the golden bough-第12节

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　teem　and　the　corn　swell　in　the　ear。　When　a　Catholic　priest　remonstrated　with　the　Indians　of　the　Orinoco　on　allowing　their　women　to　sow　the　fields　in　the　blazing　sun；　with　infants　at　their　breasts；　the　men　answered；　Father；　you　don't　understand　these　things；　and　that　is　why　they　vex　you。　You　know　that　women　are　accustomed　to　bear　children；　and　that　we　men　are　not。　When　the　women　sow；　the　stalk　of　the　maize　bears　two　or　three　ears；　the　root　of　the　yucca　yields　two　or　three　basketfuls；　and　everything　multiplies　in　proportion。　Now　why　is　that？　Simply　because　the　women　know　how　to　bring　forth；　and　know　how　to　make　the　seed　which　they　sow　bring　forth　also。　Let　them　sow；　then；　we　men　don't　know　as　much　about　it　as　they　do。

Thus　on　the　theory　of　homoeopathic　magic　a　person　can　influence　vegetation　either　for　good　or　for　evil　according　to　the　good　or　the　bad　character　of　his　acts　or　states：　for　example；　a　fruitful　woman　makes　plants　fruitful；　a　barren　woman　makes　them　barren。　Hence　this　belief　in　the　noxious　and　infectious　nature　of　certain　personal　qualities　or　accidents　has　given　rise　to　a　number　of　prohibitions　or　rules　of　avoidance：　people　abstain　from　doing　certain　things　lest　they　should　homoeopathically　infect　the　fruits　of　the　earth　with　their　own　undesirable　state　or　condition。　All　such　customs　of　abstention　or　rules　of　avoidance　are　examples　of　negative　magic　or　taboo。　Thus；　for　example；　arguing　from　what　may　be　called　the　infectiousness　of　personal　acts　or　states；　the　Galelareese　say　that　you　ought　not　to　shoot　with　a　bow　and　arrows　under　a　fruit…tree；　or　the　tree　will　cast　its　fruit　even　as　the　arrows　fall　to　the　ground；　and　that　when　you　are　eating　water…melon　you　ought　not　to　mix　the　pips　which　you　spit　out　of　your　mouth　with　the　pips　which　you　have　put　aside　to　serve　as　seed；　for　if　you　do；　though　the　pips　you　spat　out　may　certainly　spring　up　and　blossom；　yet　the　blossoms　will　keep　falling　off　just　as　the　pips　fell　from　your　mouth；　and　thus　these　pips　will　never　bear　fruit。　Precisely　the　same　train　of　thought　leads　the　Bavarian　peasant　to　believe　that　if　he　allows　the　graft　of　a　fruit…tree　to　fall　on　the　ground；　the　tree　that　springs　from　that　graft　will　let　its　fruit　fall　untimely。　When　the　Chams　of　Cochinchina　are　sowing　their　dry　rice　fields　and　desire　that　no　shower　should　fall；　they　eat　their　rice　dry　in　order　to　prevent　rain　from　spoiling　the　crop。

In　the　foregoing　cases　a　person　is　supposed　to　influence　vegetation　homoeopathically。　He　infects　trees　or　plants　with　qualities　or　accidents；　good　or　bad；　resembling　and　derived　from　his　own。　But　on　the　principle　of　homoeopathic　magic　the　influence　is　mutual：　the　plant　can　infect　the　man　just　as　much　as　the　man　can　infect　the　plant。　In　magic；　as　I　believe　in　physics；　action　and　reaction　are　equal　and　opposite。　The　Cherokee　Indians　are　adepts　in　practical　botany　of　the　homoeopathic　sort。　Thus　wiry　roots　of　the　catgut　plant　are　so　tough　that　they　can　almost　stop　a　plowshare　in　the　furrow。　Hence　Cherokee　women　wash　their　heads　with　a　decoction　of　the　roots　to　make　the　hair　strong；　and　Cherokee　ball…players　wash　themselves　with　it　to　toughen　their　muscles。　It　is　a　Galelareese　belief　that　if　you　eat　a　fruit　which　has　fallen　to　the　ground；　you　will　yourself　contract　a　disposition　to　stumble　and　fall；　and　that　if　you　partake　of　something　which　has　been　forgotten　（such　as　a　sweet　potato　left　in　the　pot　or　a　banana　in　the　fire）；　you　will　become　forgetful。　The　Galelareese　are　also　of　opinion　that　if　a　woman　were　to　consume　two　bananas　growing　from　a　single　head　she　would　give　birth　to　twins。　The　Guarani　Indians　of　South　America　thought　that　a　woman　would　become　a　mother　of　twins　if　she　ate　a　double　grain　of　millet。　In　Vedic　times　a　curious　application　of　this　principle　supplied　a　charm　by　which　a　banished　prince　might　be　restored　to　his　kingdom。　He　had　to　eat　food　cooked　on　a　fire　which　was　fed　with　wood　which　had　grown　out　of　the　stump　of　a　tree　which　had　been　cut　down。　The　recuperative　power　manifested　by　such　a　tree　would　in　due　course　be　communicated　through　the　fire　to　the　food；　and　so　to　the　prince；　who　ate　the　food　which　was　cooked　on　the　fire　which　was　fed　with　the　wood　which　grew　out　of　the　tree。　The　Sudanese　think　that　if　a　house　is　built　of　the　wood　of　thorny　trees；　the　life　of　the　people　who　dwell　in　that　house　will　likewise　be　thorny　and　full　of　trouble。

There　is　a　fruitful　branch　of　homoeopathic　magic　which　works　by　means　of　the　dead；　for　just　as　the　dead　can　neither　see　nor　hear　nor　speak；　so　you　may　on　homoeopathic　principles　render　people　blind；　deaf　and　dumb　by　the　use　of

dead　men's　bones　or　anything　else　that　is　tainted　by　the　infection　of　death。　Thus　among　the　Galelareese；　when　a　young　man　goes　a…wooing　at　night；　he　takes　a　little　earth　from　a　grave　and　strews　it　on　the　roof　of　his　sweetheart's　house　just　above　the　place　where　her　parents　sleep。　This；　he　fancies；　will　prevent　them　from　waking　while　he　converses　with　his　beloved；　since　the　earth　from　the　grave　will　make　them　sleep　as　sound　as　the　dead。　Burglars　in　all　ages　and　many　lands　have　been　patrons　of　this　species　of　magic；　which　is　very　useful　to　them　in　the　exercise　of　their　profession。　Thus　a　South　Slavonian　housebreaker　sometimes　begins　operations　by　throwing　a　dead　man's　bone　over　the　house；　saying；　with　pungent　sarcasm；　As　this　bone　may　waken；　so　may　these　people　waken；　after　that　not　a　soul　in　the　house　can　keep　his　or　her　eyes　open。　Similarly；　in　Java　the　burglar　takes　earth　from　a　grave　and　sprinkles　it　round　the　house　which　he　intends　to　rob；　this　throws　the　inmates　into　a　deep　sleep。　With　the　same　intention　a　Hindoo　will　strew　ashes　from　a　pyre　at　the　door　of　the　house；　Indians　of　Peru　scatter　the　dust　of　dead　men's　bones；　and　Ruthenian　burglars　remove　the　marrow　from　a　human　shin…bone；　pour　tallow　into　it；　and　having　kindled　the　tallow；　march　thrice　round　the　house　with　this　candle　burning；　which　causes　the　inmates　to　sleep　a　death…like　sleep。　Or　the　Ruthenian　will　make　a　flute　out　of　a　human　leg…bone　and　play　upon　it；　whereupon　all　persons　within　hearing　are　overcome　with　drowsiness。　The　Indians　of　Mexico　employed　for　this　maleficent　purpose　the　left　fore…arm　of　a　woman　who　had　died　in　giving　birth　to　her　first　child；　but　the　arm　had　to　be　stolen。　With　it　they　beat　the　ground　before　they　entered　the　house　which　they　designed　to　plunder；　this　caused　every　one　in　the　house　to　lose　all　power　of　speech　and　motion；　they　were　as　dead；　hearing　and　seeing　everything；　but　perfectly　powerless；　some　of　them；　however；　really　slept　and　even　snored。　In　Europe　similar　properties　were　ascribed　to　the　Hand　of　Glory；　which　was　the　dried　and　pickled　hand　of　a　man　who　had　been　hanged。　If　a　candle　made　of　the　fat　of　a　malefactor　who　had　also　died　on　the　gallows　was　lighted　and　placed　in　the　Hand　of　Glory　as　in　a　candlestick；　it　rendered　motionless　all　persons　to　whom　it　was　presented；　they　could　not　stir　a　finger　any　more　than　if　they　were　dead。　Sometimes　the　dead　man's　hand　is　itself　the　candle；　or　rather　bunch　of　candles；　all　its　withered　fingers　being　set　on　fire；　but　should　any　member　of　the　household　be　awake；　one　of　the　fingers　will　not　kindle。　Such　nefarious　lights　can　only　be　extinguished　with　milk。　Often　it　is　prescribed　that　the　thief's　candle　should　be　made　of　the　finger　of　a　new…born　or；　still　better；　unborn　child；　sometimes　it　is　thought　needful　that　the　thief　should　have　one　such　candle　for　every　person　in　the　house；　for　if　he　has　one　candle　too　little　somebody　in　the　house　will　wake　and　catch　him。　Once　these　tapers　begin　to　burn；　there　is　nothing　but　milk　that　will　put　them　out。　In　the　seventeenth　century　robbers　used　to　murder　pregnant　women　in　order　thus　to　extract　candles　from　their　wombs。　An　ancient　Greek　robber　or　burglar　thought　he　could　silence　and　put　to　flight　the　fiercest　watchdogs　by　carrying　with　him　a　brand　plucked　from　a　funeral　pyre。　Again；　Servian　and　Bulgarian　women　who　chafe　at　the　restraints　of　domestic　life　will　take　the　copper　coins　from　the　eyes　of　a　corpse；　wash　them　in　wine　or　water；　and　give　the　liquid　to　their　husbands　to　drink。　After　swallowing　it；　the　husband　will　be　as　blind　to　his　wife's　peccadilloes　as　the　dead　man　was　on　whose　eyes　the　coins　were　laid。

Further；　animals　are　often　conceived　to　possess　qualities　of　properties　which　might　be　useful　to　man；　and　homoeopathic　or　imitative　magic　seeks　to　communicate　these　properties　to　human　beings　in　various　ways。　Thus　some　Bechuanas　wear　a　ferret　as　a　charm；　because；　being　very　tenacious　of　life；　it　will　make　them　difficult　to　kill。　Others　wear　a　certain　insect；　mutilated；　but　living；　for　a　similar　purpose。　Yet　other　Bechuana　warriors　wear　the　hair　of　a　hornless　ox　among　their　own　hair；　and　the　skin　of　a　frog　on　their　mantle；　because　a　frog　is　slippery；　and　the　ox；　having　no　horns；　is　hard　to　catch；　so　the　man　who　is　provided　with　these　charms　believes　that　he　will　be　as　hard　to　hold　as　the　ox　and　the　frog。　Again；　it　seems　plain　that　a　South　African　warrior　who　twists　tufts　of　rat's　hair　among　his　own　curly　black　locks　will　have　just　as　many　chances　of　avoiding　the　enemy's　spear　as　the　nimble　rat　has　of　avoiding　things　thrown　at　it；　hence　in　these　regions　rats'　hair　is　in　great　demand　when　war　is　expected。　One　of　the　a