the golden bough-第86节

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stem　of　mother…kin；　been　possessed　by　the　mother。　But　this　explanation　does　not　account　for　the　parallel　custom　of　naming　the　mother　after　her　child；　which　seems　commonly　to　co…exist　with　the　practice　of　naming　the　father　after　the　child。　Still　less；　if　possible；　does　it　apply　to　the　customs　of　calling　childless　couples　the　father　and　mother　of　children　which　do　not　exist；　of　naming　people　after　their　younger　brothers；　and　of　designating　children　as　the　uncles　and　aunts　of　So…and…so；　or　as　the　fathers　and　mothers　of　their　first　cousins。　But　all　these　practices　are　explained　in　a　simple　and　natural　way　if　we　suppose　that　they　originate　in　a　reluctance　to　utter　the　real　names　of　persons　addressed　or　directly　referred　to。　That　reluctance　is　probably　based　partly　on　a　fear　of　attracting　the　notice　of　evil　spirits；　partly　on　a　dread　of　revealing　the　name　to　sorcerers；　who　would　thereby　obtain　a　handle　for　injuring　the　owner　of　the　name。

2。　Names　of　Relations　tabooed。

IT　might　naturally　be　expected　that　the　reserve　so　commonly　maintained　with　regard　to　personal　names　would　be　dropped　or　at　least　relaxed　among　relations　and　friends。　But　the　reverse　of　this　is　often　the　case。　It　is　precisely　the　persons　most　intimately　connected　by　blood　and　especially　by　marriage　to　whom　the　rule　applies　with　the　greatest　stringency。　Such　people　are　often　forbidden；　not　only　to　pronounce　each　other's　names；　but　even　to　utter　ordinary　words　which　resemble　or　have　a　single　syllable　in　common　with　these　names。　The　persons　who　are　thus　mutually　debarred　from　mentioning　each　other's　names　are　especially　husbands　and　wives；　a　man　and　his　wife's　parents；　and　a　woman　and　her　husband's　father。　For　example；　among　the　Caffres　a　woman　may　not　publicly　pronounce　the　birth…name　of　her　husband　or　of　any　of　his　brothers；　nor　may　she　use　the　interdicted　word　in　its　ordinary　sense。　If　her　husband；　for　instance；　be　called　u…Mpaka；　from　impaka；　a　small　feline　animal；　she　must　speak　of　that　beast　by　some　other　name。　Further；　a　Caffre　wife　is　forbidden　to　pronounce　even　mentally　the　names　of　her　father…in…law　and　of　all　her　husband's　male　relations　in　the　ascending　line；　and　whenever　the　emphatic　syllable　of　any　of　their　names　occurs　in　another　word；　she　must　avoid　it　by　substituting　either　an　entirely　new　word；　or；　at　least；　another　syllable　in　its　place。　Hence　this　custom　has　given　rise　to　an　almost　distinct　language　among　the　women；　which　the　Caffres　call　women's　speech。　The　interpretation　of　this　women's　speech　is　naturally　very　difficult；　for　no　definite　rules　can　be　given　for　the　formation　of　these　substituted　words；　nor　is　it　possible　to　form　a　dictionary　of　them；　their　number　being　so　greatsince　there　may　be　many　women；　even　in　the　same　tribe；　who　would　be　no　more　at　liberty　to　use　the　substitutes　employed　by　some　others；　than　they　are　to　use　the　original　words　themselves。　A　Caffre　man；　on　his　side；　may　not　mention　the　name　of　his　mother…in…law；　nor　may　she　pronounce　his；　but　he　is　free　to　utter　words　in　which　the　emphatic　syllable　of　her　name　occurs。　A　Kirghiz　woman　dares　not　pronounce　the　names　of　the　older　relations　of　her　husband；　nor　even　use　words　which　resemble　them　in　sound。　For　example；　if　one　of　these　relations　is　called　Shepherd；　she　may　not　speak　of　sheep；　but　must　call　them　the　bleating　ones；　if　his　name　is　Lamb；　she　must　refer　to　lambs　as　the　young　bleating　ones。　In　Southern　India　wives　believe　that　to　tell　their　husband's　name　or　to　pronounce　it　even　in　a　dream　would　bring　him　to　an　untimely　end。　Among　the　Sea　Dyaks　a　man　may　not　pronounce　the　name　of　his　father…in…law　or　mother…in…law　without　incurring　the　wrath　of　the　spirits。　And　since　he　reckons　as　his　father…in…law　and　mother…in…law　not　only　the　father　and　mother　of　his　own　wife；　but　also　the　fathers　and　mothers　of　his　brothers'　wives　and　sisters'　husbands；　and　likewise　the　fathers　and　mothers　of　all　his　cousins；　the　number　of　tabooed　names　may　be　very　considerable　and　the　opportunities　of　error　correspondingly　numerous。　To　make　confusion　worse　confounded；　the　names　of　persons　are　often　the　names　of　common　things；　such　as　moon；　bridge；　barley；　cobra；　leopard；　so　that　when　any　of　a　man's　many　fathers…in…law　and　mothers…in…law　are　called　by　such　names；　these　common　words　may　not　pass　his　lips。　Among　the　Alfoors　of　Minahassa；　in　Celebes；　the　custom　is　carried　still　further　so　as　to　forbid　the　use　even　of　words　which　merely　resemble　the　personal　names　in　sound。　It　is　especially　the　name　of　a　father…in…law　which　is　thus　laid　under　an　interdict。　If　he；　for　example；　is　called　Kalala；　his　son…in…law　may　not　speak　of　a　horse　by　its　common　name　kawalo；　he　must　call　it　a　riding…beast　（sasakajan）。　So　among　the　Alfoors　of　the　island　of　Buru　it　is　taboo　to　mention　the　names　of　parents　and　parents…in…law；　or　even　to　speak　of　common　objects　by　words　which　resemble　these　names　in　sound。　Thus；　if　your　mother…in…law　is　called　Dalu；　which　means　betel；　you　may　not　ask　for　betel　by　its　ordinary　name；　you　must　ask　for　red　mouth；　if　you　want　betel…leaf；　you　may　not　say　betel…leaf　（dalu　'mun）；　you　must　say　karon　fenna。　In　the　same　island　it　is　also　taboo　to　mention　the　name　of　an　elder　brother　in　his　presence。　Transgressions　of　these　rules　are　punished　with　fines。　In　Sunda　it　is　thought　that　a　particular　crop　would　be　spoilt　if　a　man　were　to　mention　the　names　of　his　father　and　mother。

Among　the　Nufoors　of　Dutch　New　Guinea　persons　who　are　related　to　each　other　by　marriage　are　forbidden　to　mention　each　other's　names。　Among　the　connexions　whose　names　are　thus　tabooed　are　wife；　mother…in…law；　father…in…law；　your　wife's　uncles　and　aunts　and　also　her　grand…uncles　and　grand…aunts；　and　the　whole　of　your　wife's　or　your　husband's　family　in　the　same　generation　as　yourself；　except　that　men　may　mention　the　names　of　their　brothers…in…law；　though　women　may　not。　The　taboo　comes　into　operation　as　soon　as　the　betrothal　has　taken　place　and　before　the　marriage　has　been　celebrated。　Families　thus　connected　by　the　betrothal　of　two　of　their　members　are　not　only　forbidden　to　pronounce　each　other's　names；　they　may　not　even　look　at　each　other；　and　the　rule　gives　rise　to　the　most　comical　scenes　when　they　happen　to　meet　unexpectedly。　And　not　merely　the　names　themselves；　but　any　words　that　sound　like　them　are　scrupulously　avoided　and　other　words　used　in　their　place。　If　it　should　chance　that　a　person　has　inadvertently　uttered　a　forbidden　name；　he　must　at　once　throw　himself　on　the　floor　and　say；　I　have　mentioned　a　wrong　name。　I　throw　it　through　the　chinks　of　the　floor　in　order　that　I　may　eat　well。

In　the　western　islands　of　Torres　Straits　a　man　never　mentioned　the　personal　names　of　his　father…in…law；　mother…in…law；　brother…in…law；　and　sister…in…law；　and　a　woman　was　subject　to　the　same　restrictions。　A　brother…in…law　might　be　spoken　of　as　the　husband　or　brother　of　some　one　whose　name　it　was　lawful　to　mention；　and　similarly　a　sister…in…law　might　be　called　the　wife　of　So…and…so。　If　a　man　by　chance　used　the　personal　name　of　his　brother…in…law；　he　was　ashamed　and　hung　his　head。　His　shame　was　only　relieved　when　he　had　made　a　present　as　compensation　to　the　man　whose　name　he　had　taken　in　vain。　The　same　compensation　was　made　to　a　sister…in…law；　a　father…in…law；　and　a　mother…in…law　for　the　accidental　mention　of　their　names。　Among　the　natives　who　inhabit　the　coast　of　the　Gazelle　Peninsula　in　New　Britain　to　mention　the　name　of　a　brother…in…law　is　the　grossest　possible　affront　you　can　offer　to　him；　it　is　a　crime　punishable　with　death。　In　the　Banks'　Islands；　Melanesia；　the　taboos　laid　on　the　names　of　persons　connected　by　marriage　are　very　strict。　A　man　will　not　mention　the　name　of　his　father…in…law；　much　less　the　name　of　his　mother…in…law；　nor　may　he　name　his　wife's　brother；　but　he　may　name　his　wife's　sistershe　is　nothing　to　him。　A　woman　may　not　name　her　father…in…law；　nor　on　any　account　her　son…in…law。　Two　people　whose　children　have　intermarried　are　also　debarred　from　mentioning　each　other's　names。　And　not　only　are　all　these　persons　forbidden　to　utter　each　other's　names；　they　may　not　even　pronounce　ordinary　words　which　chance　to　be　either　identical　with　these　names　or　to　have　any　syllables　in　common　with　them。　Thus　we　hear　of　a　native　of　these　islands　who　might　not　use　the　common　words　for　pig　and　to　die；　because　these　words　occurred　in　the　polysyllabic　name　of　his　son…in…law；　and　we　are　told　of　another　unfortunate　who　might　not　pronounce　the　everyday　words　for　hand　and　hot　on　account　of　his　wife's　brother's　name；　and　who　was　even　debarred　from　mentioning　the　number　one；　because　the　word　for　one　formed　part　of　the　name　of　his　wife's　cousin。

The　reluctance　to　mention　the　names　or　even　syllables　of　the　names　of　persons　connected　with　the　speaker　by　marriage　can　hardly　be　separated　from　the　reluctance　evinced　by　so　many　people　to　utter　their　own　names　or　the　names　of　the　dead　or　of　the　dead　or　of　chiefs　and　kings；　and　if　the　reticence　as　to　these　latter　names　springs　mainly　from　superstition；　we　may　infer　that　the　reticence　as　to　the　former　has　no　better　foundation。　That　the　savage's　unwillingness　to　mention　his　own　name　is　based；　at　least　in　part；　on　a　superstitious　fear　of　the　ill　use　that　might　be　made　of　it　by　his　foes；　whether　human　or　spiritual；　has　already　b