The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Third Edition, Vol. 03 of 12) — John Shaqi
The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Third Edition, Vol. 03 of 12)Frazer, James George
Religion
The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Third Edition, Vol. 03 of 12)
Frazer, James George
Magic; Mythology; Religion; Superstition
head, saying again, “Cluck! cluck! soul!”(118) Here the intention clearly
is to decoy back the loitering bird-soul and replace it in the head of its
owner. In southern Celebes they think that a bridegroom’s soul is apt to
fly away at marriage, so coloured rice is scattered over him to induce it
to stay. And, in general, at festivals in South Celebes rice is strewed on
the head of the person in whose honour the festival is held, with the
object of detaining his soul, which at such times is in especial danger of
being lured away by envious demons.(119) For example, after a successful
war the welcome to the victorious prince takes the form of strewing him
with roasted and coloured rice “to prevent his life-spirit, as if it were
a bird, from flying out of his body in consequence of the envy of evil
spirits.”(120) In Central Celebes, when a party of head-hunters returns
from a successful expedition, a woman scatters rice on their heads for a
similar purpose.(121) Among the Minangkabauers of Sumatra the old rude
notions of the soul seem to be dying out. Nowadays most of the people hold
that the soul, being immaterial, has no shape or form. But some of the
sorcerers assert that the soul goes and comes in the shape of a tiny man.
Others are of opinion that it does so in the form of a fly; hence they
make food ready to induce the absent soul to come back, and the first fly
that settles on the food is regarded as the returning truant. But in
native poetry and popular expressions there are traces of the belief that
the soul quits the body in the form of a bird.(122)
(M26) The soul of a sleeper is supposed to wander away from his body and
actually to visit the places, to see the persons, and to perform the acts
of which he dreams. For example, when an Indian of Brazil or Guiana wakes
up from a sound sleep, he is firmly convinced that his soul has really
been away hunting, fishing, felling trees, or whatever else he has dreamed
of doing, while all the time his body has been lying motionless in his
hammock. A whole Bororo village has been thrown into a panic and nearly
deserted because somebody had dreamed that he saw enemies stealthily
approaching it. A Macusi Indian in weak health, who dreamed that his
employer had made him haul the canoe up a series of difficult cataracts,
bitterly reproached his master next morning for his want of consideration
in thus making a poor invalid go out and toil during the night.(123) The
Indians of the Gran Chaco are often heard to relate the most incredible
stories as things which they have themselves seen and heard; hence
strangers who do not know them intimately say in their haste that these
Indians are liars. In point of fact the Indians are firmly convinced of
the truth of what they relate; for these wonderful adventures are simply
their dreams, which they do not distinguish from waking realities.(124)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account