"Why! he makes music with his mouth!" exclaimed a native of Burmah when
he observed an American missionary whistling; and the missionary noted
down the words in his journal, with the reflection: "It is remarkable
that the Burmese are entirely ignorant of whistling."[23] But may not
the simple-minded Asiatic only have been astonished in observing what he
thought unbecoming in a gentleman who had come to Burmah to teach a new
religion?
The Arabs generally disapprove of whistling, called by them _el sifr_.
Some maintain that the whistler's mouth is not to be purified for forty
days; while others are of opinion that Satan touching a man's person
causes him to produce the offensive sound.[24]
The natives of the Tonga Islands, Polynesia, consider it wrong to
whistle, as being disrespectful to their gods.[25]
In European countries people are met with who object to whistling on a
certain day of the week, or at certain times of the day. The villagers
in some districts of North Germany have the saying, that if one whistles
in the evening it makes the angels weep. The villagers in Iceland say
that even if one swings about him a stick, whip, wand, or aught that
makes a whistling sound, he scares from him the Holy Ghost; while other
Icelanders, who consider themselves free from superstitions, cautiously
give the advice: "Do it not; for who knoweth what is in the air?"[26]
There seem to have been, however, in all ages light-hearted persons who,
defying the superstitious views of their compatriots, have whistled to
their heart's content, or for the amusement of those who set at nought
popular prejudices.
Joseph Strutt, in his 'Sports and Pastimes of the People of England'
records the astonishing performance of a whistler who, assuming the name
of Rossignol, exhibited at the end of the last century his talent on the
stage of Covent Garden Theatre. Again, an amusing account is given in
the 'Spectator' (Vol. VIII., No. 570) of a skilful whistler, who was the
host of the tavern especially patronised by Addison and Steele; and the
writer concludes his description of the host's surprising talent by
recommending his readers to repair to the tavern and to order a bottle
of wine for the sake of the whistling.
The Russians in the Ukraine tell a queer story about a whistling robber
of old, who must have been a person of fabulously large dimensions, for
he used to sit, we are told, on nine oak trees at once. His name is
still known; but it would be an infliction upon the reader to put before
him a name almost entirely made up of consonants, and only pronounceable
by a Russian. This celebrated robber had, however, also a nickname
signifying "Nightingale," which was given to him on account of his
extraordinary whistling powers. Whenever a traveller happened to enter
the forest in which the robber Nightingale had his domicile, it was pity
for him if he had neglected to make his will; for the robber Nightingale
whistled so impressively that the poor traveller must needs faint away,
and then the wretched whistler stepped forward and killed him outright.
But, at last, a great hero, who was besides a holy man, and whose name
was Ilja Murometz, repaired to the forest to subdue the robber
Nightingale. Having hit him with an arrow, and taken him prisoner, he
bound him to the saddle of his horse and escorted him to Kiev to the
court of the Grand-Prince Vladimir. Even there the fettered whistler
proved most dangerous. For when the Grand-Prince, merely from curiosity,
and perhaps to see whether his courtiers had told him the truth,
commanded the robber to whistle before him--the Grand-Princess and all
the royal children being present--the man at once commenced whistling in
a manner so overpowering that soon Vladimir with his whole family would
inevitably have been dead, had not some brave courtiers, perceiving the
danger, got up and shut the whistler's mouth.
Moreover, some enlightened Russians say that the story must not be taken
literally. At the time of the introduction of Christianity into Russia
there lived near Kiev, they say, a pagan high-priest who was so
distinguished an orator that he actually succeeded in drawing many to
his side to check the spread of Christianity. This man, whose powers of
persuasion were so great that his adherents called him Nightingale, was
at last vanquished by his Christian antagonist Murometz. The bones of
Murometz, we are further informed, have never decayed, and are still
annually exhibited in Kiev to be venerated by an assemblage of pious
believers.[27]
[Illustration]
[7] 'Notices of Japan.' The Chinese Repository, Vol. IX. Canton, 1840,
P. 620.
[8] 'Deutsche Mythologie, von Jacob Grimm. Gˆttingen, 1854.' P. 860.
[9] 'Alt-isl‰ndische Volks-Balladen, ¸bersetzt von P. J. Willatzen.
Bremen, 1865.' P. 83.
[10] 'Sketches relating to the History, Religion, Learning, and Manners
of the Hindoos, [by Q. Craufurd.] London, 1790.' P. 153.
[11] 'The Oriental Collections, Vol. I. London, 1797.' P. 70.
[12] 'Polynesian Researches, by William Ellis. London, 1829.' Vol. II.,
P. 415.
[13] 'History of the Indian Archipelago, by John Crawfurd. Edinburgh,
1820.' Vol. I., P. 304.
[14] 'A View of the History, Literature, and Religion of the Hindoos, by
the Rev. W. Ward. Madras, 1863.' P. 62.
[15] 'The History of Greenland, by David Crantz. London, 1767.' Vol. I.,
P. 233.
[16] 'Journal of an Expedition to explore the Course of the Niger, by
Richard and John Lander. New York, 1844.' Vol. I., P. 366.
[17] 'Illustrations of Japan, by M. Titsingh. London, 1822.' P. 201.
[18] 'Sagenbuch der Lausitz, von Karl Haupt. Leipzig, 1862.' P. 124. The
descriptive music of the Wild Hunt in Weber's opera, 'Der Freisch¸tz,'
is probably in the recollection of most musicians. It agrees remarkably
well with the popular traditions.
[19] 'A View of the History, Literature, and Religion of the Hindoos, by
the Rev. W. Ward. Madras, 1863.' P. 160.
[20] 'Stimmen des Russischen Volks, von P. v. Gˆtze. Stuttgart, 1828.'
P. 17.
[21] 'Die Mythologie des Nordens, von K. F. Wiborg; aus dem D‰nischen
von A. v. Etzel. Berlin, 1847.' P. 147.
[22] 'Volkslieder des Serben, ¸bersetzt von Talvj. Leipzig, 1853.' Vol.
II., P. 380.
[23] 'Travels in South-Eastern Asia, by Howard Malcolm. Boston, 1839.'
Vol. I., P. 205.
[24] 'First Footsteps in East Africa, 1856, by Captain Burton, London.'
P. 142.
[25] 'An Account of the Natives of the Tonga Islands, by Mariner and
Martin. London, 1818.' Vol. II., P. 131.
[26] 'Icelandic Legends, collected by JÛn Arnason; translated by Powell
and Magn˙sson. London, 1866.' P. 631.
[27] 'Stimmen des Russischen Volks, von P. von Gˆtze. Stuttgart, 1828.'
P. 58.
[Illustration]