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Survivals in Belief Among the Celts, by George Henderson, [1911], at sacred-texts.com


p. vi p. vii

CONTENTS.

 

CHAPTER I. THE FINDING OF THE SOUL
(OR THE INTERNAL SOUL)

 

 

PAGE

Survivals Defined

1, 5

A Possible non-Celtic Element

3

Religion and Rite

5

Religion embraces a Special Carefulness; is the opposite of Negligence; and of a Social Nature

8

Celtic Religious Psychology

9

Religion embraces more than Magic

10

The Spoken Word

11

The Spell

13

The Positive Word

15

Magic Charm: bricht (the Ceremonially Conceived Word)

17

The Power of the Word

18

The Soul in the Name

19

Asseveration by the Tribal God

20

The Soul and Body-Parts: Oath by the Elements

21

Ancient Ritual of the After-Birth

23

The Soul in the Eye

25

Averting the Evil Eye

27

The Blood-Soul

29

Blood-Drinking

30, 31

The Blood-Covenant

32

p. viii

 

 

PAGE

The Soul in the Blood

40

The Soul in the Breath

45, 49

The 'Double'

47

The Self as different from the Body

48

Chief Forms of Soul-Cult

 

        1. Animism

51

        2. Animalism and Manism

52

        3. Daimonism

56

Gessa, i.e. Restrictions or Taboos

57

Raising the Name

58

Faint 'Survival' of Simulative Couvade

59

Brian and the Virgin Birth: Parthenogenesis

65

The Dusii of Gaul: the Breton Courils

73

Varieties of Supernatural Birth

74

Life-Tokens

75


CHAPTER II. THE WANDERINGS OF PSYCHE
(OR THE EXTERNAL SOUL)

 

The External Soul

76

Swearing by Weapons

77

Swearing by the Hand

78

The Soul-Form as Moth, Butterfly

79

The Bee-Soul

83

The Bird-Soul

 

        Cuckoo

89

        Cormorant

90

        Raven, Magpie, Eagle

91

        Swan

92

        Ghost-Bird of St. Kilda

92

        Wren

96

        Heron

98

        Crane and Gull

99

Language of Animals

99

Sacred Animals

100, 101

Animal-Fasting

101

p. ix

 

 

PAGE

The Theriomorphic Soul

 

    (a) Hare-Form

102

    (b) Cat-Form

107

    (c) Mare-Form (Horse-Form)

109

        Clan Leod and the Horse

117

        Morc na Maighe

119

    (d) Fowl Taboo or Sacred

121

        Sacredness and Potency of Swine's Blood

121

    (e) Deer-Form

121, 131

        Oisin's Animal Parentage

123, 127

        The White Hind as Fairy Love

125

Names of Animal Origin

129

    (f) Bull-Form

133

        (a) The Boobrie as Bird

135

        (b) The Boobrie as Water-Horse

137, 143

        (c) The Boobrie as Water-Bull

138

             The Bittern

144

             Water-Bull

147

             The Gaulish Tarvos Trigaranos

148

             The Divine Bull

149, 152

             Water-Wraith and Nymphs

149, 150

             The Bull on the Paris Altar

153

             The Bull of Trèves

155

             The Donn Cualnge

158

             An Irish Wake Orgy

158

             Cuchulainn and Lug

159-161

    (g) The Water-Horse

161

    (h) Serpent-Form

165

    (i) Wolf-Form

170

    (j) Dog-Form

173

    (k) Seal-Form

175

    (1) Boar-Form: an treith chuileanach

175

    (m) Semi-theriomorphic Form

176

    (n) The Tree-Soul

179

        The Rowan as Tree of Life

181

        The Sacred Tree or Bile

187

        The Tree-Soul and Labhraidh Lorc

197

    (o) The Soul in Stones or the God-Stone

198

        'Telling it to the Stones'

203

p. x

 


CHAPTER III. THE EARTHLY JOURNEY

 

 

PAGE

STAGES OF THE JOURNEY

207

    1. Lustration

 

    2. Illumination

 

    3. Healing

 

        (a) 1. The Rites that unite Man with Man

 

        (a) 2. The Rites that unite Man with the Divine as recognised

 

        (b) The Rites that avert

 

        (c) Faith-Healing

 

        (d) Folk-Medicine

 

1. The Lustral Rites

208

    Leigheas Cuairte

209

    Lustration by Fire

211

    Lustration by Water

216

          "     "  Milk

218

    The Transition from Lustration to Sacrifice: Blood

220

2. Illumination

220

    Omens

224

    Stones of Omen

227

    Divination by Bull-Feast

229

    Scapulimantia

231

    Crystal-Gazing

233

    The Sight of the Two Worlds (Second Sight)

239

    First Sight: Apparent Double Presence: tármachduinn

243

3. Healing

 

    (a) 1. The Rites that unite Man with Man

245

        Wedding Rites in 'Survival'

247

    (a) 2. The Rites that unite the Human with the Divine

 

        Primitive Commensality

252

        Libations

254

        Michael's Cake

255

        Offering

257

        Michael's Portion: the Michaelmas Sheep

259

        Relics of Sacrifice: the 'Devoted' Person

261

        Beltane Rural Sacrifice

262

p. xi

 

 

PAGE

        Purification and Fertility

 

        The Hogmanay Breast-Strip {Caisein Uchd, Caisein Calluig}

263

    The Man in Cow-Hide

265

    (b) The Rites that avert: Cocks in Sacrifice

266

        The 'Invocation' to avert Ignorance or Revelation attempted by Magic

267

        The Part for the Whole: preventing Cattle-Loss

270

        Animal Sacrifice

271

        Bull Sacrifice

273

        Live Trout in Healing Rites

275

        Human Sacrifices: heart of a man who did not know his parents; the man without a father; auspication of buildings; 'the putting away of Death'; vicarious sacrifice

276

        Elements of Sacrifice: commensality; purification; giving to get; giving to avert (propitiation); substitution (life for life)

287

        Positive Magic

291

        The Negative Code

292

        The Burdens of the Soul

299

        Crime and Sacrifice

305

        The Transmission of Luck

307

    (c) Faith-Healing

 

        Psychic Suggestion

309

        Primitive Incubation

313

        The Sacred Loch

315

        The Sacred Well

321

        The Sacred Cave

333

    (d) Folk-Medicine: Religion and Magic

334

        Retrospect

341

INDEX

344


Next: I. The Finding of the Soul