ion of i t isall tha t cou l d be a t tempted here . M . Sébillot has in fac t brokenfresh ground— no easy th ing to do in folklore-col lec t ing nowadays— and has brough t toge ther a mass of informa t ion ,
ch ieflyFrench
,wh ich cries a l oud for complemen tary evidence from the
rest of Europe,before any th ing l ike a comple te View of the earl y
art isan-wor l d can be Ob ta ined .
NO folklore of arts or crafts can da te from the very ear l iestages of human l ife : none , for instance , can be so old as super
stitions abou t fire and wa ter may be . And at first, of course , all
R eviews . 159
known arts would be pract ised by one person , or ra ther one
household . They can on l y gradua l l y have been differen tia tedin to trades . Perhaps the arts of m i l lers, bakers, sp inners, Weavers,wood-cut ters, and blacksm i ths, may be cons idered among the
Oldest ; and as they deve l oped in to trades,they wou l d carry
the l ore a t tach ing to the art,w i th them. Ceremon ies in fe l l ing
trees,taboos on sp inn ing, omens from baking, may thus be Older
than the ex istence of the separa te crafts or ca l l ings of the woodcu t ter, the sp ins ter, the baker. The m i l lers’ l ore , on the o therhand
,seems to da te on l y from the beg inn ing of the craft . Every
where, a t some time or o ther, there must have been a periodwh en the windm i l l or wa termill began to supersede the handquern , and th is peri od of course marks the rise of the m i l ler’strade . To th is period a l so, eviden t l y be l ong the bulk of the
m i l lers’ superstitions, wh ich ch iefly dea l w i th the supposed existence Of a superna tural be ing in the m i l l , and bring one faceto face with the time when w ind and wa ter were so new as
mo tive powers , tha t wha t was effected by them mus t needs beset down to diabol ica l agency . But the in terest ing po in t is,tha t the most modern trades (the prin ters
’
,for examp le , for the
origin Of wh ich a defin i te h is tor ica l da te can be ass igned) ,have quite as much folklore abou t them as the ancien t ones
,
though they do not , of course, appear in folkta les and proverbs,l ike the blacksm i th , the woodcu t ter, or the sp inn ing-g irl . But a ll
organ ised trades, wh ich are carried on in concert (such as pr in ters,carpen ters, and masons) , have trade cus toms, pract ised in com
mon , such as are not found among sol i tary workers, l ike the old
fash ioned weavers or ta i lors. Some crafts demand the aid of a t
least one ass istan t — the mason ’
s server, the pr in ter’
s devi l, the
m i l ler’s man , the blacksm i th’s boy ; and these l ower grades often
have separa te charac ter ist ics and usages of the ir own . Al l th is,
of course , is the l ore Of the craftsman, as dist inc t from the l ore of
the art : and so is the posi t ion he l d by the craft in popu lar est ima t ion . S tonecu tters and masons (save for the ir ea t ing and
drinking powers) seem to be genera l l y respected ; they have , perhaps, a lways , from the t ime of the mediaeva l freemasons
,be longed
to the super ior class Of artiz ans. But for ta i l ors, weavers, and
mi l lers (for all , in short , who manufac tured the raw ma ter ia l supp l ied by the ir customers) there is bu t one voice :
“ Put them all
three in a bag and shake them,and the first tha t comes out w i l l
1 60 R eviews .
be a th ief, is the g is t Of the proverbs of all na t ions on the sub
ject . In the case of some trades the popu lar de tes ta t ion is carr iedin to ac t ion, and in termarriage is discouraged or forbidden be tweenthe fami l ies of the craftsman and the agr icu l tura l peasan t . Th isis so in the case of the woodcu t ters, the charcoa l-burners, and a ll
the sma l ler trades wh ich find a home with in the bounds of a
French forest . The ropemakers form a lmost an outcas t trade ,especia l l y in Bri ttany
,where even in the presen t cen tury they
were even obl iged to bury the ir dead apart . One wou l d a t oncejump to the conclus ion tha t th is is a re l i c of rac ia l ha tred and o f
an ancien t triba l trade , were i t not for the former frequen t emp loymen t of colonies of lepers in ropemaking . But
, on the o therhand
,may not the lepers, as ou tcasts from socie ty , have been
driven to resort to ou tcas t co lonies of ropemakers ? The ropemakers are in Bri t tany classed toge ther w i th the knackers or offa lbu tchers, under the name of cagneux , caguins, or cocoa s, wh ich a t
once suggests the name Of the pariahs of the Pyrenees, the
Cagots . I t is curious, too, to recol lec t the repu ta t ion of the
g ipsies for ea t ing unwholesome mea t ; and aga in , to find tha t ina t leas t two Eng l ish coun ties (Shropsh ire and Lincolnsh ire) a
buyer of diseased beasts is ca l led a cag-bu tcher, and unwholesome
mea t cag-mag . Were these two trades origina l l y prac t ised byg ipsies, or by some wander ing tribe resembl ing them ?Th is is a mere samp le of the many in terest ing and curious
ques t ions tha t sugges t themse lves from a s tudy of M . Sébillot’
s
pages. We must not om i t, in conclus ion , to draw a t ten t ion to h ispreface , and to the s tress he everywhere lays on the condi t ionsunder wh ich the craftsman laboured
,as a ma in factor in the
forma tion of his folklore ; nor to men tion the numerous reproduc
t ions of earl y prints of the various crafts, by wh ich the va lue of
the work is grea t l y enhanced .
DER TEXTUS ORNATIOR DER CUxASAPTATI : EIN BE ITRAG ZUR
MARCHENKUNDE . Von R ICHARD SCHM IDT. S tu t tgart : W.
Koh lhammer, 1 896 .
TH IS pamph le t is a transla t ion,w i th textua l commen ts, of two
imperfect manuscrip ts (of wh ich the one is a copy,some t imes
care less, of the o ther), or a t least a transla t ion of so much of them
1 62 R eviews .
ea t ing, bu t th e represen ta t ives of the conquer ing races tha t gothold of India . In the Licchavis and the Ma l l ia ns he sees non
Aryan ru l ing races . He next proceeds to discuss the Asce t ics, theking, the officia ls of the court
,the court-chap lain ,
brahmans, gu i ldsof artiz ans and merchan ts, ca l l ings tha t do not depend on cas te ,and the desp ised castes ; on all Of wh ich he adduce s evidencenow for the firs t t ime col lected .
The essay is by no means compara t ive . The au thor does noten ter in to the quest ion of the or ig in of castes , wh ich wou l d havebeen importan t from our po in t of View he even om i ts to c i te thepara l le l s from Greece of y ér os and (ppa
‘rpia , w i th the ir communa l
mea l and certa in restr ic tions wh ich resemble caste ru les not a
l i t t le . Of mag ic, sorcery , tree-worsh ip , and the re l ics of aborig ina lcu l ts he says l i t t le or no th ing . In fact the book is one for oriental ists ra ther than studen ts Of folklore but for those i t w i l l provea va luable and re l iable handbook .
We have no ted one m isprin t (a opt a r a i for 6 0! t a r a i , p .
TRAVELS IN WEST AFR ICA : CONGO FRANCAIS, COR ISCO, ANDCAMEROONS . By MARY H . KINGSLEY . London : Macm i l lanand Co . , Lim i ted, 1 8 9 7 .
PROBABLY i t is a defec t in the reviewer’s men ta l const i tu t i on ;but if there be one kind Of book du l ler to him than ano ther i tis a book of trave ls . And some of the books wh ich have wonthe grea tes t repu ta t ion during the last twen ty years are to h imthe du l lest and stup ides t of all . Not infrequen t l y they are muchmore ; they are absolu te l y repu ls ive . The de ta i ls of pe t ty squabblesw i th pe t ty ch iefs or refractory fol lowers, the solemn narra t ives ofbig
—
game-hun ts are tedious enough . But when the wri ter comesto g loa t ing over his s laugh ter and enumera t ing the tusks, or thehorns
, or the skins , then he becomes noth ing less than l oa thsomein the waste of l ife and the torture he infl ic ts for the purpose of
gra t ifying h is savage l ove of “sport
”and h is cupidi ty . Th is kind
of trave l ler, however, is dear to the Bri t ish publ ic . Crowds hangupon h is l ips ; h is trucu len t record is among the bes t-thumbedbundles Of prin t ing-ink and paper in the circu la t ing l ibraries and,
if qua l ified by a suffic ien t ignorance of the pol i t ica l a sp i ra t ions of
Reviews“
.
his fe l low-coun trymen , he may became a candida te for Parl iamen t .Of all th is M iss Kingsley
’s Tr avels is the exac t reverse . She
wen t to Wes tern Afr ica not to hun t the gori l la , but to stalk “the
w i ld Wes t Afr ican idea,
” to s tudy in its na t ive haun ts, un tamed ,the Negro concep t ion of l ife and dea th
, of th is wor l d and the next,de term ined thorough l y to understand the E th i op ian m ind. Her
objec t was psycholog ica l , scien t ific . A bee t le and fe t ish-hun tershe ca l ls herse lf, for certa in departmen ts of z oo l ogy were includedin her purview . On these she ins ists but l i t t le in her narra t ive ,though she made a number of discoveries of crea tures h i thertounknown . Her Ch ief in terest Obvious l y is, l ike ours in thesepages, w i th the human be ings whom she found abou t the Ogoweand the Rembwe . Her adven tures are told in the mos t amus ingway, and for the mere fun of the te l l ing are we l l worth perusa l .They exci te perpe tua l as ton ishmen t a t the difficu l t ie s she successfu l l y encoun tered, the dangers Of every k ind she dared
,the coo l
ness and the good humour by means of wh ich her safe ty wassecured aga in and aga in . She was not con ten t w i th s tudying theideas of the Negroes and Ban tus where they had come in to con tac tw i th wh i te men ,
and been con tam ina ted by Aryan concep t ions .
She ven tured, escorted on l y by ha lf-clad savages, among the
cann iba l Fans, there to prosecu te her inqu ir ies and a very h ighpremium any pruden t Life Insurance Office wou l d have demandedfor a pol icy covering the r isk of her safe re turn from tha t journey .
Happ i l y, not on l y for her own sake , but for tha t of sc ience , shehas re turned and recorded the resu l ts of her Observa t ions , thereand e lsewhere
,In chap ters wh ich have a h igh va lue as tha t of a
first—hand Observer.
These Chap ters, though somewha t discurs ive,
are fu l l Of
acu te suggest ion as we l l as accura te descr ip t ion . M iss K ingsley ’s repea ted cau t ions to the an thropo l og ica l s tuden t as tothe recep t ion and in terpre ta t ion of evidence , the pa t ience ,the ingenu i ty, the tenac i ty o f purpose , the Open-m indednessrequ ired, and her warn ings, none too empha t ic, tha t no
master-key w i l l Open all l ocks, are of a kind tha t ingen ioustheorists too often forge t ; though her own exp lana t ions oftenleave some th ing to be des ired . We w i l l take just one i l lustrat ion and we se lec t i t because we are qu i te sure tha t she w i l l notrejec t any h in t of th ings tha t require to be cleared up by further
M 2
1 64 R eviews .
inves t iga t ion . Speaking of the law Of inheri tance by wh ich the
es ta te of a deceased passes to his bro thers by the same mo ther,and of the difli cul ty experienced by h is w idows and ch i l dren inOb ta in ing any share , she refers to the uncerta in ty ofma le paren tageas a possible reason for the law .
“ Neverthe less,
”she goes on
,
“ th is is one of the obvious and easy exp lana t ions for th ings i t iswe l l to exercise grea t care before accep t ing, for you must a lwaysremember tha t the Afr ican ’
s m ind does not run on iden t ica l l inesw i th the European— wha t may be se lf-eviden t to you is not so tohim
, and vice versa . I have frequen t l y heard African me taphy
sicians comp la in tha t wh i te men make grea t jumps in the ir though tcourse
,and do not fol low an idea s tep by s tep . You soon become
conscious of the carefu l way a Negro fol lows h is idea . But
so grea t fa i th have I in the lack Of inven t ive power in the African ,tha t I fee l sure a ll the ir cus toms
,had we the ma ter ia l tha t has
s l ipped down in to the grea t swamp of t ime,cou l d be traced back
e i ther,as I have sa id
,to some na tura l phenomenon
,or to the
th ing be ing advisable for reasons of u t i l i ty . The uncerta in ty inthe paren tage of offspring may seem to be such a u t i l i tar ian underl y ing pr inciple, but, on the o ther hand, i t does not sufficien t l yexp la in the var ied forms of the law of inheri tance , for in some
tribes the e l des t or mos t influen t ia l son does succeed to his fa ther’swea l th in o ther places you have the pecu l iar custom of the ch iefs lave inheri t ing. I th ink
,from these th ings, tha t the underl y ing
i dea in inheri tance of property is the des ire to keep the wea l th of‘the house , ’ i .e. , esta te , toge ther, and if i t were a l lowed to pass
in to the hands of weak people , l ike women and young ch i l dren ,th is wou l d not be done .
”
Here the cau t ion and the grasp of men tal condi t ions are
exce l len t, show ing tha t if M iss K ings ley has not yet fa thomed a ll
the dep ths of Afri can inst i tu t ions , a t least she i s in a fa ir way todo so. But i t is Obvious tha t the explana t ion she Offers does notfu lfi l all the condi t ions . The law, as she s ta tes i t, is tha t theinher i tance passes to the bro ther [or bro thers ? ] of the deceasedby the same mother . Th is lim i ta t ion wou l d be unnecessary if theobjec t were s imply “ to keep the wea l th of the house toge ther.
”
I t poin ts ra ther to the ex istence of a ru le of reckon ing kinsh ipon l y through fema les . The r igh ts of the “
uncle ”among the
Fans po in t in the same direct ion . The fac t wou l d seem to betha t we have two
,if not three , sys tems of kinsh ip in confl ict .
I 66 R eviews .
My ths a nd Songs of the South P acific, p . 40 , wh ich are here clo thedw i th l ife . W i th the except ion of four stories from o ther is lands ,taken from G i l l and Turner, she cla ims to have col lected the
con ten ts of the book from the Maoris, among whom she has
trave l led . We see no reason to doub t the cla im but if we are tojudge by Wh i te ’s Ancient History of theMaor i , the mos t au thent iccol lect ion of Maor i ta les, i t is obvious tha t the s tories are not
g iven precise l y as they were received. Th is , of course , was imposs ib le in a work mean t to interest ch i ldren . But wh i le we may
adm i t tha t she has in the ma in adhered “ to the true spiri t of theta les themse lves
,
”her endeavour “ to give them the form
,ex
press ion ,and speech charac teris t ic of the coun try and clever
na t ive race ”has hardly been so successfu l . They have , in fact ,
been passed through the m ind Of a pract ised wr i ter be l ong ing toa to ta l l y differen t c ivi l isa t ion , and have issued g l orified w i thdescriptions of scenery and drama t ic touches foreign to na t iveideas. Inciden ta l l y
,however, the change of form presen ts the
advan tage of accoun ts of cus toms and superst i t ions, l ike for
example , those con ta ined in the ta le of “ Ra ta ’s Revenge , of
wh ich the varian ts in G i l l,Grey
,and Wh i te are qu i te dest i tute .
On the o ther hand, these varian ts do suggest a process Of se lec t ionand piecing toge ther of the mos t p i cturesque and effect ive ihcidents never con temp la ted by the na t ive te l lers ; and th is may
have rendered her reproduc t ions often w ide l y d ifferen t from the
narra t ives on wh ich they are founded . I t is much to be regre t ted ,from a scien t ific poin t of view, tha t the au thoress has not beenexp l ic i t on the subject . I t wou l d have been easy to g ive in the
no tes the names and part icu lars of the na tives from whom she
heard the stor ies,and a short ana l ys is of the varian ts she has com.
bined. Even the references to such we l l-known wri ters as men
t ioned above are usua l l y imperfect,and some t imes incorrec t .
The book was in tended to have some va lue beyond tha t ofamusing ch i ldren , or why incumber i t w i th no tes ? If i t wasworth wh i le to do so, the no tes ough t to have been fu l l andcorrect .Mr. Atkinson ’
s i l lus tra t ions are spiri ted and genera l l y beau t ifu l .They have, moreover, the va lue of be ing drawn from studies of
na t ives and na t ive surroundings” made on the spo t .
R eviews . 1 67
DEMETER UND BAUBO : VERSUCH E INER THEOR IE DER ENT
STEHUNG UNSREs ACKERBAUS , von ED . HAHN , Ber l in .
Liibeck, Max Schmid t, N .D .
THE importance of this l i t tle book mus t not be measured by itssiz e . I t i s a more comp le te working ou t of a theory broached inone of the la ter chapters of the au thor’s previous book on Domest i cAn ima ls (D ie H a ustiere, 1 89 and a pre l im inary study for an
e labora te work on cu l t iva ted plan ts . The phrase Our T i l lage(unser Ackerba u) is used in a spec ia l sense , asmean ing the cu l t ivat ion of whea t and o ther gra in by means of p l ough ing, in con tradist inc t ion to o ther me thods of husbandry , and part icu lar l y to tha tof m i l le t, wh ich is performed by the aid of the hoe , and is, as the
au thor con tends, much Older. He comba ts the extan t theory ofthe three stages of cu l ture, according to wh ich men rose from the
s tage Of hun t ing, through pastora l l ife , to husbandry , and argues
tha t the pastora l s tage cou l d not have preceded tha t of husbandry ,s ince the pastora l stage is confined to l im i ted spaces of the earth ’ssurface , the pastora l peop les are large l y dependen t upon the iragr icu l tura l and se t t led ne ighbours for food, wh ich they Ob ta in bytrade , and agricu l ture was known and a t ta ined cons iderable development over immense areas, no tably in Ameri ca and Africa
,
where the pastora l stage had never been reached, or,if i t had
been reached, where wha t is usua l l y regarded a s the ma ins tay ofpastora l peop les, m i lk, had never been made use of. M i lk
,
moreover, as human food,must have been the product of l ong
age s of cu l ture , because w i l d an ima ls in cap t ivi ty do not readi lyproduce and rear Offspr ing , and i t is not na tura l to them toyie l d the ir m i lk, save as food for the ir young . In the au thor’sView Our T i l lage was rendered poss ib le by the domest i ca t ion of
k ine , wh ich were first of all used for draugh t and tra ined to theplough , l ong before they were m i lked . He then inqu ires why i tis tha t the ox, and ne i ther the cow nor the steer, is , and a lwayshas been ,
used for plough ing. He argues tha t plough ing was a
ceremony performed w i th sacred ri tes, and tha t the an imal emp l oyed was consecra ted to the de i ty (probably a goddess) of
fert i l i ty, whom he iden t ifies w i th the moon . And he connec ts itscondi tion w i th tha t of the pr iests of Cybe le and o ther archaiccu l ts, and through them w i th a varie ty of l icen t ious prac tices
1 68 R evi ews .
observed e i ther direc t ly in re la t ion to agr icu l ture or in honour ofagr icu l tura l d ivin i t ies .
We regre t tha t we have no space for more than th is meagre
ou t l ine of an argumen t conducted with much ski l l,and, in its
ma in l ines, w i th success . I t is we l l worth the close a t ten t ion Of
all who are in terested in the problems offered by the long and
st i l l Obscure h istory of civi l isa t ion . The book is not in the marke t ;but the au thor
,who pu ts forward his argumen t a t presen t in a
ten ta t ive form,is anx ious for cr i t icism and assistance by fe l low
workers, and he w i l l be g lad to commun ica te w i th any suchwho w i l l address him through Mr. Max Schmid t, bookse l ler, ofLiibeck .
OR IG INES JUDAICtE. AN INQU IRY INTO HEATHEN FAITHS AS
AFFECT ING THE B IRTH AND GROWTH OF JUDA ISM . By
W . F. COBB . London : A. D . Innes 8: Co .
,1 8 95.
DR . COBB’S ma in thes is is s ta ted in the fourth chap ter, wh ichdea ls w i th the evolu tion of the rel ig ious idea . He cla ims tha tthe be l ief l y ing a t the base of the hea then re l ig ions known to us
is not fe t ish ism ,nor mono the ism, bu t menothe ism . Menotheism
he exp la ins as “ tha t be l ief wh ich sees One E terna l Sp iri t dwe l l ingbeh ind phenomena and man ifest ing H imse lf through them . I tdiffers from Fe t ish ism as the un iversa l d iffers from the part icu larit differs from Poly the i sm as un i ty differs from mu l te i ty ; i tdiffers from Heno the ism in tha t i t excludes the existence of
any po ten tia l r iva ls ; i t differs from Mono theism because i thas not the marks of clear-cu t persona l i ty and transcenden ta lexistence wh ich are deno ted by the h igher term ; and, last l y,it differs from Pan theism because i t does not blur the divid ingl ine be tween the persona l i ty of the God tha t is worsh ippedand tha t of h is worsh ipper
,as Pan the ism necessari l y does
(p . He has no difficu l ty in wha t he descr ibes as“the
bold s tep of summar i l y reject ing the doctrine wh ich has becomeso popu lar la te l y in Eng land under the teach ing especia l l y of
Max Miiller.
”The s tep is not in fact so bold as Dr. Cobb seems
to th ink s ince the doc trine in quest ion,founded exclus ive l y on the
cons idera t ion of Aryan ph i lo l ogy and Aryan tradi t ions and l i te rature , has been comp le te l y r iddled byMr . Andrew Lang
’s cri t ic isms,
and is now genera l l y abandoned as un tenable . Dr. Cobb d is
1 7 0 R eviews .
why they worsh ipped thean ima l , wh ich the instances he gives donot at all expla in . The case of the serpen t is a very difficu l t one .
Dr. Cobb’s discussion of it, occupying chap ters vi i . and vi i i . , isinstruc tive ; and his remarks on the mora l i ty of the worsh ip are
characterised by broad-m inded chari ty and ins igh t in to archa icsoc ial condi t ions . Yet a fter all we are by no means sure tha t thewri ters whose view he accepts have pene tra ted to the heart of themys tery .
One of the most va luable chap ters is the final one on some
Ornamen ts of the Church of the Jews . I t is abundan t l y c leartha t, wh i le Hebrew inst i tu t ions and r i tua l bear w i tness to some
Egyp t ian influence , the ir ch ief affin i t ies are to be sough t for inSyr ia and Cha l dea . Nor indeed is i t o therw ise than aston i sh ing ,if the accoun t of the sojourn in Egypt and the Exodus be true ,how l i t t le Egypt ian cu l ture affec ted the I srae l i tes, especia l l y ifthe ir leader and lawg iver were rea l l y “ learned in all the w isdomof the Egyp t ians .
” We are bound to infer tha t the na t iona l tradit ions on the subjec t requ ire st i l l more carefu l s ift ing than theyhave h i therto rece ived and the difficul t ies a t tending everya t tempted iden t ifica t ion of
“the Pharaoh of the Exodus render
a further suspense Of judgemen t incumben t upon all who des ireh is tor ic truth . To Dr. Cobb, who, wh i le ma in ta in ing his theolog ica l orthodoxy, frankly accep ts (as every unprejudiced personmust) the genera l resu l ts of wha t is ca l led
“the H igher Crit ic ism,
”
th is a t t i tude should not be imposs ible .
The theologica l aspec ts of the book are not for discuss ion here .
From a scien t ific standpoin t i t i s a ser i ous con tribu t ion to an
inqu iry of profound and perenn ia l in terest . I t con ta ins candidand acu te cri t ic ism tha t w i l l be he lpful to studen ts of the h is toryof re l ig ion . Whe ther the theory of menotheism as the founda t ionof hea then re l ig ions — a t leas t, of the hea then re l ig ions wh ichinfluenced Juda ism— be proved , i s ano ther ques t ion . I t involve sassump t ions as to the progress of though t for wh ich we confess wecanno t find suffic ien t warran t . But such theor ies, even if they donot u l t ima te l y commend themse lves to the sc ien t ific judgemen t,ma teria l l y subserve the cause of tru th by ca l l ing a t ten t ion topossible in terpre ta t ions of the fac ts, l iable e lse to be overlooked
,
and by thus enabl ing us to clarify our i deas. However we mayexp la in i t , the author is probably righ t when he argues tha t in the
days of Hez ekiah the Hebrews were in a stage of advanced poly
R eviews . 1 7 I
theism and sufficien t l y cu l tiva ted to have adopted a syncre t ismwh ich u l tima te l y issued in monothe ism .
Dr. Cobb has wri t ten a courageous and sugges tive book, and ifin some poin ts he seem needless l y conserva t ive, his earnest judie la l spir i t w i l l commend itse lf to a ll who are jealous for the
honour of Eng lish scholarship .
HEBREW IDOLATRY AND SUPERST IT ION : ITS PLACE IN FOLKLORE . By ELFORD HIGG INS . Cheap Edi t ion . LondonE l l io t S tock, 1 895.
TH IS l i t t le book is an adap ta t ion to Hebrew I dola try and Superstition ofMr. Gomme ’s argumen t in E thnology in Folklore. I t isingen ious and in terest ing, but labours under the defect of ignor ingthe resu l ts of cri t ic ism as app l ied to the Old Testamen t .
THE NAT IVES OF SARAWAK AND BR IT ISH NORTH BORNEO,
based ch iefly on the MSS . of the la te HUGH BROOKE LOW,
Sarawak Governmen t Service . By HENRY LING ROTH .
2 vols . London : True l ove and Hanson ,1 896 .
THESE two sp lendid volumes,to wh ich Mr. Andrew Lang con
tribu tes an amus ing and in teres t ing preface , are a monumen t ofa lmos t German pa t ience , industry, and learn ing . They do not
purport to be any th ing but a comp i la t ion . As a comp i la t ion ,
however, they are in mos t part icu lars a mode l . There is no par tof the l ives and be l iefs of the peop les w i th whom he dea ls tha tMr. Ling Ro th does not i l lus tra te , so far as his ma ter ia ls go and
he has ga thered from museums and priva te col lect ions a vas tnumber of figures of the na t ives and the ir product ions wh ich w i l lbe of the grea test use to an thropo l og ica l s tuden ts . In th is way hehas made the book a cyc l opaedia of e thnograph ica l informa t ionon the tribes in ques t ion .
We are incl ined to th ink tha t the arrangemen t m igh t have beenimproved . The tribes are numerous
,and the ir customs vary
cons iderably . I t is somewha t confusing to read a cus tom re la t ing,say, to the disposa l of the dead, and to go on to the nex t paragraph and there read a sta tement whol l y inconsisten t w i th the
former. More careful perusa l d iscloses tha t Mr. Ling Ro th is
1 7 2 R eviews .
dea l ing w i th two different tribes . But the reader wou l d not havebeen thus tripped up had the work been arranged according totribes or distric ts, instead of be ing arranged under the genera lheadings Marriage , D isposa l of the Dead , &c. Mr. Ling Ro th
’
s
difficu lty,’
of course , lay in the care lessness or imperfec t informa t ion of the trave l lers and o thers whose reports he is fol low ingor quo t ing, and who often do not accura te l y specify the tr ibes of
wh i ch they are speaking . He has,no doub t
,adop ted h is divis ion
of chap ters de l ibera te l y, and perhaps i t is the best h is ma ter ia lsperm i t ted . But i t poin ts to a defect in the evidence wh i ch puz z lesand annoys an thropologists in the accoun ts brough t home of
peoples a ll over the wor l d,and wh ich renders those accoun ts too
frequen t l y a hope less muddle .
Unfortuna te l y,va luable as are the reports col lec ted in these
volumes, our trave l lers,adm in is tra tors, and m iss ionaries have
never made a study of any Of the na t ive customs and be l iefs(w i th the doub tfu l excep t i on of Archdeacon Perham’
s art ic les on
the Sea-Dyak Gods,repr in ted here from thejour na l of the S tr a its
Asia tic Society ) equa l to the carefu l studie s of Grabowsky on the
inhabi tan ts of Du tch Borneo . Consequen t l y, in order thorough l yto unders tand the Bornean peop les, we mus t have recourse a lsoto the la t ter source . For examp le , i t is imposs ible from the
fragmen tary accoun ts wh ich Mr. Ling Ro th has been able tobring toge ther to form a connected concep t ion of Dyak ideas ofthe sp ir i t-wor l d . To do th is we mus t turn to Grabowsky
’
s grea tmonograph on
“ Dea th , Bur ia l , the Tiwah or Feas t of the Dead,
and the i deas of the Dyaks on the Otherworl d,” in the secondvolume of the I nterna tiona les Archivfu
'
r E thnographie. But th isis not Mr. Ling Ro th ’s fau l t . I t is due part l y to the decayamong the Bri t ish subjec ts of the ir or ig ina l be l iefs and pract ices,and part l y and s t i l l more to the incomple te characte r of the reports,wh i ch are the on l y ma ter ia l he has had to embody .
Ne i ther pa ins nor expense have been spared in the product ionof these volumes . The number of copies is l imi ted, and theycanno t be reproduced . For the s tudy of a most in terest ing popula t ion undergoing change in all its habi ts and modes of though tby con tac t w i th Ma lays, Ch inese , and Europeans, and hence in a
s tage of grea t importance to the studen t, i t is hard to ove rest ima tethe work done by the compi ler. If h is example induced o therstuden ts to go and do l ikew i se , the ga in to science wou l d be
enormous .
1 74 Cor r espondence .
Opposite side who se iz ed h im, he ran on if not , he threw the ba l laway
,un less i t was wres ted from h im by the o ther party ; but no
person was a l lowed to kick i t . The objec t of the married men
was to hang i t, i .e. to put i t three t imes in to a sma l l ho le in the
moor,the goa l or l im i t, on the one hand ; tha t of the bache l ors
was to drown i t, i .e. to dip i t three t imes in to a deep p lace in the
r ive r,the l im i t of on] the o ther. The party who cou l d effec t
e i ther of these objects won the game . Bu t if ne i ther party won ,
the ba l l was cu t in to equa l parts a t sunse t . In the course of
the p lay, one m igh t a lways see some scene of violence be tweenthe part ies ; bu t , as the proverb of tha t part of the coun tryexpresses i t, ‘Al l was fa ir a t the Ba l l of Scone .
’ Th is cus tomis supposed to have had its orig in in the days of ch iva lry . An
I ta l ian ,i t is sa id
,came in to tha t part of the coun try cha l
leng ing al l the par ishes, under a certa in pena l ty in case of de
clin ing his cha l lenge . Al l the pa rishes decl ined the cha l lengeexcep t Scone , wh ich bea t the fore igner, and in commemora t ion of
th is ga l lan t act ion the game was inst i tu ted . Wh i ls t the customcon tinued, every man in the parish , the gen try not excep ted, wasobl iged to turn ou t and support the s ide to wh ich he be longed ,and the person who neg lected to do his part on tha t occasion was
fined .
Ba l l-p lay, as we learn from the Sagas, was a favouri te recrea t ionw i th the ancien t Scandinavians . The game is referred to, for
instance , in the Egil S aga (Green’
s Trans la t ion , p . In a
no te on page 20 2 the edi tor remarks : “Some poin ts the game
has l ike Rugby foo tba l l , some l ike hockey perhaps ; Dasen t pro
nounces i t ‘some th ing be tween hockey and In the
Ca lendars of P apa l Register s r ela ting to Gr ea t B r ita in a nd I r ela nd
(P apa l Letter s ) , vol . ii. , p . 2 1 4 , there is an a l lusi on to a Churchman playing foo tba l l . Th is was in the year 1 3 2 1 . The le t ter isaddressed from Avignon by Pope John XX I I . to Wi l l iam de
Spa l ding, canon of Sculdham, of the order of Sempingham, and
con ta ins the fol low ing passage :“During a game at ba l l (ad
p ilam) , as he kicked the ba l l (cumpede) , a lay friend of h is, a lsoca l led W i l l iam,
ran aga ins t him and wounded h imse lf on a
shea thed kn ife carried by the canon , so severe l y tha t he diedw i th in six days .
In an art ic le on“ Some Ancien t We lsh Customs and Furni
ture ,” in Archa eologia Cambrensis for 1 8 72 (p . we get some
Cor respondence . 1 75
part icu lars regarding churchyard games in the Principa l i ty . The
w riter,Mr. E . L. Barnwe l l
,says : “
Old people can rememberwh en the c lergyman gave not ice tha t the game must cease bypu t t ing the ba l l in to h is pocke t, and marched his young friendsin to church . Th is was part icu larl y the case on the festiva ls of theChurch , and is sa i d to have genera l l y commenced on EasterEve .
”
The connec tion be tween amusemen ts and Church festivals isfurther indica ted in the course of the same art ic le (p . in the
fol lowing passage“ There was formerly in Pembrokeshire, and part icu larl y in the
hundred of Cemmaes,a custom of p laying the game of cnapa n ,
genera l l y five t imes in the year, viz . Shrove Tuesday, EasterMonday, Low Easter Day, Ascens ion and Corpus Christ i Days,be tween two r iva l parishes or dis tric ts . The comba tan ts wereclo thed on l y w i th a pa ir of drawers or l igh t trousers, as o therw isein the strugg le the ir c lo thes wou l d be torn to rags. They werealso barefooted . The game was a kind of foo tba l l
,wh ich who
ever cou l d get hold had to keep possess ion of i t and run off
with it to a‘certa in distance . Some t imes two thousand men
joined in the game, and grea t violence was used .
“ The game of soule, former l y played in Bri t tany , was iden t ica lwith th is, excep t tha t horsemen did not join in the game as in
Pembrokesh ire . On accoun t , however, of the feroci ty disp layed,and the l ives lost among the Bre tons, the Governmen t of the dayput a stop to it, and i t has never s ince been perm i t ted .
The iden tity of th is We lsh game of cnapan and the Bre tonsou le is remarkable , for there are apparen tly 3
no traces of i t ino ther parts of France or in Eng land . Nor is there any evidencethat it was in existence in the northern coun t ies ofWa les . I t hadgrown out of use inWa les in the t ime of E l izabe th , but con t inuedvery much la ter on the o ther s ide of the channe l .”
The re la t ion be tween games and holy-days undoub tedly deservesmore a t ten t ion than it has ye t received .
J . M . MACK INLAY, E.S .A. (Lond . and
1 7 6 Cor r espondence .
TOMMY ON THE TUB ’S GRAVE .
(Vols. Vi . , p . 1 96 ; vii. , p .
Is i t genera l l y known tha t “ Tommy on the Tub means a
pol iceman”in the phraseology of our suburban vagran ts ? I
suppose“ Tommy ” ! Man (?in un iform) and
“Tub” “ Tober
road.
W. P . M .
FOLKLORE F IRSTFRU ITS FROM LESBOS .
(Vol . vii. , p .
I am sorry tha t the fol low ing m istakes escaped me
Page 1 46 , l ine 7 from bo t tom,for N ew Yea r
’
s D ay read S t .
f ohn’s D ay .
Page 1 55, l ine 2 2,for sku l ls read sacks .
Page 1 55, l ine 23 , e tc.,for K a r akiz read K a r a If iz (black g irl ) .
W. H . D . ROUSE .
WATER IN MARR IAGE CUSTOMS .
(Vol . vi i i . , p .
Among the fe l lah in Of Pa lest ine,to-day, a jug of wa ter is p laced
on the bride ’s head before she en ters her husband ’s door. As she
passes across the threshold i t i s struck off by the br idegroom,
thrown down ,and broken . Th is is exp la ined as a s ign of com
plete subm iss ion to her husband . (P a l . E x . F und Q ua r ter lyS ta tement, Apri l ,Now read the old Peruvian s torm-my th poem
,as i t is ca l led by
Dr. Brinton ,trans la ted as fol lows
Fa ir Princess,Thy urn
Thy broth erShatters.
At the b low,I t thunders,Ligh tens,F lashes.
But thou , Princess ,Ra inest down
Thy wa ters.
At the same timeHa ilest,
Snowest .
World-former,
Wor ld-qu ickener,Viracocha ,
To th is officeThee has destined
,
Consecrated.
1 78 Cor r espondence .
sacr ifice , does not concern the poin t to wh ich I desire to drawa t ten t ion .
The taboo on cut t ing the beam indica tes i ts sanc t i ty,and the
inciden t rem inds one of a Scandinavian custom . When Ingolf,the Norse Ch iefta in who firs t colon ised Ice land
, se t sa i l , he tookw i th him the two sacred wooden columns which had s tood on
e i ther S ide of his h igh sea t in his old home . On approach ing theshore of I ce land he th rew these columns in to the sea , and the
place where they were washed ashore was the s i te superna tura l l ymarked out for his fu ture abode . Th is was a t Reykjavik, afterwards the ch ief town of
“
the is land . The custom was fol lowed byo ther co lon is ts. In the legend of Barn Ha l l , I th ink, a rem iniscence of i t canno t be m istaken . IS there any para l le l inciden tin Br i t ish tradit i on ?I be l ieve i t w i l l genera l l y be found tha t there is some substra
tum of fac t in legends of the change of s i te of a bu i l ding , especially where , as in the case of Barn Ha l l , a defin i te spo t is poin tedout as the s i te or ig ina l l y in tended . Cou l d we have an excava t ionmade on the orig ina l s i te , tha t substra tum of fac t m igh t be revea led,as in the remarkable instance of B is ley Church (GloucestershireCoun ty Folklore, p . At all even ts, I wan t to ca l l the a t tent ion of s tuden ts of folklore and archaeolog ists to the poin t, w i th a
View to loca l invest iga tions where the legend occurs.
E . S IDNEY HARTLAND .
MI S CELLANEA .
FOLK-MED ICINE IN COUNTY CORK .
Whoop ing (or Chin) Cough — If you see a man r iding by on a
wh i te or pieba l d horse,any thing he te l ls you to do w i ll effect a
cure .
You say, Wisha,man on the wh i te (or pieba l d) horse , for
God’s sake , do you know any cure for the ch in cough ?”
He :“ Faith then , I don ’t know of any cure , un less to take the
ch i le fastin’ to the four cross-roads and g ive him h is feedin
’
there for four mornings runn ing”
(i .e. fol low ing) .Th is was tried on a ch i l d who had had a “ doctor’s bo t tle, wh ich
fa i led to cure hence the charm,wh ich proved most efficacious
a fact vouched for by persons who know the mo ther. She l ives inLower Dripsey . Da te of cure
,June
,1 896 .
Another .— A “ B oo
”in a bottle — Ca tch a blue-bo t tle fly, put it
in a corked bo t t le , and as the fly ge ts weaker and dies off, so
wi l l the cough take its departure . Vouched for and seen by myinforman t .Another .
—The Gossip,t.e. the godfather of the child, with
out being told by any one of the ch ild’s people , but by his ownvile insp ira t ion ,
must stea l , i .e. cut Off,the ear of his ne ighbour
’
s
l iving goa t close to the head, make a hole in it w i th a fork, and passa String through it ; this is t ied round the ch i l d’s neck, and ismean t to be sucked by the ch i ld .
Th is was tr ied on HanTwoomey, MaryL.
’S facto tum,
abou t thirtyyears ago. She told me abou t i t, and her cous in , w ife of our
ploughman,remembers we l l see ing this loa thsome Objec t round
the ch i l d’s neck for about three mon ths . Tru l y the na t ive I rishare savages.
Another - Get a mare donkey in m i lk, and have a person standing on each side of the an ima l . One passes the ch i l d under the bodyof the donkey to the o ther, who re turns i t over the back. Do thisnine t imes for three mornings fasting .
N 2
1 80 Miscel la nea .
Th is was tried w i th a fema le donkey of C . L.
’S on two of her
labourer’s ch i l dren, who are grown man and woman now, and the
donkey is a l ive and kicking.
Another .— Find a married coup le , who are firs t cous ins if one
g ives the ch i l d sol id food and the o ther l iqu id, in the name of the
Tr in i ty,for three morn ings fasting, the ch i l d w i l l recover qu ickly .
Cha rmfor Ap tha or Thr ush . (This disease is very common w ith
childr en . )— Get a gander and make him brea the or h iss in to thech i l d’s mouth or if th is canno t be done , ge t a person born afterh is or her fa ther’s dea th , and he or she mus t blow down the
ch i l d’s throa t for four morn ings fast ing, in the name of the
Trin i ty .
A garden boy we had here earned many sh i l l ings by blow ingin to the mou ths of ch i l dren .
KATE LAWLESS PYNE .
The Cottage, Coachford, Co. Cork.
A BUR IAL SUPERST IT ION IN COUNTY CORK .
When two corpses come to the same graveyard the same day,
the las t to en ter w i l l be employed draw ing wa ter to we t the l ips ofall the sou ls in Purga tory . Two persons were to be bur ied a t
Sou th K i lmurry the same day, and the re la t ives of one de term inedto be first . So they locked the ga te and gave the key to the
sexton wi th orders to le t no one in . The two funera l s arrivedtoge ther, each try ing to be first, but the ga te was l ocked . The
first tried to put the ir coffin over the di tch , but number twostruck them,
so they put down the ir coffin and wen t in search of
the key. The momen t the ir backs were turned the o thers threwthe ir own coffin fee t firs t over the wa l l , thus securing the entreé tothe churchyard
,and leaving the o thers to ge t in as bes t they
cou l d . They gave a w i l d cheer as they got in , the first in t imat i on the ir r iva ls had of wha t happened . (Told to me by one
p resen t a t funera l . )KATE LAWLESS PYNE .
I 82 Miscel la nea .
h is brothers to leave the carcase of his dear beas t for him. He
then pu l led Off the skin and turned i t into a h ide, and pu t t ing i ton his shou lders s tarted for a ne ighbour ing marke t-town to se l li t . On his way he was caugh t in the ra in
, and the h ide becamedripping wet . At leng th he reached a sort of cave
, and, fee l ingt ired, put the h ide at the mou th of i t . Ins ide the cave wererobbers who had come there to divide the ir booty . The h idewas we t, and when he put it at the mou th of the cave i t made a
noise and darkened the cave . The robbers though t they hadbeen found out , and ran away, leaving the boo ty to the luckyman . En tering the cave , he found gold and s ilver and preciouss tones . At once he put them all in to a bundle , and, leaving theh ide there , took his way home w i th his new l y-ga ined riches .
Now he was a rich man,and his bro thers were very jea l ous of
him . One day they wen t to h im , and asked him wha t he had
done wi th the h ide . He told them tha t he had so ld i t at a veryh igh price to a man who l ived in the Brahmans
’ quarter in a
ne ighbouring town . They ran home at once and ki l led the irbuffa l oes, and, carrying the ir h ides on the ir shou l ders
,wen t to
se l l them in the Brahmans’ quarter the ir bro ther had poin ted
out . Arriving there they ca l led out l oudly : “ Buffa l o—h ides forsa le ! ” Grea t was the surprise of the Brahmans on hear ing suchwords, and com ing out of the ir houses they gave them a soundbea t ing for bring ing such unclean th ings near the ir houses . Theywere very angry w i th the ir bro ther, and hurri ed back as fas t asthey cou l d, and going stra igh t to his house set fire to i t . The
house was soon reduced to ashes, but the bro ther escaped w i thh is l ife . He col lected the ashes in a bag, and pu t t ing the bag
on his head made his way to a ne ighbouring town . He wen t tothe pa lace of the Raja , and after exchang ing gree t ings w i th the
porter a t the ga te , sa id to h im :“ I have brough t j ewe ls and o ther
va luable presen ts from our Raja to your Raja please l ook afterthe bag, I am going out to wash , and sha l l come back very soon .
But pray, a l l ow no one to touch the bag in my absence , or theva luables w i l l turn in to ashes.
” Having sa id th is, he wen t away,and a fter s trol l ing abou t for some t ime came back and openedthe bag. He had scarce l y ha lf-opened i t when he began to cry“ I am ruined , I am ruined . I told you beforehand tha t if anybody touched i t in my absence i t wou l d turn in to ashes
,and so
it has happened. Now wha t sha l l I do ? I have l ost thousands
Mi scel la nea . 1 83
of rupees’ worth ; somebody must repay me . A crowd soon
ga thered on the Spo t, but the man wou l d not l isten to any one ;
and as the crowd increased his cries became more p i teous, andw i th sobs he told the mu l t i tude how he had been ru ined . Atleng th the affa ir reached the ears of the Raja
,who was very kind
hearted and generous . He ordered the whole amoun t to be pa idto the man . He qu ickly pu t the money in the bag, and throw ingit on his shou l ders hastened home . The bro thers heard of his
wea l th , and came to ask him how he got it . I sold the bag of
ashes,”sa id he , “ to a merchan t who dea ls in flour. He s tood
in grea t need of ashes, as he adu l tera tes his flour w i th ashes,
and thus makes a grea t profi t .” Hardly had he u t tered these
words before his bro thers ran home and set the ir houses on
fire . They then ga thered the ashes, put them in bags, and eachone carry ing a bag on his shou l ders wen t to the ne ighbouringmarke t . At a grocer
’
s shop they opened the bags and beganto pour out the con ten ts in to the heaps of flour exposed for sa le .
When the grocer saw i t he was very angry , and cried :“ Why,
fools ! wha t are you do ing ?” “ We are m ixing ashes w i th your
flour,” sa id they . Whereupon the grocer got up and,rush ing upon
them,kicked them out of his shop . They were now fu l l of wra th
aga ins t the ir bro ther, and de term ined to put an end to his l ife .
Hurry ing to his house , they caugh t hold of h im and Shu t h im up
in a sack . They put the sack on the ir shou l ders and carried i t tothe Ganges . When they reached the m iddle of the stream theythrew the sack down in to the r iver. By the man
’s good luck the
sack floa ted ashore and rested aga inst a bridge by the publ ic way.
A banker’s son moun ted on a good horse was going home with a
bag fu l l of jewe ls and gold and s i lver coins. When he approachedthe sack he heard a voice, saying :
“ Oh I enjoy the s igh t of thethree wor l ds .
”The banker’s son advancing nearer, said : “ My
fr iend , can I enjoy the s igh t too ?” “ Yes,
”sa i d the voice .
How ?” asked the banker’s son . If you on l y come here ,”was
the reply The banker’s son opened the mou th of the sack and
the man came out . Go in to the sack ,” sa id he to the banker’sson , and when he had got in he c losed up its mou th . He thenmoun ted the horse and ga l l oped home w i th his treasur
.
e . The
bro thers were amaz ed to see h im,and asked h im where he got the
horse .
“ Our paren ts,”sa id he , “
gave me the horse ; they l iveinside the Ganges . They love you much more than me because
1 84 Miscel la nea .
you are the ir e l der ch i ldren,and wou l d g ive you immense riches if
you were to see them .
” How can we see them ? ” asked they .
“ I t is very easy ,” said he .
“ I w i l l be your gu ide . Take a dog w i thy ou and let h im go in to the Ganges in fron t of you ; fol low the
dog to the spo t he leads you to and you w i l l see our paren ts .
”
They a ll left the house taking the ir dog w i th them . When theyreached the bridge the youngest brother poin ted out to them w i thh is hand the spo t where he sa id he met h is paren ts . Firs t thedog wen t in to the stream and then the seven bro thers . The
youngest remained on the bank . The dog con t inued moving hislegs all the wh i le he was swimm ing, and the brothers fol lowed h imt i l l they were drowned .
[Th is part icu lar form of the story is not very common , but i tis found in Wa les and I re land . See Jacobs
, Celtic Fa iry Ta les,
pp . 47 , 247 ; Folklore, vol . i i i . p . 1 26 .
— ED .]
PLOUGH MONDAY .
The fol lowing accoun t of Plough Monday at Wi tchford, in theI s le of Ely, was wri t ten down by a young woman who came fromtha t ne ighbourhood, and sen t to Mr . J . G . Fraz er, by whom i t iskindly forwarded
In the vi l lage ofWitchford, s i tua ted in the I s le of Ely, in the
even ing on the second Monday of January, severa l young men
form a party . They go toge ther and get some one to lend them a
p l ough and some wh ips and then they get some straw and pu t onthe ir backs ; and then they black the ir faces, and one of themdresses up as an old woman and then two of them draw the ploughand one takes hol d of the handles, and two of them have broomsw i th them and two of them are cadgers, and the res t of them havewh ips and go crack ing a t the peop les
’ doors and keep ca l l ing out
‘Whoa Whoa and when the peop le come ou t to l ook a t themthey all se t to and have a dance and then ask you for money, andif you do not give them any they pu l l up your scraper . Tha t ishow they go on un t i l they have been a ll over the vi l lage , and
then they all go to some one ’s house and spend the money they
get g iven to them . They have bread and cheese and beer and
s ing ing songs all the rest Of the even ing ; and tha t is how theyend the even ing on Plough Monday .
”
1 86 Miscel la nea .
the ch i l d three t imes from the head to the fee t . The s tring iswound around the h inge of a door or ga te , and as the str ing isworn away the ch i l d is restored to hea l th . Mrs . Harper put thestring on a wooden h inge . These were much used a t tha t t imeon ga tes and barn doors . I presume an iron h inge wou l danswer the same purpose .
Mr s . john W'
iseman’s Cure f or the Thrush (Sor e Month) .
Three straws were ob ta ined from the barnyard, wh ich were brokenor cut in to equa l lengths of abou t three inches. These were boundtoge ther in the m iddle w i th a s tring . The bundle thus formedwas then passed be tween the l ips of the affl icted ch i l d three t imesfrom righ t to left . The bundle of straws was then buried in the
manure pile in the barnyard, where it rema ined un t i l the next‘trying, ’ as it was cal led . In severe cases the opera t ion , w i ththe same bundle of straws, was repea ted three t imes at in terva l sof ha lf an hour. Th i s whole process w i th the same s traws wasrepea ted in twe lve hours, and aga in in twenty-four hours, makingin a ll n ine ‘tryings.
’ Th is wou l d suffice for the mos t obst ina tecases . In modera te cases there wou l d be three tryings
’at ih
t erva ls of twe lve hours . Whe ther in the var ious resurrect ions Of
the bundle of s traws there was any cleansing I do not know, but Ipresume not .
“ Sa l l ie Jackson ,my s ister
’s oldest ch il d, when an infan t
,was so
badly affl ic ted w i th Thrush tha t blood ooz ed from her mou thwhenever she opened i t . Mrs . Wiseman Opera ted on her. On
the first‘try ing ’ blood flowed from her mou th in a stream,on
the second‘trying ,’ in ha lf an hour, a very l i t t le blood was seen ,
and on the th ird there was no blood . My s is ter was directed tore turn the fol lowing morn ing (twe lve hours la ter) , but when morn ingcame she found the ch i l d’s mou th en t ire l y we l l ! There was no
further treatmen t , and no more Thrush .
Mrs. W iseman trea ted aMrs. Aumen trout, of Thornvi l le , Oh io,to whose breasts the disease had been commun ica ted by her ch i l d .
They were in such condi t ion tha t the doctors had decided toremove them to save her l ife . The trea tmen t was the same as
for the Ch i ld, passing the straws over her breasts as they werepassed through the l ips of the ch i ld . In th is case there werethree tr ia ls, or
‘tryings,
’a t ha lf-hour in terva ls
,wh ich were re
peated in twe lve and in twen ty-four hours . At the last of thesetry ings no s igns of Thrush rema ined .
“When a chi ld, my oldest sister was badly afflicted with
Miscel la nea . I 87
Ph thisic. A shoemaker by the name of Dennis trea ted her for itin the following manner . Measuring her he igh t aga inst the doorcas ing, he bored a hole with an augur at tha t poin t , took a l ockof ha ir from her head
, p laced it in the ho le , and then filled the
hole w i th . a nea t-fitting pin of wood . She never after had the
Ph th is ic . I canno t say whe ther there was any wheez ing abou ttha t door-casing or not afterwards .
To Cure E n largement of the Sp leen— Pass the affl i cted ch ild
from east to west, as the sun goes, around the leg of a chair or atable three times.
To Cure a Wen .— When an en t ire bone is found lying on the
ground (one tha t has not been broken or cut) rub the bone Overthe wen , and then replace it in the same position it was in whenfound.
The la te H . C . Trainor, of Sacramen to C i ty, Cal . , cured wartsby tying three kno ts in a thread over the war t. The thread didnot have to touch the wart, but was he l d in such a way tha t theloop for the kno t was direct l y over the wart un t i l drawn in to a
kno t. The thread was then thrown away, and in a very few daysthe wart wou l d disappear.
“ Wil liam Dugan ,who used to work for my father, had a grea t
repu ta t ion for stopp ing hemorrhages, bu t I know no th ing of the
process. You shou l d be able to learn some th ing of i t from the
Hammonds of Somerse t .”
Then Mr . Poorman says “ I herewith enclose a memorandumexpla ining s ister Ma t t ie ’s me thod for the re l ief of burns. I make i tsepara te, because of the secrecy necessary and the me thod of
commun ica ting it from one to another. I t wi l l not do for a
person to te l l it to one of the same sex. Ma t t ie has g iven it tome , and I give it to you . I think those c la im ing to possess thesepowers hold, among o ther th ings, tha t the power is l ost if theme thod is too Often commun ica ted to O thers.” I have writ tento-day to Mr. Poorman for permiss ion to publ ish the Burn
Remedy .
Mr. Poorman says tha t “on one occasion my bro ther-in-law
had a horse tha t was bleeding profuse l y from a wound , and all
efforts to stanch the blood were unsuccessful . AS a las t hopefor saving the l ife of the horse he ins isted on Ma t t ie ’
s (his w ife)trying her burn remedy . She did so, on l y varying the la t ter partto su i t the case , and they both say the flow of b lood ceasedimmediately.
”
OB I TUAR Y
REV . WALTER GREGOR, M.A ., LL.D .
A DEEP sense of persona l l oss must have been the predom inan tfee l ing of the members of the Socie ty on hear ing of the dea th of
Dr . Gregor. A man of w ide cu l ture and an an t iquary of distinct ion in more than one departmen t, his ch ief in terests lay in dia lec tand folklore . He was the secre tary and one of the founders of
the Sco t t ish Text Socie ty, to wh ich his services for a l ong ser iesof years are hardly to be overest ima ted . His name appears on
the firs t l is t of members of the Folk-Lore Socie ty ; and amongthe earl y publ ica t ions of the Socie ty were h is N otes on the Folk
Lore of the N or th-E a st of Scotla nd . To know th is book is torecogn ise its va lue as a transcrip t of the superstit ions and tradi t ionsof a distr ic t rich in rema ins Of the pas t up to tha t t ime unrecorded .
I ts au thor,however, was by no means con ten t to res t on the
repu ta t ion its publ ica t ion immedia te l y won , for he was an indefa t igable col lector. Frequen t commun ica t ions to the Folk-LoreSocie ty and to the Socié té des Tradi t ions Popu la ires, of wh ich hewas a lso a member, a t tes t h is con t inued industry . On l y two yearsago he volun teered w i th undim in ished energy to undertake sys
tema tic work in Sco t land for the E thnographica l Survey Commit tee: The Comm i t tee a t once gra tefu l l y accep ted his offer, andcomm iss ioned him to Ga l loway . His firs t report on the folkloreof tha t in terest ing district was publ ished by the B ri t ish Associa t ionlast year, and was marked by the accuracy and me thod wh ichcharacter ised all tha t he did . Al though his work in Ga l l oway wascut short wh i le on l y the first-fru i ts had been reaped, he left somefurther no tes ready for publ ica t ion , and, wha t is far more va luable ,an examp le of the manner in wh ich the survey shou l d be con
duc ted— a standard for fu ture inqu irers . He had in fu l les t measure
tha t prime essen t ia l of a successfu l co l lec tor of folklore — a graciousand gen ia l na ture . Al l who came in to con tac t w i th him fe l t hischarm
,and none cou l d he lp y ie l d ing to h is influence .
Dr. Gregor passed away on the 4th February last after a shorti l lness, a t the age of seven ty
,leaving a w idow and a son and
daugh ter . Whenever they die , such men die too soon .
I 90 Bib l iog r aphy .
KETTNER (E ) . Die osterre ich i sche N ibe lungendich tung . Un tersuchungen tiber die Verfasser des Nibelungenliedes. Berl inWe idmann . iv.
, 30 7 pp .
KOHLER Zur Urgesch ich te der Ehe . To temismus, Gruppenehe , Mut terrech t . S tu t tgart : F. Enke . 8vo . 1 67 pp .
MANNHART Zauberglaube und Gehe imw issen im Spiege lder Jahrhunderte . Le ipz ig : Borsdorf.
OESTRUP Con tes de Damas recue i l l is et tradu i ts avec une
in troduct ion e t une esqu isse de Gramma ire . Le iden . 8vo .
PEARSON (KARL) . The Chances of Dea th and o ther S tudies inEvolu t ion . 2 vols. 8vo. Ed . Arnold . [Vol . i i . con ta insthe fol l ow ing art ic les, to wh ich the a t ten t ion of folklorists, especia l l y of s tuden ts of German i c folklore , is ca l led.
A no t ice of them w i l l appear in a forthcom ing number of
Folk-Lor e — Woman asW i tch ; Evidences ofMo ther-R igh tin the Customs of Med iaeva l W i tchcraft . Ashiepattle
or Hans seeks his Luck . K indred Group Marriage : ( 1 )Mo ther-Age C ivi l isa t ion , (2 ) Genera l Words for Sex and
K insh ip, (3) Special .Words for Sex and K insh ip . The
German Pass ion Play : a S tudy in the Evolut ion of
Western Christ ian i ty . Appendix : ( 1 ) The Ma ilehn and
K il tga ng , (2) Eng l ish roth Cen tury Church Plays, (3) Onthe Sex S ign ificance of “ T i l th ,” (4) On Ger icht and
Genossenschaf t . ]F ISCHEL und K . F. GELDNER . Vedische S tudien . Vol . ii.
S tut tgart : Koh lhammer. 334 pp .
P ITRE Bibl ioteca de l le Tradiz i on i Popolari S ic i l iane . Vol .
xx. Indovine l li, Dubbi, Sciogl i l ingua de l Popolo S ic i l iano .
Torino : Clausen . f.8vo . ccix., 469 pp .
ROLLAND Flore Popu laire , ou H isto ire Na ture l le des Plan tesdans leurs Rapports avec la Lingu ist ique e t la Folklore .
Tome i . Paris : Rol land. 1 896 . 8vo . i i i .,2 7 2 pp .
SCHMELTZ (J . D . E ) . Ethnograph ische Musea in M iddenEuropa . Verslag eener S tudiereis 1 9 Mei— 3 1 Ju l i , 1 895.
Le iden : E . J . Br i l l . 1 8 96 . 4 to . xi.,1 09 pp . [A Very in
teresting report to the M in is ter of the In ter ior of a m iss i onof inqu iry in to the arrangemen ts of the e thnograph ica lmuseums of Eng land, France , Germany, Sw i tz erland, and
I ta ly ]
Bib l iog r aphy . 1 9 I
SEAGER (H . Na tura l History in Shakespeare ’s Time be ingExtracts il lus tra tive of the Subject as he knew it . E l l io tS tock. 1 8 96 . 8vo . vi i i . , 358 pp .
S IMPSON (W ) . The Orien ta tion or D irect ion of Temples. Q ua tuorCorona ti Lodge . 8vo . 48 pp . [One of those inves t igat ions in to subjects connec ted with Freemasonry for wh ichthe Q ua tuor Corona t i Lodge was formed . This is not the
firs t con tr ibution Mr. S impson has made to subjects of
in teres t and importance to the s tuden t of folklore . Amongo thers may be men t ioned his cur ious monograph on S ikh
I nitia tion ,as deserving the a t ten t ion of an thropolog ists. The
presen t pamph le t, a copy of wh ich he has kindly presen tedto the Socie ty, con ta ins an accumu la t ion of facts wh ich can
not be passed over in the s tudy of a t least the h igher paganism. Occasiona l l y, however, as mus t happen to everybody,his au thori t ies are not first -hand . The pract ices in con
nection w i th the proclama t ion of a modern E isteddfod are ,
for examp le, very poor evidence “ tha t the eas t and the sun
he l d a h igh importance in Dru id ic ri tes .
” Probably theydid so
,but the evidence must be sough t e lsewhere ]
PER IOD ICALS.
The Contents of P er iodica ls exclusively devoted to Folklor ea r e not noted .
Ant iquary, xxxiii, 3 . M. P eacock, The Horse in re la t ion toWa ter-l ore . G .M. Godden, No tes on some Annua l Customs
of the Abruz z i Peasan try — 4. G . M. Godden , No tes on someAnnua l Customs of the Abruz z i Peasan try . A . W B uckla nd
,
The Jaws of Dea th .
Journal of t he Anthropolog ical Inst itute, xxvi, 3. H . Ha le,
Four Huron Wampum Records : a study of Abor ig inalAmerican H is tory and Mnemonic Symbols. E . B . fi lm
,
The Ha le Series of Huron Wampum Bel ts . R . II . Ma tthews,
The BI‘I rbiing of the Wiradthuri Tribes .
New Review , February . F . B oy le, Con temporary Human Gods .
1 92 Bib l iog r aphy .
Rel iquary, iii, 2. j. Wa rd. Recen t Cave-Hun t ing in Derbysh ire : Th irs t House . [Includes some no tes on the Hob
th irst ]Proceedings of t he Royal Irish Academy, 3rd Ser.
,iv, 1 . C. R .
B rowne. The Ethnography of Ba l l ycroy,co . Mayo . [Dr.
Browne ’s con tribu t ions to I rish Ethnography shou l d not be
overl ooked by studen ts ]Proceedings of the Society of Bibl ical Archaeology, xix, 2. Sir
P . Le P age Renouf , The Book Of the Dead,chaps . cxx ix .
,
cxxx.- 3 . S ir P . Le P age Renouf , The Book of the Dead,
chaps. cxxx. to cxxxi i . S ir P . Le P age Renouf , The Lay of
the Threshers . D r . Ga ster , Two Unknown Hebrew Vers ions of the Tobi t Legend — 4. Sir P . Le P age Renouf , TheBook of the Dead, chaps . xxxi ii. to xxxv .
Report of the Brit ish Associa tion, 1 896 . Fourth Report of theEthnographica l Survey Comm i t tee [see a nte
, p . Reportof the Commit tee on the Lingu ist ic and An thropolog ica lCharacteristics of the North Dravidian and Kolarian Racesthe Uranws.
Madras Government Museum. Bul let in, 11, 1. An thropology .
E . Thur ston, Badagas and Irulas of the Nilgiris, Paniyans ofMalabar.
Report of the U. S. Nat ional Museum for the year ending June30 , 1 894 . O. T. Ma son , Pr im i t ive Trave l and Transportat ion . S . Cu lin , Manca la , the Na t iona l Game of Africa .
f . D . McGuire, Primi tive Me thods of Dril l ing . T. Wi lson,The Swast ika .
L’Anthropologie, vii i , 1. II . Ma lbot e t R . Verneau, Les Chaoui as
et la trépana t ion du crane dans l’AuréS . Glaumont, La cul
ture de l ’igname e t du taro en Nouve l le-Ca ledon ie .
Int ernationales Archiv fur Ethnographie, ix , 6. II . Schur tz,
Zur Ornament ik derAino .
— x,1. T. Achelis, Der Go t t Tane ,
e in Kapi te l aus der polynes ischen My tholog ie .— 2. S . R .
fi csnez ow, Ueber den G lauben von Jense i ts und den Tod
tencultus der Tscheremissen . C . Sapper , Mittelamerican
ische Caraiben .
Correspondenz-Blét t er der deutschen anthropologischen Gesel l
schaft , x,1 896 . F Freiher r von Andr ia n, Ueber Wort
aberg lauben .
1 94 Minutes of Meeting .
been pa sse d , Mr . Wa lhouse e xh ib ite d a snake -ston e fromS outhern Ind ia , a nd re a d s ome note s be a r ing upon such .
s ton e s (see p . A Short d iscus s ion fo l lowe d , in wh ichthe Pre s ide nt , Mr . Crooke , Mr . Rou se
,and Dr . Ga ste r took
pa rt .Mr . Wa lhouse the n rea d a pape r ent it le d “ Fo lk lorePa ra l le ls and Co inc idence s , and a t the conc lus ion of h i spape r wa s accorde d a hea rty vote of thanks .
Mi ss Goodr ich Free r then g ave an a ddre s s upon the
Fo lk lore of the H ebr ide s ;”
a nd a d iscus s ion fo l lowe d , inwhich the Pre s ide nt , Mr . Harry Jenner, and Mr . Ma cdona ldtook part .The fo l low ing pap e rs we re a l s o re a d : “ On a n Anc ient
Cu stom a t S ea ,” by Mis s R icha rds
,and “ S het land Legends ,
”
by the Rev . C . L . Ac la nd .
The me e t ing conc lude d w ith a hea rty vote of thanks be inga ccorded to Mi ss Fre e r for he r a ddre s s .
TUESDAY, MAY 18 th, 18 97 .
The PRES IDENT (Mr . A lfre d Nutt) in the Cha ir .
THE m inute s of the la st me e t ing we re rea d and confirme d .
The dea th of Mr . J . The odore Bent w a s announce d .
Mr . Ha rt land exh ib ite d a leaden Charm found by the Rev .
Reg ina ld H ort on in the yea r 1 89 2 in an old cupboa rd a t
W i lton Place , Dymock , G louce stersh ire , and rea d a n ex
p lana tory pape r . A vote of thanks hav ing be e n a ccordedto the Rev . Reg ina ld H orton a nd Mr . Ha rt land on the
mot ion of the Pre s ident , Dr . A . C . Ha ddon exh ib ited some
t obacco-p ipe s from grave s a t S a lruck g raveyard , Litt le
Minutes of Meeting . 1 95
Kil lery , We s t Ga lway , supposed to be for the sp ir it s of thedea d to smoke , co l le cte d by Mr . H . R . W e lch , Of Be lfa s t .
Mr . Raynbird then gave an a ddre s s on“ The Fo lk lore
of the Uraons ; a nd a d i scu ss ion fo l lowe d , in wh ich the
Pre s iden t , Mr . Ha rt land , Mi s s Demp ste r , and Mr . Gomme
took part . At the conc lu s ion of the d i scus s ion a hea rtyvote of thanks w a s a ccorde d to Mr . Raynb ird .
Mis s Demp ste r exh ib ited a n eck la ce purcha se d by herfrom a woman who to ld her fortune in A lg er ia . She a lsore coun ted a supe rst it ion she had me t w ith in the Ea st EndOf London whe reby a fa the r con s idere d it a p ie ce of i l l-lucktha t h i s firstb orn shou ld have be e n a boy . To have se cure d
g ood luck h i s firstb orn Shou ld have be en a g ir l , who in he rturn shou ld have be en the mothe r of a boy . Mr . Ems l iement ion e d a s imi lar supe rst it ion of wh ich he had hea rd fromh i s mother .
Mrs . Tabor e xh ib i te d a n an c ien t lamp from the S he t lands ,and a bag con ta in ing a she l l taken from a mummy broughtfrom Pe ru .
The fo l low ing pape rs were a lso rea d :“ S ome Coun try
Reme d ie s and the ir Use s ,” byMr . John H . Barbour ; Four
Yorksh ire Fo lkta le s , by Mr . S . O . Addy ; and Fa ir ie s of
the Fa iry Kno l l of Ca ipighill , by the Rev . M . McPha il .
FOLKLORE PARALLELS AND CO INC IDENCES .
BY M. J. WALHOUSE .
[After re la t ing the legend of Knockgrafton from ‘Crofton
Croker’
s Fa iry Legends a nd Tr aditions of the South of I r ela nd,
and a para l le l Japanese ta le , g iven by M i tford, Ta les of Oldjapa n ,vo l . i . p . 2 76 , ca l led “ The E lves and the Envious Ne ighbour,
”
the wri ter turns to the German s tory of the W i l d Hun tsman, of
whom he says A lmost every European coun try has its legend .
’
He then proceedsThe same story
, but w ith a more gha s t ly e nd ing , is to ldif w e may t rust a n accoun t wh ich app ea re d in a D e vonsh iren ewspape r on e day la st sp ring , on the Da rtmoor , whe re thefoam ing r ive r Plym rushe s t hrough a rav in e unde r the ta l lc l iffs of the Dew e rs tone . Th is w i ld spot is haun te d by theB la ck Huntsman
,who w ith h i s W ish-hounds ca re e rs ove r
the wa s te a t n ight . A s tory is to ld of th i s phant om tha t afa rme r , r id ing a cro ss the moor by n ight , e ncounte re d theB la ck Hunte r , and be ing flushe d w ith a le , shoute d to himG ive us a sha re of your game !
”The Hun tsman there
up on threw h im some th ing tha t he suppo se d m ight be a
fawn,wh ich he caught a nd ca rr ie d in his a rms t i l l he reache d
h i s home , one of the O l d moor land fa rms . The re a rr ive d ,he shouted , and a man came out w ith a lan te rn .
“ Bad
news,ma ste r ,
” sa id the man ; you’
ve. had a lo s s s ince youwen t out th i s morn ing .
” “ Bu t I have ga ine d some th ing ,”
an swe re d the farme r, and ge tt ing down brought wha t hehad carr ie d to the lante rn , and behe ld—m his ow n dea d ch i ld !During the day h is on ly l itt le one had d ie d . Th is vers ionre ca l l s the Erl K ing ,
” tran s la te d by S cott .
Na t ion s have e ve r b e en unw i l l ing t o be l ieve tha t the irhe roe s , e spe c ia l ly of leg end a nd roma nce , cou ld in dea thd is app ea r and p e r i sh e nt ire ly . N ea r ly e ve ry country ha s its
g rea t k ing or famou s ch ie fta in ,whos e exp lo its once fi l led
the popu la r ea r , surv iv ing sti l l in cha rme d s le ep in s ome
198 Folklor e Pa r a l lels a nd Coincidences .
Many ye a rs ago , whe n in cha rge of the Trich inopo lyd istr ict in S out he rn Ind ia
,wh i l st e ncampe d ne ar a la rge
V i l lage on the furthe rmos t b orde r , I was struck by the extraord ina ry p reva lence Of one and the same name among st theV i l lage rs . The ma le s , young and m idd le-age d , appea re d tobea r the same name to an exten t con fus ing and inconven ien tin conduct ing bus ine s s ma tte rs . On a sk ing the re a son of
th i s , I w a s to ld tha t some th irty yea rs ba ck the re had be ena n otoriou s much-dreade d robbe r of tha t name , the leade rof a gang infamou s for torch-l ight robber ie s ,
” tha t iswhe n the house of s ome we l l-to-do ma n w a s surrounde d a t
dead of n ight by a score or more de spe ra doe s,who a t a
s igna l l ight ing torche s , w ith shout s and threa ts force d the irway in and compe l le d the inma te s , too Ofte n w ith v io lenceand crue l torture s , to g ive up money , j ewe ls , &c .
, and a fte routrage s , and s ome t ime s murde r
,wou ld depa rt
,not un fre
quent ly leav ing the hou se in flame s . Afte r a long courseof such cr ime s the lea de r , name d Per iya Vérappa , w a s a t la stca ught and exe cute d . Now in tha t pa rt of Ind ia
,when a
man n ote d for crue l and v io le n t tempe r d ie s , he ve ry Oftenbe come s a Bhfita ; tha t i s , he reapp ea rs a s a ma l ignant g ob l in ,
work ing a ll k inds of sp ite fu l and m i sch ievou s tricks a nd
in jur ie s , e spe c ia l ly to ch i ldre n and ca tt le . Even a pe rsonof good l ife and repute who happen s to die an unna tura l orv io len t dea th , by a cc iden t or otherw ise , i s l iab le t o be come
a Bhfi ta , and work out sp ite fu l and ev i l de e ds in his o ldne ighbourhood . Much more the n wou ld a pre
-em ine nt lyw icke d cha racte r l ike the robbe r-ch ie f.Pe r iya Vérappa be came a Bhfita of e spe c ia l powe r and
ma l igna n cy ; a nd 50, though hang e d for h i s cr ime s th irty
ye a rs or more p re v iou s ly , he wa s he ld in drea d a s the mostp owe rfu l a nd e v i l Bhfita in a l l tha t c ountry-S ide ; and itw a s be l ieved tha t g iv ing h i s name to any new-born ma lech i ld wou ld cau se him to regard the ch i ld and the housetha t he ld i t w ith some favour and turn any ev i l intenta s ide . Hence the e xtra ord ina ry mu lt ip l icat ion of h i s
Folklor e Pa ra l lels a nd Coincidences . 1 99
name, wh ich probab ly st i l l g oe s on . A fe e l ing very l ike
th i s i s de scr ibe d in an intere st ing art ic le in a re cen tnumber of Fol k-Lor e 1 on Exe cuted Cr imina l s and Fo lkMe dic ine , by Mabe l Pea cock , in wh ich it is re la te d tha tin S ic i ly the re is a k ind of cr im ina l worsh ip of the mos tnotoriou s fe lon s and cut-throa ts , the be l ief be ing tha t men
who had s la in many V ict ims ca rr ie d into the other wor ld an
e v i l power wh ich they had won by b lood , and tha t mur
derers a re even regarde d a s sa in ted , and m irac le s wroughtby them In the ca se of th e Ind ia n br igand , hange d longyea rs be fore , I w a s to ld tha t in Bh t
’
ita-form he w a s b e
lieved st i l l to haun t the V i l lage s in wh ich h is w ors t crimes
had be en committe d,a nd on ce rta in n ights , part icu la rly the
ann ive rsa ry of his execution,he m ight be se en s tr id ing
about in da rk g iant-shap e and tramp l ing ove r the top s of
hou se s,mak ing the t i le s c la tter , and cra sh ing-in the tha tche droofs of cocoa-tre e lea ve s . Th i s w a s re ca l led to memorywhen la te ly rea d ing the I ce land ic legend of Gre t t ir the
Out law,
”in wh ich the huge g r im thra l l G lam , k i l le d in an
unea rth ly strugg le w ith a demon , i s de scr ibe d a s com ingby n ight from his bur ia l-mound
,b e str id ing the hou se a nd
mak ing it shake , tea ring op en doors a nd w indows,and
break ing the backs of some of the inmate s ; in short,a
fr ightfu l Bhfita . Th i s Show s the same idea preva i l ing infro z en I ce lan d a s in t orr id Ind ia . Inde e d , a va rian t of i tappea rs in the O ld ba rba rou s cu stom of bury ing _
suicide s at
cros s-roads , w ith a stake dr ive n through the ir brea sts and a
heavy ston e on the ir fa ce s t o preven t them “ wa lk ing .
”
Nea r ly a l l ie d too i s the supe rst it ion about Vamp ire s s t i l lpreva len t in Gree ce and the Le van t ; they se em a spec ie sof Bh t
’
ita , and stor ie s about them a re,a s Lord Byron re
marke d,some t ime s “ most incr edibly a tte sted .
”
A popu lar be l ie f ha s long and w ide ly preva i le d in European fo lk lore tha t unde r certa in lake s and r ive rs there ex ist
Folk-Lore, vol . VII . p . 268.
200 Folklor e Pa ra l lels a nd Coincidences .
beaut ifu l reg ion s and c itie s , inhab ite d by be ings of the fa iryrace , a nd occa s iona l ly made a cce s s ib le to m orta ls , who , afterstaying for a t ime am id sp lend id S ights and e nte rta inmen t s ,we re a l lowe d to re turn to uppe r a ir . In I re land and Wa le sthe re a re many lake s of wh ich such stor ie s are to ld, a nd
va rious forms of a l l ie d be l iefs a re found in c la ss ica l andmed iaeva l trad it ion s . In Ind ia noth ing corre spond ing tothe poe t ica l fa iry mytho logy of Europe is known
,and a ll
popu lar supe rst it ions a re forms of dev i l-worsh ip and be l ie fin be ing s a lways ev i l and ma levo le n t , p erson ifie d d isea se s ,a nd sp ite fu l g ob l in s . Once , howe ver , I w a s surpr ised byme e t ing w ith an a ccoun t much re semb l ing the legen ds of
unde r-water countr ie s in Europ e . It appeare d in an Ind iannewspape r
,from wh ich th is i s taken ve rba t im
To the Ed itor of The B enga lee.
A private letter from Shahpore informs me tha t more than three years ago a
boy named Gholam Husse in , of the fami ly of Syud , an inhab itant of Chandna ,wa s supposed to have been drowned on the 22nd June , 1 860, in the RiverJhe lum , one of the tributaries of th e Indus. Now he has come sa fe ly to hishome. His re la t ions were , of course , very glad to see him . He to ld them inrep ly tha t no sooner had he sank in th e r iver than he reached the bottom,
where h e found a prod igious emp ire and me t with its Khiser ( ch ief orprophet) , who took him on h is knees and gave h im she lter . There he w ithgreat pomp and joy passed more than three yea rs and now two fo l lowers ofthe k ing caused h im to return to th e shore of the r iver whence he came . Nowpeop le of every co lour and creed , from every creek and corner of th e wor ld
,
are flock ing to his house to see him .
Yours Obed ient ly,MUZHUR ALI .
Ca lcutta , Nov . 1 2, 1 863.
Th is bears a rema rkab le re semb lance to the we l l-knownta le of Elidurus , re la te d by Gira ldus Cambrensis , and i s , Ith ink , worth p re se rv ing a s a modern in stan ce of the be l ie fon wh ich tha t legend is founde d . For e ve n if w e supposethe boy to have be en a con sc iou s romance r , h i s ta le seemsto have been imp l ic it ly be l ie ve d by the peop le of h i s ne ighbourhood .
202 Minutes of Meeting .
Mr . H igg en s read a
i
note from h i s brother , a res ident int he n e ighbourhood of Pa insw ick , in G louce stersh ire , on the
custom of bak ing a Ch ina dog in p ie s on the loca l fea s t-dayre fe rre d to by Mrs . Gomme a t the Apr i l meet ing . The
wr iter ’ s op in ion wa s tha t the cu stom was not more thanfifty years Old .
Mr . Gomme rea d a MS . sen t to him by Mr . Thoma s inthe handwrit ing of the Rev . R . S . Hawker Of Morw en s tow e ,
a nd in it ia l led “ R . S . g iv ing part icu la rs Of a charm for
the cure of snake b ite s , “ from the rec it a l of a ve ry o ld man ,
forme r ly my par ish c le rk , now dead .
”
Afte r some remarks from Dr . Ga ste r and Mis s C . Dempster , Mr . W . Crooke rea d a pape r , e nt it le d “ The B ind ingof a God : a S tudy of the Ba s is of I do la try . In the d iscuss ion wh ich fo l lowe d
,Miss Dempste r , Mi ss Ha rr ison ,
Mr . Gomme , Mr . H iggens , Mr . Whe e ler , Dr . Ga ste r, andthe Pre s iden t took pa rt ; and on the mot ion of the Pre s iden ta hea rty vote of thanks wa s a ccorde d to Mr . Crooke for h i spape r .
S ome Fo lk lore Note s from the I s le of Lew i s , by the Rev .
M . McPha il , and a pape r , en t it le d “ Ghost Lights of the
We st H igh lands , by Dr . R . C . Ma c lagan ,were a lso read .
be l ieved to throng the way for the express purpose of robb ing, by importunatebegging or by brute force , every deceased person of the money wherewith the
l iving have so unselfish ly enriched him dur ing the funera l rites.
”It is ca l led
paper to buy off a passage .
”
GHOST L I GHTS OF THE WEST H I GHLANDS .
BY R. c . MACLAGAN, M.D .
THE be l ief in p orten t s of dea th i s de ep ly seate d in the
m ind of the H igh lande r . The se Mana idhean”
are not
the pecu l iar g ift of the Ta ibhsdear , the seer of spect r es ,the S e cond S ighte d , a s they say in the Low lands .
The re a re apparent ly ve ry few who have not had a ma nadh
of some sort dur ing the ir l ife . The ra tt le of a br id le hungaga in st a wa l l , wh ich br id le be come s the ne e dfu l g ear of a
me s senge r of e v i l t id ing s , the fa l l of a tray from the“ dre sse r ,”
wh ich tray w i l l be come the b ea re r of the refre shmen t s a t afunera l , the rumb le of an inv i s ib le ca rt , wh ich is rep roduce din the proce s s ion to the grave of the fune ra l sugge sted , a remana idhea n wa rn ing s , occurr ing eve ry day .
Among such wa rn ing s one na tura l ly expe cts tha t whenthe l ight of l ife is go ing t o leave it s posse ss or he re , it m ightnot improbab ly be , a s it we re , se en in the act , and so bean int ima t ion of the fa ta l re su lt . “ Each ma n has a star inheaven ,
the br ighte r or da rker l ight of wh ich be token s his
g rea te r or le sse r g ood fortune . The fa l l of a star e ach t ime
be token s the dea th of a man . If one se e s a sta r fa l l, he ca l ls
out three t ime s‘Not Tha t is a Jew i sh be l ie f, but
a stro logy is confine d to no nat iona l ity . D i st inct ion s,how
eve r, are made in certa in p la ce s a ccord ing to the phenomena
ob se rve d . In some pa rts of Hunga ry if a star move s w ithout fa l l ing down ,
a s it we re , they say a sou l is loosed frompurga tory , a nd the pe rson who se e s it shou ld Offer a prayer ;but if it pa sse s away so a s t o be come inv is ib le , a human be ingis sa id to die .
2
IAm Ur . Quell , vol . iv. p. 94.
2 Am Ur-Quell , vol . iv. p . 27.
204 Ghost Lig hts of the West High la nds .
The on ly app re c iable fact about a star i s its l ight ; andif “
a s often a s a ch i ld d ie s God make s a new sta r ,” 1 so
p robab ly the l ight of a man’ s l ife pa s se s away more or le s s
v is ib ly . Light and hea t are na tura l ly a ss oc ia te d in the m ind ,and warmth and l ife ; thu s , whe n l ife leave s the body itshea t depa rts , a nd wha t more na tura l tha n to suppose thatt he V is ib le s ource of he a t
,l ight , shou ld be ev ide n t a t the
same con j uncture . Tha t s ome such rea son ing ha s had a
p la ce in the m ind of the Ga e l se ems ce rta in , but his a s socia t ion of i t w ith the sta rs i s by no mea n s prove d . The
common ide a of a shoot ing sta r i s we l l se en in the fo l lowing inc iden t from the story Te ann s io s a Dhomhuill Oig .
”
Four men a re to ld to go and get the be s t and fa tte st be a stin the he rd to prepa re a s supp er for a doz e n : Leumcea thra r a ir am buinn cho e a lamh
’s ged a thuiteadh sge ith
r unna ig bhar agha idh nan sp eur , agus cha robb a ig Dom
hu l l 0g ach se a lladh a chu l nan sa iltean aca a mach an
dorus .
” Four of them we re on the ir fe e t a s qu ick a s a
s ta r’
s-puke wou ld fa l l from the face of the sky ,a nd young
Dona ld got but a S ight of the ir he e ls out of the door . The
Rev . Mr . McRury exp la in s “ Sg e ith-run na ig (l ite ra l ly ,
“the
vom i t of a s ta r ” ) i s the name common ly g iven to me te ors ,or shoot ing sta rs in ge ne ra l .
2 Macphe rson in h is O ss iancompa re s dea th to a fa l l ing s tar , but i t i s ha rd ly j ud ic iousto quote him for an author ity except a s to his ow n day
and gene ra t ion ,the more e spec ia l ly a s in th is instance w e
have not the Gae l trans la t ion .
“ He fe l l not ,” Lambor re
p l ie d , “ l ike the s i le n t sta r of n ight whe n it fl ie s throughthe da rkne s s and is no more , bu t he w a s l ike a me te ortha t shoot s into a d is tan t land Inde e d , the Ga e l doe snot se em t o take ve ry much a ccoun t of the sta rs in a ny
connect ion .
Ma rt in , wr it ing 200 yea rs ago , te l l s us3 “ There w e re
Gr imm, quoted in Am Ur-Quel l , vol . vi . p . 8 .
2 Tra ns. Gae. Soc. Inverness , vol . xiv . p . 1 1 1 .
3 P . 334 , z ud . ed.
206 Ghos t Lights of the Wes t High la nds .
S amh la ,a l ikene s s .
Ta ibhse , a spe ctre . A word a l l ie d w ith th i s i s Td isca l ,wh ich on the authority of the la te Mrs . Macke l la r is the“ techn ica l te rm ”
for the “
ghost of the l iv ing .
” 1 Arm
strong in h i s D ict iona ry de r ive s th i s from the two wordsta ibhse-amhu il , spe ctre-l ike , ghost ly .
Ta na s , ta nnag , ta nnasg . Accord ing t o Mr . A . MacBa in
th is,l ike the word ta isea l , i s a l so the e qu iva len t of the
lowland “ wra ith ,”i .e . the doub le of the l iv ing .
Sp ior ad , a sp ir it .A l so whe re l oca l i se d an apparit ion such a s those may be
ca l le d boda ch or ca il l each , a n O ld man or a n O ld woma n,
the name of the loca l ity be ing a dde d .
D u l a n ,p oss ib ly wha t the theos oph ist wou ld' ca l l “
an
e lementa l , from the Ga e l ic du il , a n e lement . Th is se ems
to be the same word , however, a s the Low land dool ie, a l itt ledevi l , hobgob l in , scarecrow .
D r eng .
I t is an undoubted fact tha t fire has taken a p la ce in
connect ion w ith death-ceremon ie s among the Gae l . Logan 2
te l l s us tha t at dea th “a l l fire s a re ex t ingu i she d . Tra in ,
in h is H is tory of the Is le of Ma n , quote s a note fromMiss Edgeworth
’
s Cas t le Ra ckr en t , wh ich say s : “Whenan I r ish man or woman of the lower order d ie s , the strawwh ich compose d the bed i s immed ia te ly taken out of the
house and burne d be fore the cab in door, the fami ly a t thesame t ime se tt ing up the bow l , whe reupon the ne ighboursflock to the hou se of the decea se d , a nd by the ir voc ife rou ssympa thy exc ite , a nd a t the same t ime soothe , the s orrowof the fam i ly .
” 3 Nea re r home w e find among the morethan sem i-Ce lt ic inhab itan t s of Ga l loway a pra ct ice in use
in 1 822 of the same chara cte r . AS soon a s eve r the dea dcorpse i s take n out of the house in orde r to its ca rrying to
1 CelticMaga z ine, vol . II. p . 329.
2 Vol . i i. p . 74 .‘1 Tra in, vol . II. p . 1 37 , note.
Ghos t Lights of the Wes t Highla nds . 20 7
the churchyard , some pe rson s le ft be h ind take out the bed
straw on which the person d ie d and burn the same a t a
l itt le d istance from the house . The re may be perhaps some
rea son for the burn ing the re of to preven t infe ct ion ; butwhy it shou ld b e don e j us t a t tha t t ime I kn ow not we l l ,un le ss i t b e to g ive a dvert isemen t to a ny of the pe op le whodwe l l in the way be tw ixt and the church-yard to come and
a ttend the buria ll .” 1
Tha t the re i s noth ing pe cu l iar ly H igh land in the conne ct ion of l ight s w ith dea ths is qu ite certa in . Among s t theInd ian s of New Eng land , and the Esk imo , l ights se en on
the roofs of the ir w igwams and huts p ortend dea th .
” 2 On
the Eng l i sh and S cott ish borde r , “ l ights of c ircu lar formse e n in the a ir
,whe n the re is no fire or cand le ,
”a re a
p re sage of dea th .
3 In S u s sex in re cen t yea rs con s ide rab le a la rm wa s crea te d by a pa le l ight b e ing Obse rve d tomove ove r the bed of a S ick pe rs on , a nd, a fte r fl icker ing forsome t ime in d ifferent part s of the room , to van i sh throughthe w indow .
” 4 In a l ike ca se to th i s , the Obse rve r p rovedit to be a ma le g lowworm .
”The l ight in the forme r ca se
“wa s pron ounced to be a warn ing .
”
In Denmark , “ if a person in a hou se i s i l l , h i s dea th i sforewarne d by a l ight . I t may be se en dur ing the n ights lowly g l id ing from the house to the ga te of the churchyard , and a long the church-road , wh ich ve ry often i s not
the common road , but tha t by wh ich fun era l proce ss ionspa s s .
” “ S ome t ime s dea th in a house i s forewa rnedby corpse-flames , the part of a house in wh ich a person i st o die be ing , so to say , enve loped in l ight, g low ing .
” 5
In the I s le ofMan, on May Eve , many of the inhab ita nt s
rema ine d on the h i l l s t i l l sunr i se , e ndeavouring to pryinto futurity by ob se rv ing part icu lar omen s . If a bright
1 Ib id . , quot ing Symson’sDescription of Ga l loway . There seems an omission
after the word betwixt2 Folk-Lore, vol . v. p . 296. Folklore of Nor thern Coun ties, p . 45.
1 Folklore Record, vol . i . p . 53.
5 Folk-Lore, vol . vi. p . 293.
208 G hos t L ights of the Wes t High la nds .
l ight we re ob se rve d to is sue , se em ing ly , from any house inthe surround ing va l leys , it wa s con s idere d a certa in ind icat ion tha t some memb e r Of tha t fami ly wou ld soon be ma rr ie d ;but if a dim l ight we re se en ,
mov ing s low ly in the d ire ct ionof the pa r ish church
,it wa s the n de eme d equa l ly ce rta in
tha t a fune ra l wou ld soon pa ss tha t w ay to the churchya rd Tra in a l so quote s Te ignmouth
’
s S ke tches of the
Coa s ts of S cot la nd a nd the Is l e of Ma n a s author ity forthe s ta tement tha t a l ight i s su ing from a churchyard ind icated a ma rr iage .
” 2 Th is se ems pe cu l iar to the Manx , a s
it doe s not occur appa re nt ly in S cot land .
To g ive a fa ir idea of the m ind of the We st H igh landeron the re la t ion sh ip of l ights and fa ta l a cc iden ts , I cannotdo be tte r than quote D . D .
, an I s lay man : No matte rwha t happens , or t o whom ,
the re i s a lway s a l ight or some
th ing e l se of the k ind g o ing before it . Pe op le may not
a lways see it, but even if they do not , it i s there a ll the same .
”
Th i s l ight se ems rea l ly to be the imma te ria l rema inde rof the ind iv idua l ; and a s an ex i stence a fte r dea th i s imp l ied ,SO it i s na tura l w e Shou ld find tha t those who have be e na s soc ia ted c lose ly here shou ld be cred ite d w ith cont inu ingthe ir compan ionsh ip hereafte r . And so Logan says Pa r
t icula r c lan s had ce rta in h i l ls to wh ich the sp ir its of the irdepa rte d friends had a pe cu l ia r a ttachment . Tom-mhorw a s tha t app rop r ia ted to the house of Garva , a bra nch of
C la n M a cphe rson ; and Orc, anothe r h i l l , wa s rega rde d bythe house of Crub in , of the same c lan , a s the ir p lace of
me e t ing in a future s ta te , and the ir summ it s were pre te rna tura l ly i l lumina te d when any membe r of the fami l ie sd ie d .
” 3 Logan doe s not say tha t the se we re O ld buryingp la ce s , though one might ha z ard the opin ion ,
for th is if forno othe r re a son , tha t the sp irits of the de a d have a duty tope rform in the se loca l it ie s . Waking , watch ing the dead
,
1 Tra in ’
s Isle ofMan ,vol . II. p . 1 1 8 .
2 Vol . i i . p . 152.
11 Logan , vol . 11. p . 374 .
2 10 Ghos t L igh ts of the West High la nds .
had been murde red , in’
con se quence of wh ich h is ghost st i l lhaun ts the p lace .
” 1 Th is i s a pre-h istoric bur ia l , and the
l ight seen must be e ithe r e nt ire ly imag inary or proce e dfrom some othe r s ource than the body .
Firs t among pre sen t day app earance s, le t u s g ive some
examp le s of the corpse-cand le .
, in the Lergyside of K in tyre , says tha t when h i s
gra ndmothe r w a s dying a cand le wa s se en burn ing out in
the c lose (out s ide in the lane or pa s sage lea d ing to the
“ H i s fa the r , a j o iner, hav ing be en in town (Campbe ltown P) , w a s re turn ing a t n ight when ,
a s he nea re d h ishou se , he saw a l ight in the w indow of h i s workshop .
Sudden ly the l ight d i sappea re d , and he w a s left in darkne s s . On the fo l low ing day , a pe rs on came re que st ing himt o make a coffin
, and the j o iner a t once conc luded tha t henow had the e xp lana t ion of the l ight he had Se en the pre
viou s eve n ing . He b e l ieve d it t o be a ghost l ight .“ A g ir l d ied in K intyre , and on the morn ing of he r
dea th , an hour or two afte r the eve nt , he r brothe r came
into the hou se and reporte d tha t he had s ee n a stra nge ,
br ight l ight pa ss ing ove r h i s hea d , outs ide the house , wh ichrose up and d isappea re d a t about the he ight of the uppe rl in te l of the door. One pre se nt remarked tha t‘it wa s she ,
’
refe rr ing to the g ir l tha t had j ust d ie d .
The se phen omena we re ob serve d in the Eng l ish-Speak ingpa rt of K intyre ; when w e go to the pure ly Gae l ic d istrict sthe same appea rance s a re d iffere n t ly name d . A na t ive of
Co l l ca l l s such a l ight solus ba is , a dea th-l ight ; a n I s layman ca l ls it a solus corp , a corpse-l ight , or sol us sp ior ad , a
sp ir it-l ight .
wa s g o ing a long the roa d one n ight a nd saw a
l ight come out of a house a nd pa ss a long the roa d , appa rently a t a short d istance from the g round . I t struck
1 Th is and the fol lowing quotat ions are from correspondents of the writer,except where otherwise ind icated .
Ghos t L ig h ts of the Wes t Highla nds . 2 1 1
him a s s trange , bu t for the t ime he thought no more aboutit . Exact ly a yea r from tha t day he saw a fune ra l le avet ha t same house and go in the same d ire ct ion in wh ich thel ight had gone . He kn ew then that it w a s a sol us ba is he
had se en . Th i s w a s the expe r ience of a Co l l man in Mu l l ,a nd in th i s ca se th e inte rva l be twe e n the appea ra n ce of
the l ight and of the sub sequen t fune ra l w a s con s iderab lyabove the a ve rage .
He re is anothe r , somewha t of the same de scr ipt ion .
The s ta lk ment ione d is a ch imney-sta lk , not a bean-sta lk ,l ike the ce lebra te d
“ M . MCQ . w a s com ing home one n ight a fte r hav ing con
voyed a woman from h i s fa the r ’ s hou se t o her home . I t w a sin T ire e . He saw wha t appea re d to h im t o be a g rea t b igsta lk whe re he knew the re w a s no sta lk . I t w a s nea r ly a sla rg e a s a l ighthouse t ower , and it w a s in shap e l ike a ma n .
He got a fr ight and ran , but the ta l l figure kept up w ithh im
, and a t the same d ista nce . In the ra ce he lo st both h i sb oots
,for they had not be en t ied . On reach ing home he
we nt up-sta irs where h i s room w a s , and when he got to hisdoor he saw a l ight Sh in ing on the door . He had not be e nve ry long in b ed un t i l he w a s put up t o g ive a ma n s ome
th ing he had come for wh ich w a s ne e de d for a fune ra l tha tw a s to be in th e p la ce . Th i s exp la ine d the b ig th ing and
the l ight wh ich he had se en .
”
A l ike occurre nce i s de scr ibe d by a Lochabe r man a s happen ing in his own d is tr ict
“ M . w as on h is death-b ed . Not long be fore h i s dea th hisson a nd daughter saw qu ite d i st inct ly a l ight mov ing fromthe house in the d ire ct ion of the burying ground . Theya t once con c lude d tha t it w a s a death-wa rn ing a nd tha tthe ir fa the r’ s end w a s ne a r , a nd so i t w a s . The fune ra lwen t a long the ve ry ground where they had se en the l ight ;the word u sed be ing ta nna sg .
”
Lights are frequent ly se en b efore a death by drown ing at
sea :
2 1 2 Ghos t L ig h ts of the Wes t High la nds .
Mr . a na t ive of I s lay,says : One t ime l ights we re
s e en mov ing about a t n ight on the rocks on the shore ne a r
Kilche a ran (in I s lay ) . S hort ly a fte r that , a ve s se l w a sw re cke d the re , and the body Of a ma n w a s wa shed a sho rea t the spot whe re the l ights had be en se e n .
”
“ One t ime l ights we re se en on Lochandaa l , be twe enBowmore and B la ckrock . Not l ong a fte r tha t , tw o youngmen we re cros s ing the loch in a sma l l boat , and a t the p la cea t wh ich the l ights had been se en the boa t w a s caps iz ed a nd
the two lads drowne dOn a nothe r occa s ion a numbe r of l ive s were loSt through
the foun de r ing of a boa t on Lochandaa l . For seve ra l n ightsb e fore the a cc ide n t p e op le we re s ee ing l ights on the loch ,a nd when S ea rch w a s b e ing made for the bod ie s , young M . T .
,
who w a s one of a se a rch ing crew , gu ided them to the spotwhe re he sa id tha t he had se en the l ight go out of s ight .Ge tt ing out the ir g la ss they s oon d iscove re d a body on the
bottom , wh ich they we re ab le to se cure by mean s of the ir
g rapp l ing appa ra tus . I t w a s the first of the bod ie s tha twere recove re d .
”
A na t ive of Lorn g ive s the fo l low ing“ S ome years ago a ve s se l w a s wre cke d nea r Ea sdale , a nd
the capta in and on e or two of the crew we re drowne d . The
bod ie s of the sa i lors we re recove red , but the capta in’s had
not be en recove re d s ome t ime a fte r the wre ck had takenp lace . One n ight one of the pe op le of the p lace saw a
l ight out from the shore , a nd drew the a ttent ion of one or
two othe rs to it . Th ink ing th i s strange , they ca re fu l ly note dthe spot . On the fo l low ing day they went in a boa t w ith
g rapp l ing s and found the body a t the very p lace whe re theyha d seen the l ight .
”
Anothe r I s lay ca se , ide nt ica l in its inc iden ts with the
above , is : “ S ome t ime ago a l ight w a s s e en for se ve ra ln ights , one afte r the other , a t a l itt le port (p lace w he reboa ts a re drawn up ) on the shore to the ea st of Port Cha rlotte . M any peop le saw it , inc lud ing the re c ite r ’ s mother .
2 14 Ghos t L ig h ts of the West Hig h la nds .
Th is be l ief in l ights at sea a s conn ected w ith sh ipwre ckis un ive rsa l round the coa s t . A na t ive of S uthe rla n d s ays :“ The re is a ma n l iv ing n ea r Cape W ra th who saw a s tra ngel ight ou t a l itt le from the Cape . He to ld the m in iste r , w hope rsua ded him not to frighten the fishe rs from go ing to s e a
by men t ion ing it . A few days after, a fore ign ve s se l came
in a t the ve ry spot whe re he had se en the l ight , a nd w as lostw ith a ll ha nds . The man fu l ly be l ieve s tha t the l ight w a s
a ta ibhse of the l o s s of l ife .
Tha t th is s ea-l ight may ge t the cre d it of go ing to thechurchya rd appea rs in th is story to ld of the w reck of the
Cambr ia s ome th irty ye a rs ago , on the n orth coa st of
I re lan dA young man in I s lay w a s on h i s w ay one n ight to v i s it
h is swe e thea rt . H i s w ay led a l ong the shore , a nd he hadnot g one fa r whe n he s aw a l ight b efore him . H i s dog com
ing be twe en it a nd him se eme d to endeavour to preve nt him
g o ing on ,but he p roce e de d on h i s way . At tha t po int he
wa s very nea r an old bur ia l-ground , wh ich he had t o pa ss .
As he reache d it , he saw s ome men whom he thought heknew ca rrying a coffin . When he rea che d the me n
, theysudden ly van ishe d . He got a gre a t fr ight , a nd re tu rn ed home
a nd to ld wha t he had se en . A Short t ime a fte r , the new s of
the lo ss of the Cambr ia re a ched I s lay,a nd a b ody wa s
wa she d a shore j ust whe re the lad had s e en the l ight ; a nd itso happ ene d tha t the same lad
,on the same e rrand
,pa s sed
the graveya rd wh i le they we re burying the sh ipwre ckedbo dy , a nd saw the rea l fune ra l pa rty j us t w he re he hads e en the sp e ctra l pa rty b e fore .
”
A ROS S-Sh ire ghos t l ight a s se en by a p rofe s se d ta ibhsdea r is : An old man rep orte d ha v ing s e e n a l ight a s i twe re leave a w idow ’
s house,and trave l a long the sho re un t i l
it came t o a ce rta in spot , whe re it d isapp ea re d . In a ve rysho rt t ime a fte r , two lads we re drowned
, and the ir bod ie sfound whe re the man had se en the l ight d isappe a r , a nd we reca rr ie d home by the way he had se en the l ight trave l l ing .
Ghos t Ligh ts of the West H'
igh la nds . 2 15
Pe op le be l ieve d tha t the l ight wa s the ta ibhse of the lads’
de a th .
”
A na t ive of Co l l informs us : “ I t i s sa id in the i s land of
Co l l , tha t often be fore a dea th take s p lace , a l ight i s se enmov ing
’
a long from the house of the pe rson who i s to die inthe d irect ion of the burying-ground . Th is is a ccepte d a s anin t ima t ion tha t a dea th is near .
”
The se l ights a re certa in ly not a lways evo lve d a s pos t f a ct um cr ea t ions of the fan cy .
A . F . says tha t he h imse lf saw wha t they ca l l a ghostl ight . He w a s s ta nd ing in the V i l lage and saw on the shore ,a d istan ce of ha lf a m i le off, a s trange l ight danc ing . I t w a s
the re for a short t ime and then d isappea re d . La st yea r
( 1 894) he saw the same k ind Of l ight ove r a t B ., a d istance
of le ss than a quarte r of a m i le off . The V iews a s to W i l lof the W i sp of th i s re c ite r a re worth not ing .
“ I t is a ll nonsen se for them to say it is W i l l ie W isp tha t
’s runn ing about .
It’s noth ing of the s ort
,for tha t l ight is j u st a ma nadh . I t
come s when there i s to b e a change , and it run s about thefie lds of the p eop le who a re soon to remove from the ir p la ce .
But s ome t ime s it come s a g ood wh i le b efore the changetake s p la ce . I saw it myse lf one n ight when I and thre eothe rs we re com ing up from Port Cha r lotte , a nd cros s ingthe bridge a t Mr . C
’
s . I saw him (it) danc ing about on thewave s
,j us t a t the shore ; some t imes he wou ld be b ig ,
some
t ime s he wou ld b e sma l l , but the re he w as . I d id not say
anyth ing to the othe rs a t the t ime . I t w a s before and
came to the p la ce . I t w a s for them it w a s . I t is a lwaysa sure S ign tha t s ome change is to take p lace in a d istr ictwhen wha t the old pe op le ca l ledW i l l ie W isp come s . Th isna rra tor ha s no doubt wha te ve r a s t o the rea l ity of ma nadhs
,
but is scept ica l a s t o the stor ie s abou tW i l l ie W isp a s an impw ith a lan te rn .
The s e warn ing l ights a re not suppose d to appear on lyon the sea or on sea lochs . The te st imony of a na t iveof Skye is tha t “ there a re severa l fre sh-water lochs in
2 1 6 Ghos t L ig hts of the Wes t Ifigh la nds .
the parish of K i lmu i r , In Skye , b es ide wh ich , ghost l ightsa re sa id to have be en frequent ly seen be fore fune ra lspa s sed , and a fte r the fune ra l s had pa s sed the l ights disappea red.
”
The frequen cy of the connection of the se l ights w ithb ridge s i s noteworthy .
The fo l low ing i s from a na t ive of Lochabe r : “ The rew a s
,not ve ry l ong ago, a fam i ly re s id ing n ear FortW i l l iam .
One n ight the fa the r and one of the s on s,when on the ir
w ay home from the town , saw a l ight on the r ive r wh ichpa ssed not fa r from the ir house . When they firs t not ice dthe l ight , it wa s a t a br idge tha t w a s on the rive r, and i twent down the s tream some d i stance
,a nd d isappea re d
qu ite sudden ly . Th i s w a s in the t ime of harve s t ; a nd a fewdays a fter
,the fa the r
,the same son , and a n othe r younge r
we re g o ing for bra cken s , a nd had to cross the b ridge at
wh ich they first saw the l ight . The fa the r a nd the younge rson crosse d the bridg e , but the othe r l inge re d to ga the rnut s from the ha z e l-bushe s g row ing a t the e nd of the b ridge .
He ove rba la nce d h imse lf, fe l l into the r ive r, wh ich w a s the nin spa te , and w a s ca rr ie d down a nd d isappea red in a poo la t a spot where he and his fa the r had se en the l ight disappea r .
” Furthe r, the who le fam i ly , fa the r, mothe r , and seve ra lson s a nd daughte rs , re spectab le a nd re l iab le pe rson s , a sse rttha t dur ing tha t sea son ,
for a g ood wh i le be fore the drowning a cc ident , they ove r and ove r aga in hea rd rapp ing a t
the door , not one , but a ll of them ; and when they went tothe door , no one w a s to b e se en .
The bridge a t Port Cha r lotte ( I s lay) is sa id to have be enhaunte d e ve r s ince a murde r w a s comm itte d a t the spotmany yea rs ago . says tha t “ he w a s cross ing the
br idge in the da rk on one occa s ion . Sudde n ly he saw a
l ight mov ing down the g len in a flutte r ing ma nne r . He
kept h is eye on it t i l l it reached the br idg e , when it wentunde r it a nd w a s no more se en by h im . He fe lt qu ite con
vinced tha t it w a s some th ing supe rna tura l he had seen .
”
2 1 8 Ghos t L ig h ts of the Wes t High la nds .
a l ight on the spot On wh ich the l ighthouse now stands .
S pe c ia l not ice w a s taken of it , a nd some e luc idat ion look edfor . The e rect ion of the l ighthouse is he ld to have c lea re dup the myste ry .
”
Tha t the a ct iv it ie s of S a tan a s a n a nge l of l ight a re not
confined w ith in the expe r ience s of ma rrie d men and wou ldb e Bened icks the follow ingw ill show, and tha t on profe ss iona lauthor ity : At one t ime the bea d le in the church a t Khad s orte d the sea ts in prosp ect of the commun ion serv iceon the fo l low ing S abba th . Afte r he le ft , a nd somewha t latea t n ight , he saw a l ight in the church , and on g o ing dow n he
hea rd vo ice s in s ide , a s if the sea t s we re be ing moved about .
He thought it m ight b e the m in i ster d is sat isfie d w ith wha the had done , a nd tha t he w a s a l te r ing the a rrang emen t .
W hen,howe ver , he went down to the ma nse
,the m in iste r
wa s in the hou se . On te l l ing wha t he had se en and hea rd,
the m in iste r sa id : “ Oh,n eve r m ind , lea ve th ings a lon e ; it is
on ly the Ev i l One trying t o put aga in st u s .
Tha t the inte rp re ta t ion s of the S ign ificance of such l ightsmay be influence d by pe rsona l fe e l ing w e mu st be p repa re dto a dm it , whe ther the fo l low ing is a ca se in po int or not
From Con ispie , I s lay . A man wen t t o V is it a ne ighbouron e S abba th n ight , a nd on his w ay home he s aw stra ightbe fore him two l ights about thre e fe e t apart . Though hechange d h is course to avo id them ,
they s t i l l kept in the w ay
be fore him . On reach ing home he to ld his w ife , who sa id :
NO wonder , g o ing to c lave r abou t wor ld ly a ffa irs on Sabba thn ight .
’The author ity for th is a dds : He took g ood ca re
not to go and V is it his ne ighbour aga in on S abba th n ight .
”
A man engag ed a t one of the ports a t wh ich the steame r
I ca l le d dreame d once or tw ice tha t he saw pa rt of thes te ame r on fire . He to ld the other workmen his dream
,a nd
se eme d to b e of the op in ion tha t the re w a s s ome s ign ificancein it . N ex t t ime the steame r ca l led , a row a rose on boa rd .
among the pa sse ng e rs , a nd some of them had to be t ie d .
The man who had dreamed Of the fire , sa id t o his fe l lows ,
Ghos t L ights of the Wes t Highla nds .
when the row w a s ove r : The re ’ s my dream now . The
porte r in th i s ca se inte rpre te d his dream on the g ene ra lpr inc ip le tha t a fire portends m isch ief.W hen the ind ica t ion s a re part icu la r ly c lea r
,wha t i s to
happ en IS fore to ld w ith some confidence , but the re may b e
a long in te rva l before fu lfi lment . Twe lve months ha vee lap se d S in ce the occurrence of the “ wa rn ing
”in the
fo l low ing story , but no re su lt has ye t be en n ote d :
“ An Old man saw a b oy w ith a dog and a lamb in the
churchya rd a s it w a s g e tt ing la te . Abou t the same t ime
a n othe r pe rson saw the same boy w i th the dog a nd the
lamb going roun d a m i l l-dam wh ich is not fa r from the
churchya rd . W hen th is be came kn own in the p la ce,p e op le
bega n t o th ink tha t s ome boy w a s to be drowne d in the
dam , a nd tha t he wou ld be bur ie d in the churchya rd . As ifin confirma t ion of th is , the figure of a ma n ha s b e e n s e en
S ince the n go ing about th e dam a t n ight w ith a lan te rn inhis hand
,a s if sea rch ing for the body of the boy who is to
be drowne d .
”
One cur ious story ha s come in my w ay wh ich po in t sc lea r ly to the be l ie f tha t the los s of p ow e r of a pa rt of the
body i s a ccompan ie d by the appea ran ce of more or l e ssl ight . I t is from a na t ive Of Be rne ra .
“ A man w a s in the
hab i t of g o ing on ce il idh (paying a n e ve n ing V is it) to a
ce rta in hou se , and e ve ry n ight he wen t he saw s ome th ing ,
but wou ld not te l l wha t it w a s . One n ight an othe r man,
who had a ls o be e n on ce il idh a t the s ame hou se , wen t home
w ith h im . When they rea che d the p la ce whe re he (thefirst-me n t ioned ) u s ed to se e s ometh ing , the man who w a sa long w ith him saw fire com ing out of on e Of h i s ha nds
, and
it w a s w ith d ifficu lty he got him home from tha t, he ha v ing
become so s t iff. Afte r tha t n ight the w ho le of tha t s ide gotpowe rle s s . The ma n
, who be came pa ra lyse d,ne ve r to ldwha t
he had s e en p rev i ou s to h is se iz ure .
”
An other in stance of a man ,a s it we re , ca rrying his own
d ea th-wa rn ing is the fo l low ing
220 Ghos t L igh ts of th e Wes t Highla nds .
A man l ive d about Cou l l , on the we st S ide of Is lay . In
h i s young days he got the cred it of be ing ra ther a loose l ive r ;but hav ing unde rgon e a change , he be came a re spe ctab leman . Afte r he had be come a s omewha t old man he wen tout one n ight to a ne ighbour ing p la ce to buy tobacco . Re
turn ing , he w a s me t by some acqua intance , who saw a l ighton each of h is shou lde rs . Th is turned out to be a sa obhadh
of h is dea th,wh ich took p lace Short ly there afte r .
When the pa ss ing away of l ight from a hou se i s so se riou sa ma tte r
,it i s not hard to unde rstand the S ign ificance of
the fo l low ing“ One t ime H . M . went on an e rrand to C .
,a nd wh i le he
wa s s itt ing in the house an Old woman,a n e ighbour , came
in for a k ind l ing for her fire . She got a Shove lfu l of l ivep ea ts away w ith he r . S O s oon a s she w a s gone , the m istre ssof the hou se took two l ive p ea ts Off the fire , one a fte r theothe r
,a nd drowne d them in a pa i l of wa te r . The lad w on
de red why she had done th is , but heard a fte rwa rds tha t itw a s for the purpos e of p reven t ing the old woma n who hadcome for the k ind l ing tak ing anyth ing out of the hou se byw it chcra ft .
Of course,H . M.
’s exper ience is not of an occurrence
pe cu l ia r to any distr ict ; precaut ion s aga in st damag e byw itchcra ft a fte r a nyth ing ha s b e en taken from a house
,more
e spe c ia l ly on pa rt icu la r occa s ions , a re ve ry common .
The re la t ive proport ion of ma rsh-ga s , imag ina t ion , and
a fte r-the re fore -cau se d—by rea son ing , wh ich go to form the
equ iva len t , to use a Chem i st’s expre s s ion , of the se phen omena
b e l ie ve d in by the re c ite rs , a ll re spe ctab le and p re sumab lytru s tworthy pe rs on s , it i s not p roposed to a ttempt to se tt lehe re . Le t us pa s s on to tha t phen ome non gene ra l ly a s
crib ed from a sc ie n t ific po in t of V iew so le ly to the p re senceof ma rsh ga s— W i l l-o
’-the-W i sp .
He re is a W e s t High la nd ve rs ion of the pe cu l ia r it ie s of
the tr icky sp rite , rec ited in I s lay : W i l l-o’ —the -W isp is not
2 22 Ghost L igh ts of the West Mgh la nds .
trave l le rs ; bu t if his Vict im be bo ld e nough to brave h im ,
he inv ite s him to take a dvantage of the hea t .
” 1 The Highla nd W i l l can a ls o show s ome hea t a s w e l l a s “ l ight a nd
lead ing , if t ime a nd loca l ity a re suffic ie nt to a l low u s toident ify the a ct ive powe r for e v i l , in the fo l low ing na rra t ions ,w ith W i l l-O’-the-W isp : A lad courte d a g ir l for s ome t ime
,
then to ok to an othe r . Re turn ing from a V is it to No . 2 on e
n ight , a ccompan ie d on ly by his dog , a t a lone ly spot henot ice d h i s dog Sku lk ing up c lose to h i s he e l s , and imme
dia t e ly he fe lt some th ing pa ss him l ike a wa ft of w ind .
H i s ha ir s too d on end,and w ith the r is ing of h i s ha ir his
cap fe l l off. The dog gave a grow l a nd rushed Off in the
d ire ct ion of a moss tha t w a s nea r by , and the lad hea rd a
n o ise a s if the dog we re fight ing w ith some th ing . He cou ldnot s ee the dog , and a lthough he wh i st le d it d id n ot ove rtake him be fore he rea che d home , and he wen t to bed .
Nex t morn ing the lad w a s s itt ing on a cha ir a fte r g e tt ingup , a nd the dog came in w ith s ca rce ly a ha ir on its sk in .
Hav ing g one round the Cha ir on wh ich the lad w a s s itt ingthre e t ime s
,it fe l l on the floor a nd exp ire d . I t w a s neve r
kn own wha t the dog fought w ith in the moss .
Another story of s im i lar inj ury t o a dog is loca ted nea r
the Ha ng ing H i l l in I s layThe re w a s a t one t ime a house a t Cnoc-na-mna tha n
tuiridh (the Hi l l of Lame n t ing W omen ) , Oppos it e the Ha nging Hil l , in wh ich a bad man l ive d . He w a s con stant lyout a t n ight , a nd h i s w ife le ft a lone in the hou se . On e
n ight , the hu sban d be ing out a s usua l , the w i fe w as s itt ingsp inn ing . A l l a t once tw o dog s Of the irs , wh ich we re in thehous e w ith he r , bega n to grow l and rushe d for the door .
In those day s the re u se d to be a s ort of in s ide door madeof w icke r work or hea the r wove n on a frame . The dogswe n t r ight through the doo r, wh ich happe ned to be of tha t
1 Library ed. Arabian N ights, vol . i . p . 398 . Ta le of K ing Omar bin al
Nu’
uman and h is sons.
Ghos t L ig h ts of th e Wes t High la nds . 223
de scr ipt ion, and the woman heard a grea t no ise a s of
the emptying of stone s ou t of a ca rt . After a good wh i leone of the dog s re turn e d w ithout any ha ir on its leg s , bu tthe othe r w a s n e ve r aga in hea rd te l l of. The bad ma n w a s
not an immora l man or a she ep-stea ler ; he w a s a wa r lock
no doubt, and two othe r de p i la tory ane cdote s d ist inct ly
connect th is re su lt w ith w itchcraft .Th i s
,re c ite d by a nat ive of T iree
,re la te s the ca se Of a
lad who to ld he r on on e occa s ion how he w a s a nnoye d bya ce rta in woman ,
who w a s w i shfu l tha t he shou ld ma rry he rdaughte r , and tr ie d eve ry w ay she cou ld to br ing him and the
g ir l tog e ther . He knew the woman t o b e a w itch , a nd d idnot w ish to have anyth ing to do w ith h e r or he r da ughte r .
H av ing be en away somewhere s ome day ,he w a s mak ing
his w ay home after n ightfa l l a ccompan ie d by his dog , w he nwha t appea re d to be an eag le came down w ith a Swoopand hove re d above his hea d . The dog ma de a j ump a t the
e ag le , but m i ssed it . For a t ime the b ird w en t wh ir l inga nd flapp ing about the lad’ s hea d , but the dog kept i t Off
and a t la st got ho ld Of it,and wou ld have torn it to p iece s
if it had not got away . The lad got home sa fe ly,but th e
dog los t a l l its ha ir in the fight . I t w a s kn own tha t the
g ir l’
s mothe r wa s out tha t n ight , and the lad w a s qu itec erta in that it w a s she who a tta cke d him in the shape Of
the e ag le .
”
Another ve ry s imi la r ta le to’ tha t from T ire e w a s got in
I s layA man r id ing a t n ight through a kn own haun ted p la ce ,
w a s a ccosted by a woman who sudden ly appe a re d be s idehim
,a sk ing him to let he r r ide b eh ind h im . His dog ,
wh ichhad a ccompan ie d him
,had d isapp ea re d ; a nd he put he r off,
urg ing a s a fina l excu se tha t she shou ld wa it t i l l he hadwh ist le d thre e t ime s for h i s dog . He wh ist le d , but h is dogd id not an swe r , a lthough the r ide r t hought he hea rd a n o isea s if it were mak ing an e ffort t o g e t loose , be ing cha ine d .
Hav ing de layed a s long a s he cou ld w ith h is othe r ca l ls,
224 Ghos t L igh ts of the West High la nds .
when he gave h i s th ird the woman made a spr ing towa rdsthe r ide r , when up came the dog and la id ho ld of he r and
he ld he r ba ck . She s trugg le d hard to rea ch the ma n ; but
the dog he ld he r , and the man g a l lope d away . The dog
d id not re a ch home t i l l the fo l low ing day , and w hen it d idthe re wa s not a ha ir on it s body .
”
An othe r s im i la r ta le is from th e I s land of Co l l :I t i s to ld of a man ,
who a t one t ime l ive d a t Gorton , in
the i s land of Co l l,tha t one n ight , when he w a s on h is w ay
home , hav ing pa sse d the Hangman’s H i l l , and j ust a s he
w a s e nte r ing the Fa sach , a woman came up to to him and
wa lke d a long s ide of h im . Know ing tha t it w a s not a rea lwoma n
, but a ta ibhse , he d id not Sp eak to he r , nor d id she tohim but they wen t a long s ide by s ide un t i l they came t o ahou se , and he we nt in , in hope s tha t She wou ld go on , and
tha t so he wou ld ge t qu it of he r . But no, a fter staying inthe hou se for some t ime he sta rte d aga in , and to h is a nn oya nce she re j o ine d him , and kept a long s ide of him a s b efore ,unt i l they came to a runn ing s tream nea r his hou se . The
woman (ta ibhse) leap e d ove r it first , a nd he leaped afterher ; and then and the re she took ho ld of him , and w ou ldnot le t him go . At le ng th the dog s a t the hou se hea rd the
no ise , and they ran out , and when they came t o the p lacethey a tta cke d the ta ibhse , and she then le t the man off.
On rea ch ing home,he wh i st led for the dog s . but they d id
not come . The fo l low ing morn ing one of them came to thedoor w ithou t a s ing le ha ir left on i ts sk in , but the other w a sne ver aga in se e n .
”
In the la st stor ie s the s inge ing w a s the re su lt Of fema leinte rfe ren ce . I t w i l l be shown immed ia te ly tha t the W i l lO’-the-W isp in the W e ste rn H igh lands i s a woman . In them
the re i s no ment ion of l ight , but the re is such a th ing info lk l ore a s the “
ghos t of a flame .
”The tw o M a laba r
g ip s ie s who prec ip ita te ly qu itte d the ten t of the office r whob lew out a l ight in the ir pre sence d id so
“ le st the ghost of
226 Ghost L ig h ts of th e Wes t [Highl a nds
the sea shore (for dye i ng purpose s) . The g ir l re fuse d to
go , and he r mothe r a ttacke d he r . At la st the daughte rwen t . She sa id tha t it wou ld be in flame s of fire She wou ldre turn . The g ir l w a s drowne d and is st i l l to be se en .
Re c ite r sa id th i s i s to e xp la in an te ine b iorach ,” wh ich i s
,
“ fire floa t ing in the a ir l ike a b ird . Compa re w ith th i s theTiree man
’ s “e ag le .
”
He re i s a nothe r ve rs ion re c ite d by a Bernera ma n
“ The re wa s a woma n from Va llay , in North Ui st , whowen t out on one occa s ion be fore the S abba th w a s pa st t odig r uadh for dye .
1 She ha s neve r be en se en by a nyones ince , but the pr int s of her fee t were se en on the b ea ch ,show ing tha t she had be en ma de to wa lk backwa rds in tothe sea . After tha t , n oth ing w a s kn own of he r for a longt ime , un t i l one day he r body w a s foun d in Ha rr is w ithoutthe hea d , the hea d ha v ing b e en turne d in to the t e ine mhora s a pun ishmen t for bre ak ing the S abbath , a nd it ha s be enwande r ing ab ou t he re and there eve r s inc e .
”
An othe r Berne ra a ccoun t is“ The re wa s a man who proh ib ite d p e op le from ga ther ing
the r ua dh . One t ime he w a s c om ing home la te a t n ight ,a nd hav ing had a long d i stance to go to h i s hous e , theteine mor appeare d to him a s he w a s r id ing a long . I tkept be fore him a ll the w ay t i l l he rea che d h i s own hous e ;when he tr ie d to go in , the fire wen t be twe en him a nd the
door ; a nd when he tr ie d to go in a t the w indow ,the fire
we nt betwe en him and the w indow ; and so he wa s keptou ts ide unt i l the cock crew
,wh en a t once the fire disap
p e a red . Pe op le we re ho ld ing out tha t th is w a s the Uis twoma n who had be en turn ed in to An Teine Mor tak ingre ve nge on the ma n for forb idd ing the p e op le from d igg ingthe r uadh . I t i s sa id he took good care ne ve r to be foundout la te a t n ight aga in .
1 Rue“
, a red dye from the roots of Ga l iu / nver um ( lad ies’ bed-straw) , yie ldsa colour not un l ike a dul l red heat.
Ghos t Lights of the Wes t High la nds . 227
The ide n t ificat ion of the woman who broke the S abba thwa s
“ when a man who had forme r ly be en acqua inte d w ithhe r saw her in the m idst of An Teine Mor . She had be e nturne d in to the teine mor
,and she it is who runs about in
ma rshy p la ce s a t n ight , and there she mu st run a s longa s the wor ld la s t s .
”In the Tr a nsa ct ions of the Ga e l ic
S ociety cf I nve r ness1the Rev . J ohn MacRury of S niz ort ,
S kye , say s tha t the name a n“ An te ine biorach ” is app l ie d
to W i l l-o’-the-W isp in Skye , An te ine mor”in Uist and
Benbecula , and g ive s th is s tory a t length , in l itera ry formand in Ga e l ic . I t is to the e ffect tha t : There wa s a
farme r in Be nbecu la , ca l le d a s a n ickname,for he w a s not
a c le rgyman,Pr ie s t Ca l lum . He w a s of the c lan MacCa r
mac ; a nd though Mr . MacRury knew one of h is gra ndson swe l l , he neve r lea rn ed how he came by his t it le of “ pr ie st .
”
Ca l lum ’s w ife w as a w itch . Th is pa ir had a daughter , who
de te rm in e d to ga the r r udh , a red dye , for her thread . She
cou ld not ga the r it dur ing the day , a s it w a s forb idden ; so
to ke ep the ma tte r a s h idden a s poss ib le she de te rm inedto go ga ther ing it afte r twe lve o ’c lock on Sunday n ight .
W hen he r mothe r hea rd her g o ing out of the door,in
sp ite of he r expre s se d de s ire tha t she shou ld not go , he r
mothe r sa id :‘You are now g o ing , a nd your mothe r
’ s cu rs eon your head . I wou ld the day we re come wh ich wou ldse e the so le of your foot .
’ Appa ren t ly her mother had he rde s ire , for the daughte r of Pr i e st Ca l lum w a s ne ve r aga ins een a l ive or dea d , on sea or land , though part of he r
c loth ing w a s se en on the p la in whe re she w a s ga the r ingthe r udh . A Short t ime a fte r th is , the l ight ca l led the g rea tfire w a s se en , and appa ren t ly eve ryon e b e l ie ved tha t thedaughte r of Ca l lum wa s th e “ Gre a t F ire . Ma ny thoughttha t the appea ra nce pre sente d w a s tha t Of fire in a ba ske t ,wh ich gave rise to the b e l ief that the fire wa s in the b rea s tof the g ir l .
“ They further b e l ieve d tha t she was t o wa lk
1 Vol . xix. p . 158 .
Q 2
228 Ghos t Ligh ts of the West High la nds .
the ea rth t i l l the Day of Judgeme nt , both b ecau se she he rse lfhad b e en so stubborn a nd be cau se he r mothe r had im
precated he r (r inn d r och g u idhe dh i ) . Mr .MacRury g ive sa s tanz a of a song in p roof of the d is l ike e nte rta ined forCa l lum S agga rt
’s w ife by he r ne ighbours on accoun t of
her w itchcraft , wh ich had made her imprecat ion effect ive
N am b iodh Ca l lum Sagart marbh ,
Dh’fhalbhma id le criI isgean
Nam b iodh Ca l lum Sagart marbh ,
S e chuireadh an sogan Oirinn
Nam b iodh Ca l lum Sagart marbh ,
Dh’
fha lbhmaid le cruisgean .
Dh’fhalbhamaid dhacha idh le
’r fuighea ll ,
Dh ionnsuidh na cail lich e duibh e ,’Bhean a
’
s miosa th ’ann an Uidhist
S buidhe learn nach learn i .
If Priest Ca l lum were dead ,We wou ld go with a lampIf Pr iest Ca l lum were dead ,That wou ld put us in good humour
If Pr iest Ca l lum were dead ,We woul d go w ith a lamp .
We wou ld go home with what was leftTo the b lack witch (old wife ),The worst woman in U istIt is fortunate for me she is not m ine .
The probab i l ity i s tha t Prie st Ca l lum’ s puta t ive ch i ld, if
i t wou ld speak , cou ld , l ike othe r change l ing s , te l l an O lde rstory than Ca l lum h imse lf. In fa ct , a s Mr . H . F . Fe i lbergte l ls u s
,w e find in Denmark W i l l-O’-the-W i sp a scr ibed to
“the s ou l of an unrighte ou s surveyor, or of an unbapt iz ed
,
murde red ch i ld ” — in fa ct , pe rsonage s , who l ike the factorwho preven ts the ga the ring of the r udh , and the g i r l doneto dea th by he r mothe r, ind ica te a not ve ry d istant re la t ionsh ip w ith the so i l in some form .
1
Folk-Lore. vol . vi. p . 298.
2 20 Ghos t L ig hts of the Wes t Hig hla nds .
strong g ive s a s“ Te ine S ionnachain . Th i s has be e n spe l le d
“seanacha in ,
”and poss ib ly the S eona id p re v ious ly men
t ion ed i s a m is take for the S ionna cha in .
A long ta le rec it ing the or ig in of th i s w a s got b y Mis sKe rr , I s lay . On compa ring it , howe ver , w ith wha t the Rev .
Mr . MacRury , of S niz ort , g ive s a s a n I rish a ccount of the
or ig in of the Gre a t F ire 1 they a re found to be so ve ry mucha l ike , the re be ing ce rta in ly no va r ia t ion wh ich i s not tra ceab le to a s l ip of memory or a ve rba l a lte ra t ion “
,except the
a scr ipt ion of it to the “ Ou te r H ebr ide s,
”and the d ist inct
s ta temen t tha t th i s w a s the or ig in Of the Te ine S ionna
cha in ,tha t the re c ite r’ s a ccount may be a t second-hand
from Mr . MacRury’s . H oweve r tha t may be , the fo l low ing
is the re c ite d ve rs ionLong ago there w a s a sm ith in the Oute r H ebr ide s , who
hav ing a la rge fami ly found it ve ry d ifficu lt to prov ide forthem . He tr ie d a nd tr ie d h i s be s t , but fe e l ing a t la st a s if
he mu st g ive up the strugg le , he exc la im e d tha t he wou lda ccept of he lp , no ma tte r whe re it Shou ld come from ,
whe the r from the g ods or from the dev i l . The words hadnot be en long ou t of h is mouth un t i l a s trange r , appear ingl ike a l itt le O ld man
,came in a nd offe re d to g ive him a s
much money a nd e ve ryth ing e lse a s wou ld ke ep h imse lfa nd his fam i ly in comfort for a who le yea r
,on cond it ion
t ha t he wou ld go w ith h im at the yea r ’ s e nd . The sm iththought for a l it t le ; and a lthough he had the fe e l ing tha twha t w a s to b e beyond the yea r w a s ra the r doubtfu l , st i l la who le year ’ s comfort for a man in h is stra itened c ircums tan ce s w a s a g rea t matte r , not to Speak of the chance o f
his not be ing a l ive a t the ye a r ’ s end, w hen the t ime w ou ldhave come for him to go w ith the s tra nge r . S o he agre edto the propo sa l , and the strang e r wen t away .
Tha t yea r the sm ith wa s g e tt ing on ve ry we l l , a nd hade ve ry nece ssary comfo rt in the hou se for h imse lf and h is
1 Trans. Gael . Soc. Inverness , vol . xix . p . 158 .
Ghos t Ligh ts of the Wes t Hig h la nds . 23 1
fam i ly . One day in the cours e of the yea r a man ca l le d a t
the sm ith’s hous e a nd w a s hosp itab ly trea ted . When he
w a s leav ing , he sa id to the sm ith tha t if he wou ld de s ire any
thre e th ing s , he wou ld gran t them to him . The sm ith ac
cepted hi s offer , and sa id he wou ld l ike the thre e fo l low ingth ing s
I ST .— Tha t if anyone wou ld agre e t o he lp him w ith any
work in the sm iddy , he might ha ve the p owe r to ke ep h ima t the anv i l a s long a s he chose .
2ND — Tha t shou ld he a sk anyone to s it on a cha ir,he
m ight ha ve the power to fa ste n the cha ir to the groun d , andthe p erson to the Cha ir , and to ke ep him the re a s long a s
he chose .
3RD .— Tha t if he pu t a p ie ce of mon ey in his pocke t
,i t
m ight rema in there t i l l he Chose to take it out .
The s trange r sa id he m ight have his thre e w i she s , buta dde d tha t it w a s a p ity he had not a ske d me rcy for hiss ou l .
_
By-and-by the end of the yea r came round
,a nd the
l itt le Old man appea re d a s b e fore,and
,rem in d ing the sm ith
of the agre em en t,a ske d h im if he w a s rea dy t o come w ith
h im now . The smith re p l ie d he w a s , e xcept on e or twoth ings he wou ld l ike to fin ish b e fore leav ing , if he m ight bea l lowe d the t ime , and sugge ste d that he wou ld be ve ry qu ickif the l itt le man wou ld he lp him . The man consen te d , andwhen the Smith got him in fron t of the a nv i l he w ished h isfirst w i sh , and the man w a s fixe d b efore the anv i l w ith thehamme r in his hands , a nd n ot ab le to move . The sm ithkept him in th is pos it ion un t i l he p rom is ed to leave h im on
the same con d it ion s for a n othe r yea r . Te rm s hav ing be enag re e d , the O ld fe l low w a s re lea se d a nd away he wen t ; thesm ith con t inue d a s be fore , enj oying p len ty , a nd d id not
aga in s e e the l itt le Old man t i l l tha t ye ar ’ s end .
Exa ct ly a t the yea r ’s e nd, howe ve r , the man appea re d
aga in ,de te rm ine d to ha ve the sm ith w ith him . Ha v ing
gon e in to the . hou se whe re the sm ith w a s a t the t ime , he
a ske d him if hei
wa s rea dy t o c ome aw ay now . The smith
232 Ghos t L igh ts of the W'
est Highla nds .
sa id he wa s , except to shave h imse lf, and p la c ing a cha ir onthe floor
,inv it e d the ma n to s it down j u s t wh i le he w ou ld b e
sha v ing . W hen the man sa t down,the sm ith w ished his
s e cond w ish , and the re the man w a s stuck to the cha ir, andthe cha ir to the floor . The sm ith kept him the re t i l l hep rom i se d him a yea r more on the forme r cond it ion s . The
old fe l low ,fi n d ing h im se lf he lp le s s , ag re ed , and so w a s
aga in re lea sed , and le ft the sm ith w ith ple nty of comfortfor anothe r yea r . Whe n tha t yea r had come t o a n end
,the
l itt le man re turne d a s be fore , a nd commanded the sm ith tocome away . Now the l itt le old man w a s S a tan
,a nd the
sm ith began to taun t him ,saying , tha t if he had the p owe r
he p rofe s sed to have he shou ld b e ab le t o g ive s ome p roofof it . The man , put on h i s me tt le , a ske d wha t proof thesm ith wou ld l ike to g et . The sm ith sa id he wou ld b ep lea sed if he wou ld turn h im se lf into a p ie ce of money
,
and a t once the ma n change d h imse lf into a s ixpence . The
sm ith ma de a d ive a t the s ixp ence , c lutched it , and put it inh is pocke t, w i she d h is th ird w ish , a nd the s ixpence s tuck inhis pocke t a nd cou ld not ge t out . I t w a s n ot
,howeve r
,
much peace the p oor sm ith had, for the s ixpence began to
g row and g row and make a fea rfu l n o ise to ge t ou t of h is
pocke t , a nd the smith cou ld ge t re st ne i t her day nor n ight .
He a ske d a numbe r of h i s n e ighbours t o c ome to h is he lp tob ea t th e s ixpence into noth ing . When the n e ighbourswe re ga the re d tog e the r , the sm ith la id the pocke t on the
a nvi l, and they began to hamme r away a t it t i l l they had
bea ten i t into n oth ing . In th i s w ay the sm ith got qu it ofhis p e rsecu tor for the pre se n t ; s t i l l he d id not p rospe r .
On e th ing a fte r a nothe r w as aga inst h im . H is fam i lyturne d out undut ifu l , h is w ife neg le cted him and fina l ly le fth im
,h is n e ighbours a ll a vo ide d him,
a nd a t le ngth h e d ieda poor p i t iful-look ing obj e ct .
No one wou ld go nea r him to bury him, and his body w a s
th rown out l ike tha t of a dog . Whe re h i s body w a s thrown ,
the re he lay for s ome t ime,but a t la st he thought he wou ld
234 Ghos t L ig h ts of the Wes t Hig h la nds .
b ig hamme r , he finds h imse lf trappe d , and ha s to p romisea nothe r yea r to the smith . Nex t year the sm ith ge ts himto wa it t i l l he sha ve s , &c .
, and fixe s him in the cha ir , w iththe re su lt of a nother ye ar’ s de lay . W hen n ex t the dev i lmake s h is appea rance he te l ls the sm ith “ your tr ick s w i l ldo you no furthe r se rv ice .
”But the smith ge t s h im to
change h imse lf into a s i lver co in a nd ha s him in his purseat once . The sm ith re turn s to h is hou se , but ne ithe r t opeace nor qu ie tude , for the demon ma de loud remon strance .
I t be came c lea r to the sm ith tha t the purse w ith it s con
ten ts mu st be d isposed of in s ome w ay , and he de te rm ine dto powder it a s sma l l a s hamme rs cou ld hamme r it . Unde rhis ow n and two
“ strong and bo ld ” a s s i stant s ’ exe rt ion s ,and w ith scre echings and grun t ing s to wh ich the pre v iousno ise s we re a s n oth ing , the purse and its conten t s we rereduced to du st
,and the tempora ry te nant wa s g la d to go
up the ch imney in sparks of fire,and the smith neve r s aw
the “ b la ck or the co lour ” of h im aga in on e a rth . W ithout h is supe rna tura l a ss istance th ing s we n t wrong w ith thesm ith , and a l l the money wh ich he had boa rded up wh i lein a ffluent c ircumsta nce s w a s found to b e , when exam ine d ,“ l itt le mounds of horse-dung .
”The sm ith be came a crip
p le and a begga r from door to door, and whe n he d ie d “ he
w a s thrown in to a p it in an out-of-the-w ay p lace n ea r the
bank of the r ive r in the c lothe s in wh ich he had d ie d .
Know ing tha t it w a s no use show ing h i s fa ce in hea ve n hewe nt d ire ct to the “ bad p la ce ,
” whe re a t the doo r he me t
the “ bad ma n ,who a ddre s se d him “ Thou ha s t come a t
la s t of th in e ow n fu ll fre e w i l l .” The sm ith sa id tha t “ tha tw a s s ca rce ly the ca se ,
”and the dev i l re j o ine d tha t he l l w a s
not g o ing to take him in a t a l l . “ Th e re is not ,”s a id he ,
“ your l ike ins ide the bounds of my k ingdom I l ight a firene ve r to be quenched in your bos om . And I orde r the e tore turn t o the ea rth , and to wande r up and down on it t i l lthe Day of Judgemen t . Thou sha l t have re s t ne ithe r day nor
n ight . Thou sha lt wande r on ea rth among eve ry p lace tha t
Ghos t Lig h ts of the Wes t Highla nds . 235
i s we tte r , lowe r , l one l ie r, a nd more d i sma l than an othe r .
And thou sha lt be a d i sgust to thyse lf a nd a horror t oe ve ry l iv ing crea ture tha t se e s the e .
The cha ra cter of the sm ith in its tr ick ine s s, a trick ine s s
w ith wh ich the dev i l h imse lf a ccus e d him, is the key to the
name . S ionnach 1 is a fox , and the mean ing is ev iden t ly“ Foxy
’s F ire .
” No doubt the red h ide of the fox ha s
ma de him g odfa the r to the story .
In the S e cond Book of K ings , chapte r i i . ve rse 1 1 , it issa id And it came to pa ss , a s they s t i l l we nt on , and ta lke d ,tha t
,b eho ld (the re appea re d ) , a cha r iot of fire , a nd horse s
of fire , and pa rte d them both a sunder ; a nd El ij ah went up
by a wh ir lw ind into heaven . And El isha saw &c .
Th is,wh ich ha s be e n known to the tea che rs of the Ga e l
from a pe r iod long ante cede nt to any re cords by themse lve sof the ir be l ie fs , se ems the be st introduct ion to th i s p ort ionof our subj e ct : the Dreag , Dreug , Drook , Driug . Mr .
MacBa in,in h is late ly pub l i shed E ty mol og ica l D ict iona ry ,
de scribe s it a s“a me te or or porte n t ; from the Ang l o
S ax on d r eag ,appa r it ion ; Norse , d r a ag r , ghost .
” Froma fo lk lore po int of v iew ,
Armstrong’s defin it ion te l ls a g rea t
dea l more
D reag , di ezg, s. f. , a meteor . S ee Dreug .
D rea g, dreige , s . (dru idh-eng ) , a meteor, a fa l l ing sta r , a fireba l l . Among
the Ancien t Britons , a meteor was supposed to be a veh icle for carrying to pa rad ise the sou l of some departed Druid. Th is superstit ion , l ike many others , hadits origin in Druidica l artifice . The pr iests of that order , to strengthen the irinfluence, took occasion from every aeria l phenomenon to b l ind and overawe theignorant and a s they la id cla im to extraordinary sanctity, they natura l ly wentto the broad fie lds of the sky for strengtheners to the ir i l lus ions. So we l l didthey engraft th e ir absurd op in ions , that , even at th is d istan t day, th e appearanceof a ba l l of fire crea tes, among th e more ignorant Gae l , a be l ief that some i l lustrious sp irit has taken its fl igh t to etern ity. From th is circumstance we may
infer, with Dr . Sm ith , that D r eng is a contract ion of s’
dh-eng , a Dru id ’sdeath . Th is ingen ious ant iquarian th inks that th e Dru id ica l fantasy just men
tioned must have had its or igin in a trad it ion of Enoch’
s fiery chariot .”
Seannachan, a wi ly person in I rish see O’Reil ly
’s D ictiona ry .
23 6 Ghos t L ig hts of the West High la nds .
The “ ingen ious Dr . Sm ith se ems t o have been unneces
sa rily exact in h i s s ta temen t a s to Enoch ’ s veh ic le , un les s hehad other a uthor ity than Ge ne s i s .O
’
C le ry (Louva in ) in 1 643 g ive s“ D r ag ,
i . t eine , fire .
” 1
w h ich word O’
Re il ly trans la te s in a dd it ion “a thunde rbo lt .
I t i s rea sonab le t o conc lude tha t w e have in d r ag a genu ineI r ish Ga e l ic wo rd for fire .
Tha t fie ry crea ture s a s soc iate d w ith wa ter a re no modernimag in ing of the Gae l is p rove d by the fo l low ing , from the
Re nne s D indshen cha s , tha t i s “ de script ion of the name sof n oteworthy p la ce s in I re land .
” 2 The pa rt of the codexconta in ing th is w a s wr itten in the Xt h or XVth century ,but the col le ct ion may have be en made in the KIth or the
first ha lf of the XIIth . Cliach from Ba ine ’ s Elfmound w a s
ha rpe r to Smirdub . He went to inv ite Conche nn ,
daughte r of Fodb , from the e lfmound of the Men of Femen .
Now Cliach w a s a fu l l year mak ing mu s ic on t ha th i l l but b ecause of the e lf’ s mag ic m ight , he got no neare r
t o the e lfmound, a nd he cou ld do noth ing to the g ir ls .
But he p laye d h is ha rp t i l l the ea rth ben ea th him burs t , andthe re out the dragon brake forth [a nd Cliach d ie d of te rror]H ence is Loch B e
’
l D r a con“the lake of the dragon
’
s
mouth , to w it , a dragon of fire w h ich Te rnoc ’s foste r-mo the rfoun d the re in a sa lmon ’ s shape
,and Fursa drove it int o the
lake . And tha t i s the d rag on wh ich is p rophe s ied to a r iseon S t . John ’ s Day a t the end of the w or ld a nd a ffl ict I re landin veng e ance for John the Bapt is t .
”The Ga e l ic word
he re us e d and tran s la te d dragon i s d r a zg. No doubtthe wr ite r of the or ig ina l ha s m ixe d th is up w ith the
summe r so lst ice .
Th is inc iden t i s men t ione d in the F el ir e of Oeng us
Revue Celt iqu e, vol . iv . p . 404 .
2 Wh it ley S tokes , Revue Cel t iqu e, vol . xv. p . 2 72 .
Ed it . Wh it ley S tokes, August 29 th , p . cxxxiv.
23 8 Ghos t L ig h ts of the Wes t Hig hla nds .
By eat ing a n e e l pa s ty a nd touch ing he r eye w ith he r
g re a sy finge r she a cqu ired the powe r of se e ing c lea rly unde rwa te r . When a l lowe d to re turn to he r hu sband she saw
th is dra c in the ma rke t p lace of Beauca ire,a nd re cogn is ing
him, he , to preve nt he r aga in do ing so, de stroye d he r eye .
1
From the S outh of Fra nce to Rouman ia . H e re w e find
tha t the dr a c is the de v i l in pe rson ,who in structs ce rta in
pe rson s to be mag ic ian s and me d ic ine me n in a co l legeunde r the ea rth . Of the se , one in e ight rece ive s in struct iondur ing fourte e n yea rs , and on h i s re turn to e a rth he has thefo l low ing powe r . By mea n s of ce rta in mag ica l formu laehe compe l s a dragon to a sce nd from the depths of a loch .
He then throws a g o lden br id le w ith wh ich he ha s be enp rov ide d ove r h is hea d , and r ide s a loft among the c louds ,wh ich he cause s to fre e z e and the reby p roduce s ha i l .Pe op le who a re by report “ S olomona rs , a s the se a re
style d,a re avo ide d by the Rouman ian country pe op le , and
if a t a ll poss ib le l ibe ra l ly fed, in orde r tha t they may not
de stroy the crop s by ha i l-st orms . Whe n the S olomona r
ha s poure d out the ha i l ove r the loca l ity de s ire d (tha t iswhe re s ome pe rson live s who offended him) he re turn s ,covere d in a th ick c loud , to the ea rth , ba ck to the loch ,whe re he remove s the br id le from the head of the dragona nd dr ive s him back into the wa te rs .
2
The S olomona r’s dragon i s in rea l ity ha i l a nd c loud . In
Esthon ia,Gr imm te l ls u s
s tha t red s tr ipe s in the sky showtha t the drag on ma rche s out ; da rk co lour of the c loudstha t h e re turn s w ith booty . Fa l l ing s ta rs a re l itt le drag on s .
”
Th is la tte r is a be l ie f of a F inn ish popu la t ion from the
shore s of the Ba lt ic . Among the Ce lt ic popu la t ion of
Br ittany the ra inbow is a la rg e se rpen t wh ich come s tore fre sh itse lf on the ea rth , whe n wa te r fa i l s i t above . When
Falh-Lor e, vol . i . p . 209 .
2 Am Ur -Quel l , vol . vi . p . 109.
3 Append ix, ed. 1878 , vol . i i i . p . 49 1 .
Ghos t L igh ts of the West High la nds . 239
the p ea sants p e rce ive it pa in t ing its imme n se bow in the
sky , they u sua lly say , Look , i t dr ink s a t such a pond,burn
,
”
&c .
l An iden t ica l be l ie f ex ists in Bosn ia , whe re , howe ver ,it is not a se rpent , but a drag on .
2
If Ma cphe rson ’
s Oss ia n cann ot be ca l le d an old autho
r ity , it may b e quote d to show wha t i t s auth or g a the re d of
fo lk lore , a nd ha s i n troduce d in the poem . The r id ing o f
the dea d on c louds i s a favour ite subj e ct . For examp le ,F ing a l , duan i . l ine s 665-6, of the Ga e l ic tran s lat ion , g ive s ,
Tanas chura idh’thuit ’s a ’ bhlar,
Nebi l ghruamach mu’n cua irt a
’snamh ,
a s repre s en t ing the or ig ina l Eng l ish“the ghosts of the
la te ly de a d we re nea r , and swam on the g loomy c louds .
”
The Gae l ic make s the ghosts them se lve s c louds but
the Eng l i sh , a s w i l l b e se en from the a ccoun t of dreag s
wh ich w i l l be hereafter g ive n ,i s more in a ccordan ce w ith
fo lk-be l ie f.
In Tighmor a it i s sa id , cant o vi . l ine s 443-4 .
Seal l ormsa o d’ n ia l l , a sh eoid ,
A gh rian Shulmh a l la nam mor th ria th .
The Eng l ish of wh ich is , “ Look thou from thy c loud,
O s un of S ul-ma l la ’ s sou l ” The Ga e l ic do es not inc ludea ny word for
“s ou l ” in the pa s sage ; but in I s le of Man
Eng l ish , I have se en his s ou l ,” i s equ iva le n t t o the Lew is
chunna ic mi a shamhlad or sa in ha il ,“ I saw h is l ike
ne s s ,”i .e . h i s gho st . The form samh a il i s p ronounce d
s ow l a s nea r ly a s poss ib le .
In Con l a th a nd Ca thon a the w r ite r of Oss ia n exp l ic it lysays the sp irit s of the dea d a re ca rr ie d on c louds
Revue Celt ique, vol . i i i. p . 450 .
2 Am Ur -Quell , vol . i . p . 73 .
240 Ghos t L igh ts of the Wes t Hig h la nds .
Ha I wha t cloud is tha t ? It carries the ghosts of my fathers .
I see the sk irts of th e ir robes, l ike grey and watery mist.
In th i s ca se the Ga e l ic conta in s the same idea , l ine s 1 38
e t sega.
Co an n ia l tha ’tuiteam orm fe in ,
Tha’
g iomrachadh mo threuna shuas ?
Tha mi’fa icinn an truscain gun fheum ,
Mar l iath ch eo.
”
Lite ra l ly , “ Wha t c loud is tha t wh ich i s fa l l ing on me .
wh ich i s wh ir l ing a loft my b rave s ? I se e the ir ineffic ien t
ga rments a s g rey m ist .”
The wr ite r of Oss ia n d id not confine h is mighty deadto a e ro l ite s
,a strip of g ood S cott ish mi st se rve d the ir
purpose . In fa ct the a e ro l ite i s so se ldom ava i lab le tha t intho se st irr ing t ime s the re wou ld have be en a conge st ion of
tra ffic,a dm itt ing tha t it i s on ly men of ma rk w ho have the
a dvan tage of th is conveyance . Th i s is undoubte d ly the
gene ra l b e l ief, though , a ccord ing to one informan t , “ kn ightsand la rge fa rmers ” de scribe d those e l ig ib le for the
“ dre ag .
”
The conve rsa t ion tha t fo l lows g ive s a fa ir idea of the H ighlande r’s mind on th i s subj e ct , and i s ge nu ine , not invente d .
“ H . Have you ever se en a corpse-cand le or ghost-l ight?”
No,mem , but I have se en p len ty who d id
Wha t do you ca l l such l ights in Ga e l ic ?Ma na dh or Ta ibhse .
”
Oh, ye s , but tha t i s what you ca l l e ve ryth ing of tha t
k ind ; wha t I w i sh to know i s any spe c ia l name you havefor them .
”
I neve r he a rd a ny name but sol us .
D o you th ink they a nd the d r eng a re one and the same
th ing ?Oh
,no
,I saw a dreug myse lf, it w a s be fore the dea th of
Mr . D . The dreug neve r come s but before the dea th of a
b ig man .
242 Ghos t Lig h ts of the Wes t High la nds .
saw a dreug above Lochandaa l . I t came gradua l ly a longunt i l i t pa s sed ove r ’
s house,and d isappea re d in the
mos s beh ind the hou se . Tha t w as j us t a l itt le b efore’s son
, the on ly son he e ve r had, d ied , and it w a s
h i s dreug .
”The re c ite r of th is la st , speak ing of ghost
l ights in g enera l , sa id : Pe op le w i l l be mak ing out tha tthey see l ights before the death of g ood p e op le , but it i sma de out that the l ights they se e are good ange l s wa it ingto take away the ir sp ir it s afte r dea th .
”
Wh i le po in t ing out d iscrepanc ie s and va r iat ions in the
v iew of the rec ite rs , w e must not forge t tha t a l l the ev idencei s in favour of the ir hav ing an hon e st b e l ie f in wha t theynarra te . Ta lk ing of a thorough Gae l , a we l l-e duca te dman of the pea san t c la ss , so fa r a s l ite ra ry a tta inmen ti s concerned
,above the u sua l crofter or sma l l fa rme r , a
co l lector says : “ He appea rs to b e l ieve firmly in a l l the seth ing s , and speaks w ith aw e whe n re fe rr ing to any of them .
He has se en tho se who saw a dreng and ha s hea rd itde scr ibed , but says he ha s neve r seen one h imse lf.
The first dreug tha t w i l l be de scrib ed i s c op ie d from the
Chr i stma s numb er compe t it ion of the P eop l e ’s y oa r na l ,Novembe r 23rd, 1 895 ; the name a ttache d to it i s Anna J .
Grant , D ingwa l l . I t is a we l l to ld and doubt le s s a ve rac iousna rra t ive of it s c la ss .
About fifty yea rs ago, Epp ie Baxter , a de ep ly re l ig iouswoma n
,l ive d w ith he r g randdaughte r in a remote Suther
landshire pa r ish . One day , abou t a week b efore he r
dea th , Epp ie w a s s itt ing on a h i l lock b efore her l itt letwo-roome d hou se
,whe n she hea rd the trea d ing of fee t
and the sound of vo ice s , a s if g o ing a long benea th he r,a t the foot of the bra e . She stood up to s ee who w a s
pa s s ing ,but w a s surprised to find tha t no l iv ing th ing
w a s w ith in s ight . Then qu ite d ist inct ly she hea rd the
cry of ‘re l ief,
’
the word u sed a t High la nd fune ra ls whenthe b ie r-ho lde rs a re about
,to be re l ieve d . Afte r a s l ight
ha lt the proce ss ion se eme d to move on ,and s i lence aga in
Ghos t Ligh ts of the Wes t High la nds . 243
fe l l on the p la ce , when she sank tremb l ing t o the ground ,kn owing tha t the s oun d w a s the fore runner of dea th ,a lthough i t d id not occur t o her that i t m ight be the
fore sha dowing of her own fune ra l . Epp ie wen t home ,
but s a id noth ing to Merran , her g randch i ld , about herexpe ri ence .
Tha t n ight she awoke sudden ly , and sa t up a s u sua lto‘p ree ’
her snuff mu l l . W h i le in th i s p os it ion she w a s
a ston ishe d to se e a bright l ight sh in ing in the othe r end of
he r hou se . The l ight w a s v is ib le through the open doorbe twe en the two rooms , and shone d irect ly over a tab lep lace d nea r the wa l l . W onde r ing why he r granddaughte rcou ld ha ve left a cand le burn ing , she rose from he r b ed to
inve st iga te ma tters,but she had ba re ly reache d the door
lead ing into the other room when the l ight d isappea re d .
She wen t back to b ed,and aga in saw the l ight in the same
p la ce . Then she awoke Me rra n and a ske d her if she cou ldse e the l ight in the ben end . The g ir l cou ld s e e n oth ing ,and la ugh ing ly to ld her g randmothe r she mu st be dream ing .
Epp ie knew tha t it w a s no dream,and next morn ing she
sa id to her young granddaughte r : Me rran la s s ie , I mus tte l l you tha t I am g o ing to die . I t w i l l be s oon ,
’.she wen t
on ,
‘for la st n ight I saw my drook . I m ight have knownye streen ,
for I heard the fee t of the men ca irryin’
my coffindoon by the bra e . Ba irn , I
’ve been w i l l in ’ to de e s ince many
a day , but I thank the A lmighty for te l l in’me a fore the day .
An’ Me t ran ,
wa tch ye , an’
as sure a s I’m a l ive the day ,
my coffin’l l b e la id upon tha t tab le in the b en end afore a
we ek’ s pa st . Ye n eedna be feare d , la ss ie , for I’m speak ing
the truth . God ’ s w a rnin ’s a re no t o be l icht ly thocht“ Before a week e lap sed , Epp ie
’ s words were fu lfi l le d . He r
dead body w a s la id upon the very tab le ove r wh ich the l ightwa s seen ,
and he r coffin w a s ca rried down the bra e , the b ie rholde rs chang ing p la ce s a t the ident ica l sp ot whe re the old
woman had hea rd the myster iou s tread a we ek be fore . Th i ss tory i s abso lute ly true .
244 Ghos t Lights of the Wes t Highla nds .
The l ight he re doe s not se em t o be a dr eag a s unde rstoodin the W e s t H igh lands . I t i s a sol us ba is , an ord ina ry
ghost-l ight, though here ca l le d a d r eag .
As i s n atura l , the de scr ipt ions g iven of the se va riou s phemomena fa i l to draw a d ist inct l ine su itab le for purpose s of
c la ss ificat ion be tween them. The fo l low ing was given a s
the de script ion of a sol us ta isg“ When John Mac lean (or John the j o iner’s son ) w a s in
the feve r , I saw ,say s she , a b ig ma s s of wh ite l ight on the
leve l , be low the roa d , very late . I t wa s stand ing the re a
long t ime w ithout mov ing . In the w ink of a n eye it move dto the roa d , a nd wen t away t i l l it rea ched the br idg e . Thena sma ll part of it sepa ra te d from the ma in ma s s (wh ich followed the road) and wen t down a long the r ive r, acros s thefie ld
,and a long the back of the b ig house , a s a port ion of
those who separa te d from the ma in body on the day of the
fune ra l d id , in order t o be in the churchyard be fore the re st .The port ion tha t fo l lowe d the roa d went out of my s ight a tthe wooded kno l l , j ust a s the funera l pe op le d id on the day
of the buria l .”
(Gae l ic , a s sen t by the co l lector , a schoo lma ster , and
Ga e l ic-speak ing H igh landerNua ir bha Ia in Mac Illean (orMac—n-t-saoir,pa t ronymic)
san fhea ra s (feve r) chunna ic mi, a’s ise , mea l mor g ea l soluis
a ir a chona ird (p la in) fo’
n ra thad gle anamach . Bha e a r m
a s id u ine mhor na shea sabh gun charachadh . Ann a brioba
(w ink ) na su i l ghlua is e gus a’n radhad agu s ghabh e a ir
fa lbh gus’n dra na ig e an drochid (br idge ) . Ann sin , dhea l
l ich e aran bheag dhe ris a mhor chuid a lean ris an radhad,
agu s gabh e s ios ris an oigh inn (river) nu l d’n t-a chadh agus
nul cul (ba ck) a’
n t igh mhoir , ma r a r inn a bhuigheann a
dhea llich o’n torugh , la
’n
’amhluig (fune ra l ) , a ir son bh i a ir
thoisheach a ir gach a nn s a chlaodh (churchya rd) . Cha idh
a chuid a lean ris an radhad mhor as mo shea lladh a ig an
tom choille , direach mar a rinn muintir an tor igh la tha an
246 Ghost L ig h ts of the Wes t Hig h la nds .
Co l le ctor] . Beagan an de igh s in chaocha il leanamh a nn
T . agu s tha inig fios a ir mo mha tha ir gus an corp ru ith ’s a
cha ramh”
(a ste re otype d phra se ) .“Whe n we we re in G len lyon ,
my mothe r and I we rere turn ing from Tomachaoran . I t w a s n ight , and we w ishedto avo id the banks of the r ive r (or the loch ?) a s it i s drea dful even in dayt ime , and wen t a l it t le h igher up the h i l ls ide ,and a sma l l l ight came and fo l lowe d a t the s ide of my
mothe r t i l l w e came ne a r the hou se . S oon the rea fte r a
ch i ld d ie d in T ., and my mother got a me ssage to lay ou t
the body .
”
Rec ite r Manse-serva nt“ Nua ir a bha s inn a nn g leann liomha inn cha robb b 1‘1 th
na b’
fha isg oirnn na Tighndroma mu choig m i le d iag a ir
fa lbh o’
n t igh aga inn . Tra bha sud cha idh mo mha tha ir an
ra thad s in a cheanach’
gnotha ichean . An de igh dh i a
gnothach fhaota inn tha irg am ma rsanta dh i ri gh iu lan na
b’e to i l e chum a banaco imhea rsnach n ithean a bha t ruist
’
a ig’an sud. Thug i lea tha iad agus thug i am monadh
orra san dorch leotha . Chum gu’
m b iodh iad na’s iba sa
dh i ghiulan, thog 1 sua s a guna agu s chu ir 1’na t rusag e
, a
ce anga l le sniom an sg iobu ll a ir a cu lthaobh . An de igh s ochunna ic i so lus a t earnadh agu s g
’
a fha lach fhe in na t rusa ig .
Mu dhe ireadh ruig i fa r an robb am pa rce l ri l iubha irt, agu s
fhua ir i mach gur e bha a ic’
a ir a g iulann aodach ma irbh .
Nan robh fios a ic a ir so roimh, cha ta in ig i riamh tha ir a
’
mhona idh l ies ’5 an oidhche .
”
“ When w e we re in G len lyon the re w a s no shop nea re r
to us than Tyndrum, about fifte e n m i le s from our house .
Once my mothe r wen t tha t w ay to make s ome purcha s e s .
After she had done he r bus ine s s , the shopke epe r offe redhe r s ome th ings orde re d the re to take to a n e ighbour
’ sw ife
,if she wou ld ob l ige him . She a ccepte d them
, a nd in
the da rk took the h i l l homewa rd s w ith them . Tha t theym ight be the more ea s i ly ca rr ied she put the bund le , ti edw ith a str ing , among the fo lds of her sk irt on he r ba ck
,
Ghos t Lig hts of the West Highla nds . 247
unde r he r gown . After th is , she saw a l ight com ing down
and h id ing itse lf in the bund le . At la st she reache d the
p la ce whe re the pa rce l w a s to b e de l ive re d , and foun d out
tha t wha t she w a s ca rrying w as de a d-c lothe s . If she had
known tha t b efore,she wou ld neve r have come w ith them
a cross the h i l l in the n ight-t ime .
”
The que st ion then se ems to b e , Wha t i s the characte r i st icof a dr eag ?
I t i s tha t the ma in l ight sha l l have le sse r l ights more or
le s s connecte d w ith it . In the words of an o ld S kye man ,
a thorough Ga e l , and a schoo lma s te r,the an swe r to the
que ry i s ma de qu ite d i st inct ly : “ In sp eak ing of the phe
nomena of a‘dre ag ’ I have t i l l now ove rlooke d the im
portance a ttache d to it s many-co loured p end ic le s , wh ich ,a ccord ing to na t ive inte rp re ta t ion , a re symbo l ica l of tho sefo l low ing the b ie r from the house to the grave .
”
The firs t ghost-l ight an swe r ing th is de scr ipt ion i s de scr ibe da s fo l lows by the Berne ra man who saw it
On e t ime I w a s g o ing a g ood d ista nce from home , a t
n ight , and those in the house a dv is e d me to take a fire a longw ith me . To p lea se them I to ok a l ive pea t and carr ie d ita cons ide rab le d is tan ce . I then threw it from me
,and con
t inued my j ourney w ithout it . I had not g one fa r , howeve r ,from whe re I had pa rte d w ith the pea t, when I s aw a l ighta l itt le before me . I t w as ve ry br ight , about the s iz e of a
man’ s hea d
,and about the he ight of a ma n from the g round ,
w ith a numbe r of sma l le r l ights a fter it . I w a s g o ing thesame w ay a s it w a s
,but
’
it wen t fa s te r than I d id , a nd
w a s out of s ight before I came up t o it . I knew it w a s a
d r eng .
”
In I s lay,
“ the d r eng i s sa id to app ea r before the dea th of
we l l-to-do pe op le .
” Immed ia te ly after the de a th of Mr .
McN .
,a we l l-to-do fa rme r
,Mrs . B . saw it . Sh e de scr ib e s
i t “a s a ba l l of fire , w ith a ta i l l ike t ha t of a k ite , tra ve l l ing
in the d ire ct ion of the burying groun d .
Before the dea th of Mr . MacT .
,abou t th irtyr or forty
248 Ghos t Lights of the Wes t Highla nds .
years ago, the dr eng w a s see n qu ite d i st inct ly a s a ba l l ofl ight w ith a ta i l a fte r it . I t pa s sed the door of the man whow a s ne a r dea th , broke up , and wen t off in spa rks in the
dire ct ion of the burying ground .
I t i s to be noted tha t in the first of the se I s lay dreugs theapp earance wa s after the man ’ s death . Th i s is ve ry muchthe except ion .
The next i s a more de ta i led a ccount by a fema le nat iveof Berne ra of wha t she he rse lf saw in the Kyle of Harris
One morn ing , about seven o ’c lock , I we nt to put out
the ca tt le , and saw about a s fa r a s from here to the h igh roa d
[seve nty ya rds , says the co l le ctor] a b ig lump of red l ight a sb ig a s a ke tt le . I t w a s l ike a man
’s fa ce , but much longe r ,a nd rope s of wh ite l ight afte r it . Then came a che st , l ikea coffin ,
about the he ight of a man from the g round . I tmove d ea s i ly , and it w a s red from the reflect ion of the l ight ,and a t its he a d w a s a lump of red l ight as b ig a s my fis t ,
and na rrow rope s of l ight fo l low ing it . I t wa s ve ry l ightround about it . I got a fr ight a nd we nt in and to ld mym istre ss , a nd she sa id to me it wou ld be a d r eng .
”
“ Cha idh mi ma ch aon mhada inn mu thimch ioll seachd
ua irean gus a chrodh a chuir ma ch, agu s chunna ic mi
,mar
gum b ’ann cho fhad ri 0 so gus an ra id mhor (about 70ya rds) me a ll mor de sholus dea rg , gu mor ris a cho ire .
Bha e co smha l ri eudann du ine , ach moran mi’b fha ide ;
agu s ropa iche an de sholus ghea l na dhe igh . An sin tha inig
c i ste , cosmha l ri c iste ma irbh , gu a rd o’
n t a lamh ri du ine .
Ghlua is e gu h-a tha iseach
,agus e dea rg le a is-thilgeadh a n
so lus ; agu s a ig a cheann bha mea ll de sholus dearg mu
mheud mo dhuirn agus ropa ichean chao l de sholus ga
lean tuinn . Mu’n cua irt bha e ro shoille ir . Ghabh mi
e aga l , agu s cha idh mi stea ch agus dhinn is mi do mo Bhan
Mha igh is t ir, agus thubha irt ise gu b’
e dreug bha a r m.
The n ext de script ion is from S kye , and in the ve ry wordsof the re c ite r
An othe r rema rkab le instance of the superna tura l , now
250 Ghos t L ig hts of the Wes t Highla nds .
in inflammat ion of the lungs , and I saw the la st of he r go ingaway through the p la nta t ion in the wh ite-moun te d l itt lecoffin ,
j ust in the d ire ct ion I saw in the ye a r p rev ious ly thed r eag d isappea r ing afte r it le ft my house . My dea r ch i ldw a s five yea rs of age , and I w as struck by the s im i la rityof leng th be twe e n the she l l and the appa r it ion of the
d r eag .
The fo l low ing dr eag wa s se en by Mr . A . MacL.
, ma son ,
in the S ound of Mu l l , about fifte en yea rs ago wh i le cross ingthe channe l w ith a boa t-loa d of fin e sand . Anothe r man
w a s in the boa t w ith him“ In the g loammg w e saw a l ight sh in ing on the sand in
the boa t . Look ing upwa rds the re w a s a wh it ish che cke re dsh imme r abou t the length of a fi sh ing rod, a nd a s th ick a s
the uppe r pa rt of a big man’
s th igh , about tw ice the he ightof the ma st above us
,and w ith its wh ite a nd g re e n r ibbon s ,
sw ing ing rop e s , and pendan ts abou t it . I t w a s mov ingg e nt ly a nd qu ie t ly a t the same he ight as w e saw i t a t firs t ,a nd the g rea t wh ite lump before it and tha t wh it e sh in ingth igh d ire ct ly be low it in the s ea . I t i s a th ing tha t put a
g rea t w i the ring of fea r on us,be i t wha t it chose .
The fo l low ing i s the Ga e l ic of the re c ite r :Chunna ic s inn a
’
m beu l n ’n’an ama ich (g loaming ) soilse
(l ight) t igh inn a ir a’
ghe anna ich sa bha ta . Air s ea ltuinn
sua s dhuinn bha ’n driom leach ghea l bhreac ud a r m a sud
(the re ) mu iha d s la t ia sgich agu s ch o ga rbh ri ca s duin emhoir s io s o
’bh
’mha s (buttocks ) mu dha a rd
’a crann a
bha ta os a’r c ionn ,
’us le a chuid ribinnean
’us a chuid
ghrea lagan ,’
s chlu iga iman , gea l’us na ine mu n cua irt dha .
Bha e suibha il ,’us a fa lbh gu ciuin le shoca ir a ig , n
’
ehe a rta irda
’
s’
a faca idh s inn a n to iseach e,agus a mhaol mhor
ghea l ud a ir thoiseach dhe , agus a l ia s gea l soillea r ud
dirach fodha’sa n fh
’a irga idh .
’S e rud e chu ir cr ion
n e achadh mor e aga ill oirne , b iodh e na roighinn .
The fo l low ing w a s a ls o se e n in Mu l l by a nothe r Mrs .
MacD .
, who sta y ed not fa r from a churchya rd . Th is w a s
Ghost L igh ts of the West Hig h la nds . 251
s een more recen t ly than tha t de scr ibe d a s hav ing a re
s emb la nce to a ch i ld ’
s n ightdre ssS hort ly be fore s le ep ing t ime I w a s stand ing in the
door . Pa ss ing be tween me and Lach lan ’ s hou se I saw
tha t wh ite ra d iance above the roa d l ike a wh it ish-mott le ddog on fire
, w ith h is hea d a nd fore leg s stre tche d b eforeh im and his long ragge d ta i l fu l l of sta rs a nd sparks of fire ,a nd his two other leg s a fter him . I t was not very h igh ,but it w a s g o ing s tra ight towa rds the churchyard , but w ithno grea t spe ed .
“ Tiotadh beag re am cada il bha mi am shea sa ibh sa’n
dorus . S eacha d eadar mi agu s t igh Lachla in , chunna ic m i
an dea lradh ge a l s in o’
s c ionn an rodhid coltach ri cu
bre ac-ghea l na the in e (on fire ) agus bhidhidh a ir a shion idh ,
a cheann’u s dha spoig
-c inn s inn t e t’roie adh (b efore him)
agus ea rba l fa da luideach lan runnage an agus thradagante in e ,
’s a
’dha cho is e i le na dhe igh . Cha ro e fir (ve ry )
a rd, bha e fa lbh direach a ir a chlaogh agus cha robhf or ce
(a s ta r ) mor sam b ith roimhe .
”
Informa t ion from Ha rr is i s to the e ffe ct tha t the dr eag isfre quen t ly se en
,and tha t it s appearan ce in the morn ing
ind ica te s tha t the dea th pre d icte d w i l l take p la ce in a shor tt ime
,but if a t n ight it w i l l be a fte r a long er interva l . I t
trave l s by way of the house in wh ich the dea th i s to takep lace towa rds the fam i ly burying ground .
In I s lay , Mr . says tha t when a n unc le of his w a s on
his dea thbe d in the yea r 1 862 , he and h i s fa the r we re g o inghome one n igh t and saw a dr eag . H is fa the r sa id : ‘Le t u shurry home , he
’ l l not g e t be tte r ,’referring to h i s s ick unc le .
Th i s prove d to b e the ca se , for h i s dea th came s oon a fte r .
”
The he ight from the ground doe s not app ea r , but the de layw as short in th i s ca se , and the dreag w a s seen a t n igh t .
On the author ity of Mr . MacBa in ( Inve rn e ss ) , a corpsecan d le if se en ra the r n ea r the g roun d show s tha t the fun e ra lw i l l b e soon , if i t is ra the r h igh in the a ir the fun era l w i l lnot happen imme d ia te ly .
252 Ghost L ig h ts of the Wes t High la nds .
H ow int ima te ly the se b e l ie fs a re m ixed up w ith the everyday l ife ofmany H igh lan de rs is shown by such an occurrencea s th is : “ A c rofter d ied not long ago in Be rne ra . He
l e ft his effects to be d iv ide d among the fam i ly . Ove r thed ivis ion they qua rre l led a good dea l , and the sp ir i t of the
depa rte d began to haunt the hou se . One n ight h i s daughte ra nd anothe r g ir l we re on the ir w ay home from a praye rme e t ing whe n a d r eag appea re d . Ne ithe r of them had
se en one before . C . McL. conc lude d tha t it w a s he r
fa ther ’ s ghost , and fa inte d . The other g ir l , who rema inedb e s ide her
,wa tche d the movement s of the dr eag . I t wen t
s low ly a long in the d irect ion of the bu rying g round , from a
house in wh ich short ly the re after a young woman d ie d .
”
I t does not se em a t a ll n e ce ssa ry tha t the dr eag shou ldappea r in the ne ighbourhood of the doome d one . Thus ,from Mu l l
“ When the dea th of the p ropr ie tor of B . took p la ce hishe ir w a s abroa d , and d id not a rr ive in th is country t i l l s ome
t ime afte r the dea th of the pre v ious la ird . Dur ing the
in terva l a fema le re la t ive l ive d in the house w ith the
se rvant s . One n ight one of the se rvant s came in in grea tdi stre ss , saying tha t she had se en a d r eag ,
a nd wa s qu itesure tha t the n ew la ird had d ied on the pa ssag e home . Atthe same t ime Mis s dreame d tha t a la rge r iver wa srunn ing pa st B . hou se , and tha t the new la ird was on the
Oppos ite s ide of the r iver . S he to ld he r dream to the
servan t, who rema rke d she w as qu i t e sure it meant thedea th of the la ird on h is w ay home . W e l l
,not the la ird
h imse lf, but a son of h is d ie d , and i t w a s subsequent lya scerta ined tha t the dea th had taken p la ce j ust about theda te of the dream a nd the appearance of the d r eag .
”
“ The re a re p lace s wh ich have got the ir name from the
be l ie f tha t myste rious l ights have appea re d in the ir ne ighbourhood . Thus , Cr eag a n T-S ol a is , a rock above Ca irn ,
ne a r Port Char lotte , ha s its name from a be l ie f tha t superna tura l l ights used to be se en about it . For the same
254 Ghos t L ig h ts of the Wes t Hig h la nds .
them w as on h is w ay that n ight whe n w e we re com ing home ,
a t lea s t tha t wa s wha t w e thought a t the t ime whe n w e saw
it . The re u s e d to be a large l ight often s ee n a t the Carn
Bhan , inde ed I th ink it is not so ve ry long ago s ince i t wa ss e en there . I ha ve often s een i t myse lf there
,it wa s a s la rge
a s the l ight of tha t lamp .
”
Th i s w as to ld qu ite re cen t ly by an o ld woman of ab outseven ty . The un ive rsa l be l ie f tha t “W i l l-o ’-the-W i sp ” a nd
such l ike a re powers for e v i l,prepa re one for the pos s ib i l ity
of the imp e rsona t ion of ev i l h ims e lf appea r ing a s a l ight .The fo l low ing , wh ich I tran s la te from the Ga e l ic
,i s to tha t
effec t : “ Be fore I came here , I mys e lf and L.
’s daughte r
we re wa lk ing , a fte r it had be come dark a t n ight , to he rfa the r’ s house
,t i l l w e rea ched the p la ce where the roa d
cuts off to her fa ther ’ s hou se , when she sa id to me :‘Ar
’n’ t
you g e tt ing afra id ? ’ ‘I wou ldn ’ t b e afra id ,’ I an swe re d
,‘though I shou ld me e t the dev i l . ’ The word w a s not out
of my mouth when a la rge spa rk l ing l ight came stra ight a tme . About the same t ime my fa the r came up t o se e me
home . W e re it not for tha t I d o not kn ow how I wou ldhave got home tha t n ight .The imp re s s ion made up on a pe rson se e ing an aero l ite
for the first t ime seems worth n ot ic ing in th i s connect ion .
The fo l low ing de script ion of one i s g iven in the words of
one of the b e s t of fo lk lore co l lectorsMy brothe r and I we re com ing one even ing homewards
from a fa rmer’s hou se , a nd when c lose to home w e saw the
most br i l l iant ba l l of l ight in the sky . B lue a nd wh ite inco lour
,it came floa t ing in a we ste r ly d irect ion
, a nd la nd ingin our pa rk i t pa rt ly b roke up into spa rks , but the ma in port ion s truck and bounde d down the bra e . N ext day w e
exam ined the p la ce where the ba l l of fire first struck,and
found the gra ss b lackened and burnt up . The n a t inte rva l swe re burn t p la ce s t i l l w e came to a rut p loughed by theba l l , wh ich w e found embe dde d in the s o i l . I t wa s a ma ssof iron stone a s b ig a s one ’ s two fists , and the l itt le b its he re
Ghost Lig hts of the Wes t High la nds . 255
and the re were se en l ike red chucky-stone s . Poss ib ly‘shooting ’ wou ld be the p roper word to use in de scr ib ingits fl ight , but i t w a s so br ight , and it w as a t such a d ista ncefrom the earth , t ha t the idea of sp ee d w as not pre sen ted toone ’s m ind so much a s that of a gradua l mov ing or float ingn earer and n eare r t i l l it fe l l . I t d id not come l ike a fla sh
,
w e saw it too far away for tha t , and had t ime t o wa tch it sapproa ch .
”
Anothe r de scr ipt ion I take from the S cotsma n of th e
14th of Decembe r , 1 895, in a le tter s igned M . C . T . ,da t ing
from the Man se of Lumphanan“ At p m . [on a De cembe r n ight- the le tte r is date d
1 2th De cember] I w a s wa lk ing ea stward a t an e leva tion of
about 88 7 fee t above sea leve l and over snow a t lea st five fe e tdeep , when sudden ly, in the s l ight ly frosty , moon le s s , butsta r l ight n ight , my path w a s l it up a s if a ma ch in e w i th morethan u sua l ly p owerfu l l ights had come up b eh ind me . Iturn ed to s e e
, so a s to prote ct myse lf,when cross ing the
heaven s in a s tra ight l ine from we st t o ea st w a s a mostbr i l l ian t me te or . I t s hea d w a s
,in s iz e and shape , a doub ly
en large d g oose’ s egg . I t s ta i l w as fan-shape and fish-shape
,
the co lour of the ta i l lurid . In the rea r of the ta i l werenumerous sparks l ike s ta rs . I t w a s v is ib le for about twoseconds
,a nd s eeme d to drop in Abe rde en .
”
One fina l examp le , in wh ich the l ight apparent ly shonefrom the face of the pe rson to be warne d of the approaching dea th , br ing s th i s lengthy pap er to a c lose
The re wa s a g ir l in T ire e who w as on one occa s ionsp inn ing in a farme r
’ s house , and ha v ing con t inue d working t i l l ra ther la te , one of the farme r
’ s son s wen t to s e e her
safe ly home . A l l at on ce the lad saw he r a s if she we requ ite wh ite
,and a l ight sh in ing upon her . They we re both
a la rmed , but she wen t home , and the lad returne d home
a ls o . The next morn ing , however , be fore e ight o’c lock
,
the same g ir l came runn ing to the fa rme r’s hou se w ith the
news of he r fa the r’ s dea th . I t had come ve ry sudden ly,
256 Ghost L ights of the West High la nds .
Ju st a s she had bee n“ l ight ing the fire , he got up and fe l l
down dea d in a m inute . The eve nt wa s a t once a ccepte da s exp la in ing wha t the lad had se e n the n ight be fore .
”
I have to a cknow le dge mater ia l a s s istance , re ce ive d and
use d , from Mis s El iz abe th Ke rr , Port Charlotte , I s lay ; theRev . N ie l Campb e l l , K i lchrenan , Argyl l ; Mr . Co l in MacD ona ld , Lochbuy Pub l ic S choo l , Mu l l ; and Mr . Pe terMacDona ld, Leda ig , Argyl l .
258 R eviews .
ce lebra ted story of The La nguage of Anima ls, on wh ich Mr. Fraz er
wro te a t leng th in the Archa eolog ica l Review,and on wh ich I
have myse lf commen ted in the Carabas volume on B a r la am a nd
josapha t . Ye t , w i thou t the a id of any trans la t i on from the
f ataha , the Indian or ig in of th is part icu lar s tory has a lready beene stabl ished . I t may be conjec tured tha t the importance of th ispubl ica t ion of a trans la t ion of the f ataha w i ll turn out to be tha ti t throws l igh t upon the dissem ina t ion of folk ta les with in the
Indian pen insu la ra ther than upon the orig in of those of Europe .
Bu t for th is purpose a grea t dea l of compara tive work w i l l have tobe done by s tuden ts of folklore , much of wh ich m igh t we l l havebeen regarded as w i th in the province of the trans la tors or edi torsof th is trans la t i on . In reviewing the firs t volume
,I had occas ion
to comp la in of the meagre assistance given to studen ts of folklore w i th regard to para l le ls, e i ther in India or Europe , of thejdtaha stor ies. I fear I must repea t th is compla in t with regarda t least to the th ird volume transla ted by Messrs. Francis and
Ne i l . Thus, they do not refer to the l igh t thrown by No . 3 74 on
the fEsop Fable of The D og a nd the Shadow , or of NO. 426 on
tha t of The Wolf a nd the Lamb, though of course one of the ma in
poin ts of in teres t abou t the f ataha is the possibi l i ty tha t we can
find in i t the source of our fam i l iar z ’Esop . The ir re t icence inth is regard con trasts by no means favourably w i th the very fu l la t ten t ion pa i d to th is poin t by Mr. Rouse in the no tes to histrans la t i on in the second volume . If the o ther volumes wereequa l l y we l l anno ta ted for folklore para l le l s as the volume en
trusted to Mr . Rouse , the va lue of the trans la tion wou l d be grea t l yincreased . Readers of Folk-Lore are fam i l iar w i thMr. Rouse ’s w ideknow ledge of Indian popu lar ta les and cus toms ; and the secondvolume of the trans la t ion has large l y benefi ted , ow ing to the fac ttha t Mr. Rouse i s a folklorist as we l l as a Pa l i scholar .
Mr. Rouse has not a l one drawn a t ten t ion to para l le ls a lreadyexist ing in prin t, but on one occas ion he has been enabled to add
to the number of publ ished var ian ts . I t i s indeed cur i ous to th inktha t a para l le l , and a very close one
, to ajdtaha story shou l d bepreserved in the memory Of a master of one of our publ ic schools .
Yet the s tory g iven in the no te on page 1 1 0 is of th is character.
The wonderfu l charac ter of the inciden t , however, somewha t disappears when we learn tha t the varian t in quest ion was heardfrom a nurse in Moscow. Even th is fact, however, does not qu i te
R eviews . 259
solve the quest i on how the f ataha story got to Moscow . I have a
suggest ion to make wh ich may poss ibly throw some l igh t upon th iscurious inciden t in the trave ls of s tor ies . Th is part icu lar Jatakais represen ted in Ta lmudic l i tera ture by prac t ica l l y the same s tory(see Gaster, B eitr a ege, c . ix ) . Now ifMr. Shnurman
, the gen t leman in quest ion
,is of Jew ish orig in , it wou l d be qu i te with in the
range of poss ib i l i ty tha t the s tory came to h im from Jew ish sources,
and tha t the seem ing evidence for a Russ ian para l le l was i l lus ive .
I t wou l d be in terest ing to ascerta in whe therMr. Shnurman’s nurse
was a Jewess . Under any circumstances we have here an in teres ting examp le of how a piece of folklore m igh t be transm i t ted fromRuss ia to Eng land .
Now tha t we have before us a sufficien t accoun t of the f atahato judge of i ts genera l charac ter, the quest ion may fa ir l y be ra isedwhe ther the folkta les con ta ined in i t are so earl y in form as has
been represen ted . To my m ind, whenever we can compare thef ataha form w i th tha t g iven in the P a ntcha ta ntr a , the la t ter a lmos tinvar iably shows more s igns of pr im i t iveness than the f ataha formof the same s tory . In the very form in wh ich the Jataka is wr i t tendown
,i t is c lear tha t what tradi t ion preserved is not so much the
story as the ga tha or mora l , and in many in stances the story i tse lfhas become vague and indefin i te in the m inds of the te l lers
, so
tha t when Bhuddaghosa or his disciples wro te down the Com
men tary on the ga tha , wh ich now forms thejci taha , the out l ine ofthe ta le had become exceeding l y vague . In short
,in the f ataha
the mora l p i l l had caused the s tory jam to become musty . we
must not forge t tha t the objec t of the f ataha is to adorn a mora lra ther than to te l l a ta le . W i th the P a ntcha ta ntr a
, on the o therhand
, the story in teres t i s the ma in one and we therefore find theta les told be t ter
,w i th more po in t, and in grea ter fu lness than in
the f ataha . I t w i l l be a work of some de l icacy to de term ine a l sohow far the stor ies in thejdtaha have been modified in order tosubserve a mora l purpose . One may be certa in,
for examp le , tha tin No . 398 the young man did not convert the gobl in in the
orig ina l form of the s tory .
But all these quest i ons may be safe l y left for further inves t igat ion when th is trans la t ion of the f ataha reaches its conclus ion .
The mass of ma teria ls wh ich is now be ing p laced before the
s tuden t of folklore wil l requ ire and reward mos t carefu l s tudy andresearch into the re la t ions be tween the f ataha and o ther Indian
3 2
260 R eviews .
col lec tions, as we l l as between the whole s tory-store of India and
of the West . By giving the folklore studen t who is ignoran t ofPa l i Opportun i ty for making th is further s tudy , the ‘corps of transla tors of the f ataha are earn ing the gra t i tude of all in terested inthe fascina t ing s tudy of the m igra t ion of stories.
JOSEPH JACOBS .
THE CULTS OF THE GREEK STATES. By L. R . FARNELL. In
Th ree Volumes . C larendon Press. Vols . I . and I I . 1 8 96 .
TH IS book is an importan t con tribu t ion to the s tudy of Greekre l ig ion . Ma teria ls for such a work have been accumu la t ing fora long time ; and the discove ry of coun t less inscrip t ions, thec loser study of ancien t monumen ts
,and the specu la t ions of
scholars,have made such works as those of Gerhard and Maury
qu i te out of da te . Al l these have been la id under con tr ibu t ion ,and the resu l t is a very comp le te and re l iable accoun t of the
resu l ts of research w i th in the Greek fie l d . The book impressesthe reader w i th its clearness and san i ty . C learness am i d sucha wea l th of ma ter ial is by no means ea sy to ga in ; and per
haps in th is respect a l i t t le more m igh t have been done in the
way of summ ing up a t the end Of each sec t ion . But as the
au thori t ies are not mere l y referred to in footno tes . but quo ted infu l l and carefu l l y arranged in appendices to each sec t ion ,
i t isquite poss ible to ge t a comp le te overs igh t of the cu l t, t i t les, anddistr ibu t ion of each of the divin i t ies here trea ted w i thout refe rr ingto the index . For san i ty the au thor’s judgmen t is remarkable .
Few,if any, of the specu la t ions of scholars have been passed
over ; but the au thor is by no means incl ined to accep t newtheories because they are new . Many are men t ioned but to bedism issed (and tha t is often a ll they deserve) combina t ions basedon insuffic ien t evidence are not adop ted, however p laus ible and,
in part icu lar, the tendency of a certa in German school to reducea t all costs al l divin i t ies to a leading idea , whe ther a mora l no t ionor an aspec t of na ture , is most just l y condemned . If .we have a
fau l t to find, i t i s tha t the au thor has been too cau t ious . We
m igh t expect more a t temp ts to expla in orig ins and a l though thep lan of the work is to g ive fac ts, not to find orig ins, yet i t wou l d
262 R eviews .
bench where peop le congrega te ; Hom . c’
wMée s , “all toge ther
Anyhow,a connect ion w i th fiALOS is less l ike l y than e i ther Of these .
The connec t ion of Athena w i th the moon , some t imes asserted , isdismissed as unsupported by evidence ; a “ crescen t moon ”
on
certa in coins is some t imes adduced in support, wh ich may be a
symbo l of the bird of n igh t .”But is i t rea l l y a crescen t moon , or
an o l ive leaf ? and if a crescen t moon ,may i t not be a m in t-mark
mere l y ? Certa in l y the au thor is just ified in rejec t ing th is lunartheory . Of the swa l low ing of Me t is by Zeus an explana t ion is
suggested (2 85) wh ich is ingen ious, though far from convincing .
Las t l y, the connect ion of Athena w i th agricu l ture is traced. In
the ri tua l of th is part are severa l savage e lemen ts, as the ba th ingof the image and daubing i t w i th wh i te earth wh ichthe au thor adds “
was supposed to be good for Ol ives (anexp lana t ion insuffic ien t in view of many o ther such daubings) .The e terna l fire in the shr ine of Athena Pol ias is exp la ined as a
symbol of the ci ty ’s perpe tua l l ife though we may morer igh t l y regard i t as a surviva l of the pr imit ive prac tice of keep inup the fire in the ch ief’ s house , and a doubl ing of the fire of the
Pry taneum (qf. Fraz er, The P ry ta neum,injourn . Phil , vol . xiv.
pp . 1 45 ff.) An examina t ion of Athena in art fol l ows, i l lustra t ionsbe ing given from scu lp ture , vases, and gems of the types of the
goddess and her cu l t with these we need not l inger .
The o ther divin i t ies are trea ted in the same way. The aspec tsof Zeus are we l l traced , and the ri tua l described ; but of explanat ion there i s l i t t le . No a t temp t, for instance , is made to e lucida tethe Bouphon ia , and a l though some explana t ions are quo ted (8 8 ff. )there is no rea l cri t ic ism of them ,
and the compara t ive me thod isnot app l ied . I t may be repl ied tha t th is is not w i th in the scopeof the book ; true , but we w ish i t were . Wi th the dic tum on p . 93
(cf. 442 ff ) , tha t legends of the subst i tu t ion of an ima l for humanvic t ims may we l l have ar isen from the decep t ive appearance of
many sacrifices where the an ima l offered was trea ted as human
and some t imes invested w i th human a t tr ibu tes,we canno t agree .
Poss ibl y i t may have some t imes happened, but such subs t i tu t ionis too w ide-spread
,and i t genera l l y does not Show th is trea tmen t
of the vict im as human ; moreover, the subst i tu t ion was inevi tableas manners improved ; and if the explana t ion were true , the
common subst i tu t ion of red— lead for blood, wh ich we regard as
ano ther man ifestat ion of the same principle , wou l d be left unex
R eviews . 263
p lained . There are some sensible remarks on the aegis (98 ff ) ,but the au thor goes too far when he ma in ta ins tha t there is noground for connect ing i t w i th ra in ; the pla te in Bourke ’s SnaheD ance of theMoqnis (xix. ) is sufficien t to disprove this . The p la terepresen ts an a l tar w i th “ storm clouds and l igh tn ing ; and the
upper part cons ists of sca les, the lower of snakes. The resemblance of this figure to the aeg is s tr ikes one at a g lance . As
regards the axe of Tenedos as an emblem of Zeus, the au thorfa i ls to no tice Professor R idgeway
’s bri l l ian t book on the Or iginof Curr ency and Weight S ta nda rds ; the axe may we l l be a tradeemblem, and axe money ” is, or la tely was, used in Wes t Africa(op . cit .
, pp . 40 ,
In the Hera sec t i on , the au thor makes no a t temp t to discoverwha t Hera origina l l y was tha t, says he, is not our presen t concern he shows us, however, wha t she was not , and does goodservice in sweep ing away cobwebs . His exp lana t ion of the iepc
‘i s
y cl luos is rea l ist ic, and, in our Opin i on ,mos t un l ike l y . He comes
to the conc lusion tha t Hera is s imp l y the goddess of marr iage ,and the women ’
s special goddess ; as spouse Of Zeus, She shares
some of h is t i t les ; but her separa te func t ions are few,and she
takes l i t t le in teres t in men . The quest ion whe ther we ever havein Europe orig inal female goddesses becom ing ma le
,and as a
resu l t a pair of divinities worshipped toge ther, is not touched .
This process is often seen in Sem i t i c rel igi on , and the la teProfessor Robertson Smi th has often told the presen t wr i ter tha the be l ieved a great deal more migh t be explained on the same
principle .
The sec t ion Artem is is importan t . The au thor g ives reasonfor th inking tha t She was orig ina l l y a goddess connected w i thwa ters , w i l d vege ta t ion , and w i l d beasts . S igns of to tem ism are
no t iced (42 7 , and o ther traces of savagery . A grea t manypecu l iar ma t ters come in to th is sect ion ; the cha ined image a t
Phiga leia , the B rauron ian cu l t , her virg in i ty as perhaps a re l ic Of
fema le kinsh ip,human sacr ifice for the crops and o thers ;
but the trea tmen t of these is not so sa t isfac tory as the trea tmen tof the more civi l ised parts of her h istory . The connec t i on of
Artem is with Up is, Nemes is,and Adrasteia is fu l l y dea l t w i th , and
the reasoning carr ies convict ion . Much the same may be sa id of
Heka te . To exp la in her cu l t,a w ide know ledge Of savage r i tes
and supers t i t ions is necessary . Had the author been more ful l y
264 R eviews .
versed in these he m igh t h ave spoken w i th no uncerta in sound of
the offer ings to Heka te (51 He m igh t a lso have answered hisown quest ion (51 5 n . ) why cross-roads have an evi l charac ter;”
or ra ther, i t wou l d not then have been pu t a t all in tha t form .
Cross-roads are chosen for the buria l of murderers and su ic idesbecause the ghosts of such are pecu l iar l y rest less, and, if they wa lk,may perhaps fa i l to find the road home ; tha t a t leas t is one reasonfor the cho ice . Ano ther may be tha t the number of peoplewa lking over the grave keep the ghos t down . Then if offer ingsare exposed for the ghosts, a cross—road is a good p lace to pu tthem,
because more ghos ts are l ike l y to pass tha t way.
Aph rodi te was not a Greek goddess, but was in troduced fromthe East . The effect of the Greek gen ius is we l l shown here , forthe cu l t was en t ire l y purified from its abom ina t ions (the soleexcep t ion is at Cor in th) , and the i dea l of the goddess was ra isedun t i l i t cu lm ina tes in the ph i losoph i c Aphrodi te Ouran ia . The
au thor poin ts out tha t the t i t le Ouran ia had or ig ina l l y no mora limpl ica tion wha tever, and in the same way Pandemos S imp l ymean t tha t she was the goddess of the “ whole peop le in certa insta tes but a popu lar m isunderstanding degraded Pandemos to thegoddess of sensua l or i l l ici t pass ion , and Ouran ia then assumed inthe genera l imag ina t ion tha t mean ing wh ich the h ighes t m indsamong the Greeks had given to Aphrodi te under a ll t i t les . Her
connect ion w i th the sea is exp la ined as due to the fac t tha t shewas the “ divin i ty of a class tha t wandered far over the Mediter
ranean (p . I t may be added tha t wa ter is often associa tedw i th the idea of fert i l i ty . The curious var ian t, by wh ich Aphrodi teseems to have been conceived of as born from a biva lve is notdiscussed . (There are a good many terra-co t tas wh ich Show hers i t t ing in the she l l of a b iva lve
,severa l in the Herm i tage , and
an a l lus ion in Plau tus,Rndens
,Men t ion may be made of
some poin ts where folklore cou l d have been used to i l lustra te .
We have the sexes disgu ised in each o ther’s dress a t a feast ca l ledthe‘Yfipw rw c
’
t (635) m im ic dea th and resurrec t ion (651 ) a pos
s ib le a l lusion to the couvade in Sparta and Aphrodi te ’sassocia t ion w i th the tortoise, ram
,and horse may have some
th ing to do w i th to temism . The o ther cases, where a bird or
beas t is associa ted wi th a divin i ty (as Zeus’eag le , He ra
’s peacock,th e mouse of Apol lo Sm in theus, Hermes Kr iophoros), and the
associa t ion Of divin i t ies w i th trees (as Asclep i os Agnitas, P a ns . i i i .
266 R eviews .
TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEED INGS OF THE JAPAN SOC IETY,LONDON . Supplemen t I . NIHONG I
, CHRON ICLES OF JAPANFROM THE EARL IEST TIMES To AD . 69 7 . Trans la ted fromthe orig inal Ch inese and Japanese by W. G . ASTON , C .M.G .
Vol . I I . London : Kegan Pau l , Trench , Trubner, 8: Co . ,
Limited . 1 896 .
THE second volume of the ZVi/zongi is hardly less in terest ing to thes tuden ts of folklore than the former, wh ich we reviewed last year.
Al though the my tholog ical tales have disappeared as the chron ic leradvanced to t imes nearer h is own
, the same charac terist ics markthe course of the narra t ive . Wha t w i th omens and wonders, weare con t inua l l y rem inded of the monkish chron ic les of the Wes t
,
or the s tory of pagan Rome . Nor is the importance of the
volume l im i ted to these . The repea ted no t ices of cu l t, custom ,
and legis la tion render i t a very usefu l documen t for the h is toryof civi l isa t i on . Mr. Aston’s no tes and the i l lustra tions of objec tsl ike those men t ioned in the text are va luable a ids to unders tanding it . He has made so adm irable a beg inn ing w i th the
l Vihong i, tha t we hope his hea l th and incl ina t i on w i l l permi t himto trans la te the ear l ier part of the [( iujihi, the on l y one of the
ancien t chron ic les tha t remains un transla ted, down to the re ign of
Jimmu TennO.
THE BOOK OF WONDER VOYAGES . Edited by JOSEPH JACOBS .
I l lustra ted by JOHN D . BATTEN . London : D . Nut t, 1 896 .
THE la test of Mr. Jacobs’ Chr istmas Books for Ch i ldren has all
the qua l i t ies of the ear l ier ones,except, perhaps, the grea t varie ty
tha t was one of the ir character is t ics. Th is compara t ive defi
ciency is due ra ther to the subjects than to the manner of te l l ingor the i l lustra t ions ; and the book is anyhow very de l igh tfu l toold and young. I t con ta ins four stor ies : the Argonau ts , told inK ings ley
’
s words the Voyage of Maelduin , revised and abr idgedby Mr. Alfred Nutt from Mr. Wh i t ley S tokes’ version ; Hasan of
Bassorah , and the Voyage of Thorkill and Er ic , by the edi tor.For us the ch ief va lue l ies in the no tes . Mr. Jacobs holds tha t
“a t the roo t of the whole idea of a Wonder Voyage i s the scep
ticism w i th regard to trave l lers’ ta les and sa i l ors’ yarns wh ich i s
R eviews . 267
current among all peoples . Scep ticism is of course at the rootof the l i terary and sa t irical voyages, but by no means of the farolder and graver s tor ies curren t everywhere , of wh ich the voyageis on l y a varian t found among na t ions dwe l l ing by the sea . In
dea l ing w i th the Argonau ts Mr. Jacobs, as we m igh t expec t, declares for diffus ion of all the varian ts of the ta le from a s ing lecen tre but yet he is not happy, because the magical comb as an
obstacle to pursu i t has not been found in India . I t is a pi tythere is no Lost Property Office to wh ich he can apply . Mr.
Jacobs th inks the s tory of Hasan of Bassorah is la ter than the
ten th cen tury in its presen t form in the A r ahia n Mghts. I t isuseless
,
”he says, “ to a t temp t to trace in Hasan any direc t influ
ence of Mo ther—righ t, Marr iage byCapture , To temism ,&o.
“ Theymay be pr1m1t1ve In orIgIn, but as used in Hasan they are s implyconven t ions of Arabic story-te l ling .
”All this everybody wou l d
adm i t . But the quest ion is not whe ther there be any direc t orconscious influence of the customs and superst i t ions in ques t ion ina h igh l y l i terary and conven t ional ised form of the ta le but wha tis the u l t ima te orig in of the conven t ions. The no tes to a l l fourof the s tor ies are in teres t ing, though less polem ica l than is oftenMr. Jacobs’ won t . Those to the Voyage of Maelduin are byMr. Nut t
, who ep i tom iz es in a couple of pages the resu l ts Of
recen t investiga tions by Ce l tic scholars.
THE NORTH-WESTERN PROV INCES OF IND IA,THE IR HISTORY ,
ETHNOLOGY , AND ADM IN ISTRAT ION . By W. CROOKE .
London : Me thuen 8: Co .
,1 89 7 .
WHAT are ca l led the North-Western Provinces reach from the
Hima layas to the V indhya , from De lh i to the junctIOn of the
Ganges and the Gogra . Including Oudh,they ch iefly cons ist of
the w ide a l luvia l va l ley wa tered by the Ganges, the Jumna, and
the ir tribu tar ies, w i th desola te moun ta in-districts on the north and
the barren s l opes of the V indhyan p la teau on the sou th . S i tua tedthus in the heart of the Indian Emp ire , they form one of its mos timportan t members. H istorica l l y and e thnologica l l y they are
perhaps the most in terest ing and importan t part of the coun try .
Buddha was born and began h is m ission jus t ou tside their border,
268 R eviews .
in wha t is now the na t ive “ sta te of Nepal . Wi th in and on the irwestern boundary the Musa lman conquerors had the ch ief sea tsof the ir power. Mr. Crooke wr i tes of them w i th the au thori ty ofa profound and sympa the t ic studen t of the peop le and the ir h is tory ,as a pa instaking and exper ienced adm in istra tor. Th is book
,the re
fore,appea ls to a ll who are in teres ted in the good governmen t of
India (and wha t Br i ton can afford to be indi fferen t to tha t P) , andaffords an exce l len t in troduct ion to scien t ific s tuden ts of the racesof India .
The bas is of the popu la t ion is Dravidian,a preh is toric Negri t ic
race,conquered or absorbed by success ive waves of invaders of
the Aryan or Skythian race .
”The process occup ied “
an enormousperi od of t ime— the resu l t be ing the popu la t i on of the presen tday.
” “ Wha t i t is rea l l y importan t to grasp ,” Mr. Crooke goes
on to say,“ is tha t the Dravidian e lemen t was prepo ten t, and tha t
the so-ca l led Aryan conques t was more socia l than e thn i ca l,more
the gradua l en l igh tenmen t of the indigenous peoples by sca t teredbands of m issionar ies and teachers, whose civi l isa t ion was of thepeacefu l , unwar l ike , and in te l lectua l form ra ther than the upheava land wreck of the ex ist ing pol i ty by an army of conquerors whoforced the ir law and civi l ins t i tu t ions on the necks of the ir s laves .
”
The old-fash ioned theory of conquest, founded on the Vedic hymns
and the ear l ier l i tera ture,mus t therefore be abandoned as an in
adequa te exp lana t ion Of the phenomena . Invas ions indeed therewere
,bu t they were those of m iss ionary-colon ists, who in troduced
th e Vedic na ture-worsh ip and who , by iden t ifying the ir own godsw i th the ch ief d ivin i t ies they found already in the coun try, absorbeda large part of the na tive re l ig i on . Of th is re l ig i on ,
thus ama lgama ted w i th the ir own ,
they establ ished themse lves as pr ies ts , a ndby virtue of the ir superi or cu l ture and the in t ima te know ledge of
d ivine th ings they were bel ieved to possess, ob ta ined a permanen tascendency over the peop le , wh ich is even ye t unbroken after thevic iss i tudes of three thousand years .
The in tima te re la t ions be tween the problems of governmen t ande thnology are i l lustra ted on every page of th is fasc ina t ing work .
The au thor,perhaps w ise l y, avoids draw ing the mora l but none
the less the p ress ing need for a systema t ic s tudy by governmen toffic ia l s of the racia l charac ters
,the tr iba l inst i tu t ions, the super
st it ions,the be l iefs— in a word , the folklore of the peop le— is irre
sistibly suggested . A no table examp le of th is is found on pp .
270 R eviews .
our forefa thers tha t we can hardly understand how large provincesof Na ture are s t i l l he l d by peop les compara t ive l y civi l ised to be thespheres of arbi trary and incessan t act ion by superna tura l powerswh i ch are constan t l y mu l t ip ly ing . I t needs books l ike the one beforeus to presen t and sys tema t ise the phenomena, to reca l l to our
m inds how m ixed the popu la t i on of India is — m ixed in civi l isa t ionas we l l as in race — and to insist on the extraordinary fac t tha t themodern act ivi ty and growth of H indu ism are large l y due to the
Eng l ish conquest , and to the establ ishmen t of the f ax B r itannica
w i th its modern fac i l i t ies for commun ica t ion .
There canno t be two op in ions on the vas t importance of the
s tudy of H indu re l ig ion . In mos t o ther parts of the worl d access ible to the sc ien t ific s tuden t we find the na t ive be l iefs underm ined by con tact wi th Europeans . In India , on the o ther hand
,
wha t i s going on is a recrudescence of H indu ism and the incorporation w i th i t of a vas t number Of abor ig ina l cu l ts and superstitions not previous l y taken up . These mus t rap idl y carry furth erthe process of transforma t ion of the old Vedic fa i th
,wh ich has
been in course for cen turies. Meanwh i le the re l ig ious be l iefs,whe ther of the aborig ina l tribes and l ower castes or of the
Brahmans themse lves, hardly appear to be suffer ing any diminu
t ion of in tens i ty . They are predom inan t over the l ives and
customs of the peop le . The pos i t ion of our Officia ls offers unusua lfaci l i t ies for Observing the re l ig i on of the na t ives ; the problemsof governmen t demand close a t ten t ion to all tha t concerns tha tre l ig ion and its vi ta l i ty and i ts changes in the m ids t of i ts conse rvatism render it pecu l iar l y in teres t ing a l ike for its own sakeand for purposes of comparison w i th s im i lar processes e lsewhere .
Mr. Crooke , when in India , u t i l ised h is Opportun i t ies . A pa t ien tobserver and inqu irer, he was impressed wi th the vas t importanceof th e subjec t , and endeavoured to in teres t his fe l low-officials ando thers in the folklore of the coun try . For tha t purpose he tookup the work, dropped by Cap ta in (now Major) Temp le , of edi t ingthe P a njah (afterwards the I ndian) N otes a nd Quer ies, ca l ledunder Mr. Crooke ’s managemen t N or th I ndia n N otes and Quer ies ,and form ing a m ine of informa t ion on the peop les of India .
Much of th is informa t ion he has embodied in the work before us,
toge ther w i th much der ived from o ther sources . Under a ll the
d ifficu l t ies of absence from th is coun try, Of the cl ima te and of his
offic ia l dut ies, he con trived to keep abreas t of scientific though t
R eviews . 27 1
in an thropology , and especia l l y in the departmen t of folklore . So
much was abundan t l y eviden t in the or ig ina l edi t ion . Va luableas tha t was, the presen t edi t ion, by its large addi t ions and by theappl ica t ion to Indian prob lems of the theor ies and sugges t ions ofscien t ific s tuden ts a t home
,is more va luable s t i l l . The au thor
does not accep t every theory formu la ted ten ta t ive l y by inqu irerswho never came in to ac tua l con tac t w i th a savage peop le . He
br ings to bear upon them the l igh t of h is own experience, andoften e i ther den ies their app l icabi l i ty to the peop les of India or
suggests a l terna tive exp lana tions . At o ther t imes he con ten tsh imse lf with sta ting two or three r iva l th eories w i thou t pronouncingdefin i te l y be tween them . We cou l d have wished in many of
these cases tha t he had pronounced for one or o ther, because h isjudgmen t wou l d have carried we igh t . As a co l lec t ion of ma teria lMr. Crooke ’s work offers on every page au then t i c facts of the
h ighes t va lue . The chap ter-headings do not convey a no t ion of
a t i the of the wea l th it con ta ins, for inc iden ta l l y the wr i ter is ledto discuss many ceremonies and superst i tions for which one wou l dhardly th ink of looking withou t the ass is tance of the sub-headings,and these are not g iven in the tables of con ten ts . The referencesto para l le l customs and be l iefs in o ther parts of the wor l d are
he lpfu l to the s tuden t, wh i le they render the volumes more a t traet ive to “
the genera l reader by perpe tua l l y rem inding h im tha twha t the author is describ ing i s not an isola ted and inexp l icablephenomenon of no consequence , but one wh ich is dependen tupon some principle of human though t, since it appears aga inand aga in e lsewhere .
We have de tected a trifl ing error on p . 209 of vol . 11. The
fable of the ass in the pan ther’
s skin does not appear in the fifth,
but in the fourth,book of the P a ncha ta ntr a .
A usefu l b ibliography and a good index conclude the work .
27 2 R eviews .
GREEK FOLK-POESY . ANNOTATED TRANSLAT IONS FROM THE
WHOLE CYCLE or ROMAIC FOLK-VERSE AND FOLK-PROSE . ByLUCY M . J . GARNETT . Ed i ted, w i th Essays on the Scienceof Folklore , Greek FOlkspeech , and the Surviva l of Pagan ism ,
by J . S . STUART-GLENN IE, M .A. 2 vols . London : DavidNu t t, 1 896 .
TH IS va luable work, wh i ch does credi t to au thors and publ ishera l ike, is indispensable to all who are in teres ted in modern Greece ;for Of Greece i t is true more than of any o ther na t i on ,
tha tthe na t iona l l ife , charac ter, and asp ira t ions are revea led in the
popu lar ta les and ba l lads . The se lec t ion is fu l l and represen tat ive so tha t a l though many volumes migh t be fi l led w i th ta les andba l lads no less in teres t ing than these , i t is poss ible for those un
acqua in ted with modern Greek to ge t from th is work a suffic ien t l yw ide ou t l ook over the Greek worl d . The sources from wh ich thecon ten ts of the two volumes are drawn make a sma l l l ibrary inthemse lves . They are nearl y all co l lec t ions of folk-l i tera ture bu t
one or two trans la t ions have been made from the modern poe tValaorites, who often most fa i thfu l l y renders the sp ir i t of popu larbe l iefs ; and some are from MS . sources. The firs t volume is a
new edi t ion of the co l lect ion publ ished by the same wri ters some
years ago, but i t is grea t l y en larged ; and the second is en tire l ynew.
Bo th verse and prose are classified under the fol l owing headsI . My thologi ca l : Zoon ist , Mag ica l , and Supernalist . I I . Socia lAn te-nup t ia l , Fam i l y, Communa l . I I I . H istor ica l : Byz an t ine ,Ot toman ,
He l len i c. The t i t les need some exp lana tion . By
Zoon ist (for wh ich the edi tor wou l d now prefer to subs t i tu tePani st) is mean t all tha t i l lustra tes the i dea tha t “ inanimates
no less than plan ts and an ima ls ” are conce ived as re
sponsively sentient power s ( i i . Supernalist impl ies a re
cogn i t ion Of powers not sen t ien t on l y, but effect ive in ac t ing upono th er objects, a kind of na tur a l gods ( i i . I t is perhapsusefu l to have t i t les to dist ingu ish the i deas here expla ined , but i tmust be confessed tha t those chosen by the edi tor do not te l l the irown s tory and any one g lancing in to the book m igh t be repe l ledby words wh ich have an air of bombas t and osten ta t ion . I t is a p i ty,therefore , in our opin ion tha t s imp ler terms were not hit upon , or
274 R eviews .
(Passow, NO . is perpe tua ted'
the anc ien t Rhodian XexcéévI owa , the ideas in each be ing much the same , and the firs t l inethe same word for word, so in some of these o thers may l ive theLinos Son g , or the dirge of Adon i s .
A general idea of the con ten ts of the firs t volume has beengiven already in discussing the c lassifica tion adop ted in th i s work .
Among the Zoon is t ” poems are dia logues be tween person ifiednatural objec ts, such as the dispu te of Ol ympos and K issavos
(i. horses, wolves, deer, birds, and trees discourse, or con
verse with human beings . The “ Magical”
sect ion con ta inspoems abou t dragons and o ther monsters, w i tches , haun t ingSpirits, the vampire , and one or two spe l ls. In the “ Communa l ”
division fall dirges, love -songs, lullabies, and nursery rimes,
toge ther with a few dist ichs that have been transla ted there are
a lso dancing and fes t ival songs, and a few of a humorous sort.The H istorical ” sec tion is very fu l l and in terest ing, and may
be regarded as the mos t sa t isfac tory in the book . I t begins w i thportions of those epic ba l lads wh ich commemora te the ha lfmyth ical hero, Digenes Akri tas (ten th cen tury) , abou t whom an
explana tory and cri t ical note i s g iven (p . Around th i s namea comple te circle of ba l lads has grown up, wh ich m igh t form the
germ of ano ther Odyssey if Greece shou l d produce ano therHomer and Digenes has even appropria ted explo i ts of the ancien theroes, s trang l ing snakes like Herakles a t his birth and
performing deeds of va l our when yet an infan t . Other memoriesof Byz an tine days are fol lowed by verses on mos t of the even tstha t a t tended the fal l of tha t empire and the s truggles of the
Greeks with Turkey : the sack of Constan t inople and Sa l on ica ,the ba t tle of Lepan to, the heroic defence of Sou l i , the rou t of theMoslems at Sphakia, even down to the rising in Thessa l y duringthe year 1 880 . These are in teresting to a wide circle a t the
presen t time , i l lustra t ing as they do the tradi tiona l Turkish warfare of rape and ravag ing . The prose extracts under th is head are
less numerous and sl igh ter . There are some vivid descrip t ions ofeven ts tha t occurred during the Turko-Greek strugg le ; but themos t sign ifican t of this group is a p iece wh ich a l ludes to the preh istori c He l lenes, or g ian t folk, who l ifted in the ir hands the grea ts tones tha t form Cyclopean wa l lsThe volume of Ta les conta ins a good many para l le ls of we ll
known tales, such as Cinderel la and Puss-ih -Boo ts. The fami l iar
R eviews . 275
incidents of folktales occur again and again , as the Hero’s Tasks,
the Helpful Beasts, and so forth . The Life-token often occurs.But in bo th verse and prose the grea test interest attaches to
those things wh ich are pecu liar to the Greek race to their
manners, their be liefs, and their mode of regarding the un iverse .
All this comes out more s trongly in the poems than in the tales
for in these the inciden ts of ordinary life are alluded to merely, inthose they are more fully described, and we can follow in de tailthe though ts tha t run through a Greek peasan t’s mind at all thegrea t momen ts of life . We see him marrying and giving in mar
riage , dancing a t his feasts or mourning at the funeral,and we can
trace those strange and sombre bel iefs which make up his religion .
So long as God and the Sain ts appear in popular s tory , and Godis rebuked as being less jus t than Dea th (ii. while the Sain tstake bribes to be tray their vo taries (i. 1 05, great Pan is not
ye t dead. But the personages Of Chris t ian s tory appear sel
dom. More often it is the dread “ Ou tside Powers ” whom we
encoun ter : the Nereids, with their ba leful influence , wedding mento destroy them the Fa tes, who must be propi tia ted at every turnand the Dhrakos, the Vampire, the Lam ia (some times associa tedwith snakes
,i . or Charon ,
merciless and cruel, dragging off
his victims by the hair of their head to his dark ten t .”
The number of allusions to ancien t my thology and legend willcome as a surprise to many ; and as the editor has not donejustice to th i s subject in hi s essay on the Surviva l of P aga nism,
it may not be amiss to col lec t them here . The Fa tes and Nereidshave been a lready men tioned and it is in teresting to no tice thatthe ma l ignan t Ou tside Powers are called the Lucky Ones, justas they used to be ca l led the Eumenides, or K indly Ones (ii.and the m i lk and honey wh ich used to be offered to the Furiesare now offered to the Nereids The Gorgons are here
(229) nor lacks the s tolen eye of the Weird Old Sisters, now
transferred to a Dhrako A Golden Ci tron-tree is guardedby l ions ( I 7 ) , and the Golden Apples by a dragon A herokills a three—headed hydra in a swamp and afterwards a boar
The adven ture of infant Heracles with the snakes has beenappropria ted by Digenes, as already sta ted. A son journeysabroad to find h is fa ther, bearing a pistol for token , as Theseus
It must , however, be observed tha t th is story is rather S lavonic thanGreek in spirit, and I suspect S lavon ic influence.
T 2
276 R eviews .
bore the sword and sanda ls and in ano ther s tory comesthe ep isode of the re turn ing sh ip , the wh i te flag forgo t ten , and thefa ther’s dea th Like Pro teus, a Turkish Aga transformsh imse lf in to a l ion
,a serpen t , a bird of prey , and a flame
The Dhrakos w i th his r iddles reca ls the Sph inx ( Edipus
and Jocasta wed again In the ta le of the Suga rMan
Pygma l ion and h is ma iden change parts . Aphrodi te survives as
a famous beauty in the same story tha t describes the wanderingsof Deme tra in search of her daugh ter ( 1 7 1 if ) . A la ter Psycheweds with a husband whom She may not see Of Homer ics tory, we have the episode of the Cyclops in grea t de ta i l (80 ff ) ,cavern
,bl inding, escape and all . I may add tha t Odysseus’ trick
abou t his name reappears in a s tory from Lesbos (Roth-Lor e, vol .vii . p . 1 54) and tha t the omen of the oar, wh ich was m is takenfor a winnowing fan , occurs in ano ther [Egean tale . Last l y
, a
good deal of the legend of Danae is found in the Woodcutter Lad,
a ta le from Tinos, and one of Mr. Pa ton ’
s manuscrip t col lec t ion .
Not on l y is there much in terest in the ma t ter of these volumes,
but the ir l i terary in terest is a l so cons iderable . Many of the s toriesare uncommon l y good, and their sty le is simple and vigorous . In
the verse trans la t ions the same standard has not been Ob ta inedbut the trans la tor has a imed first a t accuracy , and to th is hassacrificed much . Bo th verse and prose are trans la ted a lmos tl i tera l ly
,and wherever the presen t wri ter has compared them w i th
the origina ls, they have proved not on l y l i tera l , but correc t . lThe no tes con ta in a grea t dea l of va luable informa t ion , re la t ing
as well to folklore as to h istory . Some have a lready been no t iced ;we may further refer to the para l le ls and explana t i ons of the Fa lseBride my th (i. and to the conj ecture on the plural Chris tB irths for the Na t ivi ty There is a l so an exhaustive noteon the a l leged sacrifice of Christ ian chil dren by Jews (vol . i.no te 51 , on a poem,
page in wh ich it is suggested tha t th is,and even the cruc ifixion of our Lord, may be due to a poss ibl yimmemoria l custom .
”
I t rema ins to men tion the edi tor’s In troductions and Appendices . These cons is t of a Genera l Preface , an Essay on the Scienceof Folklore and Excursus on Greek Folk-Speech, and the Sur~
viva l Of Pagan ism . The arrangemen t of the ma teria l is fam i l iar to
There are a few exceptions e.g . i . p . 68 conta ins some mistrans lations,un less we have used a difi erent text.
278 R eviews .
folk ta les wi l l be exp la ined by the influence of these pr imary c ivi l isa tions permea t ing by way of the grea t trade rou tes . These are
w i de ques t ions, and wou l d need not an essay or a review, bu t abook to dea l w i th the m . I t wou l d b e unfa ir to cr i t ic ise th istheory of the orig in of cu l ture so le l y in connect ion w i th Greekfolklore , since Mr. S tuart-Glenn ie bases i t ma in l y upon Egyp t ian ,Babylon ian , and Ch inese fac ts . If we find that Greece does noten t ire l y support it
,th is need not be though t a fa tal Object ion .
Whe ther we regard Greek cul ture in the ma in as a na t ive develOpment of e lemen ts borrowed from the N i le and Euphra tesva l leys, or as a na tive deve l opmen t of e l emen ts common to Greecew i th o therAryan—Speaking races, in e i ther case the effect ive causeson wh ich Mr. S tuart-Glennie most re l ies seem to be lacking.
Mycenean civilisa t ion seems not to have been due to causes whichare possible enough in the case of Egyp t and Baby lon ia . Be thi sas it may, Mr. S tuart-G lenn ie ’s theory widens the s tuden t’s horiz on ,and the l ine of inqu iry seems l ike l y to lead to importan t resu l tsthe theory we l l expla ins, as the edi tor claims, many e lemen ts inthe Swan-ma iden marr iage . S t i l l , we must repea t, the evidenceg iven is not enough to prove it . Th is wou l d need a much w iderinduction . The edi tor writes in a sty le wh ich wou l d seem to havedisgu ised even to h imse lf the scan t iness of the fac ts he re l ies upon .
He must not think hard th ings of us because we do not res t sa t isfiedwith his sa tisfac tion we are open to convic tion , and on l y ask tha this fac ts may be speedil y produced for our behoof. l
We have noted a few m isprints. i . 77 , note , read Vrykolakas ; i . 1 12 ,the reference shou ld be Passow, ccciv. a i . 290, reference shou ld be to note51 , not 52 .
CORRESPONDENCE .
SUPERNATURAL CHANGE OF S ITE.
(Vol . viii . , p .
I DON ’T know if Mr. Gomme is answerable for the i tem of
cu t ting the Barn Ha ll beam and its consequences ; but I haveknown Barn Ha l l and its beam tradi t ion from ear l y boyhood, andI never heard of cu t t ing it (the beam) . Wha t I used to hear was,tha t if i t was wh itewashed ever so carefu l l y and ever so often itbecame black aga in forthw i th
, and tha t the devi l ’s finger-markswere s t i l l to be seen burn t in in the wood . I never wen t down tothe ce l lar to see , so l i t t le d id we who l ived there th ink abou t it .Some of the lads of the fam i l y were schoolfe l l ows of m ine, and Iwas in the habi t of going to the house (wh ich was distan t fromthe house in wh ich my fa ther l ived abou t three and a ha lf to fourm iles) pre t ty frequen t l y . The rhyme ,
“ Where this beam do thfa l l ,” &c.
,has been fam i l iar to my ears and recol lec t ion s ince
about 1 8 25. The “enclosed uncu l t iva ted space
”was the s i te
of an Old moated ha l l,and was be l ieved to be haun ted ( l ike
divers o ther places in the vicin i ty), each legend be ing more un
imag ina t ive , and often s i l l y as we l l as vu lgar, than the last . The
Barn Ha l l legend is on l y the surviva l of the old we l l-worn story ofbuilding-Sh ifting, of which we have so many ins tances in theseparts of Yorksh ire . My church was sh ifted, according to tradition
, and the ma teria ls,as they were put toge ther, pul led down
nigh t l y, just as in the Barn Hall s tory, and even tua l l y flung over ar idge of the moorland 900 to feet above sea-level . At the
Barn Hall site they were flung a mile and be t ter up the hill . It
is qu i te singular how from t ime to time I come, or have come, on
the quasi-pro to types of many of these legends in such books asHylten Cavallius
’ Wa'
rend och I/Virda rne. Twice in the courseof leisure reading I have (ear l y th is year) come on wha t wasbeyond doub t the old form of legends curren t here . There was amy th ical Gran t Wade here ( tha t is, in th is distr ic t), who had an
equa l l y my thical wife ca l led “ Be l l ,” and an equa l l y my thical
280 Cor r espondence .
infan t who cou l d hurl a s tone we igh ing three or four tons a
couple of mi les or so when he wan ted to be suckled . Wade and
his w ife construc ted the East C leve land Roman Road, as we l l asMu lgrave and Picker ing Cast les, having for the ir sole tool a simp lehammer
,wh ich they threw backwards and forwards to each o ther
as needed. This is in Wa'
rena’och I/Virda rne (only the ac tors a re
a Jat te and his spouse) , and the hammer resolves i tse lf in to theold stone-hammer
,so much pri z ed by the modern col lec tor, if
examp les chance to occur .
Wha t occurs to me is,tha t modern folk-l ore col lec tors are ,
however z ea lous, too l i t t le acqua in ted w i th the difference be tweenthe rea l l y old
,and the modern “ improvemen ts ” and “
embe l l ishmen ts .
” Mr. Gomme eviden t l y does not know the whole legendof Barn Ha l l . There is a l o t to be i l lustra ted and expla ined .
The projector, p lanner, and bu i l der of the in tended Barn Ha l ls i ts up to wa i t for and ca tch in the act the wan ton destroyer of hiswork . He is not a l one
, but has for h is compan ions on the vig i ltwo spayed b i tches
,
”and they he lp him in his confl ict w i th “ Old
N ick .
” I used to hear of the scr immage and so forth , and got tocoup le the idea of the dogs and the armoured kn igh t in the mou thof the 1 8 25
-30 tel lers w i th an old effigy in Tol leshun t-Kn igh ts
Church .
J . C . ATK INSON .
BAPT ISMAL R ITES .
Where can I find an accoun t of pre-Christ ian r i tes ana l ogousto bapt ism ? And in wha t coun tr ies of the Old Worl d have suchri tes been prac t ised by non-Chri st ians s ince the commencemen tof our era ?
M . P .
ALL SOULS .
In wha t book is the best descrip tion of Asia t i c fest iva l s wh ichare s im i lar in s ign ificance to tha t of our European Al l Sou l s Dayto be found ?
M . P .
282 Mi scel la nea .
advance,in order to buy wha t c lo thes he may need for the voyage
When tha t mon th is up all the sa i l ors col lec t toge ther to“ bury
the dead horse ,” or, as i t were , “the dead mon th .
”The ceremony
can hardly be in its origina l form, but the fol low ing i s what tookp lace on board a sh ip bound from London to Melbourne , on
wh ich I was a passenger a short t ime ago, and I fancy i t is verymuch the same on o ther sa i l ing vesse ls .
In the morn ing one of the crew co l lec ted from the passengersas much money as they wou l d g ive (in our case it amoun ted to£ 1 towards the “
auct ion of the dead horse in the even ing .
Then a horse was made , l ife-s iz e an emp ty tar-barrel s tuffed w i ths traw for body
,w isp of tow for ta i l and mane , ears, eyes, and
mou th im i ta ted clever l y upon a s tuffed head . The horse was we l lmade , the crew be ing , l ike most sa i l ors, clever w i th the ir fingers.
As soon as i t was dark the fun began . One of the crew dressedas a jockey moun ted the horse, and the two were pushed a l ongthe ma in deck in l i t t le jerks, fol lowed by the whole crew in a
long procession, sing ing the fol l owing doggrel in a slow chan tingfashion
They say, Old man, your horse w i l l die horse
If he d ies, I wi l l tan h is skin,They say so, and th ey hope so,
If he l ives, I w i l l se l l h im aga in,Poor old horse
Old horse, Old horse , what brough t you hereThey say so, and th ey hope 50,
Drawing turf for many a year,Poor Old horse
From Ba l lycott in to Ballyack ,Th ey say so, and th ey hope 50 ,
Where I fe l l down and broke my back,Poor old horse
Miscel la nea . 283
The poor old horse he’s dead and gone ,
They say so, and they hope so,
And we wi l l s ing h is funera l song,Poor old horse
His old h ide good lea ther wi l l make ,
They say so, and they hope so,
And his flesh sa l t horse for sa i lor’s sake ,Poor old horse I
We wi l l d ig his grave with a si lver spade ,They say so , and th ey hope so,
And h is memory sha l l never fade ,Poor old horse I
We wi l l lower h im down with a golden cha in ,They say so, and th ey hope so ,
For h is l ike w e sha l l never see aga in,Poor old horse 1
After the song one of the crew, who was the auctioneer, proceeded to se l l the horse by auc tion , the passengers bidding one
agains t the o ther un t i l the sum of £ 1 1 0 8 . was reached . At th i spoin t we had been cau tioned to s top bidding, unless we in tendedto pay the extra sum out of our own pocke ts . One lady bid a
few sh i llings h igh er— the barga in was struck, and the auc t ionover. All th is had taken some time
,and was made amusing by
the auct ioneer, who was a witty fe l l ow . No a t temp t was made topresen t the lady w i th h er property . A blue ligh t was l i t, and thejockey
,s t i l l sea ted on the horse
,was drawn up by a rope to the end
of the yard—arm,where they dang led for some time over the dark
sea . The jockey lit ano ther blue l igh t and waved it a l oft it burntbrillian tly, sending sparks flying all around in to the darkness .
We then all gave“ three cheers for the dead horse, the jockey
cut a rope, the horse fe l l with a splash in to the sea , and was
quickly left far behind ; a curious s igh t in mid-ocean for any
o ther passing sh ip . After tha t, the jockey was hauled down , and
the captain ordered the s tewards to serve out grog all round .
The la t ter part of the even ing was devo ted to a concert and recitations on the main deck, toge ther w i th some very c lever s tepdanc ing by the jockey . He was a sma l l man
, ligh t and ag i le as
a g irl , and h is dancing, in h is rough shoes and on tha t unevendeck, was as pre t ty as any seen on a stage . Throughou t theeven ing the moon shone as br i l l ian tly as i t only can Shine out on
the Open sea . Those who have been lucky enough to see such
284 Miscel la nea .
moon l igh t under such c ircumstances wi l l understand how i t addedto the effec t of the curious proceedings of wh ich we had been the
w i tnesses .
At 1 0 p m .
“ God save the Q ueen was sung, and so endedThe burial of the dead horse .
EVELYN A. MELVILL R ICHARDS .
The Rectory ,Ray lezgh , E ssex .
SNAKE-STONES.
Ancien t s tones carved w i th represen ta t ions of serpents (a lwaysthe cobra) are very numerous in the south of India, often in
groups on a p la tform under a tree or w i th in the precinc t of atemple, often too s ing l y by a road-s i de , or in the corner of a
fie l d,purpose l y left waste for the l oca l de i t ies, l ike the
“
goodman
’
s croft ” in Sco t land ; some t imes by a we l l or spring on a
h i l l-s ide . These serpen t-s tones, very var ious in des ign , aboundespec ia l l y throughou t the Mysore terri tory . Some an t i quariesth ink them as old as the preh is tor ic monumen ts
,crom lechs, kist
vaens, &c. , wh ich are a lso very numerous. Mos t of them havean appearance of extreme an t iqu i ty
,worn
,blurred, and wea ther
bea ten ,as in the example on the table . Indeed, i t seems not im
probable tha t they may be vest iges of the popu lar cu l t previous tothe Aryan invasion . No pr ies t has charge of them no Brahman
ass ists in any serpen t r i tes Brahmans avoid the s igh t of a snake,
and mee t ing one is for them the wors t of omens, and enough tos top any undertaking . In the north of India , serpen t—stones, Ibe l ieve , do not ex ist . The Brahmans in the ir descen t from northto sou th probably found serpen t-worsh ip popu lar and flourish ing,and from mo tives of pol icy coun tenanced i t to a certa in exten t,but never adop ted it . In connec tion w i th the Brahman ica l godsthe serpen t i s a lways Shown in a subordina te or servi le capac i ty,seven-headed, and overshadowing Sh iva or Vishnu l ike a canopy ,or hung about them necklace—fash i on .
At presen t the vi l lage peop le regard these old wea ther-worns tones w i th a certa in awe and supers t i t ious fee l ing . None w i l lpoin t a finger at them, as i t is be l ieved tha t a finger so poin tedwou l d rot and drop from the hand . Men make them no Offer ings,but ch i l dless women often lay flowers before them and touch
B IB LI OGRA PH Y
1 89 7, UNLESS OTHERW ISE STATED .
B O O K S A N D P A M P H L E T S .
BORLASE (W. C . ) The Dolmens of I re land . The ir D istribu t ion ,
S tructura l Charac ter ist ics, and Affinities in Fore ign Coun tries ;toge ther w i th the Folklore a t tach ing to them . 3 vols . roya l8v0 . Chapman 8 : Ha l l , Lim i ted .
BOWER (H . M . ) The Procession and Elevat ion of the Ceri a tGubbio . Folk-Lore Socie ty . 8vo . xi.
,1 46 pp .
COWELL (E . The Jataka,01 Stories of the Buddha ’s Former
B irth s . Transla ted from the Pal i by various hands . Vol . I I I .Transla ted by H . F . Franc is and R . A. Ne i l . 8vo . xx. ,
3 28 pp . Cambridge , Un iversity Press.
FORLONG (J . G. Short S tudies in the Science ofCompara t iveRe l igions, embrac ing all the Re l igions of Asia . Roya l 8vo .
Q uaritch .
LANG (A. ) Modern My thology . 8vo. xxiv .,
2 1 2 pp. Longmans.
MATTHEWS, W. Navaho Legends . Col lected’
and trans la ted,w i th in troduc t ion ,
no tes , il lustra tions, texts, in ter l inear translations, and melodies. vi i i .
,299 pp . Boston : Hough ton ,
Mifflin, 8c Co . [Memo irs of the American Folk-Lore Socie ty ,
vol . v.]WINDLE (B . C . A .) Life in Earl y Bri ta in . Be ing an Accoun t
of the Early Inhabi tan ts of th is I sland and the Memoria l swh ich they have left beh ind them . Fcap . 8vo . xv.
,244 pp .
D . Nu t t.
Bib l iog r aphy . 287
PER IOD ICALS .
The Contents of P eriodica ls exclusively devoted to Polhlorear e not noted .
Journal of the Anthropolog ical Inst itute, xxvi, 4 . R . H .
Ma tthews, The Keeparra Ceremony of Init ia tion . II . E a l
four , Life H istory of an Aghori Fakir. E . T. Somervil le,Ethnographical No tes in New Georg ia , Solomon I slands .
B . T. Somervil le and S . II . R ay , Songs and Specimens of
the Language of New Georgia , Solomon I slands .Proceedings of the Society of Bib l ical Archaeology, xix, 5. S ir
P . Le P age R enouf , The Book of the Dead, chap . cxxxvi .P3 Legge, A Cop tic Spell of the Second Cen tury .
Contemporary Review ,June . I/V. M F linders P etr ie, Ea ten
with Honour . [An accoun t of rema ins found in Egyp tiantombs, poin ting to a r i tual ea ting of the dead . ]
Transact ions of the Cymmrodorion Society, 1 895-6 . E Seehohm,
The H istorical Importance of the Cymri c Tr ibal Sys tem .
Rel iquary, iii, 3 . E . S . Ha r t land, On an Inscribed Leaden
Tablet found at Dymock, in G l oucestershire .
Revue de 1’ Histoire des Rel igions, xxxv, 2. L . Leger , Les
Sources de la My thologie S lave .
Century, June Alice C .P letcher , Home Life Among the Indians .
Le Vieux Ll ege, 1 Mai. E . Monseur,La Fete de Russon . [An
in teresting account of a rust ic festival a t Russon , a Flemishvi l lage near Tongres . The au thor traces it to a hea thensolemni ty in honour of Woden . Reproduc t ions of pho to
graphs are given, show ing the process i on a t d ifferen t poin tsand individual portraits of some of the performers in cos
tume ]Fourteenth Report of the Commit t ee [of the Devonsh ire Association] on Devonshire Folklore. [The reports of the Comm i t teeof the Devonsh ire Associa tion are a lways useful and in teres ting. The report before us has a specia l va lue because one
of the commun ica t ions it con ta ins cha llenges the accoun t
given by“ An Old Holne Curate ” in IV. and Q .
,I st series,
28 8 Bib l iog r aphy .
VII. , 353 , of the sacrifice of a ram at Holne . Th is accoun thas been quo ted and used w i th much effec t by Mr. Gommein E thnology in Polhlore. Severa l of the most s trik ing particulars of the ceremony a re here den ied on the au thori tyof the oldest parish ioners. The origina l accoun t waspubl ished in 1 853 . Den ia ls of th is kind, after a cons iderablelapse of t ime , are becoming qui te a common phenomenon .
I t is a pi ty tha t they shou l d not have been made when theorig ina l record was recen t and the orig ina l reporter had an
Opportun i ty of vindica t ing his s ta temen ts. In th is case fortyth ree years have passed away, and probably the Old HolneCura te is no l onger l iving ]
Mind, vi, N. S . , 22,Have/och E ll is, A No te on Hypnagogic
Paramnes ia . [The author defines Hypnagog ic Paramnesiaas
“a fa lse memory occurring in the an techamber of s leep,”
and suggests tha t “ in the earl ier stages of cu l ture ”
phenomena such as he descr ibes and discusses “ must have had a
rea l influence on be l ief.” They are certa in l y worth the con
s idera t ion of presen t—day observers Of savage life and men talprocesses]
Amer ican Anthropolog ist , June . D . G . B r inton , The M issingAu thori t ies on Mayan An t i qu i t ies . [Most of the m iss ingworks referred to by Dr. Brin ton re la te to the customs and
superst i t ions of the Mayan race . I t i s not imposs ible tha tsome of the works may st i l l exist in MS . or pr in t . We may
hope tha t th is paper w i l l st imu la te the search for them,since
they are of pr i ce less va lue to the s tuden ts of re l igion and
custom]
290 Notes on Gr endel a nd other Stor ies .
appe l lat ion ) , wh ich , l ike‘
the re st of h is tribe , wha teve r the irlanguage , he i s re ady to confe ss a t the mos t thri l l ingmoment by stopp ing to a sk for a dr ink (1.Or ende l ha s been the subj ect of lea rne d comme nta rie s fa r
out of proportion to the author ’s c la ims a s a poe t . One of the
be st rea son s for th is i s the a ttract ion of the name . Ore nde l
corre spon ds to a name of s ome importan ce in Teuton icmytho logy : Aurvendill , Orvendill , the hu sband of Groa ; hewa s b rought back by Thor in a ba ske t when Thor came
back from the land of the g ian t s ; one of his t oe s w a s frostb itten on the j ourn ey
,and Thor flung it a t the sky , whe re it
is a s ta r , Or vendil s ta. The story is one tha t le nds itse l ft o the inte rp re ters of s o la r a nd summe r myths , and na tura l lythe Ge rman Orende l ha s be en compa re d w ith the Ice land icstory a s to ld by S norri . The name is found e lsewhe re ;Horvendillus in S ax o is the name of Ham le t ’ s fa the r , a nd
the Ang lo-Saxon Ea rende l is a name by wh ich Cynewu lfaddre sse s the Lord in a pa ssage whe re Chr is t i s the
“ br ighte st of ange l s ,
” “the ra d ia nce of the sun above the s ta rs ;
it is ev ident ly in th is ca se an old myth ica l o r poe t ica l name
capab le of mean ing the sun , or the l ight of the sun (Cr is t ,L
Be s ide s the se mytho log ica l a ssoc iat ion s and poss ib i l it ie sin Orende l , the re is the othe r mot ive , of the Gray Coa t , a ndits a s soc ia t ion w ith the legend of the Inven t ion of the Cros s .
The s tory is s o indefin ite , and so fu l l of repe t it ion s and
commonp lace s , tha t it i s d ifficu lt to say wha t its ma in de s igni s
, if i t has any , and ve ry ea sy to support d iffe ren t the orie sof it s or ig in . I t may be rega rded a s a c lumsy m ixture of an
old Ge rman he ro ic trad it ion w ith the legenda ry story of theS e am le ss Coat . Or aga in , the legenda ry pa rt of it , the pa rtre semb l ing the Sa ints ’ Live s , may be con s ide red a s the
founda t ion of the w ho le , the sugge st ion s of the name
Orendel b e ing d ismi ssed as me re ly fortu itou s , and the
he ro’ s adven ture s be ing taken , not a s a surv iva l of old mythol ogy , but me re ly a s a ma ss of commonp lace s , wh ich lay ready
N otes on Gr endel a nd other Stor ies . 29 1
to hand for a ny p rofe ss i ona l s tory-te l le r to p ick up , j us t a sthe ord ina ry ma ch in e ry of the roma nce of ch iva lry m ight b eu se d aga in and aga in w ithout in fr ing ing a ny copyr ight .
Th is se cond v iew is rep re sente d in Dr . He inz e l’
s tre at ise .
Of the firs t pa rty,rega rd ing Orende l a s an a nc ien t Ge rman
he ro w ith a r ight to h is name , a nd poss ib ly e ven to h ighhon our a s a S un-god, the re a re d iffe ren t advoca te s , themost thorough-go ing rep re se nta t ive of thIS v1ew be ingMii l lenhoff, who is fo l lowed by Be rge r in his e d it ion of the
s t ory . An othe r v iew ,but one w h ich a t the same t im e
recogn ise s a l ine of n a t ive o ld trad ition in Orende l , is g ivenby Rydberg .
1 Gr imm puts tog e the r the Aurve ndil l-Ea rende l
Orende l re fe rence s w ithout t rying to re con c i le the ev iden ce ,s t i l l taking
'
the name Orende l in it s mytho log ica l bea r ing s .
He ca l ls a tten t ion a lso to the th ing s re semb l ing the Ody sseyin the sh ipwreck of Orende l .
The se a re s ome of the inc iden t s of the storyK ing Oug e l of Tr ie r had thre e s on s ; the younge st w a s
Orende l . I t w a s on S t . S tephen ’ s day tha t he w a s kn ighte d ;he a ske d h is fathe r to find h im a w ife . His fa the r to ld himtha t he knew of no ma tch for him but one , who w a s a que enove r se a , w ise and g lorious— Bride , the Que en of the Ho lyS epu lchre
Si ist ein ede l k iinigin hereUnd ist gesez z en vi l ferreUber des wi lden séwes fluot ,
Si ist e in edele kunigin gnot .
Orende l set out on the voyag e w ith s eventy-two ke e l s .
They w e re dr ive n in t o the K leb e rmere — more corre ct lyLeherme r e , the st icky or curd le d sea (l a mer hete
’
e) , which ,a ccord ing to some
,l ie s over the drowne d is land of At lan t i s .
2
Orende l’
s sh ips were kept the re for thre e yea rs . They got
Teu ton ic My thology (Engl . p . 566 sag . Orendel is equa ted withSvipdag , and the princess with Freyj a , accord ing to Rydberg
’
s interpreta tionof the Svipdag myth , wh ich has been summarised by Mr . York-Powe l l , introduction to Saxo , p . cxvii . sqq. (F . L. S .
2 Image da III/onde, quoted by F . Miche l , F erg us , 1 84 1 , p . 287 .
U 2
292 .Notes on Gr endel a nd other Stor ies
fre e, and we re in S ight of land and of the Ho ly S epu lchre
whe n they we re b lown to sea aga in and wrecke d . Orende l
w a s save d on a p iece of the sh ip ; h i s c lothe s we re torn off
among the rocks a nd b reake rs , a s he w a s thrown on'
a
de se rt shore . There he ma de a she lte r for h imse lf in a ho lein the s and . On the fourth morn ing a fishe r came sa i l ing by ,a nd Orende l cr ie d to him for he lp , and w a s taken on boa rd ,ca l l ing h imse lf a sh ipwrecked fishe rman
,and, l ike Ulysse s ,
tak ing a lea fy branch to cove r h i s nakedne ss . He w a s
put to the fish ing by h i s ma s te r Ise , and a cqu itte d h imse lfwe l l . The Gray Coa t w a s found by Ise the fishe rman in a
wha le tha t t hey had caught , and w a s so ld to Orende l for 30
pence (p rov ide d by the Ange l Gabrie l ) . Orende l , la te r ,wen t off by h imse lf
,he lpe d by the fishe rman and his w ife ,
and came, a fte r a dven ture s , to the c i ty of the S epu lchre .
The re the Temp lars took no n ot ice of him ; one of the
c it iz en s ca l le d him “ Gray Coat ,” wh ich be came h i s name ,
and po in ted out Bride to him . Orende l w a s vexe d a t h is
wan t of a horse , bu t got a horse and sh ie ld from a heathenk ing Me rc ian . Bride saw him
,and sen t a me ssenge r t o a sk
him to en te r he r serv ice . The Temp la rs we re j ea lous , andse nt for a g ian t on an e lephant to come a nd take Ore nde l
’
s
l ife . Orende l kn ocke d him off his e lephant ( ca l l ing the
bea st a sea-cow ) , and the reafte r route d twe lve k ing s , a ndcame back into the pre sence of Bride
,who a sked him if he
w a s K ing Ouge l’s son , he r de st ined lord , but he refu se d to
a cknow ledge th i s . The n more hea then s and a nother g ian thave to be d i sposed of. The Queen g ive s Ore nde l he r
fathe r K ing Dav id’s sword , and a fte r the ba tt le says she w i l l
bave '
n o man but Gray Coa t . Then came a n othe r hea theninva s ion . The Temp la rs swore to s tand by Gray Coat , andforswore themse lve s a fte r . Bride a rmed he rse lf, and rodeout through the hea then of them) : th is i s one of
the be st pa s sage s in the m in stre l’
s story . Bride and Ore nde l
me t (1. sq) , and he re cogn ise d he r vo ice , in the ba tt le .
Afte r that , Ore nde l to ld he r who he w a s .
94 N otes on Gr endel a nd other Stor ies .
voyage , it i s a rgued , is not the authe nt ic story . I t is madeup out of re ady -made s tuff.
.The c loggy wa te r, the Lebe r
me re,for examp le , is a
“ ma ch ine ,”and a favour ite one , in
the p opu la r roma nce s a nd in popu la r l ite ra ture g en e ra l ly ;1
a nd Ise the fishe rman i s found in the Ge rman poem of S t .
O swa ld .
Thus,on one s ide the re i s a the ory wh ich make s a
Ge rman Ody ssey out of the O ld book— a story tha t i s not
to ld in the book a s it stands . On the othe r s ide is a
cr it ic ism of the work wh ich a ttache s no importance to the
th ing s take n up by the firs t pa rty,and con s ide rs tha t the
pos it ive substa n t ia l g roundwork is tha t legenda ry in te re s twh ich the firs t pa rty would n eg le ct a s a dve nt it iou s . Boths ide s— the mytho log ists , who wou ld l ike to se e Ore nde l
re store d to h is ow n a s a demig od a t lea st,ide nt ifie d w ith
Aurvendill ; a nd a ls o the more pos it ive cr it ic,who take s
wha t i s be fore him ,a nd doe s not choose to say
“re turn o f
Ulys se s whe re the book says “ outwa rd bound — a re
agre e d in mak ing l itt le of the story a s it is g ive n in the firs tpa rt of the poem ,
the pa rt de scr ibe d above ; the one s idebe cause it i s not wha t they w ish to find, the othe r be ca useit se ems to them poor stuff and mere mecha n ica l invent iona nd comp os it ion .
Thu s th i s an c ient p iece of hack-work may se rve a s a n
I l lu stra t ion of d iffe rent me thods a nd tempe rs of cr it ic i sm .
Poor e nough in itse lf, it i s a p re tty subj e ct for the game .
I t ra ise s some ra ther la rge p rob lems , wh ich a re l ike ly tore cur whe reve r l ite rature touche s , a s it pe rpe tua l ly mu st ,on the ground of mytho logy or fo lk lore .
When the same p lot i s found in d iffe re nt storie s , in wha tsen se is it the same ? The que st ion ha s bee n hea rd be fore
unerkannt , und erst nachdem er s ich Land tind Leute z uruckgewonnen , der
Ga ttin Treue wiede rho l t erprobt und d iese ihm soga r im Kampfe s iegre ichbe igestanden , gibt e r s ich a ls Herr und Kon ig z u erkennen , rind die Mannen
hu ldigen ihm . (Berge r , Or endel ( 1 888 ) , p. lxxi . )IIer zogr E rn s t , ed . Karl Ba rtsch , p . cx lv. (Berger’s reference ) .
N otes on Gr ende l a nd other Stor ies . 295
in th i s S oc ie ty ; but it ha s to be a ske d w ith a d ifference ine a ch seve ra l ca se , e spec ia l ly w hen the stor ie s compa re da re not of the same orde r ,— when ,
for in stance , one of the
e xamp le s is take n from Gr imm or Campbe l l , or s ome suchre cord of ora l tra d it ion
, and the othe r from profe ss iona l orrhe tor ica l l ite ra ture .
When romant ic l itera ture is brought in to c ompari sonw ith s torie s of popu la r trad it ion ,
the re is a lway s the d ifficu ltyof de c id ing whe re re semb lance s a re e v ide nce of d irectOb l iga t ion or affin ity , and whe re they a re co inc idence sdue not d irect ly t o any one form of a popu la r story , butind ire ct ly to the common imag ina t ive mach ine ry a nd pro
pe rt ie s wh ich go fre e ove r a l l the wor ld una tta che d to any
part icu lar p lots . The s tory of Orende l’
s wande r ing s i s l ikethe p lots of a numbe r of popu la r ta le s , but it is not to b eide nt ifie d stra ight off w ith a ny of the se , be cause the re isa lways the p oss ib i l ity that the author may have u sed , not apa rticu lar defin ite story
,but me re ly the more gene r ic type
of a dve nture s , such a s m ight come into a nyone ’ s head ,comb in ing in h is ow n w ay the obv ious a nd commonp lacemot ive s of an a dve n turou s j ourney in such a w ay a s a cc iden ta l ly or co inc identa l ly to make some th ing l ike the p lotof a we l l-known c la ss of mc
’
z’
r chen .
The ca se of Or endel may be compared w ith othe rs inwh ich the re Is no doubt tha t a romance ha s u sed a de fin itetrad it iona l p lot ; for examp le , the romance of Wa lewe in a s
compare d w ith the Ga e l ic popu la r ta le ofMa c Ia in D ir ea ch,
1
or aga in the romance of S ir Amada s , wh ich i s the s tory ofthe Tr a vel l ing Compa n ion , the Gr a tef u l Ghos t , a nd wh ichconta in s not me re ly the common mot ive of the dea d manre turn ing to he lp h i s be ne fa ct or , wh ich m ight pos s ib ly heinven ted independe nt ly by d iffe ren t authors , but the pa r
t icu lar inc ide nt s that be long to th is story in tra d it ion,
the a lmost inseparab le a cc ide nts of a defin ite and cohe re ntstory-formu la . I t doe s not se em a p r ior i nece ssa ry tha t
Folhlore, vol . V .
, p . 12 1 , sqq.
296 Notes on Gr endel a nd other Stor ies .
the Trave l l ing Compa n ion ,a t the e nd of the story , shou ld
exa ct the ha lf of a ll that the adven ture r ha s ga ined , e vent o the d iv id ing of h i s w ife or ch i ld ; but th is ordea l ispa rt of the p lot a ll over the world ,1 a nd it i s found inS ir Amada s a s it i s found in score s of othe r p lace s
,— for
in stance , In the a dm irab le ve rs ion pub l ished the other dayby Mr . La rminie .
2 He re the co inc idence i s not due t oacc identa l shuffl ing of commonp lace s ; it i s one ide nt ica lstory wh ich surv ive s and ho lds the same e lements in com
b ina t ion .
On the othe r hand the re is a p re tty in stance of the w ay
common a dventure s may be put toge the r independent ly ins im i la r orde r , in the Fre nch romance of D u rma r t l e Ga l lois
a s compa re d w ith Or ende l .
3 D u rma r t l e Ga l lois i swork of a h igher c la ss than Or endel ; but it s author i sa lso a profe s s iona l story-te l ler work ing up the commonp lace s of a roman t ic schoo l . He te l ls in h i s ow n w aythe story of a K ing
’ s son and his love for a pr ince s she ha s neve r se e n
,a Que en in I re land , and of h i s wan
de ring s in search of he r , and how he finds he r be s iege dIn he r c ity (Lime rick) , and take s command of the de fenceand ra ise s the s iege , wh i le the Que en looks on from the
batt lements . The poem has othe r me r its be s ide s it s p lot ; iti s one of the be s t of the roman ce s of the schoo l of Chre stienof Troye s , and ve ry succe s sfu l in it s cho ice of mot ive s
,
e spe c ia l ly in its re j e ct ion of the unn ece s sary conve nt iona lmach ine ry of dragons , e ncha nte rs , a nd so on . I t wou ldhave be en pa sse d by the curate and the ba rbe r w ith no
more ce n sure than they gave to Tir a n t the White, wh ich itant ic ipa te s in some re spe cts a s a work of edifica t ion and an
expos it ion of the ch iva lrous idea l . The story i s of le ss
Max Hippe , Her r zg’s A rchiv, lxxx i . , Untersuchungen z ur mitteleng l .
Romanz e von S ir Anzada s .
West I r ish Poll s-ta les and Roma nces p . I55 ; the origina l I rish inAppendix, p . 245.
3 Ed . S tenge l , S tra ssburg , 1 873 .
298 Notes on Or ende l a nd other Stor ies .
it is worth Wh i le to con s ide r the othe r a lte rna t ive— the
p oss ib le surv iva l of a defin ite p lot in Or endel . The Argyl lsh ire ta le is the nea re s t in th is ca se (it is rema rkab le tha t itha s a lso
,l ike Or ende l , be e n found to re ca l l the Ody ssey
in some of its inc idents ) the K ing’
s S on of I re la nd is he lpe don his w ay by three myste riou s he lp e rs , one of them an old
man of the sea , w ho goe s back to h is wha le-fishing whe n theque st i s over .
In Curt in’
s story Of The White-bea rded S col oglthe K ing
te l ls his son to find a br ide for h imse lf, a nd a dru id name sthe incompa rab le lady , to whom the K ing
’ s son i s d irecte dby thre e g iants who a re won ove r to his s ide .
I t is not too much to s uppose tha t the gray coat , thehorse and sh ie ld , wh ich Orende l re ce ive s from h is ra the runprom is ing he lpe rs , may have be longe d to a n or ig ina lscheme , a nd tha t it w a s a fa iry coa t of da rkne ss wh ich ga vethe profe s s iona l m instre l a chance of work ing in the lege nda ry inte re s t of the H o ly Coa t of Treve s .
The storie s e d ite d byMr . MacDouga ll a ndMr . Curt in a re
recen t ; if it is n ece s sa ry to find more a n c ie n t e v ide nce itmay perhap s be found in the story of The Wooing of Eme r
2
whe re Cuchu la inn is he lpe d on h i s w ay by the g ift of the
whe e l tha t ca rr ie s him ove r the fre e z ing p la in , a nd the app letha t ro l ls be fore him through the fie ld of sp ike s .
I t is t ime to put th ing s toge the r , though it may not be
ea sy . I t i s p os s ib le , howeve r , to make some sort of classificat ion of storie s tha t more or le s s re semb le Ore nde l . Tak inga s the common e leme nt the w inn ing of a p r incess , who is
u nhnown to the a dven tu r er a t the ou tset , w e may d i st ingu ishthe fo l low ing type s of story a s among the commone s t
1 . The que st beg in s a s a que st for some th ing e lse,not
for the fa iry pr ince s s . The prince s s appea rs a t the e nd of
a se r ie s of d ifficu lt ie s , and is ca rr ied off a long w ith the
Hero Ta les of I rela n d p . 1 63 .
2 Kuno Meyer, in A rcha o/og ica l Rev ,vol . i . p. 29 8 Revue Cel t ique, vo l .
xi. , P. 447 .
N otes on Or endel a nd oth er Stor ies . 299
Go lden F le e ce , or the Go lden B ird , or the G la ive of Light ,a s the ca s e may be . For e xamp le : y a son ,
Ma c Ia in
D ir ea ch (Wa l ewe in ) . Huon of B ordea ux (the r oman t icse cond pa rt of the story , ) m ight be studie d in th i s conne ct ion .
2 . The a dve nture from the ve ry firs t is a voyage in sea rchof the unkn own Q ue e n , a s in Or endel (the first pa rt ) , andin D u rma r t l e Ga l l ois , in Ko
'
n zg Rother , K u lhwch a nd
Olwen , Sv ipdag a nd Meng lad . S tor ie s of th is type m ightbe c la s s ifie d a ccord ing to the w ay in wh ich the a dventurebeg in s . In on e va r ie ty the me re re n own of the pe e r le s s la dyis e n ough . In s ome s tor ie s th e beg inn ing is in the snow
wh ite , hl ood—r ed inc iden t— Cona l l Gu l ha n , &c . In ma ny ,the beg inn ing is a ma l ignan t comm i s s ion from a stepmothe ror some othe r e n emy— K u lhwch a nd Olwen , S vipdag a nd
Meng l a d , Itja lmte r s S aga .
1 H e re of course , t he re is a cro ssd iv is ion
,for the ma l ignan t inj unct ion be long s t o y a son a nd
to othe r stor ie s of tha t c la ss,to H uon (whose re la t ion t o
fo lk lore ha s not ye t be en fu l ly d iscu s se d ) , a nd t o Ma c I a in
D ir ea ch— not it may he rema rke d,to Wa l ewe in .
Apa rt from both the se ma in va r ie t ie s,it m ight be p os s ib le
t o re ckon a nothe r,Whe re the mot ive i s de l ive rance of the
lady from he r Oppre ssors , ra ther than the w inn ing of the
lady by her a dve nturous wooe r : H r . To'
n ne ,2a nd othe r
northe rn-
ba l lads, Gu ing l a in ,
3 Rapunz e l ; 4 but it is p la intha t in the s e ca se s it depe nds on the cho ice of the st oryte l le r where the in te re st Sha l l lie , a nd tha t th i s is ra the r a
These th ree a re a l l compared by Grundtvig, D anshe Folhev iser , No . 70 ,
in connect ion with the ba l lad of Sveida l or Svenda l , th e ba l lad version of th e
story of Sv ipdag.
2 Grundtvig , D anshe Folhev iser , No . 34.
3 Gu ing la in ,or (in th e Engl ish ve rs ion ) Ly heau s D esconus see the accoun t
by M.Gaston Par is , in H ist . l itt . de la F rance, xxx .
Grimm ,Marchen ,
No . 1 2 . The story of Rapunz e l has rece ived its poetical interpretat ion from Mr . W i l l iam Morris ; its resemb lance to th e story ofSyritha in Sa xo (vi i p . 225) seems to deserve cons idera t ion from mytholo
gists .
300 Notes on Or ende l a nd other Stor ies .
var ie ty of empha s i s in the rende ring than of con st ituen te lemen ts in the ma tte r.
1
The story of The Wooing of Eme r ha s an a rrangeme nt ofthe incide n t s d iffe re n t from those a lready name d . Cuchula innha s me t Eme r be fore se tt ing out on the a dve nture s wh ichse em to c orre spond to those of Ku lhw ch and othe r he roe s .
The first pa rt of Or endel agre e s w ith many of the sestorie s ; and a compa ri son of them m ight lead to the con
e lus ion tha t Or endel i s ba se d upon a defin ite tra d itiona lstory wh ich ke ep s toge ther ce rta in de fin ite con st ituents .
Then Or ende l (in the first l ine s) wou ld b e a roma nt icl ite ra ry ve rs ion of on e popu lar ta le , j ust a s Wa l ewe in i s of
a nothe r and S ir Amada s of a th ird . I t may be rema rke dtha t the se thre e roman ce s g ive examp le s of thre e va r ie t ie sof que s t . Wa l ewe in ha s be e n note d above ; a nd in the
s tory of the Tr a vel l ing Compa n ion (S ir Ama da s ) the
de l ive ra nce of a p r ince ss from an e ncha nte r,or , a s a n a lte r
nat ive , the w inn ing of a p rince s s from r iva l su itors , isob l igatory . In the Or endel type
, a s it may be ca l ledp rov i s iona l ly , the seque nce of e vent s i s th i s
1 . The K ing’ s S on goe s out to w in the unknown Q ue en ,
on the report of he r exce l lence .
2 . He i s h indere d on the w ay in the s lugg ish sea : com
pa re A lf (S axo ) , K ing’
s S on of I r el a nd (MacDouga ll) .
3 . He i s he lpe d by un couth he lpe rs : compa re Emer ,
S colog ,Red Cap ,
Hjalmter .
4 . He re scue s the Que en from he r be se tt ing e nem ie s .
The common inc ide n t— common to the y a son va rie ty and
The most famous of a l l such ta les , the story of the rescue of Gu ineverefrom h er captor Me lwas (or Meleag raunce ) , is the most remarkab le examp le of
th is change of interest, if it w as in th is story first of a l l that Lance lot, therescuer, came to be represented as the lover of the queen See Roma n ia , x.
(M . Gaston Paris on the story of Lance lot in Chrestien ’
s Cheva l ier o’
e la
Cha r rette, &c . ) I t is shown tha t some of he vers ions of th is story , e .g . , the
firs t part Of Ma lory’s vers ion— Al on e DA r thur,xix .
,1 -9
— kn0w noth ing of
th e love of Lance lot and the queen ,and that the Lance lot of a l l later romant ic
trad ition , the love r of Gu inevere , is first known to Chrestien of Troyes .
30 2 N otes on Or endel a nd other Stor ies .
a nd the w inn ing of the u nknow n p r ince s s— O lwen ,Ge rd
,
Menglad— cannot be sepa ra t e d from the more popu la r
s torie s . I t is a nothe r ca se of the Fa r-trave l le d Ta le ”a s
s ta te d by Mr . Lang ; it is a va r ie ty of the s tory of Ja son .
The expe d it ion s of Cuchu la inn , Kulhw ch a nd S vipdag ,
must be con s ide re d a long w ith The K ing’
s S on of I r el a nda nd The da ugh ter of the Wh ite-bea rded S colog , a nd a ll
the othe r ma' r chen of tha t s ort .
B idd ing fa rew e l l to Or ende l for the p re se n t , w e may looka t the thre e storie s re fe rre d to by Grundtv ig in his n ote on
S vipdag . They br ing out in a str ik ing w ay the d ifficu lt ie sof so la r myth whe re the mytho log ica l ve rs ion ha s re la t ionsw ith popu lar fa iry-ta l e s . The thre e s t or ie s a re thos e of
Svipdag h imse lf, of Ku lhw ch and of Hjalmte r .
The s tory of Svipdag a s g ive n in the I ce land ic poems
G ro’
ga l d r and Fjol svinn sma’
l ha s the fo l low ing in c ide n ts1 . The her o is sen t unde r a curse or a spe l l , by his step
mothe r a ppa ren tly , though th i s i s not qu ite c lear,to look
for Me ng lad .
2 . He g oe s to h is mothe r’
s gra ve , awake s he r from the
dea d , a nd ge ts he r b le ss ing on h is j ourney . S O fa r
Gro’
ga ld r .
3 . In the se cond poem,he ha s come to Me ng lad
’
s ca st le ,whe re he e ncounte rs a g iant wa rde r , and ha s a long ma tcha t r idd le s w ith h im be fore he is re cogn ise d a s the man of
de st iny , and is we lcome d by Meng lad a s he r de l ive re r a nd
lord .
In the Dan ish ba l lad , Ch i ld Svenda l , or Sve ida l , i s se ntout by his s te p-mothe r to find and w in the ma ide n he ha s
neve r se e n . He g oe s to h i s mothe r’ s g ra ve , and she g ive s
him a horse tha t r ide s ove r sea and land,a mag ic tab le
c loth a nd dr ink ing-horn ,a g la ive of l ight , a sh ip that w i l l
run dow n a nyth ing tha t come s in the w ay , a nd a purse tha t isa lw ays ful l . He come s t o the unknown shore , and finds a
shepherd the re , w ho te l ls him tha t Svenda l i s to w in the pr ince s s . He r ca s t l e is of ma rb le s tone , the ga te i s of red go ld .
Notes on Gr ende l a nd oth er Stor ies . 303
The locks fa l l off a s he come s nea r , the l ion s a nd bea rs tha tke ep the ga te a re harm le ss
,the tre e s bow to him , the br ide
’
s
fa the r a ckn ow ledge s h im more read i ly than Yspaddade n
Pencaw r in the W e l sh s tory when Kulhw ch came w oo
In{Ku lhw ch ha s a step-mothe r a l so , who lays him unde r
a de st iny to w in Olwe n .
“ I de c la re to the e tha t it i s thyde st iny (mi a ty nghaf dy nghe t it t ) not to b e un ite d w ith a
w ife unt i l thou Obta in O lwen ,daughte r of Yspaddaden Pe n
caw r .
” 1 Th is w a s in te nde d to de stroy Kulhw ch ; for
O lw en ’ s fa ther , who se name i s inte rp re te d Haw thorn H e ad
g ian t ,”w a s a ccu st omed to k i l l a l l h i s daughte r
’
s su it ors .
He is l ike the fa the r of Alfhild in S axo ’ s story re fe rre d toabove
,l ike the fa the r of M e dea ,
l ike the k ing w ith the red
cap , l ike the wh it e -bea rde d S co log , a nd a va st numbe r of
othe r fabu lou s pa rents . Kulhw ch wen t t o K ing Arthur’
s
court , and came t o th e g ian t’ s land w ith the he lp of K ing
Arthur and a ll h is men . The re they me t a shephe rd,the
g iant’
s brothe r , who tried to d is sua de them , bu t in va in ;a nd Ku lhw ch we n t on to encoun te r the dange rou s fa the r ,and to pe rform w ith the he lp of K ing Arthur a ll the ta skspre scrib ed .
2
i almter s S aga , the la s t of Grundtv ig’
s re fe rence s,ha s
neve r , a s far a s I know,be e n c lo se ly exam ine d in th is
conne ct ion . The re is a va luab le s tudy of it in re la tionto the I ce la nd ic rhym ing roma nce on the same sub
ject (Hy'
dlm ter s R imu r ) by KOlbing .
3 The S aga is one
of the late r I ce land ic roman t ic S aga s ; p rofe ss iona l hackw ork aga in . It s da te i s un ce rta in ; it is e xta n t in 1 7 thcentury pape r MSS . The R ima r a re found in 1 6th cen
tury MSS .
, and a re a ttribute d t o one Indridi,who l ive d
a t the end of the 14th century . Dr . J6n Thorke ls son is
Lady Char lotte Guest’s Ma hinog ion ,vol . i i . p . 252 .
2 Rhys, H z'
hher t Lectur es, p . 486 , say.
3 B eitr age z ur verg leichenden Gesch ichte der roman t ischen Poes ie und P rosa
des Mittela lters p . 200 .
304 Notes on Or endel a nd other Stor ies
inc l ine d to accept th i s da te .
1 Ko lb ing has compare d thep ro se and the rhyme
,a nd shows tha t the S aga ha s be en
doctore d , commonp lace a dve nture s hav ing be en inte rpo
la te d— v ik ing and be rse rk adve n ture s such a s have in trude de ven into the grea t or ig ina l S aga s ,
2and wh ich a re ve ry nea t ly
de te cte d and e ra se d by KOlbing he re . The R ima r a re
much more cohe re nt , a nd a re founde d on a n o lde r a nd
s ounde r ve rs ion of the prose romance , wh ich , if the date of
the R imu r is accepte d,must have be en curren t in the 14th
ce ntury .
Now th i s s tory of Hja lmte r , re cogn ise d by Grundtvig a s
re semb l ing Kulhw ch a nd Svipdag ,is much neare r than e ithe r
of the othe rs to the forms of popu la r story-te l l ing , and ins ome th ing s very curiou s ly l ike the forms of Gae l ic storyte l l ing in pa rticu la r .
3 Hjalmte r , l ike Svipdag (Svenda l ) a ndKulhwch , is put unde r a de st iny by his ste pmothe r : he hadre j e cte d he r love . Un l ike Svipdag or Ku lhwch , a nd s ingula rly l ikeMac Ia in Direach , he a n swe rs he r sp e l l w ith a n other ,a counte rspe l l , l ike tha t wh ich Mr . Nutt p o in te d out in
his n ote on Wa l ewein a s a p rope rty of Ce lt ic s tory-te l l ing .
Th i s in stance i s more de ta i le d , a nd the re semb lance muchs tronge r tha n in Wa l ewein .
“ She says : ‘Now sha lt thou bepa id for the b low thou gave st me : th is I lay on the e , neve r tore st , n ight nor day , save on sh ip-boa rd or unde r awn ing s , t i l lthou find He rvor , Hunding
’s daughte r .
’ Hjalmte r a n swe re d :‘Thou sha l t lay n oth ing m ore on me,for thy jaw sha l l sta nd
w ide open : and I th ink l itt le of go ing to look for a k ing’
s
daughte r . The re a re h igh rocks down by the ha rbour ;the re sha lt thou moun t a nd st and w ith a foot on on e a nd a
foot on anothe r , and four of my fathe r’
s thra l l s sha l l k ind lefire benea th the e , and thou sha lt l ive on wha t the rave ns
br ing , t i l l I come aga in .
’ 4’
Om D igtn ingen pa a Is land i det 15 . og 1 6. Aa rhundrede, p . 144 .
2 York Powe l l , Falh-Lore, vol . v. p . 1 00 .
3 S agan af I d lmter oh Olver , Rafn , Forua lda r S og ar , v. i i i . , pp . 453 518
4 Izy’
dlmters Saga , p . 479 .
306 Notes on Or endel a nd other Stor ies .
Skinnhufa a nd Va rgeysa ; they had a ll be en bew itche d bythe ir stepmothe i , who had a w e l l occup ie d l ife , for she
wen t and became Hjalm te r’
s stepmothe r afte r tha t . She
had be en le ft on the rock s , a s before de scribe d , and she fe l lin to the fire when he came back , l ike Mac Ia in Direach
’s
s tepmothe r a lso . The re is a cur iou s avo id ing of the righte nd in c i lmte r (both in S aga a nd R ima r ) , for Hjalmt e r
marr ie s one of Hord’
s s iste rs , and H e rvor is ma rr ie d t o
Hord . Kolb ing n ote s that th i s can ha rd ly have be en the
or ig ina l conc lu s ion , and it i s e a sy to agre e w ith him .
In many th ings th is s tory is more l ike Ma c Ia in D ir ea ch
and Wa l ewe in than S vipdag or K u l hwch ; and the crosse sa nd spe l l s re open ,
in a ve ry in te re st ing w ay , the que st ionof the re la t ions of Ga e l ic a nd I ce land ic l ite ra ture . Hordtake s the p la ce of the fox who in the Ga e l ic storv a nd in
the Dutch romance i s a prince b ew itched , and recove rs h i sow n a t the e nd of the story . But the re semb lance to S vipdag and K u lhwch i s s t i l l con s iderab le ; a nd Or ende l , to come
back to the s ta rt ing po in t , is not qu ite out of it e ither . In
I d lmter , howeve r , though there is a p re tence of romant icl ite ra ry form ,
tha t is not e nough , any more than in Wa l e
wein,to concea l the e ssent ia l ly popu la r cha racter of the
story .
The story of the prince ss over-sea i s one tha t may betake n up by a lmos t any k ind of poe t or storyte l le r . In on e
of its forms it ha s become a new myth , a myth for a ll mode rnpoe ts from Pe tra rch to Mr . Brow n ing a nd Mr . Sw inburne .
The story of Jaufre Rude l a nd the Lady of Tr ipo l i ha s be e nstud ie d by M . Ga ston Pa r is ,1 a nd shown to have it s or ig inin some verse s of the Provenca l poe t wh ich were mis
unde r stood by his b iog raphe r , or by the tra d it ion wh ich h i sb iog raphe r wrote dow n . The story of Jaufre Rude l ’s la stvoyage is a myth , grow ing ou t of the same common-p laceroman t ic fict ion wh ich i s u sed by the author of D urma r t l e
Revue Histor ique, vol . l i i i . p . 225
Souie Oxf ordsh ir e Sea sona l Fes tiva ls . 307
Ga l lois , a common-p la ce fict ion gra fte d on a_m is in te rp re te d
poem . Or ende l a nd D u rma r t l e Ga l l ois , K u lhwch and
S vipdag ,a nd the K ing
’
s S on of I r e l a nd a re va r ia tion s on
the same theme,the product of d iffe re n t orde r s of imag ina
t ion a nd exp re s s ion . The s tory of Jaufre Rude l ha s hadinfin ite ly de ep er mean ing ,
a nd infin ite ly more honour,than
a ny of the se . I t doe s not d im in ish e ithe r its imag inat ivemea n ing or its honour among poe t s and the ir heare rs , t oknow how the story a ros e but poss ib ly the h istory of th ismyth
,a h istory wh ich ha s be e n a ccura te ly worke d out , may
ha ve s ome bea r ing on the p rob lems of o lde r myths and sym
hol isms . I t p rove s tha t the re l ig iou s or mytho log ica l importis not nece ssar i ly the beg inn ing of the s tory .
SOME OXFORDSH IRE SEASONAL FESTIVALS
W ITH NOTES ON MORR IS-DANC ING IN OXFORDSH IRE .
BY PERCY MANN ING , M .A .
, F .S .A .
(Read a t meet ing of l oth I’lda r ch ,
Unde r th is t it le I ha ve de scr ibe d typ ica l in stance s of
v i l lage fea sts in Oxfordsh ire wh ich i l lustra te the Ob se rvance snow or form e r ly in vogue on thre e of the s ea sona l fe st iva ls ,May Day , Wh itsun t ide , a nd the Lamb Ale .
I mu st expre s s my ob l iga t ion to Mr. T . J . Ca rte r of Oxford ,who ha s b e en inva luab le in co l le ct ing informa t ion for me
,
and to Mr . C . Taphouse of Oxford , who k ind ly reduce d towr it ing the a irs of the song s from Bampton .
Bampton-in-the-Bu sh is a sma l l town about three mi le sx 2
308 Some Oxf ordsh ir e Sea sona l Fes tiva ls .
north of the Thame s,and fourte e n m i le s we st of Oxford .
I t is e ve n now tw o m i le s from the nea re st ra i lway s ta t ion ,
a nd its isola ted pos it ion ,— for t i l l rece n t ly no made
.
roa d a t
a ll pa s sed n ea r it 1 -ha s be en ve ry favourab le to the surv iva lof a nc ien t cu stom .
Up to w ith in forty or fifty yea rs ago , a pa rty of ch i ldrenu se d to go round the t own on May Day , dre ss e d in w h ite
,
w ith red,wh ite a nd b lue r ibbons (these a re now the co lours
of the c lub ) . A boy ca l le d the “ Lord ” ca rr ie d a st ickdre s sed w ith r ibbon s and flowe rs
,wh ich w a s ca l le d a
sword,
and a col le ct ing box for pe n ce . Two g irls , kn own
a s the Lady ” and he r Ma id ,” ca rr ie d on a s t ick b etwe en
them the ga r la nd ,” wh ich w a s made of two hoop s cros se d ,
a nd cove re d w ith m o ss,flowe rs and r ibbon s . The “ Lady ”
a ls o ca rr ie d a“ ma ce
,
”a squa re p ie ce of board mounte d
hor iz onta l ly on a Short s taff, on the top ofwh ich we re swe e t
sme l l ing he rbs un de r a mu s l in cove r, de cora ted w ith red,
wh ite a nd b lue r ibbon s and ros e tte s (p l . v .
, No . The
“ Lord ” a nd “ La dy ” we re accompa n ie d by a Ja ck-in-theGre en . From t ime to t ime the Lady sang the fo l low ingwords
Lad ies and gentlemen ,
I wish you a happy May
P lea se sme l l my mace ,
And k iss my face ,And then we ’ l l shew our gar land .
After the words k is s my fa ce , it w a s the Lord ’sduty to k is s the La dy
,
”and then to hand round h i s mon ey
box . The fa rme rs a nd we l l-to-do pe op le , so my informantssay , use d to g ive a s ma ny ha lf-pen ce a s pos s ib le , for the funof se e ing the Lord
” k iss the “ La dy ” a fte r the g iving of
eve ry ha lf-p en ny .
Th is cu stom ha s been a lmos t d iscont inue d on May Dayfor many yea rs pa st , but i s kept up , w ithout the Ja ck-in-the
G . L . Gomme , Vil lag e Commun ity , pp . 158-9 .
Some Oxf ordsh ir e Sea sona l Fes tiva ls . 309
Gre en . at the c lub fea st on Wh it-Monday . Most of the sede ta i ls come from Mrs . Hannah W e l l s of Bampton
,age d
80 , who made the mace now in my po sse s s ion in 1 894,the o ld one be ing m is la id . (Th is ha s s ince be en found , andI have both) . They we re supp lemen te d by Cha rle s Tanne r ,fa rm-laboure r , of Wea ld , nea r Bampton
, ag e d n ea r ly 80 ,a nd now b l ind . He w as Lord of the ga r land in his boyhood , and a fte rwa rds head morr is-dancer .
Whitsun t ide .
The fo l low ing Ceremon ie s a re s t i l l kept up a t Bamptono'
u VVhit-M onday, and a re now a ssoc ia te d w ith the c lub
fea st . A proce ss ion g oe s round the town ,wh ich compr ise s :
1 . A fidd le r to prov ide mus ic for the dance rs . Th i sfiddle r i s a mode rn sub st itute for the “ wh itt le-and-dub ”
man, who p layed the p ipe and tabour ; the se instrument s
we re u se d w ith in l iv ing memory (pls . i i .,
2 . Eight morr is-da nce rs , dre s se d in fine ly p lea te d wh itesh irts , wh ite mo le sk in trouse rs
,and top-ha t s
,decora te d
w ith red,wh ite and b lue r ibbon s .
“ Atta che d to the ir kn e e sthey wear numerou s sma l l la tten be l ls , s ome treb le , othe rsten or, wh ich j ing le a s they dan ce (pls . i i .
,
3 . A c lown,ca l led the “ S quire ,
” dre sse d in wha te vermot ley i s ava i lab le , who ca rr ie s a staff w ith a ca lf’s ta i l a tone end and a b ladder a t the othe r, w ith w h ich h e belabours the bystanders (pls . i i . , He a l so ca rr ie s a
money-box ,known a s the “ Trea sury (p l . iv .
, No .
4 . A sw ord-beare r ,” who ca rrie s a cake in a round t in
,
impa le d on a sword-b lade (p l , iv ., No I ) . The cake is a r ich
pound-cake , and i s p rov ide d by som e lady in the town . Bothcake and sword a re de cora te d w ith r ibbon s . At va riou sin te rva l s the p roce s s ion stops and da nc ing beg in s .
1
Whi le the danc ing goe s on ,s l ice s of the cake a re distri
bute d to the bystande rs , who a re expecte d to make a re
1 S ee Appendix on Morris Dancing .
3 10 Some Oxfordsh ir e Sea sona l Fes tiva ls .
turn to the “ S qu ire ’ s trea sury . Wha t rema in s of the cakea t n ight i s d iv ided among the da nce rs . A s l ice of cake isreckoned to ca rry g ood luck w ith it , a nd ma ny pe op le ke epp iece s of it s tore d in a box during the e n su ing tw e lvemonths , in orde r to en sure the ir good luck ab id ing w iththem .
The a ccoun t of the se ce remon ie s come s ma in ly fromMrs .
Hannah We l ls (men t ion ed unde r May Day ) whose fa the r ,
Thoma s Radbone , p lay ed the p ipe and tabour ; he w a s the
own e r of the “ Tre a sury ” exh ib ite d . The words of the songswe re d icta te d to me by Cha s . Ta nne r , a ls o be fore ment ioned
,
in 1 894 . He w a s hea d morr is-dance r in h i s ea rl ier yea rs .The me lod ie s we re sung by Tanner a nd tran scr ibed for me
by Mr . C . Taphouse of Oxford,to whom I mus t a cknow ledge
my indebtedne s s . From He nry We l ls (age d 50 , laboure r )of Bampton ,
now hea d morr is-dan ce r, we re got the costume s,
cake-t in ,foo l ’ s b ladde r , e tc . A short a ccoun t supp l ied by
me of the se two Bampton fea sts , from wh ich th is pape r ise xpa nded , w i l l b e foun d , w ith the s ong s a nd me lod ie s
,in the
Rev . P . H . Ditchfie ld’
s“ Old Eng l ish Customs
” pp . 99 , 1 24-7 ,
32 7-3 1
The Wh it Hun t .
Up to the year 1 862 a la rg e extent of country lying be twe enthe R ive rs Even lode and W indru sh w a s s t i l l fore st-lan d , being a p iece of the much la rge r Fore s t of Wychw ood , wh ichcove re d a t one t ime a gre a t pa rt of the we ste rn borde r of
Oxfordsh ire .
1 Many of the a dj o in ing tow n s and v i l lage s hada nd exe rc is e d the r ight of hunt ing
’
the de e r in thi s fore st-landa nd in on e in sta nce ,
a t Burford , the se r ights w e re exp l ic it lyre cogn ise d by the Crow n .
2 The inva riab le s e a son for the s ehun t ing expe d i t ions s e em to have b ee n Wh itsun t ide . I have
S ee J . Y . Akerman’
s Ancien t Limits of Wy chwood For est , in A rcha ’olog ia ,
vol . xxxv i i .2 W . J . Monk , History of Bu iford pp. 20 , 2 1 .
Some Oxf ordsh ir e Sea sona l Fes tiva ls . 3 1 1
s e le cte d the v i l lage of Duck l ington ,abou t tw o mi le s south
of W itney , a s typ ica l of the surround ing d is tr ict . At thehour of m idn ight onWh it-S unday , the v i l lage rs were rous e dfrom the ir s le ep , by the b low ing of “ p e e l ing-horns ,
”and the
loud shout s of the ir bea re rs , to prepa re for the com ing fes t ivit ie s . The se pe e l ing horns (p l . vi . ) we re made of gre en
w i l low-ba rk , pe e le d 1 in a long sp ira l str ip from a bough previously we l l soake d and b ea te n , in orde r to l oosen the ba rk .
Th i s str ip w a s then ro l led up in a long funne l shape , ab out1 1 in . long , a nd 25in . in d iame ter a t the la rge r e nd . To thesma l ler e nd w a s fitte d a re e d , abou t 2 in . long ,
ma de of w i l lowba rk str ipped from a tw ig w ithou t a ny inc is ion be ing madein it . Th is re e d w a s ca l led the “ trump et .
”The e dge s of
the re ed , wh ich en te re d the mouth of the p layer , we re p in chedclose ly toge the r to p roduce the s ound . The who le horn w a sp inned tog e the r w ith the long thorn s of the b la ckthorn .
2
At daybreak on the M onday , a l l the men of the v i l lagewho cou ld beg or borrow a horse
,rode off to the v i l lag e of
Ha i ley on the e dge of the Fore st , whe re they w ere j o ined bya crow d of hun te rs from the surround ing town s and v i l lage sofW itney , Bampton , Br iz e Norton , Craw ley , Leafie ld, Cha r lbu ry
,F instock
,e tc . The crowd then moved off in a body ,
a nd proce e de d to cha se a nd k i l l thre e de e r , one of wh ich w a s
c la ime d by Ha i ley , one by Crawley , a nd one by W itney , thefirst-named hav ing a lw ays the pr ior c la im . The man w ho
w a s first in a t the death of the de er c la ime d the hea d a nd
an t lers a s h is trophy , and the ant lers se em to have b e en keptfor yea rs a fte r a s a mark of d i st inct ion . The carca se of the
de er w a s then carr ied in triumph to an inn ,whe re it wa s
sk inn ed . The sk in w a s cut up into p ie ce s , and d istributed ,a nd happy w a s the ma iden whose love r cou ld sport a p ie ce
Whence the name pee l ing-horn .
Mr . H . Ba lfour has contributed to The Religua ry and I l lustra ted A rchwa
log ist for October , 1 896, an accoun t of the pee l ing-horn considered as a musicainstrument
,and of its ana logues in other parts of the wor ld.
3 1 2 Some Oxf ordsh ir e Sea sona l Festiva ls .
of sk in in h is cap , for it brought g ood luck and ensure d he rmarr iage w ith in the com ing ye ar.
The fore st-me et ing w a s re cogn ise d a s the fitte st p lace forse tt l ing up old g rudge s and qua rre l s , and many a fight tookp la ce be twe en p r iva te e nem ie s or the champ ion s of d iffe rentv i l lage s . My informant’ s fa the r has seen a doz en fights going on a t the same t ime .
1
W h i le the hunte r s we re g one , those who were left beh ind se t up a Maypo le on the v i l lage -g re en , and a pa rtyof morr is-dan ce rs
,a ccompan ied by a foo l and a p ipe-and
tabour p laye r , gave an e xh ib it ion of the ir sk i l l . W ith thedance rs wen t a sword-bea re r ,
”a s a t Bampton (v . p .
ca rrying a cake impa le d on a sword , wh ich brought goodluck to a l l who pa rtook Of it . The dance rs a fte rwa rdsma rche d off to W itn ey , whe re they ga ve a s im i la r exhib i
t ion,a nd co l le cted mon ey for the fea st . Othe rs of the
v i l lag e rs got ready the “ Bowe ry,
”a ba rn dre s sed up and
de cora te d w ith flowe rs and g re en boughs . On the re turnof the hunte rs and the morr is-da nce rs
,the who le company
repa ire d to the Bowery ” to take pa rt in a fea st kn own a s
the “ Youth Ale . Fe st iv it ie s we re kept up a ll the we ekt i l l S a turday
,when the de e r wa s dre sse d and cooked
,a nd
the hun te rs p le nt ifu l ly rega le d w ith ven ison . Outs ide rshad to pay a sh i l l ing for a ta ste of the mea t . Dur ing ea chday the morr is-dance rs v i s ite d n e ighbour ing v i l lage s toco l lect m on ey , and to e ngage in compe t it ion w ith othe rmorris-da nce rs ; a nd on the ir re turn e very e ven ing theywent to the “ Bowe ry ” for a jollifica t ion . Th i s ce remonyw a s d iscon t inue d some fifty yea rs ago . My informants a re
John F ishe r , ag ed 80 , a nd John Benne t , age d 8 7 , labourer sof Duck l ington . F ishe r made me thre e “ Pe e l ing-horn sin Ma rch
,
An account of the Wh it Hunt , wh ich entire ly corroborates these deta i ls ,wi l l be found in Mr . W . J . Monk
’s H istory of I/Vi tn ey pp . 48-9 .
2 A somewha t sim i lar righ t Of hunting inVVychwood Forest was exercised byth e inhab itan ts of Burford in 1 8 13. The churchwardens, accompan ied,
bya
Some Oxf ordsh ir e Sea sona l Fes tiva ls . 3 1 3
Lamh A le .
The v i l lage of K irt l ington is about n ine m i le s north of Ox
ford ou the ea st bank of the Cherwe l l . H ere , on the Mon
day afte r Tr in ity Sunday ,1 w a s he ld,up to 1 858 , the Lamb
Ale .
” Th is fea st i s sa id to have be en or ig ina l l y kept up bythe proceed s of ce rta in lands be long ing to the par ish , butwhe re or of wha t s iz e the se lands were no one now knows .
It is sa id tha t the ba r ley grown on the se lands w a s u sedfor brew ing a le to b e con sume d a t the fea st
, and tha t a
sma l l quant ity of whea t w a s g rown for mak ing into crowncake s (v . be low ,
p . Of la te r years , howe ve r , the Lordof the Man or had prov ided the a le a t his ow n co st ; a nd fora few yea rs afte r the fea s t w a s d i scont inue d , he pa id the sum
of £ 2 1 z s . yea r ly t o the poor of the v i l lage on the fea st-day .
Th is payment has long S ince b ee n dropped .
The cen tre of the fe st iv it ie s w a s the “ Bowe ry, a she d
made of gre e n boughs se t up on the v i l lag e -g re en ,whe re
the a le prev ious ly brewe d w a s s o ld dur ing the n ine days of
the fea st w ithout a l ice ns e , the proce e ds g o ing towa rds theexpense s incurre d .
One of the v i l lage rs w a s chose n “ Lord of the fea s t,
and be w ith his ma te s p icke d out a“ La dy
,who w a s pa id
for her se rv ice s . At 1 1 o ’c lock on the Mon day morn ingthe “ Lord ” s ta rte d from the “ Bowe ry ” to the “ La dy ’ s ”
hou se , whence a proce s s ion ma rche d round the v i l lage .
F irs t came a ma n ca rrying a l ive lamb on h i s shou lde rs ,wh ich w a s , if poss ib le , the firs t-born of the s ea son
, a nd the
fine st of the flock . I ts leg s we re t ie d tog e the r w ith b luea nd p ink r ibb on s , and b lue r ibbon s we re hung round it sne ck .
juven i le Lord and Lady and a crowd of townsfolk , marched in procession to th e Forest onWh it-Sunday, and demanded two bucks and a fawn of the
keepers . J . N . Brewer’s Oxfordsh ire , in th e B eau ties of E ng land and Wa les ,
P 476
1 J . Dunk in (History of B icester , 1 8 16 , pp . 268-9) says tha t the feast was he ldon Lammas Day wh ence its name .
3 14 Some Oxf ordsh ir e Sea sona l Fest iva ls .
Nex t came the Lord and Lady ga i ly dre sse d and
de cke d w ith p ink a nd b lue r ibbons . (On a lte rna te daysthe “ Lady w ore p ink a nd wh ite , and b lue a nd wh ite . )The “ Lord ca rr ied s lung ove r his shou lde r a t in moneybox ca l l e d the “ trea su ry .
”Both he and his con sort he ld in
the ir hands badg e s of office , know n a s“ ma ce s ” (p l . V .
, Nos .
1 , The s e mace s a re short stave s , on the top of wh ichi s fa ste ne d a squa re horiz on ta l b oa rd . To e a ch corne r of th issquare i s a tta che d the end of a s em i-c ircu la r hoop wh ich inte rs ects in the m idd le . The w ho l e “ mace ”
is covere d w ithp ink and b lue s i lk
,w ith rose tte s a t interva ls , and from the
four corn ers hang s i lk s treame rs . The co lours of the twomace s a re coun te r-cha ng e d .
Fo l low ing the “ Lord ”and “ Lady came the FOO1,
know n a s the “ S qu ire,
” who wore a dre s s of mot ley , a ndca rr ie d a long staff w i th a b la dde r and a cow ’ s t a i l a t e ithe re nd . Hi s du t ie s w e re t o b e labour the bystand e rs a nd toc lea r a r ing for the dan ce rs . N ex t came s ix morr i s-dan ce rs ,who we re dre s sed in b e ave r ha ts , fin e ly p le a te d wh ite sh irts
,
crosse d w i th b lue and p ink r ibbon s a nd rose tte s,and wh i te
mo le sk in trouse r s w ith be l ls a t the kne e s . The ir mu s ic w a s
supp l ie d by a fidd le r,a nd a
“ wh itt le a nd dub man,
”a s the
mus ic ian w a s ca l le d who p laye d the p ip e and tabour . Atthe e nd of the proce s s ion we re tw o men ca rrying
“ fore stfea the rs ,
”w h ich we re wooden c lubs about thre e fe e t long ,
covere d w ith le a ve s , flowe rs , rushe s, and b lue and p ink
r ibbon s .
At s ta te d t ime s in the day the morris-dance rs wou ld
g ive an exh ib it ion of the ir sk i l l . B e fore danc ing theyand the “ Lord ” we n t round the spe cta tors , carrying e acha crow n-cake on the top of h i s ha t . The se cake swe re about n in e inche s a cross , a nd w e re made of an oute rcrus t of rich curra n t and p lum dough , w ith a centre of
m in ced mea t and ba tte r . Con tr ibut ion s in money we re
g ive n by the spe cta tors for look ing a t them . For ha lf-acrown a who le cake cou ld b e bought , and th is w as sup
Some Oxfordsh ir e Sea sona l Fes t iva ls . 3 15
pose d to br ing g ood luck t o the buye r, who ofte n kept a
p ie ce of it throughout the yea r . Any cake s not s o ld a t
the e nd of the fea st we re d iv ide d among the “ Lamb AleBoys .
”
The'
lamb w a s ca rr ie d in proce s s ion on Monday,Tue sday
,
a nd W edne sday , w hen it— or u sua l ly a le s s va luab le lamb ,the or ig ina l be ing re turned to the fo ld unhurt— w a s k i l le da nd made into p ie s . Into one p ie ,
ca l le d the “ hea d pie ,w a s put the hea d w i th the wool on it . The othe r p ie sw e re then cut up a nd d istr ibu te d to a l l w ho wa n te d a
p ie ce , but the “ head pie” cou ld on ly b e bought for a
sh i l l ing .
The rema in ing days of’
the fea st w e re spen t in dr ink inga t the “ Bow e ry , wh ithe r the morr is-dance rs re turn ed eve ryn ight from v is it s to ne ighbour ing v i l lag e s to c o l lect mon ey .
At the end of e ach day , the mon ey col l e cted w a s g ive nto the hea d m orr is-da nce r , w ho w a s re spons ib l e for the
s a fe ke ep ing of the appa ra tus u sed . The ma ce s ”a nd
“ trea sury ” we re la s t he ld by Thoma s Hawke s of K irtl ing tou ,
now dea d,and from his b rothe r
,John Hawke s ,
they we re bought for me in Jun e , 1 894 . The a ccoun t of
the fea st i s from R . Pea rman, Of K irt l ing ton , a nd h is w ife .
For compa r ison w ith th i s body of cus toms,I qu ote the
fo l low ing pa ssage from T . B loun t ’s Ancien t Tenu r es , ed .
1 6 79 . P 149
At R'
idl ingt on in Oxfordsh ire1th e Custom is , That on Monday after
Wh itson week ,there is a fa t l ive Lamb prov ided , and the Ma ids of the Town
hav ing the ir thumbs ty’d beh ind th em , run after it , and sh e that with he r mouthtakes and ho lds the Lamb , is declared Lady of the Lamh
, wh ich , be ing dress ’dw ith th e sk in hanging on ,
is carr ied on a long Po le before the Lady and her
Compan ions to th e Green ,a ttended wi th Mus ic and a IlIor isco Dan ce of Men
,
and anoth er ofWomen ,where the rest of th e day is spen t in dancing, m irth
nd merry glee . The next day th e Lamb is part bak ’d, boyl
’
d, and rost , forthe Ladies feast, where sh e sits maj est ica l ly a t the upper end of the Tab le
, and
h er Compan ions with her with music and other attendants, wh ich ends theso lemn ity .
”
Ki d l ington is about three mi les west from Kirt l ington .
3 1 6 Some Oxf ordsh ir e Sea sona l Fes tiva ls .
The re is no room w ith in:
the l imits Of th i s paper for muchd iscuss ion of the re la t ion s of the se to s im i la r ce remon ie sa t o the r p lace s , a nd a l l that can be done i s to briefly n ote a
few obv iou s pa ra l le l s .
The ma in fea ture i s , of course , the sacrifice of a l iv ingv ict im by the commun ity, to bring luck dur ing the en su ingyear to a ll who part ic ipa te in it . Th i s i s shown d irect ly inthe Wh it Hun t, whe re the p ie ce of stag
’
s sk in b ring s luck toit s posse s sor . As to the K id l ing ton lamb , the honour doneto its captor shows the same th ing . At K irt l ington w e see
th e luck in p roce ss of be ing tran sferre d from the lamb tothe cake , for it is the la tte r tha t i s trea sured up during the
year . At Bampton the tran sfe rence is comp le te ; the l iv ingv ict im ha s d isapp ea re d , and the cake repre sen ts it . Pe rhapsthe sw ord impa l ing the cake i s emb lema t ic of sacrifice ; butth i s n e e d not h e in s i st ed on .
The who le body of customs b ea rs a rema rkab le re semb lance to the S outhe rn Ind ia n fe stiva l de scr ibed by Mr .
Gomme (E thnology in Folh-Lor e , pp . 22 I t is en oughto ind ica te some lead ing feature s common t o both
1 . The v ict im is carr ie d round the v i l lage on a man’s
hea d (K irt l ington) .2 . The v ict im i s se iz e d w ith the month by a bound man
(a t K id l ington , by a woman ) .
3 . Pie ce s of the v ict im a re scramb le d for (Wh it Hunt ) .4 . The v ict im’ s hea d is spec ia l ly re ve ren ce d , e .g , ,
stag’ s
hea d in the Wh it Hun t , “ hea d pie a t K irt l ing ton .
5. The pos se ss ion of a p ie ce of the v ict im or its subst i
tute bring s luck (common to a ll) .6 . The v ict im i s a ccompan ie d by danc ing men and
women ,w ith a j e ste r (common to a ll) .
W ith the a id of the se and the K ing’ s Te ig nton , and
H o lne ce remon ies (E thnology in F oth-Lor e , pp . 30-3) those
who a re inte re s t e d in the que st ion , ca n draw out for themse lve s a more de ta i led pa ra l le l than I have he re space for .
Some Oxf ordsh ir e Sea sona l Fes tiva ls . 3 1 7
APPEND IX ON MORR IS-DANC ING IN OXFORDSH IRE .
Morr is-da nc ing wa s so insepa rab ly connecte d w ith the
Wh itsun t ide and other fe s t iva ls in Oxfordsh ire , tha t a shorta ccoun t of it se ems n ece s sa ry . I have summa r ise d be low thea ccounts re ce ived from the fo l low ing v i l lag e s : Ascot-un de rWychwood , Astha l Le igh , Bampton ,
Br iz e Norton , Duckling ton ,
F ie ld Assart s n e a r Leafie ld, F in stock , Leafie ld, K irtling ton ,
S h ipton unde r Wychwood , Spe lsbury , Whea t ley ,tog e the r w ith Oak ley (Bucks ) , a nd Ch ipp ing Wa rden ,
(Northants ) , both c lose to the Oxfordsh ire borde r .
The dance rs we re a lw ays s ix in numbe r,except a t Bamp
ton ,where two spa re me n re l ie ve d two of the s ix da nce rs
a t t ime s . They were n ea r ly a lw ays men,but a t Spe lsbury,
about 70 ye a rs ago , s ix g ir l s u se d to da n ce , a nd B loun t , inthe pa ssag e quote d above
,re cords that in the 1 7 th ce n tury
the re w a s a“ Mor isco Dance ” of women ,
a s we l l a s of men,
a t K id l ington . The g ir ls a t Sp e lsbury wore a hea d-gear ofr ibbons a nd flowe rs
,w ith Short dre s se s , and b e l l s on the ir
leg s , S im i la r to those worn by the men . The regu la r dre s sof the men con s iste d of a beave r or s i lk hat de cke d w ithr ibbon s— though in one ca se it had dege nera te d into a brown“ bow le r ha t— e labora te ly worke d and p leate d wh ite sh irts ,crossed w ith co loure d r ibbons and rose tte s
,and wh ite mo le
sk in trousers , or e lse wh ite knee -bre eche s and stock ing s .
To th i s some dand ie s a dde d a wh ite wa i stcoat,but th i s w a s
unusua l . W ith the dan ce rs wen t a spa re man to look afte rthe ir coa t s , &c .
,who w a s ca l le d the Ragman .
Inva r iab ly a ccompa nying the troup e w a s a foo l , g ene ra l lyca l le d the “ S qu ire
,
”but kn own a t As tha l a nd a t F ie ld
As sarts a s“ Rodney — for wha t rea s on I do not kn ow.
The “ S qu ire ” wore a dre s s of mot ley , a nd ca rr ie d a s t ickw ith a b ladde r a nd a cow ’
s ta i l a t e ithe r end . W ith th ishe wou ld c lea r a r ing for the dance rs , and bang the spe cta tors on the hea d . S ome t ime s
,a s a t Bampton ,
he carr ie da
“ trea sury ” or money-box .
Attache d to the ir trouse rs or bre eche s j ust be low the
3 1 8 Some Oxf or dsh ir e Sea sona l Fes tiva ls .
kne e the da nce rs wore pads of be l ls (p l . iv .
, Nos .
4 , 5, 6 , The se ge ne ra l ly w e re p ie ce s of th in lea the r,
mea sur ing about five inche s by s ix , out in to four or s ix s tr ips,
w h ich we re le ft j o ine d a t e ithe r e nd. At tache d to the ses trip s w e re nume rou s sma l l la t te n be l l s of a g lobu l a r shap e ,in s ome ca se s treb le , in othe rs ten or . Of the treb le b e l lstwe n ty w e re fa s ten e d to e a ch “
pa d,”
of the ten or t e n
on ly . The “ pad s ” we re button e d to the leg by a loop a t
the ba ck , a nd then t ie d w ith str ing s round the leg .
The dan ce rs s tood in two rows of thre e e ach,fac ing one
anoth e r . Those on on e s ide wore treb le,on the othe r ,
te nor , b e l ls . The s teps we re those , a s I am to ld , of the o ld“ Coun try Da nce .
”In one figure the da ncers ca rr ie d wh ite
ha ndkerch ie fs , wh ich t hey wa ve d abou t in t ime to the mus ic,
s ome t ime s ho ld ing each othe rs ’ ke rch iefs a cros s,s ome t ime s
j o in ing themse lve s in a long s tr ing . In an othe r figure theyca rr ie d s t icks some tw o fe e t long ,
pa in ted w ith the spe c ia lco lours of the v i l lage (p l . iv .
,Nos . 2
,The se they c la shed
tog e the r , or s truck on the ground , a s an accompan iment tothe mus ic .
In s ome p la ce s , a s a t Bampton ,they sang wh i le danc ing
va rious song s su ite d to the a ir wh ich w a s be ing p laye d .
O the r s ong s we re sung in the inte rva l s be tween the
danc ing .
At Bampton the songs we re Gre en Ga rte rs,
”Con
stan t B i l ly ,” “ The W i l low Tre e ,
”The Ma id o
’the Mil l ,
”
“ Ha ndsome John ,
” “ H igh land Mary”
(not Burn s’s poem);
a nd “ Bob and Joa n . At F ie ld As sarts the tune s we re“ Trunk H o se ,
”Cockey Brown
,
” “ The Old Road,
” “ The
Cuckoo ,” “ The Cuckoo ’ s Ne st ,
” “ Gre en S le e ve s,
” “ Wh iteJock
,
” Mo l l o ’ th e Whad ,”a nd “ The Hay Morri s .
At Bampton the re w a s a so lo dance be twe e n two toba ccop ipe s ly ing cross e d on the ground , to the a ir of the
’Ba cca
Pipes Jig , or Gre e n S le eve s .
” At S pe lsbury and a t Ch ipp ing Wa rden they da nce d on the top of the church-towe r .
The dance rs we re under the leadersh ip of’
a head man , who
3 20 Some Oxf ordsh ir e Sea sona l Fest i va ls .
(a ) The frame,a broad ring of wood or meta l , ove r
wh ich is stretched
(h) The pa rchme nt , the e dg e s of wh ich a re sewn t or ing s of wha lebone wh ich fit c lose ly to the frame ;
(c) Two na rrow r ing s of wood wh ich fit down ove r thepa rchmen t and ke ep it s tre tche d t ight over the frame .
The se r ing s a re fa ste ne d toge the r by a n end le s s tapecross ing in z ig-z ag s from s ide to s ide through ho le sp ie rce d in the r ings . Th i s tape can b e t ightene d or
loosene d a t wi l l ;(d ) A ba nd of horse-ha ir wh ich pa ss e s a cro s s one of
the parchme nt surfa ce s in orde r t o increa se the v ibrat ion . I t ca n be t ightene d by mean s of a peg fixe din the S ide of the frame .
The tabour st ick is about n ine inche s long . I t ha s a ve ryla rge kn ob for ho ld ing in the ha nd
,and a sma l l knob fo r
b ea t ing the tabour .
The p ipe w a s p laye d w ith the le ft ha nd . The tabour w a s
s lung from the thumb of the le ft hand , wh ich w a s emp loye din thumb ing th e p ip e , a nd w a s bea ten w ith the r ight hand .
Words a nd a ir s of the B amp ton Mor r is-Song s .
F irst dance , to the tune of “ GREEN GARTERS”
F irst for t he stock ings and th en for t he Sh oes and th en for th e bon—ny green
gar- ters ; A pair for me and a. pa ir for you and a
pair for th ey tha t comes at
F irst for the stock ings , and then for the shoes
And then for th e bonny green gartersA pa ir for me , and a pa ir for you,And a pa ir for they that comes arter .
3 22 Some Oxf ords/t ir e Sea sona l Fes tiva ls .
Fourth dance , to the tune of “ THE MAID OF THE M ILL .
There are fit ty fai r mai -dens th a t Sports on t h e g reen , I
gaz’
d on th em we ll as you see But the Maid of t h e Mi l l, th e
Ma id of the Mi l l, the Ma id of th e Mi ll for me. She is
straigh t and tall as a Pop lar tree , Her cheeks are red as a.
rose she is one of t h e fa irest young g irls I seeWh en sh e‘s
dress’
d in h er Sun day clothes
There’s fifty fa ir ma idens, that sports on the green ,
I gaz’d on them we l l as you see
But the Ma id of the Mil l , the Ma id of the Mil l ,The Ma id of the Mil l for me .
She is stra igh t and ta l l as a pOplar tree ,Her cheeks are red as a rose .
She is one of the fa irest young girls I see ,When she
’
s dress’d in her Sunday clothes.
The Ma id of the Mil l , the Ma id of the Mil l ,The Ma id of the Mil l for me .
Some Oxf ordsh ir e Sea sona l Fes tiva ls . 323
BOB AND JOAN .
l
I won ’ t be my fath er ’s Jack, and I won ’t-be my mo-ther’
s Jil l ; Bu t
I w il l be some fiddler’
s wi fe , Th en we can muse it at our wil l
T’
oth er li t-t le tune t’oth er lit-t le tune , Bob at nigh t , and Bob noon .
I won ’ t be my fa ther’s Jack ,And I won ’t be my moth er’s J i l l ,
But I wi l l be some fiddler’
s wife ,Then we can muse it a t our wi l l .
T’
other l itt le tune, t’other l ittle tune ,Bob a t n igh t, and Bob a t noon .
GREENSLEEVES or BACCA-PIPES ’ J IG .
324
Plate I I .
P late V .
P late VI .
P late VII .
Some Oxf ords lz ir e Sea sona l Fes tiva l s .
HANDSOME JOHN .
”
John is a handsome youth comp lete ,A smarteryoung lad never wa lked the stree tAnd sti l l the Lady’s tongue runs ou
Oh wha t a handsome man was John.
S ing fa l , the ra l , a l i do.
H IGHLAND MARY .
Around sweet High land Mary’s grave ,We
’ l l p lant the fa irest of l i l l ies ,The primrose sweet and violet b lue ,Likewise the da ii odil lies.
But s ince th is world ’s been grown so wide ,In some lonesome p lace we ’ l l tarry,
We lcome then come (sic) gather me to s leep ,W ith my High land Mary.
LIST OF PLATES .
Group of Morris Dancers wi th “ Squire and Sword-bearer.
Bampton, Oxon . , Wh it-Monday, 1897 .
The same . A snap-shot of one of the dances .
No . 1 . Cake-tin , carried by the “ Sword-bearer. Bampton,Oxon.
Nos . 2 , 3 . Sticks carried by Morris Dancers . Head ington , Oxon .
Nos . 4, 5. Pa ir of “ be l l-pads ” (tenor) , made 0. 1 840. Tas ton ,
Oxon .
Nos . 6, 7 . Pa ir of “ be l l-pads (treb le) , made 0. 1 830. Headington , Oxon .
No . 8 . Wooden Treasury, or money-box, made c. 1 830.
Bampton, Oxon .
Nos . 1 , 2 . Maces carried by the Lord and Lady of the LambAle . Ki rtl ington, Oxon .
No. 3 . Mace”carried by the Lady of the Garland . Bampton ,
Oxon .
Pee l ing-horns , as used a t the Wh it Hunt, made in 1897 .
Duck l ington , Oxon .
No . I . Tabour, or“ Dub , and st ick , made c. 1 800 . Leafie ld,
Oxon .
No . 2 . Tabour and st ick , made c. 1 850 . Dedd ingt on , Oxon.
No . 3 . Wooden p ipe or“ wh ittle ,” be long ing to No . I .
No . 4 . P ipe , made c. 1 850. Bampton , Oxon .
326 The Binding of a God .
Gre ek shrine s of h i s day ; a nd t h is by-and-by deve lops intothe ido l s ta tue of the h ighe st a rt ist ic type .
Thu s in Ind ia w e find the ea r ly r itua l pre scr ib ing tha t thea ltar for the re cept ion of the S oma wa s to b e cons tructe d inthe form of a woman .
1 S o in Gre e ce , to quote Mr . Fa rne l l ,$2“a t the ea r l ie s t stage s of icon ism of wh ich l ite ra ture a nd the
monumen ts have le ft re cord , w e find the form of the god
da rkly emerg ing from the inorgan ic b lock , the M'
Boc £ 6 0 7 69 ,but the fea ture s of th e embryo form a re human ; a nd he goe son to say :
“ I t c once rns the h i story of the pe op le ’ s re l ig ion t okn ow in wha t w ay the image w a s rega rde d . Wa s i t me re lya symb o l br ing ing home to the sen se s the inv is ib le and re
mote d iv in ity ? Probab ly th i s wa s ne ve r the popu la r v iew,
nor w as it or ig ina l . W e may be l ie ve tha t for the e a r ly and
cu lt iva te d Gre ek , a s for a ll le ss a dvance d p e op le s ,‘the na turea nd powe r of the d ivin itywere the re in the imag e .
’ I t i s hard,
inde ed , to find any pa s sage tha t e stab l ishe s the exa ct ide nt ity of the de ity a nd the image in a nc ien t b e l ie f, but manyshow the v iew tha t the statue w a s in the most int ima te s ense
the shr ine,or the 3809 , of the d iv in ity , and ofte n a n ima ted by
it s pre se nce .
”
I t i s ce rta in ly rema rkab le tha t , a s fa r a s I am awa re,no
d i st inct sta tement in the c la s s ica l l ite ra ture of Gree ce or
Rome po in ts to the adopt ion of a ny defin ite method of in
fus ing the d iv in ity in to the image w h ich exp re sse d and re
pre sen ted it s a ttr ibu te s . Tha t some idea of the ne ce ss ity ofsuch proce dure w a s a t one t ime re cogn ise d may p e rhaps beinfe rre d from the fa cts tha t the Gre eks had a te chn ica l te rm
,
i’
Spfio cq , wh ich i s app l ie d by D iony s iu s of Ha l ica rna s su s 3 tothe inaugura t ion of the féa vov, or wooden sta tue ; but of
the exact r itua l no de ta i ls , so fa r a s I am awa re,surv ive . We
may , howeve r , perhaps gue s s tha t the ritua l fo l lowed the
Eggel ing , Sa tapa tha B n ihnzana , S . B . B .
, vol. xi i . pp. 62, 63 .
2 Cu lts of the Greeh S ta tes , vol . i. p . 20 .
9 Hist , i i . 1 8 .
The Binding of a Goa’. 227
l ine s by wh ich both in Greece and Rome the dema rca t ion of
the fre'
aevos or t empl um , the spot sa nct ifie d by th e the ophany , w a s effecte d by the augurs and pont iffs . Unt i l thea ctua l pre s en ce of the god w a s thus s e cured , the spot d id notin Rome r i se to the d ign ity of a temp lmn , but re ce ive d thele s s ho ly t it le of sa cr um ,
sa er a r innz , or sa cel l um .
W e a re fortuna te ly not w ithou t informa t ion on the sub
ject drawn from the u sag e s of other pe op le . Th i s I ve ntureto br ing b efore you th is e ven ing , more pa rt icu la r ly becauseI th ink tha t the p r inc ip le s wh ich unde r l ie th is bran ch of
r itua l go s ome w ay to exp la in other Obse rvan ce s , a nd morepart icula r ly one of the most rema rkab le and ob scure legendsin the I l iad of Home r .
I w i l l the refore first a sk you to cons ide r the early H indur itua l wh ich i s g iven in chapter 265 of theMa tsy a P a rana .
For a h ithe rto unpub l ishe d vers ion of th is rema rkab le pa ssage I am indebte d to the courte sy of Mr . C . H . Tawney
,
the learne d l ibra r ian of the Ind ia Office , of whosese rv ice s to the cau se of fo lk lore in the tran s la t ion of the
K a tha S a r it Saga r a I n e e d not rem ind any memb ers of
th i s S oc ie ty . The pre sent recen s ion of th is P a rana ca n be
tra ce d ba ck to abou t the e ighth century AD . Bu t bothMr . Tawney and Profe s sor W ebe r agre e tha t it ha s prese rve d much of the p r imit ive r itua l of the ear ly H induwr it ing s ; a nd th is
,inde e d , i s suffic ien t ly obv ious from it s
conten ts .
After de scr ib ing s ome p re l im ina ry r ite s the author goe son : But a fte r he ha s depos ite d the va r iou s obj e cts w ithMantra s (spe l l s) le t him ano in t the ca v ity w ith m i lk and
d i l ige n t ly cove r it over w ith a wh ite c loth . The n hav ingra ise d up the m ighty god, l et h im p lace him in the sp le nd idde s ire d p lace , ove r the cav ity , w ith the Mantra‘H eaven i sfirm ,
the ea rth is firm,the mounta ins a re firm
,firm is the
k ing o f subj e cts .
’ Then , hav ing p la ced the god firm ly,he
Shou ld p lace his han d on his he ad a nd med ita te w ith the
utmos t p ie ty on the und iv ide d god of g ods , and Shou ld mut
3 28 The Binding of a God .
te r the Devavrata hymn and the S oma hymn and the Rudrahymn
,and hav ing made h imse lf l ike S iva a dorne d in the
many orname nts , he Shou ld in med itat ion ca l l up the formof wha teve r god he may be sett ing up , thus : Hav ing become a god, I se t up the m ighty god Vishnu , re semb l ingthe flowe r of the flax , b earing the conch , d iscus , and c lub .
I se t up S iva Trilochana , the thre e-eye d and ten-arme d ,hav ing the ha l f-moon for h is cre st , lord of Gana s , sea tedon a bu l l . I se t up Brahma
, p ra i sed of he rmits , the fourfa ce d god wea r ing the tw is ted locks , great-armed , sprungfrom the lotus . I se t up the S un , thou sand-rayed , ca lm ,
a ccompan ied by bands of Apsa ra se s , lotus-hande d , grea ta rmed .
’
In the same w ay he shou ld utter Mantra s re ferring t o
g ods , to S iva when se tt ing up S iva , to Vishnu when se tt ingup Vishnu ,
t o Brahma when se tt ing up Brahma . And w isemen shou ld u tte r Man tra s re fe rring to Sfirya , the Sun ,
whense tt ing him up , and in the ca se of the othe r gods the Man
tra s re fe rr ing to them . But s ince the e stab l ishmen t of g odsw ith Mantra s g ive s j oy , wha te ver god he se t s up he shou ldmake him the ch ief, and shou ld remembe r the othe r g od sstand ing at h i s s ide a s a ttendants .
”
Then fo l lows the praye r : “ App roa ch , re ve red one , b e
me rc ifu l,be grac ious , be e ve rla st ing ! Re ce ive , reve re d one ,
th i s ho ly wa te r for the fe e t , th i s for r in s ing the mouth , th iss ea t ove r wh ich the ho ly words have be en spoken . Ha i l ! ”
Then the pers on ded ica t ing the image i s d ire cte d to haveit bathed w ith curds and gh i, w ith a dec la ra t ion tha t theday is a ho l iday
,and w ith the sa luta ry re c ita l of sacre d
words . He shou ld not move the god a fte r he i s s e t up ,
otherwise he w i l l b e gu i lty of s in . And he shou ld fi l l upa ll the ch inks in the pe de sta l of the image w ith sand— I suppos e , w ith a n idea tha t no e v i l sp irit may take up its qua rtersin the ne ighbourhood of the image .
The r itua l e nds w ith the so lemn inj unct ion Th ise re ct ing of a god is not to be performed b y a n immora l
330 The Binding of a God .
a m irror be fore the image and offe r ing to it the shadow of
va r iou s da int ie s , wh ich a re the n wa ved round the imag e on
a le a f of the s a cre d Pipa l tre e , and g iven to a n officiant top la ce a t the cros s roa ds a s a n offe r ing to the e v i l Sp ir itswh ich hab itua l ly haun t such p la ce s . Anothe r offe ring is
p lace d in a ho l low bamboo for S iva , who i s lord of demon s,
The n ex t s tep is to make the image the common ab id ingp la ce of a ll the grea t gua rd ia n de it ie s , who a re each invoke dw ith the ir appropr ia te Man tra s or spe l ls , and w ith e achve rse the Offic ian t touche s in order the hands , kne e s , wa i st ,che s t , nave l , eye s , and hea d of the image in wh ich the
de it ie s a re thus inv ite d to take up the ir abode . The image
b e ing thu s occup ied by the d iv ine pantheon , i s la id tore st .
A l l th i s is pre l im inary t o the in sta l la t ion in the image of
the sp e c ia l de ity in whose honou r it ha s be en e rected . Th isis don e n ex t morn ing in much the same w ay by the rec ita lof mys t ic ve rse s a nd formu lae of r itua l . As the Offic ian ttouches ea ch m embe r of the imag e , he touche s h is own
pe rs on in the same way , thus imp ly ing tha t he too is poss e s sed of the god, wh ich from him i s tran sferred to the
imag e . La st ly,putt ing h i s thumb on the che st of the image ,
h e says : “ Let the d iv ine sp irit or l ife come into th is image
le t the d iv ine e s sence ente r in to it .
” He then rep ea ts theGaya tr i , the most sa cre d of a ll Sp e l ls
,into the r ight ea r of
the image , a nd w ith the rec ita l of other app ropr ia te textshe touche s the fe e t , na ve l , a nd head of the image . Whe na ll th is is done , suppos ing tha t the god ha s now taken up
his abode the re in ,he bows and says : “ 0 god of g ods !
Thou a rt we lcome ! Thou ha st come he re through my g oodfortun e ! The refore out of k indne ss to thy devote e thoushou lde st ab ide in th i s imag e a s long a s the Sun , the M oon ,
a nd the Ea rth a re in ex i stence .
”
Now it is obv ious tha t w e have he re reach ed a ve rya dva nced stage of r itua l obse rva nce . But some th ing muchmore primit ive
,wh ich may be the ba s is of the rite s wh ich
The Binding of a God . 33 1
w e have be en cons ide r ing , is found among the Drav idia nor non-Aryan ra ce s .
I w a s on ce s ome yea rs ago fortuna te en ough to be pre se n ta t the a ctua l b irth of a loca l god in a low-ca ste v i l lage h idden away in the j ung le s of Gorakhpur , in Northe rn In d ia .
Wha t I s aw w a s in th is w ise . I had be e n trying a ve ryintr ica te ca se of murde r . A ma n w a s a ccuse d of k i l l ing hisow n ch i ld in orde r to make its ghos t s it on the hea d
,
”a s
the Ind ian phra se run s,of the u sure r who w a s engag e d in
enforc ing a de cre e ag a in s t him . To ge t a t the root of thema tte r it w a s ne ce ssa ry for me to v is it the scene of the
murde r , a nd when I a rrive d th e re I found tha t, s ince the
k i l l ing of the ch i ld a few day s be fore , its ghost had begunto make itse lf unp lea sant . M ore than one ca se of suddeni l lne ss of man and be a s t and un lucky acc ide n t w e re confid
e n t ly a ttr ibuted to its ma l ign ity , a nd tha t day i t had b e enfound ne ce s sa ry to ca l l in the a id of the t a , or Cunn ingMan , of the ne ighbourhood , to lay the ghost .
Th i s w a s how he d id it . He rang his b e l l to summon a ll
the vag ran t ghosts of the ne ighbourhood toge the r . Eve ryInd ian v i l lage has , be s ide s it s re spe ctab le , e stab l ished ghos t swho a re on the foundat ion ,
”a number of others who a re
on the ir promot ion ,wh ich may or may not , a s c ircumstan ce s
occur,be prov ide d w ith a n imag e , a shr ine
, a nd a p r ie st .
They a re‘
exa ct ly ana logous to the J inn of S em it ic lands,
whom Dr . Robe rtson Sm ith ca l ls g ods w ithout worsh ippers ;
"and h e adds tha t “
a god who lose s h i s worsh ipp e rs
goe s ba ck to the c lan from wh ich he came , a s a b e ing of
vague and inde te rm ina te powe rs , who , ha v ing no pe rs ona lre la t ion s to men
,i s on the who le to b e rega rde d a s a n
enemy .
” 1
W hen a ll the se ev i l sp ir it s , on e or othe r of whom w a s
ce rta in ly re spon s ib le for the unp lea san tne ss wh ich it w a s
the bu s in e s s of the exorcisor to remove , had a ssemb le d , he
Rel ig ion of the Semites, p . I I4 .
332 The Binding of a God .
fe l l into a state of afflatus , ro l le d on the ground , and be camein popu la r be l ie f obv ious ly posse sse d of the sp irit . By
-and
by he rose a nd gra spe d w ith h i s hands a t the sp irit s wh ichwe re suppose d to be buz z ing round h i s hea d l ike so manyfl ie s . He began to herd them toge ther by flapp ing roundh i s hea d a sw itch compose d of branche s of the sacre d Nimand Pipa l tre e s ; then when he had got them toge the r , hese iz e d a ha ndfu l of the myst ic gra in , b la ck se samum
,wa ved
it round his head , a nd w ith a shout of tr iumph ga ve h i saud ience to unde rsta nd tha t the sp ir it or sp ir its we renow s a fe ly enc losed in it . The se samum wh ich had thu sbecome the ab id ing-p la ce of the gho sts he poured w ithoutde lay in to a hole in a log o f the sa cre d fig-tre e wh ich layready n ear him . The ho le w a s a t on ce lute d ove r w ith a
m ixture of c lay and cow -dung , and it w a s remove d to the
gene ra l v i l lage-Shr ine w he re the panthe on of guard ian g ods— M other Ea rth , the S nake g ods , and the ir bre thren—
pe r
manen t ly re st . Benea th th is p la tform the new cand ida te fore nro lment in the he aven ly host w a s so lemn ly in terred , andhe w a s thus regu la r ly
“e s tab l ished ,
”the inference be ing
tha t if du ly approached or fit ly worsh ippe d in s ea son ,he
wou ld aban don h is hab its of m isch ie f and become a re
spectab le , prop i t ious prote ctor of the v i l lage and its p e op le .
I ne e d hard ly remind you of the nume rous in stan ce s of
s im i lar pra ct ice s of captur ing s oul s among othe r savagera ce s . W e have many ca se s of a n a ttempt to capture the
sou l of a dying man ,of the enc losure of such s ou l s in ca la
ba she s . The Dyaks t ry to capture the sou l of the r ice wh ichis to rev iv ify the next crop .
1
Now it se ems pretty obv iou s tha t in the procee d ings of
th is D ravid ian exorcisor w e have the or ig in of the moree labora te Brahman ica l r itua l wh ich I have de scribed
, a nd
I Ling Roth , The N a t ives of Sa raw ak, vol . i . pp . 27 1 , 273 , 279 , 28 1 , 4 13I evons , In troduct ion to History of Rel ig ion , p . 50 ; Fra z er , Gol den B ough ,
vol . i . p . 1 39 .
334 Th e B inding of a God .
t o be s ick , and i s not v is ib le for a fortn ight , wh i le it is be ingpa in te d a nd re pa ire d . W hen two new moon s occur in themonth of Asarh , w h ich i s sa id to happen once in sevente enye a rs , a new ido l is made . A trunk of a Nim tre e , on wh ichno crow or ca rr ion b ird ha s e ve r p e rche d , is sought for inthe j ung le . Th is is kn own t o the in it ia ted by ce rta in s ign s ,a nd i s rough ly worked up by ca rpente rs and made over tothe pr ie sts , who work in secre cy . One man i s se le cte d totake out of the old ido l a box wh ich conta ins the sp ir it , orby another accoun t the b one s
,of the god Kri shna , a nd th i s
is ca re fu l ly conveye d in to the new image . The man whodoe s th is i s a lways remove d from the world be fore the e nd
of th e ye a r , a fact wh ich p oss ib ly embod ie s a trad it ion of
a ctua l human sacr ifice a t the inaugura t ion of the n ew image .
W e me e t , aga in , w ith ana logous ca se s in the Obse rvance swhe reby an ab id ing-p la ce i s made for the sou l of a dead re
la t ion . The Hindu s , for in stance , fix up near a tank a s ta lkof a spe c ia l k ind of re e d , in wh ich the sou l takes up it s abodedur ing the fune ra l r ite s . S o in New Ire la nd , “ when a mem
ber of a fam i ly d ie s , one of the re la t ion s v is its the bush tr ibe sof the Ros se l Mounta in s , from w hom he p rocure s a ca rve dcha lk figure rep re se nt ing a man or woma n
, accord ing to thes ex of the dece a sed , wh ich i s intended a s a n ab id ing-p la ceof the ghost of the dea d . Hav ing p rocure d th i s sacred e ffigy ,he re turn s to the v i l lage a nd de l ive rs it to the ch ie f, w hop la ce s it in a fune ra l hut e re cte d in the centre of a la rgetabu house wh ich is decora ted w ith a va rie ty of p lants , a ndhav ing thus a ss ign ed a p la ce of repose to the ghost ly ogre ,the surv iv ing re la t ion s th ink themse lve s prote cte d aga in s tits ma l ic iou s de s igns of haunt ing the abode of the l iv ing .
”1
Anothe r inte re st ing se ri e s of be l ie fs ba se d on a n ana logou sp rinc ip le i s found in the cu stoms of buria l by e ffigy . Thuswhe n a Ch inaman d ie s in ba t t le or a t a d ista nce from home ,
a nd h i s body cannot b e obta ine d , an e ffigy of pape r or wood
Powe l l , Wander ings in a Wi ld Coun try , p . 249 .
The Binding of a God . 335
is ma de,h i s sou l i s summon ed to e nte r it , and it i s then
bur ie d by his fam i ly w ith a ll the usua l obsequ ie s , a s if it we reh i s body 1 I ha ve e l sewhere i l lu stra te d a se r ies of s im i larpra ct ice s of the H indu s in conn ect ion w ith the forma t ion of
a n ew body for the sou l by the pe rformance of the S raddhar ite s .
2 A mod ifica t ion of the me thod of infu s ing l ife intoa n ido l app ears in Ch ina Whe n the ido ls a re ready ther ite of “ l ight ing the eye s is done ; expre s s ion i s g iven tothe eye s of the fre sh ly pa in te d ido l s , wh ich have be en pur
pose ly left b lank by the pa inter . Up to tha t t ime they a renot suppose d to be an imate d by the p re sence of the de ity ;so a dab of ink i s ma de on the ance stra l tab le t wh ich g ive sthe sp ir it powe r to rema in c lo se a t hand .
3
As a coro l la ry to th is me thod of infus ing the de ity into a n
image , it na tura l ly fo l lows tha t it can b e remove d by the same
me an s . Thu s, S ir R . Burton
,short ly a fte r h i s a rr iva l a t
Dahome, te l l s how whe n he e ntere d h is qua rte rs , two fe t ishyouths made the ir appea rance in the eve n ing ,
kn e lt downb e fore the dome st ic a lta r
,praye d , broke some of the imag e s ,
a nd wen t away de c la r ing tha t they had ca l led out the fe t i sh ,and tha t I m ight a fte r the evoca t io deor um do my worst .
” 4
I t a ls o fo l lows tha t the imag e , ha v ing be en thu s imbue dw ith the godhead , ha s the powers of vo l it ion a nd moveme nt .
Thu s,to quote Mr . Grote in conn e ct ion w ith Gre ek w orsh ip 5
A Grec ian temp le w a s not s imp ly a p lace of worsh ip , butthe a ctua l dwe l l ing-p lace of a god , who w a s be l ieve d to bein troduce d by the so lemn de d ica tory ce rem ony , a nd whomthe imag ina t ion of the pe op le ident ified in the most int ima temanner w ith h i s s ta tue . The p re sence or remova l of thes ta tue wa s con s idere d a s ide nt ica l w ith tha t of the be ing re
p re sente d , and wh i le the s ta tue w a s s olemn lywa she d , dre s se d ,
Gray, China , vol . i . p . 295.
2 Popu lar Rel igion and Folhlore of Nor thern India , vol . 11 . p . 58 .
3 G i les, S trange S tor iesf rom a Chinese S tudio, vol . 11 . p. 224 .
4 Mission to Gelele, vol . i . p . 299 .
5 History of Greece, vol . i . p . 443, so.
336 The Binding of a God .
a nd te nde d w ith a l l the re spe ctfu l so l ic itude wh ich wou ldhave been b e stowe d upon a rea l pe rson ,
m iracu lous ta le s we reofte n r ife re spe ct ing the man ife s ta t ion of rea l in te rna l fee l ingin the wood and the ma rb le . At pe r i lous or cr it ica l momen tsthe sta tue w a s affirme d to have swea ted , to have wep t , tohave c losed it s eye s , or b rand i she d the spear in its hands
,in
token of sympa thy or ind igna t ion .
I t wou ld be e a sy to co l le ct examp le s of image s wh ichp osse s s th e powe r of vo l it ion and mot ion . Thu s
,when
the g rea t icon oc last Aura ng z eb a tta cke d Mathura , the ido lof Ke sava Deva w a s removed in to Ra j pu tana
, and when ita rr ive d a t wha t i s now Nathdwara the whe e l s of the cha r iotstuck in the sand and the ido l re fuse d to move fa rther ; soi t has rema ined there to th is day .
1 Luc ian te l ls of a sta tueby D eme tr ios wh ich used to p lay strange an t ics . The god
u se d to leave h is pede s ta l a t n ight and wande r about thehouse ; pe op le often me t him , and the sp la sh ing of wa te rw a s hea rd when he w a s tak ing h is ba th .
2 H e rodotusde scr ibe s how the Athen ian s tried to ge t back the ir old
image s from Eg ine ; but they we re unab le to wrench themfrom the ir pe de sta ls w ith rope s , and b e ing te rr ifie d w i ththun de r and a n earthquake se nt to pun ish the ir sa cr i leg e ,they we re se iz ed w ith madne s s a nd fe l l one on the othe r .
3
W e have a cyc le of ta le s te l l ing how a ma n pu t a r ing on
the finge r of a s ta tue wh ich b e nds it s fing er a nd re fus e s tore store it ;4 of image s turn ing round , wa lk ing , speak ing , con
Growse , Ma thura , p . 1 30 .
Miss Harrison ,My thology andMonumen ts of A thens, p . 51 7 .
3 Herod ,v. 85.
4 See , for instance , Burton , A rahian Mghts , Lib. Ed. vol . x . p . 476 . [OrigEd . Supp l . N ights , vol . v. p . 506, a note by Mr . Kirby, who, however cites a
story wh ich must be rece ived with caution (see F alh-Lore, vol . ii . p . 100 ,
The locus class icus is in W i l l iam of Ma lmesbury. It has been versified, not
on ly by Moore , but by W i l l iam Morris in The E a r th ly Pa rad ise . M . Sébillot
(Revue des Trad . Pop . vol . i i . p . 20) cites Bib l . Jacob for a simi lar story, thescene of wh ich is la id in “
the cathedra l of Paris , towards 1 and the image ,instead of be ing that of the impure goddess, Venus , is that of Our Lady !
338 The Binding of a God .
We have a lready n ote d a n instance of an image expre s sing its de s ire to be e s tab l ished in a pa rt icu la r p la ce . Ac
cord ing to Athenaeus ,1 Adme te w a s a p r ie s te s s of He ra a t
Argos , but fled w ith the image of the g odde s s to S amos .
Pira te s we re engaged by the Arg ive s to b r ing the imag e
back ; but they fa i le d , be cause the sh ip la de n w ith the ido lcou ld not be made t o move . S o they to ok it back to Samos ,whe re it w a s t ie d to a tre e (obv ious ly it w a s or ig ina l ly a
tre e de ity ) , and w a s fina l ly purifie d and re store d to theS amos temp le . Many ta le s l ike th i s are to ld a ll the wor ldove r, from the Ro l lr ight S t one s on the Cotswo ld H i l ls tothe Lingam of Mahadeva Ravane swara a t Va idyanatha in
Benga l , wh ich re fu sed to move when Ravana touche d it ,and ha s rema ine d the re e ve r s in ce .
2
When the god ha s thus be e n e stab l ishe d in an image , itis obv ious ly ne ce s sa ry
,to p re ve n t h im from e scap ing , to
keep him unde r con tro l,so tha t he may not on ly be a lw ays
a t ha nd to re ce ive the prayers and offe r ing s of his subj e cts ,but may not ab scon d or be remove d , a nd thus come unde rthe con tro l of a strange and pre sumab ly host i le tr ibe . I tmay be obj e cte d tha t th i s v iew of the re la t ion s of man toh is god i s incons i sten t w ith those wh ich preva i le d in the
most p r im it ive t ime s be twe en human ity and d iv in ity , whe rethe de ity w a s rega rde d not w ith fear bu t w ith love , and ea r lyre l ig ion pr inc ipa l ly occup ie d itse lf w ith the ta sk of e stabl ishing commu n ion w ith h im . Thu s in Dr . Je von s ’ ma ste r lyI n t r oduct ion to the H is tory of Rel igion ,
3 he wr ites :“ If
w e regard the se fire -fe s t iva ls a nd wa te r-r i te s a s p iece s of
sympathe t ic mag ic , they a re c lea r in stan ce s in wh ich man
imag ine s h ims e lf ab le to con stra in the gods to subse rve hisow n e n ds Now th is va in imag ina t ion is not me re ly non
re l ig iou s , but a nt i-re l ig iou s ; a nd it i s d ifficu lt to s e e how
D eipnos, xv. 12 .
2 Folh-Lorc, vol . vi . p . 27 Oppert . Or igina l Inhabitan ts of Bhdrata va rsa ,
p . 376 .
9 P . 233.
The Binding of a God . 339
re l ig ion cou ld have de ve lope d out of it . I t is incon s isten tw ith the abj e ct fe ar wh ich the savage fe e ls of the supe rnatura l , a nd wh ich is some t ime s suppose d to b e the or ig inof re l ig ion a nd it is in con s iste n t w ith tha t sen se of man
’ sdependen ce on a superior be ing wh ich is a rea l e lemen t inre l ig ion.
” At the same t ime , wha te ve r may have be en thefe e l ing of ea r ly man , it wou ld not be d ifficu lt to quotein stan ce s po inting in a d iffe ren t d ire ct ion . I can on ly
g lance in pa s s ing at some of th is e v idence . Thu s , theEgypt ian s not on ly ca l le d on the god by name , but if he
re fu se d to appear they threa tene d him . The se formu las
of compu ls ion of the g ods we re ca l le d by the Gre eks966mcivo
’
rxy/ca n.
1 S o Dr . Griffis te l l s u s tha t , a s the I ta l ia np ea sa n t sco lds or be a ts his bamb in o , so the Japan fe t i sh i spun ishe d or not a l lowe d t o kn ow wha t is g o ing on by be ingcove re d up or h idden away .
2 Herodotu s te l l s u s of the
Ge tae tha t w hen it l ighten s or thunde rs they a im the ira rrows a t the sky , u tte r ing thre a ts aga in s t th e g ods . And
aga in of the Ata ran t ia n s , who , when the sun r ise s h igh int he heaven s , curse him and load him w ith rep roache sbe caus e he burn s a nd wa ste s both the ir count ry a nd themse lve s .
3 Porphyry re la te s tha t the Egypt ia n s we re in the
hab it of u s1ng threa t s , not on ly to the sa cre d a n ima ls , bute ven t o the g ods themse lve s ,
“ de c la r ing t ha t un le s s they
Lenormant , Cha lde a n Mag ic, p . 10 1 . D r. Tylor (P r imitive Cu l tu re,
z ud cd .
,vol . i i . p . 1 7 1 ) quotes an amusing Ch inese case of an action a t law
brough t aga inst a god , who for h is fraud was ban ish ed from the province .
To th is Mr. E . S . Hartland adds ZEIian ( Va r . H ist , xii. 23) statesas an i l lustrat ion of the bo ldness of the Ce lts, th at th ey p lunged into the sea
and fough t th e waves . ( Cf . The Ed inburgh Dinnsh ench as, F alh-Lore,
vol . iv . p . Th is seems to be connected with a superst it ion , extend ingfrom the Basque country to Denmark
, of the Three W itch-waves, wh ereth e waves, intent on m isch ief, were rea l ly forms of some ma l ignan t witch , andon ly to be conquered by hurl ing a harpoon or other weapon into them. Th e
harpoon draws the witch ’s b lood , and the waves s ink . Me’
lus ine, vol . 11. col .
200 ; Sébil lot , Le’
gendes de la Mer , vol . i . p .
2 Rel igious of [apan , p . 27 .9 iv. 94, 1 84.
340 The Binding of a God .
d id wha t they de s ire d,or if they acted contra ry to the ir
w ishes , they wou ld d isc los e the myste r ie s of I s is , d ivu lg ethe secre t s h idden in the abys s , s t op the sacre d boa t , or
sca t te r be fore Typho the membe rs of O s ir is .
” 1
Th is b r ing s me to the que st ion of the b ind ing up of godswh ich ha s a lrea dy b e en brought b efore the n ot ice of th isS oc iety by Mis s C . S . Burne and Mis s G . M . Godden .
2
The subj e ct i s so importa n t from the po in t of V iew of
a nc ient r itua l tha t I may b e pe rm itted to add some furthe ri l lustra t ion s .
In th is s er ie s of r itua l Observance s there se em to be com
b ined a t lea st two pr in c ip le s— one to preve n t the ido l frome scap ing or b e ing remove d ; the othe r , the ne ed of cove ringup the image , wh ich is tabu , from the s ight of it s worsh ippe rs , to whom its man ife sta t ion m ight b e dangerou s .
Be fore dea l ing w ith the p ra ct ice s of savage s , le t me reca l lto your memory the a ccount g iven of the ma tte r by a s cept ic ,who obv ious ly sp eaks from the po in t of v iew of an a dvance dmon othe ism . You w i l l rememb e r the a ccoun t g ive n of the
construct ion of a n ido l by the author of the Book of W is
dom,
3the comp os it ion of wh ich is fixe d by the b e st a utho
rit ie s ab ou t 40 AD . I t i s c le a rly the work of a wr ite r of theschoo l of Ph i lo , but of one we l l a cqua inted w ith the ido latr ie s of h is ow n day . Afte r de scr ib ing how the image i smade and pa in te d w ith ve rm i l ion ,
a symbo l of the b loodsa cr ifice
,he s ays : “ And when he ha th made a conven ien t
r oom for it , se t it in a w a l l a nd ma de it fa st w ith iron : for
he prov ide d for it tha t it m ight not fa l l , know ing tha t it w a sunab le to he lp itse lf : for it is an image and ha th n e ed of
he lp .
” Th i s i s p la in ly a sk it a t the ido ls of h i s t ime , but
the idea of b ind ing up the ido l w ide ly preva i le d . W e know
W i lk inson , Ancien t Egyp t ia n s, ed . 1 878 , vol . ii i . p . 247 ; for Rome ,Mommsen , History ,
vol . i . p . 1 7 7 .
2 F alls-Lor e, vol . iv. pp . 108 , 249 ; vol . vi . p . 1 96.
2x i i i . 1 5, 16 .
342 The Binding of a God .
Lace daemon ian s a s he i s fe tte re d , j u s t a s Victory w i l la lw ays rema in w ith the Athen ia ns be cau se She ca nnot flyaway . Pa usan ia s a l so de scr ib e s a W ing le s s N ike in
Olymp ia , wh ich he says Ka lam is made in im ita t ion of the
Athen ia n sta tue . The be st author ity on the Athe n ianmonuments
,Mi ss J . E . Ha rr is on ,
1 d ism is se s th is exp lanat ion a s fanc ifu l . The o ld W ing le s s N ike w a s s imp ly a
repre senta t ion of Athene in one of he r forms . La te r on ,
N ike s epa ra te d comp le te ly from Athene , and the a n t iquew ing le s s statue w a s de eme d an oma lou s a nd requ ire d a
story t o a ccoun t for it . I re fe r to the ca se here me re ly a sa n i l lu stra t ion of th e idea s preva i l ing in the t ime of
Pau san ia s,if not much e a r l ie r .
W he re ve r w e find the se cha ine d image s the same ex
p lana t ion is g iven— tha t i t i s in tende d to ke ep them unde rcon tro l . For th is rea son the Roma ns fe tte re d the imag e of
S a turnus,
2a s they ke pt the rea l n ame of the c i ty of
Rome s e cre t tha t no on e m ight work e v i l on the c itythrough knowledge of the name . The sa cre d bou lde r w h ichmarks the the opha ny of the godde ss a t K ioto in Japan ishon oure d by a s traw rop e woun d round it .
3 Pau san ia st e l ls us of the godde s s to whom i s g iven not on ly the t it leof Orth ia
,
“ but a ls o they ca l l he r Lygode sma (bound w ithw i l low) , b e cau se it
‘
w a s found in a w i l low-bush, and the
w i l low bound ab out it made the imag e upr ight .
” 4 The
My thology andMonuments of A thens , p , 36 1 and see Farne l l , Cu l ts of theGreeh S ta tes , vol . i . pp . 3 1 2 sqq.
, 338 .
Jevons-P lutarch , Romane Qu estions, Intro . lxxx .
9 Pa lgrave , Uly sses , p . 24 1 , a reference wh ich I owe to Miss G . M . Godden .
I am informed by the Rev . Wa lter Weston tha t the custom is common in
J apanese Sh into Shr ines . Here too a straw rope is t ied round th e temp le of
the sun-goddess, a r ite wh ich is sa id to be in tended to keep of? evi l gods more
p robab ly to keep the de ity a t home . Reed, japa n ,i ts H is tory , Tr adit ions,
and Rel igions , vol . i . p . 34 . For the same practice , see Mitford , Ta les of Oldjapa n ,
vol . i . p . 7 1 . [See a lso Fol/e-Lore jour na l,vol . v. p . 154. Severa l
vers ions of its legendary origin are given in the N ihongi , Aston’s transl . , vol . i .pp. 40
-50. ED . ]
i i i . 1 6 , 7 .
The Binding of a God . 343
same custom appea rs in S outhern Ind ia , but here the Brahma ns have invented a chara cter ist ic leg end of the ir own .
“ At othe r t ime s the pr ie sts put the ido l s in iron s , cha in ingthe ir ha nds and fe e t . They exh ib it them to the p e op le inth is hum i l ia t ing sta te , into wh ich they te l l them they havebe en b rought by r igorous cre d itors from whom the ir godshad been ob l ig ed in t ime s of troub le to borrow moneyto supp ly the ir want s . They dec la re tha t the inexorab lecre d itors re fuse to set the god a t l ibe rty un t i l the who lesum w ith in tere st sha l l have be en pa id .
” When the mon eyi s co l le cted “
the cha in s a re s oon d is so lve d and the ido lre store d to l ibe rty .
” 1
W e me e t anothe r form of the cu stom in the ca se of the
Tyr ian s who cha ine d the ir stone image of Apo l lo to thea ltar of H e rak le s in orde r t o se cure protect ion for the irc ity .
2 Th is idea of se cur ing a myst ic conne ct ion by me ans
of a rope or cord is not uncommon .
3 Thus Capta in Lew in,
de scr ib ing a Buddh is t ic se rv ice , says : “ The bowe d hea dsof the postu lants we re shaven
,and through the ir hands ,
from ma n to man,ra n a wh ite thre a d , the tw o ends of
wh ich we re he ld by the pr ie st ” a s he re c ite d a praye r .
4
The pra ct ice of pa s s ing a cord a cross a stream to a ss ist there turn of the ghos t is ve ry common .
5
Pe rhaps the be st known ca se of thus s e cur ing conta ctw ith th e -
god i s tha t of the Ephe s ia n s g ive n by He rodotus .
6
“ The Ephe s ians be ing be s iege d by Croesu s con se cra tedthe ir c ity to D iana by fa sten ing a rope from the temp le tothe wa l l ,
”a dista nce of n ear ly a m i le . S o the Kylonian
supp l ian ts at Athen s s ought to ma in ta in the ir contact w ith
Dubois, Manners and Customs of the People of India , p . 299 .
2 Cu r tius , iv. 3 , 15.
2 Tylor, P r imit ive Cu ltur e, z ud cd . , vol . i . p . 1 1 7 vol . 11 . p . 1 7 1 .
Wi ld Races of S . E . India , p . 105.
5 Ibid . , p . 209 Ris ley, Tr ibes and Ca stes of B enga l, vol . 11. p . 326 . Crooke ,
Popu la r Rel igion and Folhlore of N or thern India , vol . i i . p . 46 .
6 i . 26 .
344 The B i nding of a God .
the al tar by a cont inuous cord,wh ich un fortunate ly Droke ,
and they w ere a l l ma ssacre d .
1 The S amian despot , Po lykra te s , when he con secra te d to the De l ia n Apo l lo the n e ighbou ring is land of Rhe ne ia conn e cte d it w ith the is land of
De los by mean s of a cha in .
When w e come t o the ca se s of gods who a re a ctua l lyimpr is one d or confine d , the r itua l seems gene ra l ly ba se don the idea tha t the image i s tabu ,
dang e rous if exh ib itedto it s vota r ie s , though in some in s tan ce s the pr inc ip le of
phys ica l ly de ta in ing the god may be a t the root of the
ma tte r . The r isk of touch ing or e ven se e ing a sacre dobj ect of th i s k ind ha rd ly n e e ds i l lustra t ion . W e have the
ca se of the Hebrew Ark, wh ich it w a s de a th for an un in it ia t ed person to touch .
3 Ag lauro s and He rse,when they
saw the che st in wh ich Erectheus w a s confine d , and foundthe ch i ld in the form of a se rpent
,w e re se iz e d w ith mad
ne s s a nd threw themse lve s from the Akropo l is .
“ Gods ,”
says H ome r,
“a re not se en by morta l s w ith impun ity , as
in the ca se of Te ire s ia s,w ho w a s depr ived of s ight be cau se
he saw Athe n e in he r ba th ; a nd when an image of Iphig e
ne ia w a s found in a bush a t Spa rta , the s ight of it threwthe beho lde rs in to a sta te of madne s s .
4 I t i s ne e d le ss to
P lutarch , Solon , 1 2 .
2 Thucy dides , i i i . 1 04 ; Dyer, Gods in Greece, p . 36 1 .
82 S amuel, vi . 6 . Cf i . S amuel
, vi. 19 .
Pa usa n ia s, i i i . 16 , 6 ; i . 15, 2 ; Apol lodor us,i i i . 14, 6 ; Homer
, I l iad , xx .
1 3 1 Exodus , xxxi i i . 20 ; Featherman , N igr it ians , p . 697 So boys be ingin it ia tedmust not be looked on (see for examp le , Fraz er, Golden Bough , vol . i i .p . In Tah iti , anyone who ente red a certa in temp le was s la in. Fea therrnan ,
Oceano-Mela nesians, p . 50 ; W i lk inson , Ancien t Egyp tians , vol . i i i . p . 335.
Into the temp le of Serap is , a t Memph is , no strangers were admitted, not even
the priests excep t during the r itua l in connection with Ap is . Pa usan ias,i
. 1 8 , 1 .
In Greece it was the custom to hang orienta l carpets in front of th e figure of
the temp le de ity to concea l it from profane eyes . Thus in the temp l e of Kora,
a t Mant ine ia , the priestess éa k'éfl'
a o e r Tit lepa p vo rfipt a , hanging in front ofthem an or ienta l carpe t . jou rn .Hel len icSociety , vol . v. p . 244 . And in Egyp t theimage of the god was guarded from profane eyes . Erman , Life in Ancien t
Egyp t , p . 275.
346 Th e Binding of a God .
The same cu stoms p re va i le d among the No rth Amer icanInd ia n s . W e a re to ld tha t the p r inc ipa l obj e c t in the me d ic in e bag i s
“a k ind of househo ld god wh ich i s a sma l l ca rve d
image abou t e ight inche s long . I ts first cove r ing is of dow n ,
ove r wh ich a p ie ce of b irch-ba rk i s c lose ly t ie d , and the who leis e nve l ope d in s e ve ra l fo lds of red and b lue c loth .
” 1 The
Choktaw s “ kept a k ind of box ins tea d of the ind iv idua l sa ck ,
conta in ing s ome k ind of sub stan ce wh ich w a s con s ide re dsacre d , a nd kept e n t ire ly secre t from the common pe op le ;a nd th i s box w as borne by a numbe r of men con s idered purea nd ho ly .
” I t w a s ne ve r re sted on the ground , but on a purerock or scaffo ld of wood .
2 S im i la r ly in Ea ste r I s land thepe op le ke ep the ir image s packe d up in sacks dur ing the
who le year , a nd e a ch hea d of a hou seho ld on ly expose st o v iew dur ing the pub l ic fe s t iva ls as many of the se toy
d iv in it ie s a s he wa s ab le to manufa cture w ith h i s ow n
han ds ” 3— pre sumab ly those ove r wh ich h is influence w as
most comp le te ly a s sure d .
Pe rhap s the most rema rkab le se r ie s of cus toms such a s
the se come s from the Lowe r Himalaya in Ind ia . In Kumaun,
w e a re to ld , the g odde s s Kal i u se d in the old days to c l imba de odar or ce dar tre e nea r the temp le and ca l l pe op le byname— a most da nge rou s p ra ct ice I ne e d hard ly say . S uchun fortuna te pe op le us e d to die n ex t day . But the g rea tre l ig iou s re forme r , Shankar Acharya , put a stop to the se imprope r p roce ed ing s of the godde s s by invert ing and fix ing a
huge cyl indr ica l copp er ve sse l , so a s to c ove r the image e n
t ire ly . S im i la r ly , a t Jage swa r , the image known a sMrityun
j aya , or S iva , in h is form a s“ conque ror of dea th ,
” i s cove re dw ith a cyl inde r . A ma s s ive l id is a ls o thrown ove r the
image of Vimane sw a r , or the dwa rf Vishnu . As the H indu
Emerson , Indian My ths , p . 248 .
2 Ibid. , p . 255.
3 Featherman , Oceano-Ill ela nes ians , p . 1 08 , note . The custom of coveringsacred th ings appears in the I ta l ian r ite of Sa int Uba ldo . Bower, E leva tionand P rocession of the Cer i , p . 6 1 .
The Binding of a God . 347
gent leman who sent me the s e ca se s wr ite s : “ The se thre e
gods cove re d w ith l ids we re sa id to be ve ry sen s it ive and
a lway s d isturbe d the equ i l ibr ium of Na ture . I t i s st i l l ahorror to swear by touch ing them .
” 1
There a re a l so ma ny in sta nce s throughou t fo lk lore of
impr isone d g ods and ghosts . W e have the fam i l ia r ca seof the J inn i who was con fin e d unde r the sea l of the LordS o lomon in the bott le of the A r a bia n N igh ts .
2 The same
ide a appe a rs in Gr imm ’ s ta le of the “ S p ir it in the Bott le .
” 3
Virg il ius the m ighty sorce re r shut up the fiend in a ho le inthe mounta in ; in fact a w ho le cyc le of fo lkta le s c lu ste rsroun d the b ind ing of the Ev i l One .
4 The re a re nume rou sta le s of the shu tt ing up of ghosts and demons in th is w ay .
5
For s ome of the fo l low ing in sta nce s from the fo lkta le s Ifl
0am indebte d to the encyc lopaed ic kn ow le dg e of Mr .
'
h
S idney Ha rt la nd . A Norse ta le g ive n by Da sen t fromAsbjorn sen repre sen ts the de v i l a s ge tt ing in to a wormea te n nut through a worm-ho le to gra t ify a boy
’ s cur io s itya nd be ing kept there
6 The form of the story un ive rsa l lycurrent in th is country se ems to b e tha t of ghost-laying ,whe re the gho st is con s igne d to a bott le or othe r sma l l
Nor th Indian Notes and Quer ies , vol . i i i . p . 148 .
2 Burton , Arabia n N ights , vol . i . p . 40 ; Lib . ed . p . 37 . For demons
enclosed in a bott le a lso refer to C louston, Popu la r Ta les and F ict ions , vol . i .pp . 38 1 , 395 G i les, S trange S tor iesf rom a Chinese S tudio, vol . i . p . 8 1 . In the
Span ish nove l E l D iablo Cojuelo, a student accidenta l ly enters th e house of a
conjurer and de l ivers a demon from a bott le , an idea on wh ich Le Sage basedLe D ia ble B oiteux ; C louston , B oo/e of S indibad, p . 1 9 , note . Among theBij apur Ambigs or Kabligers , on the fifth or other odd mon th after a dea th , ifthe dead be a man a mask , or if a woman a top
-l ike vesse l is brough t out , la idamong th e house-gods and worsh ipped . B ombay Ga z etteer , vol . xx i i i . p . 1 1 7 .
3 Household Ta les , Mrs . Hunt’s trans la tion , vol . i i . p 40 1 , where numerous
para l lels are quoted .4 Dun lop , H istory of P rose F ict ion ,
vol . i . p . 434 Grimm, Teu ton icMy flza.
logy ,vol . i i i . p . 1 0 1 1 Haz l itt , N a tiona l Ta les , p . 40 .
5 Miss Burne , Shropshire Folhlore, chap . xi.
Popu la r Ta les, 3rd ed it ion , p . 377 .
348 The Binding of a God .
re ceptac le .
1 The re a re se ve ra l in stance s of th i s in Rev .
El ia s Owe n ’
s We l sh Folhlor e .
2 In a curiou s Rabb in ica lta le refe rre d to by S outhey in The D octor the demon is , bycoun se l of a p rophe t , pu t into a leaden ve sse l c lo se d w i thlea d . Th is is be tte r g ive n in an a rt ic le by Dr . S . Lou is on
Pa lae st inian D emono logy .
3 In the same a rt ic le the re isa l so a cur iou s ta le g ive n to p rove tha t the devi l cannottouch anyth ing tha t ha s be en coun ted , t ie d up , or s ea le d .
4
Mr . Hart la nd a dds : Da sent’
s ta le i s g iven from Camorsin the Pays de Vanne s ,5 whe re the ch i ld had be e n so ld tothe de v i l , and when he came the ch i ld pe rsuade d him toturn in to a m ou se and go into a bag , wh ich he imme d ia te lytie d up . There i s a s im i la r Bre t on ta le , whe re the he ro i s as a i lor , and the Bosj (s ome s ort of demon ) i s p ersuaded to
ge t into a g im le t ho le in a tre e ;6 w ith wh ich compa re Ar ie l’ s
penance , confine d by Sycorax in a c l ove n p ine .
” 7 In fa ctthe idea is a commonp la ce of fo lk lore .
8
The re su lt then of th is d iscu ss ion so fa r i s tha t w e have
g on e through a se r ie s of ca se s,the numb e r of wh ich it
wou ld not b e d ifficu lt to e n large , of the de ity be ing e stablished in an image . In the more p r imit ive r itua l th is i sa ctua l ly done in a phy s ica l w ay
— the ghost or god i s caught ,he is shu t up in the sacre d s e samum g ra in ,
w h ich i s thene nc losed in a p iece of ho ly wood and e stab l ished in a shr ine .
In the la te r form the r itua l ha s be en s oftened down , and the
god is on ly imp lore d or coerced by cha rms to occupy the
Hart land , Legend of Perseus , vol . i . p . 206 Folh-Lore Record, vol . 11.
p . 1 76 Falh-Lorejou rna l , vol . vi . p . 152 ; Chambers, B ooh of D ay s, vol . i i .p . 366 .
2 Pages 167 , 196, 199 , 2 1 2 sag.
3 P roceedings Society of B ibl ica l A rchaeology ,vol . ix. p . 222 .
4 P . 2 19 . Crooke , Popu la r Rel ig ion a nd Folhlore of Nor thern India,vol . i i .
p . 3 1 1 .
5 Revue des Tr ad ition s Popu la ires , vol . vii i . p . 2 16 .
5 Ibid . , vol . vi . p . 538 .
Tempest , act i . scene 2 .
Grimm ,Teu ton icMy thology ,
vol . i i i . pp . 999, 10 1 1 .
350 The Binding of a God .
A loeu s ’ sons , fa ir Ee riboia , gave t id ing s to He rme s , and he
s to le away Are s , a lre ady p in ing ,for the gr ievous p r ison
hou se w a s wea r ing him out .
”
I quote Dr . Lea f’s tra ns lat ion , but the a uthorit ie s a re not
qu ite agre e d a s t o the mean ing of the pa ssage . The im
portan t words a re a /cégo’
e’
u nepdnrp Be’
Ser o . Pa ley sa y she w as Shut up in a b ra ss-bound crock . Profe ssor B lack ietrans la te s
Such wrong Mars fe lt, when th e huge-statured Aloidian twa in,Otus and Ephi a ltes , bound h im wi th a tyrannous cha in ,Twe lve months and three in braz en keep he knew the close-barred pa in ,
whe re he b lunde rs a s to the dura t ion o f his bondage .
Profe s sor Newman says he w a s bound in “ b ra s s and brick ,”
a nd men t ion s the cha in wh ich bound h im . Me riva le ca l l s i ta bra ss-bound ba rre l .”
Ke’
panoq, a ccord ing to Lidde l l and S cott,means a n
e a rthe n ve s se l or w ine ja r,”
and,se cond ly , “
a pr ison or
dunge on ,
” to wh ich th is pa ssage i s re fe rre d , the Scho l ia s ta l leg ing th i s t o b e a Cypr ia n use of the word . The rese ems to have be en a t Cyprus a pr ison wh ich w a s known
a s the Keramos .
l One se n se of the word w a s undoubte d lya large ea rthen jar ha lf burie d in the ea rth
,such a s a re to
th is day u sed in Ind ia and othe r ea ste rn countrie s for ho lding gra in . The Ind ian type of the ve s se l cou ld ea s i ly ho lda man . There w a s an othe r s im i la r ve s se l kn own to theGre eks ca l le d a n iece, a nd in re ce nt excava t ion s ca se s of
bur ia l in such ve sse l s have be en d i scovere d ; and the cus
tom preva ile d w ide ly in S outh Ame r ica . The p ract ice of
p re serv ing the a she s of the dead in j a rs is a s o ld a s H ome r ,2
or e ven the e a r ly Aryan s .
3 Th i s may have be e n one ba s isof the myth . At any ra te I c onc lude tha t th is s e nse of the
word i s more pr imit ive than tha t of p rison z”the under
Sm ith , D ictionary of An t iqu ities , p . 197 .
2 I l iad , xx i i i . 243 .
3 Schrader, P reh istor ic An t iqu ities , p . 365.
The Binding of a God . 351
g round dunge on w ith a ho le above for a dm itt ing a ir and
a l low ing food to b e le t down to the pr is oner wou ld be a
se conda ry mean ing .
We now come to con s ider the mean ing of th is myth .
To beg in w ith Profe s sor Max Mii lle r .
1 In h is re ce n t b ookon Mytho logy h e p ra ct ica l ly g ive s it up .
“ Ne ithe r hisbe ing cha ine d dur ing th irte en mon ths by the Aloe ida i nor
h is be ing cha ined by Hepha is tos a l lows u s t o s e e a ny phys ica l ba ckground b eh ind the ve i l of mytho logy .
” Pre l ler 2
and some other author it ie s regard it a s a story of some
e a r ly p ione ers of c ivi l i sa t ion exc ite d by the ir a ch ieveme n tsin the introduction of p ea ce , and thus incurr ing the wra thof the god of w a r
,whom they fina l ly capture a nd impr is on .
But the leg end ,'
a s w e find it in the I l iad , ca n ,I imag ine ,
ha rd ly b e de ta che d from it s contex t , in wh ich the suffe rings wrought by men upon the immorta ls a re de ta i led . In
a ny ca se , th i s k ind of mtiolog ica l exp lana t ion s of wha t i sobvious ly a ve ry anc ien t myth may rea sonab ly be di strus ted .
A more hope fu l l ine of inve st iga t ion m ight pe rhap s befound in the suppos it ion tha t Are s w a s orig ina l ly a chthon icor unde rground de ity , a god of vege ta t ion in fa ct , who d ie sannua l ly w ith the w in te r and rev ive s w ith th e sp ring , l ikeAdon i s , O s iris , Vi shnu , and the ir k indre d . And thoughthere a re some ind ica t ion s in the Are s myths wh ich may
po in t in th is d ire ct ion , I am not awa re tha t the re i s a s ye t
comp le te ev idence t o support th is v iew of h i s or ig in .
Further , w e find ma ny ins tance s drawn from the r itua l ofsavage s in va r ious pa rts of the wor ld , wh ich i l lu stra te the fa cttha t the ja r or p itche r is ve ry common ly use d a s a receptac lefor the god or c los e ly conn e cte d w ith h i s worsh ip . We
have , for in sta nce , the Ka la sa or sacre d ja r of the H indus,
wh ich i s,a s I have shown e lsewhe re
,
3ve ry g ene ra l ly used
1 Contr ibu tions to the Science ofMy thology ,vol . 11. p . 724.
2 My thology , vol . i . p . 69.
3 Popu lar Rel ig ion and Folhlore of Nor thern India , vol . i . pp . 97 , 255vol . i i . p. 75 Atk inson, Hima lay an Ga z etteer , vol . i i . p . 885.
352 The Binding of a God .
in the r itua l of the Drav id ian tr ibe s . Th i s may be com
pa re d w i th the Drona-ka la sa of the e a rly B rahman ica l r itua l ,w h ich i s the s acre d trough in wh ich the S oma w a s ma de . lW e have , aga in ,
th e legend of the c re a t ion of the sage sAga stya and Va sishtha from a ja r , whe nce they ob ta ine dthe t it le of Kumbha -yon i or Kumbha-j amma
,
“
jar-born .
And Manu kept the fish ou t of wh ich Vishnu wa s cre a te d ina ja r . S im i lar in sta nce s a re found in S outhe rn Ind ia .
Thu s the de ity of the Korama s of Madra s con s ists of five
branche s of the sa cre d Nim t re e a nd a cocoa nut,wh ich a re
kept in a bra ss p ot .
2 In the worsh ip of Poturaja , a potc onta in ing the de ity when he is e nrag ed is ca rr ie d in proce ss ion to the ce n tre of the v i l lage and sa cr ifice s a re doneto it .
3 And in summ ing up th i s worsh ip , Dr . Oppe rt wr ite s :“ In the var iou s sa cr ifice s ment ione d above rep ea te d a l lus ion ha s b e en ma de to the cu stom of rep re se nt ing the
g odde s s by p ots , s o tha t the e x iste nce of a spe c ia l Grama
deva ta (v illage god) a s pot-godde s s ne e d not surp rise u s .
She is ca l led in Tam i l Kumbat tal,in S an skr it Kumbha
mata a nd in Cana re se Ga rigadeva ra”4 El sew he re I have
g iven the North Ind ia n legend of the cha rm ing of the cho le rademon into a ja r .
5
S o in W e s te rn Afr ica S ir R . Burton de scr ibe s a n ido l a sa B0 ma le image , ha lf b lack , ha lf wh ite , even to the woo l ,
a nd hung w ith a ne ck la ce of bea sts ’ sku l ls,w ith a pa ir of
S a tapa tha B r rihmana S . B . B , vol . xxvi . p . 408 .
2 Oppert , Or igina l Inhabitan ts of B ha‘ra tava rsa , p . 198 , note .
3 Ibid. , pp . 463 , 494. To these may be added , as Mr . E . S . Hartlandremin ds me , the rema rkab le legend of Lal Beg , wh ich I have recorded e lsewhere ( Tr ibes a nd Castes of the Nor th Western P rovinces and Oudh
,vol . i .
p . The Bulgar ian sorcerer shuts up a vamp ire in a bottle wh ich heth rows into th e fire , and the vamp ire d isappears for ever (Tylor, P r im it iveCu lture, 2nd . ed .
,vol . i i . p . 1 93 , so ) . A bowl is the representat ive of one of
th e Samoan gods , a lso a bucke t (Turner , S amoa , pp . 30 ,4 Ibid .
, p . 502 say .
5 Popu la r Rel igion and Foll ’ lore of N or thern India,vol . i . p . 14 1 . A lso for
D ev i infused into a p itch er, see N or th Indian N otes and Quer i es , vol . iv . p . 1 9 .
354 Th e Binding of a God .
myth of Os iri s , inve ig led by h is brothe r S e t into a be aut ifu l ly decorate d coffe r
,the coffe r na i led down upon him a nd
so lde red w ith lead,and se t afloa t on the N i le . W he the r
O s ir i s w a s or w a s not a tre e or corn-sp irit doe s not a ffe ctthe ma tte r . But in th is ve rs ion w e have wha t i s want ingin the Homer ic myth
, the sea l ing up of the receptac le of the
sp ir it , wh ich w e find in othe r forms of the s tory , a s for
in stance tha t of the J inn i , who w a s p la ce d unde r the sea l ofthe Lord S o lomon . Th is is not to be w onde re d a t , be cau seH ome r doe s not go into de ta i l s , and me re ly re fe rs inc identa l lyto the myth , one w ith wh ich h i s heare rs we re doubt le ss qu itefami l iar .
But why w a s he shut up for th irte e n months ? If the
th irte e n months were, a s the o ld Gre ek months ce rta in ly
we re , luna r, then the pe r iod wou ld repre sent a so la r ye a r ,and th i s to my mind i s one of the strong e st fa cts wh ich te ndto ind ica te the chthon ic orig in of the myth . W e know tha tabout the t ime of the comp i la t ion of the H ome r ic poem s a
change w a s g o ing on by wh ich the us e of the old and ra the rvague term évca vr ée w a s be ing re p laced by the more defin ite557 09 . The forme r preva i ls in the Ach i l le id or more prim it ives tra tum of the ep ic . In He s iod (The og . 59 ) e
’
vca v'
rbg means
l itt le more tha n a ten mon ths ’ cyc le , and the same changein the length of the yea r preva i le d among the ea r ly I ta l ians .
W e may poss ib ly find an ind ica t ion of the same deve lopmen t in the ca lenda r in the p re sen t ca se . W e know tha tthe re we re many g ods whose image s we re expose d on lyonce a yea r . Th i s w a s the ca se , for ins tance , w ith the
statue of the Diadumene Mothe r and tha t of the se cre tsta tue s of the S ikyon ian s , which they used to ca rry oncea yea r t o the temp le of D iony sus .
1 H erodotu s te l l s us of
the daughte r of Myce r inus , who praye d to he r fa the r tha the wou ld le t he r s e e the sun once a yea r ; and the woode nhe ife r suppose d to conta in her body wa s there fore a ctua l ly
Pa usan ias , i . 7 , 3 ix . 25, 2 .
Th e Binding of a God . 355
brought out once a ye a r .
1 W e have the same cu stom in
th e Hindu pra ct ice of a nnua l ly br ing ing out and parad ingthe image s of Jagganné th a nd Kr ishna . But th is ru le isn ot inva r iab le
,for th e ido l s in Tah it i a re b rought out and
e xpose d to the sun eve ry three months .
2 One of the gre a t
g ods of S amoa w a s Tu i Toke lau ; “ he w a s suppose d to b eembod ied in a stone wh ich w a s ca re fu l ly w rappe d up w ifh
fine ma ts a nd n eve r se en by any one but the k ing , and tha ton ly once a yea r , when the decaye d ma ts we re str ippe d off
and thrown away ;”
no on e da re d to app ropria te the decayed ma ts .
3 Lord Roden in his P r og r ess of the Ref or
ma t ion in I r el a nd speaks of a s tone ido l , ca l le d Ne evoug i,
w h ich w a s wrappe d in home spun flann e l by a n o ld woman ,
its p r ie s te ss .
I m ight add tha t the pr inc ip le s wh ich w e have b e en con
s ide ring se em to throw con s ide rab le l ight on the ve rycur iou s que s t ion of the the ft of g ods— why , for in stance , as to len god is more va luab le than one hon e s t ly a cqu ired ,a s the imag e of Pluto wh ich Pto lemy S oter got s to le n ,
4
and why e ve ry old woman w i l l te l l you tha t th e b es t curefor the rheuma t ic s is to s te a l a pota to from a g re eng roce r
’
s
sta l l . But I fea r I have a lre a dy tre spa s se d too long on
your pa t ie nce , a nd th i s w ith ma ny othe r que s t ion s con
n e ct ed idols mu st sta nd a s ide for the pre se n t .
i i . 1 32 .
2 Feath erman,Oceano-IPIe/a n es ia n s , p . 52 .
2 Turner , S amoa , p . 268 , sq .
4 P lutarch , D e I s ide, 28 .
Z A Z
R E VIEWS.
BABYLON IAN MAG IC AND SORCERY, BE ING “ THE PRAYERS OF
THE LIFT ING OF THE HAND .
”By LEONARD W . KING .
London : Luz ac 81 Co .,1 8 96 .
BABYLON IA was the na tive land of mag ic . Here i t was reducedto a science wh ich made its way, w i th the o ther e lemen ts of
Babylon ian cul ture , in to Western As ia , and from Western As ia toEurope . The folklore of our own coun try st i l l con ta ins echoesof the superst i t i ons and prac t ices tha t were formed in to a sys temby the Babylon ian pries ts several thousand years before the
Christ ian era .
Among the clay table ts wh ich have come from the s i tes of theBabylon ian l ibraries, or from tha t of the l ibrary of N ineveh , wh ichcon tained l i t t le e lse than reproduct ions of older Babylon ian works,a cons iderable proport ion re la te to mag i c and sorcery . GeorgeSmith was the firs t to draw a t ten tion to them , bu t i t was Fr .
Lenorman t who laid the founda t ions of a scien t ifi c s tudy of thesubjec t ; indeed, but l i t t le advance has been made upon the
pr incip les and resu l ts embodied in his work La Mag ic chez les
Cha ldéens , publ ished in 1 8 74 . New texts, it is true , have beenedi ted and trans la ted s ince tha t da te , and our know ledge of the
Assyrian vocabu lary is more comp le te than i t was twenty yearsago, but the progress in ph i l olog ica l know ledge has not beenaccompan ied by a corresponding progress in a know ledge of wha tmay be termed Baby lon ian folklore .
Mr. K ing’
s book is a we l come con tr ibu t ion towards a sma l lcorner of the subjec t . I t dea ls w i th a certa in class of prayers andceremonies addressed to the grea t powers of heaven and earthafter s ickness, an ec l ipse of the moon ,
or some o ther un towardeven t . The prayers partake of the na ture of incan ta t i ons
,and
the ceremon ies embody older superst i t ious ri tes and Observances .
But in ca l l ing the rubrics wh ich prescribe the ri tes “ mag i ca lformu lae Mr . K ing goes too far ; they are no more mag ica l than
358 R eviews .
in wh ich they were used , the orig ina l language of them be ing some
t imes modified , bu t more frequen t l y l ines be ing in terpola ted inorder to transform them in to incan ta t ion s. They are thus em
ployed l ike the Lord ’s Prayer or texts from the B ible in the
mag i ca l r i tes of mediaeval or modern Europe . The ch ief difference be tween the Baby lon ian and the European usage l ies in the
fact tha t wha t in Babylon ia was an au thor ised and systema t icri tua l , is in Europe an unau thorised and unsystema t ic pract iceaga ins t wh i ch the Church has se t its face .
One of the mos t cur i ous texts publ ished by Mr. King (No . 53 )is an exorc ism to dis l odge an evi l sp ir i t wh ich had taken possess ion of the pa t ien t ’s body . As i t has not been trans la ted by h im
,
I g ive a rendering of the most importan t l ines :
O seer of the hosts (of heaven ) , Merodach , the wise (P) , the lord of E-Turra ,
O Ea, Samas ( the Sun-god) and Merodach , rescue me
By your grace may I wa lk upr igh tlyO Samas , the sp ir it that terrifieth , wh ich for many daysHas been bound to my back and is not loosed ,A l l day long possesses me
,a l l n igh t long terrifies me
He has exercised his power h e makes the ha ir upon me stand on end ,
My s ide he tortures, my eyes he stiffens ,My back he pa ins , my flesh h e po isons,A l l my body h e fi l ls w ith pa in .
Whether i t is the sp ir it of one of my fam i ly and re lat ions ,Or the sp irit of one who ha s been s la in and murdered ,Or an incubus , th is it is , th is it isO Samas, in thy sigh t I have prayed to him , and clothes for his cloth ing,
sanda ls for his feet,A g ird le for h is lo ins, a water-sk in for h is drink ing ,(And) provis ion for the way have I given him .
Towards the sett ing of the sun may he go ,
To Nedu , the grea t porter of th e (under) wor ld , may he journey (7)May Nedu , the grea t porter of the under (wor ld ) , keep guard over h im
Mr. K ing’s book has been exce l len t l y brough t out , and the copies
of the cune iform texts are especia l l y good . His trans la t ions of
them are accompan ied by a commen tary , and the vocabu lary a t theend is comple te and usefu l . On the ph i lo log ica l s ide he is we l lequ ipped. On the subjec t-ma t ter of the texts, however, he is moreopen to cr i t ic ism . Like too many of the younger Assyr io log is tshe seems to be acqua in ted on l y w i th the mos t recen t Assyriological l i tera ture , and consequen tly to be ignoran t of the founda t ionsupon wh ich the ir work rests. Thus in his preface he s ta tes that
R eviews . 359
the Scien tific study of Babylon ian religion da tes from the pub
lication of Professor Jensen ’s somewha t pre ten t ious and superficial
Kosme/og ie, whereas its rea l founders were Raw l inson and, abovea ll , Lenormant . Lenormant
’s work upon the subject is s til l our
leading c lue through its labyrin ths, and must con t inue to be so
for many years to come . So, aga in ,the iden t ifica t ion of the star
Sibz ianna w i th Regu lus was due to Oppert , not to Jensen , as Mr.
K ing supposes (p . and was made years before the youngerscholar was ever heard of. An acqua in tance with older Assyriol og ical l itera ture , moreover, wou l d have taugh t Mr. King tha t anessen t ial pre l iminary to a book on Baby lon ian mag i c ough t to besome a t temp t to se t t le the da te of the texts w i th wh ich he dea ls .
There is no th ing in h is pages wh ich wou l d lead the non-in i t ia tedreader to suppose tha t the copies of them made for the l ibrary ofN ineveh are mere l y la ter edi t ions of or ig ina ls wh ich probably goback to the th ird or fourth mil lenn ium B .C .
A. H . SAYCE .
NATURAL HISTORY IN SHAKESPEARE’S TIME . BE ING EXTRACTSILLUSTRAT IVE or THE SUBJECT AS HE KNEW IT . By W . H .
SEAGER . London : E l l io t S tock .
TH IS is a very in terest ing volume to the studen t of folklore, andmore especia l l y to those amongst us who are in terested in the
science as i t re la tes to an ima ls and p lan ts . Mr. Seager has com
p i led a volume of extracts from books re la t ing to na tura l h istorywh ich were s tandard au thor i t ies in the poe t
’
s day 5 and he has
w ise l y included not on l y the fauna of Shakespeare but the‘flora
as we l l . The plan observed is to take a quo ta t ion where the
name of an anima l or p lan t occurs (or in some case g ive mere l ythe reference) , and then quo te an accoun t of i t from some workwh ich in the ear l y part of the seven teen th cen tury was regarded asan au thori ty upon the subjec t .I t w i l l eas i l y be seen tha t a volume formed upon th is p lan is a
very usefu l book of reference . The comp i ler has added in terestingno tes where he though t it necessary ; and in the preface he g ivesa l ist of the au thor i t ies he uses . I t is obvious tha t no new infor
ma tion is here given , bu t much that was a lready sca t tered about
360 R evi ews .
i s ga thered in to a sheaf, and w i l l prove a r ich harvest for thosewho have scan t t ime to Search for such facts when wan ted qu ickly .
We w ish tha t Mr. Seager cou l d see his way to br ing ing out a
S im i lar volume wh ich Shou l d conta in all facts of th is kind wh ichappear in Eng l ish l i tera ture t i l l the end of the seven teen th cen
tury .I t wou l d be a text-book for all t ime , but wou l d involve an
enormous amoun t of work . We agree w i th wha t Mr. Seager saysas regards Shakespeare
’s know ledge of na tural history . He no
doub t be l ieved much of wha t is here set forth abou t an ima ls and
plan ts tha t had not come under his own observa t i on but wherehe had had the opportun i ty of form ing his own judgemen t bypersona l observa tion , his know ledge of na tural h istory was w ideand accura te .
THE SACRED TREE ; OR,THE TREE IN REL IG ION AND MYTH .
By Mrs. J . H . PH ILPOT . Macm i l lan Co .,Limi ted . 1 89 7 .
THE reader is requested to bear in m ind tha t th i s vo lume laysno cla im to scholarsh ip , independen t research , or orig ina l i ty of
View . Its aim has been to se lec t and col la te, from sources not
always easil y accessible to the genera l reader, certa in facts and
conclus ions bearing upon a subjec t of acknow ledged in terest .Thus Mrs. Ph i lpo t defines in the preface her Objec t 5 and w i th inthese l ines She has succeeded in producing an in terest ing, popular
,and, on the whole , trustworthy accoun t of tree-worsh ip . One
of the best chap ters in the book is devo ted to “The Tree as
Oracle and the connection be tween the divin ing rod, the l ifemod, and the rods used as lo ts is there we l l brough t out . Some
a t ten tion Shou l d, however, have been pa id to the tree as to tem .
The om iss ion is the more remarkable because the authoress ci tesProfessor Robertson Sm i th ’s difficu l ty, wh ich he part ia l l y exp la insaway by means of to temism and an accoun t of tree—to tem i smwou l d have ass isted her cr i ticism of the theories of Mr. HerbertSpencer and Mr. Gran t Al len .
Mrs. Ph i lpo t i s in genera l commendably carefu l to g ive herau thori t ies . M i l ton ’
s l ines are wrong l y divided on p . 65. The
i l lustra t ions a re good , often very good ; but i t is a p i ty tha t tha tOf the ash Yggdrasill Shou l d have been g iven from Finn Magnus
362 R eviews .
to be a safeguard in case the le t ter fe l l in to the wrong hands, butin tended i t as a me thod Of wri t ing the name poss ibly more com
prehens ible to the infe rna l power to wh ich the le t ter was addressedthan the norma l me thod .
As we shou ld expec t in so l i t igious a place as Athens, a largeproport i on Of the curses are designed to incapaci ta te adversew i tnesses in prospec t ive lawsu i ts .
How are we to expla in the frequency w i th wh ich xc’
u rnAor
tavern-keepers— are cursed ? I fear not on the suppos i t ion tha tthere was a temperance party wh ich adop ted th is means of warfare .
Inan ima te objec ts are included in the curses, e.g . in No . 55,
wh ich is one of the most interes t ing and oldes t At t i c examples ( i tseems to be as ear l y as the fourth cen tury DC ) . I give a transla t ion of part Of i t
I, D iocles, son Of Xenophon ? bind down Kimonocles ? Of
the deme Oenoe, the p ipe-maker and carpen ter and his and
the baske t in wh ich his pipes are taken to marke t (restore , e t'
s 7'e
Then fol low Kimonocles’ name and demo tic with all the
le t tersmixed up , and a number of o ther peop le , chiefly soldiers, arecursed . At the end : “ These a ll I bind down in lead and wax
and and in id leness and Obscuri ty and ill-fame and defea t,
and in tombs,them and a ll they have dea l ings with , the ir ch i l dren
and wives .
”
W. R . PATON .
WELSH FOLK-LORE : A COLLECT ION OF THE FOLK-TALES ANDLEGENDS OF NORTH WALES , be ing the Pr iz e Essay of the
Na t iona l E isteddfod,1 8 8 7 , revised and en larged . By the
Rev . EL IAS OWEN , M .A. ,F .S .A. Oswestry and Wrexham
Wooda l l , M inshu l l , Co .
FEW are the examples of pri z e essays tha t deserve to be prin tedand publ ished. Mr. Owen ’
s is one of the few,for i t is a genu ine
col lect ion of We l sh folklore of much va lue bo th to the studen t Ofthe Ce l t ic popu la t ion Of the se is lands and to the studen t Of tradit ion in genera l . True , i t is misnamed S ince i t is ne i ther a re
presen tat ive co l lec t ion of We l sh folklore , nor mere l y a col lec t ionof the folkta les of North Wa les . I t is ma in l y a col lect ion of folkta les o i North Wa les. But many ta les from South Wa les are
R eviews . 363
given , some of them,l ike the Myddfa i legend , already we l l known ;
and these , narra ted at fu l l leng th , occupy a good dea l Of Spacetha t m igh t have been reserved for newer and therefore moreva luable ma ter ia l . In addi t ion to the folkta les, the volume com
pr ises a varie ty of superst i t ions . Proper l y to answer, however, toits t i t le , much more than th is Shou l d have been included . We
m iss an accoun t of popu lar customs,of wh ich the remo te moun
ta inous dis tr ic ts Of North Wa les m igh t have Offered a harvest . Asol i tary meagre reference to “
a custom once genera l , and st i l lnot obsole te in Sou th Wa les, poin t ing to marriage by cap ture ,does not amoun t even to an a t temp t to dea l w i th the profoundlyin terest ing subjec t of marriage customs .
S t i l l , w i th in the l im i ts indica ted— l im i ts wh i ch ough t to havebeen more accura te l y expressed in the t i t le — Mr . Owen ’
s book isone Of permanen t in terest . He g ives many new tales and new
varian ts of Old tales ; he has taken grea t care to preserve withexactness wha t he has heard and where he has om i t ted to no te ,or is not qu i te sure of, a de ta i l , he has the courage to say SO— by
no mean s a common g ift, for everybody knows tha t any fakedup stuff ” is good enough to be ca l led folklore . The co l lec t ion of
We lsh tradi t ions, in part icu lar, has suffered from th is Opin i on ,having been exp lo i ted by all sorts of bookmakers ; and we wel
come w i th double pleasure a repertory of genuine tradi t ions.
Fa iry ta les are na tura l l y in the forefron t of the work but storiesof ghosts and devi ls, w i tches and w i tchcraft superst i t ions, medica land o ther charms
,omens and divina t ion
,dea th-porten ts, and the
folklore of the lower an imals are abundan t l y i l lustra ted . The
au thor prom ises o ther volumes ; and to these we Sha l l l ook forward eager l y . If he w i l l perm i t us to sugges t, we w i l l ven ture toexpress the hope tha t he w i l l in the forthcom ing works compressthe commen ts and the para l le ls from o ther coun tr ies, in order tofind room for a grea ter number of var ian ts. In Wa les, where thefolklore is SO rap id ly dy ing ou t
, the col lec tor is far more urgen t l ywan ted than the commen ta tor ; and who knows wha t l igh t may
be ob ta ined from a S ing le var ian t of cus tom or story ? Bes ides,
Mr. Owen ’s supreme qua l ifica t i ons are those of col lec tor
, and
they are very grea t .
364 R eviews .
BLASON POPULAIRE DE FRANCHE-COMTE. Par CHARLES BEAUQUIER . Par is : Le Cheva l l ier e t Leroux.
MONS IEUR CHARLES BEAUQUIER, who has a lready publ ished a
col lec t ion of the popu lar efiamons of Franche-Com té, and an
e tymolog ica l vocabu lary of the provincial isms made use of in the
departmen t of Doubs, not to Speak of o ther works, now gives usthe sobrique ts, proverbia l sayings, and stories wh ich he has beenable to g lean in re la t ion to the vi l lages of Doubs, Jura , and Hau teSaOne . The volume con ta in ing them is a va luable storehouseof mocking, and i t must be added unedifying, epi the ts and amee
do tes , some Of wh ich are amusing enough to readers whosemodesty , or sense of re l ig ious proprie ty , it is not easy to shock .
One ha lf of the human race laughs a t the o ther,”says Mons ieur
Beauquier in his in troduct ion .
“ Th is inna te need to carica ture ,to bla sozmer one ’s ne ighbour, to r id icu le h is phys ica l or mora ldeform i t ies, to indu lge in wit a t h is expense , is me t w i th everywhere in a ll epochs and a t a ll ages Of l ife . Savages themse lveshave a very exac t sen t imen t of the ludicrous and the comic . Theyr id icu le the ir defec ts of body or m ind, gives nicknames and inven tabsurd anecdo tes
,wh ich they a t tr ibu te to those whom they wish
to turn in to jest . Among peop les wh ich are yet young, and amongthe s t i l l rude popu la t ions of our coun try dis tricts where c ivil isa t ionhas not yet in troduced the izonné
’
te lzypoer z'
sie de [a politesse, thesesa t ires are particu lar l y in favour. The ch i l d for the same reasonis a terrible distributor of n icknames. Th is col lect ion ,
l ike o thersof the same na ture
,demonstra tes how ex treme l y l im i ted is the
number Of ideas on wh ich the founda t ions of gross and um
seem l y jests and stories are based . I t a lso affords further i l lustration of the fac t that in folklore no th ing is new under the sun .
Severa l Of the s tor ies g iven here are curren t not on l y in o ther partsOf France but far beyond its borders . At An teu i l , for instance ,the peop le s trang led the ir bu l l by hoist ing i t up with a rope to eat
the grass on the church tower, an anecdo te qu i te fam i l iar to the
Eng l ish folkloris t . And i t was from Moirans, where the g irls are
supposed to be very S imple —m inded , tha t a young man set out ,
l ike the hero of one of our own folkta les, to find three people as
fool ish as his be tro thed and her paren ts . Of the na t ives of Ravill oles we a re told tha t they are n icknamed les B ym z
’a ifzes
,or cock
366 R ev iews .
northern cycle Of Conchobor and Cuchullin extan t,ce rta in l y , in
the earl y part of the e leven th , i t canno t we l l be Older than the
m iddle or end Of the e igh th cen tury .
”The birth s tories Of
Conchobor, of Cona l l Cernach , bo th of U lster orig in ; Of Aed
S lane and Tuan MacCa irill ( infec ted w i th Chr ist ian co louring) ,the me tamorphoses and me tempsychoses of Tal-eisin
, son of
Gwion ( ! Ois in ,son of Firm) and Of Amairgin, are success ive l y
considered . Mr . Nu t t no t i ces tha t the earl y cases of re-births tor ies have to do w i th the Tua tha De Danann
,tha t in I re land
the me tempsychosis has no apparen t connec t ion w i th any be l iefin a sou l as dist inc t from the body, Or in a l ife led by the sou lafter the dea th of the body, that any idea of re tribu t ion i s en t ire l yabsen t from i t, tha t, in fac t, “
the impress ion left on our m indsby a pre l im inary survey of the en t ire mass Of my th i c romance istha t i t is the ou tcome of no re l ig ious or ph i losoph ica l impu lse,
”
w i th wh ich conclus ions the reviewer heart i l y agrees. The class ica levidence wh ich a t tribu tes the teach ing Of me tempsychos is to theDru ids, and its connec t i on , or ra ther supposed connec t ion ,
w i thPy thagoras
’
sys tem, i s then a t tacked ; and aga in the conclus ioncome to seems in the h ighes t degree reasonable and a t trac t ive
,
viz . tha t the Ce l t ic re-birth i deas and the Py thagorean system are
para l le l , for“ if the Sou thern Ce l ts did borrow me tempsychosis
from Greek be l ievers in Py thagorean ism , they forthw i th and
u t ter l y transformed the e th ica l Spiri t of the doctrine . The Greekph i losopher and h is disc iples sa id [l ike Buddha] : B e vir zuaa s
i/za t y oze may not &e éem aga in the Gau l ish dru id sa id : B e ar a ve
(and bravery was probably the ch ief e lemen t in h is i dea l of virtue)aeea a se y ou w ill ée bor n aga in . If the po in t of view was so en
t ire ly differen t , the reason for borrow ing is not apparen t .” And
Mr. Nu t t sums up the I rish evidence thus : “ The I rish re-birthlegends are probably the common property Of the Go ide ls of bo thBri ta in and I re land ; they are certa in l y pre-Chr ist ian in con ten tsand spir i t ; they are probably akin to my th i ca l ta les which mus thave ex isted among the Sou thern Ce l ts, represen t ing, however, anearl ier s tage of my th ic fancy , unaffected by con tac t w i th la teGreek cu l ture they Show traces of a crude pan the ism lacking insou thern Ce l t ic be l ief as descr ibed by class ica l wri ters, and in
the Py thagorean system w i th wh ich tha t bel ief was compared .
The next s tage is eviden t l y an exam ina t ion of Py thagorean ismand i ts orig ins, w i th the he lp of Rohde and Maass . Py thagoras
R eviews . 367
is he l d to have worked upon the Orph ic doctr ines wide l y spreadin h is day (as Pla to did when
“ he bestowed upon Orph ic teaching concern ing immorta l i ty
,new l ife , fresh Sp ir i t , and comp le te
express i on in Maass’ words) . NOW the Ch ief r i tua l of the Orph i c
sectary was connec ted with the s tory Of Dionysos-Zagreus (a my thknown to Onomacritos in the S ixth cen tury B .C . , and told at lengthto us by Nonnos in the fifth cen tury and the D i onysos cu l twas an agricu l tura l r i tua l Of sacrifice , such as existed among theCe l ts, in I re land a t Mag Slech t , and in Gaul on the is landSena among the priestesses of the Namn ites (as described byPosidon ios) , and was by the I rish associa ted with the Tua tha De
Danann .
The be l iefs he l d by the I rish respec ting th i s divine clan are
next exam ined . The evidence is of five kinds, or ra ther Springsfrom five sources, the D innshenchas compi lers of the e leven thand twe lfth cen tur ies working on all kinds and s tages of my th s
,
the euhemeris tic Annal is ts of the ten th and e leven th cen tur ies,
the te l lers of the heroic cyc les, the roman t ic ta les re la ted to the
Anna ls,and the presen t bel iefs Of the I r ish peasan try . In th is
evidence , when S ifted and exam ined and cleared of its euhemer ist ictw ist, one finds a Rabe la is ian e lemen t , a Gargan tuan smack
, one
finds “the Folk of the Goddess Danu in the rOle Of protectors,
fosterers , insp irers of vege table and an ima l l ife ; and when th isrOle is found [as i t is] connected w i th the practice of r i tua lsacr ifice , the conclus ion as to the true na ture Of the Tuatha De
Danann seems inevi table — to wit , tha t they are the agricu l tura lde i t ies of a grea t sacrificia l cu l t (a
’ei fer refzi as the Book of Armagh
scribe styles them) and survive to th i s day as the Fa iry folk.
“ Down to the in troduct i on of Christ ian i ty the I r ishman Was inthe posit ion of the Greek to whom part ic ipa t i on in the Thargelia ,or the r i tes of the E leus in ian mo ther, and the publ ic reading of
the Homeric poems, the recita t ion of the epin ic ian odes,the
performance of the crowned tragedy, were all ac ts Of kindredna ture having the l ike in ten t and sanc t ion . After the in troduct ion of Christ ian i ty h is rude subst i tu tes for Homer, the ode
, or
the drama st i l l re ta ined the ir sway over him, but his D i onysos,
his Deme ter, had to creep back to the peasan t’s hu t, the ir ear lies t
home , to forfe i t the pomp and circumstance Of kingly and sacerdo ta l d isplay I th ink I may ven ture , Mr. Nutt goes on
,
to assert tha t nearly the whole of I rish fairy lore can be in ter
368 R ev iews .
pre ted by aid of the h istorica l fac tors and condi t ions I havemen t ioned— an agr icu l tura l r i tua l ism out of wh ich has grown a
roman t ic my thology , Opposed by, m ing l ing and harmon is ing w i th ,an a l ien r i tua l ism and an a l ien body Of romance .
”
AS to the connect ion of the two concep t ions of the HappyOtherwor l d and Re incarna t ion , a connec t ion the reasons for
wh ich are by no means vis ib le on the surface , Greek my thologyfurn ishes a clue .
“ In Greek my thology as in I rish , the concep t ionof Re-birth proves to be a dominan t factor of the same re l ig ioussystem in wh ich E l ysium is l ikew ise an essen t ia l fea ture . In
Greek re l ig ion the two concept ions are associa ted pers is ten t l y andreasonably
,wh i ls t in Ir ish my th i c fic t ion they are associa ted per
s isten t l y, but not , on the face of i t , reasonably .
”The Northern
Ce l ts seem to have sacrificed for cup and he rd up to the t ime
when Pa tri ck made Crom Dubh h is servan t and S lave , the
Sou thern Ce l ts to have advanced beyond th is s tage and to havesacrificed w i th a view to con trol l ing l ife as man ifes ted in man
,
whereby the pr ies ts were able to defea t dea th and assure the irtribesmen a con t inuance of ex istence .
”The Sou thern Ce l ts
indeed, Mr. Nu t t th inks, u t i l ised the Incarna t ion idea for re l igiousand socia l purposes, but not the Happy Otherwor l d idea , “ theyreached the idea tha t the virtuous wou l d l ive on , they did not
reach the idea tha t they wou l d go to heaven ,” whereas among the
I r ish he does not th ink e i ther concep t ion was u t i l ised save inromance .
Mr. Nut t does not agree wi th Mr. Gomme tha t th is earl yagr icu l tura l cu l t is pre
-Aryan,or tha t the be l iefs respect ive l y
grouped toge ther as w i tch— lore and fa iry-l ore are der ived fromdifferen t races
,and may be used for racia l d iscr im ina t ion . W ith
respec t to Dr. Jevons , he differs in rega rding the deve l opmen t ofthe two ideas of Re-birth and the Happy Otherworl d as ma in l ydue , not to foreign influence , but to the na tura l working of na tive
condi t ions ; and Of course st i l l more w i de l y from M . Fouca rt,
whose borrow ing theor ies he cons iders fancifu l . In afina l sec t ionMr . Nu t t pu ts toge ther his own views. The earl ies t matriarcha lagricu l tura l stage Of the Aryans , 2500 — 2000 D.C .
,w i th a
“ barga in ,
”
theory Of sacrifice and a s imp le individua l isa t ion of certa in formsOf l ife man ifes t in vege table and an ima l growth , corpse buria l ,pr iva te worsh ip Of the dead . Th is prim i t ive sta te of cu l turepers isted among the less advanced Ce l ts and Teutons down to the
370 R eviews .
aesthe t ic grounds . I be l ieve i t to be a task, pa tr iot ic in the
h ighes t sense of the word , as tending to sympa the t i c apprecia
t i on of a common past, to sympa the t ic un ion in the presen t andfuture of al l the var ied e lemen ts Of a common na t iona l i ty .
”
The usefu l and s ingu larl y comp le te index Of M iss M . james and
the two importan t texts— Seél Tzia in ma ie Ca ir il l a’o Finnén Ma ige
B ile, and the D innslzenelza s of Mag S lee/zt, edi ted and transla tedby Dr . Kuno Meyer
,cons iderably enhance the va lue Of a fine and
sugges t ive p iece of inves tiga t ion in a difficu l t fie l d of research .
The Grimm Library certa in l y deserves we l l of all members of our
Socie ty .
I have preferred to le t the presen t volume speak for i tse lf,
w i thou t ra is ing Object ions or suggest ing addi t ions . I heart i l yconcur w i th its ma in pos i t i ons and w i th the me thods of invest igat ion emp loyed . The h istory Of a socia l secre t ion , such as re l ig ionundoub tedly is, can on l y be arr ived a t by a ser ies Of efforts suchas the Eng l ish School of Folklorists are making . The work of
Mr. Fraz er, Mr. Robertson Sm i th , Mr. Lang, Mr. Nutt, Mr.
Hart land,and Mr . Al len ,
on l y to name a few of the more prom inen t Eng l ish studen ts in th is fie l d , has a lready c leared the roadand brough t us some stages on the way. We may l ook for more
progress a l ong a pa th they have made the ir own by the ir exemplarylabours .
F . Y . P .
THE CHANCES OF DEATH AND OTHER STUD IES IN EVOLUTION .
By KAR L PEARSON . 2 vo ls . Edward Arnold .
THE folklor is t w ou l d never judge from the t i t le tha t ProfessorPearson ’
s la test work con ta ins ma t ter Of profound in terest to h isstudies . Ye t SO i t is, as a transcrip t of the con ten ts Of vol . i i .shows a t once . ( 1 ) Woman as W i tch
,evidences of Mo ther—righ t
in the cus toms of medieva l w i tchcra ft ; (2) Ash iepat tle, or Hansseeks h is luck ; (3) K indred Group-Marriage— (a) Mo ther-agec ivi l isa t ion , (b) Genera l words for sex and kinsh ip, (c) Specia lwords for sex and re la t ionsh ip ; (4) The German Pass ion Play
,
a s tudy in the evolu t ion of Wes tern Chr is t ian i ty .
Of these s tudies some,e g . the th i rd, wh ich da te back to 1 8 85, a re
fa ir l y o ld, are pr inted as or ig ina l l y compi led , and take no account
R eviews . 3 7 I
of subsequen t research . In genera l they may be sa id to represen tma terial , and a mode of us ing tha t ma teria l , German ra ther thanEng l ish , and German of fifteen to twen ty years ago ra ther than Of
the presen t day . Nea r l y every contempOrary s tuden t of the
custom S ide Of folklore is indeb ted a lmos t equa l l y to ProfessorTy lor and to Mannhard t . Professor Pearson deve l ops certa inaspects Of Mannhardt
’
s doctrine , draws from them nove l andmos t suggest ive conclus ions, and makes a bold figh t in favour Of
Views wh ich of la te , especia l l y in Germany , have been undu l yneg lec ted or erroneous l y d ism issed as un tenable . NO s tuden t Ofthe evolu t ion Of custom w i th in the Aryan Speech —area can in myOp in ion neg lec t these br i l l ian t and s t imu la t ing essays
,wh ich mus t
be p laced, w i th those of Mr. Gomme,a longs ide of Ty lor
,Mann
hard t,and Maclennan ,
among the indispensable prolegomena toany comprehens ive survey of European sociol ogy in its prim i t iveaspects .
Br iefly put , Professor Pearson’
s thes is in the firs t three essaysno t iced above is as fol lows . Mannhard t Showed once for all the
preponderance Of the agr icu l tura l e lemen t in pr im i t ive Europeancu l ture . Bachofen co l lected w i th immense industry the wor l dw ide traces Of pr im i t ive ma tr iarcha l ism . Professor Pearsonins is ts upon the ma tr iarcha l e lemen t in prim i t ive European agr icu l tura l cu l ture , and de tects its surviva l in the r i tes and be l iefsconnec ted w i th w i tchcraft . H i therto
,as by Fustel de Cou
langes, Hearn, Le ist , the pa tr iarcha l s ide Of Aryan cu l ture has beendwe l t upon the Aryan kinsh ip scheme has been trea ted as essen
t ially pa triarcha l . An ingen ious and search ing ana l ys is Of the
var ious Aryan words deno t ing sex-funct ions,a t tribu tes, and con
ceptions, leads Professor Pearson to an Oppos i te conclus ion .
1
Much of the argumen t can on l y be adequa te l y cri t ic ised by an
expert ph i l o log ist , and I Shou l d be g lad if some compe ten t mem
ber of the Socie ty wou l d undertake the task, for, if sound, the
argumen t has far-reach ing con sequences.
Professor Pearson ’s evidence , as a lso the conclus ions he drawsfrom them, by no means
,i t may be no ted
,favours Mr. S tuart
G lenn ie ’s views concern ing the orig in of cu l ture genera l l y and of
ma triarcha l ism Specifica l l y . Professor Pearson connec ts the la t ter1 Pra ise must be accorded to th e way in wh ich , wh i lst giving th e facts wi th
scient ific r igour and comp leteness , th e author has contrived to avo id Occasion ofOffence.
Z E Z
3 7 2 R eviews .
defin i te l y w i th the agricu l tura l stage of cu l ture , and has no occas ionto postu la te a shock of races varying in capaci ty and a t ta inmen t .He thus fa l l s in to l ine w i th those who l ook upon European cu l tureas an examp le of evolu t ion ra ther than a series Of revolu t ionarycon tacts w i th non-European c ivi l isa t ions . I t is S ign ifican t in th isconnect ion tha t he finds his traces Of ma triarcha l ism ch ieflyamong the Teu ton ic-Speaking members of the Aryan group the
Teu tons were the las t to em igra te of the grea t sect ions of the Aryanfam i l y
,and if my conjecture is righ t 1 tha t the trans i t ion from
ma triarcha l ism to pa triarcha l ism was effected during the migrat ion period w i th its a t tendan t comba ts, when the Ski l l Of woman
became of less importance than the strength Of man, i t is amongst
them tha t ma tr iarcha l surviva l s Shou l d be the most numerous .
The fina l essay , on the German Pass i on Play, is Of equa l importance for a r igh tfu l understanding of the evo lut i on of Europeancu l ture . The ass im i la t ion and transforma t ion Of the in trus iveChr ist ian e lemen t under the pressure of the older na t ive folkconcep t ions is shown in mas ter l y fash i on . Not less remarkablethan the w ide and m inu te learn ing is the au thor’s in tense sym
pa thy for the medieva l folk—Sp ir i t .I have not essayed to cr i t ic ise Professor Pearson ’
s work . I tseemed to me more importan t to direct empha t ic a t ten t ion to itsin terest and va lue . I wou l d fa in express a hope tha t the au thorhas not en t ire l y re l inqu ished h is folklore s tudies, and tha t he w i l lcon t inue them in conjunc t ion w i th th is Socie ty, thereby increasingthe chances of effec tua l l y influencing the course Of research
, and
a lso,by subject ing h imse lf to expert cri t icism, of further rais ing
the a lready h igh leve l of his work .
ALFRED NUTT .
THE M IRACLES OF MADAME SAINT KATHER INE OF F IERBOISTRANSLATED FROM THE ED IT ION OF THE ABBE J .
BOURASSE, TOURS, 1 858 . By ANDREW LANG . Ch icagoWay and W i l l iams . London : David Nu t t
,1 8 9 7 .
MR . LANG seems to have been a t tracted to the in terest ing l i t t lebook
,the grea ter part of wh i ch he has here trans la ted, part l y by
its connect ion w i th joan of Arc,and part l y by its man ifes ta t ion
Voy age om n ,vol . i i .
HOLY WEEK OBSERVANCE IN THE ABRUZZI .
(Vol . vi . p .
I AVA IL myse lf Of th i s opportun i ty to ask you to contradic t asta temen t made by the Rev. W. Pullen
, men t ioned in Folk-Lor e,and repea ted in the T/ze E leva l ion a na
’
P rocession of {be Cer i
a t Guabio. Know ing every corner of the Abruz z i,I ven ture to
affirm tha t Canon Pu l len mus t have been gross l y dece ived . In
every vi l lage and coun try p lace I have in t ima te friends who havenever concea led from me any even of the strangest pract ices andthe least consonan t w i th c ivi l isa t ion (eivil fa). But the prac t i ce Of
volun tary human sacrifice in Holy Week in a vi l lage of the Abruz z ihas astonished all who have heard i t spoken of, and roused indigna tion or a smile Of pity .
Having inquired Of Canon Pu l len the name Of the vi l lage , heanswered tha t it was G io ia del Col le . Now this commune is in
the province‘
Of Bari . I t is not a vi l lage a t all ; it is a largemarke t town Of abou t inhabi tan ts . How is i t poss ib letha t two hom ic ides can be repea ted every year in Hol y Week and
rema in unknown to a se lf-respec t ing governmen t ? IS the popula
t ion of G io ia del Col le a popu la t i on of Ca lmucks ? Wou l d a
pass ing fore ign trave l ler be l ike l y to learn more abou t the ma t terthan peop le Of the p lace who occupy themse lves w i th the same
studies ? But the commun i ca t ions I have had from G io ia delCol le express the u tmos t aston i shmen t , and en t ire l y deny the
a l leged facts . I sha l l according l y take further steps to con tradicti t in our own reviews ; but I Shou l d be g lad if the con tradict ionwere to emana te in the first p lace from the Folk-Lore Socie ty
,
wh ich has g iven credit in good fa i th to a S i l l y ta le . If,therefore
,
you w i l l so far favour me I Sha l l be gra tefu l .ANTON IO DE NINO.
Sulmono,
3ra’
Sep lenzoer , 1 89 7 .
[The foregoing is the substance of a le t ter from S ignor deN ino , whose adm irable col lect ion of Usi e Cosinmi Aornz z esi i swe l l known to every studen t Of I ta l ian folklore — ED . ]
Cor r espondence . 375
THE HARE .
(Vol . VII . p .
Abou t the year 1 8 60 I frequen tly accompanied my fa ther (Mr.
James, Of Pontsaison, Pembrokesh ire) when he wen t out shoo t
ing. One day as we were bea ting a gorsy hill—side near Moilgrove , a white hare sprang up suddenly and made Off at full speed .
My fa ther fired at her, but missed her. One of the bea ters remarked tha t it was use less to fire at tha t wh i te hare, as She was aw i tch and cou l d turn in to an Old woman if she l iked and when itwas conven ien t . She was afterwards poin ted ou t to me in th isform a very poor, very Old woman who l ived in a co t tage underthe b ill , wh ich was afterwards acciden ta l l y des troyed by fire
,and
the supposed w i tch had a very narrow escape of be ing burn t .Th is Shou l d a t leas t have re-e stabl ished her charac ter, as Show ingher to be no cleverer than her ne ighbours .
M . E . JAMES.
Greenhill Cot tage , Tenby .
FERT IL ISAT ION OF B IRDS .
Mrs . R .,a Yorkshire woman of the Old school
,who must be
seven ty or more if now a l ive , once gave me the fol low ing mar
vellous accoun t Of the courtsh ip of turkeys . When the cock isfussing after the hen he does not act l ike o ther birds, but throwsup
“the tread ”
from his beak . The hen then swa l lows it , andthus her eggs are fert i l ised . Th is “ tread, if got possess ion Of
before the hen can se iz e i t,is good for the preven tion of steril i ty
in men .
To my surprise , I find tha t the same story exists in S iberia inconnec tion with the Cock-Of-the-Woods
,o therw ise Caperca i l l ie .
In the Oc tober 1 0,1 8 9 7 , column 435, the fol lowing
passage occurs“ LES AMOURS DU ‘TETREAU OU
‘SOURDEAU .
’— Le E ga ro
du 24 aout con t ien t un art ic le sur la chasse en S ibe’ rie , t iré desnotes de M . Edgar Boulangier. Dans ce t art ic le je lis, au suje tdes amours d’un Oiseau que l
’
auteur appe l le le te’
l rean ou sonra’
ea n,
376 Cor r espondence .
grand coq des bois, qui pese jusqu a 30 l ivres, la descrip t ion sui
van te“ A un certa in momen t
,convenu avec les feme l les, le male
S’
aba t sur le sol e t y répand une have que ce l les-ci Viennen t sedispu ter. Ce t te bave , qui les féconde une fois consommée
,e l les
S’
envolen t sur les arbres vois ins, OiI e l les donnen t les s ignes de laplus vive jubi la t ion .
“
Q ue l que co l labora teur z oolog is te pourra i t-il me confirmer
ce t te h istoire , qui me para i t bien extraordina ire , me donner lenom scientifique de ce t é tonnan t Oiseau, e t, en meme temps, me
dire Si ce t te man iere de féconda t ion a jama is été décri te par um
Observa teur scientifique, auss i Si e l le se re trouve chez d’autresO iseaux ?”
In the Rev. J . G . Wood’s [llnsl r a lea’ N a inf a l [Jisz‘ory i s a
descrip t ion of the wooing Of the caperca i l lie in Sweden , wh ichthrows some l igh t on th is curious be l ief. “ Often When the
ground is s t i l l deep l y covered w i th snow the cock stat ions himse lf On a pine and commences his l ove-song, or play as i t is termedin Sweden , to a t tract the hens abou t h im During his‘play ’
the neck of the caperca i l l ie is s tre tched out , h is ta i l isra ised and Spread l ike a fan ,
his w ings droop, h is fea thers are
ruffled up, and, in short , he much resembles an angry turkey-cock .
He beg ins his play w i th a ca l l some th ing resembl ing pel ler pel ler
pel ler / These sounds he repea ts at first a t some l i t t le in terva lsbut as he proceeds they increase in rap id i ty un t i l a t las t , and afterperhaps the lapse Of a m inu te or SO
,he makes a sort Of gu lp in
his throa t and fin ishes w i th sucking in ,as i t were , his brea th .
”
Th is “sort of gu lp accoun ts, no doub t, for the no t ion tha t the
caperca i l l ie ejec ts a kind of sa l iva wh ich fert i l ises the hens . Bu t
how was the idea transferred to the turkey ? Were there capercaillies in Yorksh ire a t the t ime the Amer ican bird was in troducedin to tha t coun ty ? If there were , the sim i lar i ty Of the birds’ habi tsof court ing wou l d accoun t for the transference of the s tory to thefore igner .
WARMF IELD .
[The same be l ief a t taches in G loucestersh ire to the peahen ,
a b ird o lder in th is coun try than the turkey . Was i t. transferredto the turkey from the peahen ? But how did it become a t tachedto the peahen P
— ED . ]
37 8 Cor r espondence .
ca lves, &c. but I do not recol lec t an instance of wha t the Sco tchwou l d ca l l a wra i th appear ing in an ima l form.
MABEL PEACOCK .
D unsta n House, Kir ton-in-Lina
’
sey ,
22 Ma re/z, 1 897 .
ITAL IAN AMULETS .
Professor Belluni, Of the Un iversi ty of Perug ia , in a recen tle t ter to the Presiden t , draws a t ten t ion to his col lect ion Of I ta l ianamu le ts as particu larl y in terest ing to s tuden ts Of folklore
,and
k indly expresses the hope tha t members of the Socie ty who may
Vis i t the c i ty of Perug ia w i l l come and see h im . He w i l l be muchgra t ified to mee t them,
and to Show them the resu l ts of his s tudiesand researches in I ta l ian folklore .
M] SCELLANEA .
FAIRY GOLD .
The Greek proverb, c’
i vflpa nee 6 Ono-a vpoS wéglmvev
,our
treasure turned out to be charcoa l , seems to Show tha t the folkta le ep isode of the
“ fa iry go l d”was curren t in ancien t Greece .
A number Of Greek proverbs have or ig in in the fables, and th ismay be S im i lar.
W . H . D . ROUSE .
COUVADE .
The fol low ing no t ices Of the eonvaa’e may be in terest ing
TLBa pnz/of, 7 031) fyvva ucéiv r enova ting a im-oi, xegba k c
’
t s‘
Béov'
ra t Ka i. na r a xv ovr a t“ The Tibareni [east coast Of Pon
tus] , when the ir w ives bring forth , themse lves tie up the ir headsand lie in . Corpus P aroem. Gr .
, p . 1 2 7 . SO Apol lon ius Rhodins
,i i . 1 0 1 0 :
“ The Tibarenian land, where , when w ives br ingforth ch i ldren ,
the husbands fa l l on the ir beds and groan ,binding
up the ir heads , wh i le the w ives carefu l l y wa i t on the ir men w i thfood
,and bring to them the wa ter for wash ing at chi l dbirth .
”
W . H . D . ROUSE .
A FOLKTALE CONCERN ING JESUS CHR IST .
In 1 869 a lady, Vi si t ing a poor woman in Sou th-east Lancash ire,turned the conversa t ion to Christ ian i ty . The woman a t firs t sa i dshe had never heard of Christ . Afterwards she asked if i t werenot h e who once wen t to a poor woman
’s door when he asked
for food She rep l ied tha t even then she was boi l ing stones in the
pot to make her ch i l dren be l ieve they were peas. Chr is t rep l iedby te l l ing her to l ift the l id , wh ich she did, and found the pot fu l lof peas.
380 Misce l la nea .
My informan t a l so s ta tes tha t the woman had heard of some
connec t ion be tween Chris t and the cuckoo ; i t was, perhaps, tha the came w i th the cuckoo .
N . W . THOMAS .
FOLKLORE FROM THE HEBRIDEs .— I I
l .
—Sit/zielzea n , sit/l ea n C/za in lzil l . (The Fa irie s of the Fa iryKnol l of Caipigh ill . ) Ca ipigh ill is a Norse word
, the mean
ing of wh ich I don ’t know . Caipighill, Shawbost, parish of
Lochs, Lew is .
The fa iry legend associa ted w i th the two Caipighill knol ls is thefo l low ing . A woman who happened to be pass ing be tween thesetwo h i l l ocks one hot summer day heard the sound Of churn ing inthe fa iry knol l (chua la i fuaim maistreaidh anns an t-Sithea in) .She sa id (sotto voee) :
“ IS truagh nach robb mo pha thadh a ir
bean a’
ghlugain (“ I t is a p i ty my th irs t was not on the churn ing
woman” G lug is the no ise Of flu id in mo t ion , but confined
in a vesse l . ) No sooner had the words escaped her l ips thana fa iry woman (a
"bean Shith ) a t t ired in green came out of the“S‘Ithean
” w i th a drinking cup (a’cuach) of bu t term i lk in her
hand,and Offered i t to the woman to dr ink . At th is sudden and
unexpec ted answer to her w ish She fe l t a good dea l put out , anddecl ined the fa iry ’s hosp i ta l i ty, g iving as her reason for so doingtha t she was not th i rsty . Why then did you w ish for it ?
”sa id
the fa iry woman Carson ma ta a dh ’ iarr thu i,” arsa ’ bhean shith) .Observing the woman
’
s embarrassmen t, she sa i d “Are you afra id
it w i l l injure you ?”
(“ Thubha irt i am bhe il eagal ort gu
’n dean
i cron“ Yes,
”She sa id (
“ Tha ars’ise) .
“ The mis
fortune of h er who put the first comb in her head On Wednesdaybe m ine if i t w i l l do you any harm
” Ga lar na te a chuir a’
cheud
ch ir cheud-aoin’na ceann armsa ma mi i cron “ Wha t mis
fortune is tha t ? ” sa id She .
“ The m isfortune of having ne i therson
,nor daugh ter, nor grandch i ld, nor grea t-grandch i l d Coid
an ga lar a tha ’n Sin ars ise .
“ Tha arsa’bhean-shlth
, ga lar a
bhi gun mhac, gun nighean, gun Odha, gun iar-odha
I once re la ted the above fa iry legend where a Ge rman happened to be
present. How strange h e remarked . I have been fami l ia r with thatlegend from ch i ldhood in my native country.
382 Miscel la nea .
good wife , in the absence of her husband, handed the coire to
the fa iries, She forgo t to,
repea t the ta l isman ic rhyme : Dleasaidh
coire cneimh,
’us a chur s lan d’a th igh
”
(“ A boi le r meri ts a bone
and re turn ing i t safe l y tha t ac ted so mag ica l l y on the
fa i ries as to,
obl ige them,nolen tes volentes, to re turn i t a t the proper
t ime . Th is ta l isman ic rhyme is a common proverb w i th the addit ion ’
Us d leasaidh gobha gua l ,’us iarruin fuar ga
’
bhleith (“ A
sm i th meri ts coa l and co ld iron to gr indAl though She forgo t to repea t the rhyme, the fa iries did not .
AS the coire was not re turned a t the usua l t ime she was
obl iged to go for it to the“ Bruth .
”On her arr iva l there the door
happened to be wide open . See ing the“ coire ” a t a Short dis
tance from the door She wen t s tra igh t for i t w i thou t sa lu t ing the“ Bruth
” dwe l lers (Gun bheannachadh do mhuinntir a’
Bruth) , andunceremon ious l y se iz ed i t and made for the door. AS She did soShe heard one of the fa ir ies say ing : “ A
’bhean bhalbh sin
’us a
’
bhean bhalbh Sin a thainig a t‘i r nam fear marbh fuasga l
‘AnDubh ’
us leig An Dearg Tha t dumb woman,tha t dumb
woman, who came from the land of the dead men . Open‘theB lack ’
and let go‘the Red
’ Just as She was going ou t a t
the door “the Dubh se i z ed her by the hee l and tore i t off. She
died so Short l y thereafter (SO says the legend) tha t She had scarce l yt ime to te l l of the trea tmen t She had rece ived at the hands of herne ighbours of the “ Bruth . I have often heard of the “
cuthSith ,” the fa iry dog but th is is the on l y legend I know in wh ichthe names of any fa iry dogs occur.
[11 .— Til e D eer a n Anima l of E vil Omen .
One of the old pagan be l iefs wh i ch has come down to our
own t imes, but wh ich one scarce l y hears men t i oned a t the presen tday , was, tha t if a deer were seen
, or me t one,in a p lace unfre
quen ted by deer and separa ted from the herd, such an even t was
cons i de red of ol d a certa in forerunner of some ca tastrophe tha twas short l y to overtake the individua l who had seen the dee r
, or
to take p lace in tha t l oca l i ty . The wri ter remembers as a dream,
but qu i te d ist inc t l y, of some of h is old in t ima te acqua in tancesassocia t ing the fac t tha t a dee r had been seen in a loca l i ty unfrequen ted by deer w i th a drown ing tha t had short l y thereafter takenplace there , and wh ich happened at the t ime to be a subject of
Misce l la nea . 383
publ ic ta lk . The one even t was to them a prophecy of the o ther,and a thing tha t m igh t have been l ooked for. The deer, i t wassa id, had been seen runn ing towards the sea , in the direct ion Of
the spo t where the drown ing had occurred, and where no deer hadbeen seen w i th in the memory of then l iving man . Th is super
stition had taken such a hold of the popu lar m ind tha t i t Shapedi tse lf in to one of the ir mos t common proverbs :
“ Tachraidh d ’
fhiadh fhe’
in riutsa fhathast Lit”
(Your own deer w i l l mee t youye t) . Paraphrased, and as app l ied to one profane of speech and
reckless of conduct,i t is mean t to convey to the individua l
addressed tha t h is daring impie ty is a sure precursor of a suddenoverthrow .
I V.— l e D eer of tite I s la nd of Locizlacsva t—Ca r loway ,
Lew is .
The fol low ing deer legend is somewha t s im i lar to the precedingone . The circumstances under wh i ch the de er was behe ld in th islegend are as fol lows :Two bro thers (clannan t-Saoir
,the carpen ter
’
s sons) were ou t
hun t ing in the ne ighbourhood of Lochlacsva t . They observed a
deer graz ing on the is land . One of them swam across to the
is land . On landing, however, no deer was to be seen anywhereon the is land . He re turned to the ma in land . NO sooner had hereached the Shore than he saw the deer aga in , just where he hadseen i t before . He immedia te l y swam back to the is land, butcou l d ne i ther find, nor see any traces of, the deer. On his re turning back he became exhausted and was drowned . A S im i lars tory is associa ted w i th an is land on Lachlangva t , a l och be tweenLew is and Harr is .
To see a deer under such circumstances as described in the
above legend was ca l led,in superst i t ious phraseology , one
’s
manadh,
”i .e. an omen Of one ’s dea th .
V.— An E a t/z Uisge. (The Wa ter-horse . )
The“ Each Uisge a t Carishader, Uig, Lew is, and the people
who l ived in his immedia te ne ighbourhood , were on such friendlyterms, tha t on the foo t ing of tha t fr iendsh ip the young “
EachUisge ven tured dhol a ir chéilidh to pay a fr iendly visi t to anear ne ighbour
’s house . Before he left , however, he and the good
man of the house quarrelled . The man gave him a severe maul
384 Misce l la nea .
ing . Wh i le he was thrash ing him he n icknamed h imse l f “ M ifein ’
us M i-fein (Myse lf and Myse lf) . The young Each Uisgewen t back to his fa ther roar ing w i th pa in . The old “ Each Uisgeasked him who had been a t h im . He rep l ied : M i-fein ’
a s M ifein (Myse lf and Myse lf) . The Old Each Uisge sa i d : Nam
’
be du ine e i le gu’n deanadh is m is i gu
’
n dioladh If another onehad done i t, I wou l d revenge Th is threa ten ing reply of theold “ Each Uisge is a common Lew is proverb, w i th the addi t ion“ Mar a thubha irt an Each Uisge AS the wa ter-horseTh is legend is e thnolog ica l l y in terest ing as having remarkable
po in ts of con tac t w i th the story of U l ysses and Polyphemus,
Ody ssey ,Book ix . l ines 365 —
4 1 0 .
VI — A’ M/za idea nn-mlza r a . (The Merma id. )
The sea—ca t t le — so says the legend— came ashore a t Shawbost
once upon a t ime . The merma id fol lowed them. When the
people of the distric t saw them ashore , they hastened to ge tbe tween them and the sea to Spr inkle the landing-place w i th(Maighstir) ur ine. (Gun so a
’dheanainh cha b ’ urrainn iad a bh i
a ir an gleidheadh a ir t ir . ) W i thou t perform ing th is ceremonythey cou l d not be kep t ashore . They then brough t them to behoused at the neares t farmsteading . The merma id fol lowed them .
They we re kep t ashore abou t a we ek . The merma id was particularly re t icen t during her stay . She broke s i lence only once ; theoccas ion was her observing the woman in whose house she s tayedclean ing new l y-caugh t fish . She sa id to her : N igh
’us glan gu
ma ith an tiasg a’s i oma beas t a tha ’
sa mhuir (“ Wash and clean
we l l the fish , there is many a monster in the sea These wordsare in frequen t use as a proverb
,w i th the addi t ion “ Mar a thub
hairt a’
mha id-eann-mhar “AS the merma id sa id . To preven t
the sea-ca t t le runn ing away to the ir na t ive e lemen t i t was a sine
qua non to Sprinkle them w i th (Maighstir) urine every morn ingbefore le t t ing them out to graz e . One morn ing, however, th isceremony was neg lected by the herd. The merma id observedhis mistake and her chance . She immedia te l y ran down to the
sea and began to ca l l the sea-ca t t le by the i r severa l names,as
fo l l ows“ Ho ! gu
’
n tig‘S itheag .
’ Ho ! gu’
n t ig‘Sebthag.
’ Ho !gu
’n t ig‘Crom-an-taoid (the Bend of the Rope ) . Ho ! gu
’n
386 Miscel la nea .
were to occur short ly in tha t ne ighbourhood, and so i t happenedour legend te l ls .
VIII — How tii e S tr aw ff illocks got tlzeir N ame.
There are two h i l l ocks we l l known to the wr i te r— in Sou thShawbost, Lew is— ca l led “ Da Chnoc na connlaich ,
”i . e. the two
s traw h i l locks . In ancien t legend i t i s told tha t a person who
happened to be passing be tween these two knol ls, carrying a
bundle of s traw, la te a t nigh t, heard when he was exact l y between them a fa iry from one of them ca l l ing him by his l oca lname
,thus : “ Mh i c Dhomhnuill Gh lais nach fag thu
’Chonn
lach ,” i .e. Son of Dona l d Gray, w i l l you not leave the straw ?Before , however, he had t ime to cons ider wha t to do he heard a
fa iry from the oppos i te h i l l ock saying Mh ic Dhomhnuill Ghlaischa ’n fhag thu Chonnlach co fada
’as a bhios uirread leat agus a
tha’na d’ aghaidh
'
jagus du ine bharrachd ;”i .e. Son of Dona l d
Gray , don’ t leave the s traw so long as there are as many for youas there are aga ins t you and a man more .
These h i l l ocks der ived the ir name , SO the legend te l ls us, fromth is we l l-known inciden t of the fa ir ies of one h i l l ock taking the
part of a ben igh ted pedestrian of the Adamic race aga ins t the irne ighbour fairies.
MALCOLM MACPHA IL .
SOME COUNTRY REMED IES AND THE IR USES.
‘
The fol l ow ing are some remedies used by coun try fo lk in England
,but ma in l y in I re land, wh i ch (or the majori ty of wh ich) have
not , so far as I am aware , been publ ished ye t . They have all
come under my own no tice or been procured by me from trustworthy sources.
Scarle t flanne l , in E. R id ing, Yorks . ,is the remedy for scar le t
fever and o ther diseases where the i dea Of red is concerned . The
moor-fo lk use i t .In T ipperary , an old woman wi l l cure warts in a week by takingtwo s traws from the tha tch of a nouse , cross ing and laying them on
Miscel la nea . 387
the Spo t the idea of the cross be ing involved, the Sp iri tua l seed of
disease is be l ieved to be cas t out , and thus the vis ible S igns mustnecessari l y disappear.
In Donega l , dog-fa t i s considered an exce l len t remedy for stifi'
jo in ts .
In Coun ty Down , a p lan t popu larl y known as“ Red Roger is
used to s top bleeding at the nose probably the same idea beingconnec ted w i th i t as w i th the scar le t flanne l above men t i oned .
A band of s i lk worn round the neck is the preven t ive aga ins tqu insy
,used by one gen t leman in Shropsh ire and ano ther in Dor
se tshire,wh ere I first heard of i t .
In T ipperary , stolen mea t rubbed on warts and then buried wil lcause them to disappear. Also in the same coun ty and K ing
’s
Coun ty, a wedding-r ing rubbed on a sty in the eye is sa id to cure ;bu t gold seems to have wondrous charms everywhere .
In K ing’s Coun ty, the blood of a black cat , if drunk , is a cure
for w i ld fire .
”Ca ts have a lways been credi ted in I re land, even
from Ce l t ic t imes, w i th mysterious powers .
Abou t Lismore ( I re land) , a p lan t known as“ Poverty of the
Ground boi led wi th fresh milk is sa i d to be a cure for hydrophobia .
In E . Yorks . , among the moor-folk, the sma l l hard seeds of
Gromwe l l (Lit/zospermum ofi cina le) is remedia l for stone, whentaken in terna l l y .
In County Down , ne t t les are w ide l y used for para l ys is of the
l imbs ; con t inued exci temen t by them on the Skin is the form of
trea tmen t .In parts of I re land
,hem lock is used for giddiness . There is
one man in E. Yorks. who uses the tongue Of a fox as a poul ticefor removing a thorn from the finger .
In Fermanagh , ne t t le—tea (a decoct ion of the leaves and tips ofUr tica urens) is the cure for meas les.
In some parts of U ls ter,f uncus g la ucus is the supposed evictor ofjaundice ; but every distr ic t has an old man or woman who is
considered capable of cur ing th is, the Vis ible S ign of ano ther ailmen t, and i t mus t
,I imag ine , genera l l y fa i l .
The bagbean and haz e l are bo th sa id to Share in the McGovern
of G lans’ cure for hydrophobia but th is is be l ieved to be a remedyhygien i c and die te t i c in a grea t measure .
In some parts of I re land, we find wha t mus t be a to‘r‘ture ra th er2 C 2
388 Misce l la n ea .
than a cure pract ised on ch i ldren often , i .e. common sa l t rubbedon a sca l d or burn
,to hea l .
In Q ueen’s Coun ty and T ipperary , after a ch i l d has cut its firs t
tooth , if a bunch of grass be rubbed over the gums i t acts as apreven t ive aga inst h is or her be ing troubled by those wh ich comela ter.
There i s the root of one plan t, an oflficial remedy in the Br i t ishPharmacopoe ia as a demu l cen t in coughs, but wh ich I have not
heard of before be ing used as an aid for a weak s tomach, and
tha t is l iquorice roo t (roo t of Gly cerr lziz a g labr a ) , yet this is a
Lancash ire trea tmen t .Be l ieve me , a l so , the I rishman trusts in a po ta to in his trousers
pocke t as a guard aga inst rheuma t ism and a lso in some parts ofI reland we find a pou l t ice is some t imes made from ch ickweed(A lsine media ) for draw ing bo i ls.
In K ing’s Coun ty , the two fol low ing remedies are made use of
ivy leaves hea ted t i l l they become hot and soft, and p laced and
kep t on con t inua l l y, in the event of sca lds th i s I know to berecommended as a good cure .
Two or three ivy berries taken in ternally are S t il l used for pa insand aches in the above coun ty, and also in the ne ighbouringonesIn Tipperary , a poul tice of on ions is a wel l-known remedy for a
sore throa t .The cough m ixture of an old K ing
’s Coun ty fam i l y con ta inshea ther ; and the leaves of the house leek (Sempervivum) rubbedin to sore eyes are be l ieved remedia l (T ipperary) .In T ipperary a l so, the leaves of a p lan t popu larl y known as the
Rose Noble , or S t inking Roger,” boi led, y ie l d a sp lendid
ton ic.
Among the moor-folk of E . R iding, Yorksh ire , an herb termedHarb sanctuary
,
”rea l l y the Red Cen taury (E ry t/zrcea centaurea ) ,
of the gentia nece is used as a stomach ic the same folk a lso use
“B lue Pe ter ” (Aconitum napel lus) for inflamma t ion we know i t
in one form as an o in tmen t used in neura lg ia and rheuma t ism.
Ra nunculus a cr is , the leaves and flowers bea ten to a pu lp, andappl ied to suppura t ing tubercu l os is, i s remedia l in Fermanagh ,Tyrone
,Donega l .
Seneciojacooa a leaves boi led or soaked in boi l ing water are oftenused as a pou l t i ce for abscess round the n ipp le (Fermanagh ) .
390 Miscel la nea .
One case is known in Monaghan where wrapping a man in
brown paper and vinegar cured him of scar la t ina .
A wedding—r ing in some parts of I re land is sa id to cure “ wi l dfire,
”and a blue r ibbon round the neck acts as a charm aga ins t
croup .
Jandy Well . Dip in this we l l , wh ich is in Monaghan , and
hang rags abou t it, and if you have jaundice you wil l get wel l .The people of this part pronounce jaundice as
“
jandice ,”or
jandy .
”
One man in Ulster dipped in a bog-ho le at midn igh t , and in
three or four days was cured of erysipe las ; th is is re lated as a
fac t .But term i lk is used as a cure for ringworm by coun try-folk in
many distr icts now ; it was used for th is purpose over fifty yearsago in Sco tland .
Po teen the first running i s used in I reland in various parts forrheuma t ism.
In K ing’
s Coun ty, near Templeharry (about two m i les fromCloughjordan) , are some “ Old Ruins,
” wh ich are be l ieved to bethe rema ins of a monas tery
,though the peop le are not sure abou t
it . Here there is a hol low tree wh ich a lways has wa ter in it ; ifyou have a wart, in order to get rid of it
, you have on l y to wash inthe wa ter and it will disappear.
JOHN H . BARBOUR.
1, Hamilton Villas,
B a llynolme, B angor ,
Co. D own, I reland.
THE PAINSW ICK DOG-PIE.
On Painsw ick feast-day, wh ich is kep t on the first Sunday afterSep tember roth , i t used to be a genera l custom for people topartake of plum-
p ies in wh ich the ch ina figure of a dog had beenbaked . No one owns to fol l ow ing the custom now ; but if anydo so, they make the pies at home
,an ordinary mea t pie such
as is made in any household, w i th the dog ins ide i t . I t was not
necessary tha t the pie Shou l d be a plum-
pie , so l ong as a ch inadog was inside . I have been try ing for a l ong t ime, w i thou tsuccess, to get one of these l i ttle figures. Miss Mfindham,
of
Mi scel la nea . 39 1
C l ifton, has been fortuna te enough to ob ta in one from a youngwoman after the last feast-day and I thereupon asked her perm ission to Show i t to the members of the Socie ty . I unders tand from her tha t th is l i t t le figure was served in a pie las tau tumn ; there were severa l o ther s im i lar dogs in th is pie, one
of them be ing a very sma l l one . M iss Mendham a lso prom isedto try and in terview the Old man in whose house the pie was
made , and who, she has been told , a lways keeps up the custom .
I tried some years ago to ob ta in some informa t ion as to the
orig in of the custom, but I cou l d on l y Ob ta in some more or less
ridicu l ous s tor ies abou t it . One corresponden t sa id, “ I knowvery l i t t le abou t Bow-wow cakes .
’ Th irty years ago‘Bow-wow
cake-day’was kep t nearly un iversa l l y, but now the custom is
a lmos t dead,nobody seems to keep i t up . Any cake or pie w i l l
do, so l ong as there is a sma l l ch ina dog baked w i th i t . The day
was kep t on Pa insw ick feast-day.
” He a lso says, “Any ch ina dogw i l l do, one from the first toy-Shop . You remember the old
fash ioned ch ina ornamen ts on co t tage man te l-p ieces, usua l l y a
shepherdess, a lamb, and a dog ? We l l , the dog wou l d go in tothe cake .
” “ AS to the orig in ,
” th i s gen t leman con t inues,
“ thereis a ta le tha t some
‘Go tham i tes from S troud came to Pa in sw ickand ordered a mea t-pie . Th is was du l y prepared, but unfor
tunately got ea ten by m istake by some other folks who had not
ordered i t ; and as there was no more mea t to be had at the
vi l lage butcher’
s, a poor dog was s laugh tered and made in to a pie
for the s trangers . This gave rise to the or ig in of the feast , and tothe circums tance tha t the Pa insw ick peop le have S ince been ca l ledbow-wows, ’
i
and Shou l d you say (at S troud) ‘tha t you were goingto dine a t Pa insw ick, ’ i t was usua l to rep l y
‘OnMr. U . J . Davis sen t me (through the Rev. W. S . Guest
W i l l iams) ano ther s tory : “ At the Lamb Inn , in B is ley S tree t,many of the navvies engaged in making the new road be tweenChe l tenham and Ba th a t the beginn ing of th is cen tury lodged .
They were a low,rough , vu lgar lo t of fe l lows, who were the terror
of th e ne ighbourhood and the bugbear of the landlady of the
Lamb . I t was th e ir specia l de l igh t and boast‘to ea t her out of
house and home and the poor woman , especia l ly on a"
Sunday,
had the grea test difficu l ty in sa t isfy ing the voracious appe t i tes ofthese formidable g lut ton s . At last She resolved to put an end toher troubles and rid herself of her glut tonous, drunken guests.
392 Misce l la nea .
On the Feast Sunday She made a pie of dog’
s flesh and when the
navvies had ea ten i t She then told them wha t they had had ford inner, w i th wha t resu l t needs no te l l ing . To say
“bow-wow
,
”
or to im i ta te the bark of a dog , in any Stree t of Pa insw ick was
the sure forerunner of a breach of the peace . Occas iona l l y st i l l, on
Feast Sunday, a mea t-pie is made , w i th in wh ich is p laced a ch inadog, to keep up the remembrance of the ‘bow-wow ’
pie ; bu t
the custom is dying out , and i t wou l d be we l l to bury i t inobl ivion .
”
Ano the r s tory is , tha t on one of the church feast-days in yearsgone by the Pa inswick people invi ted the ir ne ighbours of S troudto a ven ison-feast (red deer we re sa id to be p len t ifu l in thosedays on the Co tswold H i l ls) . The ven ison was not forthcom ing ,and Pa insw ick was in despa ir a t not be ing able to furn ish the
proper feast . I t was suggested tha t they cou l d save their repu
ta tion by serving up dog-pie ins tead . When the gues ts discoveredthe trick, a tremendous figh t ensued . The Pa insw ick peop leconquered
,and inst i tu ted the feast in honour of the ir victory ; but
making p lum-pie w i th a ch ina dog baked in i t answers ins tead of
dog i tse lf.The Rev. W . S . Guest W i l l iams a lso sta ted tha t he had heardtha t a tradi t ion may have been handed down from pre
-Chr is t iant imes of a Bri t ish fes t iva l in wh ich dogs figured in some form .
I have not heard Of any tradi t ion to th is effect , but there certa in l ymay be one . The connect ion of th is “ bow-wow pie
”obser
vance w i th the dedica t i on-fes t iva l of the pa rish church,wh ich the
Pa in sw ick feast day rea l l y is , and w i th ano ther cus tom wh ich a
corresponden t te l ls me forme rl y term ina ted the feas t day ’s proceedingS
— tha t of encirc l ing or encompass ing the church by a llthe vi l lagers join ing hands, then swaying backwards and forwards,and fina l l y dancing round and S ing ing—
poin ts to the surviva lof a l oca l cu l t of a more pr im i t ive orig in than these modernaccoun ts .
An importan t poin t to no t ice,and one wh ich appears in each
of the s tor ies told, is tha t peop le of two differen t pa rishes a re
concerned in the quarre l,and tha t a figh t be tween them occurs .
A . B GOMME .
394 Miscel la nea .
I’m up five steps.
I’m
'
up Six s teps .
”
I’m up seven s teps .
I’m up e igh t s teps .
I’m up n ine steps.
I’m up ten steps.
”
I’m up e leven steps .I’m up twe lve s teps 1”
I’m at thy bedroom doorI have hold of thee l
11 .— Tue Sa tin Frock.
1
There was once a l i t t le g ir l ca l led Mary who had a sa t in frock,
and her mo ther tol d her tha t if she got a dirty mark on it She
wou l d k i l l her. One day as Mary was go ing a wa lk,some cows
tha t were pass ing by sp lashed h er frock w i th mud . Then Marywen t and sat on a doorstep and began to cry . The woman inthe house hear ing her cry came ou t, and Mary told her tha t sh edare not go home because She had got her frock dirty, and tha ther mo ther had threa tened to ki l l her if She got it dirty . So the
woman took her in and washed the mud from her frock,and
then dr ied i t . She then sen t the l i t t le gir l on her way, te l l ing herto m ind and not get i t dirty aga in , and then her mother wou l dnot ki l l her. So Mary wen t on her way, but l ower down the roada horse that was running by sp lashed her frock aga in . When She
got home her mo ther took her in the ce l lar and cut her head off,
and hung it on the wa l l . When her fa ther came home he sa id :
“ Where is our Mary ?” Her mo ther told him she had gone toher grandmother
’s to Stay all n igh t . When bed-time came hesa id : “ I wil l fe tch the st icks up but h is w ife sa i d : “ No, I w i l lbut he sa i d : No, I w i l l fe tch them up and she sa id : No , Iw i l l but he wou l d not let her fe tch them. When he had gotdown in the ce l lar he saw the head hung up, so when he had
come out of the ce l lar he asked h is w ife wha t i t was. She tol dh im tha t i t was a sheep
’s head tha t she was going to make some
bro th of for to-morrow’s dinner . When he came home to dinnernext day, he sa id :
“ Th i s bro th is n ice,but i t does taste l ike our
To ld to C . R. Hirst in Sheffie ld by a girl aged about 1 3, and repeatedby him to me , June , 1 896.
Miscel la nea . 395
Mary . When his wife heard th is She was very frigh tened ; butwhen her husband found ou t wha t had been done he took her inthe ce l lar and ki l led her.
I f ] .— l \7icoroor e.
1
One day in win ter-t ime, when there was a large quan t i ty of
snow on the ground, N icker happened to be going along thatnarrow road leading from Gleadless to Norton
, and wa lking inthe middle of the road, where of course wou l d be the best track
,
perhaps the on l y one . At the same t ime a gen t leman was com ingsw ift l y along on horseback in the oppos i te direc t ion . He saw the
man in fron t of him,but rode on , expec t ing of course he wou l d
g ive way, but not so . N icker s tuck to his track, and the gen t le
man had to pu l l up very sudden l y out of his way.
Wha t fool are you ?” demanded the gen t leman angril y .
Au’
m Cap tain StoneS’
S fool— whose fool ar’ tha ?” re tortedNicker .
I have been told tha t S ixty or seven ty years ago N i cker Bore ’sname was bandied abou t amongs t Mosbro
’
peop le l ike the name
of Jim Garton, la te of Beigh ton ,has been in Beigh ton of la te
years .
2
[VT— Tue Farmer and itis Ma n .
3
One day a farmer was walking round his farm,when he heard
his man Singing in a barn . So he s topped to l isten , and heard thesewords
Bread and cheese , work as you p lease ,Bread and cheese , work as you p lease .
The farmer then went and told his wife wha t he had heard .
From George Foster, Q ueen Street , Rotherham. Sent to me by S irGeorge R. S itwe l l , Bart. , 24 October, 1 895. Th is is a fragment of one of the
numerous ta les once current about Nicorbore . See my House/told Ta les, de m,
37 .P2 Capta in S tones l ived a t Mosborough , near Eck ington , in Derbysh ire , not
far from Renishaw Ha l l , the sea t of Sir George R . S itwe l l . G leadless,
Norton , and Beigh ton a re in the same ne ighbourhood . “
Jim Garton ”
appears to be a myth ica l name , but I wi l l make inquiries about h im .
3 To ld to Mrs. S . O. Addy in Sheffie ld by a nurse, about twenty-five years
396 Miscel la nea .
The farmer’s w ife sa id : How did he seem to be working ?
”
Oh ,”he sa id
,I peeped through a loop-hole in the barn , and
he didn ’t see me , but I saw h im and he was working as S l ow l yas he cou l d .
”
Tha t ’ l l never do,
”she said ; “ I ’ l l try h im w i th some th ing
be t ter than tha t .”
So the next day she made a n i ce plum pudding and an applepie for the man . Then She told her husband to go and see if he
worked any be t ter .
So th is time the farmer heard him S ing ingP lum pudden and app le pie ,Do your work accord ingly.
P lum pudden , &c.
”
So the farmer wen t back to his wife , and told her wha t he hadheard .
How was he working ?”She sa id .
Much be t ter, but not so fast as he m igh t do, he repl ied .
Oh , we l l ,” she sa id , I ’ l l try h im w i th be t ter food than tha t .So the next day She gave h im roas t beef and plum pudding, andtold her husband to go and see if he worked any be t ter .
So th is t ime the farmer heard him s ing ingRoast beef and p lum pudden ,
Do your work l ike a good un .
Roast beef, &c.
”
Then the farmer tol d h is wife wha t he had heard,and sa i d
the man was working as hard as a horse and w i th all his m igh t .SO after th is the farmer’s w ife a lways fed the man on the bes t
food tha t She cou l d ge t , and he worked hard ever after .
S . O . ADDY.
398 B ibl iog rap lzy
PALMER (A. S tudies on B ibl ica l Subjects. NO. 1 . Babylon ian I nfluence on the B ible and Popu lar Be l iefs : TehOmand T iama t Hades and Sa tan . D . Nu t t . Cr . 8vo . 1 1 1 pp .
VALMiKI . Ramayana . Das Lied von KOnig Rama . Ein a l t indisches He l dengedich t in 7 Biichern . Zum erstenma l insDeu tsche iibertragen , e inge le i te t und angemerk t von J .
Menrad. Band i . , Buch 1 . Miinchen : Th . Ackermann .
lii. , 30 7 pp .
WESTON (JESS IE The Legend of Sir Gawa in S tudies uponits orig ina l Scope and S ign ificance . (The Grimm Library ,No . D . Nu t t . Cr . 8vo . xiv. , 1 1 7 pp .
WIEDEMANN (A ) . Re l ig ion of the Anc ien t Egyp t ians . H .
Greve l and Co . 8vo . xvi. , 3 24 pp .
PER IOD ICALS .
Tli e Contents of P er iodica ls exclusively devoted to Folklor e
a r e not noted .
Journal of the Anthropolog ica l Inst itute, xxvn , 1 . G . M.
Godden , Naga and o ther Fron t ier Tribes of North-E astIndia . R . H . Ma tt/zews, Bu l lroarers used by the Austra l ianAbor ig ines . W
'
. B . Ha r r is, The Berbers of Morocco .
Extrac ts from me Austra lia n (some Aborig ina l Ceremon ies)and from Nor tlzer n P aolic Opinion (a West Austra l ianCustom) .
Ant iquary, xxxi i i , 10. A . W B uckland, Message-s ticks and
Prayer-sticks .
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, 2na Sen, xvi, 3 .
E . B . Savage, Anc ien t Buria l Customs .
Proceedings of the Society of B ib l ica l Archwology, xix, 6 . S ir
P . Le P age R enouf , The Book of the Dead, chaps. cxxxviiato cxxxix .
Annual Archaeolog ical Report , 1 896-
7 . On tari o . [Th is reportforms an appendix to the Report of the M in ister of Educat ion to the Provinc ia l Leg is la ture of On tar i o . I t is wri ttenby Mr. David Boyle , the Cura tor of the Museum a t Toron to,
Bib l iog r aphy . 399
and con ta ins not mere l y a l ist of the addi t ions to the museum,
but also an accoun t of various exp l ora t ions of the aborig inalrema ins undertaken by him or under h is superin tendence .
To B rit ish studen ts of folklore the mos t in teres ting acquisition by the Museum is tha t Of the Plich ting-Stane o
’La irg,
a s tone w i th a large hole in i t, former l y “ bu i l t in to a wa l lconnec ted w i th the old parish kirk of La irg, Su therlandshire .
In th is pos i t ion it was known far and w ide as a mediumone m igh t a lmos t say, as a sacred medium— for the makingof barga ins, the p ledg ing of fa i th
,and the p l igh ting of tro th .
By grasp ing hands through th is s tone , the part ies to an agree
men t of any kind bound themse lves w i th the invio labi l i ty ofa solemn oa th . When the wa l ls of the kirk weredemol ished some years ago to make way for improvemen ts,the ancien t pl igh t ing-stone fell from grace as we l l as from itspos i t ion in the s truc ture ; if, indeed, the former event hadnot taken place l ong before . Fortuna tely the s tone was preserved and kept for many years in the fam i ly of M iss MaryBuchanan
,by whom, through Mr. Hugh N i chol , of S tratford,
it was very generous l y presen ted to the On tar io ArchaeologicalMuseum .
” There it has been moun ted for exhibi t ion in
an im i ta tion wa l l . Wh i le we must all regre t tha t the s tonein quest ion Shou l d ever have been removed from its originalS i te and carr ied across the ocean ,
it is at least a subject forcongra tu la tion tha t it has fa l len in to such exce l len t hands asthose of Mr. Boyle and the Hon . G . W . ROSS, the Ministerof Educa tion , who have been instrumen ta l in the face of
many difficul ties in bu i lding up a mos t in terest ing archaeolo
gical museum at Toron to, and who fu l l y apprecia te the valueof the Pl igh t ing-S tone as a re l ic of the preh istoric ritual ofthe ancestors of many of the presen t inhabi tan ts of On tario ]
Proceedings of the American Phi losophical Society, xxxv, 153 .
F . H . Cuslzing , A Pre liminary ‘Report on the Exp lora tionof the Ancien t Key
-dwe l ler Rema ins on the Gu lf Coast of
Florida . [An extreme l y i n terest ing report on a number of
She l l—mounds and pile-dwe l l ings. Mr . Cush ing’s discoveries
lead to the discuss ion of importan t problems in the evolu tionof art and institu t ions . A more extended report is in preparation for the Bureau of Ethnology]
400 Bib l iog r aphy .
Universi ty Magaz ine, ix, 1 . j. M W/zeeler,My Fam i l y Folk
lore .
Bureau of Ethnology . Fourteen th Annua l Report ( 1 89 2 1 .
Hof ma n ,The Menom in i Indians . 2. f a s . Mooney ,
The Ghost-Dance Re l ig ion .
Bureau of Ethnology. Fifteen th Annua l Report ( 1 8 93 W ] .
McGee, The S iouan Indians . j. 0 . D or sey , S iouan Sociology .
W Fowkes,Tusayan Ka tcinas .
Revue de l’Histoire des Relig ions, xxxv, 3 . G . Maspero, La
Table d ’Offrande des Tombeaux EgyptienS .— xxxvi, 1 . G .
Maspero, La Table d’
Offrande des Tombeaux Egyptiens .
L . K napper t , La Re l ig ion German i que d’
apres le dern ierouvrage de M . Golther.
Internationales Archiv fur Ethnographie, x, 3 , 4. P . P a rkinson .
Zur E thnograph ie der Ongtong Java und Tasman-Inse ln ,
mit e in igen Bemerkungen iiber die Marqueen und Abgarris
Inse ln .
402 I ndex .
Annua l meeting , and annua l reportof Counci l , 19 , 20Anteui l , the bu l l of, 364Anth ropology, requirements of its
students, 1 63Anth ropomorph ic conception of a
divin ity, its deve lopment , 325Ant lers and head of deer, cla im to,
by hunters , 3 1 1 , 3 1 6Aph rodite , 1 55, 264 , 349 , origin and
names, 264 , 265, in modern Greekfo lk lore , 276 , cha ined statue of, 34 1Ap is , ritua l connected with , 344Apo l lo , 155, images carried about a tS ikyon , 337 , cha ined a t Tyre , 343 ,th e De l ian , 344, Sm intheus, the
mouse associated with , 264Apo l lon ia , r ites in S ikyon , 337Apo l lodorus, on the imprisonment
of Ares, 349Apsarases, the , 328Ap tha or thrush
, cures for, 1 80 , 1 86
Arabian fo lk lore , Arab ian N igh tsquoted , 22 1 , 267 , 34 1 , 347
Are , Jeanne d ’ , 35, 373Arcadians, see Arka sArchaeologia , cited , 3 10Argyl lsh ire , folk lore of, 203-256 , 297Ares , sta tue of
, carried in process ions337 , fettered, 34 1 , legend of h is
imprisonment , 349 , possib ly a
chthon ic de ity, 351 , 354, possib leana logy with Indian god
-captureand other r ites, 353, and withOs iris, 354Argonauts, the , d iffusion of the ta le ,267Argos and the Argives, their image
of Hera , 338Aricia , sacred tree of, 1 1Ariel
, a Breton para l le l to, 348Ark
, the , of the I srae l ites, 34 1 , itstabu, 344
Arkas, ancestor of the Arcad ians, 155Artem is , (see a lso Ath ena and D iana )
and th e Brauron ia , 155, nature of
her cu lt, 263 , image carried abouta t S ikyon , 337 , arms of her imagea t Eph esus , 34 1
Artificia l arms etc. of various ido lgods , 34 1 .
Arthur,K ing, and Engl ish fa iry
l itera ture , 37 , 53 , loca le o f ta l es,365, and Huon of Bord eaux. 37 ,
38 , 4 1 , supernatura l b irth , 49 ,50,charmed s leep in Ava lon, 197 , andKulhwch , 303
Aryan , Conquest of N .W . Ind ia , itscharacter, 268 , cu l ts , Opposed to
serpent worsh ip , 284 , 285, dea thand buria l customs , 350 , 368 , 369 ,ma triarcha l stage , 368 , 369 , 372 ,origin of fa iry creeds and of modern
European folk lore , 369 , matriarcha lstage , 369 , 37 1 , 372 , sex-words ,37 I
Asfirh , an Ind ian month , 334Asbjo' rnsen , P . C . devil-b ind ing ta le ,347Asclep ios Agnitas, associated withtrees , 264Ascot under Wychwood , morrisdancers of
, 3 1 7Ash es of the dead preserved in jars or
urns, 350
Asia Minor d ivination , 85, b irthcustoms, 379
Ass , in the Lion’s Sk in , the , a
para l le l ta le , 16 1Ass emp loyed in curing mumps , 1 5Assyrio logy
,author ities on , 356 , 359
Astha l Le igh , morris-dancers of, 3 1 7Astro logy, 1 0 1A tarantians, abusing the sun-god, 339Atharva-Veda , i ts rubrics , 357Athena , or Athene , ( see a lso Artem is
and D iana ) 155, legends and names
of, 26 1 , 344 , connect ion with agr icu lture , 262 , as N ike Apteros , 342Ath enaeus, on the sto len images of
Hera , 338
Athen ian ido ls , a t Aegina , legend of,336, N ike Apteros, 34 1 , 342Athens, Kylonian supp l iants a t , 343Atk inson , (J . Supernatura lChange of S ite , 279At lantis, submerged is land of, 29 1Attic imprecations, 36 1Aurangz eb as iconoclast, 336Aurvendill and s imi lar names in re
lat ion to Orendel , 290 , 293 , 294 ,
30 1
Austra l ian Legenda ry Ta les : Fol/:
lore of t il e N oongaour ra lcs a s told to
tlze P iccan inn ies , co l lected by Mrs .
K . Langloh Parker, with Introduct ion by Andrew Lang, reviewed ,56Ava lon , 37 , 197Axe , the , of Tenedos, 263Axe-money in West Africa , 263Axi l lary tumours
, cure for, 389Az tec cage for gods of conquerednations, 345
I ndex .
Babylon ia , mora ls in , 85, Sa la , a
goddess of, 34 1 magic and r itua l ,356
-359
B aby lon ian Mag ic a nd Sorcery ,being
T/ze P ray er s of t il e Lifting of the
Ha nd, by Leonard W . K ing , re
Vi ewed, 356Bacca P ipes J ig or Greens leeves Oxfordsh ire morr isdancers
’song , 3 1 8 , mus ic, 323
Bael tine , or May-eve
,1 7
Bagbean , ingred ient in cure for hydrophobia , 387Ba lance Sh eet , 28Ba lfour
,H . , on the pee l ing born , 3 1 1
Ba l l Games , ( see a lso Hood Game a t
Haxey , and Games) , derived fromancient so lar ritua l , 7 3
Ba loch i Ta les , A Legend of NadirShah , 77 , Dosten and Sh iren , 79 ,Bamboo , (ho l low) , Offering p lacedin
,for S iva , 330
Bampton in the Bush , May-day ob
servances, dances and songs , 307309 , sacrificia l e lement in , 3 16 ,Wh itsuntide Observances , 309 ,
3 1 1 , morris-dancers of, 3 1 7 ,names of the ir songs , 3 1 8 , wordsand a irs of songs , 320
Baptism , pre-Christian , a query, 280
Barbarossa , h is charmed S leep , 197Barga in e lement in Aryan sacrifice ,368
Barn Ha l l , and the Co lumns of Ih
go lf, 1 78 279Bartsch , Kar l
, (Her t zog E rnst ) ,cited , on Orendel 294, 297Basi l ( tu las i ) sacred , 345Basque fo lk lore , the th ree W itchwaves , 339
Bassarids , the ir ecstacy, 48Beam-cutting tabu, a t Barn Ha l l , 1 7 7 ,279Bees in the head , a curse , 377Bees, veh icles of departed sou l s inInd ia
, 329Be lfast, med icina l fo lk lore of, 389Be l ls , worn by morr is dancers , 309 ,3 1 8
Bel luni , Prof , h is co l lect ion of I ta l ianamu lets , 378
Berecyn th ia , German ido l , carriedabout, 337Berger, quoted in connection withOrendel , 293
Bhfitas, 198 , and vamp ire para l le ls,I 99
2 D 2
403
Bib le , the , in re lat ion to myth , 1 69lucky to take into new house ,
9 1 , 92
Big C laus and Little C laus, In
d ian para l le l ta le , 1 8 1Bind ing of a God , the : a Study of
the Basis of I dolatry, byW . Crooke ,
325Bind ing of a God, Bib l iography to
the
Acts of the Apost les , 337z’Elian , Var. Hist. 339Apo l lodorus, 344, 349Asbjornsen , P . C . , Popu lar Ta les,( trs . by Sir George B asent ),347Athenaeus, De1pnos . , 338
Atk inson , a rt icle in Hima
layan Gaz etteer, 351
Bancroft , H . H . , Native Racesof the Pacific Sta tes of NorthAmer ica , 333 , 345Bib l . Jacob , 336Bijdragen tot de Taa l-land-enVolkenkunde van NéerlandschInd ie , 349
Bombay Gaz etteer , 347Bower , H . M.
,E levation and
Process ion of the Ceri , 346Burne , Miss C . S .
, Folk lore ,340 , Shropsh ire Fo lk lore , 347Burton , Sir R. F . , Arab ianN igh ts , 336 , 34 1 , 347 ; Miss ion to Ge le le , 335, 345, 353
Campbe l l , J . M., Notes on the
Sp irit Ba sis of Be l ief and Custom , 329
Cha lmers, J . and G i l l , W. W . ,
Work and Adventure in New
Gu inea , 349Chambers, R. , Book of Days,348
C lassica l Review, article in byJ . G . Fraz er, 349
C louston, W . A . , Book of S indibad, 347 ; Popu lar Ta les andF ict ions , 347
Crooke , W i l l iam , Popu lar Re
ligion and Fo lk lore of Northern Ind ia
, 335, 337 , 343 ,
348 , 351 , 352 ; Tribes and
Ca stes of th e North-WesternProvinces and Oudh , 352
Curtius, 343Dasen t , S ir George , trans lator,see Asbjornsen, sup raD iab lo Cojuelo, El , 347
404 Index .
D ionys ius of Ha l icarnassus , History, 326Dubo is , J . A . , Manners and
Customs of the Peop le of
Ind ia , 343Dun lop , J.
, History of Prose
F iction , 347Dyer, Dr . L. , Gods in Greece ,344
Ed inburgh D innshenchas, 339Eggel ing , J.
, Sa thapa ta Brahmana
, 326 , 352Emerson, E . R. , Ind ian Myths,346
Erman , A . , Life in AncrentEgypt, 344
Exodus, 344
Farne l l , L . R . Cul ts of the
Greek States , 326Featherman , A . , Nigritians , 344 ,
Oceano-Me lanes ians , 344, 346 ,355 ; Papuo-Me lanesians , 34 1
Fo lk-Lore , 337 . 338 , 340Fo lk-Lore Journa l , 342 , 348Folk-Lore Record , 348Fraz er
, J . G . , article in C lass ica l Review, 349 , Go ldenBough , 332
Frommann , Upon Fascinat ion , 337
G i les , H . A ., Strange Stories from
a Ch inese S tudio , 335, 347Godden , Miss G . M. , 340
Gou ld , Rev . S . Baring, CuriousMyths, 337
Gray, J . N ., Ch ina , 335
Graf, A . , Roma ne l la Memoriae ne l le Immaginaz ioni de l
Medio Evo , 337Griffis , Dr. W . E .
,Re l igions of
Japan, 339Grimm , J., Teuton i c Mytho logy,
(tr s . by S ta l lybrass ) , 333 , 337 ,347 , 348 , Househo ld Ta les(trs . by Mrs . Hunt ) , 347Grote , G . , History of Greece ,3 5: 337
Growse , F . S . , Ma thura , 336Harrison , Miss Jane , Mythologyand Monuments ofAthens
, 336
Ha rt land , E . S . , Legend of
Perseus , 348
Haz l itt, W . C . Nationa l Ta les,347Herodotus ( trs . Rawl inson ) , 336 ,337 , 339 , 34 1 , 353 , 354Hesiod , Theogony, 354
H ima layan Gaz etteer, 351Homer, I l iad : 327 ) 344 : 349 ;
350 , (Ach i l le id ) 354Jevons , D r. F . B .
, Introductionto the History of Re l igion ,332 , 338 , Romane Q uestions ,P lutarch , 342Journa l of the He l lenic Society,344Leaf, Dr. W . 350Lenormant , F . , Cha ldean Magic,339
Le Sage , A . R. , Le D iab leBo iteux , 347Lewin , Capt. A . H. , W i ld Racesof South -Eastern India , 343Lidde l l and Scott , 350Louis , D r. S . , Pa lestin ian De
mono logy, in Proceed ings of
the Socie ty of Bib l ica l Archacology, 348Lucian , 336
Mélus ine , 339Mer iva le , C . ,
trans lation of I l iad ,350
Missionary Register , the , 333Mitford , A . B . , Ta les of Old
Japan , 342
Mommsen , Th . History of Rome ,340
Moore , Thomas , 336
Morris , W i l l iam , Earth ly Parad ise , 336Mul ler , Prof. F . Max, Contribu
tions to the Science of Mythology, 351Newman , Prof. trans lation of
I l iad , 350N ihongi , 342North Ind ian Notes and Q ueries ,
Oppert , Dr. G . , Origina l Inhabitants of Bhfira tavarsa , 338 ,
Pa l grave , W . G . , U lysses , 342Pausan ias , 325, 337 , 34 1 , 342 ,
354P lutarch , De I side , 355, De
Pyth . Resp . 34 1 , Romane
Q uest ions , (Jevons) 342 ,So lon , 344
Pre l ler , L.,Griech ische My tho
logie , 351Proceedings of the Society of
Bibl ica l Archaeo logy , 348Roden ,
Lord , Progress of the
Reformat ion in I re land , 355
£4CK3 Ifinctexz
Brid le ratt l ing , a porten t of bad news ,203Brittany and the Bretons , fo lk lore of,
B ri z e Norton ,VVhit-hunt, 3 1 1 ,
morris-dances of, 3 1 7B roken l imbs , cure for , 16Bronz e vesse l or braz en crock , Aresimprisoned in , 349 , or var iousa l terna tives , 350 , and ana logues ,353
Brown paper and vinega r,cure for
scarlat ina , 390Browning , Robert, and the princess
oversea theme , 306Buddha , (see th e Jataka ) 366Buddhaghosha , h is commentary on
the Ga tlza ,259
Buddh ism 369 ,Buddh ist r ite
,use of th read in , 343
Buffa lo-dance , of th e Mandan I nd ians ,7 1
Bu lgaria,fo lk lore Of, 352
Bul l , the , of Anteui l , 364Burford , (Oxon ) hunting righ ts Of
3 10 , how ma inta ined , 3 1 2Buria l ( see D ea th and Funera l customs) of the Dead Horse a t sea
,
28 1
Bur ia l superst it ion , A , in countyCork , by Ka te Lawless Pyne ,1 80
Burne , (Miss C . S . ) referred to and
cited , 347 , More S ta ffo rdsh ire Superst itions , 9 1Burn ing dead men
’s bedd ing , 206
Burton , (Sir Richa rd ( see a l so
Arab ian N igh ts) , on Dahomeyanevoca t io deorum , 335, on th e B0 Ido l ,352 , on Dahomeyan worsh ip , 353Butter, clarified , and gh i, 328 , 329 , 357Buttermi lk , cure for r ingworm, 390
Byz antine h istory, in exist ing Greekfolk lore, 274
Cabbage used med icina l ly, 389Cabsow , ba l l game a t C leethorpes,73‘Cagmag , ’ suggested deriva t ion for,160
Cagots , the , in re lat ion to the rope
m akers Of B rittany, 160Ca irns , emit flames , 253Cakes , of I ta l ian witches, 7 , of
Oxfordsh ire seasona l festiva ls 309 ,3 1 2 , 3 16 , crown -cakes , 3 1 3 , 3 14 ,
Pa inswick Bow -wow’
cakes , 39 1
Cambridgesh ire fo lk lore,1 84
Camorra , the , 1 , 4Camors , fo lk lore of, 348
Camp-fire , its sacredness , 54
Campbe l l , (J . on mode rn In
d ian god-induction r itua l , 329Campbe l l , (J. G . ) ta le of Mac I ai nD ireach , 305
Canada , Ethnograph ica l Survey Committee appo inted , 23
Canobus , worsh ipped in Egypt as a
ja r, 353Cars of idols , 337Ca rn Bhan , ghost lyi l igh ts a t , 253 , 254Carrying Images in procession , under
ly ing idea , 337Cart , invisib le , its rumb le a funera lportent , 203
Ca ste , Ind ian ,in l iterature , 1 6 1
Cats , b lack , witches as , 3 , b lood of
as cure , 387 , I rish view of, 387Cavan , medicina l fo lk lore of
, 389Ce ltic agricu ltura l sacrifice , 44 , 47 ,
367 , fa iries , ag ricu l tura l in char
acter, 47 , god , Nuad , 34 1 , customof fighting th e waves , 339 , l iterature , its study urged
, 369 , mythuninfluenced by Roman , 51 , itsown influence on Engl ish folk lore53
Cel tic D oct; zne Tlze, of Re ozr t/z,by
A lfred Nutt , reviewed , 365Ceylon , devi l-dances in, 8 , process ion
of the Spea r in , 337Cha ined images , 263 , 338 , 34 1 , 342 ,343 , 350 , 3SI
Clza nces , T/ze, of D ea t/z,a nd otlzer
S tudies in E volu tion ,by Prof.
Kar l Pearson , reviewed , 370
Chand Jfitra , fest iva l of Jagganath ,
333Change (money) refused by witch es, 6Change l ings , 33 , in re lation to sacrifice , 47
Chant of the dead horse, ’music, 282
Charlbury, Wh it-hunt , 3 1 1Charm for the Evi l Eye , by Mary H .
Debenh am , 92
Cha rms (see Cakes Mantra s , a nd
Spe l ls ) African ,1 3 1 , Bre ton , 98 ,
aga inst croup , 390 , defined , 65,exh ibited , I , 1 8
, 98 , 1 3 1 , 194 , 195,described , 88 90 , I ta l ian , 1 9 , 377 ,S iamese , 1 8 , 88-90
Cha rms from S iam , by M . C .
Ffenne ll , 88
Index .
Charon , 275Chaucer 5 view of the fa iries , 35Chen , Mex ican name for a month ,333
Ch esh ire , med icina l fo lk lore of, 389Ch iaro , L . M . de l , 9Ch ickweed pou ltices for boi ls , 388 ,hot for pa ins in h ead and neck ,
389Ch i ld , presence of lucky a t wedd ings ,92
Ch ina dog baked in p ie , 193 , 202 , 390Ch ina , fo lk lore of, 20 1 , 334 , d ivin ifying of ido ls in , 335, lawsu it aga insta god , 339
Ch ipp ingWa rden (Northants , morrisdances of, 3 1 7 , 3 1 8
Ch loros is , cure for , 389Cho lera demon charmed into a jar,352
Chrestien of Troyes , 296 , 300Christ (see a lso Jesus ) , crucifix ion of
,
276 , ca l led Earende l , 290Ch ristian ch i ldren , a l leged sacrifice
of,by the Jews , 276
Christian e lemen t in European fo lklore , 370 , 372
Christian ity in I re land , effect on
Tua tha de Danann l iterature , 42 ,367 , and the Rena issance , 52
Ch ristmas customs , D erbysh ire , 70 ,Russia , 85
Christmas Eve . in re la t ion to witches,2 , were -wolves and ma idens , 9
Ch thon ic de ities , 351 , 354Church moved and rebu i lt , 279Church -tower , morris-dancing on , 3 1 8
Churchyard-games , see Footba l l , a ndGames
Churn ing customs in Donega l , 14 , 18C lass ification of Orendel -ta les , 298C lonmany, and the fish , 1 7C loth ing used in witchcraft, 6 , 7C louds, as ghosts , and mounts for
ghosts, 239C louston , W . A. , Obituary, 94C lown or foo l ca l led Squ ire , ’ of theOxfordsh ire festiva ls , 309 , 3 14 , 3 1 7
Cnapan , a We lsh Ba l l -game , 1 75Cocoanut , part-god of the Koramas,
352
Cobra , the , Ind ian be l iefs concerning,285
Cock of the Woods, or Caperca i l l ie ,ferti l isa t ion of, 375
Cock crowing before midn igh t a badomen , 15
407
Cockchafer, pie , a b lason ’
364Cockey Brown ,”Oxfordsh ire morrisdancers’ song, 3 1 8
Columkil le , and th e fish of C lonmany,I 7
Co lumns of Ingo lf, th e , 1 78Combing the ha ir on Wednesday andSunday, un lucky, 380 , 38 1
Combs to avert witchcraft , 8Comfrey, use of in fo lk-med icine ,
89Coinmunion with the divine by meansof sacr ifice , 46 , 349
Cona l l Cernach , b irth-story, loca le of,
366
Cona l l Ga lban, story classified, 299 ,0 1
CO3IIChObOl‘, b irth-story of, and loca le366
Constant Bi l ly, Oxfordsh ire morr isdancers
’song, 3 1 8 , words and air,
2 1
Coat tr iou t ions to til e Science of Myt lzology , by Prof. F . Max Mu l ler,reviewed , 152 , quoted , 351
Convers ion of S t . Pau l , feast of, inre la tion to witch es , 2
Cord or rope a s means of mysticconnect ion , 343 , Buddh ist r ite , 343
Cords , knotted used by witches , 5, 6,7 , 8
Corinth , worsh ip of Aphrod ite , 264Cork , (Coun ty) fo lk lore of, funera lcustoms , 76 , 1 80 , fo lk-med icine in ,
I 79Corns , cure for , 389Cornwa l l , folk lore of, 72
Corpse , buria l , 368 , burn ing, 369Corpse
-Cand les , in Scot land , 205,modern instances, 2 10 , 240, d ist inctfrom the
‘Dreng, ’ 24 1 , in Wa les,205
Corpus Inscr ip t ionum A tt ica rum
Appendix con t in en s defix ionumtaou las
,ed ited by R . Wrench , re
viewed , 36 1Correspondence , 68 , 1 73 , 279 , 374Cotton tree , sacred , in Dahome
, 353Counci l and officers for 1 897 , 26Couvade , of the Tibareni, 379Cows , shot by fa iries , 15Crawley , hunting r igh ts of, 3 1 1Crimina ls worsh ipped in S ici ly, 199Croesus , 343Cromm Crua ich , I rish idol , 44Crom Dubh , 368Crooke (W i l l iam) , on Doz z ils
,and
408 Index .
the ir Roman ana logies , 75, an I rishfunera l custom , 76 , Tli e
,
N or t lz
w estern P rovinces of India , t/zeir
H istory , E t/znology and Admin is
t ra t ion , rev iewed, 267 , l e
Popu la r Rel ig ion and Fol/elore ofN or t/zern India
,reviewed , 269 ,
The Bind ing of a God a S tudy ofthe Bas is of Ido la try, 325
Cross, pre-ch rist ian , 58 , used in
med icina l fo lk lore , 387 , in witchcraft, 2
Cross-roads , in re lat ion to witchcraft, 3 , 7 , su icides buried a t , 199 ,264, in re la t ion to evil sp irits , 330
Croup , charm aga inst , 390Crucifixion of Christ, a possib le
or igin for, 276, 374Cuchul inn
’s superna tura l b irth , 49 ,
50 , three g ifts , woo ing, 298 , 300 ,
poss ib le so lar or igin , 30 1 , re lationto oth er ta les , 302 , h is t e-birth , 365,loca le of ta le , 366
Cuckoo, in connection with Christ,380
Cuckoo, th e , Oxfordsh ire morrisdancers’ song, 3 1 8Cuckoo
’
s Nest , the , Oxfordsh iremorris-dancers’ song , 3 1 8
Cu l ts of t lze Gr eek S ta tes by L . R .
Farne l l , reviewed , 260 , quoted , 326
Cumberland , the Arthur-ta le , 365Cures, see Med icina l Fo lk lore , a nd
Some Country Remed ies and the irIl ses .
Curses, gipsy, 377 , Greek , writtenbackwards , 36 1
Curtin , J.
,cited , 39 , 298
Cuts , cure for , 389Cybe le , her priests in re lat ion to agri
cu l ture , 1 67Cyclops, in modern Greek fo lk lore ,276
Cynewu lf cited , 290Cyprus, the Keramos prison a t , 350
Dagda , the , 43Dagon, his fa l l , 341Dahome , evoca tio deorum in , 335,gods and worsh ip. 345, 352 , 353
Da l ~Cais , th e , 365Dames
,M . Longworth , Ba loch iTa lcs ,
A legend of Nad ir Shah , 7 7 , Dostenand Sh iren , 79Danae , modern Greek surviva l of ta le ,276
Dances of Mandan Ind ians , 70 , dances
in Ceylon , 8 , D ionysiac, 48 , Fa iry ,33 , 37 , 48 , 50, Horn-dance in
S ta ffordsh ire , 70 , dances Of I ta l ia nwitches , 3 , 8 , morris-dancing in
Oxfordsh ire etc. , 309 , 3 1 2 , 3 14 ,
3 15, 3 1 7 -324Danu , I rish goddess, her race , 40 ,
367Dasent , Sir George , trans lator o f
ta le from Asbjornsen , 347David , King, his sword given to
Orendel , 292
Dawn fata l to flying witches, 3Days, good and bad, for agricul ture ,43 , for comb ing th e h a ir, 380 ,
for d ivinat ion , 85, for marriage , 92 ,for witchcraft, 2 , 3 , 8Dead , Aryan worsh ip of, 368 , rid ingon clouds, 239Dead bod ies , (see a lso Bones) , port ions
of as charms, 4 , 89Dea th more just than God , 275Death and Funera l Customs, (seeCorpse
-Cand les, Ghost ly Ligh ts etc. )African , 1 32-1 37 , 143 , Aryan , 350 ,
368 , 369 , Greek , 350 , Ch inese , 20 1 ,334, 335, F iote ’ Gae l ic)206 , Indian , 33 1 , 334, 347 , I rish ,76 , 1 80
,206 , I ta l ian , 2
,Mexican ,
345, South Amer ican , 350, in New
I re land , 334 , Scotch , 206 , in con
nection with suicides, 1 99 , 264Death and Buria l of the F iote , byR . E . Dennett , 1 32-1 37D eath and resurrect ion , mimic, 264Death -masks, Ind ian 347 , Mex ican ,
345Death -portents, ( see Corpse Cand les ,Ghost Ligh ts, etc. ) 203-2 1 7 , 235,240
' 256a 377 3 383 , 386Debenham, (Mary Charm for theEvi l Eye , 92‘D ecay of the flesh ’
in ch i ldren ,Oh io cure for , 185
Defixiones, see ImprecationsDeer, the , ant lers and head va lued ,3 1 1 , 3 16, sk in lucky, 3 1 1 , an
anima l Of evi l omen , 382
Deer-hunt ing , in Oxfordsh ire a t
Wh itsuntide , 3 10-3 1 2 , 3 1 6
Dei terren i , I rish , see Tuatha de
Danann .
De los , 344Demeter a nd B an/Jo Ver suclz einer
Tlzeor ie der E n tstelzung unsres
Ackerbausfi on Ed. IIahn,reviewed ,
167
4 10 Index .
Duck l ington ,the Wh it-hunt a t , 3 10
3 1 2 , morris-dances of, 3 1 7Du lan , or dool ie , a ghost-l igh t , 206Duncan , Le land L.
, cited on the
fa iries , 39 , The Hob Th rust , 69Dunk in
, J. , cited on th e origin of
the name Lamb A le, 3 1 3Durga-pfijfi, Indian festiva l , 353Durmart le Ga l lo is, fo lk-ta le , 296 ,cla ssified , 299 , 30 1 , 306Dyak custom Of capturing the sou l
of the r ice , ’ 332Ea
, Babylon ian god, 358Eagle , connected with Zeus, 264Ea rende l , Anglo-Saxon name for
Christ, 290 , in re lat ion to Orende l
etc. 29 1 , 30 1
Ea st C leve land Roman road,280
Easter Day ba l l-p laying , 73 , 1 75Ea ster I s land , concea lment of imagesa t . 346
Ecstasy, 48Edda
, the , 30 1
Eeriboia , stepmother of the Aloeidae ,350
Egge ling , J. , cited on a l tar-shapes inInd ia , 326
Egyptian cu lture , its S l igh t influenceon Hebra ic, 1 70 , fo lk lore , 86 , of
marriage , 1 7 7 , ido ls carried about ,337 , jar-ido ls and sacred jar, 353 ,tabu a t temp le of Serap is , 344 ,
th reats to th e gods , 339 , influenceon Happy Oth er-wor ld idea , 369
E lephants , 292E levat ion and Procession of the Ceri
a t Gubb io (Bower ) cited , 346 , 374El idurus , an Indian para l le l to , 200Engl ish l itera ture in re lat ion to fa iryfo lk lore , 29 53 , prom inence Of fa irywor ld in , exp la ined , 50-53nya l ius or Ares , fettered image of in
Sparta , 34 1Eph esus , S iege of, wa l ls l inked totemple by rope , 343
Eph ia l tes , son of A loeus, and Ares,349 , 353
Epi lepsy, cure for, 389Erectheus , sigh t of, drives beho lders
in ad , 344Erys ipe la s , (wi ld fire ) , cures for, 387 ,Eschato logy , 366 , 368 , 369Esk imo fo lk lore
,dea th -portents , 207
Essex, fo lk lore of, 1 77Esthon ia , fo lk lore of, 238E-Turra , Merodach ’s lordsh ip , 358
Ethnology in Folk lore, (Gomme )
cited, 3 1 6Euph em ist ic names for dreaded Greekpowers, 275, and others 285
Even lode r ive r, 3 10Evi l Eye , the (or fa scinat ion ) , in
I re land , 1 6 , charms to avert,
I ta l ian , 8 , Scotch , 92 , Indian , 329Evi l induced by speak ing of it
, 7 1
Evil Sp irits or Demons , (see a lso Fet ish ,
Ghosts and S iva ), repe l led , 328 ,329 , S iva the lord of,
.
330 ’ exorcismor imprisonment of, i n Ind ia , 33 1 ,352 , i n Mexico, 333 , in Babylon ia ,358
,
Evo luti on , 64Exorcism ,
see Evi l spirits .
Eyes of idol marked with lampb lackto res ist fascinat ion , 329 , with ink ,to infuse l ife , 335, omen of the
fa l l ing out of, 34 1Fa ire a Chladh ,
’209
Fa iries , (or Aes S idhe ) , of the Caipigh i l l Kno l ls , 380 , of the b ig Kno l lof Arno l , 38 1 , ca l led‘good peop le ’
285, Jeanne d ’Arc’s d isbe l ief in , 35,of th e S traw Hil locks , 386
Fa iry coa t of darkness , 298 , creed ,32 , Aryan origin of, 45, dwe l l ings ,under water , 200
,food and drink
dangerous to morta ls , 380 , go ld ,Greek proverb , 379 , knol ls . or h i l ls ,380 , 38 1 , 386 , fo lk lore , ant iqu ityof idea
, 32 , Breton , 38 , Engl ish ,causes of its predom inance , 50 53 ,fore ign influences on 38 , 39 , in
Shakespearian l iterature , 33, 45,
53 , Irish?(see Tua tha de D anann )39-42 , agr icu l tura l character of,
47 , modern 42 , Shoot ing cows , 15,origin
, 367 , 368 , W e lsh , 38Fa iry Mytho logy, The , of Engl ishLitera ture its Origin and Nature ,(Pres ident ia l Address) by A . Nutt ,29
Fa l l ing of an image , its portent, 34 1 ,of the eyes of an image , 34 1
Fa l l ing stars , portents of, 203 , 204,
Fam i l iar sp irits , 146Far-trave l led Ta le , (Lang) 302Fa rmer , The , and hisMan
,Yorksh ire
ta le , by S . O . Addy , 395Farne l l , R . L .
, quoted on the deve lopment of I do ls from Mono l iths , 326
Fascinat ion ,a prophylactic ag a inst ,
329
Ifinclexu
Fas t-days in the Hebrides, 38 1Fastern
’
s-e’
en , see Shrove TuesdayFa tes, the , in modern Greek fo lk lore ,275
Fa ther of ma iden in fo lk ta les, 30 1 ,303
Fe rmanagh,cures from , 387 , 388
Ferti l ity, and water , 264Ferti l isat ion of b irds, 375Fet ish , defined , 65, and its or ig in ,
1 39 , instances of its work ing, 1 33 ,1 34, 1 35, 1 36 , 147 , 148 , its uses.
148 , divisions for, suggested , 149 ,influence of fore ign ideas upon ,150 , r isk of undu ly pressing ana
logues , 150, d ifficu lties in the studyof, 149-151 , how evoked from
images , in Dahome, 335
Fetish V iew, The , of the Human Sou l ,by Ma ry H . Kings ley, 1 38
Ffennel l , (M . C . Charms from S iam ,
( i l l . ) 88 , Shears and Manga la Stand,90
Fidd ler, the , of the Wh itsun festiva lsin Oxfordsh ire , 309
F ie ld Assarts, morris-dances of, 3 1 7 ,and songs , 3 1 8
F igh ts in Wychwood forest on Wh ithunt Day , 3 1 2
Fig-tree sacred , ( Ind ia ) a pr ison for agod , 332 , 348
F igu res of morris-dances , 3 1 8Fingalkn ,
a k ind of Sph inx , 305F inn cycle of ta les , its loca le , 365F inn ish magica l S leep , 305F instock , Wh it-hunt, 3 1 1 , morrisdancing , 3 1 7
F iote , D eath and Buria l of the , byR . E . Denne tt , 1 32
F ire , chariots of, 235, ete rna l , cu lt of,262
,I rish fo lk lore of, 14, sacred ,
54, 329 , in re la tion to Gae l icDeath -ceremon ies, 206, in re lat ionto witchcraft, 220 , to th e J inns ,22 1 , seen or dreamed of, a porten tof misch ief ( see Ghost Ligh ts ) , 2 19 ,245, decoy fires, see J inns, and
W i l l -o’-th e-W isp.
F irstborn , lucky if a g ir l , un lucky if aboy , 1 95
F ish , and fish ermen , folk lore , I r ish ,
14 , 1 6 , 1 7 , We lsh , 28 1 , incident inOrende l , 292
Fjolsvinnsmal , I ce landic poem, 302
F l ies in connect ion with Scawby feast ,365Folk and Hero ta les from Argyl l
ii i i
Sh ire , (J. MacDouga l l , ) cited ,297
Folk lore F irstfruits from Lesbos, someerrata in , by W . II . D . Rouse , 1 76
Fo lk lore from th e Hebrides, byMa lco lm MacPha il , 380
Fo lk lore para l le ls and co incidences ,by M . J . Wa lhouse , 1 96
Fo lk lore , importance of studying, forgovern ing Africa , 1 38 , in re lationto government , 268
Fo lk-med icine in County Cork , byKa te Lawless Pyne , 1 79
Fo lk-med icine in Oh io , by Mrs. G .
A . Stanberry, 1 85Fo lkta le themes
Bewitch ed Prince , 306Blessing of dead moth er
, 302
C loggy water, 29 1 , 294 , 297 , 300Coa t of darkness , 298D e l iverance of oppressed lady,
Froz en sea , vers ion of Hindrancetheme , 297
G ifts, the th ree , 298 , 302Guard ians of abode of the
quested object, 303Ha lving of ga ins , 296He lperS , 292 , 294 , 297 ) 298 5 300 ,
H indrances,297 , 300
Ho ly coa t of Treves, 289Imprisonment of sp irits in trees. e tc. , 348
King’s son seek ing fa irest princess on earth , 289 , 296 , or
winn ing pr incess unknown to
him,298
Magic drink ing-horn , horse ,
purse , sh ip and tab le-cloth ,302
Oversea Princess, (see King’sson ) , 306
Q uest-theme variants ; for princess , and her winn ing byadventurer, 293, 298 , 299 ,
300 , in re lat ion to oth erth emes , 30 1 , 302 , for va luab leth ings crowned by securingprincess, 298 , 299 , shape
sh ifting , 305Snow-wh ite ,blood-red , 299Step-mother or other enemy,ma l ignant comm ission from ,
299 , 303Test of h ero by tasks , ba tt les e tc,
292 ; 303, 305
4 1 2 I ndex .
Tra nsformed substances , ( stones Furies , the , 275into peas , etc. ) 379 Fursa , and the D ragon , 236
Voyage and return ta les, 293Voyage in search of unknownqueen , 299
W inn ing of bride aga inst fa ther’swish , 303
W inn ing princess unknown to
adventurer a t outset, (a ) as
accidenta l to search for otherth ings, 298 (o) as so le Objectof exped ition , 299 , 300 , 302
Youngest son ’
s adventures , 293Folkta le themes, d ifficu lty of decid ing
on identity or resemb lance of common p lots , 294
FOlkta le , A , from Kumaon, by Pand itBhagwan Das Sarma , 1 8 1
Food, fo lk lore of, I rish , 15, Scotch ,
385F001 of Oxfordsh ire festiva ls , see
C lown , Squ ireFootba l l in Scot land , days and p lacesfor, 74Forego, ’ a portent , 2 13 , 2 1 7Forest Feath ers , ’ of Oxfordsh irefestiva ls, 3 14
Forest r ights, of Oxfordsh ire p laces ,see Wh it-hunt .
Formu lae for god-compu ls ion , 96 171 11
dvdy ica t , 339 ,Fornaldar Sogut (Rafn ) , quoted , on
Hjélmter, 304Four Yorksh ire Fo lkta les, by S . O.
Addy, 393Fox-tongue pou ltice , as cure for thornin finger, 387Foxy
’
s fire ,’235
France , fo lk lore of, ( see Arc, Joanof) , fa iries , 35, charms, 98 , rope
makers in Brittany, 1 60,
‘sou le , ’
ba l l-game in Brittany, 1 75, dracs ,237 , romance ofDurmart le Ga l lois ,296 , Basque be l ief in three w itchwaves , 339 , devi l-imprisonmentta les , 348 , blasons in Franch e
Comté , 364, the Arthur ta les inBrittany , 365,
Fraz er, (James on trees wither
ing when over looked by hungryowner , 1 1 , P lough Monday, 1 84
Freya , para l le l , in Bride , 29 1 , and
Gerd , compared with Tochmarc
Emer,etc.
, 30 1
Friday. last in the year, as marriageday in Scotland , 92
Fro, German idol , carried about, 337
Gae l ic romance in re la tion to Ice
landic and Dutch , 306
Games, ba l l-p laying , (see Ba l l a nd
Footba l l ) , Cornish Hurl ing, 73 ,
ba l l-p laying on Ascens ion Day ,1 75, on Ch ristmas Day , 73, 74 , onCorpus Christ i , 1 75, a t Eas ter 73 ,1 75, on New Year
’
s Day , 74 , on
S t . Crisp in’s Day , 75, 1 73 , on
Shrove Tuesday, 72 , 1 75, on
Pastern ’
s e’
en, 74 , on Sunday, 72 ,73 , on Q uinquagesima Monday
,
73 , Cabsow , 73 , Hood game 72 ,1 73, She Kyles, or N inep ins, 74 ,Sou le , 1 75Ganas , 328Garigadevara , Canarese pot-goddess ,352
Garlz
g
nd, Mayday, in Oxfordshi re,
30
Gfiya tri, the most sacred Mantra ,330
Ge lert , the fa ithfu l hound , para l le lta le , 1 16Germany, fo lk lore of, (see S i lesia ) Barbarossa
’
s S leep , 1 97 , fa iry lore ak into I rish , 45, ido ls carried about in
,
337 , Rapunz e l ta le , 299, PassionP lay, the , 370 , 372
Getae , menace the ir gods, 339Ghanta-ka ran , Dravid ian jar-god,353
Ghfiz i Miyéin , procession of, in NorthIndia , 337host Ligh ts of the West High lands
,
by R. C . Maclagan , 203Ghost Ligh ts , as death portents , 205,207 , 220 (and see be low ) , poss ibleorigin , 206 , 209 , associa ted withbridges , 209, 2 16, forete l l drowning , sh ipwreck , etc. , 2 1 1
-2 16 , 382
383 , 385, associated with the devil2 18 , portend loss of power in partsof the body, 2 19Ghosts , offerings to , 264 , boggards ,377 , Ind ian , exorcism of, 33 1 ,with and without shrines , 33 1 ,dwe l l ings for, 334, laying of, and
imprisonment , 347 , 353G iant Wade and his wife
,279
G i ant,h ired aga inst Orende l 292 ,
he lpers in Wh ite-bearded Scolog ,298 , riddles asked by, 302 , Yspaddaden Pencawr, 303
4 14 Index .
an ima l , in re lat ion to witchcraft,I 7 , 1 8
Ham let ’s father , see Horvendil lus ,Hammer , the , of G iant Wade
,280
I l andsome John ,
”Oxfordsh ire
morris-dancers ’ song , 3 1 8 , words ,324Happy-Otherwor ld idea , I rish , 368 ,influence of m igrat ion on , 369‘Harb Sanctuary, ’ ( red Centaury) ,as a stomach ic, 388
I-Iardy , (Thomas ) , le tter on the
reason of the w ithering of trees,I I
Hare , the , in re lat ion to witches, 1 7 ,375
,Hare l ip , 15Harrison , (Miss Jane ) , on N ikeApteros , 342
Hart land , (E . S idney) , Supernatura lChange of S ite , 1 7 7 , quoted on
devi l-b ind ing , 348Harvest customs in Suffo lk , 75Hasan of Bassorah , 267“ Hay
-morris ,” Oxfordsh ire morrisdancers ’ song , 3 18Haz e l , ingred ient in hydrophob iacure , 387Hearts of stone e tc. for images , 333Heather a s ingred ient in a cough
cure 388
Hebrides , the , folk lore from , 380
Hebrew Fo lk lore ( see I srae l ites , Jews ,a nd Sem it ic)
Hebrew Idola try a nd Superst ition :
i ts P lace in Folklor e, by E lfordHiggens , reviewed , 1 7 1
Hebrew Inst itutions and th e irorigins , 1 70
Heint z el , D r. R .
, referred to on
Orende l , 289 , 29 1
Hekate , 263 , in re lat ion to cross
roads, 264He l l , sp iders in , 377He l las , see Greece .
He l lenes , preh istoric giants , and
the ir works , 274Hem lock as cure for gidd iness , 387Hens , crowing of, a bad omen , 15I l eno th eism , 168
Hepha istos , a nd Ares , 351H era , 263 , her peacock , 264 , her
stolen image , 338 , and D ione ,349
Herak les , and the snake s , etc. 274,275, h is a ltar a t Tyre , 343Herbs , used in witchcraft , unwashed ,
7 , med icina l , see Med icina l fo lkloreHermes , characteristics of, 156 , Kriophoros , 264 , frees Ares , 350He ro-ta les of I re land by J . Curtin ,
cited , 298
Herodiade , 8
Herodotus , cited on the ido ls a t
tEgina , 336 , and Papremis , 337 ,on th e god
-th rea tening of the
Getae, 339 , on the daughter ofMycer inus, and her image , 354, onthe Siege of Ephesus , 343Hero ic cycles , I rish , 367Hr. Tonne , ta le class ified , 299Herse , fate of
, 344Hertz og Ernst, ed . by Kar l Bartsch ,cited , 294Hervor, Hunding
’
s daughter, 304,305Hesiod , on th e length of the year,354Hibbert Lectures, (Rhys) on sun
-
godstories, 30 1 , on Kulhwch , 303Hiero , sta tue , eyes fa l l ing from , 34 1
Higher criticism and th eology, 55,
1 70
High land Mary, Oxfordsh ire mor
ris-dancers ’ song , 3 1 8 , words , 324Hil ls, appropria ted to clans in Scotland , 208 , of the fa iries , 22 1 , 236 ,
380 , 38 1
Hindu ism , its compos ite cha racterand para l le l , 269 , p resent vita l ityand importance , 270 , ear ly ritua lconsidered in re la tion to ido ls , 327 ,modern , 329 , 33 1 , sacred ja r in
,
352 , 353Hippe , Max. Ci ted on S i r Amadas ,296
Histo ire l ittéra ire de la France , parGaston Paris , cited , 299
History of Biceste r, by J . Dunk in ,
cited , on Lamb A le ,’
3 13 , ofBurford ,by W . J . Monk , cited on Forestrights , 3 10, of W itney, by W . J .Monk , cited on the Wh it-hunt
,
3 1 2
History , The , of S indban and the
Seven W ise Masters , trans lated byHermann Go l lancz , 99
IIjalm ter’s Rimur
, its date e tc., 303 ,
306
Hjalmte r’s Saga , and para l le ls , class i
hed , 299 , 300 , date uncerta in , 303 ,ana logues, 304, deta i ls , 305Hobby horse , the , a t Padstow, 7 1
Index .
Hob thirst or Hob-Thrust , th e , 68Hoho-z en ,
twin pots in B0 worsh ip,353
Ho lger the Dane , h is charmed s leep ,I 97Ho lne fest iva l s im i lar to those in
Oxfordsh ire , 3 16Ho ly Coa t of Treves , in Orendel
ta le, 289 , 298Ho ly meda ls bafll ed, 7Ho ly Sepu lchre , and its queen , 29 1
Ho ly spots how consecrated, 325HolyWeek , I ta l ian witch es power lessduring
, 8 , Observance in th e Abruz z i ,by Anton io de N ino , 374Homer quoted , on r isk bf beho ld ingth e gods, 344 , on urn buria l 350 ,on the impr isonment of Ares, 349 ,351 , 354 , on length of th e Greek
year,.354
Homeri c ta les , para l le ls in modernGreek fo lk lore , 276Honey, a myst ic substance , 275, 329 ,357Hood Game , The , a t Haxey, Linco lnsh ire , by Mabe l Peacock , 72 , by J .M . Mack in lay, 1 73
Hord th e swineh erd , a h e lper , ’305Hornbi l l , fo lk lore of
, 90
Horn-dance in Staffordsh ire , ana
logues and suggested exp lana tion ,by Mabe l Peacock , 70Horns , ( see Ant lers) to avert witch
craft, 8Horse , buria l of the dead , a t sea , 28 1 ,of the buried k ing , 253, connectedwith Aphrod ite , 264, sacrifice , a
suggest ion , 7 1
Horse-shoes used to avert witchcraft ,8 , I 8
Horvendil lus , fa ther of Ham le t ,ana logy with Orendel , 290
House leek , cure for sore eyes, 388Hrungnir, with the stone heart , 333Humerus of a pr iest in witchcraft, 4 ,Hunchbacks in re lation to W itchcraft ,2, 3
Hu-ncl ing , 304, 305Hungary
,folk lore Of, fa l l ing stars ,
203Hungry ga z er injur ious to p lantat ions,
1 1
Hun ting-righ ts in the ne ighbourhoodofWychwood Forest , 3 10 , 3 1 2Huntsman , Black , of Dartmoor,1 96
4 1 5
Huon of Bordeaux ta le , 37 , 38 , inre la tion to Orendel , 299Hur lers, the
,
’ D ru idic stones in
Cornwa l l , 73Hur l ing in Cornwa l l , 72Hydra
,three-headed, a , 275
Hydria,Egypt ian sacred water-jar ,
353Hydrophob ia , cures for , 387Hymns , in Babylon ian r itua l , 357 ,358 , in Ind ian ritua l
, 328
Ice land , fo lk lore of, ( see Snorri) 1 78 ,
199 , 290 , 30 1 , 302 , 303 , in re lationto Gae l ic and Dutch 306Ido la try , the underlying princip les of,325I do ls ( see Binding of a God , Cha ined
Images ) Binding of,
340 , 34 1 , 342 , Deve lopment of, 325,
326 , 349 , Ido l and de ity, iden t ityof
,how induced , 327 , 334, how
desecrated , 335, powers of vo l itionand motion conferred by ident ity,335, 336 , 337 , I do l-mak ing
,in
Ch ina , 335, in India , ear ly, 327329 ) 332 ) modern
s in
Mex ico, 333 , worsh ip in Ceylon ,
337 , in Dahome, Greece , Ind ia ,
Egypt. ,
Germany, 335, 336, 337 ,ch inks i n pedesta ls to be closedand why , 328 , deciding the ir p laceof abode , 336 , 338 , fa l l ing , ma imed
,
and deformed , 34 1 , lent , instances ,337 , most va luab le when sto len ,
355, once set up not to be moved,
338 , Shown once a year, 354, or a t
sta ted interva ls, 355
I l iad , th e , (see Homer ) 327 , 344, 349 ,350 ) 351 , 354Image du Monde , Ci ted , 29 1Image -daub ing , agr icu ltura l ritua l ,262
Images a s dwe l l ing for sou ls of the
dead , 334 , carried in process ions ,333 , under lying idea
, 337 , 355,concea led or imprisoned , 344 355Immorta ls wronged by men
, 349Impreca tions, Attic, 36 1Inan imate obj ects cursed , 362Incantations , (see Ritua l ) , ofwitches ,2 -9 , to Merodach for h ea lth
, 357 ,to d is lodge an evi l sp irit, 358 ,d ifference between European and
Babylon ian , 358India (see Binding of a God ; Brahma ; Brahmans ; Buddha ; Budd
4 1 6 I ndex .
h ism Ceylon Crooke , W i l l iamD ravidian Gods under names ;Hinduism ; Jars ; Jataka ; KathaS arit Sagara ; Mantras ; Ma tsyaPurzi na ; Pantcha tan tra ; Ritua l ;Vedas , Aryan invasion of,268 , Ba loch i Ta les , 7 7 , 79 , Buddhaghosha , 259 , Bhutas , 198 ,Bombay , modern ritua l of godmak ing in , 329 , Caste , 16 1 , Dea thand funera l customs , 33 1 , 334 ,
347 , D evil-worsh ip in , 200 , D is
ease person ified in , 200 , Exor
Cism , 33 1 , 332 , 353 , Fo lkta lefrom Kumaon , 1 8 1 , Gob l ins in ,
200 , I do l r itua l of, early, 326 ,327 , modern , 329 , I do lprocessions in
, 337 , Marriage cus
toms, 269 , North Western P ro
vinces, History , Ethno logy, Adm in istrat ion , 267 , Popu la r Re l igion and Fo lk lore of North ern ,
269 ; Sacred stones , 345, 284,sacred trees and p lants , 330 , 332 ,345, 348 , 352 , Sacrifice , human ,
traces of, 334, sacrifice,modern ,
352 , Scyth ian invas ion ,268 , 285,
Snake-stones , 284, S raddha rite ,335, Sun-god, 328
India iscbe Snuaa i? von der Nord
pacifiscfien Ku ste Amer ié as , von
Prof. Franz Boas , reviewed , 59Indridi , presumed author of Hja lmter’s Rimur
, 303Indwe l l ing of de ity in ido ls , 326 ,Indian method of securing , 327 ,ritua l for , 327 , 329 , 33 1 , Mexican ,
333 , Norse , 333 , Ch inese , 335,Dahomeyan means of desecrating,335, methods of rendering per
manent, 338 , 355, me thodsof extend ing influence , 343 , 344Infant stone-hurler
,280
Ingolf’
s columns, 1 78Inh eritance , laws of in West Africa ,
164In itiation of witches, 2Ink , used as a Sp irit-compe l ler, 335I n troduction to t lze H istory of Re
l igion , by F . B . Jevons , reviewed ,63 , referred to , 338
I nvention of the Cross, legend inOrende l , 290
Iph igenia , Sigh t of her image dea l ingmadness , 344I ran, see Pers iaI re land ; (see Agricultura l e lement ;
Anna ls ; Ce lt ic ; D innshenchas ,etc. ) Brian , Head K ing , of
, 365,Buria l superstit ions of Co . Cork ,
1 80 , Ca ts , I rish view of, 387 ,Ch ristian ity, its e ffects, 42 , 52 ,
367 , Conna l Cernach , 366 , Con
na l l C ulhan , 299 , 30 1 , Conchobor,366, Cromm Crua ich , ido l , 44 ,Crom Dubh , 368 , Cuchul inn , 49 ,
50 ,298 , 300 , 30 1 , 302 , 365, Dagda ,
the , 43 , Da l Ca is , clan , 365, Danu ,
the goddess , 40 , 367 , Dea th and
Funera l customs and fo lk lore , 76 ,1 80 , 206 , D ruids in I re land , 298
366, Fa iry fo lk lore of, 15, 29 , compared withWe lsh , 38 , with Engl ish ,
39 53 , with German , 45, and Greek ,
36 , 46 , 367 , 368 , F ish-lore , 1 4 , 1 6 ,1 7 , Happy Otherwor ld be l ief, 368 ,369 , Heroic cycles , 367 , Mae lduin
’
s
Voyage , 267 , Mag S lech t , sacrificia lr ites of, 44 , 367 , Medicina l fo lklore , 15, I6 , 1 79 , 386 , 390 , Mon
gan , 49 , 50 , 365, Neevougi , ido l ,355, Nuad of the S i lver Hand
, 34 1 ,Re-b irth idea , 49 , 365, 366, 368 ,Second-s igh t , 1 3 , Shape
-Sh ifting ,of fa iries , etc. , 47 , 49 , 50 , Tua tha
de Danann , 29 , 40 , 4 1 , 42 , 43.
44 , 46, 366 , 367 , Weather, 14 ,W itch es , I 6 , 1 7I ron , in imica l to witches , 8 , 1 8Ise , the fish erman , in Orende l , 292 ,297 , in German poem of S t .
Oswa ld , 294I sis , images of carried about , 337 ,Myste ries of, 340, a surviva l Of he rworsh ip , 86
I sle of Man ,death and marriage
portents of, 207 , 208 , ghosts , 239I srae l ites, the ark of, 34 1 , its tabu ,344I ta ly, folk lore of, changes in the
length Of the year, 354 , crimina lsworsh ipped in S ici ly, 199 , Nea
pol itan w itchcraft , I , 97 , sco lding of the bamb ino, 339 , strawgob l in in , 87 , Holy Week oh
servance in the Abruz z i , 374 ,Sa int Uba ldo , 346 , great m igrationto about 2000 B . C . , 369
Ivy , berries cure for aches and pa ins ,388 , leaves, hot, for sca lds , 388
Jack-in-the-Green , 308
Jacka l , the , as K ing, 16 1Jacob , H . F . , Largus in Suff olk , 75
Yi I fS thaclexa
Korwas , the , of N . \V. Ind ia , mar
riage among , 269Krishna , h is bones in the image of
Jaggannzi th , 334, his ido l catrie labout , 337 , once a year , 355
Kulhwch and O lwen , ta le c lass ified299 , para l le l to Orende l etc. , 307 ,considered as a sola r ta le , 30 1 , inre la t ion to oth er ta les , 302 , 304,out l ine of story , 303 , de ta i ls, 305,
Kumaun , Kzi l i imprisoned a t , 346
Kumbat tfil , Tam i l pot-goddess , 352Kumbhamatfi, Sanskrit name for a
pot-goddess , 353
Kumbha-yoni , or Kumbha-janma ,
th e jar-born , 352
Kurumbas , the , of Madras, concea lmen t of the ir ido l, 345
Kylonian refugees and th e ir corda l ta r-contact , 343Lacedaemon ians , see SpartansLa irg, Pl ich ting-stane , 399Lamb , in Wh itsuntide festiva ls , 3 1 3,
ea ten , 3 1 5, ghost ly, 2 19Lamb Ale , festiva l Observances , inOxfordsh ire , 307 , 3 1 3-3 15, a SouthIndian para l le l , 3 1 6
Lamia , the , in modern Greek fo lklore , 275Lammas Day , 3 1 3Lampb lack , a s prophylactic aga instfascinat ion , 329Lanca sh ire fo lk lore ; Chr ist and th e
stone -soup , 379 , Chr ist and the
cuckoo , 380 , cure for weakstomach , 388
Lance lot’s love for Gu inevere , a latetheme in th e ta le , 300
Lang , (Andrew) , Introduct ion to
Austra l ian Legenda ry Ta les (byMrs. K . Langloh Parker) , re
vi ewed , 56 , III/t r ad es of Madame
S a in t Ka t/zer ine of F ieroois , re
vi ewed , 372Largus
’
or la rgesse in Suffo lk , byH . F . Jacob , 75
Larni inie W . ,variant of Sir Amadas ,
296
Lear group of ta les , wide influenceot 365
Lég endes et Cur iosite’
s des .fl/Jt iers ,
pa r Pau l Séb il lo t , reviewed , 1 58
Le land , (C . G . Ma rks on ancien tMonuments , 86 The Straw Gobl in , 8 7 .
Levant , folk lore of,1 99 , 264
Lewin , Capt . , on a Buddh istic co rd
r ite , 343Liba t ions, 329Lid-covered gods , 346Life
,in re la tion to sacrifice , early
conception , 47Life-token in modern Greek folk lore ,275Ligh t and heat in connect ion withl ife
,204, and death 208
Ligh tn ing , a ta l isman aga inst , 9 1 ,god of, imprisoned in New Guinea349Lil ith ’s daugh ters , 109Lime (uns laked ) , and sweet Oil fore rysipe las , 389Limerick , 296
Lincolnsh ire fo lk lore the Hob th irst ,68 , 69 , th e hood-game , 72 , or‘cabsow
’ game, 73 , Scawby fly
p ies, 365, omens of death , 377Lingam of Mahfideva Rfivaneswara ,Engl ish and G reek pa ra l le ls , 338Liquorice root , as cure for weakstomach , 388
Lismore , cure for hydrophob ia , 387Lithuan ian prim itive cu lture , 369Londonde rry , cure from , 389Lord , Lady and Ma id of May
-dayfest iva l (Oxfordsh ire ) , 308 , of LambAl e
, 3 13 , 3 14 , 3 15Lots , rods used as , 360
Lotus , Brahma spru ng from the ,
328
Lough Swilly , deserted by the h er
rings , 16Love -charms , I ta l ian , 4
-7Love theme in fa iry lore , 33 , 37 , 4 1 ,49Lucian ,
on the wandering ido l of
D eme trios , 336Luck , in Cakes , 3 10 , 3 15, in deer, 3 1 1 ,
3 16 , and lamb of Oxfordsh ire sea
sona l festiva ls , 3 16Lucky and un lucky days and deeds ,
Lybeaus D esconus, or Guinglain ta lc,299
M. , W . P. ,
‘Tommy on the Tub’sGrave , ’ 1 76Maass E . ,
quoted , 367Mabinogion
, quoted on Ku lhwch .
303acDougall J. , Ci ted on Druid ic mi st ,
McGovern of G lans , h is cure for
hydrophob ia , 38 7MacIain D ireach para l le l to Orende l ,295, 299 , and other ta les , 304 , 305,
30
Mack in lay, (J . M . The Hood Game
a t Haxey , 1 73Maclagan , (R. C . Ghost Ligh ts of
the West High lands , 203MacPha il , Ma lco lm, Fo lk lore fromth e Hebrides . II . , 380
Maces used in Oxfordsh ire fest iva ls ,
Madras , concea led gods of, 345, 352Maenads , ecstasy of, 48Mag S lech t , agricu ltura l rites of, 44,
367Magic as opposed to re l igion , 63 , 338
Magic, sympa thetic and m imet ic, 65Magica l app l iances , of Babylon ianexorcist , 357 , of Ind ian exorcist ,33 1 , 332 , of Neapo l itan witch , 3-8 ,of F iote Nga nga , 1 36 , 146 , comb ,an obstacle to pursu it , 267 , gifts ,292 , 298 , 302 , sough t for , 298 ,wand
,an Ind ian form of, 329
Magnet , used in witchcraft , 7Magnussen , F inn , Yggdra sil l , 360
Mahadeva Ravaneswa ra , Lingam Of,
and para l le ls , 338Ma id of the Mil l , Oxfordsh iremorri s-dancers’ song , 3 1 8 , wordsand a ir , 322
Ma ids of the daugh ter of Mycerinus,
the ir h and less statues , 34 1Man
, I s le of, see I s le ofMan
Manadh s or death -warn ings , 203 ,205, 2 1 3 , and W i l l 0
’th e W isp ,
2 15, 22 1 , 240 , 24 1 , deer as , 383Manchuria , Ma rriage custom in , 1 77Mandan buffa lo dancers , 7 1Mandevil le , S ir John ,
true characterof h is book , 36 1
Mann ing (Pe rcy ) Some Oxfordsh ireSeasona l Festiva ls , with notes on
morr is-dancing in Oxfordsh ire , 307Man t ine ia , temp le of Kora a t , its
ve i led image , 344Mantras , (Spe l ls or charms ) 327 , howemp loyed . 328 , 330 , 348
Manu, the fish
-progen itor Of V ishnu ,
352Maor i Ta les and Legends , col lected
a nd re t old by Ka te McCosk Cla rk,reviewed , 1 65Marks on Ancient Monuments, byC . G . Le land , 86
2 E 2
4 1 9
Mars , see AresMarsh and water-sp irits, (see Dreng ,W i l l-O’-the-W isp etc. ) of equ ineform
, 7 1 , 383Marriage , charms for, in Oxfordsh ire ,3 1 1 , customs and rites , (see Hera ,
Swan-ma iden , Wedd ing-ring) Babylonian , 85, by capture , 84 , 363 ,D rev lyan , 84 , Hebrew, 84, Ind ian ,
of the Korwa s , 269 , Manchur ian ,
1 77 , Pa lestin ian , 1 76 , Scotch , 92 ,399 , S lavon ic, 84, 86 , Staffordsh ire ,9 1 , We lsh , 363 , connected withwater , 84 , 1 76 , lucky and un luckydays for, 92 , 38 1 , presence ofmarried peop le un lucky a t wed
d ings , 9 1 , of a ch i ld lucky, 92Marriage Superst itions by E. S .
Hart land , 92Masks , Of Mandan buffa lo-dancers ,7 1 Mex ican , for idols , 345, Ind iandea th -masks , 347Mass
, th e , profaned by I ta l ianwitches , 2 , 4Ma thura , ido l“ a t ,‘ 336Ma triarchy, (see Amaz on ,
Artem is ,Mother-righ t , ) : in -Africa , 164among th e Aryans , 368 , 37 1 , eastaside by the Ce lts, 369 , cause ofits rej ection
, 372
Matsya Burzi na, the , quoted on ido l
r itua l , its da te e tc. , 327May
-Day and May-t ide , in re lat ion
to I rish witches , 1 7 , Observances ,70 , the Hobby Horse , 7 1 , Oxfordsh ire fest iva l Observances a t , 307May Eve , Manx superstitions , 207May
-po le , a t Duck l ington , 3 1 2
Meas les , treatment for , 387 , 382Measurement , remedy for d iseases , 1 85Medea ’s fa ther , see IEe tesMedicina l fo lk lore , Afr ican , 1 34 ,American , 1 85, I rish , 1 5, 1 6 , 1 79 ,
386-390 , I ta l ian , (W itch -dances ) 8M edicine -bag Of the North Amer ican Ind ians , its conten ts , 346Med iterranean Sea , connected withAphrod ite , 264Me lanesia , no totems in , 153, temp letabu a t Tah iti , 344Me lan ippus, image of, lent to K le isthemes , 337Meleagraunce , see Melwas
Me lusina , and th e snake stones of
South ern India , 285Melwas , and th e rescue of Gu inevere ,300
420 I ndex .
Members e lected to the Fo lk-LoreSociety, 10 , 1 3 1 , 193 , 20 1 ,resigned , Io , 1 8 , death of, 97 , 194,20 1
Memph is , tabu of Serap is temp le a t ,
344Men wronging Immorta ls, 349Meng lad , (see Svipdag ) 302Menotheism defined , 168
Mercian , a h ea then k ing, 292M e riah , the , 67Mer l in , 49 , 50Merma id , the , 384, 385, an omen of
drown ing, 385Merodach , incantat ions to, 357 , 358Metamorphosis , 366, 369Metempsychosis, in I re land , (see Rebirth ) 366
Me teoro logica l fo lk lore , see Aegis ,a nd Ghost ly Ligh tsMe teors, see Dragons, and Fa l l ingStarsMetis, 262Mex ico, ido l-mak ing in, 333, ido limprisonmen t in , 345Meyer , Kuno , quoted on the Wooing
of Emer, 298
Midday and m idnigh t in re lat ion to
witches, 3 , 5Midsummer
’
s N igh t’s Dream, A , 3 137 , 5°
Migration of ta les among the Red
Races of Amer ica , 59Migra t ion of races and its effect, 369Mil , sons of, 43Milk
, fresh , as treatment for meas les ,389Mim ic death and resurrection in
Greek cu lts, 264Minster Love l , morris-dancing a t ,
3 19Miracles, Tbe, of Madame Sa in t
Ka t/zer ine of F ierbois , transla ted
by Andrew Lang , reviewed , 372Mirror used in magic, 2 , used to
repe l evil Sp irits , 330Misce l lanea , 77 , 1 79 , 28 1 , 379Mist le toe ' bough , customs connectedwith
,in D erbysh ire , 70
MOckrkfilfi,image with mare
’s heart ,
333Mo i rans , th e
‘s imp le fo lk of, 364
Mo l l o’the Whad ,
”Oxfordsh ire
morris-dancers’ song, 3 1 8Mo loch , tabernacle Of, 337Mona , I s le of
,197
Monaghan , cure for scar lat ina , 390
Mongan , 49 , 50, para l le ls and nameequa t ion , 365Monk , W . J . cited on forest r ights
a t Burford , 3 10 , and on the Wh ithunu 3 1 2
Monothe ism defined , 1 68Moon , the , in connection with Athena ,262
,in connection with Jaggannfith ,
334More Staffordsh ire Superst it ions , byMiss C . S . Burne , 9 1Morris ,W i l l iam , his poetica l in terpreta t ion of Rapunz e l ’ 299Morris-dancing in Oxfordsh ire , 307 ,309 , 3 1 2 , 3 14, 3 15, loca le , dressand number of dancers , 3 1 7 , stepsand songs 3 1 8 , organ isa tion , com
petit ion and music, 3 19 , songsnames of, 3 18 , words and a irs , 320323 , words on ly 324Morte d
’
Arthur, (Ma lory’s version)
quoted on Lance lot’s love for
Gu inevere, 300
Mother-r igh t ( see Amaz ons, Artem is ,Matriarchy) , in West Africa , 164
Mouse connected with Apo l lo, 264Mrityunjaya , (S iva ) covered with a
lidg 346 , 347
ud-remedy for wasp-stings, 389ulgrave Cast le , and its bui lders ,280
Mul ler, (Rt . Hon. Prof. F . Max , )quoted , on the impr isonment of
Ares, 351Mumps, cure for, 15, 16Mus ic and words of the dead Horse
chari ty, 282 ; of the Oxfordsh iremorris-d ancers’ songs , 320Mus ica l instruments of the Oxfordsh ire morris-dancers, 309 , 3 14 , 3 19 ,320
Mycaenean civi l isation, 278Mycerinus , his daugh ter, 34 1 , herhe ifer-image Shown annua l ly
, 354Myrt le , a growing p lant of, as a ta l isman aga inst thunder and l igh tn ing ,9 1
Myth d ist ingu ished from story, 1 69Mytho logy, deve lopmen t of, 50 , 169Mytlzs , T/te , of Me N ew Wor ld : A
tr ea tise on t/ze Symbo‘l ism and
IlIy t/tology of t/ze Red Ra ce ofAmer ica , by D r. Dan ie l G . Brinton ,reviewed , 57
Nad ir Shah , a Legend of,by M .
Longworth Dames , 77
42 2
Yorksh ire fo lkta le , by S . O . Addy,393Old Road , The, Oxfordsh iremorris-dancers’ song , 3 18
Olver , friend ofHjalm t er , 305O lympia , W ingless N ike in , 342O lwen , (see Kulhwch ) 302 , 303Om D ig tningen pan I s land i de t 15
0g 1 6 Aarhundrede,by D r. Jon
Thorkelsson, cited , 304
Omens or Portents , good and bad , ( seeGhost ly Ligh ts ) , 14 , 1 5, 203 , 207 ,2
2
1
33 , 2 1 7. 235. 34 1 . 37 7 . 382 , 383 ,
3 SOn ion-pou lt ice for sore th roa t , 388Onomacritos, 367Oppert , D r. G .
,on pot
-goddess , and
sacrifice , 352Ora l transm iss ion of witch -lore , 9Orange l i ly-root poul t ice for axi l larytumours , 389
Orph icism 367Grende l , da te and themes of ta le ,289 , ana logues of the name , 290 ,
d ifferen t views of design of ta le ,290 , 293 , resemb lances to Odyssey,29 1 , 293 , 294 , ma in incidents , 29 1 ,293 , use of common p lot , 293 , 295,para l l e l ta les , 293 , 300 ,
class ified,298
-
307 , sequence of events in th istype of ta le , 300
Origina l inh ab itants of Bhara tavarsa ,by D r. G . Oppert , quoted, 352
Or igin es [uda icaa An Inqu iry in to
Hea t/zen F a itlt s a s af ect ing t lze
B ir tlz a nd Grow t lz of juda ism ,
by Dr . W . F . Cobb , revi ewed ,168
Orth ia Lygodesma,h er image , 342
Orvendil l , husband of Groa , h is
adventures , and transformation , 290 ,
293Orvendi ls Ta, 290
Os iris, 340 , a ch thon ic de ity, 351 ,and Se t , 354
Ossian ,quoted , 204, 239 , 240
Otos , son of A loeus , in connect ionwith Ares , 349 , 353
Ongel , King of Trie r, 29 1 , 293Ouran ia
, see Aph rod ite‘Out -side Powers ’
, the , in modern
G reek fo lk lore , 2 75Oxfordsh ire fo lk lore , Seasona l fest iva ls , songs and morris-dancing,307
Owen ,Rev E l ias , quo ted on devil
or ghost-b inding , 348 I'Vels lz Folk
I ndex .
lor e : a Col lect ion of tlze Folk Ta lesand Leg ends of N or tlz IVa les . t e
viewed , 362
P . , M., Q uer ies on p i e
-ChristianBaptisma l r ites , and on As ia t icfest iva ls S im i lar to A l l Sou l ’s Day ,280
Pad lock used in witchcra ft, 7
Pads of be l ls worn by Oxfordsh iremorr is-dancers , 3 1 8
Pagan surviva ls in modern G reekfo lk lore
,275, 276
Pagl iaccio , see S traw Gob l inPa ins in head and neck
, cure for, 389Pa insw ick dog-pie , 1 93 , 202 , 390Pa lest ine , fo lk lore of, 1 76
Pancakes, cooked over m ist letoe ,
(De rbysh ire ) 70Pandemos , see Aph roditePan tcha tantra
, the , 257 , ear l ier thanthe Jé taka , 259 , story in
,27 1 ,
I ta l ian trans la tion reviewed,62 .
Panthe ism ,168
,of I rish re -birth
legends , 366Pantheon , the divine , 329 , inductedinto an ido l , 330
Paper money a t Ch inese funera ls ,20 1
Papers read a t Bri tish Associat ion ,
23Papers read a t even ing meetings , 10
,
1 2,1 8 , I 9 , 24, 97 , 98 , 1 3 1 , 193 .
1 94, 1 95, 20 1 , 202Papremis , ido ls carried about a t , 337Pa ra lys is of the l imbs , a cure for , 387Par is , Gaston , cited on Guingla in ,
299 , on Lance lot , e tc.
, 300 , 306Parrot , th e ta lk ing, 105Pa rtridge , transformat ion of dyingcobra in to , 285
Pa tria rchy, introduction of, 369 , 37 1Pa tr ick , see Sa int Pa trick , 368Pausan ia s, cited on wooden ido ls . 325,
on the ido l of Aphrodite Morpho ,
34 1 . on N ike , Orth ia, 342 , on
temp le -tabu a t Memph is , 344 , on
the impr isonment of Ares , 349 , on
the annua l exposure of ido ls a t
S ikyon. 354Pays de Va nnes , dev i l -bind ing ta le of
,
348
Peacock,Edwa rd
, Sp iders , 377Peacock , the , of Hera , 264Peacock , Mabe l , S ta ffordsh ire Supe rs t it ions , the Hob thirs t , 68 , the
Horn-dance , 70 , the Hood Game
Index .
a t Haxey, Lincolnsh ire , 72 , Omens
of D ea th , 37 7 , quoted on Crimina lworsh ip in S ici ly, 1 99 .
Peah en , ferti l iz a t ion of, 376Pebb les in witchcraft
, 7Peatmoss a s a nt iseptic dressing , 389Pee l ing Horns of Oxfordsh ire Wh itHunt
, 3 1 I
Pe itho , temp le of, and ido ls carriedfrom , 337
Pembrokesh ire , fo lk lore of, 375Pe r
ia Vérappa , br igand and Bhfi ta ,
I 9Pers ia , the Aryan migra t ion to , 369Peruvian storm-myth , 1 76Pe tra rch , and the oversea-princesstheme , 306
Ph i l ist ines, fa l l of the ir god Dagon ,
34 I
Ph i lo Judaeus , 340Ph i lo logica l method of so lving myth ,
1 53-1 56Ph i losoph ic though t, causes of its
p rogress ive deve lopment suggested ,
2 77Ph ipps , Col . cited on Jagganfith , 333Ph th isic, American cure for , 1 87Phys ique and appearance of Donega lpea santry, 1 2 , 1 3 .
P ickering Ca st le and its bui lders , 280P ins in witchcraft , 6 , 97P ipa l tree , sacred , 330 , 332Pipe and tabour in Oxfordsh ireseasona l fest iva ls , 309 , 3 10 , 3 1 2 , 3 14 ,3 19
P lato in re la t ion to Orph icism , 367Pl ich ting
-Stane O’ La irg, the , 399
P lough Monday, commun ica ted , byJ . G . Fra z er
,1 84
P lough ing a sacred ceremony , 167P luto , image of, sto len for Pto lemySoter , 355
Polykra tes of Samos,h is dedicat ion
of Rheneia to Apo l lo , 344Po lyth e ism , 168
P opu la r Rel igions , Tbe, and Folklor eof N or tkern India ,
by W . Crooke ,
(new edition ) reviewed , 269Porphyry, on Egyptian th reats to th egods , 339
Porridge , legend of its i ntroduction as
food , 385Portents , see Omens .
Pose idon , 26 1
Pos idon ius , cited on the agricu ltura lrites a t S ena , 367Pota to , a sto len , cure for rhema tism , i
423
Q ua l ifications for an idol-erector, 328
Q ueen’
s Coun ty, its med icina l fo lklore
, 389
Q uetz a lcoat l , h is image kept covered ,345
Qui nsy, cures tor , 387
355, carried in pocke t , cure for th e
same , 388
Poteen , first running a cure for
rheuma tism , 390
Pots , P ipk ins etc. , see JarsPo turéja , a god, treatmen t wh en
angry, 3S2Poverty of the ground
,
’
(h erb ) curefor hydropob ia , 387
Powe l l,F . York
,on the Svipdag
ta le,29 1 , on th e Hjalmter saga ,
304, review of Tbe Cel tic Doctr ine
of Re-bir tlz by A lfred Nut t , 365Powe l l , W i lfred , quoted on New
I re land ghost-bind ing, 334Power a ssociated with S iz e in un
civi l ised m inds , 277Préina-pra tis tha , Brahman ic r itua l , 333Prayer , Ind ian , of god-induct ion , 328Pre-Ch rist ian Baptism,query concern
ing , 280
Pre-Chr ist ian Cross , its var iousmean ings , 58
Pres identia l address,by A lfred Nutt,
29‘Priest Cu l lum ’and h is daugh ter,
227 , song aga inst his wife , 228Pr iesthood and sacr ifice , 66Pr im itive Cu lture , by D r. E. B .
Tylor, cited , 339Proceed ings , 10 , 1 8 , 1 9 , 97 , 1 3 1 , 193 ,
Process ion of th e spear of Kandaswfimi in Ceylon , 337 , of Poturfija ,352
Proteus, modern Greek vers ion of
ta le , 276Psych e , in modern Greek fo lk lore276
Pto lemy Soter, and th e sto len imageof P luto, 355
Puck , 37 , 42. 45. 50Pygma l ion , in modern Greek folk lore
,
276
Pyn e , (Ka te Lawle ss ) Folk-Medicinein County Cork , 1 79 , A Buria lSuperstit ion in County Cork , 1 80
Pythagorean ism ,and the Re-b irth
doctr ine , 366
424
Ragman ,’th e , wardrobe-man of
Oxfordsh ire morris-dancers , 3 1 7Ra inbow, the , in Brittany, 238 , andBosn ia , 239
Rajputfina , 336Ram , connected with Aph rod ite and
Hermes, 264Rz
'
ima , Hindu d ivin ity, 329Ran uncu lus acr is , pu lp of, as cure for
tuberculos is, 388Rapunz e l and para l le l ta les, 299Rei vana , and the Lingam a t Va idya
ndiba , 338Ravi l lo les, the cockchafer joke a t ,
64Reg-b irth or re -incarnat ion , 49 , 1 36 ,143, 365, Greek and I rish ideacontra sted , 366 , 368
Recogn it ion amongst witch es , 2Red d iseases , cures for , 386 , 387Red race of America , myths and
origin of, 57 , ta les , 59Red Roger (herb ) as cure for noseb leed ing, 387
Red-ha ired peop le un lucky to meet,14 , have th e Evil Eye , 16
Reed , a , as dwe l l ing for departedsou l , 334
Reflection of food in m irror to avertdemons , 330
Re l igion ,its a l leged origin and ma in
e lement, 338 , a socia l secretion ,h istory and students of, 370
Re l igion of the Semites , by Dr.
Robertson Sm ith , quoted , 325, 33 1Re l igions of Japan , by Dr . W . E .
Griffis , cited , 339Re l iquary and I l lustrated Archaeo i
logist , referred to on pee l ing-horns,1 1
Re3na issance period , its outcome in
var ious countries , 32 , 52Reviews, The Threshold Covena n t ,or the B eg inn ing of Rel igiousRites, by D r. H . C lay Trumbu l l ,54 ; Yorksh ire Wr iters , Ricka rd
Rol le of Hampole , an E ng l ish
F a ther of the Church a nd h is
Fol low ers , ed ited by C . Horstman,
56 ; Au str a l ian Legenda ry Ta les
F olklore of the N oongahbur rahs a s
told to the P icca n inn ies , col lectedby Mrs . K. Langloh Pa rker, withI ntroduction by Andrew Lang, 56 ;The [My ths of the N ew Wor ld : A
Trea t ise on the Symbol ism and
My thology of the Red Race of
I ndex.
Amer ica , by D r . Danie l G . Brinton ,
57 India n ische Sag en von der
N ord-Pacifischen [( u'
ste Amer ika s ,von Prof. F ranz Boas , 59 ; Le
N ovel/e India ne di Visn usa rma,
( Pa ncia la n tra ) , tradotte da l Sanscrito da I ta lo Piz z i
, 62 An In tro
duction to the H istory of Rel igion ,
by Dr . Frank Byron Jevons, 63Con tr ibu tion s to the Science ofMy thology , by the Rt . Hon . Prof.
F . Max Mu l ler, 152 ; B ra un
schw ezger Volkskunde, von RichardAndree , 157 ; Le
’
gendes et Cu r io
s ite‘s des Me
’
t iers, par Pau l Sébil
lot , 158 D er Tex tus Orna tior der
Cukasapta t i : ein B eitrag z ur Mar
chenkunde, von R ichard Schmidt ,160 ; D ie Socz
'
a le Gliederung im
Nordost l ichen I ndien z u B uddha’s
Zeit,mit besonder er B er iicksicht i
g ung der K a stenfrage, von RichardF ick , 1 6 1 Tr avels in West
Af r ica : Congo F ra npa is , Cor isco,a nd Cameroons , by Mary H .
K ings ley, 162 ; Maor i Ta les a nd
Legends col lected a nd r etold byKate Mccosh C lark , 165;D emeter
und B a ubo Ver such einer Thear ie
der E n tstehung unsres Ackerba us ,von Ed. Hahn
, 1 67 ; Or igines
[uda icce An inqu iry in to Hea then
Fa iths a s afi ct ing the B ir th a nd
Grow th of [uda ism, by D r. W . F .
Cobb, 168 ; Hebrew Idola try a nd
Super st ition i ts P lace in Folk
lor e, by E lford Higgens , 1 7 1 The
N a tives of S a rawak a nd B r it ish
N or th B orn eo,based ch iefly on the
MSS . of the la te Hugh B rooke
Low , (Sarawak Government Service ) , by Henry Ling Roth
, 1 7 1 ;The jdtaka , ed ited by Prof. E . B .
Cowe l l , vo ls . i i . and i i i . , 257 ;The Cu l ts of the Gr eek S ta tes, byL . R. Fa rne l l , vols . i . and i i . ,260 ; Transact ions of the [apanSociety . The N ihongi or Chron iclesof japan , transla ted by W . G .
Aston , 266 ; The Book of Won
der Voy ages , ed ited by JosephJacobs , 266 ; The N or th Western
P rovinces qf India , their H istory ,
E thnology ,and Admin istra tion ,
by W . Crooke , 267 The Popu la rRel igion and Folklore of Nor thern
India, by W . Crooke , 269 Greek
426 I ndex .
G reek , 262 , 263 , 367 , an ima l , inBabylon ia , 357 , anima l subs titutedfor human in Greece , 262, horse
sacrifice , a suggest ion , 7 1 , Aryan .
ba rga in e lemen t in , 360 , commun ionwith the d ivine by means of, 46 ,
325, 349 , ea rl iest occas ion and
obj ect , 325, 349 , human , agr icu l tura l , 44 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 263 ,of Ch rist ian ch i ldren by J ews ,( a l leged ) 276 , traces of human ,
in I nd ia , 334 , a l leged I ta l ianmodern , 374 , propitia tory, 275,
psycho logy of, 44-48 , in re lation “
to change l ings , 47 , in re la tion to
priesthood, 66 , in South ern Ind ia ,modern , 352 , symbo l ic, 73 , thresho ld , 54
Sacrificia l features in Oxfordsh ireseasona l fest iva ls , 3 16
Sa int Anastas io , meda ls of, to avertinfection and Evrl Eye , 8
Sa int Barba to , destroys the wa lnuttree of Benevento , I
Sa int Co lumba , see Co lumkille
Sa int Crisp in ’
s Day , and ba l l game ,
75Sa in t Cuthbert , h is abode , 68Sa in t George and the Prince of Pa ra
d ise, 70
Sa int John ’
s D ay , prophecy conce rning , 236
Sa in t John ’s Eve , I ta l ian witchcraft
power less on , 8
Sa int Na tha lan ,feast of, and ba l l
game , 74Sa int Oswa ld , German poem , 294Sa in t Pa trick and th e destruction of
Crom Crua ich , 44 , and Crom Dubh ,368
Sa in t Pau l , convers ion of, feast inconnect ion with witches , 2
Sa int Steph en ’
s Day , 29 1
Sa int Uba ldo , r ite of, 346
Sa ints , th e , in re la tion to surviva ls ofpagan ism ,
275, 337Sa la , consort of Babylon ian sun-
god,fa l se arms of image , 34 1
Sft lagrama s tone , the ho ly, how en
sh r ined , 345Sa lamis , batt le of
,and the fEakid
ido ls , 337Sa l t as cure for sca lds or burns ,388 , as protection aga inst Evil Eye ,8 , un lucky to lend , ( I rish ) 14
Samas, Babylon ian sun-god, 358
Sambucm mlgra , (herb ) as cure forep i lepsy , 389
Samhla, ( a l ikeness ) 206
Samoan god , a , h is emb lems , 352 ,Tui Toke lau , a nnua l ly shown , 355
Samos , and the sto len image of He ra ,
338
Sana s , a warn ing l ight , 205Sand in connect ion with Evil Eye , 8Saobhadh
, ( a superst it ion or foo l ishness ) 205, 2 13 , 220
Sa rma , Pandi t Bhagwan Das , AFo lkta le from Kumaon
, 1 8 1
Sa t in Frock , the , a Yorksh ire fo lkta le , by S . O . Addy , 394
Saturday, in re la tion to witchcraft, 3
Sa turnus , cha ined image o f a t Rome,
342
Savage associat ion of power w iths iz e , 27 7 , sense of the r id icu lous ,364
Sav itar, Babylonian sun-god , 34 1Saxo , h is name for Ham let’s fa the r ,290 ,
29 1 , ta le of A lf and A l fh ild ,
297 , 303 , ta le of Syritha a para l le lof Rapunz e l , 299
Sca lds and burns , cures for , 388Scand inavia , (see Denmark ,
Ice land,
Norway a nd Sweden ) , ba l l p lay in ,
1 74 , th e co lumns of Ingo lf, 1 78 ,
legends of images , 333, of devi lb ind ing , 347
Sca r la tina , cure for , 390Scar let feve r , cure for , 386Scawby fea st , loca l joke on , 365Scho l ia st to the I l iad, the , quoted on
the imprisonment of Ares , 349 ,350
Scot land , fo lk lore of,Argyl lsh ire
fo lk lore , 297 , Ba l l games a t Sconeand e lsewhere , 74 , 1 73 , Death and
Funera l customs or be l iefs , CorpseCand les , 205, various names for ,205, modern instances , 2 10 , 240 ,
d ist inct from the dreug ,’24 1 ,
Ghost Lights of the West Highla nds , 203 , Burning dead men
’
s
bedd ing , 206 , W i l l-o ’ -the -W isp in ,
2 1 5, 220 , 22 1 , Drowning peatsa fte r giving fi re , 220 ,
‘Goodman’
s
croft . ’ 284 , good peop le , eup hem ismfor fa iries , 285, Hebridean fo lk lore ,380 : Ev i l eye , cha rm for, oz , Hil lsappropriated to c lans , 208 .Ma rriage ,
fa vourite day for , 92 ; Medicina lfo lk lore , 390 , W itchcraft , precautions aga inst
,220
I ndex .
Scyth ian (or Skyth ian ) invasion of
I nd ia,268 , 285
Sea , ancien t custom a t , 28 1
Sea-cattle , how kept ashore , 384Sea -faring fo lk and witches , 2 , 1 6
Sea , l igh ts as portents of wrecks or
drown ing, 2 1 1
-2 14 , 2 15Sea-origin of Aphrod ite , 264Sea l ing-up ‘of J inns , 347 , of Osiris ,354
Sea l lach , a vis ion ,205
Seasona l fest iva ls in Oxfordsh ire , 307Second-sigh t , in I re land , 1 3 ; in
Scot land , 203 , 2 14 , 2 1 7Sem itic fo lk lore ( see a lso I srae l ites
a nd Jew s ) , J inn , 33 1 , 347 , Mo loch ,337 , Dagon , 34 1 , Tyrian , 343 ,devi l-b ind ing , 348 , transformat ionsof sex in d ivin it ies , 263
S ena , agricu ltura l sacr ifices of Nam
n ite prieste sses a t , 367Sm ooz
'
o ja cooa a , (herb ) poul tice for
sore n ipp les , 388Se rap is , temp le-tabu of, 344Serpen t-woman , (see Lam ia , and
Me lusina ) , of the Gnost ics , its
symbo l ism ,285
Serpent-worsh ip , in re lat ion to Brahman ism ,
284 , in re la tion to ch i ldbearing , 284
Sesamum ,b lack , sacred , 329 , god
impr isoned in , 332 , 348
Se t , and the sea l ing of Os iris , 354Seventh son , powers of, 1 5Sexes , change of
,in gods
,263 , dis
gu ised in each oth er ’s dress , in
conn ect ion with Aph rod ite , 264Shadow, ceas ing a t dea th 1 37 , wordin th e sense of ghost , 377
Shadow-charm , I ta l ian , 5Sh akespea re , W i l l iam , h is influeuce
on fa iry l iterature , 3 1 , 32 , con
temporary views , 36 , sources of
idea , 37 , ch iefly Teuton ic, 45, bu tlarge ly Ce ltic, 53 , his knowledgeof na tura l h istory , 360
Shanka rAcharya , Ind ian reforme r , 346
Shapeshifting , (see a lso Me tamor
phosis) an a ttr ibute of witch es , 3 ,I 7 , 375, and Of fa iries, 47 , 49 , 50 ,
in Austra l ia , 57 , of W i l l-o’-th eW isp , 223 , 229 , and of th e Devil ,232 , 234 , of Proteus , a modern
Greek para l le l , 276 , in th e story ofHjalm ter , 303
She Kyles , Scottish game of n inepins, 74
427
Shears and Manga la Stand ( fromS iam ) by M . C . Ffenne l l , 90
Sh ipton under Wychwood , morr isdances of
, 3 1 7Sh iva , (see a lso S iva ) , in re lat ion to
serpent worsh ip , 284Shoes crossed in witchcraft , 7Shropsh ire , med icina l fo lk lore of,
387Sh rove-Tuesday, pancakes , 70 , footba l l , 72 , 74
Shutter-ch arm ,I ta l ian , 5
S iam ,fo lk lore of, 88 , 90
S iber ia , b ird fo lk lore of, 375S ibz ianna , Babylon ian name for the
sta r Regu lus , 359S ici ly , crim ina l -worsh ip in , 1 99S ieves used in witchcraft, 7S igh t of gods injur ious to observers ,344
S ikyon , transference of ido ls a t th e
Apo l lon ia r ite , 337 , secre t ido lsshown year ly in process ion , 354
S i les ia , th e go ld dragon of, 237S i lk band round neck for qu insy, 38 7S i lver bu l le ts needed to shoot witches ,
1 8
Sir Amadas , or the Trave l l ing Compan ion , compa red with Orende l
&c. , 295, 296 , a romantic versionof a common ta le , 297 , 300
S ite , change of, or cho ice , 1 7 7 , 279S iva , or Sh iva , in connect ion with
serpen t worsh ip , 284 , ca l led Trilochana , 328 , lord of demons , 330 ,
a t Jageswar,as conqueror of death ,
346
Sk in ,human
,used in witchcraft, 7 ,
of the dee r , lucky 3 1 2 , 3 1 6Skinnhufa , th e trol lw ife , 305, 306
S lavon ic fo lk lore , 84, 85, influenceof Greek fo lk lore , surm ised , 275,
pr im itive cu lture , 369S leep , F inn ish magica l , 305S leep i ng k ings and h eroes , 1 96 , and
a mode rn para l le l , 197Sm ith , D r. Robertson
,quoted on th e
deve lopment of th e ido l , 325, on
J inn, 33 1 , on change of sex in gods ,
263Smok ing th e foo l , see Hood Game a t
Il axeySnake gods of India , (see Sh iva ) 332Snake stones , by M . J . Walhouse ,284
Snakes ( see Erectheus ) , strangled byHerak les, 274 , 275, associated with
428 I ndex .
the Lamia , 275, and with Me lusina .
285Snorri, his ta le of Orvendil l , 290
Socia l deve lopment , suggested or igins277 , and bases for , 278
Socia le Gl z'
eder ung , D ie, z'
m N ordo'
st
l ie/zen I ndien z n B na’
dlra’
s Zez'
z‘,
m it oesonderer B er zlcksiclztzlgzmgder K a stefgfrage, von Richard F ick ,reviewed , 16 1
Solar myths, and mytho log ica l ta les,in connection with Orende l , 290 ,
30 1 , d iffi cu lt ies of, popu lar fa iryta les , 302 , Max Mul ler on , 153 ,or igin of ba l l-games , 73
So lomon and his sea l , 347 , 354Solomonars , the , of Rouman ia , 238So lus , 205, 240 , an-tra ig , or shore
l igh t, 2 13 , ba is , 205, 2 10 , 2 1 1 , 244 ,
corp , spiorad , 2 10 , taisg , 205, 244,245
Soma , form of a l tar for rece iving ,326, hymn
, 328 , ritua l of mak ing,352
Some Country Remed ies and the irUses , by John H . Barbour, 386
Some Notes on th e Physique , Customsand Superstitions of the Peasantryof Innishowen , Co . Donega l , byThomas Doherty, 1 2
Some Oxfordsh ire Seasona l Festiva ls ,with Notes on Morris-Dancing inOxfordsh ire , by Percy Mann ing,
307Sore eyes , cure for 388 , throat , curesfor 388 , 389
Sou l , (see Re-b irth ) , in African be l iefs ,its l ife term inable after death , 143,p lura l ity of to individua l , 144 , duelength of its l ife , 144 , capture , ( seea lso Exorcism) , 332
Sou le , Breton ba l l -game , 1 75Soul ing customs and verse , Derby
sh ire , 70Sou ls of the departed rid ing on clouds ,
e tc. 239 , of the departed , bees a s
veh icles of, 329 , dwe l l ings of,Ind ian , 332 , 334, and e lsewhere ,334
South , the , its influence in fo lkmed icine , ( I re land ) 1 6
Sow-th ist le juice a s a cure for warts ,89
Spartan or Lacedaemon ian ido lslent , 337 , idea involved in cha ining ido ls , 34 1 , resu l t of see ingimage of Iph igen ia , 344
Spe l ls , ( see a lso Charms , Mantra s, andNeapo l itan W itchcra ft ) 302 , 303 ,and counte rspe l ls, 304, 305, 306
Spe lsbury, dress of gir l mo rrisdancers , a t , 3 1 7 , morris-dancingon church tower , 3 18
Spiders ( in connect ion with He l l ) ,by Edward Peacock , 377
Sp inn ing whorls to avert Evi l Eye , 8Sph inx , the , para l le l in modernG reek fo lk lore 276
Spiorad , a sp irit , 206Sp irits, ( see Ghost ly Ligh ts ) , variousforms a ssumed by , 204, 205, 206,227 , 377 , prisons for, 348
Spleen ,en larged , cure for, 187
Spra in , cure for, 16
Squ ire , the , of Oxfordsh ire Wh itsunt ide fest iva l 309 , of Lamb A le
festiva l 3 14, of the morris-dancers,3 1 7
Sraddha , Ind ian rites for hous inganew the sou l , 335
Staffordsh ire fo lk lore , the Hob th irst ,and his congeners in Linco lnsh ire ,68 , A l l Sou ls rhyme , 70 , the Horn
Dance , 70 , marriage fo lk lore , 9 1Staffordsh ire Superstitions , by Mabe lPeacock , 68 , More
, by C . S . Burne ,9 1
Staffordsh ire IIorn Dance , The , byMabe l Peacock , 70
Stakes driven into suicides , 199S tanberry, (Mrs. G. A. Fo lk-medicine in Oh io , 1 8 5
S tepmothers in fo lk lore, 299 , 302 ,
303 , 304 , 305' 305S tiff joints , cure for, 38 7S to len , gods , 355, mea t, cure for warts ,387 , pota toes , a s cure for rheuma
t ism, 355S tomach ic , a , 388Stone , a cure for , 387Stone , or p i l lar, ea r l iest form of idol325, 326 , 349
Stones , th e ‘Hur lers ’
73, the R011
righ t stones , 338 , Salagrama stone ,the , and its sh rine , 345, SnakeS tones , 284
Straw Gob l in , The , by C . G .
‘Le land ,87
S traw Hil locks , the , how they gotthe ir name , 386Straw-ropes , used in god-bind ing ,342
S traws in ‘folk-med icine , 186,wart
cure , 386
430 I ndex .
Th re e \Vitch \Vave s , extent a nd un
de rly ing idea of supe rstit ion , 339Tfir es/zold Covenan t , Tli e, or t lze
B egi n n ing of R el igi ou s r ites , byDr. H . C lay Turnbu l l , reviewed ,54
Thrush , (Ap tha ) I rish cure for , 1 80 ,
Amer ican ,1 86
Thunde r and l igh tn ing , th e godsth rea tened for send ing , 339 , and
ra in , a god of, imprisoned , 349T ime in fa iryland , 48T inos , fo lkta le from , 276
T ipperary, med icina l fo lk lore of, 386 ,
Tochmarc Emer , see Woo ing of
Emer
Tommy on the Tub , s lang for pol iceman
,1 76
Ton ic m ed icine , a , 388
Tooth -cutti ng-pa ins , a cure for , 388
Tortoise , the , connected with Aph rod ite , 264
Totems and totem ism . 156 , 1 69 , 263 ,
Townsh end , Mrs . Dorothea , Derbysh ire Customs , 70
Trades , fo lk lore of, 158
Tra n sact ion s a nd P roceeding s of t/ze
japa n Society , London , S upp lemen t
i , N inongi , Clzron icles of japa n
f rom the ea r l ies t t imes to 697 ,vol . i i . Trans la ted from the origina l Ch inese and Japan ese by W .
G . Aston , reviewed , 266
Transformat ion , see Shape-sh ifting
Transm iss ion of folkta les , 258 , 259Trave l l ing Compan ion , or Gra te fu lGhost ta le , or S ir Amadas , com
pared with Orendel and oth erta l es , 295, 296 , 300
Tra vels in West Af r ica ; Congo
F r a nca is , Cor isco, a nd Cameroon s ,by Mary H . K ings ley, reviewed ,
162
Tray fa l l ing , portent of dea th , 203Treasury of Oxfordsh ire morrisdance rs , 309 , 3 10 , 3 14 , 3 15, 3 1 7
Tree . divinities, 338 , prisons for spirits ,348
Trees connected with Greek d iv in it ies , 264, 338 , in modern Greekfo lk lore , 275, sacred , 1 1 , 330 , 332 ,
345, 352 , 357 , as totems , 360 . the
witch wa lnut of Benevento , 1 ,
withered by glance of hungryman , 1 1
Treves , Trier , 29 1 , 293 , Ho ly Co a tof, 289 , 298
Trin ity Monday, Lamb Ale feast onin Oxfordsh ire , 3 1 3Trunk Hose ,
”Oxfordsh ire mo rris
dancers’
song , 3 18Tuan MacCairil l , 366.
Tua tha de D a nann ,in re la t ion to
modern fa iries,29 , 40 , and Arthur
ian romance , 4 1 , and agricu lture ,42 , 43, true ch aracter of, 44 , com
pared with D ionysus , 46 , in re
la tion to re-b irth , 366 , to ag ricul
tura l sacrifice , 367 , I rish be l iefsc
gncerning and sources of evidence ,
3 7Tubercu losis , a cure for
, 388Tui Toke lau , Samoan god , h is an
nua l exposure , 355Tu las i , or holy bas i l , 345Turkey, fo lk lore of, 85Turkeys , ferti l iz a tion of, 375, 376Two Sw ineh erds , ta le , 365Tylor , D r . cited on god
-threa ten ing ,339 , a nd see Bind ing of a God ,Bib l iography of
Tyndareus , and the fe ttered Aph rod ite , 34 1
Tyndarides borrowing Spartan idols ,337
Typho , 340Tyr , (see Thor ) , fa lse arm of h is
image , 3 4 1Tyre , cha ined imag e of Apol lo a t ,
343Tyrone , med icina l fo lk lore of, 338
U lster , folk lore , medic ina l , 38 7-390U lysses , see Odysseus ,Unguents of witch es , 2 , 3Untersuchungen z ur m itte lengl isch enRomanz e von S ir Amadas , von
Max Hippe , (Herrig’
s Arch iv )cited , 296
Urn-buria l 350
Va laorites , mode rn Greek poe t , 272Vamp ires , 275, 352Vargeysa , the F ingailkn , 305, 306Vasish tha the jar-born , 352Veda s , th e , 329Vedic fa ith , progress ive transformat ion , of, 270 ,
hymns , 268 , I nd ians ,the ir forms of fa ith , 369 , natureworsh ip , 268
Vei l ing images, reasons for , 344 . 345,
355
I ndex .
Verm i l ion , a symbol of b lood sacr ifice , 262
Veron ica oeccaoung a ,in med icina l
fo lk lore , 389V i l lage Commun ity, by G . L.
Gomme , cited , 308V imaneswar , image of, covered , 346Virgil ius , binds the fiend , 347V isvarfipa , 329V ishnu , 328 , in re lation to se rpentworsh ip , 284, a ch thon ic de ity,351 , created from a fish , 352 , th edwarf, covered , 346
Voyages , see Book of Wonder
VoyagesVoyage ofMa e lduin , 266 , of Thorkill
and Eric, 266
Wade , G iant , and his wife , 279Wa les , fo lk lore of, 362 , dying out , 363Arthur ta les , 38 , 303 , ba l l-games ,75, 1 73 , 1 74 , 1 75, corpse
-cand les ,205, Kulhwch , 299
-30 7 , sacred fish
and we l l , a t Nant Per is , 28 1 , witchin hare-shape, 375
Wa lewe in , compared with Orende l ,295, 297 a 299 , 300 : 30 1 , 304 7
30
Wa lhouse , (M . Fo lk lore Para l le lsand Co incidences , 1 96 ; Snake
Stones , 284Wa nderings in a W i ld Country , byW i lfred Powe l l , quoted , 334
W arend och Wirda rne ,’ by Hyl ten
Cava l lius , referred to , 279 , 280
Warts , cures for, 15, 386 , 387 , 389 ,
390
Wasp-stings , cures for, 389
Waste land , left for loca l de ities , Indiaand Scot land , 284
Wasting in ch i ldren , cure for 1 85Watch ing the bur ia l ground , ( F a ir e
a C/z ladlz ) 209Wa ter, ( see S ea , a nd W e l ls ) , a sso
cia ted wi th fert i l ity , 264 , in con
nection w ith Aph rod ite , 264 ,
cloggy or st icky , in fo lkta les ,29 1 , a frequen t th eme , 294, fa irydwe l l ings under , 200 , in Ind iangod
-induction r itua l , 328 , 329 , inMarriage cust oms , 84 , 1 76 , a s
offering to ido ls , 353 , running,an
obstacle to witch es , 3 , as cure for
mumps , 1 6 , as sex-transformer ,
1 1 2 , cure for warts , 390Water Horse , the , 383 ,Water in Marriage customs , by L.
43 1
morris
Goldmerste in , 84, by Lou ise Ken
nedy , 1 76
W eak stomach , cure for, 388
Wea ther,I rish be l iefs concern ing, 14 ,
in re la tion to fa ir ies , 33 , 34, powerof witch es over , 2 , 8
Weber , Prof. , cited on Ma tsy a
c r éna , 327Wedding-r ing as cure for sty , 387 ,
a s cure for e rys ipe las , 390Wednesdays, witchcraft power less on ,
8
We ird S isters and the ir eye , modernGreek vers ion , 2 75
We l ls ; th e Jandy we l l , 390, the we l lof Nan t Peris and its sacred fish ,
28 1 , in re la t ion to marr iage,84
Wels lz F olklore ; a Col lection of tbc
Folk Ta les a nd Legends of N or t/z
Wa les, by Rev . E l ia s Owen , re
viewed, 362 , cited , 348We lsh and I rish romant ic fiction , re lat ion between
, 38 , 39Wens or warts , cures for , I rish , 1 5,American , 1 87
Werewolves, 9
W est Africa , (see Africa ) axe -moneyin , 263
West High land Ta les , by J . F .
Campbe l l , quoted , 305W est I r ish Fo lkta les and Romances
by W . Larmin ie , cited in re la tionto Sir Amadas , 296
W eston , Rev. Wa lter, c ited on godb inding in Japan , 342Wexford, med icina l fo lk lore of, 389Wha le , th e Gray Coa t of Orendel
found inside , 292Whea t ley, Oxfordsh ire ,dances of, 3 1 7
Wh ist l ing in fish ing boats, un lucky,I4Wh ite Jock , Oxfordsh ire morrisdancers
’
song, 3 1 8
Wh ite-bearded Sco log , the ta le of inconnect ion with Orendel
,298 , 300 ,
his daugh ter , 302 , his h ab its, 303Wh it-Hunt , the , in Oxfordsh ire ,
loca l ities, custom s and ana logies ,3 1 6
Wh itsunt ide fes t iva l Obse rvances inOxfordsh ire , 307 , 309 , 3 10-3 1 2 ,3 1 6
Wh itt le and dub , ( p ipe and tabour)309 , 3 14, how p layed 3 19 , 320
Whoop ing-cough cures , 1 79 , 1 80Wi ld fire , see Erysipe las ,
432 I ndex .
W i l l 0 ’ the W isp , 205, d ist inct fromcorpse
-cand les , 2 15, na ture of, 220 ,ta les of
,22 1 -230 , ta les of its origin ,
225, 230, 233 , a portent of i l l , 229 ,a form of th e Devi l , 254
“ W i l low Tree , The ,”Oxfordsh ire
morris-dancers’ song , 3 1 8 , wordsand air
, 32 1
W ind , witch es a s, 3W indrush R iver, 3 10W isdom , the Book of, quoted on
idols and god-b inding , 340W itches, and witchcraft , African ,
134, 1 36 , 145, 146-149 , amu le ts,
etc. , of, 5-8 , in an ima l form, 3, 9 ,I 7 , 375, 377 : Of I re land , 16 , 1 7 ,I ta l ian , (see Neapo l itanW itchcraft ) ,1 , when born ,
2, how made , 2 ,
death of,2 , 3 , powers , over wea th er
2, 8 , of fl igh t, 2 , 3 , of shape
-sh ifting , 3, 4, to transform peop le , 4 ,in love affa irs , 4-7 , in spe l l-breaking , 7 , in med icine , 8 , in cases of
Evil Eye , 8 , when powerless , 3 , 8 ,appara tus . 1-9 , charms , 1 -9 , dances ,3 , 8 , ha ir, 3 , 4 , knowledge trad it iona l . 9 , nudity in connection with ,3 , 6 , unguents , 2 , 3 , of Scotland ,the ir power, 16 , in re lat ion to fire ,223
-228 , in re lat ion to fa iry be l ief,53 , days for, 2 , 3 , 8 , 1 7 , precaut ionaga inst , (Scotch ) , 220
W itney, Oxfordsh ire , and the Wh itHunt , 3 1 1 , 3 1 2
W iz a rds , ( I ta l ian ) rarer than witches1, and why , 2
, Scotch ca l led warlocks, 223, in an ima l form, 377
B IBL IOGRAPH ICAL INDEX .
N ames of An t lzors of A r ticles in P er iodica ls in ordina ry roman type, ofA zi t/tors of [fool
’s and Tit les of Books in i ta l ics , Titles of Per iodica ls in sma l l
Ache l is , T . , 192
Adrian , F . , Fre iherr , von , 192A lcover
, A . M. , 397A l len , Gran t , 397AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIS ’
I‘,288
Andrews , J . B . , 95ANNUAL ARCHAELOGICAI. REPORT,
1 896-7 , Ontario , 398L
’ANTHROPOLOG IE , 96, 192
ANT IQ UARY , 96, 19 1 , 398A rfer t, P . 1 89
Woo ing of Emer, ( Toclima rc Emer )
compa red with o ther ta les , 298 , 300 .
30 1
Woman , and Women Ama z on , 277 ,Ba loch i , customs of, 8 3 , demons
as , 1 09 , goddess of, He ra , 263 ,Mohammedan idea of, 1 77 , pre
dom inance in fa iry lore , 4 1 , inre lation to serpent-worsh ip 284 ,woman-shape of Soma ~al tar in
Ind ia , 326Words and a irs of Oxfordsh ire morris ~
dancers’
songs , 320Wychwood forest , loca l hunting righ ts ,3 10
Year, changes in its length , 354Yggdrasil l , 360
Yorksh ire fo lk lore , Bird fo lk lore , 375,Cures, 386 , 387 , 388 , Four Fo lkta les , 393 , Roadmakers, 280
Yoré s/i ire Wr iters Ric/za ra’Rol le of
Hampole , a n E ng lis/i F a t/ter of t/ze
Cbn rclz , a nd lzis Fol lowers , vol . i . ,ed ited by C . Horstman, reviewed ,56‘Youth Ale , ’ a t W itney, Oxfordsh ire ,3 1 2
Yspaddaden Pencawr, fa ther of
Olwen , 303 , 305
Zagreus , see D ionysus,Zan -ku-ku
,Dahomeyan ido l , kept
concea led , 345Zeus , 154 , 155, 26 1 , aspects of, 262 ,
axe as emb lem of, 263 , h is eagle ,264
Ba lfour, H. , 287B eauqu ier , C. 1 89B li a ttac/za r'oa ,j. N . ,
B loomfield, M , 397Boas , F 96
B oo/z ine,F . I V. , 1 89
B or la se, I/V. C ., 286
B ow er , II . IV. , 286
Boyle , D . , 398
Boyle , F .,19 1
Brinton , D . G . , 288
44321 jfizoknx.
B IBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY , 96 , 192 ,
Ray , S . H. , see Somervil le , B .
jo int author .
RELIQ UARY ? 1 92 , 287Renouf, S ir P. le Page , 96, 192 , 287 ,398
REPORT OF THE‘BRIT ISH ASSOC IA
TION, 192REPORT OF THE UN ITED STATESNATIONAL M USEUM , 1 92
REVUE DE L’H ISTOIRE DES REL I
G IONs , 287 , 400Rol land , E . , 1 90
Sannomiya , Mrs . , 96
Sapper , C .
, 1 92
Savage , E . B . , 398
Sch lege l , G . , 96
D . E ., 190
Schurtz , H .,1 92
S eager , H W , 19 1
Seebohm, F . , 287S impson , l V. , 19 1
Somervi l le , B . T .,287 Zaborowsk i , M.
, 96
Somervil le , B . T. , and Ray , S . H.,
( jo int-authors ) 287Spencer , B .
, 96
S ta r r F ., 96
Tauta in, Dr ., 96
Thurston , E ., 192
TRANSACT IONS OF THE CYMMRODOR ION SOC IETY, 287
Tromoa tore, L . A . , 96
Tylor, E . B 96, 1 9 1
UNIVERS ITY MAGAZINE, 4oo
l m il ’ i, 398
Verneau,
R., ( joint author) see
Ma lbot
Ward , J. , 192
Weston , jess ie L. , 398Wh ee ler
, J . M. , 400
Wiedema nn, A . 398
W i lson , T . , 192
IVindle,B . C. A . , 286
