Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review Volumes 32 and 33.djvu/171

Rh The Japanese also have traditions concerning the Isles of the Blest. The place where they are is called Horaisan, "the land of everlasting life, where is the mountain of immortality. On it grows a wonderful tree with roots of silver, a trunk of gold, and fruits of rare jewels. The finest flowers and fruits, all unfailing, grow there; eternal spring reigns; the air is always sweet, the sky always blue. The place is rarely found by mortals, though many have sought for it, for it is visible only for a moment afar-off."

The Isles of the Blest are extraordinary places, and it is evident that much time would be necessary to explain all the details about them. I wish for the present to confine myself to one point only. There is a resemblance between the description of Uttarakuru of India and Sekhet-Aaru of the Egyptians. Both are far to the north—both are intersected by many canals; lotuses grow in both places; both are situated in a valley through which runs a river; both are reserved for the Blest. But there is one great difference. In Sekhet-Aaru the dead live a life similar to that of men on earth: they sow and reap, and enjoy all the luxuries that they have been accustomed to in an environment entirely to their liking. But in Uttarakuru, the land is unfamiliar. You have trees bearing jewels, the banks of the rivers consist of pearls, jewels and gold, and the whole place seems to sparkle with precious stones like a jeweller's shop. This emphasis on precious substances is not confined to the Indian stories, for the Chinese, Japanese, Babylonians, and the Celts apparently had similar ideas with regard to this other world. Apparently in all cases the Isles of the Blest are places of youth, and usually the people are immortal. The Tree of Life is constantly mentioned, and this is sufficient to account for the fact that immortal life is to be found there. But what are all these