the golden bough-第231章

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r；　four；　five；　ten；　or　twenty　days　are　thought　enough；　and　even　this；　in　a　hot　climate　and　under　the　close　meshes　of　the　curtain；　is　sufficiently　trying。　According　to　another　account；　a　Cambodian　maiden　at　puberty　is　said　to　enter　into　the　shade。　During　her　retirement；　which；　according　to　the　rank　and　position　of　her　family；　may　last　any　time　from　a　few　days　to　several　years；　she　has　to　observe　a　number　of　rules；　such　as　not　to　be　seen　by　a　strange　man；　not　to　eat　flesh　or　fish；　and　so　on。　She　goes　nowhere；　not　even　to　the　pagoda。　But　this　state　of　seclusion　is　discontinued　during　eclipses；　at　such　times　she　goes　forth　and　pays　her　devotions　to　the　monster　who　is　supposed　to　cause　eclipses　by　catching　the　heavenly　bodies　between　his　teeth。　This　permission　to　break　her　rule　of　retirement　and　appear　abroad　during　an　eclipse　seems　to　show　how　literally　the　injunction　is　interpreted　which　forbids　maidens　entering　on　womanhood　to　look　upon　the　sun。

A　superstition　so　widely　diffused　as　this　might　be　expected　to　leave　traces　in　legends　and　folk…tales。　And　it　has　done　so。　The　old　Greek　story　of　Danae；　who　was　confined　by　her　father　in　a　subterranean　chamber　or　a　brazen　tower；　but　impregnated　by　Zeus；　who　reached　her　in　the　shape　of　a　shower　of　gold；　perhaps　belongs　to　this　class　of　tales。　It　has　its　counterpart　in　the　legend　which　the　Kirghiz　of　Siberia　tell　of　their　ancestry。　A　certain　Khan　had　a　fair　daughter；　whom　he　kept　in　a　dark　iron　house；　that　no　man　might　see　her。　An　old　woman　tended　her；　and　when　the　girl　was　grown　to　maidenhood　she　asked　the　old　woman；　Where　do　you　go　so　often？　My　child；　said　the　old　dame；　there　is　a　bright　world。　In　that　bright　world　your　father　and　mother　live；　and　all　sorts　of　people　live　there。　That　is　where　I　go。　The　maiden　said；　Good　mother；　I　will　tell　nobody；　but　show　me　that　bright　world。　So　the　old　woman　took　the　girl　out　of　the　iron　house。　But　when　she　saw　the　bright　world；　the　girl　tottered　and　fainted；　and　the　eye　of　God　fell　upon　her；　and　she　conceived。　Her　angry　father　put　her　in　a　golden　chest　and　sent　her　floating　away　（fairy　gold　can　float　in　fairyland）　over　the　wide　sea。　The　shower　of　gold　in　the　Greek　story；　and　the　eye　of　God　in　the　Kirghiz　legend；　probably　stand　for　sunlight　and　the　sun。　The　idea　that　women　may　be　impregnated　by　the　sun　is　not　uncommon　in　legends；　and　there　are　even　traces　of　it　in　marriage　customs。

4。　Reasons　for　the　Seclusion　of　Girls　at　Puberty

THE　MOTIVE　for　the　restraints　so　commonly　imposed　on　girls　at　puberty　is　the　deeply　engrained　dread　which　primitive　man　universally　entertains　of　menstruous　blood。　He　fears　it　at　all　times　but　especially　on　its　first　appearance；　hence　the　restrictions　under　which　women　lie　at　their　first　menstruation　are　usually　more　stringent　than　those　which　they　have　to　observe　at　any　subsequent　recurrence　of　the　mysterious　flow。　Some　evidence　of　the　fear　and　of　the　customs　based　on　it　has　been　cited　in　an　earlier　part　of　this　work；　but　as　the　terror；　for　it　is　nothing　less；　which　the　phenomenon　periodically　strikes　into　the　mind　of　the　savage　has　deeply　influenced　his　life　and　institutions；　it　may　be　well　to　illustrate　the　subject　with　some　further　examples。

Thus　in　the　Encounter　Bay　tribe　of　South　Australia　there　is；　or　used　to　be；　a　superstition　which　obliges　a　woman　to　separate　herself　from　the　camp　at　the　time　of　her　monthly　illness；　when　if　a　young　man　or　boy　should　approach；　she　calls　out；　and　he　immediately　makes　a　circuit　to　avoid　her。　If　she　is　neglectful　upon　this　point；　she　exposes　herself　to　scolding；　and　sometimes　to　severe　beating　by　her　husband　or　nearest　relation；　because　the　boys　are　told　from　their　infancy；　that　if　they　see　the　blood　they　will　early　become　grey…headed；　and　their　strength　will　fail　prematurely。　The　Dieri　of　Central　Australia　believe　that　if　women　at　these　times　were　to　eat　fish　or　bathe　in　a　river；　the　fish　would　all　die　and　the　water　would　dry　up。　The　Arunta　of　the　same　region　forbid　menstruous　women　to　gather　the　irriakura　bulbs；　which　form　a　staple　article　of　diet　for　both　men　and　women。　They　think　that　were　a　woman　to　break　this　rule；　the　supply　of　bulbs　would　fail。

In　some　Australian　tribes　the　seclusion　of　menstruous　women　was　even　more　rigid；　and　was　enforced　by　severer　penalties　than　a　scolding　or　a　beating。　Thus　there　is　a　regulation　relating　to　camps　in　the　Wakelbura　tribe　which　forbids　the　women　coming　into　the　encampment　by　the　same　path　as　the　men。　Any　violation　of　this　rule　would　in　a　large　camp　be　punished　with　death。　The　reason　for　this　is　the　dread　with　which　they　regard　the　menstrual　period　of　women。　During　such　a　time；　a　woman　is　kept　entirely　away　from　the　camp；　half　a　mile　at　least。　A　woman　in　such　a　condition　has　boughs　of　some　tree　of　her　totem　tied　round　her　loins；　and　is　constantly　watched　and　guarded；　for　it　is　thought　that　should　any　male　be　so　unfortunate　as　to　see　a　woman　in　such　a　condition；　he　would　die。　If　such　a　woman　were　to　let　herself　be　seen　by　a　man；　she　would　probably　be　put　to　death。　When　the　woman　has　recovered；　she　is　painted　red　and　white；　her　head　covered　with　feathers；　and　returns　to　the　camp。

In　Muralug；　one　of　the　Torres　Straits　Islands；　a　menstruous　woman　may　not　eat　anything　that　lives　in　the　sea；　else　the　natives　believe　that　the　fisheries　would　fail。　In　Galela；　to　the　west　of　New　Guinea；　women　at　their　monthly　periods　may　not　enter　a　tobacco…field；　or　the　plants　would　be　attacked　by　disease。　The　Minangkabauers　of　Sumatra　are　persuaded　that　if　a　woman　in　her　unclean　state　were　to　go　near　a　rice…field；　the　crop　would　be　spoiled。

The　Bushmen　of　South　Africa　think　that；　by　a　glance　of　a　girl's　eye　at　the　time　when　she　ought　to　be　kept　in　strict　retirement；　men　become　fixed　in　whatever　positions　they　happen　to　occupy；　with　whatever　they　were　holding　in　their　hands；　and　are　changed　into　trees　that　talk。　Cattle…rearing　tribes　of　South　Africa　hold　that　their　cattle　would　die　if　the　milk　were　drunk　by　a　menstruous　woman；　and　they　fear　the　same　disaster　if　a　drop　of　her　blood　were　to　fall　on　the　ground　and　the　oxen　were　to　pass　over　it。　To　prevent　such　a　calamity　women　in　general；　not　menstruous　women　only；　are　forbidden　to　enter　the　cattle　enclosure；　and　more　than　that；　they　may　not　use　the　ordinary　paths　in　entering　the　village　or　in　passing　from　one　hut　to　another。　They　are　obliged　to　make　circuitous　tracks　at　the　back　of　the　huts　in　order　to　avoid　the　ground　in　the　middle　of　the　village　where　the　cattle　stand　or　lie　down。　These　women's　tracks　may　be　seen　at　every　Caffre　village。　Among　the　Baganda；　in　like　manner；　no　menstruous　woman　might　drink　milk　or　come　into　contact　with　any　milk…vessel；　and　she　might　not　touch　anything　that　belonged　to　her　husband；　nor　sit　on　his　mat；　nor　cook　his　food。　If　she　touched　anything　of　his　at　such　a　time　it　was　deemed　equivalent　to　wishing　him　dead　or　to　actually　working　magic　for　his　destruction。　Were　she　to　handle　any　article　of　his；　he　would　surely　fall　ill；　were　she　to　touch　his　weapons；　he　would　certainly　be　killed　in　the　next　battle。　Further；　the　Baganda　would　not　suffer　a　menstruous　woman　to　visit　a　well；　if　she　did　so；　they　feared　that　the　water　would　dry　up；　and　that　she　herself　would　fall　sick　and　die；　unless　she　confessed　her　fault　and　the　medicine…man　made　atonement　for　her。　Among　the　Akikuyu　of　British　East　Africa；　if　a　new　hut　is　built　in　a　village　and　the　wife　chances　to　menstruate　in　it　on　the　day　she　lights　the　first　fire　there；　the　hut　must　be　broken　down　and　demolished　the　very　next　day。　The　woman　may　on　no　account　sleep　a　second　night　in　it；　there　is　a　curse　both　on　her　and　on　it。

According　to　the　Talmud；　if　a　woman　at　the　beginning　of　her　period　passes　between　two　men；　she　thereby　kills　one　of　them。　Peasants　of　the　Lebanon　think　that　menstruous　women　are　the　cause　or　many　misfortunes；　their　shadow　causes　flowers　to　wither　and　trees　to　perish；　it　even　arrests　the　movements　of　serpents；　if　one　of　them　mounts　a　horse；　the　animal　might　die　or　at　least　be　disabled　for　a　long　time。

The　Guayquiries　of　the　Orinoco　believe　that　when　a　woman　has　her　courses；　everything　upon　which　she　steps　will　die；　and　that　if　a　man　treads　on　the　place　where　she　has　passed；　his　legs　will　immediately　swell　up。　Among