SUPERSTITION1
is merely cowardice in regard to the supernatural. The superstitious man
will wash his hands in the morning,2 sprinkle himself from
the vessels in the temple,3 place a laurel leaf4
in his mouth, and thus go about all day. If a weasel5 runs
across his path, he will not go on until someone has crossed the road,6
or he has thrown three stones across it. When he notices a snake in the
house, if it is a brown one he calls on Sabazios,7 if it is
a sacred one he sets up an enclosure on the spot. He pours oil from his
flask on the smooth stones at the crossways,8 and having knelt
down and worshipped them, goes on. If a mouse9 eats through
a meal sack, off he goes to the interpreter of omens to ask what he is
to do, and if he gets the answer ‘Give it to the shoemaker and get it
sewn up again,’ he pays no attention, but goes away and tries to expiate
the omen by sacrifice. He will purify his house perpetually, saying that
Hekate has been brought into it by witchcraft. If an owl screeches as
he passes be cries out in alarm May Athene10 avert the omen,’
and goes on. He will not touch a tomb with his foot or come near a corpse
or a woman with child, saying he must guard against being defiled. On
the fourth and twenty-fourth of each month11 he commands his
servants to mix wine, and goes out and purchases myrtle, frankincense,
and cakes, and returning, pours libations, makes sacrifices, and crowns
the Hermaphrodites12 all the rest of the day. When he has had
a dream he visits the interpreters of dreams, the soothsayers, the augurs,
to ask to what God or Goddess he should pray, and will he initiated into
the Orphic mysteries.13 He will of a certainty be one of those
people who sprinkle themselves with sea water14 on the shore,
going off for that purpose every month with his wife, or if she has not
the time, with the nurse and tbe children. If ever he sees anyone feasting
on the garlic left for Hekate at the crossroads he runs away, pours water
over his head and gets the priestess to carry a squill or a puppy round
him to purify him.15 And if he sees a madman or an epileptic
he straightway shivers and spits into his own bosom.16
1. For fuller information regarding this difficult
character v. Jebbs notes.
2. Analogous to the Pharisaic refusal to eat without washing.
3. Corresponding to the vessels for Holy Water in Romanist chapels.
4 The laurel being sacred to Apollo, the God of Light, was used as a charm
against evil.
5. A symbol of ill-luck. v. Edmonds-Austen edition.
6. Who will thus intercept the ill-luck.
7 v. p. 17;. The snake was connected with his worship and in general was
regarded as a sign or divine intervention. It was sometimes considered
as the Incarnation of a hero, to whom the sacred enclosure was dedicated.
8. Altars were set up to Hekate, the moon go4dess, at crossroads. The
oil was an offering. v. 1.. 9 for the aspect of Hekate as Goddess of Evil.
9. Cicero (Div. 1. 99) mentions a similar prodigy.
10. The owl was sacred to Athene goddess or Athens. To see one was Lucky,
but to hear one unlucky.
11. Thesuperstitious man thinks these are unlucky days.
12. The so-called herms, i. e., pillars, with bust of a god with a femaile
head.
13. Worship connected with the poes-god Orpheus.
14. Which was held to have supreme purifactory powers.
15. This carrying of a victim round a person was intended to place him
in a charmed circle which the powers of evil dare not pass. --Jebb.
16. 'We guard ourselves against epilepsy by spitting -- that is, we hurl
back the plague.' -- Pliny, Hist. Nat. xxviii. 4, 7 (Jebb), Mensignac,
Recheres sure las Salive, p. 87.
SUPERSTITION1
is merely cowardice in regard to the supernatural. The superstitious man
will wash his hands in the morning,2 sprinkle himself from
the vessels in the temple,3 place a laurel leaf4
in his mouth, and thus go about all day. If a weasel5 runs
across his path, he will not go on until someone has crossed the road,6
or he has thrown three stones across it. When he notices a snake in the
house, if it is a brown one he calls on Sabazios,7 if it is
a sacred one he sets up an enclosure on the spot. He pours oil from his
flask on the smooth stones at the crossways,8 and having knelt
down and worshipped them, goes on. If a mouse9 eats through
a meal sack, off he goes to the interpreter of omens to ask what he is
to do, and if he gets the answer ‘Give it to the shoemaker and get it
sewn up again,’ he pays no attention, but goes away and tries to expiate
the omen by sacrifice. He will purify his house perpetually, saying that
Hekate has been brought into it by witchcraft. If an owl screeches as
he passes be cries out in alarm May Athene10 avert the omen,’
and goes on. He will not touch a tomb with his foot or come near a corpse
or a woman with child, saying he must guard against being defiled. On
the fourth and twenty-fourth of each month11 he commands his
servants to mix wine, and goes out and purchases myrtle, frankincense,
and cakes, and returning, pours libations, makes sacrifices, and crowns
the Hermaphrodites12 all the rest of the day. When he has had
a dream he visits the interpreters of dreams, the soothsayers, the augurs,
to ask to what God or Goddess he should pray, and will he initiated into
the Orphic mysteries.13 He will of a certainty be one of those
people who sprinkle themselves with sea water14 on the shore,
going off for that purpose every month with his wife, or if she has not
the time, with the nurse and tbe children. If ever he sees anyone feasting
on the garlic left for Hekate at the crossroads he runs away, pours water
over his head and gets the priestess to carry a squill or a puppy round
him to purify him.15 And if he sees a madman or an epileptic
he straightway shivers and spits into his own bosom.16
