The Origins of Religion, and Other EssaysWatts, 1908 - 128 pages Essays mainly on pseudo-religious topics (spiritualism, mythical lore, art, origins of religion), partly taken from authors Custom and myth; includes p. 15-21; the bullroarer; p. 36-45; star myths; p. 62-75; the art of savages; pl 107-128; theories of the origins of religion; astronomy. |
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The Origins of Religion, and Other Essays Andrew Lang,Rationalist Press Association No preview available - 2015 |
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Africa ancestors ancient animal Apollo Arunta Aryan Australian Aymar Baiame ballad bear beasts belief Bissett bull-roarer Bunjil Bushmen called civilised crystal crystal-gazing dances daughter dead Demeter described Dieri divining rod Egyptian Elohim epic Eskimo essay example explain facts Father folklore ghosts gods Greece Greek hallucinations Hamaxitus hand hero Homer Howitt human Huxley Iamblichus ideas Ilmarinen Jahveh Jason Kalevala Kurnai Kutchi lady legends look magic maiden Manabozho Maori medicine-man medium mice Miss Angus modern mouse Mungan-ngaua Mura-Mura mysteries mystic myth natives nature never objects origin person Peruvian phenomena Pleiades Pohjola Porphyry race recognised Red Indians religion religious rites sacred Samoa savage says similar song Spencer and Gillen spirits spiritualists stars stone story Strabo strange Swan tale temples teraphim theory things thought tion told totem trace tribes turndun twig Wäinämöinen wakan wand woman worship Zeus Zulu
Popular passages
Page 34 - They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
Page 56 - Asia ; he fell in with a Russian merchant, who told him of a custom common among the Mongols. The Russian had lost certain pieces of cloth, which were stolen out of his tent. The Kutuchtu Lama ordered the proper steps to be taken to find out the thief. ' One of the Lamas took a bench with four feet, and after turning it in several directions, at last it pointed directly to the tent where the stolen goods were concealed. The Lama now mounted across the bench, and soon carried it, or, as was commonly...
Page 12 - The method is, when an apparently irrational and anomalous custom is found in any country, to look for a country where a similar practice is found, and where the practice is no longer irrational and anomalous, but in harmony with the manners and ideas of the people among whom it prevails.
Page 45 - ... difficulty has been introduced into the study of the first developments of song, by confusing these distinct sorts of composition under the name of popular poetry, that it may be well, in writing of a poem which occupies a middle place between epic and ballad, to define what we mean by each. The author о " our old English Art of Poesie begins his work with a statement which may serve as a text.
Page 40 - Here the sorcerers have the same knowledge as the Egyptian priests. Again, just as among the Arcadians, ' the progenitors of the existing tribes, whether birds, or beasts, or men, were set in the sky, and made to shine as stars.
Page 11 - ... veneration, saying it is the Mother of the Mays of their inheritances, and that by this means the Mays augments and is preserved. In this moneth they make a particular sacrifice, and the witches demand of this Pirua, ' if it hath strength sufficient to continue until the next yeare,' and if it answers
Page 20 - Come now,' as Herodotus would say, ' I will show once more that the mysteries of the Greeks resemble those of Bushmen.' In Lucian's Treatise on Dancing,2 we read, ' I pass over the fact that you cannot find a single ancient mystery in which there is not dancing. .... To prove this I will not mention the secret acts of worship, on account of the uninitiated. But this much all men know, that most people say of those who reveal the mysteries, that they
Page 80 - It is tall and narrow, and resembles a chimney ; it is firmly built, and two men, even if exerting their utmost strength, would be unable to move, shake, or bend it ; it is so narrow that a man who crawls in has scarcely room to move about in it.'
Page 116 - All that can be said of him is that he is imagined as the ideal of those qualities which are, according to their standard, virtues worthy of being imitated. Such would be a man who is skilful in the use of weapons of offence and defence, all-powerful in magic, but generous and liberal to his people, who does no injury or violence to any one, yet treats with severity any breaches of custom or morality.
Page 24 - The giant's dochter left her father's house, and he pursued her and was drowned. Then she came to the king's palace where Nicht Nought Nothing was. And she went up into a tree to watch for him. The gardener's dochter, going to draw water in the well, saw the shadow of the lady in the water, and.