the golden bough-第183节

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d　the　wren　for　every　one。

When　they　had　gone　from　house　to　house　and　collected　all　the　money　they　could；　they　laid　the　wren　on　a　bier　and　carried　it　in　procession　to　the　parish　churchyard；　where　they　made　a　grave　and　buried　it　with　the　utmost　solemnity；　singing　dirges　over　her　in　the　Manks　language；　which　they　call　her　knell；　after　which　Christmas　begins。　The　burial　over；　the　company　outside　the　churchyard　formed　a　circle　and　danced　to　music。

A　writer　of　the　eighteenth　century　says　that　in　Ireland　the　wren　is　still　hunted　and　killed　by　the　peasants　on　Christmas　Day；　and　on　the　following　（St。　Stephen's　Day）　he　is　carried　about；　hung　by　the　leg；　in　the　centre　of　two　hoops；　crossing　each　other　at　right　angles；　and　a　procession　made　in　every　village；　of　men；　women；　and　children；　singing　an　Irish　catch；　importing　him　to　be　the　king　of　all　birds。　Down　to　the　present　time　the　hunting　of　the　wren　still　takes　place　in　parts　of　Leinster　and　Connaught。　On　Christmas　Day　or　St。　Stephen's　Day　the　boys　hunt　and　kill　the　wren；　fasten　it　in　the　middle　of　a　mass　of　holly　and　ivy　on　the　top　of　a　broomstick；　and　on　St。　Stephen's　Day　go　about　with　it　from　house　to　house；　singing：

The　wren；　the　wren；　the　king　of　all　birds；　St。　Stephen's　Day　was　caught　in　the　furze；　Although　he　is　little；　his　family's　great；　I　pray　you；　good　landlady；　give　us　a　treat。

Money　or　food　（bread；　butter；　eggs；　etc。）　were　given　them；　upon　which　they　feasted　in　the　evening。

In　the　first　half　of　the　nineteenth　century　similar　customs　were　still　observed　in　various　parts　of　the　south　of　France。　Thus　at　Carcassone；　every　year　on　the　first　Sunday　of　December　the　young　people　of　the　street　Saint　Jean　used　to　go　out　of　the　town　armed　with　sticks；　with　which　they　beat　the　bushes；　looking　for　wrens。　The　first　to　strike　down　one　of　these　birds　was　proclaimed　King。　Then　they　returned　to　the　town　in　procession；　headed　by　the　King；　who　carried　the　wren　on　a　pole。　On　the　evening　of　the　last　day　of　the　year　the　King　and　all　who　had　hunted　the　wren　marched　through　the　streets　of　the　town　to　the　light　of　torches；　with　drums　beating　and　fifes　playing　in　front　of　them。　At　the　door　of　every　house　they　stopped；　and　one　of　them　wrote　with　chalk　on　the　door　vive　le　roi！　with　the　number　of　the　year　which　was　about　to　begin。　On　the　morning　of　Twelfth　Day　the　King　again　marched　in　procession　with　great　pomp；　wearing　a　crown　and　a　blue　mantle　and　carrying　a　sceptre。　In　front　of　him　was　borne　the　wren　fastened　to　the　top　of　a　pole；　which　was　adorned　with　a　verdant　wreath　of　olive；　of　oak；　and　sometimes　of　mistletoe　grown　on　an　oak。　After　hearing　high　mass　in　the　parish　church　of　St。　Vincent；　surrounded　by　his　officers　and　guards；　the　King　visited　the　bishop；　the　mayor；　the　magistrates；　and　the　chief　inhabitants；　collecting　money　to　defray　the　expenses　of　the　royal　banquet　which　took　place　in　the　evening　and　wound　up　with　a　dance。

The　parallelism　between　this　custom　of　hunting　the　wren　and　some　of　those　which　we　have　considered；　especially　the　Gilyak　procession　with　the　bear；　and　the　Indian　one　with　the　snake；　seems　too　close　to　allow　us　to　doubt　that　they　all　belong　to　the　same　circle　of　ideas。　The　worshipful　animal　is　killed　with　special　solemnity　once　a　year；　and　before　or　immediately　after　death　he　is　promenaded　from　door　to　door；　that　each　of　his　worshippers　may　receive　a　portion　of　the　divine　virtues　that　are　supposed　to　emanate　from　the　dead　or　dying　god。　Religious　processions　of　this　sort　must　have　had　a　great　place　in　the　ritual　of　European　peoples　in　prehistoric　times；　if　we　may　judge　from　the　numerous　traces　of　them　which　have　survived　in　folk…custom。　For　example；　on　the　last　day　of　the　year；　or　Hogmanay　as　it　was　called；　it　used　to　be　customary　in　the　Highlands　of　Scotland　for　a　man　to　dress　himself　up　in　a　cow's　hide　and　thus　attired　to　go　from　house　to　house；　attended　by　young　fellows；　each　of　them　armed　with　a　staff；　to　which　a　bit　of　raw　hide　was　tied。　Round　every　house　the　hide…clad　man　used　to　run　thrice　deiseal；　that　is；　according　to　the　course　of　the　sun；　so　as　to　keep　the　house　on　his　right　hand；　while　the　others　pursued　him；　beating　the　hide　with　their　staves　and　thereby　making　a　loud　noise　like　the　beating　of　a　drum。　In　this　disorderly　procession　they　also　struck　the　walls　of　the　house。　On　being　admitted；　one　of　the　party；　standing　within　the　threshold；　pronounced　a　blessing　on　the　family　in　these　words：　May　God　bless　the　house　and　all　that　belongs　to　it；　cattle；　stones；　and　timber！　In　plenty　of　meat；　of　bed　and　body　clothes；　and　health　of　men　may　it　ever　abound！　Then　each　of　the　party　singed　in　the　fire　a　little　bit　of　the　hide　which　was　tied　to　his　staff；　and　having　done　so　he　applied　the　singed　hide　to　the　nose　of　every　person　and　of　every　domestic　animal　belonging　to　the　house。　This　was　imagined　to　secure　them　from　diseases　and　other　misfortunes；　particularly　from　witchcraft；　throughout　the　ensuing　year。　The　whole　ceremony　was　called　calluinn　because　of　the　great　noise　made　in　beating　the　hide。　It　was　observed　in　the　Hebrides；　including　St。　Kilda；　down　to　the　second　half　of　the　eighteenth　century　at　least；　and　it　seems　to　have　survived　well　into　the　nineteenth　century。

Chapter　55。　The　Transference　of　Evil。

1。　The　Transference　to　Inanimate　Objects

WE　have　now　traced　the　practice　of　killing　a　god　among　peoples　in　the　hunting；　pastoral；　and　agricultural　stages　of　society；　and　I　have　attempted　to　explain　the　motives　which　led　men　to　adopt　so　curious　a　custom。　One　aspect　of　the　custom　still　remains　to　be　noticed。　The　accumulated　misfortunes　and　sins　of　the　whole　people　are　sometimes　laid　upon　the　dying　god；　who　is　supposed　to　bear　them　away　for　ever；　leaving　the　people　innocent　and　happy。　The　notion　that　we　can　transfer　our　guilt　and　sufferings　to　some　other　being　who　will　bear　them　for　us　is　familiar　to　the　savage　mind。　It　arises　from　a　very　obvious　confusion　between　the　physical　and　the　mental；　between　the　material　and　the　immaterial。　Because　it　is　possible　to　shift　a　load　of　wood；　stones；　or　what　not；　from　our　own　back　to　the　back　of　another；　the　savage　fancies　that　it　is　equally　possible　to　shift　the　burden　of　his　pains　and　sorrows　to　another；　who　will　suffer　them　in　his　stead。　Upon　this　idea　he　acts；　and　the　result　is　an　endless　number　of　very　unamiable　devices　for　palming　off　upon　some　one　else　the　trouble　which　a　man　shrinks　from　bearing　himself。　In　short；　the　principle　of　vicarious　suffering　is　commonly　understood　and　practised　by　races　who　stand　on　a　low　level　of　social　and　intellectual　culture。　In　the　following　pages　I　shall　illustrate　the　theory　and　the　practice　as　they　are　found　among　savages　in　all　their　naked　simplicity；　undisguised　by　the　refinements　of　metaphysics　and　the　subtleties　of　theology。

The　devices　to　which　the　cunning　and　selfish　savage　resorts　for　the　sake　of　easing　himself　at　the　expense　of　his　neighbour　are　manifold；　only　a　few　typical　examples　out　of　a　multitude　can　be　cited。　At　the　outset　it　is　to　be　observed　that　the　evil　of　which　a　man　seeks　to　rid　himself　need　not　be　transferred　to　a　person；　it　may　equally　well　be　transferred　to　an　animal　or　a　thing；　though　in　the　last　case　the　thing　is　often　only　a　vehicle　to　convey　the　trouble　to　the　first　person　who　touches　it。　In　some　of　the　East　Indian　islands　they　think　that　epilepsy　can　be　cured　by　striking　the　patient　on　the　face　with　the　leaves　of　certain　trees　and　then　throwing　them　away。　The　disease　is　believed　to　have　passed　into　the　leaves；　and　to　have　been　thrown　away　with　them。　To　cure　toothache　some　of　the　Australian　blacks　apply　a　heated　spear…thrower　to　the　cheek。　The　spear…thrower　is　then　cast　away；　and　the　toothache　goes　with　it　in　the　shape　of　a　black　stone　called　karriitch。　Stones　of　this　kind　are　found　in　old　mounds　and　sandhills。　They　are　carefully　collected　and　thrown　in　the　direction　of　enemies　in　order　to　give　them　toothache。　The　Bahima；　a　pastoral　people　of　Uganda；　often　suffer　from　deep…seated　abscesses：　their　cure　for　this　is　to　transfer　the　disease　to　some　other　person　by　obtaining　herbs　from　the　medicine…man；　rubbing　them　over　the　place　where　the　swelling　is；　and　burying　them　in　the　road　where　people　continually　pass；　the　first　person　who　steps　over　these　buried　herbs　contracts　the　disease；　and　the　original　patient　recovers。

Sometimes　in　case　of　sickness　the　malady　is　transferred　to　an　effigy　as　a　preliminary　to　passing　it　on　to　a　human　being。　Thus　among　the　Baganda　the　medicine…man　would　sometimes　make　a　model　of　his　patient　in　clay；　then　a　relative　of　the　sick　man　would　rub　the　image　over　the　sufferer's　body　and　either　bury　it　in　the　road　？？　it　in　the　grass　by　the　wayside。　The　first　person　who　stepped　over　the　image　or　passed　by　it　would　catch　the　disease。　Sometimes　the　effigy　was　made　out　of　a　plantain…flower　tied　up　so　as　to　look　like　a　person；　it　was　used　in　the　same　way　as　the　clay　figure。　But　the　use　of　images　for　this　maleficent　purpose　was　a　capital　crime；　any　person　caught　in　the　act　of　burying　one　of　them　in　the　public　road　would　surely　have　been　put　to　death。

In　the　western　district　of　the　island　of　Timor；　when　men　or　women　are　making　long　and　tiring　journeys；　they　fan　themselves　with　leafy　branches；　which　they　afterwards　throw　away　on　particula