the golden bough-第19章

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　them。　Every　day　also　she　rubs　her　body　all　over　with　grease；　as　in　some　way　this　is　believed　to　help　her　son's　recovery。　Another　refinement　of　the　same　principle　is　due　to　the　ingenuity　of　the　German　peasant。　It　is　said　that　when　one　of　his　pigs　or　sheep　breaks　its　leg；　a　farmer　of　Rhenish　Bavaria　or　Hesse　will　bind　up　the　leg　of　a　chair　with　bandages　and　splints　in　due　form。　For　some　days　thereafter　no　one　may　sit　on　that　chair；　move　it；　or　knock　up　against　it；　for　to　do　so　would　pain　the　injured　pig　or　sheep　and　hinder　the　cure。　In　this　last　case　it　is　clear　that　we　have　passed　wholly　out　of　the　region　of　contagious　magic　and　into　the　region　of　homoeopathic　or　imitative　magic；　the　chair…leg；　which　is　treated　instead　of　the　beast's　leg；　in　no　sense　belongs　to　the　animal；　and　the　application　of　bandages　to　it　is　a　mere　simulation　of　the　treatment　which　a　more　rational　surgery　would　bestow　on　the　real　patient。

The　sympathetic　connexion　supposed　to　exist　between　a　man　and　the　weapon　which　has　wounded　him　is　probably　founded　on　the　notion　that　the　blood　on　the　weapon　continues　to　feel　with　the　blood　in　his　body。　For　a　like　reason　the　Papuans　of　Tumleo；　an　island　off　New　Guinea；　are　careful　to　throw　into　the　sea　the　bloody　bandages　with　which　their　wounds　have　been　dressed；　for　they　fear　that　if　these　rags　fell　into　the　hands　of　an　enemy　he　might　injure　them　magically　thereby。　Once　when　a　man　with　a　wound　in　his　mouth；　which　bled　constantly；　came　to　the　missionaries　to　be　treated；　his　faithful　wife　took　great　pains　to　collect　all　the　blood　and　cast　it　into　the　sea。　Strained　and　unnatural　as　this　idea　may　seem　to　us；　it　is　perhaps　less　so　than　the　belief　that　magic　sympathy　is　maintained　between　a　person　and　his　clothes；　so　that　whatever　is　done　to　the　clothes　will　be　felt　by　the　man　himself；　even　though　he　may　be　far　away　at　the　time。　In　the　Wotjobaluk　tribe　of　Victoria　a　wizard　would　sometimes　get　hold　of　a　man's　opossum　rug　and　roast　it　slowly　in　the　fire；　and　as　he　did　so　the　owner　of　the　rug　would　fall　sick。　If　the　wizard　consented　to　undo　the　charm；　he　would　give　the　rug　back　to　the　sick　man's　friends；　bidding　them　put　it　in　water；　so　as　to　wash　the　fire　out。　When　that　happened；　the　sufferer　would　feel　a　refreshing　coolness　and　probably　recover。　In　Tanna；　one　of　the　New　Hebrides；　a　man　who　had　a　grudge　at　another　and　desired　his　death　would　try　to　get　possession　of　a　cloth　which　had　touched　the　sweat　of　his　enemy's　body。　If　he　succeeded；　he　rubbed　the　cloth　carefully　over　with　the　leaves　and　twigs　of　a　certain　tree；　rolled　and　bound　cloth；　twigs；　and　leaves　into　a　long　sausage…shaped　bundle；　and　burned　it　slowly　in　the　fire。　As　the　bundle　was　consumed；　the　victim　fell　ill；　and　when　it　was　reduced　to　ashes；　he　died。　In　this　last　form　of　enchantment；　however；　the　magical　sympathy　may　be　supposed　to　exist　not　so　much　between　the　man　and　the　cloth　as　between　the　man　and　the　sweat　which　issued　from　his　body。　But　in　other　cases　of　the　same　sort　it　seems　that　the　garment　by　itself　is　enough　to　give　the　sorcerer　a　hold　upon　his　victim。　The　witch　in　Theocritus；　while　she　melted　an　image　or　lump　of　wax　in　order　that　her　faithless　lover　might　melt　with　love　of　her；　did　not　forget　to　throw　into　the　fire　a　shred　of　his　cloak　which　he　had　dropped　in　her　house。　In　Prussia　they　say　that　if　you　cannot　catch　a　thief；　the　next　best　thing　you　can　do　is　to　get　hold　of　a　garment　which　he　may　have　shed　in　his　flight；　for　if　you　beat　it　soundly；　the　thief　will　fall　sick。　This　belief　is　firmly　rooted　in　the　popular　mind。　Some　eighty　or　ninety　years　ago；　in　the　neighbourhood　of　Berend；　a　man　was　detected　trying　to　steal　honey；　and　fled；　leaving　his　coat　behind　him。　When　he　heard　that　the　enraged　owner　of　the　honey　was　mauling　his　lost　coat；　he　was　so　alarmed　that　he　took　to　his　bed　and　died。

Again；　magic　may　be　wrought　on　a　man　sympathetically；　not　only　through　his　clothes　and　severed　parts　of　himself；　but　also　through　the　impressions　left　by　his　body　in　sand　or　earth。　In　particular；　it　is　a　world…wide　superstition　that　by　injuring　footprints　you　injure　the　feet　that　made　them。　Thus　the　natives　of　South…eastern　Australia　think　that　they　can　lame　a　man　by　placing　sharp　pieces　of　quartz；　glass；　bone；　or　charcoal　in　his　footprints。　Rheumatic　pains　are　often　attributed　by　them　to　this　cause。　Seeing　a　Tatungolung　man　very　lame；　Mr。　Howitt　asked　him　what　was　the　matter。　He　said；　some　fellow　has　put　bottle　in　my　foot。　He　was　suffering　from　rheumatism；　but　believed　that　an　enemy　had　found　his　foot…track　and　had　buried　it　in　a　piece　of　broken　bottle；　the　magical　influence　of　which　had　entered　his　foot。

Similar　practices　prevail　in　various　parts　of　Europe。　Thus　in　Mecklenburg　it　is　thought　that　if　you　drive　a　nail　into　a　man's　footprint　he　will　fall　lame；　sometimes　it　is　required　that　the　nail　should　be　taken　from　a　coffin。　A　like　mode　of　injuring　an　enemy　is　resorted　to　in　some　parts　of　France。　It　is　said　that　there　was　an　old　woman　who　used　to　frequent　Stow　in　Suffolk；　and　she　was　a　witch。　If；　while　she　walked；　any　one　went　after　her　and　stuck　a　nail　or　a　knife　into　her　footprint　in　the　dust；　the　dame　could　not　stir　a　step　till　it　was　withdrawn。　Among　the　South　Slavs　a　girl　will　dig　up　the　earth　from　the　footprints　of　the　man　she　loves　and　put　it　in　a　flower…pot。　Then　she　plants　in　the　pot　a　marigold；　a　flower　that　is　thought　to　be　fadeless。　And　as　its　golden　blossom　grows　and　blooms　and　never　fades；　so　shall　her　sweetheart's　love　grow　and　bloom；　and　never；　never　fade。　Thus　the　love…spell　acts　on　the　man　through　the　earth　he　trod　on。　An　old　Danish　mode　of　concluding　a　treaty　was　based　on　the　same　idea　of　the　sympathetic　connexion　between　a　man　and　his　footprints：　the　covenanting　parties　sprinkled　each　other's　footprints　with　their　own　blood；　thus　giving　a　pledge　of　fidelity。　In　ancient　Greece　superstitions　of　the　same　sort　seem　to　have　been　current；　for　it　was　thought　that　if　a　horse　stepped　on　the　track　of　a　wolf　he　was　seized　with　numbness；　and　a　maxim　ascribed　to　Pythagoras　forbade　people　to　pierce　a　man's　footprints　with　a　nail　or　a　knife。

The　same　superstition　is　turned　to　account　by　hunters　in　many　parts　of　the　world　for　the　purpose　of　running　down　the　game。　Thus　a　German　huntsman　will　stick　a　nail　taken　from　a　coffin　into　the　fresh　spoor　of　the　quarry；　believing　that　this　will　hinder　the　animal　from　escaping。　The　aborigines　of　Victoria　put　hot　embers　in　the　tracks　of　the　animals　they　were　pursuing。　Hottentot　hunters　throw　into　the　air　a　handful　of　sand　taken　from　the　footprints　of　the　game；　believing　that　this　will　bring　the　animal　down。　Thompson　Indians　used　to　lay　charms　on　the　tracks　of　wounded　deer；　after　that　they　deemed　it　superfluous　to　pursue　the　animal　any　further　that　day；　for　being　thus　charmed　it　could　not　travel　far　and　would　soon　die。　Similarly；　Ojebway　Indians　placed　medicine　on　the　track　of　the　first　deer　or　bear　they　met　with；　supposing　that　this　would　soon　bring　the　animal　into　sight；　even　if　it　were　two　or　three　days'　journey　off；　for　this　charm　had　power　to　compress　a　journey　of　several　days　into　a　few　hours。　Ewe　hunters　of　West　Africa　stab　the　footprints　of　game　with　a　sharp…pointed　stick　in　order　to　maim　the　quarry　and　allow　them　to　come　up　with　it。

But　though　the　footprint　is　the　most　obvious　it　is　not　the　only　impression　made　by　the　body　through　which　magic　may　be　wrought　on　a　man。　The　aborigines　of　South…eastern　Australia　believe　that　a　man　may　be　injured　by　burying　sharp　fragments　of　quartz；　glass；　and　so　forth　in　the　mark　made　by　his　reclining　body；　the　magical　virtue　of　these　sharp　things　enters　his　body　and　causes　those　acute　pains　which　the　ignorant　European　puts　down　to　rheumatism。　We　can　now　understand　why　it　was　a　maxim　with　the　Pythagoreans　that　in　rising　from　bed　you　should　smooth　away　the　impression　left　by　your　body　on　the　bed…clothes。　The　rule　was　simply　an　old　precaution　against　magic；　forming　part　of　a　whole　code　of　superstitious　maxims　which　antiquity　fathered　on　Pythagoras；　though　doubtless　they　were　familiar　to　the　barbarous　forefathers　of　the　Greeks　long　before　the　time　of　that　philosopher。

4。　The　Magician's　Progress

WE　have　now　concluded　our　examination　of　the　general　principles　of　sympathetic