will serve the turn. The expenses of such a marriage are often considerable, for the more Brahmans are feasted at it, the greater the
glory of the owner of the grove. A family has been known to sell its golden and silver trinkets, and to borrow all the money they
could in order to marry a mango-tree to a jasmine with due pomp and ceremony. On Christmas Eve German peasants used to tie
fruit-trees together with straw ropes to make them bear fruit, saying that the trees were thus married.
In the Moluccas, when the clove-trees are in blossom, they are treated like pregnant women. No noise may be made near them;
no light or fire may be carried past them at night; no one may approach them with his hat on, all must uncover in their presence.
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These precautions are observed lest the tree should be alarmed and bear no fruit, or should drop its fruit too soon, like the untimely
delivery of a woman who has been frightened in her pregnancy. So in the East the growing rice-crop is often treated with the same
considerate regard as a breeding woman. Thus in Amboyna, when the rice is in bloom, the people say that it is pregnant and fire no
guns and make no other noises near the field, for fear lest, if the rice were thus disturbed, it would miscarry, and the crop would be
all straw and no grain.
Sometimes it is the souls of the dead which are believed to animate trees. The Dieri tribe of Central Australia regard as very sacred certain trees which are supposed to be their fathers transformed; hence they speak with reverence of these trees, and are careful that they shall not be cut down or burned. If the settlers require them to hew down the trees, they earnestly protest against it, asserting that were they to do so they would have no luck, and might be punished for not protecting their ancestors. Some of the Philippine Islanders believe that the souls of their ancestors are in certain trees, which they therefore spare. If they are obliged to fell one of these trees, they excuse themselves to it by saying that it was the priest who made them do it. The spirits take up their abode, by preference, in tall and stately trees with great spreading branches. When the wind rustles the leaves, the natives fancy it is the voice
of the spirit; and they never pass near one of these trees without bowing respectfully, and asking pardon of the spirit for disturbing his repose. Among the Ignorrotes, every village has its sacred tree, in which the souls of the dead forefathers of the hamlet reside. Offerings are made to the tree, and any injury done to it is believed to entail some misfortune on the village. Were the tree cut down, the village and all its inhabitants would inevitably perish.
In Corea the souls of people who die of the plague or by the roadside, and of women who expire in childbirth, invariably take up their abode in trees. To such spirits offerings of cake, wine, and pork are made on heaps of stones piled under the trees. In China
it has been customary from time immemorial to plant trees on graves in order thereby to strengthen the soul of the deceased and
thus to save his body from corruption; and as the evergreen cypress and pine are deemed to be fuller of vitality than other trees, they
have been chosen by preference for this purpose. Hence the trees that grow on graves are sometimes identified with the souls of
the departed. Among the Miao-Kia, an aboriginal race of Southern and Western China, a sacred tree stands at the entrance of every
village, and the inhabitants believe that it is tenanted by the soul of their first ancestor and that it rules their destiny. Sometimes there
is a sacred grove near a village, where the trees are suffered to rot and die on the spot. Their fallen branches cumber the ground, and
no one may remove them unless he has first asked leave of the spirit of the tree and offered him a sacrifice. Among the Maraves of
Southern Africa the burial-ground is always regarded as a holy place where neither a tree may be felled nor a beast killed, because
everything there is supposed to be tenanted by the souls of the dead.
In most, if not all, of these cases the spirit is viewed as incorporate in the tree; it animates the tree and must suffer and die with it. But, according to another and probably later opinion, the tree is not the body, but merely the abode of the tree-spirit, which can quit it and return to it at pleasure. The inhabitants of Siaoo, an East Indian island, believe in certain sylvan spirits who dwell in forests or
in great solitary trees. At full moon the spirit comes forth from his lurking-place and roams about. He has a big head, very long arms
and legs, and a ponderous body. In order to propitiate the wood-spirits people bring offerings of food, fowls, goats, and so forth to
the places which they are supposed to haunt. The people of Nias think that, when a tree dies, its liberated spirit becomes a demon,
which can kill a coco-nut palm by merely lighting on its branches, and can cause the death of all the children in a house by perching
on one of the posts that support it. Further, they are of opinion that certain trees are at all times inhabited by roving demons who, if
the trees were damaged, would be set free to go about on errands of mischief. Hence the people respect these trees, and are careful
not to cut them down.
Not a few ceremonies observed at cutting down haunted trees are based on the belief that the spirits have it in their power to quit
the trees at pleasure or in case of need. Thus when the Pelew Islanders are felling a tree, they conjure the spirit of the tree to leave it
and settle on another. The wily negro of the Slave Coast, who wishes to fell an ashorin tree, but knows that he cannot do it so long
as the spirit remains in the tree, places a little palmoil on the ground as a bait, and then, when the unsuspecting spirit has quitted the
tree to partake of this dainty, hastens to cut down its late abode. When the Toboongkoos of Celebes are about to clear a piece of
forest in order to plant rice, they build a tiny house and furnish it with tiny clothes and some food and gold. Then they call together
all the spirits of the wood, offer them the little house with its contents, and beseech them to quit the spot. After that they may safely
cut down the wood without fearing to wound themselves in so doing. Before the Tomori, another tribe of Celebes, fell a tall tree
they lay a quid of betel at its foot, and invite the spirit who dwells in the tree to change his lodging; moreover, they set a little ladder
against the trunk to enable him to descend with safety and comfort. The Mandelings of Sumatra endeavour to lay the blame of all
such misdeeds at the door of the Dutch authorities. Thus when a man is cutting a road through a forest and has to fell a tall tree
which blocks the way, he will not begin to ply his axe until he has said: "Spirit who lodgest in this tree, take it not ill that I cut down
thy dwelling, for it is done at no wish of mine but by order of the Controller." And when he wishes to clear a piece of forest-land
for cultivation, it is necessary that he should come to a satisfactory understanding with the woodland spirits who live there before he
lays low their leafy dwellings. For this purpose he goes to the middle of the plot of ground, stoops down, and pretends to pick up a
letter. Then unfolding a bit of paper he reads aloud an imaginary letter from the Dutch Government, in which he is strictly enjoined
to set about clearing the land without delay. Having done so, he says: "You hear that, spirits. I must begin clearing at once, or I shall
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be hanged."