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JUNE, 1898.)
SPIRIT BASIS OF BELIEF AND CUSTOM
159
supposition that the foot is a spirit-entry. The great toe of Pyrrhus, the Persian king, cured spleen, and was kept in a temple. Among the Beni-Isra'ils the feet of the bride and bridegroom are washed by the girl's sister at her house.06 Burmese women are careful to cover the feet while praying.97 The Burmese king never walks when he is out of doors.99 The emperor of Japan never touches ground with his feet oat of doors. Before tho revolution of 1868 the emperor of Japan used never to leave his palce or be seen. If he walked, as he rarely did, mats were laid to keep him from touching the earth.100 The Samoan brida and her party walk on path-way of cloth. The knees and ankle-joints of Motu children aru often tied round with a piece of string or bark." In the Kongo country, when the chief drinks, his big toes are pulled. The big toe is worshipped in Eyba, in Africa. In East Africa, the Wataitas believe that strangers passing through their fields with shoes on bring witchery on the crops. It seems to be a wide-spread belief that the stains of battle or any blood-stains give the spirit of the dead an inlet through which he cau euter and haunt the body of the person who killed them. Among the Basutos of South Africa warriors returning from battle must wash to cleanse the blood-stains, or the shades of their victims will disturb their sleep. They wash in a stream and have holy water sprinkled over them from a cow's tail.7 So Hector cannot pray till he has washed off the blood, and Æueas may not touch the household gods till he has bathed in the running stream. According to Pliny' a maiden's too cures a man in falling sickness. To cure fever rab the soles with blood.10 In an old-fashioned Russian adoption ceremony the adopting father puts his foot on his adopted son's neck,!1 The Celts in West Earope (B. C.200 to A, D. 600) used for coronations stones with feet carved on them.12 In a Roman Catholic Baptism the priest goes outside of the Church to meet tho person, because he is still the slave of sin, and cannot be allowed into the House of God, that is, because with him evil spirits would come in. At the coronation feast of Elizabeth, wife of Henry VII., two lords sat at her feet under the table,
The Ear. - The ear is a spirit-entry, and 80 perhaps the Hindas pierce the ear of their children, and put in gold or pearl ornaments to keep off spirits. It is deemeil anlucky not to bore the ear of an infant, and orthodox Bralimans consider it wrong and polluting to touch a child whose ears are not bored after they have bathed and before they bavo taken their morning meals. 15 Among several classes of Gosavis in Belgaam, ear-boring is one of the chief ceremonies.16 The Davris, & Marathi-speaking class of drumming beggars in Belgaum, bore their children's ears at twelve, and the teacher or guru puts in the holes a pair of light silver rings.17 Among the Belgaam Mudliars even the poorest must wear an ornament in the ear.18 Among the half Marathi Rajputs of Belgaam women bore ten holes in each ear in which they wear gold rings stack with pearls. Among the Roman Catholics of Kiinara, at Baptism, the priest touches a child's rostrils and ears with spittle.20 Among the Dhruya Prabhus of Poona, when the boy reaches the bride's house, her brother comes out and pinches his ears, and in retara is given a turban, and among the Konkni Kolis of Poona, when the bridegroom reaches the bride's marriage porch he is met by her brother, who pinches tbe bride
Pliny's Natural History, Book vii., Chap. 2. . * Bombar Gazetteer, Vol. XVIII. p. 523. Shway Yoe's The Burman, VoL I. p. 320.
* Op. cit. Vol. II. p. 119. » Silver's Japan, p. 20.
100 Reed's Jayan, Vol. II. p. 182. . 1 Pritohard's Polynesian Remains, p. 137.
* ? Jour. Anthrop. Inst. Vol. VII. p. 180. * Burton'a Dahomey, Vol. I. p. 213.
• Op. cit. Vol. II. p. 149. New's :* Africa, p. 318.
• Tylor's Priinitive Culture, Yol, II. p. 433. Op. cit. Vol. II. p. 433.
• Op.cit. Vol. II. p. 439. • Pliny's Vuu. History, Book xxviii, Chap. 4. 10 Op. cit. Buok xxviii.. Chap. 7. 11 M:, Rontaoff's Rites and Customs of the Orreca. Russian Church, p. 410. 12 L slia's Eurly Haces of Scotland, pp. 803-303. 13 Goliler Nannal, p. 619. 14 Burtoa's Visit to Dakomey, Vol. I. p. 245.
15 Information from Mr. P. B. Joshi. 16 Bombay Gare teer, Vol. XXI. p. 183.
17 Op.cit. Vol. XXI. p. 184, 18 Op.cit, Vol. XXI. p. 97.
19 Op. cit, Vol. XXI. p. 180. 10 Op. cit. Yol. XY. P. 388.
21 Op. cit. Vol. XVIIL p. 190.
