. Popular religion and folk-lore of Northern India . ind, any uncivilized Indian wouldsurely fall down and worship at first sight of an ape. Thenthere is the modern idea that the god was really a greatchief of some such aboriginal tribe as those which to thisday dwell almost like wild creatures in the remote forests ofIndia; and this may be the nucleus of fact in the legendregarding him. It seems as if hero-worship and animal-worship had got mixed up in the legend of Hanuman. At the same time, it must be remembered that theso-called Aryans enjoy no monopoly of his worship. He issometimes like
. Popular religion and folk-lore of Northern India . ind, any uncivilized Indian wouldsurely fall down and worship at first sight of an ape. Thenthere is the modern idea that the god was really a greatchief of some such aboriginal tribe as those which to thisday dwell almost like wild creatures in the remote forests ofIndia; and this may be the nucleus of fact in the legendregarding him. It seems as if hero-worship and animal-worship had got mixed up in the legend of Hanuman. At the same time, it must be remembered that theso-called Aryans enjoy no monopoly of his worship. He issometimes like a tribal godling of the aboriginal Suiris, andthe wild Bhuiyas of Keunjhar identify him with Boram, theSun It is at least a possible supposition that hisworship may have been imported into Brahmanism fromsome such source as these. 1 Gubernatis, Zoological Mythology, ii. 99 sq. 2 See instances collected by Tylor, Primitive Culture, i. 376 sqq. 3 Asiatic Studies, 13 sq. 4 Buchanan, Eastern India, i. 467; Dalton, Descriptive Ethno-logy, HANUMAN AND HIS PRIEST. /. 87. The Heroic and Village Godlings. 87 Hanuman as a Village Godling. But whatever may be the origin of the cult, the factremains that he is a great village godling, with potentinfluence to scare evil spirits from his votaries. His rudeimage, smeared with oil and red ochre, meets one some-where or other in almost every respectable Hindu of his functions is to act as an embodiment of virilepower. He is a giver of offspring, and in Bombay womensometimes go to his temple in the early morning, stripthemselves naked, and embrace the Mr. Hartlandhas collected many instances of similar practices. Thus acannon at Batavia used to be utilized in the same way; and atAthens there is a rock near the Callirrhoe, whereon womenwho wish to be made fertile rub themselves, calling on theMoirai to be gracious to On the same principle he is, with Hindu wrestlers, theirpatron deity, his place among Musa
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