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Religion and Myth, by James Macdonald, [1883], at sacred-texts.com


p. ix

CONTENTS

CHAP.

 

PAGE

 

 

 

I.

Primitive Man And The Supernatural

1-19

 

   1. Religion defined

1

 

   2. Incarnate gods

2

 

   3. Sympathetic magic

3

 

   4. Rain-making

10

 

   5. Dangers of seeing divine persons

12

 

   6. All property and subjects owned by ruler

14

 

   7. Lubare of Uganda

15

 

   8. Departmental kings

17

 

 

 

II.

Guarding Divinity

20-32

 

   1. Danger to man-god from exposure

20

 

   2. The Mikado

21

 

   3. Kings of Shark Point and Congo

23

 

   4. Divine king may be deposed

24

 

   5. Restrictions placed on king and heir to throne

25

 

   6. Separation of civil and divine functions

27

 

   7. Killing the god

28

 

 

 

III.

Evolution Of Deity

33-60

 

   1. Doctrine of souls

33

 

   2. Dangers of the soul

35

 

   3. Worship of ancestors

36

 

   4. Other spirits than souls

37

 

   5. Fetish

38

 

   6. Sengero selling of women

39

 

   7. Confusion of seasons

39

 

   8. Offerings to spirit of vegetation

40

 

   9. Offerings to goddess of fecundity

42

 

p. x

 

CHAP.

 

PAGE

III.

Evolution of Deitycontinued.

 

 

   10. Muansa

43

 

   11. Rites at puberty

44

 

   12. Souls dwelling in objects

47

 

   13. Toad day

49

 

   14. Origin of national festivals

50

 

   15. Khond sacrifices to Tari

56

 

   16. Story of Balder

57

 

   17. Midsummer fires

57

 

 

 

IV.

Sacrifice

61-83

 

   1. Putting king to death

61

 

   2. Substitution

63

 

   3. Soul of ancestor entering person

64

 

   4. Kaffir methods of directing course of nature

65

 

   5. Propitiation

66

 

   6. Thanksgiving

67

 

   7. Substitution for murderer

71

 

   8. Offerings to Lubare

73

 

   9. Parading victim before sacrifice

76

 

   10. Festival and sacrifices of Bantams

78

 

   11. Messages to spirit-land

79

 

   12. Descent of priest to the lower world

81

V.

Taboos

84-98

 

   1. Charms against witchcraft

84

 

   2. Banning by curses

85

 

   3. Sprinkling to exorcise evil

86

 

   4. Eating in private

87

 

   5. Position of divine persons

88

 

   6. Power of superstition

89

 

   7. Ceremonial purity

90

 

   8. Objections to iron

90

 

   9. Power of iron against evil

92

 

   10. Sanctity of objects belonging to sacred persons

93

 

p. xi

 

CHAP.

 

PAGE

V.

Tabooscontinued.

 

 

   11. Dangers of barber's art

94

 

   12. Rise of evil spirits

97

 

 

 

VI.

Expulsion of Demons

99-112

 

   1. Taboos insufficient protection

99

 

   2. Animals messengers of evil

101

 

   3. Stone-throwing and cursing

102

 

   4. Expulsion of guile

103

 

   5. Expulsion by carrying out in wicker baskets

105

 

   6. "Raising" the devil

108

 

   7. "Laying" the devil

110

 

 

 

VII.

Witchcraft

113-135

 

   1. Crime of witchcraft

114

 

   2. Persons presumed to practise the art

115

 

   3. Power of witchcraft

116

 

   4. Methods of practising the art

117

 

   5. Witch-doctoring

118

 

   6. Prophetess as discoverer of witches

121

 

   7. Magic roots

123

 

   8. Witchcraft prosecutions by ordeal

126

 

   9. Mosaic trial by ordeal

128

 

   10. History of witchcraft

129

 

   11. Fairyland

130

 

   12. Growth of idea of supreme spirits

132

 

 

 

VIII.

Harvest Festivals

136-145

 

   1. Yam festival

136

 

   2. Pondo festival of first-fruits

137

 

   3. Honour done to powers of nature

138

 

   4. Maize mother

139

 

   5. The "Maiden" a survival

140

 

 

 

IX.

Prophecy

146-172

 

   1. The office and its development

146

 

p. xii

 

CHAP.

 

PAGE

IX.

Prophecycontinued.

 

 

   2. Causes of its gradual decay

149

 

   3. False prophets

150

 

   4. Converse with the unseen

152

 

   5. Second sight

153

 

   6. Foretelling events

154

 

   7. Guarding against soul-snatching

155

 

   8. Funeral rites

156

 

   9. Guilds and sacred orders

157

 

   10. Reading omens

160

 

   11. Heresies

164

 

   12. Reforms among the order

166

 

   13. Prejudices against religious teachers

170

 

 

 

X.

Social Usages

173-180

 

   1. Ceremonial acts

173

 

   2. Seeking a lady's hand

174

 

   3. Succession to the throne

175

 

   4. Courtesies to guests

176

 

   5. Sanctuaries

177

 

   6. Eating and drinking

178

 

   7. Friendship

179

 

 

 

XI.

Acts of Devotion—Myths

180-193

 

   1. Acts of ordinary life-religious

180

 

   2. Caring for the soul

185

 

   3. Soul dwelling apart from body

186

 

   4. Giants and their souls

188

 

   5. Sacred animals and objects

190

 

   6. Mermaids ashore

192

 

 

 

XII.

Woman

194-203

 

   1. Woman's position

194

 

   2. Woman as regent

195

 

   3. Danger of touching woman's blood

195

 

   4. Dangers of girlhood

197

 

   p. xiii

 

CHAP.

 

PAGE

XII.

Womancontinued.

 

 

   5. Uncleanness

198

 

   6. Woman's influence

199

 

   7. Aggressiveness

200

 

   8. Dog language

202

 

   9. Public morality

203

 

 

 

XIII.

Courtesies of Life—Dress

204-213

 

   1. Hospitality

204

 

   2. Loyalty to chief

205

 

   3. Right and wrong

206

 

   4. Cannibalism

208

 

   5. Clothing

209

 

   6. Ceremonial courtesy

210

 

   7. Tein-egin

212

 

   8. Juju and the fairy bull

213

 

 

 

XIV.

Reforms

214-234

 

   1. Man's tenacity in holding fast all he started with

214

 

   2. How wide a gulf between savage and civilised

215

 

   3. Blankets, Bibles, or work

215

 

   4. Claims of commerce

216

 

   5. Influence of clothing

219

 

   6. Work and conditions of soil

220

 

   7. Missions and bow conducted

224

 

   8. Jews and ancients

225

 

   9. Difficulty of understanding new ideas

229

 

   10. Ideas become common as thought advances

232

Index

 

235-240


Next: Chapter I. Primitive Man and the Supernatural