Indian Antiquary Vol 24

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 25

JANUARY, 1895.]
SPIRIT BASIS OF BELIEF AND CUSTOM.
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Russia, on the 29th of August (1700), horses were passed through fire.83 In Roman Catholic churches, at the time of baptism, a lighted candle is put into the child's hand. Candles are lighted in the sick room, when the Roman Catholic priest gives the sick person the Sacrament.85 In Germany a light is burnt in the lying-in room till the child is baptized.86 The Pope every year, when he blesses the world from the balcony of St. Peter's at Rome, holds a lighted taper, and when a Cardinal curses the heretics, a bell tolls, and the Pope throws the taper among the people.87 In Iceland fire is carried five times round the land to keep off evil spirits.88
In Ireland, till 1700, people and cattle were passed through the Sun, or Beltine, Fires on Mayday und on Midsummer's Eve. Higging80 says that children were passed through fire (1827), and when a cattle-disease broke out, a new fire was made and the cattle were passed through it. Fire was worshipped in Ireland and Scotland in 1596 ; and in the eighteenth century, after baptism, the child was passed thrice across a fire. On the leaching Beltine, or Sun, daye, that is on Mayday and on Midsummer's day, fires were lighted and fire was carried round on poles to drive off disease and mischief. In West Scotland a great fire was lighted over a suicide's body. In Scotland (1790) farm servants used to go round the fields with torches to secure good crops.96 A fairy, or changling, child was burnt on the embers and the real child was restored.97 Witches feared fire, and were burned to death to destroy the familiar as well as the witch. Wax-tapers were essential in conjurations or exorcisms. The candles in Roman Catholic churches are consecrated, sprinkled with holy water, and incensed;and that the object of lighting church candles is to drive away evil spirits appears from the following lines from Naogeorgas' Popish Kingdom, f. 47:
“.... a wondrous force and might Doth in these candles lie, which, if at any time they light, No thander in the skies be heard nor any devils spide, Nor fearful sprites that walke by night,
Nor hurts of frost nor haile."200 In England, candlesticks were held before Richard 1.1 Martin in his History of the Western Islands, p. 116, says :-" In this island of Lewis there was an ancient custom to make a fiery circle about the houses, corn, and cattle, belonging to each particular family. A man carried fire in his right hand and went round. Fire was also carried around women before they are churched and about children until they be christianed. They told me this fire round was an effectual means to preserve both the mother and the infant from the power of evil spirits who are ready at such times to do mischief, and who sometimes carry away the infants and return them meagre skeletons." In 1845, in Inverness, a girl was hung over a fire to cure her of the sin of witchcraft. According to an old English belief, if a piece of the Candlemas (February 2nd) candle is kept till Christmas, the devil can do no harm in the house. On the twelfth day after Christmas (in Herefordshire, 1791), English farmers used to go and light bonfires near wheat fields. In Warwickshire (1790), candles were carried round a field to prevent the growth of tares, darnel, and other noisome weeds. In the last century fires were lighted in England to keep wheat crops from disease.7 On Firebrand Sunday, in England, peasants used to go to their fields with lighted torches of straw to drive bad air from $5 Early History of Man, p. 295.
* Goldon Manual, p. 721. 85 Op. cit. p. 721.
Tylor's Primitive Culture, Vol. II. p. 195. $7 Madras Almanac (1840), p. 629.
· Tylor's Primitive Culture, Vol. II. p. 195. * Leslie's Early Races of Scotland, Vol. I. p. 115. * Higgins' Celtic Druids, p. 181. 1 Early History of Man, p. 256.
Leslie's Early Races of Scotland, Vol. I. p. 114. 93 Op. cit., Loc. cit.
* Op. cit. Vol. I. p. 181. » Mitchell's Highland superstitions, p. 34,
Op. cit. p. 183. 97 Scott's Border Minatrale, p. 467.
* Op. cit. p. 41. » Brand's Popular Antiquities, Vol. L p. 45.
1 Op. cit. Vol. I. P. 46. 1 Jones' Crowns, p. 195.
- Brand'. Popular Antiquitie, Vol. II. P. 486. • Op.cit. Vol. IIL p. 14.
Chambers' Book of Days, p. 214 Op. cit. p. 65. • Brand's Popular Antiquities, Vol. L. P. 398.
Laulio's Early Racks of Scotland, VoL L p. 1