PRIMITIVE CONCEPTS REGARDING THE DEAD 19 



and behavior to ghosts of dead men revolved around the man- 

 ner in which he treated the corpse, the modes used in mourning 

 and the myths concerning the life and actions of the departed. A 

 soul's power for good or evil, mostly the latter, were multiplied 

 by deserting its body and entering another sphere of existence. 

 The aim of each group was either to get rid of it, to secure its 

 assistance or at least its neutrality by putting it to rest or sending 

 it on a journey to a better land (Frazer, '48). 



