256 _ The Religion of the Veda
souls of inanimate objects (fetish), is based upon the same sort of simple legic. Animals have both life’s breath and some measure of reason. Nomads, cattle—raisers, hunters, inhabitants of forest and sea. coast are thrown into intimate intercourse, each with particular classes of animals whose mental resources are not only obvious, but often clash with man’s interests. Clear up into the high literature of beast fable and fairy-tale survives the folk’s very real belief in reasoning, soulninhabited animals: see Rey» nard the Fox and Bre’r Rabbit. Primitive man, too, in the search after his own origin has often blun-fi» dered into the notion that man is descended from one or the other animal. This has given rise to the very important religious, political, and economic institutions known as Totemism.
As regards plants, the Hindu Law~Book of Mann forbids the chewing of red rosin, doubtless because it looks like coagulated blood, and blood must not be clrunk.‘l The tree is supposed to be alive. The weird twilight shapes of trees and plants, the sough of the wind in the leaves of the forest-trees again suggest life in the vegetable kingdom.
As regards inanimate things, we need but remem- ber the child’s relation to its doll, or, that children punish with their own oft—tasted penalties the stick
1 See von Negelein, Arc/sin fair Relzlgiorzrwirrmscfiaft, VL, 246.
