106 S. 0. Mitra — Drowning and Drowned Persons. [No. 3» 



commenced, the Patriarcli Noah took a pair of each kind of animal and 

 then repaired with his nearest relatives to the Ark. The rest of the 

 people, as also a son of the Patriarch Noah were drowned on account 

 of disobedience. The whole of the earth was flooded, and when the 

 waters rose to the height of 40 yards above the trees and mountains,, 

 the inmates of the Ark, on account of the terrific storm and the fuiy 

 of the waves, became senseless with fear and despaired of life. Then 

 God ordered: — 'Whoever will utter the words, Bismillaheh majriha 

 o mursaha inna rabi-il-ghafur ur-rahim,'* the Almighty God -will 

 deliver him from all difficulties. The Almighty God will, by the 

 benign influence of His Name, preserve him from drowning. And the 

 storm was allayed." 



The Russians also believe that saving the life of a drowning man 

 excites the wrath of the water-spirit. An illustration of this item of 

 Russian folklore is given by Mr. Earry, in his novel entitled " Ivan 

 at Home," which is descriptive of Russian life r — " Once upon a time, a 

 drunkard fell into the water and disappeared. Some spectators who 

 stood close by on the shore, did not shew any inclination whatever to 

 save the drowning man. The man was drowned. The villagers held 

 a court of enquiry, to investigate into the matter of that man's death 

 from drowning. In the course of the enquiry it was elicited that no 

 cross had been found on the neck of the deceased. The village Daniels, 

 who sat to enquire into the matter, quickly returned the verdict that 

 the man had got drowned because he had no cross upon his neck." The 

 fisherfolks of Bohemia also display a similar kind of reluctance to save 

 a man from drowning, under the impression that the presiding spirit 

 of the water would get angry at thus being deprived of his victim, would 

 give him bad luck in fishing and soon get him drow r ned. The same super- 

 stition also obtains in Germany, and, when a person comes by his death 

 from drowning, the German peasants say, " The river-spirit claims his 

 annual sacrifice," and sometimes also, " The nix has taken the drowned 

 man." Mr. Jones, in his " Credulities Past and Present,''' offers an ex- 

 planation to the effect that " a person who attempts to rescue another 

 from drowning, is considered to incur the hatred of the uneasy spirit, 

 which is desirous, even at the expense of a man's life to escape from its 

 wandering." Dr. Tylor, in his " Primitive Culture," explains the super - 



* This formula may be translated into Urdu as follows : 



The above may be translated into English thus. " The moving and the stopping 

 (of this boat, i. e., Noah's Ark) depends upon the influence of the Xame of God. 

 or in truth, our God is preeminently, a Pardoner of sins, and Merciful." 



