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508 MEMOIR ON THE STUDY OF |
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"Rheumatism and lumbago cured by crawling under granitic masses in Cornwall."—Hunt, Popular Romances, p. 177.
" Passing children under bramble to cure rupture."—Ibid., pp. 412,
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"This cures chincough."—Aubrey, Remains, p. 187.
" In Scotland, sick children are passed through the great stones of Odin at Stennis, and through a perforated monolith at Burkham, in Yorkshire."—Rogers, Social Life in Scotland, i. p. 13.
" Barren women pass their hands through the holes of the Bore Stone at Gask in order to obtain children."—Ibid., iii. p. 227. .
"Similar rites prevail in Cyprus."—Hogarth, Devia Cypria, p. 48; Gardner, New Chapters in Greek History, p. 172.
" This again gives rise to the use of the gateway through which pilgrims pass to temples. Such are the Indian Torana, in this shape, which are represented by the Torio, so common in Japan.
"The Greeks had the same, which they called Dokana (So/cava, from 8ok6s, ' a beam'). With them they represented the Dioscuri —Castor and Pollux. They are described by Plutarch."—De Amor. Fratr., i. p. 36.
"Similar arches, covered with charms, were seen at Dahomi by Burton."—Mission to Gelele, i. pp. 218, 286.
"Women in England creep under a galk>ws to get children." (1 have mislaid the reference.)
"There are many 'creeps' or narrow holes in Irish dolmens certainly used by people, who had to creep in to worship the ghost or bring offerings. Captives intended to be slaughtered had to creep through such places."—Borlase, Dolmens of Ireland, ii. p. 554.
"Barren women pass their hands through such holes."—Ibid., ii. p. 650.
"A good picture of such a stone from France."—Ibid., ii. pp. 626, 700, 702, 707.
Mr. Albany F. Major has also kindly drawn my attention to the following interesting passages from the sagas, which Dr. Jon Stefansson has kindly translated as follows:—
" In old times this had been the custom of brave men, who made an agreement (pact) that the one who lived the longest should revenge the other's death. They were to go under three earth-sods, and that was their oath (eiftr). This ceremony (leikr) of theirs was in this wise, that three long earth-sods (turfs) should be cut loose. All the ends were to be fast in the ground (adhere to it), but the coils (bends) were to be pulled upward, so that a man might go |
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