Research source

I am still near, Watching the smiles I prized on earth, Your converse mild, your blameless mirth.[64

Date of account: Late nineteenth-century compilation
Source: The Ghost World
Reference: The Ghost World · selected passage 110
Rights: public_domain
Language: English
Record updated: 2026-08-24

Record summary

The idea of water as a barrier against ghosts has given rise to many strange customs, some of which Mr

Published source text

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Source passage

Source text · mention only

The idea of water as a barrier against ghosts has given rise to many strange customs, some of which Mr. Frazer quotes in his paper on 'The Primitive Ghost.'[180] Among the Metamba negroes, a woman is bound hand and foot by the priest, who flings her into the water several times over with the intention of drowning her husband's ghost, who may be supposed to be clinging to his unfeeling spouse. A similar practice exists in Angola, and in New Zealand those who have attended a funeral plunge several times into the nearest stream. In Tahiti, all who assisted at a burial plunged into the sea; and in some parts of West Africa, after the corpse has been deposited in the grave, 'all the bearers rush to the waterside and undergo a thorough ablution before they are permitted to return to the town.'

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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