SHAMAN RELIGION.

This is the ancient religion (if religion it can be termed) of the Tartar and some of the other Asiatic tribes: it may be more properly denominated a belief in sorcery, and a propitiation of evil demons by sacrifices, frantic motions and gestures, and intolerable noises, rather than a worship of any kind. They have neither altars nor idols; and the more noise a Sseman, or priest, makes, the more intimately connected he is thought to be with the devil.

"The priests are men or women, married or single, and acquire their dignity easily enough. Whenever any individual wishes to be a Sseman, he pretends that the soul of a deceased priest has appeared to him in a dream, appointing him his successor. But previously to entering upon their business, they represent themselves for some time mad, assuming an alarmed and timid appearance. If the Ssemans are in function they wear a long robe of elk-skin, hung with small and large brass and iron bells, the weight of which is sometimes very considerable. Moreover, they carry staves, which are carved at the tops into the shape of horses' heads also hung with bells. With the assistance of these staves they leap to an extraordinary height. The respect they enjoy among their countrymen depends on the skill they possess in deceiving them.

"The followers of the Shaman religion have neither altars nor idols, but perform their sacrifices in a hut raised on an open space in a forest, or on a hill. There are no fixed periods for the performance of their ceremonies : births, marriages, and sickness are generally the occasions which call for them. The Sseman, or sometimes the donor, fixes upon the species, colour, and sex of the animal which is to be sacrificed. A horse, ox, sheep, or goat, is killed, its flesh eaten, and the skin and bones are suspended on a pole, Uncommon appearances in the atmosphere, or public calamities, call forth the most solemn sacrifices. Several persons having united for the purpose, they take a one year's colt, three sheep, and a male goat to the place fixed upon. The Sseman enters into the hut, and begins the ceremony by reading

and chanting certain words, in the latter part of which he is joined by the audience. This being done, he sprinkles on all sides of the hut, and over the fire, spirits and milk, then coming forward, he commands the animals to be slaughtered, which is done by their hearts being torn out. The skin is stripped off in the shape of a bag, the head and feet remaining on it, and left suspended on poles. Whilst the flesh, with the exception of a few pieces which are thrown into the fire, is consumed by the audience. During all this time the Sseman continues repeating and chanting various words, and sprinkling about spirits and milk, in which he is occasionally supported by the congregation, which is generally more or less numerous according to the number of victims, of which they all partake.'

* Asiatic Journal, vol. xviii.

PART THIRD.

AN APPENDIX

THE DEITIES AND MINOR DEITIES,

AND

THE TERMS USED IN THE WORSHIP AND CEREMONIES, &c.
OF THE HINDUS.

Aditi, one of the wives of Kasyapa, and the Alaca, the residence or heaven of Kuvera.

Amida, a Japanese deity, p. 339, Pl. 37.
Amravati, the celestial city of Indra.
Amrita, the beverage of immortality drank
by the gods, produced at the churning of
the ocean.

Amrita Sir, or Umrit Suru, the principal

place of worship of the Shikhs, founded
by Ramdasu. (See Shikhs, p. 227.)
Ananda, the god of desire.
Ananta (see Sesha.)

Anghudu, one of the ten leaders of the
Shikhs, p. 229.

Anna Purna Devi, a form of Parvati, p. 97.
Anugamana, the performance of Suttee by a
woman alone, whose husband has died in
a distant country: a sandal, or any article
of his clothes may then represent him.
Aparagiti, a name of Parvati or Durga.
Apsaras, celestial dancers celebrated for
their beauty. Among them Rembha, the
popular Venus of the Hindus, and some
others are described to be of inconceivable
loveliness.

Ardha-nari, p. 101.

Argha, the cup or circle from which the
Linga rises; its outer edge or rim is the
yoni. It is also a boat-shaped vessel
(called argha patra), used in religious ce-
remonies to contain the argha, or offering
made of tila or sesamum indicum, cusa-
grass, perfumes, flowers, durva-grass and
water. See fig. 5, plate 32.

Arghanat'ha, a name of Siva, in allusion to
the Argha's connexion with the Linga.
Arjun, one of the five Pandu brethren (see
Pandus, p. 248.)

Arjunu, one of the ten leaders of the Shikhs, p. 229.

Arun, the son of Kasyapa and Vinata, the brother of Garuda, and the charioteer and harbinger of Surya. He is thus described as the dawn; and as a handsome youth without thighs or legs (see Surya), p. 127, Pl. 24.

A'sa'purna, the Rajpoot goddess Hope.
Asoca, a shrub sacred to Maha Deva; on
particular ceremonies the buds of it are
steeped in water, which is then drank. The
flowers are very beautiful.

Asuras (Asurs or Asoors), demons and
giants, who, like the Titans, made war
against the gods. Sons of Diti.
Aswamedha, a sacrifice of a horse. The san-
guinary part of this ceremony would, ac-
cording to Mr. Colebrooke, appear, like
that of the parushamedha, or human sa-
crifice, to be merely nominal, the horse,
after certain ceremonies, being let loose.
Mr. Ward, however, states that he is li-
berated only for a twelvemonth, when he
is again taken, and being magnificently
caparisoned, is, after various preliminary
proceedings, slain by the hota or priest.
He who offers a hundred sacrifices of a
horse is entitled to the throne of Indra.
Aswini, a name of Parvati, who took the
form of a mare, and was approached by
Surya in the form of a horse. On their
nostrils touching she was impregnated with
sunbeams, and became the mother of the
Aswini-Kumara, or twins of the Hindu

zodiac.

Aswini-Kumara (see the foregoing article.) Atharva or Atharvana Veda, one of the four Vedas. (See p. 137.)