the golden bough-第189章

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es　of　the　house　and　so　spare　the　living　for　another　year。　It　is　possible　that　the　puppets　made　of　rushes；　which　in　the　month　of　May　the　pontiffs　and　Vestal　Virgins　annually　threw　into　the　Tiber　from　the　old　Sublician　bridge　at　Rome；　had　originally　the　same　significance；　that　is；　they　may　have　been　designed　to　purge　the　city　from　demoniac　influence　by　diverting　the　attention　of　the　demons　from　human　beings　to　the　puppets　and　then　toppling　the　whole　uncanny　crew；　neck　and　crop；　into　the　river；　which　would　soon　sweep　them　far　out　to　sea。　In　precisely　the　same　way　the　natives　of　Old　Calabar　used

periodically　to　rid　their　town　of　the　devils　which　infested　it　by　luring　the　unwary　demons　into　a　number　of　lamentable　scarecrows；　which　they　afterwards　flung　into　the　river。　This　interpretation　of　the　Roman　custom　is　supported　to　some　extent　by　the　evidence　of　Plutarch；　who　speaks　of　the　ceremony　as　the　greatest　of　purifications。

Chapter　51。　Homeopathic　Magic　of　a　Flesh　Diet

THE　PRACTICE　of　killing　a　god　has　now　been　traced　amongst　peoples　who　have　reached　the　agricultural　stage　of　society。　We　have　seen　that　the　spirit　of　the　corn；　or　of　other　cultivated　plants；　is　commonly　represented　either　in　human　or　in　animal　form；　and　that　in　some　places　a　custom　has　prevailed　of　killing　annually　either　the　human　or　the　animal　representative　of　the　god。　One　reason　for　thus　killing　the　corn…spirit　in　the　person　of　his　representative　has　been　given　implicitly　in　an　earlier　part　of　this　work：　we　may　suppose　that　the　intention　was　to　guard　him　or　her　（for　the　corn…spirit　is　often　feminine）　from　the　enfeeblement　of　old　age　by　transferring　the　spirit；　while　still　hale　and　hearty；　to　the　person　of　a　youthful　and　vigorous　successor。　Apart　from　the　desirability　of　renewing　his　divine　energies；　the　death　of　the　corn…spirit　may　have　been　deemed　inevitable　under　the　sickles　or　the　knives　of　the　reapers；　and　his　worshippers　may　accordingly　have　felt　bound　to　acquiesce　in　the　sad　necessity。　But；　further；　we　have　found　a　widespread　custom　of　eating　the　god　sacramentally；　either　in　the　shape　of　the　man　or　animal　who　represents　the　god；　or　in　the　shape　of　bread　made　in　human　or　animal　form。　The　reasons　for　thus　partaking　of　the　body　of　the　god　are；　from　the　primitive　standpoint；　simple　enough。　The　savage　commonly　believes　that　by　eating　the　flesh　of　an　animal　or　man　he　acquires　not　only　the　physical；　but　even　the　moral　and　intellectual　qualities　which　were　characteristic　of　that　animal　or　man；　so　when　the　creature　is　deemed　divine；　our　simple　savage　naturally　expects　to　absorb　a　portion　of　its　divinity　along　with　its　material　substance。　It　may　be　well　to　illustrate　by　instances　this　common　faith　in　the　acquisition　of　virtues　or　vices　of　many　kinds　through　the　medium　of　animal　food；　even　when　there　is　no　pretence　that　the　viands　consist　of　the　body　or　blood　of　a　god。　The　doctrine　forms　part　of　the　widely　ramified　system　of　sympathetic　or　homoeopathic　magic。

Thus；　for　example；　the　Creeks；　Cherokee；　and　kindred　tribes　of　North　American　Indians　believe　that　nature　is　possest　of　such　a　property　as　to　transfuse　into　men　and　animals　the　qualities；　either　of　the　food　they　use；　or　of　those　objects　that　are　presented　to　their　senses；　he　who　feeds　on　venison　is；　according　to　their　physical　system；　swifter　and　more　sagacious　than　the　man　who　lives　on　the　flesh　of　the　clumsy　bear；　or　helpless　dunghill　fowls；　the　slow…footed　tame　cattle；　or　the　heavy　wallowing　swine。　This　is　the　reason　that　several　of　their　old　men　recommend；　and　say；　that　formerly　their　greatest　chieftains　observed　a　constant　rule　in　their　diet；　and　seldom　ate　of　any　animal　of　a　gross　quality；　or　heavy　motion　of　body；　fancying　it　conveyed　a　dullness　through　the　whole　system；　and　disabled　them　from　exerting　themselves　with　proper　vigour　in　their　martial；　civil；　and　religious　duties。　The　Zaparo　Indians　of　Ecuador　will；　unless　from　necessity；　in　most　cases　not　eat　any　heavy　meats；　such　as　tapir　and　peccary；　but　confine　themselves　to　birds；　monkeys；　deer；　fish；　etc。；　principally　because　they　argue　that　the　heavier　meats　make　them　unwieldy；　like　the　animals　who　supply　the　flesh；　impeding　their　agility；　and　unfitting　them　for　the　chase。　Similarly　some　of　the　Brazilian　Indians　would　eat　no　beast；　bird；　or　fish　that　ran；　flew；　or　swam　slowly；　lest　by　partaking　of　its　flesh　they　should　lose　their　ability　and　be　unable　to　escape　from　their　enemies。　The　Caribs　abstained　from　the　flesh　of　pigs　lest　it　should　cause　them　to　have　small　eyes　like　pigs；　and　they　refused　to　partake　of　tortoises　from　a　fear　that　if　they　did　so　they　would　become　heavy　and　stupid　like　the　animal。　Among　the　Fans　of　West　Africa　men　in　the　prime　of　life　never　eat　tortoises　for　a　similar　reason；　they　imagine　that　if　they　did　so；　their　vigour　and　fleetness　of　foot　would　be　gone。　But　old　men　may　eat　tortoises　freely；　because　having　already　lost　the　power　of　running　they　can　take　no　harm　from　the　flesh　of　the　slow…footed　creature。

While　many　savages　thus　fear　to　eat　the　flesh　of　slow…footed　animals　lest　they　should　themselves　become　slow…footed；　the　Bushmen　of　South　Africa　purposely　ate　the　flesh　of　such　creatures；　and　the　reason　which　they　gave　for　doing　so　exhibits　a　curious　refinement　of　savage　philosophy。　They　imagined　that　the　game　which　they　pursued　would　be　influenced　sympathetically　by　the　food　in　the　body　of　the　hunter；　so　that　if　he　had　eaten　of　swift…footed　animals；　the　quarry　would　be　swift…footed　also　and　would　escape　him；　whereas　if　he　had　eaten　of　slow…footed　animals；　the　quarry　would　also　be　slow…footed；　and　he　would　be　able　to　overtake　and　kill　it。　For　that　reason　hunters　of　gemsbok　particularly　avoided　eating　the　flesh　of　the　swift　and　agile　springbok；　indeed　they　would　not　even　touch　it　with　their　hands；　because　they　believed　the　springbok　to　be　a　very　lively　creature　which　did　not　go　to　sleep　at　night；　and　they　thought　that　if　they　ate　springbok；　the　gemsbok　which　they　hunted　would　likewise　not　be　willing　to　go　to　sleep；　even　at　night。　How；　then；　could　they　catch　it？

The　Namaquas　abstain　from　eating　the　flesh　of　hares；　because　they　think　it　would　make　them　faint…hearted　as　a　hare。　But　they　eat　the　flesh　of　the　lion；　or　drink　the　blood　of　the　leopard　or　lion；　to　get　the　courage　and　strength　of　these　beasts。　The　Bushmen　will　not　give　their　children　a　jackal's　heart　to　eat；　lest　it　should　make　them　timid　like　the　jackal；　but　they　give　them　a　leopard's　heart　to　eat　to　make　them　brave　like　the　leopard。　When　a　Wagogo　man　of　East　Africa　kills　a　lion；　he　eats　the　heart　in　order　to　become　brave　like　a　lion；　but　he　thinks　that　to　eat　the　heart　of　a　hen　would　make　him　timid。　When　a　serious　disease　has　attacked　a　Zulu　kraal；　the　medicine…man　takes　the　bone　of　a　very　old　dog；　or　the　bone　of　an　old　cow；　bull；　or　other　very　old　animal；　and　administers　it　to　the　healthy　as　well　as　to　the　sick　people；　in　order　that　they　may　live　to　be　as　old　as　the　animal　of　whose　bone　they　have　partaken。　So　to　restore　the　aged　Aeson　to　youth；　the　witch　Medea　infused　into　his　veins　a　decoction　of　the　liver　of　the　long…lived　deer　and　the　head　of　a　crow　that　had　outlived　nine　generations　of　men。

Among　the　Dyaks　of　North…West　Borneo　young　men　and　warriors　may　not　eat　venison；　because　it　would　make　them　as　timid　as　deer；　but　the　women　and　very　old　men　are　free　to　eat　it。　However；　among　the　Kayans　of　the　same　region；　who　share　the　same　view　as　to　the　ill　effect　of　eating　venison；　men　will　partake　of　the　dangerous　viand　provided　it　is　cooked　in　the　open　air；　for　then　the　timid　spirit　of　the　animal　is　supposed　to　escape　at　once　into　the　jungle　and　not　to　enter　into　the　eater。　The　Aino　believe　that　the　heart　of　the　water…ousel　is　exceedingly　wise；　and　that　in　speech　the　bird　is　most　eloquent。　Therefore　whenever　he　is　killed；　he　should　be　at　once　torn　open　and　his　heart　wrenched　out　and　swallowed　before　it　has　time　to　grow　cold　or　suffer　damage　of　any　kind。　If　a　man　swallows　it　thus；　he　will　become　very　fluent　and　wise；　and　will　be　able　to　argue　down　all　his　adversaries。　In　Northern　India　people　fancy　that　if　you　eat　the　eyeballs　of　an　owl　you　will　be　able　like　an　owl　to　see　in　the　dark。

When　the　Kansas　Indians　were　going　to　war；　a　feast　used　to　be　held　in　the　ch