Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 18, 1907.djvu/315

 Children and Wells. 279

The Japanese common people make use of a certain object known as Nangi, i.e. a printing-block, in a curious way. When a child dies the mother prints with this a hundred copies of the image of Jizo, who is the Sanscrit Kshitigarbha, it is said. At all events he is also a Japanese saint. Having printed the images, the mother drops them into a stream with an incantation. This saint, associated in this way with water, is also, it is interesting to note, the superhuman helper of those that are in trouble, and especially of dead children.^

An old Teutonic fable tells how the moon (Mani) took two children away from the earth just as they were drawing water from the well Byrgyr. These children are the spots you see on the moon."

The pretty custom of well-dressing may quite easily and naturally be associated with the child-cult of well- worship. In England the ceremony is almost entirely performed by children and young people, and the practice has relatives abroad, in Germany and in Holland. In Germany, not far from the Meisner mountain in Hesse, there is a high precipice with a cavern opening under it, which goes by the name of the Hollow Stone. Into this cavern every Easter Monday the youth and maidens of the neighbouring villages carry nosegays, and then draw some cooling water. No one will venture down unless he has flowers with him. They also draw water from the spring in jugs to carry home, and throw flowers in as an offering.^

We are told that a mysterious virtue attaches to water- lilies among the Frisians, and Dutch boys are said to be extremely careful in plucking or handling them, for, if a boy falls with some of these flowers in his possession, he immediately becomes subject to fits.*

^Chamberlain, I.e., p. 356. ^ Grimm, I.e., vol. ii., p. 716.

'Grimm, I.e., vol. ii., p. 5S6. * Black, I.e., p. 12.