Page 15 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

Introduction xv

Indian Ocean, were dated at 77,000 years old,
Monsters and
thereby indicating that ancient humans were
Night Terrors
capable of complex behavior and abstract
Stone Age humans had good reason to fear thought thousands of years earlier than previ-
the monsters that emerged from the darkness. ously believed. In Europe, numerous sites have
Saber-tooth tigers stalked man, cave bears been excavated and artifacts unearthed that
mauled them, and rival hominid species— prove that structured behavior with customs
many appearing more animal-like than and taboos existed about 40,000 years ago.
human—struggled against them for domi- Customs are those activities that have
nance. The memories of the ancient night ter- been approved by a social group and have
rors surface in dreams and imagination, a kind been handed down from generation to gener-
of psychic residue of primitive fears. Anthro- ation until they have become habitual. When
pologists have observed that such half-human, an action or activity violates behavior consid-
half-animal monsters as the werewolf and ered appropriate by a social group, it is
other werecreatures were painted by Stone labeled a “taboo,” a word borrowed from the
Age artists more than 10,000 years ago. Some Polynesians of the South Pacific. An act that
of the world’s oldest art found on ancient sites is taboo is forbidden, and those who trans-
in Europe, Africa, and Australia depict ani- gress may be ostracized by others or, in
mal-human hybrids. Such “therianthropes,” or extreme instances, killed.
hybrid beings, appear to be the only common
denominator in primitive art around the plan- However, customs vary from culture to
et. These werewolves, were-lions, and were- culture, and customary actions in one society
bats belonged to an imagined world which may be considered improper in another.
early humans saw as powerful, dangerous, and While the marriage of near-blood relations is
frightening. prohibited in contemporary civilization, in
earlier societies it was quite common. The
Images of these creatures persisted into the
ancient brother and sister gods of Egypt, Osiris
historical period. The ancient Egyptians often
and Isis, provided an example for pharaohs,
depicted their gods as human-animal hybrids.
who at times married their sisters. Polygamy,
Pharaoh identified himself with the god Horus,
the marriage of one man and several women
who could be represented as a falcon or a fal-
or one woman and several men, is prohibited
con-headed human. Anubis, the god of the
in modern civilization, but there are still reli-
necropolis, can be shown as a jackal-headed
gious groups in nearly every nation who justify
man, probably because such carrion-eating
plural marriages as being ordained by the deity
jackals prowled Egyptian cemeteries. Many
they worship. Adultery, an act of infidelity on
other civilizations felt the power of these kinds
the part of a married individual, is one of the
of images. For example, the ancient Greeks
most universal taboos. The code of Moses
fashioned the minotaur (half-human, half-
condemned both parties involved in the act to
bull), the satyr (half-human, half-goat), the
be stoned to death. Hindu religious doctrines
harpy (half-woman, half-bird) and a host of
demand the death, mutilation, or humiliation
other hybrid entities—the vast majority unfa-
of both men and women, depending upon the
vorably disposed toward humankind. Examples
caste of the guilty parties.
could be found in other cultures as well.
Taboos can change within a society over
time. Many acts that were once considered
forbidden have developed into an acceptable
Customs and Taboos social activity. While some of the old customs
and taboos surrounding courtship and mar-
In 2001, scientists were surprised when riage, hospitality and etiquette, and burials
bits of stone etched with intricate patterns and funerals may seem amusing or quaint,
found in the Blombos Cave, east of Cape primitive or savage, certain elements of such
Town on the southern African shores of the acts as capturing one’s bride have been pre-

The Gale Enc y clopedia of the Unusu al and Unexplained