The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Third Edition, Vol. 08 of 12)Frazer, James George
Religion
The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Third Edition, Vol. 08 of 12)
Frazer, James George
Magic; Mythology; Religion; Superstition
next occasion when Indians slept at that place, and, taking a man, would
babracot him in revenge.(679)
(M179) When a Blackfoot Indian has caught eagles in a trap and killed
them, he takes them home to a special lodge, called the eagles’ lodge,
which has been prepared for their reception outside of the camp. Here he
sets the birds in a row on the ground, and propping up their heads on a
stick, puts a piece of dried meat in each of their mouths in order that
the spirits of the dead eagles may go and tell the other eagles how well
they are being treated by the Indians.(680) So when Indian hunters of the
Orinoco region have killed an animal, they open its mouth and pour into it
a few drops of the liquor they generally carry with them, in order that
the soul of the dead beast may inform its fellows of the welcome it has
met with, and that they too, cheered by the prospect of the same kind
reception, may come with alacrity to be killed.(681) A Cherokee hunter who
has killed an eagle stands over the dead bird and prays it not to avenge
itself on his tribe, because it is not he but a Spaniard who has done the
cruel deed.(682) When a Teton Indian is on a journey and he meets a grey
spider or a spider with yellow legs, he kills it, because some evil would
befall him if he did not. But he is very careful not to let the spider
know that he kills it, for if the spider knew, his soul would go and tell
the other spiders, and one of them would be sure to avenge the death of
his relation. So in crushing the insect, the Indian says, “O Grandfather
Spider, the Thunder-beings kill you.” And the spider is crushed at once
and believes what is told him. His soul probably runs and tells the other
spiders that the Thunder-beings have killed him; but no harm comes of
that. For what can grey or yellow-legged spiders do to the
Thunder-beings?(683)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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