Indian Antiquary Vol 26

SR No.: 032518
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 360
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 15 MB

Page 305

NOVEMBER, 1897.1
SPIRIT BASIS OF BELIEF AND CUSTOM.
299
war, a Brazilian rarely goes out alone at night. They have numbers of spirits unconnected with material objects. The chief of these are Gourouperas (ill-natured spirits), who come under many forms and stir disputes among men; Yanchons like dwarfs or big dogs whose barking is heard in the storm, like the German and French wild chase, and Spanpiaras (sea spirits), who entice sailors on to the rocks 60 Several American tribes people earth, air, and sea with good and evil spirits 61 The Alaskas, or North American Eskimos, believe that as in life the mass counts little the mass of spirits do little good and little harm. They shew their presence only by a slight whizzing. Robust spirits make the ears to tingle with their demands for food. The still stardier take their abode in some human body. The sturdiest, who when alive have been sorcerers, suicides or murderers, enter into bodies and so affect the owner of the body as to drive him mad or witless.62 The Zaparo Indians of South America fear that a woman who dies in child-bed comes back longing for her child ; they, therefore, bury the live child with the dead mother.63 The Americans thought Will-o-the Wisp # very dangerous spirit.64 In British Guiana, the Kenaimas, spirits who cause sickness, are much feared. They are driven ont by healers or peaiman, who in proof take a caterpillar out of the patient.65
Among the ancients the Accadians or early Chaldeans (B. C. 4000-2000) had five classes of ill-wishing spirits : utugo second class spirits, alals destroyers, geyuns (?) unknown, telals warriors, and maskin snarers.66 The Assyrians (B. C. 1200-800) and the Babylonians (B. C. 800-530) believed that the world was swarming with bad little spirits who might be swallowed and cause disease.67 The Persians (B. C. 580-330) developed a system of guardian angels 50 elaborate as to give rise to the saying - "An Angel falls in every raindrop." 64 This theory of spirit-rule was adopted both for men and for countries by the Jews and to some extent by the New Testament. The Christian elaborated the idea. The poet Spencer (A. D. 1600) saw bright squadrons of golden-pinioned angels planted round men to guard them against foul fionds; and in later times (d. 1711) Bishop Ken has passed on the doctrine of the individual guardian.69
Among the Greeks, the Stoics believed in countless immortal spirits that abounded in the air.70 The Romans had chimney spirits.71 The Roman Lars, or nobles in the original Etruscan, were supposed to guard crossways and to watch houses. They were of two classes, public and private.72 The Roman Lemures73 were spirits either of all dead or of bad dead, generally of bad dead.74 Among the Middle-Age Europe (1493-1541) spirits were Dases, spirits of wood; Enur, spirits of stones; Gnomes, under-ground spirits ; Lemures, water-spirits; Penates, fire-spirits; Sylphs, dwarfs; and Travames, ghosts.75 The Germans believed in dwarf spirits called Kobold, Goblin and Bogie, also in Pottergeist, the knocking or death-watch spirits. According to one acconnt (Conway's, Demonology and Devil-lore, Vol. II. p. 318) the Pottergeist are unwashed children whom Eve kept out of
60 R ville's Les Religions des Peuples Non-Civilisés, Vol. I. pp. 366, 370. 61 Bancroft. Vol. III. pp. 112, 481.
62 Reclus" Prim. Folklore, p. 82. 68 Jour. Anthrop. Inst. Vol. VII. p. 507.
64 Bancroft, Vol. III. p. 540.. 65 St. James's Buriget, 7th December 1883,
86 Lenormant's Chaldean Magic, pp. 26, 144. 67 Black's Folklore Medicine. p. 8.
* Dabistan, Vol. III. p. 144. 6 Seafield's Dreams, Vol. I. p. 47.
70 Op. cit. Vol. I. p. 139. 71 Pliny's Natural History, Book xxxvi. Chap. 27.
72 Riley's Trans, of Ovid's Fasti, p. 74. According to Douce (Dance of Death, p. 3) the Larvoe or Lares, unless cared for, were apt to become unfriendly.
T1 Festivals in honour of the Lemures, or evil dead, were held in Rome on the 9th, 11th and 18th May. The details illustrate the fear of spirits. The temples of the gods were shut to keep out the spirits; no marriage took place for fear of their unfriendly influence. In the festival the people walked bare foot, because spirits would be enraged by leather, washed bands three times, and threw black beans, which spirits disliked. .
74 Cunningham's Classical Dictonary.
T5 Frigwell's Varia, p. 183. Reginald Soott's Discovery of Witchcraft, p. 415 : Notes and queries, Fifth Series, Vol. VII. p. 78. Jamieson (Scottish Dictionary, 8. u. “Elfmill ") gives the following classes of Sazon spirits munt elfen (hill elves), wunder elfen (field elves), wylde elfen (moor elves), dun elfen (hill elves), water elfen (water elves), sae elfen (sea elves). Compare Scott's Border Minstrelsy, Vol. II. p. 110, 1810 Edn.