A History of Mourning

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, New Age, History, Fiction & Literature
Cover of the book A History of Mourning by Richard Davey, Library of Alexandria
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Richard Davey ISBN: 9781465616579
Publisher: Library of Alexandria Publication: March 8, 2015
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Richard Davey
ISBN: 9781465616579
Publisher: Library of Alexandria
Publication: March 8, 2015
Imprint:
Language: English
ALTHOUGH tradition has not informed us whether our first parents made any marked change in their scanty garments on the death of their near relatives, it is certain that the fashion of wearing mourning and the institution of funereal ceremonies and rites are of the most remote antiquity. Herodotus tells us that the Egyptians over 3,000 years ago selected yellow as the colour which denoted that a kinsman was lately deceased. They, moreover, shaved their eyebrows when a relative died; but the death of a dog or a cat, regarded as divinities by this curious people, was a matter of much greater importance to them, for then they not only shaved their eyebrows, but every hair on their bodies was plucked out; and doubtless this explains the reason why so many elaborate wigs are to be seen in the various museums devoted to Egyptian antiquities. It would require a volume to give an idea of the singular funereal ceremonials of this people, with whom death was regarded, so to speak, as a "speciality;" for their religion was mainly devoted to the cultus of the departed, and consequently innumerable monumental tombs still exist all over Egypt, the majority of which are full of mummies, whose painted cases are most artistic. The cat was worshipped as a divinity by the Egyptians. Magnificent tombs were erected in its honour, sacrifices and devotions were offered to it; and, as has already been said, it was customary for the people of the house to shave their heads and eyebrows whenever Pussy departed the family circle. Possibly it was their exalted position in Egypt which eventually led to cats being considered the "familiars" of witches in the Middle Ages, and even in our own time, for belief in witchcraft is not extinct. The kindly Egyptians made mummies of their cats and dogs, and it is presumable that, since Egypt is a corn growing, and hence a rat and mouse producing country, both dogs and cats, as killers of these vermin, were regarded with extreme veneration on account of their exterminating qualities. Their mummies are often both curious and comical, for the poor beast's quaint figure and face are frequently preserved with an indescribably grim realism, after the lapse of many ages.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
ALTHOUGH tradition has not informed us whether our first parents made any marked change in their scanty garments on the death of their near relatives, it is certain that the fashion of wearing mourning and the institution of funereal ceremonies and rites are of the most remote antiquity. Herodotus tells us that the Egyptians over 3,000 years ago selected yellow as the colour which denoted that a kinsman was lately deceased. They, moreover, shaved their eyebrows when a relative died; but the death of a dog or a cat, regarded as divinities by this curious people, was a matter of much greater importance to them, for then they not only shaved their eyebrows, but every hair on their bodies was plucked out; and doubtless this explains the reason why so many elaborate wigs are to be seen in the various museums devoted to Egyptian antiquities. It would require a volume to give an idea of the singular funereal ceremonials of this people, with whom death was regarded, so to speak, as a "speciality;" for their religion was mainly devoted to the cultus of the departed, and consequently innumerable monumental tombs still exist all over Egypt, the majority of which are full of mummies, whose painted cases are most artistic. The cat was worshipped as a divinity by the Egyptians. Magnificent tombs were erected in its honour, sacrifices and devotions were offered to it; and, as has already been said, it was customary for the people of the house to shave their heads and eyebrows whenever Pussy departed the family circle. Possibly it was their exalted position in Egypt which eventually led to cats being considered the "familiars" of witches in the Middle Ages, and even in our own time, for belief in witchcraft is not extinct. The kindly Egyptians made mummies of their cats and dogs, and it is presumable that, since Egypt is a corn growing, and hence a rat and mouse producing country, both dogs and cats, as killers of these vermin, were regarded with extreme veneration on account of their exterminating qualities. Their mummies are often both curious and comical, for the poor beast's quaint figure and face are frequently preserved with an indescribably grim realism, after the lapse of many ages.

More books from Library of Alexandria

Cover of the book Great African Travellers From Mungo Park to Livingstone and Stanley by Richard Davey
Cover of the book The Peril Finders by Richard Davey
Cover of the book Love and Death by Richard Davey
Cover of the book Poems by Marietta Holley by Richard Davey
Cover of the book Directions for Cooking by Troops in Camp and Hospital Prepared for the Army of Virginia and published by order of the Surgeon General with Essays on "taking food," and "what food" by Richard Davey
Cover of the book Le Château De La Belle-Au-Bois-Dormant by Richard Davey
Cover of the book The Lady from Nowhere by Richard Davey
Cover of the book With the King at Oxford: A Tale of the Great Rebellion by Richard Davey
Cover of the book God's Country and The Woman by Richard Davey
Cover of the book The Strange Adventures of Eric Blackburn by Richard Davey
Cover of the book The Complete Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Poetry by Richard Davey
Cover of the book The Drummer Boy by Richard Davey
Cover of the book The Portent by Richard Davey
Cover of the book An Autobiography of Elizabeth Butler by Richard Davey
Cover of the book Adrift in the Wilds Or, the Adventures of Two Shipwrecked Boys by Richard Davey
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy