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112
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(APRIL, 1898.
tops of all the posts in the house are covered with a hood of cotton cloth wherein the spirits live.26 The house-spirit Elin-Saung Nat lives in a cotton night-cap or hood in the top of a pillar,20 Compare the Greek Miastor :
διον επιδόμενοι πράκτορά το σκοπόν δυσπολέμητον, δν ούτίς αν δόμος έχος
ir' poder paivovra. Bapus d'ipicado They (Argives) having regard to the divine avenging observer hard to war with ; - what house could stand (bear) him defiling on the roof. Grievously he sits there.
*plaotup became a general term for an anclean spirit, or evil genius."31
Looking-glass. - The looking-glass seems to be a spirit haunt. So the Hindus deem it unlucky to see one's face in a looking-glass at night, and in Sweden, if a girl looks in a glass after dark it is believed she will loose favour in the eyes of men. The idea is that the geni in the glass possesses the girl, and makes her ill-favoured. The Burman white witches use a looking-glass in restoring the soul of a child which its dead mother has taken away.33 In England, looking-glasses are covered when a death happen.34 In Yorkshire, if you walk three times against the sun at midnight and in the dark, and look into a glass you will see the devil.35 It was an English belief that & death would take place in the house in which a mirror is broken.36
(To be continued.)
NOTES AND QUERIES. A POPULAR LEGEND ABOUT VALMIKI. "because they are sweepers, it is unlawful for us In the beginning Walmik went to Ghaznt Fort to look upon them." and did penance there. A barren Mughal woman Walmik out of pity gave up his life for them came to visit him and asked him for a son,
(cholá chhör dra). When he died blood and and promised that if one were given her she
matter oozed from his body, so that no Hindu would dedicate him to his service. In short, by
could touch it. So one of the inhabitants of the intercession of Walmik she gave birth in
Benares went to ChandAlgarh to call a sweeper, due time to a son, and called him Lal Beg. When
and saw them all there. The sweepers came into he grew up she took him and dedicated him to
Benares and threw the body of W&lmik into Walmik, according to her promise.
the Ganges. But the Hindus found the body Walmik afterwards took him to Benares (Kast).
lying in the same condition in another house, The 96 karôys (960 millions) of devatás (godlinge
and called the sweepers again. Again the that inbabit Benares) bad turned the sweepers
sweepers threw the body into the Ganges and (chandal) out of the home of the divatás, and
went home. A third time the body was found in placed them in ChandAlgarh, which is 7 kos from
| a house in Benares and the people were astonishBenares and across the Ganges.
| ed, and calling the sweepers, saw all their faces. When Walmik was in Benares he saw that in Afterwards Walmik appeared in a dream to an the mornings when the sweepers come from
inhabitant of Benares, and told him that as long ChandAlgash to sweep the city, they used to sound
as the people refused to see the sweepers his drums (dhol bajdte) before entering it, and that body would not leave the city. Ever since then the inhabitants, who were really devatda, used to the people have not hidden themselves from the hide themselves in their houses to avoid seeing sweepers. The sweepers took the body from the them. When they finished sweeping they again
city for the last time, and Walmik told them to sounded drums, and then the people came out of take it to Ohandalgaph. And it is said that their houses and went on with their business. when the body reached ChandAlgaph all the mat
When Walmik saw this he would not hide huts of the sweepers turned into houses of gold. himself, and asked the people why they avoided
This was in the Golden Age (Satjug). seeing the sweepers. The people answered :
R. C. TEMPLE in P. N. and Q. 1889.
23 Shway Yoe's The Burman, Vol. II. PP. 280, 281, 90 Æschylus Supplicus, p. 635. 12 Henderson's Folk. Lore, p. 21. * Henderson's Folk-Lore, P. 57.
29 Op. cit. Vol. II. pp. 280, 281. 31 Paley in loco. * Shway Yoe's The Burman, Vol. II. p. 102. 36 Op. cit. p. 62. Chambers's Book of Days.
