Identifier: popularreligionf01croouoft (find matches)
Title: Popular religion and folk-lore of Northern India
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Crooke, William, 1848-1923
Subjects: India -- Religion
Publisher: Westminster, Constable
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
ount of the ravages of war, famine, orpestilence, and are guarded by the spirits of the originalowners, these calamities being self-evident proofs of themalignity and displeasure of the local deities. Mine and Cave Spirits. We have already mentioned incidentally the mine spirits.It is not difficult to see why the spirits of mine and caveshould be malignant and resent trespass on their territories,because by the nature of the case they are directly in com-munication with the under-world. In the folk-tales ofSomadeva we have more than one reference to a cave whichleads to Patala, the rifted rock whose entrance leads tohell. Others are the entrance to fairy palaces, wheredwell the Asura maidens beneath the earth.3 Of a mineat Patna, Dr. Buchanan writes: A stone-cutter who wasin my service was going into one of the shafts to break aspecimen, when the guide, a Muhammadan trader, acquainted 1 Folk-lore, iii. 83. : Campbell, Notes, 150 sq. 3 Tawney, Katha Sarit Sagara, i. 446, 558 ; ii. 197.
Text Appearing After Image:
-< zaoc.<zz<a rel="nofollow"> < U Worship of the Malevolent Dead. 283 with the fears of the workmen, pulled him back in alarm,and said, Pull off your shoes! Will you profane theabode of the gods ? Under the same belief, the Cornishminers will allow no whistling underground.1 Mr. Spencer suggests that the respect for caves is basedon the early practice of burial in such places.2 At anyrate, the belief is very general that spirits and deities livein caves. There is a whole cycle of fairy legend centringround the belief that some of the heroes of old live in cavessurrounded by their faithful followers, and will arise someday to win back their kingdom. Thus, Bruce and his en-chanted warriors lie in a cave in Rathlin Island, and oneday they will arise and win back the island for Scotland.3The same tale is told of Arthur, Karl the Great, Bar-barossa, and many other heroes. The same tale appears inOriental folk-lore in the shape of the Ashabu-l-Kahf, thecompanions of the cave, t

Note About Images