the golden bough-第93章

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8。　Disposal　of　Cut　Hair　and　Nails。

BUT　even　when　the　hair　and　nails　have　been　safely　cut；　there　remains　the　difficulty　of　disposing　of　them；　for　their　owner　believes　himself　liable　to　suffer　from　any　harm　that　may　befall　them。　The　notion　that　a　man　may　be　bewitched　by　means　of　the　clippings　of　his　hair；　the　parings　of　his　nails；　or　any　other　severed　portion　of　his　person　is　almost　world…wide；　and　attested　by　evidence　too　ample；　too　familiar；　and　too　tedious　in　its　uniformity　to　be　here　analysed　at　length。　The　general　idea　on　which　the　superstition　rests　is　that　of　the　sympathetic　connexion　supposed　to　persist　between　a　person　and　everything　that　has　once　been　part　of　his　body　or　in　any　way　closely　related　to　him。　A　very　few　examples　must　suffice。　They　belong　to　that　branch　of　sympathetic　magic　which　may　be　called　contagious。　Dread　of　sorcery；　we　are　told；　formed　one　of　the　most　salient　characteristics　of　the　Marquesan　islanders　in　the　old　days。　The　sorcerer　took　some　of　the　hair；　spittle；　or　other　bodily　refuse　of　the　man　he　wished　to　injure；　wrapped　it　up　in　a　leaf；　and　placed　the　packet　in　a　bag　woven　of　threads　or　fibres；　which　were　knotted　in　an　intricate　way。　The　whole　was　then　buried　with　certain　rites；　and　thereupon　the　victim　wasted　away　of　a　languishing　sickness　which　lasted　twenty　days。　His　life；　however；　might　be　saved　by　discovering　and　digging　up　the　buried　hair；　spittle；　or　what　not；　for　as　soon　as　this　was　done　the　power　of　the　charm　ceased。　A　Maori　sorcerer　intent　on　bewitching　somebody　sought　to　get　a　tress　of　his　victim's　hair；　the　parings　of　his　nails；　some　of　his　spittle；　or　a　shred　of　his　garment。　Having　obtained　the　object；　whatever　it　was；　he　chanted　certain　spells　and　curses　over　it　in　a　falsetto　voice　and　buried　it　in　the　ground。　As　the　thing　decayed；　the　person　to　whom　it　had　belonged　was　supposed　to　waste　away。　When　an　Australian　blackfellow　wishes　to　get　rid　of　his　wife；　he　cuts　off　a　lock　of　her　hair　in　her　sleep；　ties　it　to　his　spear…thrower；　and　goes　with　it　to　a　neighbouring　tribe；　where　he　gives　it　to　a　friend。　His　friend　sticks　the　spear…thrower　up　every　night　before　the　camp　fire；　and　when　it　falls　down　it　is　a　sign　that　the　wife　is　dead。　The　way　in　which　the　charm　operates　was　explained　to　Dr。　Howitt　by　a　Wirajuri　man。　You　see；　he　said；　when　a　blackfellow　doctor　gets　hold　of　something　belonging　to　a　man　and　roasts　it　with　things；　and　sings　over　it；　the　fire　catches　hold　of　the　smell　of　the　man；　and　that　settles　the　poor　fellow。

The　Huzuls　of　the　Carpathians　imagine　that　if　mice　get　a　person's　shorn　hair　and　make　a　nest　of　it；　the　person　will　suffer　from　headache　or　even　become　idiotic。　Similarly　in　Germany　it　is　a　common　notion　that　if　birds　find　a　person's　cut　hair；　and　build　their　nests　with　it；　the　person　will　suffer　from　headache；　sometimes　it　is　thought　that　he　will　have　an　eruption　on　the　head。　The　same　superstition　prevails；　or　used　to　prevail；　in　West　Sussex。

Again　it　is　thought　that　cut　or　combed…out　hair　may　disturb　the　weather　by　producing　rain　and　hail；　thunder　and　lightning。　We　have　seen　that　in　New　Zealand　a　spell　was　uttered　at　hair…cutting　to　avert　thunder　and　lightning。　In　the　Tyrol；　witches　are　supposed　to　use　cut　or　combed…out　hair　to　make　hailstones　or　thunderstorms　with。　Thlinkeet　Indians　have　been　known　to　attribute　stormy　weather　to　the　rash　act　of　a　girl　who　had　combed　her　hair　outside　of　the　house。　The　Romans　seem　to　have　held　similar　views；　for　it　was　a　maxim　with　them　that　no　one　on　shipboard　should　cut　his　hair　or　nails　except　in　a　storm；　that　is；　when　the　mischief　was　already　done。　In　the　Highlands　of　Scotland　it　is　said　that　no　sister　should　comb　her　hair　at　night　if　she　have　a　brother　at　sea。　In　West　Africa；　when　the　Mani　of　Chitombe　or　Jumba　died；　the　people　used　to　run　in　crowds　to　the　corpse　and　tear　out　his　hair；　teeth；　and　nails；　which　they　kept　as　a　rain…charm；　believing　that　otherwise　no　rain　would　fall。　The　Makoko　of　the　Anzikos　begged　the　missionaries　to　give　him　half　their　beards　as　a　rain…charm。

If　cut　hair　and　nails　remain　in　sympathetic　connexion　with　the　person　from　whose　body　they　have　been　severed；　it　is　clear　that　they　can　be　used　as　hostages　for　his　good　behaviour　by　any　one　who　may　chance　to　possess　them；　for　on　the　principles　of　contagious　magic　he　has　only　to　injure　the　hair　or　nails　in　order　to　hurt　simultaneously　their　original　owner。　Hence　when　the　Nandi　have　taken　a　prisoner　they　shave　his　head　and　keep　the　shorn　hair　as　a　surety　that　he　will　not　attempt　to　escape；　but　when　the　captive　is　ransomed；　they　return　his　shorn　hair　with　him　to　his　own　people。

To　preserve　the　cut　hair　and　nails　from　injury　and　from　the　dangerous　uses　to　which　they　may　be　put　by　sorcerers；　it　is　necessary　to　deposit　them　in　some　safe　place。　The　shorn　locks　of　a　Maori　chief　were　gathered　with　much　care　and　placed　in　an　adjoining　cemetery。　The　Tahitians　buried　the　cuttings　of　their　hair　at　the　temples。　In　the　streets　of　Soku　a　modern　traveller　observed　cairns　of　large　stones　piled　against　walls　with　tufts　of　human　hair　inserted　in　the　crevices。　On　asking　the　meaning　of　this；　he　was　told　that　when　any　native　of　the　place　polled　his　hair　he　carefully　gathered　up　the　clippings　and　deposited　them　in　one　of　these　cairns；　all　of　which　were　sacred　to　the　fetish　and　therefore　inviolable。　These　cairns　of　sacred　stones；　he　further　learned；　were　simply　a　precaution　against　witchcraft；　for　if　a　man　were　not　thus　careful　in　disposing　of　his　hair；　some　of　it　might　fall　into　the　hands　of　his　enemies；　who　would；　by　means　of　it；　be　able　to　cast　spells　over　him　and　so　compass　his　destruction。　When　the　top…knot　of　a　Siamese　child　has　been　cut　with　great　ceremony；　the　short　hairs　are　put　into　a　little　vessel　made　of　plantain　leaves　and　set　adrift　on　the　nearest　river　or　canal。　As　they　float　away；　all　that　was　wrong　or　harmful　in　the　child's　disposition　is　believed　to　depart　with　them。　The　long　hairs　are　kept　till　the　child　makes　a　pilgrimage　to　the　holy　Footprint　of　Buddha　on　the　sacred　hill　at　Prabat。　They　are　then　presented　to　the　priests；　who　are　supposed　to　make　them　into　brushes　with　which　they　sweep　the　Footprint；　but　in　fact　so　much　hair　is　thus　offered　every　year　that　the　priests　cannot　use　it　all；　so　they　quietly　burn　the　superfluity　as　soon　as　the　pilgrims'　backs　are　turned。　The　cut　hair　and　nails　of　the　Flamen　Dialis　were　buried　under　a　lucky　tree。　The　shorn　tresses　of　the　Vestal　Virgins　were　hung　on　an　ancient　lotus…tree。

Often　the　clipped　hair　and　nails　are　stowed　away　in　any　secret　place；　not　necessarily　in　a　temple　or　cemetery　or　at　a　tree；　as　in　the　cases　already　mentioned。　Thus　in　Swabia　you　are　recommended　to　deposit　your　clipped　hair　in　some　spot　where　neither　sun　nor　moon　can　shine　on　it；　for　example　in　the　earth　or　under　a　stone。　In　Danzig　it　is　buried　in　a　bag　under　the　threshold。　In　Ugi；　one　of　the　Solomon　Islands；　men　bury　their　hair　lest　it　should　fall　into　the　hands　of　an　enemy；　who　would　make　magic　with　it　and　so　bring　sickness　or　calamity　on　them。　The　same　fear　seems　to　be　general　in　Melanesia；　and　has　led　to　a　regular　practice　of　hiding　cut　hair　and　nails。　The　same　practice　prevails　among　many　tribes　of　South　Africa；　from　a　fear　lest　wizards　should　get　hold　of　the　severed　particles　and　work　evil　with　them。　The　Caffres　carry　still　further　this　dread　of　allowing　any　portion　of　themselves　to　fall　into　the　hands　of　an　enemy；　for　not　only　do　they　bury　their　cut　hair　and　nails　in　a　secret　spot；　but　when　one　of　them　cleans　the　head　of　another　he　preserves　the　vermin　which　he　catches；　carefully　delivering　them　to　the　person　to　whom　they　originally　appertained；　supposing；　according　to　their　theory；　that　as　they　derived　their　support　from　the　blood　of　the　man　from　whom　they　were　taken；　should　they　be　killed　by　another；　the　blood　of　his　neighbour　would　be　in　his　possession；　thus　placing　in　his　hands　the　power　of　some　superhuman　influence。

Sometimes　the　severed　hair　and　nails　are　preserved；　not　to　prevent　them　from　falling　into　the　hands　of　a　magician；　but　that　the　owner　may　have　them　at　the　resurrection　of　the　body；　to　which　some　races　look　forward。　Thus　the　Incas　of　Peru　took　extreme　care　to　preserve　the　nail…parings　and　the　hairs　that　were　shorn　off