The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-08-30
SHADOW LEGENDS
zuIus Believe the Bodily Shade Is
the Future Spirit.
TAKING AWAY ONES SHADOW.

Why Some Races Arc Forbidden to
Look Into Dark Pool of Water.
The Way Donald Mckay Managed to
Escape the Clutches Of the Devil.
That mysterious counterpart OF
human being which lengthens with
the day and disappears with the sun.
to reappear more family with the
rising of the moon. which we call a
shadow, has always struck the imagi.
nation Of man. 1t has played promi-
nent part In primitive superstition and
In later folklore Shadows or shades
was the classical name or figure for
the spirits Of the departed which still
remains In use.
This idea is not confined to civilized
races. Among the Zulus the spirit is
the shade. Bishop Galloway, whose
knowledge Of Zulu beliefs and modes
Of thought was unrivaled, says that
the Zulus connect the bodily shade
with the future disembodied spirit.
They believe that the shadow cast by
the body will ultimately become the
"itongo.' or spirit, when the body dies,
and they say that the long shadow
shortens as man approaches his end
and contracts into very little thing.
When they see the shadow of man
thus contracting, they know he will
die. The long shadow goes away
when man is dead, and it Is that
which is meant when it is said, The
shadow has departed There is, how
ever, short shadow which remains
with the body and is buried with it.
The long shadow becomes an ances-
trail spirit.
mysterious or spiritual way with the
person whose body casts it. naturally
leads to respect for the strange second
self To tread on the shadow Of a
chief is an insult to 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 a
natural or spiritual father. of a king,
Of Brahmin who keeps house, or Of
any reverend parsonage, nor Of one
who has just performed a sacrifice"
There are traces OF the survival OF
these primitive ways Of regarding a
mans shadow In the English country
feeling that it is unlucky to cross the
path OF newly married man as he
leaves the altar: and in another rural
belief that 1t is unlucky to cross the
| path Of horses ploughing when the sun
is shining behind them.
Association between shadows and
mirrored representations Of the human
form is obviously naturai.-so 1t Is not
surprising to find superstitions about
the shadow mingled with widely scat
! tered versions OF the Narcissus legend
The story of the beautiful youth who
became enamored OF his own image
as he saw it represented in the water
| and languished thereafter till he died
has It's origin in the belief that trouble
follows from beholding the waterJ
image.
/ LET him not look at his own image
in water; that is a settled rule, com
mands Manu-. the Hindu law giyer.
The reason for the prohibition is t
be found in the beliefs of man tn {
i primitive state Of civilization. The
Melanesians of the Pacific. says {
learned observer. say: There is {
stream in Saddle island, or. rather. {
pool In a stream, into which II an,
one looks he dies; the malignant spiri
takes hold upon his life by means O
his reflection In the water" Som,
such idea as this was probably th,
root Of the Narcissus legend.
The Zuius explain why 1t is Ill t,
look into the water of pool by a stor.
of a great beast In the water which
can seize the shadow OF man ant
when his shadow is gone a man III
longer wishes to turn back, but de
sires to enter the pool. He goes in
dies. and Is eaten by the great beas
which inhabits it, So. says BiEho'
Galloway. men are forbidden to leal
!, over and look into dark pool. it be
, ing feared that their shadow should b
, taken away"
There are other ways In which
man may lose his shadow. There wa
a temple of Jupiter in Arcadia which
II entered by those who we're fol
hidden to do SO. robbed them of thei
shadows.
In the north of Scotland there ar
some quaint legends Of folk who los
this usual attendant. In Sutherlan
they tell more than one story of
wizard named Donaid-Duival Mckay
Donald went to n school in Italy wher
the black art was taught by the devi
who sat In the professors chair. an
at the end of each term claimed as hi
own the last scholar to depart. Break
ing up at this academy was natural
scramble. none wishing to be last.
On one occasion Donald was .reali
the last. but just as the devil wn
about to seize him. the resourcefl
Donald pointed to his own shadow
which fell behind him. saying. TAX
thou the bindmost." Accordingly. hi
shadow was seized. while be himsel