Heathen Devotion in Ceylon--Superstitious Customs
among the Schismatic Greeks--Negro Belief in Fetishes
or Genii--Charms and Sacred Rings and Belts--Magic
taught by the Priests--Dead Persons metamorphosed into
Serpents--How the Gaures disposed of their Dead--Modes
of discovering whether Souls were Blessed or
Damned--Orders of Genii in Madagascar--Devil
Worship--Belief of the Caribbees--Brazilian
Superstition--Peruvian Tradition--Devil Worship among
the American Indians--Demons in the Sixteenth and
Seventeenth Centuries--Satan in France--Manes, Anima,
and Umbra among the Greeks and Romans.
In Ceylon, when the heathens' prayers were not answered, they repaired
to the most gloomy parts of their sacred groves, and offered up red
cocks to the devil, where they supposed he and his imps and attendants
delighted to dwell. And when any of the people were sick, they devoted
a red cock to one of their genii. The priest, in offering the cock,
made it known that the fowl was given only on condition that the
invalid would be cured. It was believed that all the sacrifices
offered to these genii were carried by them to heaven, to be presented
to Buddha. To discover whether a patient's sickness was caused by a
good or evil spirit, a bow of the first little stick that could be
found was prepared, and on the bow-string the operator hung a small
chisel, and holding the bow by the two extremities, named all the gods
and devils he thought of. As soon as the name of the good or evil
spirit that caused the disease was pronounced, the bow turned round.
By means of bows the natives of Ceylon were also enabled to foretell
future events.
Among the schismatic Greeks, an infant, previous to its baptism, was
crossed by the priest, who commanded the devil to come out of the
child, for it was believed an unclean spirit resided in it before
baptism. After baptism, the priest hung a cross of gold, silver, or
tin about the child's neck, which, in accordance with usual custom,
was worn till death. If at death one was found without his cross, his
body was cast into the ground without sacred ceremonies.
The negroes had fetishes or genii similar to the Manitous of the North
Americans, and the ancient Fauns or Sylvans of the Romans. To these
fetishes the negroes paid great respect. Particular kinds of birds,
fishes, and trees were looked upon as fetishes; and certain of them
were accounted the guardians of hills, mountains, and streams. Negroes
supposed that if one broke off a branch from a sacred tree, he would
immediately cause the destruction of their crops. They had stones
resembling the Roman terminal-stones. Fetishes were consulted by the
people as oracles; and when they appeared in living form to return
answers, it was generally as black dogs. Large fetishes were kept for
the protection of houses; and the people carried small ones about
them, sometimes suspended from their necks, and sometimes concealed
under their arm-pits, for their protection. Negro women hung charms
round their infants' necks, to protect them from harm. Children four
years of age had sacred rings round their legs and arms, to protect
them from evil spirits. This was not all: mothers went the length of
making their children wear bandages adorned with fetishes, to
strengthen the little ones and keep away demons. Thursday was set
apart for the worship of fetishes. The priests studied magic, and
instructed the people in the art thereof. It was a belief among the
negroes, that at death they were metamorphosed into serpents, and for
that reason they would not kill or injure one of these reptiles.
Because the Gaures thought decomposed bodies polluted the earth, they
did not bury their dead. They had round towers as receptacles for
their departed friends, whose bodies were let down to their final
resting-place through an aperture in the roof. During the first three
days after the body had been laid in the tower, it was thought to be
in danger of being carried away by the devil. It therefore became
necessary for the friends to keep watch, in order to prevent Satan
having an opportunity to torment the soul as it winged its way to the
celestial regions. On or before the fourth day the soul was in a place
of torment or happiness. On this, the fourth day, the priests
prognosticated the future state of the deceased. The discovery was
made in this way: the dead body was laid on its back, with the eyes
turned towards heaven, and the vultures being permitted to come and
feast on the deceased, it was considered a certain sign that the soul
had gone to bliss if the right eye was taken out first, but it was an
equally sure omen that it had gone to a place of punishment if the
left eye was the first devoured. Another mode of ascertaining the
state of happiness or misery of a soul was by the movements of a dog
near a corpse. If the animal went close to it, then were the relatives
convinced the soul was in a state of bliss, but if the dog could not
be tempted to go near the body, they despaired of their friend
escaping everlasting torment.
The islanders of Madagascar entertained the opinion that there were
divers orders of genii or spirits; that some of them directed the
motions of the stars and planets, and that others had power over the
air, the meteors, the sea, and men. Besides these genii there was
another order of spirits, male and female, who married and had
offspring. They made known future events to man, and performed
superhuman actions, such as are done by Scotch fairies. The natives of
Madagascar also believed in the existence of phantoms and ghosts. To
protect themselves, their friends, and property from the power of
Satan, they, at stated times, with javelins in hand, danced, to the
beat of drum, to drive away evil spirits.
The Floridans worshipped the devil in various ways. In the Caribbee
Islands the inhabitants had a great variety of omens and
superstitions. They thought bats were supernatural creatures, whose
duty it was to watch over mortal man during night. These people
consulted relics of deceased friends as to things past and future. The
Boias, the native medico-priests, had each his particular genii, whom
he pretended to summon to his assistance by humming certain words and
burning tobacco. These genii were conjured in the night time, at a
place without fire or light. The Boias were reported to have possessed
the power of killing enemies by means of charms. The Caribbees
ascribed diseases to Maboia; and whenever they were desirous of
knowing the result of any illness with which they were afflicted, they
presented an offering to Maboia, and sent for a Boia in the night,
who, on his arrival, ordered the fires to be extinguished. In presence
of the patient, he smoked a quantity of tobacco, rubbed another
portion of the weed into powder, and blew it up in the air. From
certain appearances the priest discovered the cause of the disease,
and ascertained what would be the result thereof. If the patient was
to die, the priest gave his assurance that the spirits would receive
the dying individual into their blessed abode.
The Brazilians had domestic gods, which they consulted; and their
priests were fortune-tellers and interpreters of dreams. After a
friend died, the relations carried provisions to the grave every day
for a short time, under the impression that the nourishment brought
would prevent the deceased's spirit from dying.
The Peruvians had a tradition that a man of extraordinary form and
character, whose name was Choun, came from the north into their
country; that he levelled mountains, filled up valleys, and opened
passages for himself through places inaccessible to ordinary man. It
is related that this being having been offended by the inhabitants of
the plains, changed part of the ground which was fruitful into a sandy
desert, forbade the rain to fall, and dried up the plants.
Subsequently he had compassion on the erring people, and opened the
springs, so that the rivers once more flowed. Choun was worshipped
till the appearance of a more mighty god called Pachacamac, who, on
his coming, metamorphosed into wild beasts the former inhabitants that
had done homage to Choun. The people had superstitious opinions
concerning comets and rainbows. They drew predictions from dreams,
from signs on earth, and from appearances in the heavens.
In olden times there was a system of devil worship among the American
Indians; and almost everywhere, in the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries, demons made themselves seen and felt in nearly every part
of the earth. In France, Satan had his witches, imps, and other
inferior demons, who carried out his wicked purposes. At Lyons the
devil appeared in the shape of a little woman, and, by cunning
stratagem, led many persons into serious crimes. In the year 1612 the
evil one, in the appearance of a beautiful woman, allured some Paris
gentlemen into paths of sin. As a good deal of scandal was the result,
the justices and physicians of the city commenced an inquiry, which
ended in it being discovered that the apparently beautiful lady was
the evil spirit of a woman that had been hanged shortly before. Great
excitement prevailed at St. Steven's Church, Mascon, through the devil
opening graves, raising the dead, and destroying the vintage.
The Greeks and Romans affirmed that, after the dissolution of the
body, every man possessed three different kinds of ghosts or spirits,
distinguished by the names of Manes, Anima, and Umbra. The Manes, it
was supposed, descended into the infernal regions, the Anima ascended
to the skies, and Umbra hovered about the tomb, seemingly unwilling to
depart from the body.