the golden bough-第114章

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　as　marrying　a　princess　or　vanquishing　the　king　in　battle；　and；　third；　that　even　if　the　custom　did　tend　to　the　extinction　of　a　dynasty；　that　is　not　a　consideration　which　would　prevent　its　observance　among　people　less　provident　of　the　future　and　less　heedful　of　human　life　than　ourselves。　Many　races；　like　many　individuals；　have　indulged　in　practices　which　must　in　the　end　destroy　them。　The　Polynesians　seem　regularly　to　have　killed　two…thirds　of　their　children。　In　some　parts　of　East　Africa　the　proportion　of　infants　massacred　at　birth　is　said　to　be　the　same。　Only　children　born　in　certain　presentations　are　allowed　to　live。　The　Jagas；　a　conquering　tribe　in　Angola；　are　reported　to　have　put　to　death　all　their　children；　without　exception；　in　order　that　the　women　might　not　be　cumbered　with　babies　on　the　march。　They　recruited　their　numbers　by　adopting　boys　and　girls　of　thirteen　or　fourteen　years　of　age；　whose　parents　they　had　killed　and　eaten。　Among　the　Mbaya　Indians　of　South　America　the　women　used　to　murder　all　their　children　except　the　last；　or　the　one　they　believed　to　be　the　last。　If　one　of　them　had　another　child　afterwards；　she　killed　it。　We　need　not　wonder　that　this　practice　entirely　destroyed　a　branch　of　the　Mbaya　nation；　who　had　been　for　many　years　the　most　formidable　enemies　of　the　Spaniards。　Among　the　Lengua　Indians　of　the　Gran　Chaco；　the　missionaries　discovered　what　they　describe　as　a　carefully　planned　system　of　racial　suicide；　by　the　practice　of　infanticide　by　abortion；　and　other　methods。　Nor　is　infanticide　the　only　mode　in　which　a　savage　tribe　commits　suicide。　A　lavish　use　of　the　poison　ordeal　may　be　equally　effective。　Some　time　ago　a　small　tribe　named　Uwet　came　down　from　the　hill　country；　and　settled　on　the　left　branch　of　the　Calabar　River　in　West　Africa。　When　the　missionaries　first　visited　the　place；　they　found　the　population　considerable；　distributed　into　three　villages。　Since　then　the　constant　use　of　the　poison　ordeal　has　almost　extinguished　the　tribe。　On　one　occasion　the　whole　population　took　poison　to　prove　their　innocence。　About　half　perished　on　the　spot；　and　the　remnant；　we　are　told；　still　continuing　their　superstitious　practice；　must　soon　become　extinct。　With　such　examples　before　us　we　need　not　hesitate　to　believe　that　many　tribes　have　felt　no　scruple　or　delicacy　in　observing　a　custom　which　tends　to　wipe　out　a　single　family。　To　attribute　such　scruples　to　them　is　to　commit　the　common；　the　perpetually　repeated　mistake　of　judging　the　savage　by　the　standard　of　European　civilisation。　If　any　of　my　readers　set　out　with　the　notion　that　all　races　of　men　think　and　act　much　in　the　same　way　as　educated　Englishmen；　the　evidence　of　superstitious　belief　and　custom　collected　in　this　work　should　suffice　to　disabuse　him　of　so　erroneous　a　prepossession。

The　explanation　here　given　of　the　custom　of　killing　divine　persons　assumes；　or　at　least　is　readily　combined　with；　the　idea　that　the　soul　of　the　slain　divinity　is　transmitted　to　his　successor。　Of　this　transmission　I　have　no　direct　proof　except　in　the　case　of　the　Shilluk；　among　whom　the　practice　of　killing　the　divine　king　prevails　in　a　typical　form；　and　with　whom　it　is　a　fundamental　article　of　faith　that　the　soul　of　the　divine　founder　of　the　dynasty　is　immanent　in　every　one　of　his　slain　successors。　But　if　this　is　the　only　actual　example　of　such　a　belief　which　I　can　adduce；　analogy　seems　to　render　it　probable　that　a　similar　succession　to　the　soul　of　the　slain　god　has　been　supposed　to　take　place　in　other　instances；　though　direct　evidence　of　it　is　wanting。　For　it　has　been　already　shown　that　the　soul　of　the　incarnate　deity　is　often　supposed　to　transmigrate　at　death　into　another　incarnation；　and　if　this　takes　place　when　the　death　is　a　natural　one；　there　seems　no　reason　why　it　should　not　take　place　when　the　death　has　been　brought　about　by　violence。　Certainly　the　idea　that　the　soul　of　a　dying　person　may　be　transmitted　to　his　successor　is　perfectly　familiar　to　primitive　peoples。　In　Nias　the　eldest　son　usually　succeeds　his　father　in　the　chieftainship。　But　if　from　any　bodily　or　mental　defect　the　eldest　son　is　disqualified　for　ruling；　the　father　determines　in　his　lifetime　which　of　his　sons　shall　succeed　him。　In　order；　however；　to　establish　his　right　of　succession；　it　is　necessary　that　the　son　upon　whom　his　father's　choice　falls　shall　catch　in　his　mouth　or　in　a　bag　the　last　breath；　and　with　it　the　soul；　of　the　dying　chief。　For　whoever　catches　his　last　breath　is　chief　equally　with　the　appointed　successor。　Hence　the　other　brothers；　and　sometimes　also　strangers；　crowd　round　the　dying　man　to　catch　his　soul　as　it　passes。　The　houses　in　Nias　are　raised　above　the　ground　on　posts；　and　it　has　happened　that　when　the　dying　man　lay　with　his　face　on　the　floor；　one　of　the　candidates　has　bored　a　hole　in　the　floor　and　sucked　in　the　chief's　last　breath　through　a　bamboo　tube。　When　the　chief　has　no　son；　his　soul　is　caught　in　a　bag；　which　is　fastened　to　an　image　made　to　represent　the　deceased；　the　soul　is　then　believed　to　pass　into　the　image。

Sometimes　it　would　appear　that　the　spiritual　link　between　a　king　and　the　souls　of　his　predecessors　is　formed　by　the　possession　of　some　part　of　their　persons。　In　southern　Celebes　the　regalia　often　consist　of　corporeal　portions　of　deceased　rajahs；　which　are　treasured　as　sacred　relics　and　confer　the　right　to　the　throne。　Similarly　among　the　Sakalavas　of　southern　Madagascar　a　vertebra　of　the　neck；　a　nail；　and　a　lock　of　hair　of　a　deceased　king　are　placed　in　a　crocodile's　tooth　and　carefully　kept　along　with　the　similar　relics　of　his　predecessors　in　a　house　set　apart　for　the　purpose。　The　possession　of　these　relics　constitutes　the　right　to　the　throne。　A　legitimate　heir　who　should　be　deprived　of　them　would　lose　all　his　authority　over　the　people；　and　on　the　contrary　a　usurper　who　should　make　himself　master　of　the　relics　would　be　acknowledged　king　without　dispute。　When　the　Alake　or　king　of　Abeokuta　in　West　Africa　dies；　the　principal　men　decapitate　his　body；　and　placing　the　head　in　a　large　earthen　vessel　deliver　it　to　the　new　sovereign；　it　becomes　his　fetish　and　he　is　bound　to　pay　it　honours。　Sometimes；　in　order　apparently　that　the　new　sovereign　may　inherit　more　surely　the　magical　and　other　virtues　of　the　royal　line；　he　is　required　to　eat　a　piece　of　his　dead　predecessor。　Thus　at　Abeokuta　not　only　was　the　head　of　the　late　king　presented　to　his　successor；　but　the　tongue　was　cut　out　and　given　him　to　eat。　Hence；　when　the　natives　wish　to　signify　that　the　sovereign　reigns；　they　say；　He　has　eaten　the　king。　A　custom　of　the　same　sort　is　still　practised　at　Ibadan；　a　large　town　in　the　interior　of　Lagos；　West　Africa。　When　the　king　dies　his　head　is　cut　off　and　sent　to　his　nominal　suzerain；　the　Alafin　of　Oyo；　the　paramount　king　of　Yoruba　land；　but　his　heart　is　eaten　by　his　successor。　This　ceremony　was　performed　not　very　many　years　ago　at　the　accession　of　a　new　king　of　Ibadan。

Taking　the　whole　of　the　preceding　evidence　into　account；　we　may　fairly　suppose　that　when　the　divine　king　or　priest　is　put　to　death　his　spirit　is　believed　to　pass　into　his　successor。　In　point　of　fact；　among　the　Shilluk　of　the　White　Nile；　who　regularly　kill　their　divine　kings；　every　king　on　his　accession　has　to　perform　a　ceremony　which　appears　designed　to　convey　to　him　the　same　sacred　and　worshipful　spirit　which　animated　all　his　predecessors；　one　after　the　other；　on　the　throne。

Chapter　28。　The　Killing　of　the　Tree…Spirit。

1。　The　Whitsuntide　Mummers。

IT　remains　to　ask　what　light　the　custom　of　killing　the　divine　king　or　priest　sheds　upon　the　special　subject　to　our　enquiry。　In　an　earlier　part　of　this　work　we　saw　reason　to　suppose　that　the　King　of　the　Wood　at　Nemi　was　regarded　as　an　incarnation　of　a　tree…spirit　or　of　the　spirit　of　vegetation；　and　that　as　such　he　would　be　endowed；　in　the　belief　of　his　worshippers；　with　a　magical　power　of　making　the　trees　to　bear　fruit；　the　crops　to　grow；　and　so　on。　His　life　must　therefore　have　been　held　very　precious　by　his　worshippers；　and　was　probably　hedged　in　by　a　system　of　elaborate　precautions　or　taboos　like　those　by　which；　in　so　many　places；　the　life　of　the　man…god　has　been　guarded　against　the　malignant　influence　of　demons　and　sorcerers。　But　we　have　seen　that　the　very　value　attached　to　the　life　o