The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Third Edition, Vol. 10 of 12)Frazer, James George
Religion
The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Third Edition, Vol. 10 of 12)
Frazer, James George
Magic; Mythology; Religion; Superstition
35 Walter E. Roth, _Ethnological Studies among the North-West-Central
Queensland Aborigines_ (Brisbane and London, 1897), p. 156, § 265.
The custom of killing a man by pointing a bone or stick at him,
while the sorcerer utters appropriate curses, is common among the
tribes of Central Australia; but amongst them there seems to be no
objection to place the bone or stick on the ground; on the contrary,
an Arunta wizard inserts the bone or stick in the ground while he
invokes death and destruction on his enemy. See Baldwin Spencer and
F. J. Gillen, _Native Tribes of Central Australia_ (London, 1899),
pp. 534 _sqq._; _id._, _Northern Tribes of Central Australia_
(London, 1904), pp. 455 _sqq._
36 Hugh Low, _Sarawak_ (London, 1848), pp. 145 _sq._
37 Pliny, _Naturalis Historia_, xxviii. 33 _sq._
38 Rev. Walter Gregor, _Notes on the Folk-lore of the North-East of
Scotland_ (London, 1881), p. 184. As to the superstitions attaching
to stone arrow-heads and axeheads (celts), commonly known as
“thunderbolts,” in the British Islands, see W. W. Skeat,
“Snake-stones and Stone Thunderbolts,” _Folk-lore_, xxiii. (1912)
pp. 60 _sqq._; and as to such superstitions in general, see Chr.
Blinkenberg, _The Thunderweapon in Religion and Folklore_
(Cambridge, 1911).
M14 Serpents’ eggs or Snake Stones.
39 Pliny, _Naturalis Historia_, xxix. 52-54.
40 W. Borlase, _Antiquities, Historical and Monumental, of the County
of Cornwall_ (London, 1769), pp. 142 _sq._; J. Brand, _Popular
Antiquities of Great Britain_ (London, 1882-1883), i. 322; J. G.
Dalyell, _Darker Superstitions of Scotland_ (Edinburgh, 1834), pp.
140 _sq._; Daniel Wilson, _The Archaeology and Prehistoric Annals of
Scotland_ (Edinburgh, 1851), pp. 303 _sqq._; Lieut.-Col. Forbes
Leslie, _The Early Races of Scotland and their Monuments_
(Edinburgh, 1866), i. 75 _sqq._; J. G. Campbell, _Witchcraft and
Second Sight in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland_ (Glasgow,
1902), pp. 84-88; Marie Trevelyan, _Folk-lore and Folk-stories of
Wales_ (London, 1909), pp. 170 _sq._; J. C. Davies, _Folk-lore of
West and Mid-Wales_ (Aberystwyth, 1911), p. 76. Compare W. W. Skeat,
“Snakestones and Stone Thunderbolts,” _Folk-lore_, xxiii. (1912) pp.
45 _sqq._ The superstition is described as follows by Edward Lhwyd
in a letter quoted by W. Borlase (_op. cit._ p. 142): “In most parts
of Wales, and throughout all Scotland, and in Cornwall, we find it a
common opinion of the vulgar, that about Midsummer-Eve (though in
the time they do not all agree) it is usual for snakes to meet in
companies; and that, by joining heads together, and hissing, a kind
of bubble is formed, which the rest, by continual hissing, blow on
till it passes quite through the body, and then it immediately
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