the golden bough-第89章

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　up　and　offerings　are　made　in　it。　Usually　some　time　after　the　burial　the　spirit　of　the　dead　whale　takes　possession　of　some　person　in　the　village　and　declares　by　his　mouth　whether　he　is　a　male　or　a　female。

Chapter　21。　Tabooed　Things。

1。　The　Meaning　of　Taboo。

THUS　in　primitive　society　the　rules　of　ceremonial　purity　observed　by　divine　kings；　chiefs；　and　priests　agree　in　many　respects　with　the　rules　observed　by　homicides；　mourners；　women　in　childbed；　girls　at　puberty；　hunters　and　fishermen；　and　so　on。　To　us　these　various　classes　of　persons　appear　to　differ　totally　in　character　and　condition；　some　of　them　we　should　call　holy；　others　we　might　pronounce　unclean　and　polluted。　But　the　savage　makes　no　such　moral　distinction　between　them；　the　conceptions　of　holiness　and　pollution　are　not　yet　differentiated　in　his　mind。　To　him　the　common　feature　of　all　these　persons　is　that　they　are　dangerous　and　in　danger；　and　the　danger　in　which　they　stand　and　to　which　they　expose　others　is　what　we　should　call　spiritual　or　ghostly；　and　therefore　imaginary。　The　danger；　however；　is　not　less　real　because　it　is　imaginary；　imagination　acts　upon　man　as　really　as　does　gravitation；　and　may　kill　him　as　certainly　as　a　dose　of　prussic　acid。　To　seclude　these　persons　from　the　rest　of　the　world　so　that　the　dreaded　spiritual　danger　shall　neither　reach　them　nor　spread　from　them；　is　the　object　of　the　taboos　which　they　have　to　observe。　These　taboos　act；　so　to　say；　as　electrical　insulators　to　preserve　the　spiritual　force　with　which　these　persons　are　charged　from　suffering　or　inflicting　harm　by　contact　with　the　outer　world。

To　the　illustrations　of　these　general　principles　which　have　been　already　given　I　shall　now　add　some　more；　drawing　my　examples；　first；　from　the　class　of　tabooed　things；　and；　second；　from　the　class　of　tabooed　words；　for　in　the　opinion　of　the　savage　both　things　and　words　may；　like　persons；　be　charged　or　electrified；　either　temporarily　or　permanently；　with　the　mysterious　virtue　of　taboo；　and　may　therefore　require　to　be　banished　for　a　longer　or　shorter　time　from　the　familiar　usage　of　common　life。　And　the　examples　will　be　chosen　with　special　reference　to　those　sacred　chiefs；　kings　and　priests；　who；　more　than　anybody　else；　live　fenced　about　by　taboo　as　by　a　wall。　Tabooed　things　will　be　illustrated　in　the　present　chapter；　and　tabooed　words　in　the　next。

2。　Iron　tabooed。

IN　THE　FIRST　place　we　may　observe　that　the　awful　sanctity　of　kings　naturally　leads　to　a　prohibition　to　touch　their　sacred　persons。　Thus　it　was　unlawful　to　lay　hands　on　the　person　of　a　Spartan　king：　no　one　might　touch　the　body　of　the　king　or　queen　of　Tahiti：　it　is　forbidden　to　touch　the　person　of　the　king　of　Siam　under　pain　of　death；　and　no　one　may　touch　the　king　of　Cambodia；　for　any　purpose　whatever；　without　his　express　command。　In　July　1874　the　king　was　thrown　from　his　carriage　and　lay　insensible　on　the　ground；　but　not　one　of　his　suite　dared　to　touch　him；　a　European　coming　to　the　spot　carried　the　injured　monarch　to　his　palace。　Formerly　no　one　might　touch　the　king　of　Corea；　and　if　he　deigned　to　touch　a　subject；　the　spot　touched　became　sacred；　and　the　person　thus　honoured　had　to　wear　a　visible　mark　（generally　a　cord　of　red　silk）　for　the　rest　of　his　life。　Above　all；　no　iron　might　touch　the　king's　body。　In　1800　King　Tieng…tsong…tai…oang　died　of　a　tumour　in　the　back；　no　one　dreaming　of　employing　the　lancet；　which　would　probably　have　saved　his　life。　It　is　said　that　one　king　suffered　terribly　from　an　abscess　in　the　lip；　till　his　physician　called　in　a　jester；　whose　pranks　made　the　king　laugh　heartily；　and　so　the　abscess　burst。　Roman　and　Sabine　priests　might　not　be　shaved　with　iron　but　only　with　bronze　razors　or　shears；　and　whenever　an　iron　graving…tool　was　brought　into　the　sacred　grove　of　the　Arval　Brothers　at　Rome　for　the　purpose　of　cutting　an　inscription　in　stone；　an　expiatory　sacrifice　of　a　lamb　and　a　pig　must　be　offered；　which　was　repeated　when　the　graving…tool　was　removed　from　the　grove。　As　a　general　rule　iron　might　not　be　brought　into　Greek　sanctuaries。　In　Crete　sacrifices　were　offered　to　Menedemus　without　the　use　of　iron；　because　the　legend　ran　that　Menedemus　had　been　killed　by　an　iron　weapon　in　the　Trojan　war。　The　Archon　of　Plataea　might　not　touch　iron；　but　once　a　year；　at　the　annual　commemoration　of　the　men　who　fell　at　the　battle　of　Plataea；　he　was　allowed　to　carry　a　sword　wherewith　to　sacrifice　a　bull。　To　this　day　a　Hottentot　priest　never　uses　an　iron　knife；　but　always　a　sharp　splint　of　quartz；　in　sacrificing　an　animal　or　circumcising　a　lad。　Among　the　Ovambo　of　South…west　Africa　custom　requires　that　lads　should　be　circumcised　with　a　sharp　flint；　if　none　is　to　hand；　the　operation　may　be　performed　with　iron；　but　the　iron　must　afterwards　be　buried。　Amongst　the　Moquis　of　Arizona　stone　knives；　hatchets；　and　so　on　have　passed　out　of　common　use；　but　are　retained　in　religious　ceremonies。　After　the　Pawnees　had　ceased　to　use　stone　arrow…heads　for　ordinary　purposes；　they　still　employed　them　to　slay　the　sacrifices；　whether　human　captives　or　buffalo　and　deer。　Amongst　the　Jews　no　iron　tool　was　used　in　building　the　Temple　at　Jerusalem　or　in　making　an　altar。　The　old　wooden　bridge　（Pons　Sublicius）　at　Rome；　which　was　considered　sacred；　was　made　and　had　to　be　kept　in　repair　without　the　use　of　iron　or　bronze。　It　was　expressly　provided　by　law　that　the　temple　of　Jupiter　Liber　at　Furfo　might　be　repaired　with　iron　tools。　The　council　chamber　at　Cyzicus　was　constructed　of　wood　without　any　iron　nails；　the　beams　being　so　arranged　that　they　could　be　taken　out　and　replaced。

This　superstitious　objection　to　iron　perhaps　dates　from　that　early　time　in　the　history　of　society　when　iron　was　still　a　novelty；　and　as　such　was　viewed　by　many　with　suspicion　and　dislike。　For　everything　new　is　apt　to　excite　the　awe　and　dread　of　the　savage。　It　is　a　curious　superstition；　says　a　pioneer　in　Borneo；　this　of　the　Dusuns；　to　attribute　anythingwhether　good　or　bad；　lucky　or　unluckythat　happens　to　them　to　something　novel　which　has　arrived　in　their　country。　For　instance；　my　living　in　Kindram　has　caused　the　intensely　hot　weather　we　have　experienced　of　late。　The　unusually　heavy　rains　which　happened　to　follow　the　English　survey　of　the　Nicobar　Islands　in　the　winter　of　1886…1887　were　imputed　by　the　alarmed　natives　to　the　wrath　of　the　spirits　at　the　theodolites；　dumpy…levellers；　and　other　strange　instruments　which　had　been　set　up　in　so　many　of　their　favourite　haunts；　and　some　of　them　proposed　to　soothe　the　anger　of　the　spirits　by　sacrificing　a　pig。　In　the　seventeenth　century　a　succession　of　bad　seasons　excited　a　revolt　among　the　Esthonian　peasantry；　who　traced　the　origin　of　the　evil　to　a　watermill；　which　put　a　stream　to　some　inconvenience　by　checking　its　flow。　The　first　introduction　of　iron　ploughshares　into　Poland　having　been　followed　by　a　succession　of　bad　harvests；　the　farmers　attributed　the　badness　of　the　crops　to　the　iron　ploughshares；　and　discarded　them　for　the　old　wooden　ones。　To　this　day　the　primitive　Baduwis　of　Java；　who　live　chiefly　by　husbandry；　will　use　no　iron　tools　in　tilling　their　fields。

The　general　dislike　of　innovation；　which　always　makes　itself　strongly　felt　in　the　sphere　of　religion；　is　sufficient　by　itself　to　account　for　the　superstitious　aversion　to　iron　entertained　by　kings　and　priests　and　attributed　by　them　to　the　gods；　possibly　this　aversion　may　have　been　intensified　in　places　by　some　such　accidental　cause　as　the　series　of　bad　seasons　which　cast　discredit　on　iron　ploughshares　in　Poland。　But　the　disfavour　in　which　iron　is　held　by　the　gods　and　their　ministers　has　another　side。　Their　antipathy　to　the　metal　furnishes　men　with　a　weapon　which　may　be　turned　against　the　spirits　when　occasion　serves。　As　their　dislike　of　iron　is　supposed　to　be　so　great　that　they　will　not　approach　persons　and　things　protected　by　the　obnoxious　metal；　iron　may　obviously　be　employed　as　a　charm　for　banning　ghosts　and　other　dangerous　spirits。　And　often　it　is　so　used。　Thus　in　the　Highlands　of　Scotland　the　great　safeguard　against　the　elfin　race　is　iron；　or；　better　yet；　steel。　The　metal　in　any　form；　whether　as　a　sword；　a　knife；　a　gun…barrel；　or　what　not；　is　all…powerful　for　this　purpose。　Whenever　you　enter　a　fairy　dwelling　you　should　always　remember