FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127  
128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   >>   >|  
ified by _Gehenna_, is the name of a Saxon goddess _Hela_; and, in this particular instance, a point of our original paganism has been taken up into our present Christianity. The same is the case with the Finnic nation, where _Yumala_ signifies _God_; Yumala being as truly heathen as _Jupiter_. On the other hand we find amongst the genuine pagan Gallas of Africa, an object of respect or worship called _Miriam_. What is this? No true piece of heathendom at all. Dr. Beke has given good reasons for believing that it means the Virgin Mother of the Saviour, the only extant member of the Christian Revelation now known to that once imperfectly Christianized community. Buddhism, then, may claim a higher antiquity than Brahminism under the two following conditions. 1. That the names _Batho_, &c., be really a form of _Buddh_. 2. That they have belonged to superstitions in which they occur from the beginning; and are not in the same category with the _Miriam_ of the Gallas, _i.e._, recent introductions from a wholly different religion--grafts rather than embryos. How far this latter is the case must be ascertained by a wide and minute inquiry, foreign to the present work. It is no wonder that, side by side with a semi-philosophical creed like Buddhism, we should have such a phenomenon as Devil-worship. When the spirit falls short of its due degree of self-sustained hardihood, fear finds its way to the heart. The evil powers are then propitiated; sometimes in a manner savouring of dignity, sometimes with groveling and grotesque cowardice. The Yezid of Mesopotamia, whose belief in the power of an evil spirit is derived from the Manicheism of old, shows his fear of the arch-enemy by simple and not unreasonable acts of negation. He does nothing that may offend; never mentions his name; and dwells on his attributes as little as possible. The devil-worshipper of Ceylon uses such invocations as the following:-- I. Come, thou _sanguinary Devil_, at the sixth hour. Come, thou _fierce Devil_, upon this stage, and accept the offerings made to thee! The _ferocious Devil_ seems to be coming measuring the ground by the length of his feet, and giving warnings of his approach by throwing stones and sand round about. He looks upon the meat-offering which is kneaded with blood and boiled rice. He stands there and plays in the shade of the tree called _Demby_. He removes the sickness of the pers
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127  
128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Gallas
 

worship

 

Buddhism

 
Miriam
 

called

 

Yumala

 

spirit

 

present

 

phenomenon

 

belief


Manicheism

 
derived
 

philosophical

 
simple
 
manner
 

hardihood

 

sustained

 

savouring

 

powers

 

propitiated


unreasonable

 

dignity

 

cowardice

 

grotesque

 

degree

 
groveling
 

Mesopotamia

 

worshipper

 

stones

 

throwing


approach

 

warnings

 
ground
 

measuring

 

length

 

giving

 

offering

 

removes

 

sickness

 

kneaded


boiled
 
stands
 

coming

 

attributes

 

dwells

 
mentions
 

negation

 
offend
 
Ceylon
 

offerings