The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Third Edition, Vol. 06 of 12)Frazer, James George
Religion
The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Third Edition, Vol. 06 of 12)
Frazer, James George
Magic; Mythology; Religion; Superstition
and altars are unknown.(486) However, it is only the bodies of
considerable persons that are buried; the corpses of common folk are
simply thrown away in the bush;(487) so that the number of graves and
consequently of sacrificial places is strictly limited. The spirits of the
dead appear to the living most commonly in dreams to give them information
or warning, but oftener to chide and torment them. So the sleeper wakes in
a fright and consults a diviner, who directs him what he must do in order
to appease the angry ghost. Following the directions of his spiritual
adviser the man sacrifices an ox, or it may be only a sheep or a fowl, at
the tomb of one of his ancestors, prays to the ghost, and having scattered
a few morsels of the victim’s flesh on the grave, and spat a mouthful of
beer upon it, retires with his family to feast on the remainder of the
carcase. Such sacrifices to the dead are offered on occasion of sickness,
the lack of male heirs, a threatened war, an intended journey, in short,
before any important undertaking of which the issue is doubtful; and, they
are accompanied by prayers for health, victory, good harvests, and so
forth.(488)
(M160) Once more, the Bahima, a Bantu people of Ankole, in Central Africa,
believe in a supreme god Lugaba, who dwells in the sky and created man and
beast; but “this supreme being is not worshipped nor are offerings made to
him; he has no sacred place. Although they talk freely about him, and
acknowledge him to be their great benefactor, they accept all his gifts as
a matter of course, and make him no offering in return.... One must not,
therefore, conclude that the Bahima are an irreligious people; like most
of the Bantu tribes their religion consists chiefly in dealing with ghosts
of departed relatives, and in standing well with them; from the king to
the humblest peasant the ghosts call for daily consideration and constant
offerings, whilst the deities are only sought in case of great trials or
national calamities.”(489)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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