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Several persons, natives of the Khasiya Hills, were convicted of beating to death a man whom they believed to…

Date of account: Second edition published 1896
Source: The Popular Religion and Folk-Lore of Northern India, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Reference: The Popular Religion and Folk-Lore of Northern India, Vol. 2 (of 2) · selected passage 160
Rights: public_domain
Language: English
Record updated: 2026-08-25

Record summary

Several persons, natives of the Khasiya Hills, were convicted of beating to death a man whom they believed to be a wizard

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Source passage

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Several persons, natives of the Khasiya Hills, were convicted of beating to death a man whom they believed to be a wizard. They confessed freely, saying that he destroyed their wives and daughters by witchcraft. One of the accused was the brother of the wife of the deceased. It appears that they discovered he was a sorcerer by the appearance of an egg when broken. [747] A similar case is reported among the Banjâras of Berâr. [748] The use of eggs in this way opens up an interesting chapter in folk-lore. Thus, we have the famous legend which tells how a golden egg was produced at the beginning of all things, and from it Prajapati Brahma, the great progenitor of the universe, was produced. This piece of primitive folk-lore appears in the folk-tales in the numerous stories of children produced from eggs. [749] In one of the Kashmîr tales the egg of the wondrous bird has the power of transmuting anything it touches into gold. [750] Again, we have everywhere instances of the belief in the power of eggs as guardians against evil spirits.

Historical context

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Modern context

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