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[Pg 280] 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,[Pg 281] 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,[Pg 282]
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[Pg 283]
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[Pg 284] 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.
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