the golden bough-第91章

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When　Kublai　Khan　defeated　and　took　his　uncle　Nayan；　who　had　rebelled　against　him；　he　caused　Nayan　to　be　put　to　death　by　being　wrapt　in　a　carpet　and　tossed　to　and　fro　till　he　died；　because　he　would　not　have　the　blood　of　his　Line　Imperial　spilt　upon　the　ground　or　exposed　in　the　eye　of　Heaven　and　before　the　Sun。　Friar　Ricold　mentions　the　Tartar　maxim：　'One　Khan　will　put　another　to　death　to　get　possession　of　the　throne；　but　he　takes　great　care　that　the　blood　be　not　spilt。　For　they　say　that　it　is　highly　improper　that　the　blood　of　the　Great　Khan　should　be　spilt　upon　the　ground；　so　they　cause　the　victim　to　be　smothered　somehow　or　other。'　The　like　feeling　prevails　at　the　court　of　Burma；　where　a　peculiar　mode　of　execution　without　bloodshed　is　reserved　for　princes　of　the　blood。

The　reluctance　to　spill　royal　blood　seems　to　be　only　a　particular　case　of　a　general　unwillingness　to　shed　blood　or　at　least　to　allow　it　to　fall　on　the　ground。　Marco　Polo　tells　us　that　in　his　day　persons　caught　in　the　streets　of　Cambaluc　（Peking）　at　unseasonable　hours　were　arrested；　and　if　found　guilty　of　a　misdemeanor　were　beaten　with　a　stick。　Under　this　punishment　people　sometimes　die；　but　they　adopt　it　in　order　to　eschew　bloodshed；　for　their　Bacsis　say　that　it　is　an　evil　thing　to　shed　man's　blood。　In　West　Sussex　people　believe　that　the　ground　on　which　human　blood　has　been　shed　is　accursed　and　will　remain　barren　for　ever。　Among　some　primitive　peoples；　when　the　blood　of　a　tribesman　has　to　be　spilt　it　is　not　suffered　to　fall　upon　the　ground；　but　is　received　upon　the　bodies　of　his　fellow…tribesmen。　Thus　in　some　Australian　tribes　boys　who　are　being　circumcised　are　laid　on　a　platform；　formed　by　the　living　bodies　of　the　tribesmen；　and　when　a　boy's　tooth　is　knocked　out　as　an　initiatory　ceremony；　he　is　seated　on　the　shoulders　of　a　man；　on　whose　breast　the　blood　flows　and　may　not　be　wiped　away。　Also　the　Gauls　used　to　drink　their　enemies'　blood　and　paint　themselves　therewith。　So　also　they　write　that　the　old　Irish　were　wont；　and　so　have　I　seen　some　of　the　Irish　do；　but　not　their　enemies'　but　friends'　blood；　as；　namely；　at　the　execution　of　a　notable　traitor　at　Limerick；　called　Murrogh　O'Brien；　I　saw　an　old　woman；　which　was　his　foster…mother；　take　up　his　head　whilst　he　was　quartered　and　suck　up　all　the　blood　that　ran　thereout；　saying　that　the　earth　was　not　worthy　to　drink　it；　and　therewith　also　steeped　her　face　and　breast　and　tore　her　hair；　crying　out　and　shrieking　most　terribly。　Among　the　Latuka　of　Central　Africa　the　earth　on　which　a　drop　of　blood　has　fallen　at　childbirth　is　carefully　scraped　up　with　an　iron　shovel；　put　into　a　pot　along　with　the　water　used　in　washing　the　mother；　and　buried　tolerably　deep　outside　the　house　on　the　left…hand　side。　In　West　Africa；　if　a　drop　of　your　blood　has　fallen　on　the　ground；　you　must　carefully　cover　it　up；　rub　and　stamp　it　into　the　soil；　if　it　has　fallen　on　the　side　of　a　canoe　or　a　tree；　the　place　is　cut　out　and　the　chip　destroyed。　One　motive　of　these　African　customs　may　be　a　wish　to　prevent　the　blood　from　falling　into　the　hands　of　magicians；　who　might　make　an　evil　use　of　it。　That　is　admittedly　the　reason　why　people　in　West　Africa　stamp　out　any　blood　of　theirs　which　has　dropped　on　the　ground　or　cut　out　any　wood　that　has　been　soaked　with　it。　From　a　like　dread　of　sorcery　natives　of　New　Guinea　are　careful　to　burn　any　sticks；　leaves；　or　rags　which　are　stained　with　their　blood；　and　if　the　blood　has　dripped　on　the　ground　they　turn　up　the　soil　and　if　possible　light　a　fire　on　the　spot。　The　same　fear　explains　the　curious　duties　discharged　by　a　class　of　men　called　ramanga　or　blue　blood　among　the　Betsileo　of　Madagascar。　It　is　their　business　to　eat　all　the　nail…parings　and　to　lick　up　all　the　spilt　blood　of　the　nobles。　When　the　nobles　pare　their　nails；　the　parings　are　collected　to　the　last　scrap　and　swallowed　by　these　ramanga。　If　the　parings　are　too　large；　they　are　minced　small　and　so　gulped　down。　Again；　should　a　nobleman　wound　himself；　say　in　cutting　his　nails　or　treading　on　something；　the　ramanga　lick　up　the　blood　as　fast　as　possible。　Nobles　of　high　rank　hardly　go　anywhere　without　these　humble　attendants；　but　if　it　should　happen　that　there　are　none　of　them　present；　the　cut　nails　and　the　spilt　blood　are　carefully　collected　to　be　afterwards　swallowed　by　the　ramanga。　There　is　scarcely　a　nobleman　of　any　pretensions　who　does　not　strictly　observe　this　custom；　the　intention　of　which　probably　is　to　prevent　these　parts　of　his　person　from　falling　into　the　hands　of　sorcerers；　who　on　the　principles　of　contagious　magic　could　work　him　harm　thereby。

The　general　explanation　of　the　reluctance　to　shed　blood　on　the　ground　is　probably　to　be　found　in　the　belief　that　the　soul　is　in　the　blood；　and　that　therefore　any　ground　on　which　it　may　fall　necessarily　becomes　taboo　or　sacred。　In　New　Zealand　anything　upon　which　even　a　drop　of　a　high　chief's　blood　chances　to　fall　becomes　taboo　or　sacred　to　him。　For　instance；　a　party　of　natives　having　come　to　visit　a　chief　in　a　fine　new　canoe；　the　chief　got　into　it；　but　in　doing　so　a　splinter　entered　his　foot；　and　the　blood　trickled　on　the　canoe；　which　at　once　became　sacred　to　him。　The　owner　jumped　out；　dragged　the　canoe　ashore　opposite　the　chief's　house；　and　left　it　there。　Again；　a　chief　in　entering　a　missionary's　house　knocked　his　head　against　a　beam；　and　the　blood　flowed。　The　natives　said　that　in　former　times　the　house　would　have　belonged　to　the　chief。　As　usually　happens　with　taboos　of　universal　application；　the　prohibition　to　spill　the　blood　of　a　tribesman　on　the　ground　applies　with　peculiar　stringency　to　chiefs　and　kings；　and　is　observed　in　their　case　long　after　it　has　ceased　to　be　observed　in　the　case　of　others。

5。　The　Head　tabooed。

MANY　peoples　regard　the　head　as　peculiarly　sacred；　the　special　sanctity　attributed　to　it　is　sometimes　explained　by　a　belief　that　it　contains　a　spirit　which　is　very　sensitive　to　injury　or　disrespect。　Thus　the　Yorubas　hold　that　every　man　has　three　spiritual　inmates；　of　whom　the　first；　called　Olori；　dwells　in　the　head　and　is　the　man's　protector；　guardian；　and　guide。　Offerings　are　made　to　this　spirit；　chiefly　of　fowls；　and　some　of　the　blood　mixed　with　palmoil　is　rubbed　on　the　forehead。　The　Karens　suppose　that　a　being　called　the　tso　resides　in　the　upper　part　of　the　head；　and　while　it　retains　its　seat　no　harm　can　befall　the　person　from　the　efforts　of　the　seven　Kelahs；　or　personified　passions。　But　if　the　tso　becomes　heedless　or　weak　certain　evil　to　the　person　is　the　result。　Hence　the　head　is　carefully　attended　to；　and　all　possible　pains　are　taken　to　provide　such　dress　and　attire　as　will　be　pleasing　to　the　tso。　The　Siamese　think　that　a　spirit　called　khuan　or　kwun　dwells　in　the　human　head；　of　which　it　is　the　guardian　spirit。　The　spirit　must　be　carefully　protected　from　injury　of　every　kind；　hence　the　act　of　shaving　or　cutting　the　hair　is　accompanied　with　many　ceremonies。　The　kwun　is　very　sensitive　on　points　of　honour；　and　would　feel　mortally　insulted　if　the　head　in　which　he　resides　were　touched　by　the　hand　of　a　stranger。　The　Cambodians　esteem　it　a　grave　offence　to　touch　a　man's　head；　some　of　them　will　not　enter　a　place　where　anything　whatever　is　suspended　over　their　heads；　and　the　meanest　Cambodian　would　never　consent　to　live　under　an　inhabited　room。　Hence　the　houses　are　built　of　one　story　only；　and　even　the　Government　respects　the　prejudice　by　never　placing　a　prisoner　in　the　stocks　under　the　floor　of　a　house；　though　the　houses　are　raised　high　above　the　ground。　The　same　superstition　exists　amongst　the　Malays；　for　an　early　traveller　reports　that　in　Java　people　wear　nothing　on　their　heads；　and　say　that　nothing　must　be　on　their　heads　　and　if　any　person　were　to　put　his　hand　upon　their　head　they　would　kill　him；　and　they　do　not　build　houses　with　storeys；　in　order　that　they　may　not　walk　over　each　other's　heads。

The　same　superstition　as　to　the　head　is　found　in　full　force　throughout　Polynesia。　Thus　of　Gattanewa；　a　Marquesan　chief；　it　is　said　that　to　touch　the　top　of　his　head；　or　anything　which　had　been　on　his　head；　was　sacrilege。　To　pass　over　his　head　was　an　indignity　never　to　be　forgotten。　The　son　of　a　Marquesan　high　priest　has　been　seen　to　roll　on　the　ground　in　an　agony　of　rage　and　despair；　begging　for　death；　beca