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the golden bough-第107章

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e Footprint; but in fact so much hair is thus offered every year that the priests cannot use it all; so they quietly burn the superfluity as soon as the pilgrims' backs are turned。 The cut hair and nails of the Flamen Dialis were buried under a lucky tree。 The shorn tresses of the Vestal Virgins were hung on an ancient lotus…tree。

Often the clipped hair and nails are stowed away in any secret place; not necessarily in a temple or cemetery or at a tree; as in the cases already mentioned。 Thus in Swabia you are recommended to deposit your clipped hair in some spot where neither sun nor moon can shine on it; for example in the earth or under a stone。 In Danzig it is buried in a bag under the threshold。 In Ugi; one of the Solomon Islands; men bury their hair lest it should fall into the hands of an enemy; who would make magic with it and so bring sickness or calamity on them。 The same fear seems to be general in Melanesia; and has led to a regular practice of hiding cut hair and nails。 The same practice prevails among many tribes of South Africa; from a fear lest wizards should get hold of the severed particles and work evil with them。 The Caffres carry still further this dread of allowing any portion of themselves to fall into the hands of an enemy; for not only do they bury their cut hair and nails in a secret spot; but when one of them cleans the head of another he preserves the vermin which he catches; carefully delivering them to the person to whom they originally appertained; supposing; according to their theory; that as they derived their support from the blood of the man from whom they were taken; should they be killed by another; the blood of his neighbour would be in his possession; thus placing in his hands the power of some superhuman influence。

Sometimes the severed hair and nails are preserved; not to prevent them from falling into the hands of a magician; but that the owner may have them at the resurrection of the body; to which some races look forward。 Thus the Incas of Peru took extreme care to preserve the nail…parings and the hairs that were shorn off or torn out with a comb; placing them in holes or niches in the walls; and if they fell out; any other Indian that saw them picked them up and put them in their places again。 I very often asked different Indians; at various times; why they did this; in order to see what they would say; and they all replied in the same words saying; 'Know that all persons who are born must return to life' (they have no word to express resurrection); 'and the souls must rise out of their tombs with all that belonged to their bodies。 We; therefore; in order that we may not have to search for our hair and nails at a time when there will be much hurry and confusion; place them in one place; that they may be brought together more conveniently; and; whenever it is possible; we are also careful to spit in one place。' Similarly the Turks never throw away the parings of their nails; but carefully stow them in cracks of the walls or of the boards; in the belief that they will be needed at the resurrection。 The Armenians do not throw away their cut hair and nails and extracted teeth; but hide them in places that are esteemed holy; such as a crack in the church wall; a pillar of the house; or a hollow tree。 They think that all these severed portions of themselves will be wanted at the resurrection; and that he who has not stowed them away in a safe place will have to hunt about for them on the great day。 In the village of Drumconrath in Ireland there used to be some old women who; having ascertained from Scripture that the hairs of their heads were all numbered by the Almighty; expected to have to account for them at the day of judgment。 In order to be able to do so they stuffed the severed hair away in the thatch of their cottages。

Some people burn their loose hair to save it from falling into the hands of sorcerers。 This is done by the Patagonians and some of the Victorian tribes。 In the Upper Vosges they say that you should never leave the clippings of your hair and nails lying about; but burn them to hinder the sorcerers from using them against you。 For the same reason Italian women either burn their loose hairs or throw them into a place where no one is likely to look for them。 The almost universal dread of witchcraft induces the West African negroes; the Makololo of South Africa; and the Tahitians to burn or bury their shorn hair。 In the Tyrol many people burn their hair lest the witches should use it to raise thunderstorms; others burn or bury it to prevent the birds from lining their nests with it; which would cause the heads from which the hair came to ache。

This destruction of the hair and nails plainly involves an inconsistency of thought。 The object of the destruction is avowedly to prevent these severed portions of the body from being used by sorcerers。 But the possibility of their being so used depends upon the supposed sympathetic connexion between them and the man from whom they were severed。 And if this sympathetic connexion still exists; clearly these severed portions cannot be destroyed without injury to the man。

9。 Spittle tabooed。

THE SAME fear of witchcraft which has led so many people to hide or destroy their loose hair and nails has induced other or the same people to treat their spittle in a like fashion。 For on the principles of sympathetic magic the spittle is part of the man; and whatever is done to it will have a corresponding effect on him。 A Chilote Indian; who has gathered up the spittle of an enemy; will put it in a potato; and hang the potato in the smoke; uttering certain spells as he does so in the belief that his foe will waste away as the potato dries in the smoke。 Or he will put the spittle in a frog and throw the animal into an inaccessible; unnavigable river; which will make the victim quake and shake with ague。 The natives of Urewera; a district of New Zealand; enjoyed a high reputation for their skill in magic。 It was said that they made use of people's spittle to bewitch them。 Hence visitors were careful to conceal their spittle; lest they should furnish these wizards with a handle for working them harm。 Similarly among some tribes of South Africa no man will spit when an enemy is near; lest his foe should find the spittle and give it to a wizard; who would then mix it with magical ingredients so as to injure the person from whom it fell。 Even in a man's own house his saliva is carefully swept away and obliterated for a similar reason。

If common folk are thus cautious; it is natural that kings and chiefs should be doubly so。 In the Sandwich Islands chiefs were attended by a confidential servant bearing a portable spittoon; and the deposit was carefully buried every morning to put it out of the reach of sorcerers。 On the Slave Coast; for the same reason; whenever a king or chief expectorates; the saliva is scrupulously gathered up and hidden or buried。 The same precautions are taken for the same reason with the spittle of the chief of Tabali in Southern Nigeria。

The magical use to which spittle may be put marks it out; like blood or nail…parings; as a suitable material basis for a covenant; since by exchanging their saliva the coven
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