the golden bough-第234节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


a　wild　pig；　a　leopard；　and　so　forth。　When　a　man　comes　home；　feeling　ill；　and　says；　I　shall　soon　die；　and　dies　accordingly；　the　people　aver　that　one　of　his　souls　has　been　killed　in　a　wild　pig　or　a　leopard　and　that　the　death　of　the　external　soul　has　caused　the　death　of　the　soul　in　his　body。　A　similar　belief　in　the　external　souls　of　living　people　is　entertained　by　the　Ibos；　an　important　tribe　of　the　Niger　delta。　They　think　that　a　man's　spirit　can　quit　his　body　for　a　time　during　life　and　take　up　its　abode　in　an　animal。　A　man　who　wishes　to　acquire　this　power　procures　a　certain　drug　from　a　wise　man　and　mixes　it　with　his　food。　After　that　his　soul　goes　out　and　enters　into　an　animal。　If　it　should　happen　that　the　animal　is　killed　while　the　man's　soul　is　lodged　in　it；　the　man　dies；　and　if　the　animal　be　wounded；　the　man's　body　will　presently　be　covered　with　boils。　This　belief　instigates　to　many　deeds　of　darkness；　for　a　sly　rogue　will　sometimes　surreptitiously　administer　the　magical　drug　to　his　enemy　in　his　food；　and　having　thus　smuggled　the　other's　soul　into　an　animal　will　destroy　the　creature；　and　with　it　the　man　whose　soul　is　lodged　in　it。

The　negroes　of　Calabar；　at　the　mouth　of　the　Niger；　believe　that　every　person　has　four　souls；　one　of　which　always　lives　outside　of　his　or　her　body　in　the　form　of　a　wild　beast　in　the　forest。　This　external　soul；　or　bush　soul；　as　Miss　Kingsley　calls　it；　may　be　almost　any　animal；　for　example；　a　leopard；　a　fish；　or　a　tortoise；　but　it　is　never　a　domestic　animal　and　never　a　plant。　Unless　he　is　gifted　with　second　sight；　a　man　cannot　see　his　own　bush　soul；　but　a　diviner　will　often　tell　him　what　sort　of　creature　his　bush　soul　is；　and　after　that　the　man　will　be　careful　not　to　kill　any　animal　of　that　species；　and　will　strongly　object　to　any　one　else　doing　so。　A　man　and　his　sons　have　usually　the　same　sort　of　animals　for　their　bush　souls；　and　so　with　a　mother　and　her　daughters。　But　sometimes　all　the　children　of　a　family　take　after　the　bush　soul　of　their　father；　for　example；　if　his　external　soul　is　a　leopard；　all　his　sons　and　daughters　will　have　leopards　for　their　external　souls。　And　on　the　other　hand；　sometimes　they　all　take　after　their　mother；　for　instance；　if　her　external　soul　is　a　tortoise；　all　the　external　souls　of　her　sons　and　daughters　will　be　tortoises　too。　So　intimately　bound　up　is　the　life　of　the　man　with　that　of　the　animal　which　he　regards　as　his　external　or　bush　soul；　that　the　death　or　injury　of　the　animal　necessarily　entails　the　death　or　injury　of　the　man。　And；　conversely；　when　the　man　dies；　his　bush　soul　can　no　longer　find　a　place　of　rest；　but　goes　mad　and　rushes　into　the　fire　or　charges　people　and　is　knocked　on　the　head；　and　that　is　an　end　of　it。

Near　Eket　in　North　Calabar　there　is　a　sacred　lake；　the　fish　of　which　are　carefully　preserved　because　the　people　believe　that　their　own　souls　are　lodged　in　the　fish；　and　that　with　every　fish　killed　a　human　life　would　be　simultaneously　extinguished。　In　the　Calabar　River　not　very　many　years　ago　there　used　to　be　a　huge　old　crocodile；　popularly　supposed　to　contain　the　external　soul　of　a　chief　who　resided　in　the　flesh　at　Duke　Town。　Sporting　vice…consuls　used　from　time　to　time　to　hunt　the　animal；　and　once　an　officer　contrived　to　hit　it。　Forthwith　the　chief　was　laid　up　with　a　wound　in　his　leg。　He　gave　out　that　a　dog　had　bitten　him；　but　no　doubt　the　wise　shook　their　heads　and　refused　to　be　put　off　with　so　flimsy　a　pretext。　Again；　among　several　tribes　on　the　banks　of　the　Niger　between　Lokoja　and　the　delta　there　prevails　a　belief　in　the　possibility　of　a　man　possessing　an　alter　ego　in　the　form　of　some　animal　such　as　a　crocodile　or　a　hippopotamus。　It　is　believed　that　such　a　person's　life　is　bound　up　with　that　of　the　animal　to　such　an　extent　that；　whatever　affects　the　one　produces　a　corresponding　impression　upon　the　other；　and　that　if　one　dies　the　other　must　speedily　do　so　too。　It　happened　not　very　long　ago　that　an　Englishman　shot　a　hippopotamus　close　to　a　native　village；　the　friends　of　a　woman　who　died　the　same　night　in　the　village　demanded　and　eventually　obtained　five　pounds　as　compensation　for　the　murder　of　the　woman。

Amongst　the　Zapotecs　of　Central　America；　when　a　woman　was　about　to　be　confined；　her　relations　assembled　in　the　hut；　and　began　to　draw　on　the　floor　figures　of　different　animals；　rubbing　each　one　out　as　soon　as　it　was　completed。　This　went　on　till　the　moment　of　birth；　and　the　figure　that　then　remained　sketched　upon　the　ground　was　called　the　child's　tona　or　second　self。　When　the　child　grew　old　enough；　he　procured　the　animal　that　represented　him　and　took　care　of　it；　as　it　was　believed　that　health　and　existence　were　bound　up　with　that　of　the　animal's；　in　fact　that　the　death　of　both　would　occur　simultaneously；　or　rather　that　when　the　animal　died　the　man　would　die　too。　Among　the　Indians　of　Guatemala　and　Honduras　the　nagual　or　naual　is　that　animate　or　inanimate　object；　generally　an　animal；　which　stands　in　a　parallel　relation　to　a　particular　man；　so　that　the　weal　and　woe　of　the　man　depend　on　the　fate　of　the　nagual。　According　to　an　old　writer；　many　Indians　of　Guatemala　are　deluded　by　the　devil　to　believe　that　their　life　dependeth　upon　the　life　of　such　and　such　a　beast　（which　they　take　unto　them　as　their　familiar　spirit）；　and　think　that　when　that　beast　dieth　they　must　die；　when　he　is　chased；　their　hearts　pant；　when　he　is　faint；　they　are　faint；　nay；　it　happeneth　that　by　the　devil's　delusion　they　appear　in　the　shape　of　that　beast　（which　commonly　by　their　choice　is　a　buck；　or　doe；　a　lion；　or　tigre；　or　dog；　or　eagle）　and　in　that　shape　have　been　shot　at　and　wounded。　The　Indians　were　persuaded　that　the　death　of　their　nagual　would　entail　their　own。　Legend　affirms　that　in　the　first　battles　with　the　Spaniards　on　the　plateau　of　Quetzaltenango　the　naguals　of　the　Indian　chiefs　fought　in　the　form　of　serpents。　The　nagual　of　the　highest　chief　was　especially　conspicuous；　because　it　had　the　form　of　a　great　bird；　resplendent　in　green　plumage。　The　Spanish　general　Pedro　de　Alvarado　killed　the　bird　with　his　lance；　and　at　the　same　moment　the　Indian　chief　fell　dead　to　the　ground。

In　many　tribes　of　South…Eastern　Australia　each　sex　used　to　regard　a　particular　species　of　animals　in　the　same　way　that　a　Central　American　Indian　regarded　his　nagual；　but　with　this　difference；　that　whereas　the　Indian　apparently　knew　the　individual　animal　with　which　his　life　was　bound　up；　the　Australians　only　knew　that　each　of　their　lives　was　bound　up　with　some　one　animal　of　the　species；　but　they　could　not　say　with　which。　The　result　naturally　was　that　every　man　spared　and　protected　all　the　animals　of　the　species　with　which　the　lives　of　the　men　were　bound　up；　and　every　woman　spared　and　protected　all　the　animals　of　the　species　with　which　the　lives　of　the　women　were　bound　up；　because　no　one　knew　but　that　the　death　of　any　animal　of　the　respective　species　might　entail　his　or　her　own；　just　as　the　killing　of　the　green　bird　was　immediately　followed　by　the　death　of　the　Indian　chief；　and　the　killing　of　the　parrot　by　the　death　of　Punchkin　in　the　fairy　tale。　Thus；　for　example；　the　Wotjobaluk　tribe　of　South…Eastern　Australia　held　that　'the　life　of　Ngunungunut　（the　Bat）　is　the　life　of　a　man；　and　the　life　of　Yártatgurk　（the　Nightjar）　is　the　life　of　a　woman；'　and　that　when　either　of　these　creatures　is　killed　the　life　of　some　man　or　of　some　woman　is　shortened。　In　such　a　case　every　man　or　every　woman　in　the　camp　feared　that　he　or　she　might　be　the　victim；　and　from　this　cause　great　fights　arose　in　this　tribe。　I　learn　that　in　these　fights；　men　on　one　side　and　women　on　the　other；　it　was　not　at　all　certain　which　would　be　victorious；　for　at　times　the　women　gave　the　men　a　severe　drubbing　with　their　yamsticks；　while　often　women　were　injured　or　killed　by　spears。　The　Wotjobaluk　said　that　the　bat　was　the　man's　brother　and　that　the　nightjar　was　his　wife。　The　particular　species　of　animals　with　which　the　lives　of　the　sexes　were　believed　to　be　respectively　bound　up　varied　somewhat　from　tribe　to　tribe。　Thus　whereas　among　the　Wotjobaluk　the　bat　was　the　animal　of　the　men；　at　Gunbower　Creek　on　the　Lower　Murray　the　bat　seems　to　have　been　the　animal　of　the　women；　for　the　natives　would　not　kill　it　for　the　reason　that　if　it　was　killed；　one　of　their　lubras　＇women＇　would　be　sure　to　die　in　consequence。　But　whatever　the　particular　sorts　of　creature　with　which　the　lives　of　men　and　women　were　believed　to　be　bound　up；　the　belief　itself　and　the　fights　to　which　it　gave　rise　are　known　to　have　prevailed　over　a　large　part　of　South…Eastern　Australia；　and　probably　they　extended　much　farther。　The　belief　was　a　very　serious　one；　and　so　consequently　were　the　fights　which　sprang　from　it。　Thus　among　some　tribes　of　Victoria　the　common　bat　belongs　to　the　men；　who　protect　it　against　injury；　even　to　the　half…killing　of　their　wives　for　its　sake。　The　fern　owl；　or　large　goatsucker；　belongs　to　the　women；　and；　although　a　bird　of　evil　omen；　creating　terror　at　night　by　its　cry；　it　is　jealously　protected　by　them。　If　a　man　kills　one；　they　are　as　much　enraged　as　if　it　was　one　of　their　children；　and　will　strike　him　with　their　long　poles。

The　jealous　protection　thus　afforded　by　Australian　men　and　women　to　bats　and　owls　respectively　（for　bats　and　owls　seem　to　be　the　creatures　usually　allott