[219] The fear of castration plays an extraordinarily big rôle in disturbing the relations to the father in the case of our youthful neurotics. In Ferenczi’s excellent study we have seen how the boy recognized his totem in the animal which snaps at his little penis. When children learn about ritual circumcision they identify it with castration. To my knowledge the parallel in the psychology of races to this attitude of our children has not yet been drawn. The circumcision which was so frequent in primordial times among primitive races belongs to the period of initiation in which its meaning is to be found; it has only secondarily been relegated to an earlier time of life. It is very interesting that among primitive men circumcision is combined with or replaced by the cutting off of the hair and the drawing of teeth, and that our children, who cannot know anything about this, really treat these two operations as equivalents to castration when they display their fear of them. [220] Reinach, _Cultes, Mythes, et Religions_, II, p. 75. [221] “Une sorte de péché proethnique,” _l.c._, p. 76. [222] The suicidal impulses of our neurotics regularly prove to be self-punishments for death wishes directed against others. [223] _Eating the God_, p. 51.... Nobody familiar with the literature on this subject will assume that the tracing back of the Christian communion to the totem feast is an idea of the author of this book. [224] Ariel in _The Tempest_: Full fathom five thy father lies; Of his bones are coral made; Those are pearls that were his eyes; Nothing of him that doth fade But doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange.... [225] La Mort d’Orphée, _Cultes, Mythes, et Religions_, Vol. II, p. 100. [226] That is to say, the parent complex. [227] I am used to being misunderstood and therefore do not think it superfluous to state clearly that in giving these deductions I am by no means oblivious of the complex nature of the phenomena which give rise to them; the only claim made is that a new factor has been added to the already known or still unrecognized origins of religion, morality, and society, which was furnished through psychoanalytic experience. The synthesis of the whole explanation must be left to another. But it is in the nature of this new contribution that it could play none other than the central rôle in such a synthesis, although it will be necessary to overcome great affective resistances before such importance will be conceded to it. [228] Compare Chapter II. [229] See Chapter III. * * * * * Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: new pyschological technique=> new psychological technique {pg vi} the pyschoanalysts=> the psychoanalysts {pg vi} subjetced to analysis=> subjected to analysis {pg x} profound anaylsis=> profound analysis {pg x} Similiar customs=> Similar customs {pg 17} made us familar=> made us familiar {pg 48}