The Dickinson press., 1888-05-05
RAINBOW FOLK LORE.
ANTIQUE FANCY FREQUENTLY AL
LuDED TO IN THE CLASSICS.

The Rainbow Drinks from Ponds and
RiNers-lts Great Power for Good or
Evil-lIcaling Potcncy-A strange Be
licf-l!indoo Law.
Asa survival of the serpent myth, we find
almost universally Il belief that the rain
bow drinks the water from ponds and rivers.
This i'lea is found i'll antiquity, all,slon to it
being frequently made by classical authors.
Slovaks say vi one who drinks much. that he
'drinks Liz" i; rainbow" Many European
peoples think the rainbow drinks up the
water. Throughout Russia it is generally
believed to feed the clouds with the water
thus drawn. In Little Russia it is called
Ncscika, and is said to hc Il maiden, who,
with her bucket, draws water from the riv-
ers and waters tie earth with it. IIsthonians
say it has "a bulls head, which it thrusts into
the water when ii would drink. In FINS
terre it is said to drink up fish, frogs, etc,
from the shallow ponds. In Cornwall it is
said to be the devil drinking VI, the water OF
the ponds and streams. In the Tyrol it is
called the drinking how in Notiak the
s'drinker of water" Children az. assured
in the French department of Coir> du Nord
that the bow drinks i'll the river OF in the
pond.
In many places the rainbow is said to ie q
great pump or tube, drawing water by me
chanical means. SO in parts of Russia it is
called the "lent tube" and in Hungary "the
pump" while in Slavonian dialect it is the
''siphon." III one part of France it is said to
come from the sea and to pump w the water
in the streams. In the Charsov province of
Russia the bow is likened to Il tube. with ono
end in the .ky and the other in the wells,
while in the Sarotov government it is said to
be controlled by three angels, one of whom
pump the W ter. the second feeds the clouds,
md the third sends the rain. In lcttonin.
showers of fish, frogs. etc, are believed to
come from the rainbow, which has sucked
them lii from ponds and rivers. Similar he
licfs exist among the Wcnds. In many parts
OF Russia it is compared to Il water carrier,
dipping It's buckets into the ponds and
streams. In the Charcntc department. OF
France they saw the bow fishes in the streams,
and representations are drawn from the
selection it makes. Malay Mas say it is the
net of Nala"ia fishing in the streams.
The rainbow is frequently credited with
great poser for good or evil. 1t is a wide
spread belief that it hides great riches, or
lrings fortune or good luck with it. In
Swal,ia. it is said to rest on bowls of gold; in
'tIf, y. N.'sN NtloO Vi oAiNtA hli iN YUM
where it touches the earth OF water, nnd the
finder will divine the future. 1t is quite
likely that Il shoe cast over it will fall on the
other side filled with gold, as it is believed III
Bernie and alnong Swabian peasants. The
difficulty is to get it over. In Carinthia it is
a hat. Czech tradition says that if iron or
other base metal be cast into the rainbow it
will turn to gold, and similar things are
recorded of it in the Tyrol. In many parts
of Germany IL golden key, OF n treasure, is
said to lie found where the bow touches the
earth; i'll Portugal.Q silver hen, and in mod
erm Greece, u curious Byzantine coin, called
n Constantine coin. Amy one finding this
will he endowed with marvellous power.
In Norway, it is said that IL cup and spoon,
with Il kline of cruel. will he found where the
bow rests. II is also believed to bcstow
health. Among the Let's. if yuu can reach
the bow and touch t you will have the heal
Ing power. The water found Immediately
beneath the arch will. it is believed. cure
those afflicted with deluoniacv. Old women
keep this water in trenches dug in the ground
or III II hollow tree, hut not in til" house,
where it will lose its force or bring some
disaster on the household. 1t is also said that
!iocks shouli not br lnstuled where the bow
rests, or they will fall sick. German peas
titlP 'ttN NV WV VI IN '''' hiA Nv
plants odorant. On the other hand, in some
departments of France the rainbow is said
TO iniurc plants on which it rests, to dry up
vines and to ruin the harvest. In Bohemia
also it withers up the heritage. say the peas
ants. In til" tkrainc, you must not put out
Your tongue at the rainbow, OF it will dry
it up. LII Hungary there is n Villa OF furry
sitting on the water where the rainbow
touches it, and whomsoever she sees first will
die. Esthonians say the bow is hut tho
Scythc used by the thunder to chase wicked
souls. In Austro-llungaIy the sick are not
allowed to lie stretched at full length when
the first bow of spring appears, for it is
thought they would die il permitted to do
so. Many ordinary tasks must not then DO
performed for fear of evil consequences.
Another strange belief has existed, that
the rainbow has power to change the sex.
This obtains in districts widely separated. A
story from the Nago tribe in Africa relates
the adventures of n young man So trans
formed. Slovenian peasants have Il similar
notion, and it is Il general belief in modern
Greece among the common people that any
one jumping over the rainbow will their
Sex changed. Among the Albaniuns. Ser
vians, and i'll Upper Loitre, France, it is by
passing under the rainbow that the sex is
changed.
The notion that the luminous bow rossess~,
so great power for good or evil has probably
led to another curious belief, that harm will
come to amy one pointing at it. Tie ancient
Hindoo laws of Manou forbade this. and it is
said in the Hartz mountains that God will
punish any one who points at the rainbow.
In modern Greece and i'll .Amicns YOU will
lose a finger, and in Bohemia the same disas-
ter will occur unless it Immediately thul-
ders. The Chinese say Your land will be at
tackled with ulcers. and German peasants tell
you that you dig out the angels eyes when
you point at the rainbow. Ancient Peru
vians said that the mouth must be kept shut
when a rainbow was in sight or the teeth