Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 27, 1916.djvu/402

 374 ^/^^ Magical and Ceremonial Uses of Fire.

the end of life it lights up the road for the departing soul.

When a Hindu reaches the point of death, a lamp made of flont is placed in his hands to guide his ghost to the realm of Yama. This journey is supposed to take three hundred and sixty days, so an offering of that number of lamps is made. The south is the realm of death, so the lamps are placed facing that way. This is done at no other time, and no one will even sleep or have their house- door opening towards that ghastly quarter of the sky.^ In Roumania, at the present day, no dying person must be allowed to pass away in the dark. As the moment of dissolution draws near, he must hold a lighted candle or taper in his hand, which will keep evil spirits from tamper- ing with his soul, and also will enable his spirit to find its way to heaven."

In Longfellow's Hiazvatlia the Indians of Lake Superior summoned the spirit of Hiawatha's brother from "Under- neath the Big-Sea- Water." His spirit came to the door of the wigwam at their cry, but was not allowed to enter. Through the door they handed him a glowing ember from the hearth and a burning firebrand. They made him ruler in the Land of Spirits, and told him to kindle camp-fires to light all those that died on their solitary journey "to the Land of the Hereafter."

Fire and Lamps Placed on Graves.

Even after death fire was required to light the soul of the deceased. Part of an inscription in the Tomb of Paheri at El Kab runs thus: " Mayest thou voyage according to the bent of thy desire ; mayest thou go forth every morning and betake thyself home (?) every evening ; may a light be lighted for thee at night-time until the light (of the sun)

1 W. Crooke, Folklore of Northern India, vol. ii. p. 55. -G. Basil Barham, quoted in The Observer, April 9th, 1916.