the golden bough-第34章

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chinations　of　the　Finnish　wizards　and　witches。　In　particular　they　regard　with　special　dread　three　days　in　spring　to　which　they　give　the　name　of　Days　of　the　Cross；　one　of　them　falls　on　the　Eve　of　Ascension　Day。　The　people　in　the　neighbourhood　of　Fellin　fear　to　go　out　on　these　days　lest　the　cruel　winds　from　Lappland　should　smite　them　dead。　A　popular　Esthonian　song　runs：

Wind　of　the　Cross！　rushing　and　mighty！　Heavy　the　blow　of　thy　wings　sweeping　past！　Wild　wailing　wind　of　misfortune　and　sorrow；　Wizards　of　Finland　ride　by　on　the　blast。

It　is　said；　too；　that　sailors；　beating　up　against　the　wind　in　the　Gulf　of　Finland；　sometimes　see　a　strange　sail　heave　in　sight　astern　and　overhaul　them　hand　over　hand。　On　she　comes　with　a　cloud　of　canvasall　her　studding…sails　outright　in　the　teeth　of　the　wind；　forging　her　way　through　the　foaming　billows；　dashing　back　the　spray　in　sheets　from　her　cutwater；　every　sail　swollen　to　bursting；　every　rope　strained　to　cracking。　Then　the　sailors　know　that　she　hails　from　Finland。

The　art　of　tying　up　the　wind　in　three　knots；　so　that　the　more　knots　are　loosed　the　stronger　will　blow　the　wind；　has　been　attributed　to　wizards　in　Lappland　and　to　witches　in　Shetland；　Lewis；　and　the　Isle　of　Man。　Shetland　seamen　still　buy　winds　in　the　shape　of　knotted　handkerchiefs　or　threads　from　old　women　who　claim　to　rule　the　storms。　There　are　said　to　be　ancient　crones　in　Lerwick　now　who　live　by　selling　wind。　Ulysses　received　the　winds　in　a　leathern　bag　from　Aeolus；　King　of　the　Winds。　The　Motumotu　in　New　Guinea　think　that　storms　are　sent　by　an　Oiabu　sorcerer；　for　each　wind　he　has　a　bamboo　which　he　opens　at　pleasure。　On　the　top　of　Mount　Agu　in　Togo；　a　district　of　West　Africa；　resides　a　fetish　called　Bagba；　who　is　supposed　to　control　the　wind　and　the　rain。　His　priest　is　said　to　keep　the　winds　shut　up　in　great　pots。

Often　the　stormy　wind　is　regarded　as　an　evil　being　who　may　be　intimidated；　driven　away；　or　killed。　When　storms　and　bad　weather　have　lasted　long　and　food　is　scarce　with　the　Central　Esquimaux；　they　endeavour　to　conjure　the　tempest　by　making　a　long　whip　of　seaweed；　armed　with　which　they　go　down　to　the　beach　and　strike　out　in　the　direction　of　the　wind；　crying　Taba　（it　is　enough）！　Once　when　north…westerly　winds　had　kept　the　ice　long　on　the　coast　and　food　was　becoming　scarce；　the　Esquimaux　performed　a　ceremony　to　make　a　calm。　A　fire　was　kindled　on　the　shore；　and　the　men　gathered　round　it　and　chanted。　An　old　man　then　stepped　up　to　the　fire　and　in　a　coaxing　voice　invited　the　demon　of　the　wind　to　come　under　the　fire　and　warm　himself。　When　he　was　supposed　to　have　arrived；　a　vessel　of　water；　to　which　each　man　present　had　contributed；　was　thrown　on　the　flames　by　an　old　man；　and　immediately　a　flight　of　arrows　sped　towards　the　spot　where　the　fire　had　been。　They　thought　that　the　demon　would　not　stay　where　he　had　been　so　badly　treated。　To　complete　the　effect；　guns　were　discharged　in　various　directions；　and　the　captain　of　a　European　vessel　was　invited　to　fire　on　the　wind　with　cannon。　On　the　twenty…first　of　February　1883　a　similar　ceremony　was　performed　by　the　Esquimaux　of　Point　Barrow；　Alaska；　with　the　intention　of　killing　the　spirit　of　the　wind。　Women　drove　the　demon　from　their　houses　with　clubs　and　knives；　with　which　they　made　passes　in　the　air；　and　the　men；　gathering　round　a　fire；　shot　him　with　their　rifles　and　crushed　him　under　a　heavy　stone　the　moment　that　steam　rose　in　a　cloud　from　the　smouldering　embers；　on　which　a　tub　of　water　had　just　been　thrown。

The　Lengua　Indians　of　the　Gran　Chaco　ascribe　the　rush　of　a　whirl…wind　to　the　passage　of　a　spirit　and　they　fling　sticks　at　it　to　frighten　it　away。　When　the　wind　blows　down　their　huts；　the　Payaguas　of　South　America　snatch　up　firebrands　and　run　against　the　wind；　menacing　it　with　the　blazing　brands；　while　others　beat　the　air　with　their　fists　to　frighten　the　storm。　When　the　Guaycurus　are　threatened　by　a　severe　storm；　the　men　go　out　armed；　and　the　women　and　children　scream　their　loudest　to　intimidate　the　demon。　During　a　tempest　the　inhabitants　of　a　Batak　village　in　Sumatra　have　been　seen　to　rush　from　their　houses　armed　with　sword　and　lance。　The　rajah　placed　himself　at　their　head；　and　with　shouts　and　yells　they　hewed　and　hacked　at　the　invisible　foe。　An　old　woman　was　observed　to　be　specially　active　in　the　defence　of　her　house；　slashing　the　air　right　and　left　with　a　long　sabre。　In　a　violent　thunderstorm；　the　peals　sounding　very　near；　the　Kayans　of　Borneo　have　been　seen　to　draw　their　swords　threateningly　half　out　of　their　scabbards；　as　if　to　frighten　away　the　demons　of　the　storm。　In　Australia　the　huge　columns　of　red　sand　that　move　rapidly　across　a　desert　tract　are　thought　by　the　natives　to　be　spirits　passing　along。　Once　an　athletic　young　black　ran　after　one　of　these　moving　columns　to　kill　it　with　boomerangs。　He　was　away　two　or　three　hours；　and　came　back　very　weary；　saying　he　had　killed　Koochee　（the　demon）；　but　that　Koochee　had　growled　at　him　and　he　must　die。　Of　the　Bedouins　of　Eastern　Africa　it　is　said　that　no　whirl…wind　ever　sweeps　across　the　path　without　being　pursued　by　a　dozen　savages　with　drawn　creeses；　who　stab　into　the　centre　of　the　dusty　column　in　order　to　drive　away　the　evil　spirit　that　is　believed　to　be　riding　on　the　blast。

In　the　light　of　these　examples　a　story　told　by　Herodotus；　which　his　modern　critics　have　treated　as　a　fable；　is　perfectly　credible。　He　says；　without　however　vouching　for　the　truth　of　the　tale；　that　once　in　the　land　of　the　Psylli；　the　modern　Tripoli；　the　wind　blowing　from　the　Sahara　had　dried　up　all　the　water…tanks。　So　the　people　took　counsel　and　marched　in　a　body　to　make　war　on　the　south　wind。　But　when　they　entered　the　desert　the　simoon　swept　down　on　them　and　buried　them　to　a　man。　The　story　may　well　have　been　told　by　one　who　watched　them　disappearing；　in　battle　array；　with　drums　and　cymbals　beating；　into　the　red　cloud　of　whirling　sand。

Chapter　6。　Magicians　as　Kings

THE　FOREGOING　evidence　may　satisfy　us　that　in　many　lands　and　many　races　magic　has　claimed　to　control　the　great　forces　of　nature　for　the　good　of　man。　If　that　has　been　so；　the　practitioners　of　the　art　must　necessarily　be　personages　of　importance　and　influence　in　any　society　which　puts　faith　in　their　extravagant　pretensions；　and　it　would　be　no　matter　for　surprise　if；　by　virtue　of　the　reputation　which　they　enjoy　and　of　the　awe　which　they　inspire；　some　of　them　should　attain　to　the　highest　position　of　authority　over　their　credulous　fellows。　In　point　of　fact　magicians　appear　to　have　often　developed　into　chiefs　and　kings。

Let　us　begin　by　looking　at　the　lowest　race　of　men　as　to　whom　we　possess　comparatively　full　and　accurate　information；　the　aborigines　of　Australia。　These　savages　are　ruled　neither　by　chiefs　nor　kings。　So　far　as　their　tribes　can　be　said　to　have　a　political　constitution；　it　is　a　democracy　or　rather　an　oligarchy　of　old　and　influential　men；　who　meet　in　council　and　decide　on　all　measures　of　importance　to　the　practical　exclusion　of　the　younger　men。　Their　deliberative　assembly　answers　to　the　senate　of　later　times：　if　we　had　to　coin　a　word　for　such　a　government　of　elders　we　might　call　it　a　gerontocracy。　The　elders　who　in　aboriginal　Australia　thus　meet　and　direct　the　affairs　of　their　tribe　appear　to　be　for　the　most　part　the　headmen　of　their　respective　totem　clans。　Now　in　Central　Australia；　where　the　desert　nature　of　the　country　and　the　almost　complete　isolation　from　foreign　influences　have　retarded　progress　and　preserved　the　natives　on　the　whole　in　their　most　primitive　state；　the　headmen　of　the　various　totem　clans　are　charged　with　the　important　task　of　performing　magical　ceremonies　for　the　multiplication　of　the　totems；　and　as　the　great　majority　of　the　totems　are　edible　animals　or　plants；　it　follows　that　these　men　are　commonly　expected　to　provide　the　people　with　food　by　means　of　magic。　Others　have　to　make　the　rain　to　fall　or　to　render　other　services　to　the　community。　In　short；　among　the　tribes　of　Central　Australia　the　headmen　are　public　magicians。　Further；　their　most　important　function　is　to　take　charge　of　the　sacred　storehouse；　usually　a　cleft　in　the　rocks　or　a　hole　in　the　ground；　where　are　kept　the　holy　stones　and　sticks　（churinga）　with　which　the　souls　of　all　the　people；　both　living　and　dead