The World Bewitched, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. That this Conformity muſt be ſought, 1ſt, in the remains of Paganiſm in Europe.
Sect. 1. IT has been already ſaid, that there are ſome Pagans in the extremity of Europe, eſpecially in the Northern parts, but they are ſo brutiſh and wild, that it is eaſier to ſee what they do, than to conceive or gueſs what they believe. They are Laplanders and Finlanders, eſpecially thoſe Swediſh Dominion, with whom we are beſt acquainted, by a description drawn from the beſt Authors, which Scheffer has made in his Swediſh Lapland; and therefore I ſhall declare as much as I judge convenient for my deſign; Firſt, what he ſays of theſe, and afterwards what is added of the others; yet without giving credit to whatever is written, of which I ſcarce believe one halfe to be true. This however, is certain, that thoſe People, tho' under the Dominion of Chriſtian Princes, viz. thoſe of Swedeland, Denmark, and Muſcovy, are as fond of their Pagan Superſtition, and continue as zealouſly, tho' ſecretly, their antient practiſes, as they have little knowledge of Chriſtianity, and inclination to embrace our Faith. In the mean while, Scheffer has made of late ſuch an accurate deſcription of Lapland, and upon ſuch certain information, that one may, methinks, ſurely relye upon what he ſays; and as he frequently intermixes in his Narrations, other Laplanders and Finlanders, it may be probably inferr'd that he eſteems them all very near alike in Belief and Worſhip: which may be confirm'd by this reaſon, that what other Writers ſay of thoſe other Nations, is pretty agreeable with what Scheffer relates of Swediſh Lapland. And therefore I ſhall follow him only, tho' I ought not to ſay him only, ſince his Book contains whatever the others had written before him. Let us then Firſt …ee, which are the ſentiments of thoſe Pagans, and afterwards we ſhall ſpeak of their Magick.
Sect. 2. The objects of their Worſhip are divided into three ſorts, as into ſo many degrees: the moſt ſublime are Thor, or Thordoen, which is properly the Thunder; Storjunkare or Stourra-paſſe, which ſignifie Holy and Great; and Baiwe, that is the Sun. The firſt has alſo the name of Tiermes, which in the Laplandiſh Language, is as much as the noiſe of the Thunder, becauſe that God is believed to be the Maſter of Thunder, and ſeems therefore to be their Jupiter. He is alſo named Aijeke, that is, Great Father. The Laplanders aſcribe co him an abſolute Power over the Life and Death of Men, over their Health and Diſeaſes, and over the wicked Demons, who live on the top of the Rocks, Mountains and Lakes. They believe that he reſtrains thoſe Demons, when they vex Men too much; that he chaſtiſes them, that he ſometimes Thunder-ſtrikes 'em, and puts 'em to death, eſteeming it to be the chief employment of the Thunder, as the eminent Latins imagin'd that Jupiter caſt his Thunderbolt upon the wicked, and all other Criminals; for that purpoſe they give him a Bow, which they imagin'd to be the Iris or Rainbow, that he might dart his Arrows, wound and kill all the wicked Demons. They call in their Tongue the Iris, Aijeke dauge, the great Fathers Bow, that is, the Bow of the Good and Beneficent God, who preſerves them as his Children, and defends them againſt the Inſults of thoſe wicked Demons. They imagine that God has likewiſe a Hammer, which they call Aijewetchera, with which he ſtrikes on the Neck of the Demons, and breaks their Head. Storjunkare, or Stourra-paſſe, which ſignifies the Governor of the Country, is amongſt them as the Great Pan or as Diana, having the Country and Woods under his directions; Fiſhes and Birds are alſo at his diſpoſal, and all Anima…s and w…ld Beaſts, acknowledge his Empire, 'tis by him … they are happy in hunting, and without his leave they cannot catch any thing. True it is, that Aijeke or Tiermes governs Gods, Demons, and Men; but Storjunkare, in quality of Vicar of that God has the conduct of all thoſe other things. Barwe that ſignifies the Sun, as Paiwe does the Day, is adored by them for the good he does to the Earth, but they particularly venetrate him in Summer time, becauſe they always ſee him, that he has reſtored them his Light, diſſipated their Darkneſs, brought Heat and expel'd Cold.
Sect. 3. The Manes of the Romans, mentioned before Chap. 2. Sect. 15. Are among the Laplanders Inferior Gods, which they call Sitte. They erect no Figures to their Honour, and content themſelves with offering Sarcifices to them; we find in no writing, what ſentiments they have of the power of thoſe Sitte, nor for what reaſon, they make them Offerings. The laſt ſort of thoſe Inferiour Gods, are the Juhles, or Inhlaforket, that are a Vagabond Crowd, whom they believe to wander in the Air, and through Foreſts and Mountains. But I find alſo, no where what good or hurt thoſe Spirits, may, in their Opinion procure to Men, only they believe them Inferior to the Sitte; however, they pay them alſo ſome Worſhip, behind their Cottage, at a Bow ſhot diſtance, which Worſhip ends in a ſuperſtitious Sacrifice. They conſecrate to them neither Images nor Statues, no more then to the Manes; they have likewiſe no Image of Bawe, or the Sun, either becauſe he is viſible himſelf, or becauſe the moſt ſecret Science of their Myſteries accounts him but one God, with Tiermes. There is but Ayeke and Storjunkar, who have Statues erected to their Honour, thoſe of Aijeke are of Wood, and thoſe of Storjunkare of Stone.
Sect. 4. 'Tis upon thoſe Opinions that their Divinations and Witchcraft are grounded, and hereupon I can't but make this obſervation, that by reading Scheffer, and comparing what he fays of his own, with what he has collected from other Authors, it may eaſily be perceived, that the Witchcraft of the Northern Nations extends not ſo far as is commonly reported. But then we muſt credit what Scheffer aſſures us from his own experience, in the following words, Chap. 12. Tho the preſent Laplanders do not frequently nor publickly exerciſe Magick, their Anceſtors having been more addicted to thoſe ſuperſtitions, of which moſt of the modern Laplanders are free, and thô the Country be purified of that ſort of Witchcraft, ever ſince the King of Sweden has forbidden, under grievous pains, to uſe Inchantments: yet there are ſtill a great number amongſt them, who make it their whole ſtudy and employment. The cauſe of it is, that every one of the Laplanders is perſwaded, that Magick is indiſpenſably neceſſary to him, that he may avoid the ſnares and inſults of his Enemies. To this he adds, That they kept Schools, in which Children are taught that Art, and that Parents are often their Tutors in it. That they exerciſe them in it, required their aſſiſtance, and are preſent at the performance of thoſe deteſtable practices. But what is yet more ſtrange, is, what this Author farther relates, That the Fathers bequeath, as an Inheritance to their Children, the, wicked Spirits that were in their Service, that by their help they may overcome the Demons of other Families, their Enemies.
Sect. 5. What they pretend to effect, by means of their Gods and Spirits, is to diſcover ſome things by Divination, and to operate ſome others by Witchcraft; for Divination, they make uſe of a Kannus, which is like a Drum, and muſt be made of a particular Wood, and rather of Birch-tree than any other. There is a Skin, or Membrane, extended upon the Body of that Drum, wherein the Laplanders draw ſeveral Figures with a red colour made of the Bark of Alder-tree, bruiſed and boyl'd; they beat it with an Inſtrument like a Hammer, 6 Inches long but not bigger then the little Finger, not ſo much to make a noiſe, as to cauſe a bundel of Braſs Rings, that lies upon it, to move, when that bundle begins to leap up they obſerve the parts and Figures towards which it moves, and Divine by the Scituation, Motion, and reſt of the bundle, on the place which ſignifies the deſign they have form'd. The manner of this enquiry is not always the ſame, for they make uſe of ſeveral, different from one another, by thoſe means they diſcover, what paſſes in Foreign Countryes, how diſtant ſoever they may be; they know the good or bad ſucceſs of the Affairs they have undertaken, they cure Diſeaſes, they find out what Sacrifices and Victims are moſt pleaſant to the Gods of the Land. Theſe that deſire to know the State of their Friends or Enemies, living a Thouſand Miles from that place, have but to go to a Laplander, who diſcovers it this way. He caſts himſelf upon the Ground, and becomes tike a Dead Man, and his Face altogether livid. He remains in that ſtate an hour or two, according as the Country, whence he will get News, is more or leſs diſtant, and when he awakes, he tells whatever paſſes in that Country, eſpecially as to what is enquired after. There are yet ſome other particulars, as to that way of Divining, gather'd from ſeveral Authors, but it would be too long, and even unſerviceable, to relate them.
Sect. 6. They have yet other ſorts of Witchcraft The Firſt is, a Twiſted Cord with ſeveral knots, which they uſe to raiſe Winds on the Sea, ſo they do, as it were, ſell the Winds, and profer them to Merchants, that are detain'd on their Coaſts, by Tempeſts and contrary Winds, having agreed upon the price, and receiv'd it, they give him a ſtring with three Magical Knots, on which lies this Condition, that as ſoon as they have untyed the Firſt, there riſes a freſh and pleaſant Gale; when they have looſed the Second, the Wind grows ſtronger, but when they have unty'd the Third, there ariſes ſuch a Tempeſtuous Storm, that they are no longer able to govern their Ship. This ſort of Trade is uſed, eſpecially in Finmarke, amongſt the Daniſh Laplanders, becauſe the Neighborhood of the Sea afford them more occaſions of it, then any where elſe, But the account that Scheffer gives of their other ſorts of Witchcraft, ſhows that he himſelf gives little credit to it, They have little Magical Darts made of Lead, very ſhort, being no longer than ones Finger, they dart them to the remoteſt place againſt their Enemies, of whom they deſire to avenge themſelves; and by that Witchcraft, they ſend upon them ſuch dangerous Diſeaſes, with ſuch ſharp pains, that for the violence of them, they often Die within three Days. Thy have alſo a kind of Flyes call'd Gans, which they let out of their Ganeske, that is a Leaden Purſe: And Daily ſend ſome of them to annoy and vex their Enemies. But we have not a perfect knowledge of whatever they practiſe on theſe occaſions. There are alſo ſome Laplanders, who for this purpoſe, make uſe of a Tyre, which is a round Ball, as big as a Walnut; it has a particular ſhape, as is deſcribed in Scheffer's relation, and it has alſo ſome motion. They ſell this Tyre, and the buyer may ſend it upon whomſoever he pleaſes, he ſhall be moſt cruelly tormented with it.
Sect 7, But enough of the Laplanders, let's now ſpeak of other Nations. Litgau ſays, that the Wild-Iriſh adore the Moon, as well for their own preſervation, as for that of their Flocks, and that they direct to her this Prayer amongſt others, Leave us as Healthfull, as thou finds us. Whence I infer, that they hold ſomething of the Ancient Paganiſm, that aſcribes a Divine Virtue to the Influence of the Stars, thô it ſeems by this form of Prayer, that they attribute not to them, a full and Sovereign power, in the Adminiſtration of the World.
Sect. 8. As for the remains of Paganiſm amongſt the Samagites, a People ſcituated betwixt Lithuania and Livonia, we are taught, that they much Worship the Sun and Moon, the Fire, the Thunder, the Groves, and Trees exceedingly high; which ſhows that they go farther than the wild Iriſh, and believe that there are Demons in the Air, and upon Earth, that reſide in all thoſe objects. But it may be ſeen in Olaus Magnus, what account they themſelves make of the Gods of Thunder, and of the Spirits in the Air. For ſays he, they not only pretend to give ſuccors to their Gods in their quarrels they have with their Enemies, endeavouring to imitate the Thunder with the beating of Hammers, but are not afraid even of Fighting againſt them with Arrows and other Arms, they, ſhoot in the Air. There are alſo places in Lithuania, where the Inhabitants adore a, Domeſtick God, called Dinstipan, that is, The Director of the ſmoke or Chimneys.
Sect. 2. The Tartars Keremiſſes, a People of Eaſtern Moſcovy, believe according to Olearius, that there are malitious Spirits, who may at pleaſure, cauſe ſeveral diſturbances and vexations to Men in this Life; for as to the future, they have no notion of it. To prevent thoſe pains, or turn off thoſe Spirits, they offer Sacrifices to them, near Rivers, they likewiſe adore the Sun and Moon, becauſe they perceive much good is done to the Earth, by their Operations. But we find nothing conſiderable left in writing, as to their way of exerciſing Magick.
Sect. 10. The Iſlanders have more relation to the Laplanders and Fuilanders, the greateſt knowledge we have of them, comes to us from the writings of Blefkenius, they alſo believe Domeſtick Spirits, who wake them in the Night, to go a Fiſhing, being perſwaded, that if one ſhould go thither without the Advertiſement of theſe Spirits, he could not make a happy Fiſhing. The ſame Ditmarus Blefkenius, ſailing from that Countrey to Portugal in 1633, received from one Jonas a Handkerchief, with three Knots, to be looſed at Sea, in caſe he wanted Wind. They uſe to make theſe Knots, ſoftly muttering ſome words, Beſides that they boaſt, that from the place where they ſtand upon the ground, they may cauſe Veſſels at Sea, to ſtop or to Sail on. But I ſhall yet keep by me for ſome time that Handkerchief and it's Knots, to try hereafter, how they may be unty'd; I ſhall alſo leave thoſe Veſſels at Sea, untill I examine what may ſtop or promote their Voyage. So that having nothing more to do with Europe, we ſhall go over to Aſia.