was the fourth son of Tangiia, the great Raratongan chief, who had been sent to Mangaia to be a god. He was killed by his brothers, but afterwards one of them, actuated by remorse, planted a grove and erected a maræ to him, and in the grove his spirit was supposed to reside. In 1824 the worship of idols here ceased, and a plantation of Plantains took the place of the sacred grove.1 1 Myths and Songs from the South Pacific, pp. 25, 26. CHAPTER V MYTHICAL DENIZENS OF THE FORESTS AND WOODS Spirit of the Forest; Witches; Fairies; Demons; Wood-Spirits; Wild Huntsman; Wood-Nymphs. IN the early ages the Forests and Woods were imbued with a certain degree of mystery, intensified, no doubt, by the deep and solemn shadows which lay hidden within their depths. They were believed to be peopled with crowds of strange beings endowed with superhuman powers and characters, although partaking of human form. These beings were known under various names, and were of different varieties and with different natures. Some possessed benevolent qualities, seeking to do good to mankind, while others were of a malevolent disposition, ever trying to work harm. Among the former may be mentioned the Fairies and other genial spirits, and the latter class comprised Demons of every description. There were also Elves, both good and evil, and Witches, generally malignant. In Scandinavian countries the belief was held that when Lucifer and his angels fell from Heaven those who fell into the woods and forests remained there, becoming known as Wood-Spirits or Wood-Trolls. The Geni, or Spirit of the Forest, is supposed to exist in many different forests throughout the world, where his voice is heard in the rustle of the leaves or the murmur of the breeze. He usually lives in a tree, particularly if it be old and gnarled. In many of the northern countries of Europe an old Pine tree is his favourite abode, and many legends have been grafted upon such trees. The tree which he inhabits is known as the King of the Forest, and he strongly objects to his tree Thorpe, Northern Mythology, vol. ii. Introduction, p. xxvi. being cut down, invariably begging to be permitted to live. He is always depicted as bearing an uprooted Fir tree. Many tales and legends connected with these denizens of the woods seem to have had their origin in the workings of nature, and the phenomena attendant upon these, and many now well-known diseases of trees, were once attributed to the evil influences which the mythical denizens of the forests exercised upon them. Any tree of curious and abnormal appearance, an old trunk shattered with age or storm, mossgrown or hoary with lichen, would, to the primitive wanderer in the forest, assume a supernatural aspect, especially if 'seen when the shades of night were falling, or blurred by mists; and even wreaths of mist, creeping noiselessly along, often assumed shapes which to the eye of fancy took human form. In the forest of Rugaard in Denmark there is said to be a leafless tree which, although it resembles other trees, is nevertheless an Elf who strolls about the forest by night. Dire results would follow any injury to this tree.1 Witches mostly frequented those groves or parts of the forest where of old the sacred rites had been carried on and the sacrifices made. On certain festive days they assembled in the sacred wood and engaged in their unholy revels, while the musician, generally the devil himself, sat on a tree. A solitary Thorn tree, never apparently growing any larger, is often seen in a field, and these are considered to be bewitched. They should be carefully avoided at night, as a fiery wheel will come forth, and if a person does not make a hasty retreat he will be destroyed.2 The Rev. M. D. Conway says that when Christianity was introduced into Northern Europe the ancient Scandinavian gods became transformed into witches, and that the Ash was their favourite tree.3 Thus it, in many cases, became a tree of evil, and Dr. George Macdonald has embodied this idea in his romance Phantastes. He relates how, in the forest of Thorpe, Northern Mythology. 2 Ibid. 3 Mystic Trees and Flowers," Frazer's Magazine, November and December 1870. one. Fairyland, the Ash was an ogre, or probably the habitation of When the witches of Oldenburg were on their way to the revels on Walpurgis Night they were believed to eat up all the buds of the Ash, so that these trees appeared to have none on St. John's Day. In the days when witchcraft was firmly believed in, it was said that anyone who accidentally found himself beneath an Elder tree was at once overcome by a great horror and became delirious. The Russian belief, however, is that the Elder tree drives away evil spirits out of compassion to humanity. The Rowan tree was held in the utmost dread by witches on account of the mystic properties which were believed to encompass it. A branch of it, especially if in the form of a cross, put in the churn or cheese-vat, protected the butter and cheese from their evil machinations. No one could be hag-ridden at night who had a branch of it in bed, and old people used to place it on their pillows to keep evil spirits and witches away, while a small piece of it carried on the person was a protection against enchantment. If a branch was brought into the house on Good Friday, no witch could enter. A very ancient song called the "Laidley Worm of Spindleton's Heuglis," alluding to its power over witches, says: 66 Their spells were vain, the boys returned Where there is Rowan-tree wood.' Loudon says in the Arboretum that "The last line of this stanza leads to the true reading of a stanza in Shakespeare's tragedy of Macbeth'; the sailor's wife, on the witches requesting some chestnuts, hastily answers, 'A rown-tree, witch!' but many of the editions have it, ' Aroint thee, witch!' which is evidently a corruption." But Loudon adds: "Nares and Halliwell say Aroint thee' is correct." When a branch of the tree was hung over a cow's stall or wreathed about her horns, this was effective against the evil eye and other ills, but it was necessary to repeat the prayer "From Witches and Wizards, and long-tailed Buzzards, And creeping things that run in hedge-bottoms, It was once believed that if a man who had been duly baptized touched a witch with a branch of Rowan, she was the one whom the Devil carried off the next time he was seeking a victim. In Sweden, old women who dwelt in the forest were credited with powers of sorcery, and were believed to have the wolves under their control. Thus they were known as Vargamor or Wolf-crones.1 In Indian villages wizards or witches are discovered by the aid of the Sal tree (Shorea robusta or Vatica robusta). The names of all the women in the village over twelve years of age are written on the bark of branches of the tree. These branches are then steeped in water for four and a half hours. If, after that, one of them withers, the woman whose name is written on it is deemed to be a witch.2 The wizards or conjurors, called " Keebet,” of the Abipones, a South American tribe of Argentina, were believed to have unparalleled powers over the forces of Nature, as well as over all animals, and even over the spirits of the dead. These powers were imparted to them through diabolical agency, and Mr. Tylor 3 says that Father Dobrizhoffen, in his "Account of the Abipones (1822)" thus described their method of obtaining these powers: "Those who aspire to the office of juggler are said to sit upon an aged Willow, overhanging some lake, and to abstain from food for several days, until they begin to see into futurity." The Fairies of popular belief are tiny creatures, ever dancing on the greensward in the merry moonlight, and ever I Thorpe, Northern Mythology. 2 The Hindoos, London, 1835, vol. ii. 23. |