the golden bough-第7章

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rete　applications；　in　short；　to　discern　the　spurious　science　behind　the　bastard　art。

If　my　analysis　of　the　magician's　logic　is　correct；　its　two　great　principles　turn　out　to　be　merely　two　different　misapplications　of　the　association　of　ideas。　Homoeopathic　magic　is　founded　on　the　association　of　ideas　by　similarity：　contagious　magic　is　founded　on　the　association　of　ideas　by　contiguity。　Homoeopathic　magic　commits　the　mistake　of　assuming　that　things　which　resemble　each　other　are　the　same：　contagious　magic　commits　the　mistake　of　assuming　that　things　which　have　once　been　in　contact　with　each　other　are　always　in　contact。　But　in　practice　the　two　branches　are　often　combined；　or；　to　be　more　exact；　while　homoeopathic　or　imitative　magic　may　be　practised　by　itself；　contagious　magic　will　generally　be　found　to　involve　an　application　of　the　homoeopathic　or　imitative　principle。　Thus　generally　stated　the　two　things　may　be　a　little　difficult　to　grasp；　but　they　will　readily　become　intelligible　when　they　are　illustrated　by　particular　examples。　Both　trains　of　thought　are　in　fact　extremely　simple　and　elementary。　It　could　hardly　be　otherwise；　since　they　are　familiar　in　the　concrete；　though　certainly　not　in　the　abstract；　to　the　crude　intelligence　not　only　of　the　savage；　but　of　ignorant　and　dull…witted　people　everywhere。　Both　branches　of　magic；　the　homoeopathic　and　the　contagious；　may　conveniently　be　comprehended　under　the　general　name　of　Sympathetic　Magic；　since　both　assume　that　things　act　on　each　other　at　a　distance　through　a　secret　sympathy；　the　impulse　being　transmitted　from　one　to　the　other　by　means　of　what　we　may　conceive　as　a　kind　of　invisible　ether；　not　unlike　that　which　is　postulated　by　modern　science　for　a　precisely　similar　purpose；　namely；　to　explain　how　things　can　physically　affect　each　other　through　a　space　which　appears　to　be　empty。

It　may　be　convenient　to　tabulate　as　follows　the　branches　of　magic　according　to　the　laws　of　thought　which　underlie　them：

I　will　now　illustrate　these　two　great　branches　of　sympathetic　magic　by　examples；　beginning　with　homoeopathic　magic。

2。　Homoeopathic　or　Imitative　Magic

PERHAPS　the　most　familiar　application　of　the　principle　that　like　produces　like　is　the　attempt　which　has　been　made　by　many　peoples　in　many　ages　to　injure　or　destroy　an　enemy　by　injuring　or　destroying　an　image　of　him；　in　the　belief　that；　just　as　the　image　suffers；　so　does　the　man；　and　that　when　it　perishes　he　must　die。　A　few　instances　out　of　many　may　be　given　to　prove　at　once　the　wide　diffusion　of　the　practice　over　the　world　and　its　remarkable　persistence　through　the　ages。　For　thousands　of　years　ago　it　was　known　to　the　sorcerers　of　ancient　India；　Babylon；　and　Egypt；　as　well　as　of　Greece　and　Rome；　and　at　this　day　it　is　still　resorted　to　by　cunning　and　malignant　savages　in　Australia；　Africa；　and　Scotland。　Thus　the　North　American　Indians；　we　are　told；　believe　that　by　drawing　the　figure　of　a　person　in　sand；　ashes；　or　clay；　or　by　considering　any　object　as　his　body；　and　then　pricking　it　with　a　sharp　stick　or　doing　it　any　other　injury；　they　inflict　a　corresponding　injury　on　the　person　represented。　For　example；　when　an　Ojebway　Indian　desires　to　work　evil　on　any　one；　he　makes　a　little　wooden　image　of　his　enemy　and　runs　a　needle　into　its　head　or　heart；　or　he　shoots　an　arrow　into　it；　believing　that　wherever　the　needle　pierces　or　the　arrow　strikes　the　image；　his　foe　will　the　same　instant　be　seized　with　a　sharp　pain　in　the　corresponding　part　of　his　body；　but　if　he　intends　to　kill　the　person　outright；　he　burns　or　buries　the　puppet；　uttering　certain　magic　words　as　he　does　so。　The　Peruvian　Indians　moulded　images　of　fat　mixed　with　grain　to　imitate　the　persons　whom　they　disliked　or　feared；　and　then　burned　the　effigy　on　the　road　where　the　intended　victim　was　to　pass。　This　they　called　burning　his　soul。

A　Malay　charm　of　the　same　sort　is　as　follows。　Take　parings　of　nails；　hair；　eyebrows；　spittle；　and　so　forth　of　your　intended　victim；　enough　to　represent　every　part　of　his　person；　and　then　make　them　up　into　his　likeness　with　wax　from　a　deserted　bees'　comb。　Scorch　the　figure　slowly　by　holding　it　over　a　lamp　every　night　for　seven　nights；　and　say：

It　is　not　wax　that　I　am　scorching；　It　is　the　liver；　heart；　and　spleen　of　So…and…so　that　I　scorch。

After　the　seventh　time　burn　the　figure；　and　your　victim　will　die。　This　charm　obviously　combines　the　principles　of　homoeopathic　and　contagious　magic；　since　the　image　which　is　made　in　the　likeness　of　an　enemy　contains　things　which　once　were　in　contact　with　him；　namely；　his　nails；　hair；　and　spittle。　Another　form　of　the　Malay　charm；　which　resembles　the　Ojebway　practice　still　more　closely；　is　to　make　a　corpse　of　wax　from　an　empty　bees'　comb　and　of　the　length　of　a　footstep；　then　pierce　the　eye　of　the　image；　and　your　enemy　is　blind；　pierce　the　stomach；　and　he　is　sick；　pierce　the　head；　and　his　head　aches；　pierce　the　breast；　and　his　breast　will　suffer。　If　you　would　kill　him　outright；　transfix　the　image　from　the　head　downwards；　enshroud　it　as　you　would　a　corpse；　pray　over　it　as　if　you　were　praying　over　the　dead；　then　bury　it　in　the　middle　of　a　path　where　your　victim　will　be　sure　to　step　over　it。　In　order　that　his　blood　may　not　be　on　your　head；　you　should　say：

It　is　not　I　who　am　burying　him；　It　is　Gabriel　who　is　burying　him。

Thus　the　guilt　of　the　murder　will　be　laid　on　the　shoulders　of　the　archangel　Gabriel；　who　is　a　great　deal　better　able　to　bear　it　than　you　are。

If　homoeopathic　or　imitative　magic；　working　by　means　of　images；　has　commonly　been　practised　for　the　spiteful　purpose　of　putting　obnoxious　people　out　of　the　world；　it　has　also；　though　far　more　rarely；　been　employed　with　the　benevolent　intention　of　helping　others　into　it。　In　other　words；　it　has　been　used　to　facilitate　childbirth　and　to　procure　offspring　for　barren　women。　Thus　among　the　Bataks　of　Sumatra　a　barren　woman；　who　would　become　a　mother；　will　make　a　wooden　image　of　a　child　and　hold　it　in　her　lap；　believing　that　this　will　lead　to　the　fulfilment　of　her　wish。　In　the　Babar　Archipelago；　when　a　woman　desires　to　have　a　child；　she　invites　a　man　who　is　himself　the　father　of　a　large　family　to　pray　on　her　behalf　to　Upulero；　the　spirit　of　the　sun。　A　doll　is　made　of　red　cotton；　which　the　woman　clasps　in　her　arms；　as　if　she　would　suckle　it。　Then　the　father　of　many　children　takes　a　fowl　and　holds　it　by　the　legs　to　the　woman's　head；　saying；　O　Upulero；　make　use　of　the　fowl；　let　fall；　let　descend　a　child；　I　beseech　you；　I　entreat　you；　let　a　child　fall　and　descend　into　my　hands　and　on　my　lap。　Then　he　asks　the　woman；　Has　the　child　come？　and　she　answers；　Yes；　it　is　sucking　already。　After　that　the　man　holds　the　fowl　on　the　husband's　head；　and　mumbles　some　form　of　words。　Lastly；　the　bird　is　killed　and　laid；　together　with　some　betel；　on　the　domestic　place　of　sacrifice。　When　the　ceremony　is　over；　word　goes　about　in　the　village　that　the　woman　has　been　brought　to　bed；　and　her　friends　come　and　congratulate　her。　Here　the　pretence　that　a　child　has　been　born　is　a　purely　magical　rite　designed　to　secure；　by　means　of　imitation　or　mimicry；　that　a　child　really　shall　be　born；　but　an　attempt　is　made　to　add　to　the　efficacy　of　the　rite　by　means　of　prayer　and　sacrifice。　To　put　it　otherwise；　magic　is　here　blent　with　and　reinforced　by　religion。

Among　some　of　the　Dyaks　of　Borneo；　when　a　woman　is　in　hard　labour；　a　wizard　is　called　in；　who　essays　to　facilitate　the　delivery　in　a　rational　manner　by　manipulating　the　body　of　the　sufferer。　Meantime　another　wizard　outside　the　room　exerts　himself　to　attain　the　same　end　by　means　which　we　should　regard　as　wholly　irrational。　He；　in　fact；　pretends　to　be　the　expectant　mother；　a　large　stone　attached　to　his　stomach　by　a　cloth　wrapt　round　his　body　represents　the　child　in　the　womb；　and；　following　the　directions　shouted　to　him　by　his　colleague　on　the　real　scene　of　operations；　he　moves　this　make…believe　baby　about　on　his　body　in　exact　imitation　of　the　movements　of　the　real　baby　till　the　infant　is　born。

The　same　principle　of　make…believe；　so　dear　to　children；　has　led　other　peoples　to　employ　a　simulation　of　birth　as　a　form　of　adoption；　and　even　as　a　mode　of　restoring　a　supposed　dead　person　to　life。　If　you　pretend　to　give　birth　to　a　boy；　or　even　to　a　great　bearded