BENEDICT, BAGOBO CEREMONIAL, MAGIC AND MYTH 219 



Many charms of this class are small objects that may be easily 

 carried about, and the magical virtue of each charm is ordinarily 

 limited to specific qualities assigned to it. The magical result achieved 

 by such an object is not due to a spirit that either permanently 

 inhabits it, or that temporarily enters into it. It is never worshiped 

 or treated with reverence. It produces a given effect because of 

 some mysterious potentiality that belongs to it. It may therefore 

 properly be termed a fetish. 



A number of magical usages of the type now under discussion 

 are simply examples of the black art. Gamut is a resinous sub- 

 stance or gum extruded from certain trees, a lump of which may 

 be carried about the person, tied in the girdle or put in the car- 

 rying-bag, when one wants to work witchcraft on some enemy. By 

 and by the person will grow thin and soon become sick ; white 

 worms will appear coming out from his eyes and his head and his 

 body; soon he will die. The simple carrying of the gamut with 

 the intention of harming the foe appears to be sufficient to produce 

 the result, without any magical manipulation of the resin. 



Parayat is the name of another magical substance used in the 

 black art. If one desires the death of a childless rich man, with 

 a view to seizing his goods, one has only to carry this medicine, 

 a performance which will cause the rich man to fall sick and die 

 of the disease called parayat. 



The above named charm may be used if a man does not want 

 to accept a challenge to fight. If his foe wants to fight him, and 

 he, refusing the combat, at the same time holds the parayat, he 

 can make his foe sicken and die. 



"When a man is fighting, there are magical means of making his 

 enemy helpless 33 ° without striking a single blow with spear or 

 sword. The old man, Butun, brought me an old war-shield that 

 had belonged to his father. The peculiar value of the shield lay 

 in the magical medicines that were fastened to the handle through 

 which the left arm passes, on the reverse side. The first of these 

 medicines is panlca/yang, a small piece of the skin of an eagle. 

 If a man, holding a shield to which pankayang is attached, simply 

 stands still and points his spear at his foe, instantly his foe will 



350 A charm with such potential virtue is given the hero of a saga with the instruc- 

 tion: "By holding this jewel in your hand you can render ineffectual the best weapon of 

 your enemy." Somadeva: Katha Sarit Sagara, vol. 2, p. 161. 1884. 



