the golden bough-第13章

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Carib　Indians　of　the　Orinoco　had　gone　on　the　war…path；　their　friends　left　in　the　village　used　to　calculate　as　nearly　as　they　could　the　exact　moment　when　the　absent　warriors　would　be　advancing　to　attack　the　enemy。　Then　they　took　two　lads；　laid　them　down　on　a　bench；　and　inflicted　a　most　severe　scourging　on　their　bare　backs。　This　the　youths　submitted　to　without　a　murmur；　supported　in　their　sufferings　by　the　firm　conviction；　in　which　they　had　been　bred　from　childhood；　that　on　the　constancy　and　fortitude　with　which　they　bore　the　cruel　ordeal　depended　the　valour　and　success　of　their　comrades　in　the　battle。

Among　the　many　beneficent　uses　to　which　a　mistaken　ingenuity　has　applied　the　principle　of　homoeopathic　or　imitative　magic；　is　that　of　causing　trees　and　plants　to　bear　fruit　in　due　season。　In　Thüringen　the　man　who　sows　flax　carries　the　seed　in　a　long　bag　which　reaches　from　his　shoulders　to　his　knees；　and　he　walks　with　long　strides；　so　that　the　bag　sways　to　and　fro　on　his　back。　It　is　believed　that　this　will　cause　the　flax　to　wave　in　the　wind。　In　the　interior　of　Sumatra　rice　is　sown　by　women　who；　in　sowing；　let　their　hair　hang　loose　down　their　back；　in　order　that　the　rice　may　grow　luxuriantly　and　have　long　stalks。　Similarly；　in　ancient　Mexico　a　festival　was　held　in　honour　of　the　goddess　of　maize；　or　the　long…haired　mother；　as　she　was　called。　It　began　at　the　time　when　the　plant　had　attained　its　full　growth；　and　fibres　shooting　forth　from　the　top　of　the　green　ear　indicated　that　the　grain　was　fully　formed。　During　this　festival　the　women　wore　their　long　hair　unbound；　shaking　and　tossing　it　in　the　dances　which　were　the　chief　feature　in　the　ceremonial；　in　order　that　the　tassel　of　the　maize　might　grow　in　like　profusion；　that　the　grain　might　be　correspondingly　large　and　flat；　and　that　the　people　might　have　abundance。　In　many　parts　of　Europe　dancing　or　leaping　high　in　the　air　are　approved　homoeopathic　modes　of　making　the　crops　grow　high。　Thus　in　Franche…Comté　they　say　that　you　should　dance　at　the　Carnival　in　order　to　make　the　hemp　grow　tall。

The　notion　that　a　person　can　influence　a　plant　homoeopathically　by　his　act　or　condition　comes　out　clearly　in　a　remark　made　by　a　Malay　woman。　Being　asked　why　she　stripped　the　upper　part　of　her　body　naked　in　reaping　the　rice；　she　explained　that　she　did　it　to　make　the　rice…husks　thinner；　as　she　was　tired　of　pounding　thick…husked　rice。　Clearly；　she　thought　that　the　less　clothing　she　wore　the　less　husk　there　would　be　on　the　rice。　The　magic　virtue　of　a　pregnant　woman　to　communicate　fertility　is　known　to　Bavarian　and　Austrian　peasants；　who　think　that　if　you　give　the　first　fruit　of　a　tree　to　a　woman　with　child　to　eat；　the　tree　will　bring　forth　abundantly　next　year。　On　the　other　hand；　the　Baganda　believe　that　a　barren　wife　infects　her　husband's　garden　with　her　own　sterility　and　prevents　the　trees　from　bearing　fruit；　hence　a　childless　woman　is　generally　divorced。　The　Greeks　and　Romans　sacrificed　pregnant　victims　to　the　goddesses　of　the　corn　and　of　the　earth；　doubtless　in　order　that　the　earth　might　teem　and　the　corn　swell　in　the　ear。　When　a　Catholic　priest　remonstrated　with　the　Indians　of　the　Orinoco　on　allowing　their　women　to　sow　the　fields　in　the　blazing　sun；　with　infants　at　their　breasts；　the　men　answered；　Father；　you　don't　understand　these　things；　and　that　is　why　they　vex　you。　You　know　that　women　are　accustomed　to　bear　children；　and　that　we　men　are　not。　When　the　women　sow；　the　stalk　of　the　maize　bears　two　or　three　ears；　the　root　of　the　yucca　yields　two　or　three　basketfuls；　and　everything　multiplies　in　proportion。　Now　why　is　that？　Simply　because　the　women　know　how　to　bring　forth；　and　know　how　to　make　the　seed　which　they　sow　bring　forth　also。　Let　them　sow；　then；　we　men　don't　know　as　much　about　it　as　they　do。

Thus　on　the　theory　of　homoeopathic　magic　a　person　can　influence　vegetation　either　for　good　or　for　evil　according　to　the　good　or　the　bad　character　of　his　acts　or　states：　for　example；　a　fruitful　woman　makes　plants　fruitful；　a　barren　woman　makes　them　barren。　Hence　this　belief　in　the　noxious　and　infectious　nature　of　certain　personal　qualities　or　accidents　has　given　rise　to　a　number　of　prohibitions　or　rules　of　avoidance：　people　abstain　from　doing　certain　things　lest　they　should　homoeopathically　infect　the　fruits　of　the　earth　with　their　own　undesirable　state　or　condition。　All　such　customs　of　abstention　or　rules　of　avoidance　are　examples　of　negative　magic　or　taboo。　Thus；　for　example；　arguing　from　what　may　be　called　the　infectiousness　of　personal　acts　or　states；　the　Galelareese　say　that　you　ought　not　to　shoot　with　a　bow　and　arrows　under　a　fruit…tree；　or　the　tree　will　cast　its　fruit　even　as　the　arrows　fall　to　the　ground；　and　that　when　you　are　eating　water…melon　you　ought　not　to　mix　the　pips　which　you　spit　out　of　your　mouth　with　the　pips　which　you　have　put　aside　to　serve　as　seed；　for　if　you　do；　though　the　pips　you　spat　out　may　certainly　spring　up　and　blossom；　yet　the　blossoms　will　keep　falling　off　just　as　the　pips　fell　from　your　mouth；　and　thus　these　pips　will　never　bear　fruit。　Precisely　the　same　train　of　thought　leads　the　Bavarian　peasant　to　believe　that　if　he　allows　the　graft　of　a　fruit…tree　to　fall　on　the　ground；　the　tree　that　springs　from　that　graft　will　let　its　fruit　fall　untimely。　When　the　Chams　of　Cochinchina　are　sowing　their　dry　rice　fields　and　desire　that　no　shower　should　fall；　they　eat　their　rice　dry　in　order　to　prevent　rain　from　spoiling　the　crop。

In　the　foregoing　cases　a　person　is　supposed　to　influence　vegetation　homoeopathically。　He　infects　trees　or　plants　with　qualities　or　accidents；　good　or　bad；　resembling　and　derived　from　his　own。　But　on　the　principle　of　homoeopathic　magic　the　influence　is　mutual：　the　plant　can　infect　the　man　just　as　much　as　the　man　can　infect　the　plant。　In　magic；　as　I　believe　in　physics；　action　and　reaction　are　equal　and　opposite。　The　Cherokee　Indians　are　adepts　in　practical　botany　of　the　homoeopathic　sort。　Thus　wiry　roots　of　the　catgut　plant　are　so　tough　that　they　can　almost　stop　a　plowshare　in　the　furrow。　Hence　Cherokee　women　wash　their　heads　with　a　decoction　of　the　roots　to　make　the　hair　strong；　and　Cherokee　ball…players　wash　themselves　with　it　to　toughen　their　muscles。　It　is　a　Galelareese　belief　that　if　you　eat　a　fruit　which　has　fallen　to　the　ground；　you　will　yourself　contract　a　disposition　to　stumble　and　fall；　and　that　if　you　partake　of　something　which　has　been　forgotten　（such　as　a　sweet　potato　left　in　the　pot　or　a　banana　in　the　fire）；　you　will　become　forgetful。　The　Galelareese　are　also　of　opinion　that　if　a　woman　were　to　consume　two　bananas　growing　from　a　single　head　she　would　give　birth　to　twins。　The　Guarani　Indians　of　South　America　thought　that　a　woman　would　become　a　mother　of　twins　if　she　ate　a　double　grain　of　millet。　In　Vedic　times　a　curious　application　of　this　principle　supplied　a　charm　by　which　a　banished　prince　might　be　restored　to　his　kingdom。　He　had　to　eat　food　cooked　on　a　fire　which　was　fed　with　wood　which　had　grown　out　of　the　stump　of　a　tree　which　had　been　cut　down。　The　recuperative　power　manifested　by　such　a　tree　would　in　due　course　be　communicated　through　the　fire　to　the　food；　and　so　to　the　prince；　who　ate　the　food　which　was　cooked　on　the　fire　which　was　fed　with　the　wood　which　grew　out　of　the　tree。　The　Sudanese　think　that　if　a　house　is　built　of　the　wood　of　thorny　trees；　the　life　of　the　people　who　dwell　in　that　house　will　likewise　be　thorny　and　full　of　trouble。

There　is　a　fruitful　branch　of　homoeopathic　magic　which　works　by　means　of　the　dead；　for　just　as　the　dead　can　neither　see　nor　hear　nor　speak；　so　you　may　on　homoeopathic　principles　render　people　blind；　deaf　and　dumb　by　the　use　of

dead　men's　bones　or　anything　else　that　is　tainted　by　the　infection　of　death。　Thus　among　the　Galelareese；　when　a　young　man　goes　a…wooing　at　night；　he　takes　a　little　earth　from　a　grave　and　strews　it　on　the　roof　of　his　sweetheart's　house　just　above　the　place　where　her　parents　sleep。　This；　he　fancies；　will　prevent　them　from　waking　while　he　converses　with　his　beloved；　since　the　earth　from　the　grave　will　make　them　sleep　as　sound　as　the　dead。　Burglars　in　all　ages　and　many　lands　have　been　patrons　of　this　species　of　magic；　which　is　very　useful　to　them　in　the　exercise　of　their　profession。