Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1910-08-24
SHADOW LEGENDS
7,,h,s Believe the Bodily Shade Is
the Future Spirit.
TAKING AWAY ONES SHADOW.

NH, mysterious counterpart or Q
- heing which lengthens with
aav and disappears with the sun,
" respnear more faintly With the
.ss,nc Of the moon. which we call q
Iow has always struck tho imagi
sua .,a,, ~ man. IL has played n promi.
~n, mart In primitive superstition and
- lo,er folklore. Shadows or shades
tho classical name or figure for
49, shirts Of the departed which still
remains In use
Tn,s idea Is not confined 10 civilized
..oos Among the zulus the spirit Is
~ shade Bishop Galloway. whose
..,,,,edre OF Zulu beliefs and modes
- Thought wns unrivaled. says that
~. znlus connect the bodily shade
-S,,h the future disembodied spirit
r,or believe that the shadow cas-; by
a. hodv will ultimately become the
s,,onro." or spirit. when the body dies.
and they say that the long shadow
shortens ms man approaches his end
nd contracts into n very &ftie thing.
when they see the shadow OF n man
,hus contracting. they know be will
d,e The long shadow goes away
,rhen n man Is dead. and II Is that
,rb,ch IS meant when II IL said. The
snsdow has Departed There Is. how
oro- short shadow which remains
WITH the body and is buried with H.
The long shadow becomes an ances-
trail spirit
Identification OF the shadow in any
MYSTERIOUS or spiritual way with the
nerson whose body casts II. naturally
leads TO respect for the strange second
self To tread on the shadow OF a
chief IS an Insult 10 the chief himself.
In the Institutes OF Manu-. the ancient
Hindu law giver. the law runs:
let him not Intentionally pass over
the shadow OF sacred images. OF n
natural or spiritual father. OF king.
Of a Brahmin who keeps house. or OF
any reverend parsonage. nor OF one
who has just performed n sacrifice"
There are traces OF the survival OF
these primitive ways OF regarding u
mans shadow In the English country
feeling that It is unlucky to cross the
path OF newly married man as ho
leaves the altar; and I'm another rural
belief that II is unlucky TO cross the
path Of horses ploughing when the sun
is shining behind them.
Association between shadows ana
mirrored representations OF the human
form Is obviously natural. so Il Is not
surprising 10 End superstitions about
the shadow mingled with widely scat
tered versions OF the Narcissus legend.
The story Of the beautiful youth who
tecame enamored OF his own image.
as he saw II represented In the water.
and languished thereafter till he died.
has its origin In the belief that trouble
follows from beholdlng the watery
image.
Let him not look nj his own image
tn water; that IS a settled rule" com
mands Manu-. the Hindu law giver.
The neason for the prohibition Is to
be found IN the beliefs OF man In a
primitive state OF civilization. The
MelanesiaDs OF the Pacific. says a
learned observer. say: There Is
stream IN Saddle island. or. rather. a
pool IN stream. into which n any
one looks he dies; the malignant spirit
takes hold upon his life by means OF
bis reflection in the water" Some
such idea as this was probably the
root OF tho Narcissus legend.
The Zulus explain why IL f. 81 TO
look into the water OF pool by n story
OF great beast I'm tho water which
can seize the shadow OF man and
when his shadow Is gone n man no
longer wishes 10 turn back. but de
ares TO enter the pool. He goes In.
dies, and IS eaten by the great beast
which inhabits It So. says Bishop
Galway. men are forbidden 20 lean
over and look into n dark pool. IL be-
ing feared that their shadow should DO
taken away"
There are other ways IN which a
man may lose his shadow. There was
temple Of Jupiter In Arcadia which.
entered by those who were for
ohden TO do so. robbed them OF their
shadows.
In the north OF Scotland there arc
some quaint legends of folk who lost
ens usual attendant In Sutherland
mey tell more than one story Of a
wizard named Donald Duival Mckay.
donald went to n school in Italy where
uie oiack art was taught by the devil,
VINO sat In the professors chair, and
a' the end Of each term claimed as his
own The last scholar to depart. Break.
Tug up at this academy was naturally
scramble. none wishing TO be last
on one occasion Donald was really
we hst' but just MS the devil was
Spout TO seize him. the rcsourcefuI
ponaid pointed TO his own shadow.
Suicn feil behind him, saying. Take
49, 49, 'he hindmostr' Accordingly. his
suauOw was seized. while be himself
ssNspeS' and after his return 10 Scot
shadowl INV
a companion illustration Of den <at
.Do nlh most" from Aberdeenshire. Is
''ory OF witch helped laird watch
Gus us reapers. whose shadow was
s,.-eu oy Satan. and who was ever
r,.e' shadowless. In literature Cha.
mrS% famous tale OF Peter schle-
-" IS well known example OF
Va. stories OF the shadowless.-Hew
Pa. ConsoIino Her.