Introduction to the History of Religions Part 54

[1041] R. H. Na.s.sau, _Fetichism in West Africa_, p. 211.

[1042] The taboo sense proper is not found in Greek a????

(a???), e?a???, and Latin _sacer_ which rather mean what is accursed, detestable on account of wrong committed.

[1043] Sacred books "defile the hands."

[1044] Cf. articles "Taboo" in _Encyclopaedia Britannica_, 9th ed. (by Frazer) and 11th ed. (by Thomas).

[1045] The relation between totemism and man's att.i.tude toward beasts and plants is discussed above, ---- 524 ff., 564 ff.

[1046] A. B. Ellis, _Yoruba_, p. 167.

[1047] Alexander, _Short History of the Hawaiian People_, chap. xxii.

[1048] On the question whether a germinal sense of moral obligation is found in the lower animals see above, -- 12.

[1049] Naturally, the origin of all the particular taboos escapes us; it depends in most cases on unknown conditions.

[1050] 1 Cor. xi, 27-30.

[1051] On the social organization of law cf. Darwin, _Descent of Man_, p. 108; article "Aryan Religion" in Hastings, _Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics_.

[1052] See above, -- 240 ff.

[1053] In a cannibal community, for example, the G.o.ds will be cannibal; see A. Lang, _Myth, Ritual, and Religion_, new ed., i, 6, 263 f.

[1054] Rawlinson, _History of Ancient Egypt_, i, 414 f.; ff., 85, 506; Breasted, _History of Egypt_, pp. 46, 575; Hopkins, _Religions of India_, pp. 368, 502; ibid., p. 538 f.

[1055] They sometimes coalesce in functions with ghosts and spirits.

[1056] Teit, _Thompson River Indians_, p. 19 ff.

[1057] L. Farrand, "Traditions of the Chilcotin Indians" in _Jesup North Pacific Expedition_ (vol. ii of _Memoirs of the American Museum of Natural History_), i, 14 ff.; Farrand and Kahnweiler, "Traditions of the Quinault Indians," ibid., iii, 111; Boas, _Indianische Sagen_, p. 194 ff.; C.

Hill-Tout, articles in _Journal of the Anthropological Inst.i.tute_, vols. x.x.xiv, x.x.xv, x.x.xvii.

[1058] Boas, Introduction to Teit's _Thompson River Indians_, p. 16, and "Reports on the Indians of British Columbia" in _Reports of the British a.s.sociation for the Advancement of Science_, vols. lix, lx, lxi, lxiv, lxv. A tricksy character is ascribed to Loki in some of the Norse stories (Saussaye, _Religion of the Teutons_, p. 263). Loki, however, as he appears in the literature, is a highly complex figure.

[1059] See Boas's Introduction in Teit's _Thompson River Indians_.

[1060] R. B. Dixon, _The Northern Maidu_, p. 263.

[1061] A. C. Hollis, _The Masai_, p. 264 f.; Lang, _Myth, Ritual, and Religion_, 1st ed., ii, 4 f.

[1062] Spencer and Gillen, _Native Tribes of Central Australia_, p. 123 ff.

[1063] W. Matthews, _Navaho Legends_, pp. 69 ff., 73 ff.

[1064] See Brinton, _Myth of the New World_ and _American Hero-Myths_; _Journal of American Folklore_, pa.s.sim. On the 'Hiawatha' myth see Hale, _Iroquois Book of Rites_, p. 180 ff., and Beauchamp, in _Journal of American Folklore_, October, 1891.

[1065] Codrington, _The Melanesians_, pp. 28, 167, and Index, s.v. _Qat_.

[1066] He is called also the "Big Raven," belonging under this t.i.tle in the cycle of raven myths of the North Pacific Ocean (both in Asia and in America); see Jochelson, in _Jesup North Pacific Expedition_, vi, i, 17 f.

[1067] Hollis, _The Nandi_, p. 98 f.; Callaway, _The Amazulu_, p. 1 ff.; cf. the j.a.panese mythical emperor Jimmu (Knox, _Development of Religion in j.a.pan_, pp. 46, 63).

[1068] Jastrow, _Religion of Babylonia and a.s.syria_, Index, s.v.; Gen. iv; articles in Roscher's _Lexikon_, s.vv.; Gruppe, _Griechische Mythologie_, Index, s.vv.

[1069] It is noteworthy that among the numerous aetiological myths there seems to be no attempt to account for the origin of language. Language was thought of as so simple and natural a thing that no explanation of its beginnings was necessary. Adam, in Gen. ii, is able, as a matter of course, to give names to the animals. In early myths beasts have the power of speech. In a Nandi folk-story (Hollis, _The Nandi_, p. 113) what excites the wonder of the thunder and the elephant is not man's capacity of speech, but the fact that he can turn over when asleep without first getting up.

[1070] For female deities the t.i.tle "grandmother" occurs (Batchelor, _The Ainu_ [1901], p. 578). The devil's grandmother figures in Teutonic folk-stories; see _Journal of American Folklore_, xiii, 278 ff.; Frazer, _Golden Bough_, 1st ed., i, 336.

[1071] Attempts to prove a primitive monotheism usually fail to take this distinction into account.

[1072] Howitt, _Native Tribes of South-East Australia_, p.

488 ff.

[1073] Boas, Introduction to Teit's _Thompson River Indians_, p. 7.

[1074] Callaway, _The Amazulu_, p. 1 ff.

[1075] Kidd, _The Essential Kafir_, p. 101 ff.

[1076] A. B. Ellis, _Tshi_, chaps. v-vii; _E?e_, chap. v; _Yoruba_, chap. iii. Cf. C. Partridge, _Cross River Natives_ (South Nigeria), p. 282 ff.

[1077] W. Crooke, _The Popular Religion and Folklore of Northern India_ (1907), chap. ii.

[1078] Hopkins, _Religions of India_, p. 537 f.

[1079] Rivers, _The Todas_, chap. xix.

[1080] Matthews, _Navaho Legends_, p. 35 ff.

[1081] Jochelson, in _Jesup North Pacific Expedition_, vi, i, 36-43.

[1082] Aston, _Shinto_, Index, s.v. _Kami_; Knox, _Religion in j.a.pan_, p. 27 ff.

[1083] Tylor, _Primitive Culture_, ii, 255; cf. ii, 337.

[1084] Dorsey, _The Skidi p.a.w.nee_, p. xix; Matthews, _Navaho Legends_, p. 34 f.

[1085] Hopkins, _Religions of India_, p. 532.

[1086] Spence, in Hastings, _Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics_, ii, 835.

[1087] A. B. Ellis, _E?e_ (Dahomi), p. 104.

[1088] On the ascription of divinity to men in great civilized religious systems see above, -- 351 ff.