journeys, and probably often believes his soul released for a time from its bodily prison, as in the case of that remarkable dreamer and visionary Jerome Cardan, who describes himself as having the faculty of passing out of his senses as into ecstasy whenever he will, feeling when he goes into this state a sort of separation near the heart as if his soul were departing, this state beginning from his brain and passing down his spine, and he then feeling only that he is out of himself.[1] Thus the Australian native doctor is alleged to obtain his initiation by visiting the world of spirits in a trance of two or three days' duration;[2] the Khond priest authenticates his claim to office by remaining from one to fourteen days in a languid and dreamy state, caused by one of his souls being away in the divine presence;[3] the Greenland angekok's soul goes forth from his body to fetch his familiar demon;[4] the Turanian shaman lies in lethargy while his soul departs to bring hidden wisdom from the land of spirits.[5] The literature of more progressive races supplies similar accounts. A characteristic story from old Scandinavia is that of the Norse chief Ingimund, who shut up three Finns in a hut for three nights, that they might visit Iceland and inform him of the lie of the country where he was to settle; their bodies became rigid, they sent their souls on the errand, and awakening after the three days they gave a description of the Vatnsdael.[6] The typical classic case is the story of Hermotimos, whose prophetic soul went out from time to time to visit distant regions, till at last his wife burnt the lifeless body on the funeral pile, and when the poor soul came back, there was no longer a dwelling for it to animate.[7] A group of the legendary visits to the
- ↑ Cardan, 'De Varietate Rerum,' Basel, 1556, cap. xliii.
- ↑ Stanbridge, 'Abor. of Victoria,' in 'Tr. Eth. Soc.' vol. i. p. 300.
- ↑ Macpherson, 'India,' p. 103.
- ↑ Cranz, 'Grönland,' p. 269. See also Sproat, l.c.
- ↑ Rühs, 'Finland,' p. 303; Castrén, 'Finn. Myth.' p. 134; Bastian, 'Mensch,' vol. ii. p. 319.
- ↑ Vatnsdæla Saga; Baring-Gould, 'Werewolves,' p. 29.
- ↑ Plin. vii. 53; Lucian. Hermotimus, Musc. Encom. 7.
