Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 7, 1896.djvu/345

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Miscellanea.
315

308. Worship of the Swastika symbol: associated with Vishnu.

309. A Monkey: patron saint of the town of Pathankot.

310. Conch shells and bells scare demons. Some tie a corpse to the bier.

311. Shah Daula (Upper India), a saint who gives offspring. The first child thus given is a dwarf with a small head, like a rat. Such children are called Shah D.'s rats, and are devoted to the shrine [like Samuel]. These Rats now form a special class of beggars.

312. Tip of the tongue offered to Kali by those who want wisdom.

401. Legend of Sukhdeva. "The kingdom of women" mentioned.

403. Prohibited offerings.

404. Natives believe that there is a saint in every city.

405. Worship of Mohammedan martyrs at births and marriages.

410. A child drowned to cause rain. Clay figures generally used.


Anthropology.

314. Eastern Districts, N.-W. Provinces.—Oaths and Ordeals. Swearing by the head of the eldest son; ordeal by heated iron ball, passing through fire, dipping the hand in boiling oil.

315. Old Shoes a cure for fits, for insomnia, to baulk a curse, fastened to fruit-trees to baulk the Evil Eye. Some interesting parallels given.

316. Stamping of hand-marks on house-wall and in sacred rites. [These may been seen all over Syria on houses, and were carved on Phœnician tombstones.—W. H. D. R.]

317. The Bhuinhars: an account of their doings.—Two burning wicks united at weddings by the bridegroom.

320. Saharanpur.—Scape-buffalo scares the demon of cholera.

321. Silver or gold touched on seeing the new moon.

325. Cures worked by passing under an old or perforated tree.

326. A snake is often born with a child, and as long as the snake lives, so long lives the child.

327. New earthen vessels purified by touching a horse's mouth.

328. Secret rites; rites where only women may appear (cholera).