Mythology

436-7.)
Children should be introduced into their future profession before they are seven years
old; they will have luck in their professions. (Hesse, Westhalia.-WUTTKE, p. 202;
WOLF, Beitrage, Vol. I, p. 206.)
The ages of seven and all multiples of seven are critical years for children. (Great
Britain.) cf. Thirteen, Three.
Seven Sleepers of Ephesus: An early Christian legend in which seven noble youths of
Ephesus fly to a cavern, are pursued by their enemies, and are walled in. They fail
asleep and wake up after a lapse of two centuries. (cf. the Legend of Rip van Winkle;
see ELWORTHY, The Evil Eye, p. 407.) Vide Al Raqim.
Sexton: A sexton mowing the churchyard will bring about a rainfall. (STRACKERJAN,
Vol. I, p. 35.)
Shabriri: Jewish Folklore. The demon of blindness. He rests on uncovered water at
night, and inflicts blindness on those who drink it. (Jew. Enc., Vol. IV., p. 517.)
Shadow: A shadow is a kind of a personal spirit, and is able under certain circumstances,
to live apart from the owner. (cf. CHAMISSO, Peter Schienjihi.)
The Basutos say, if a man walks on the river bank, a crocodile may seize his shadow
on the water and drag him in after it. (SIR J. LUBBOCK, Origin of Civilization, 1882, p.
219; cf. TYLOR, P.C., i, 43; FRAZER, Taboo, p. 77; SPENCER, i. 180.)
The Jews believe that if the shadow of one’s head be invisible against the wall in a
house where a light is burning, on Hosha’na Rabbah Eve, it is an omen that the person
is destined to die within a year. (Jew. Enc., Vol. IV, p. 486.)
The Hindus say that the shadow is a ghost, and would not look at it after dark, for fear
that they may be seized by it. (cf. H. SPENCER, Principles of Sociology, Lond., 1906, i,
116.)
He who does not throw a shadow on Christmas Eve, will surely die in the next year.
(STRACKERJAN, Vol. 1, p. 32), or is a ghost. (India.-CROOKE, Vol. I, p. 237; JACKSON,
F.L.N., Vol. I, p. 106.)
In modern Greece, a builder who cannot get a human victim, entices a man on to the
site, secretly measures his body or his shadow and buries the measure under the foundation
stone. It is believed that the man whose shadow is thus buried will die within the
year. (SCHMIDT, Das Volksleben der Neugriechen, p. 196 et seq.; FRAZER, G.B2.,
Vol. I, p. 145; ELWORTHY, E.E., p. 82.) The Roumanians have a similar belief.
(ELWORTHY, p. 82.)
Shaitan: Muham. Folklore. ("The devil"). This word is commonly used to signify a jinn.
(LANE, A.S.M.A., p. 27.)
Shaman: In its vulgar usage, it means a "medicine-man."
Shamash: Assyro-Babyl. Myth. The chief sun-god, a beneficent power, who drives

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Second sight: The power of predicting or prophesying a future event. People having
this power are said to foresee things.
Children born on a Sunday (q.v.) are gifted with the power of second sight.
Seewiesken: In some parts of Germany the water-nixies are called by this name.
(STRACKERJAN, Vol. I, p. 419.)
Sef: Egypt. Myth. The lion-god (q.v.) on the right.
Sekhet: Egypt. Myth. The feminine counterpart of Ptah (q.v.).
Sekhet Hetep: Egypt. Myth. A field of peace.
Selene: Name of an idol or deity, whom the Saracens are represented in mediaeval
romances as worshipping.
Semele: Gr. Myth. An earth goddess, daughter of Cadmus, mother of Dionysus. Zeus
promised to grant any boon she asked for; she begged to be allowed to see him in all
his splendour, and was destroyed by his lightnings. Hence she was called "Keraunia""
thunder-bitten."
Semiramis: A legendary queen of Assyria, to whom is ascribed the building of the
famous hanging gardens.
Semnae: Rom. Myth. One of the Erinyes.
Sennar: Name of a city. According to an Arab legend, it derived its name from a beautiful
woman with teeth glittering like fire, who was found sitting on a river bank by the
founders of the city. (SINNAR-tooth of fire.)
Serp: The Wend name for a Polednicek (q.v.).
Serpent: To dream of a serpent denotes danger, and perhaps prison.
Serpents’ heads give strength to a man, and fidelity to a woman. (HAZLITT, p. 539.)
In Macedonia, it is a bad omen to meet a serpent on going out (ABBOTT, p. 106); in
Lesbos, good. (G. GEORGEAKIS ET LEON PINEAU, Le Folklore de Lesbos, p. 339.)
See Snake.
Set: Egypt. Myth. An evil destiny, brother and slayer of Osiris. He is represented with
the head of a beast with high square ears and a pointed snout. His consort was Ta-urt.
Seven: The number seven is considered unlucky by the Moors. (MEAKIN, The Moors,
p. 354.)
The seventh child of a woman becomes a mara (q.v.). (KUHN UND.SCHWARZ, p. 420;
WOLF, Beitrage, Vol. II, p. 264; MULLENHOF, p. 242; cf. THIERS, Trait des Sup., I,

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If you accidentally drop a pair of scissors and it fixes itself on the floor with the handle
pointing towards you, you will receive a gift.
A pair of opened-out scissors keeps witches and other evil spirits at bay. (India.) cf.
Iron.
Scorpion: Scorpions sometimes sting themselves to death. Scorpions have an oil which
is a remedy for their stings. (HAZLITT, p. 536.)
Scrat: Slovenian Folklore. A demon which dwells in woods and mountains. This fact
indicates that this demon was originally a forest-spirit.
Sea: There is a legend as to how the sea became salty. A seacaptain had robbed a
young man of a magic mill which ground out anything that was asked for. After he had
learnt the secret of setting the mill going from the owner, the wicked sailor pushed the
young man overboard, but forgot to learn how to stop the mill. He wished for some salt,
and the mill ground out salt in such quantity, that the ship sank in mid-ocean. The mill
still grinds out salt from the bottom of the sea. (Deutsche M rchen seit Gritnm, p. 266;
cf. BASSETT, p. 21.)
The roaring of the sea predicts a storm. (BRAND, Observations, Vol. II, p. 240.)
A Berber superstition says that God made gnats to swallow the water of the rebellious
ocean which was not salty then; then when it promised obedience, caused them to
vomit it up, but since then the sea is salty. (HAY in M lusine, March, 1885.)
Scyros: Gr. Myth. An island in the AEgean Sea.
Sea-gull: It is unlucky to kill a sea-gull.
If you do not wish a sea-gull to fly away, put some salt on its tail.
Sea-Serpent: A great mythical sea-monster of serpentine form and enormous length; it
is frequently reported to have been seen at sea. It is fabled to appear to announce
some great calamity, such as the death of a king. (BASSETT, p. 221. See LEHMANN,
Aberglaube und Zauberei.)
Seal: According to the Greenlanders, seals and wildfowls are scared by spectres
"which no human eye but the sorcerer’s can behold." (TYLOR, P.C., Vol. II, p. xi;
CRANZ, Gr nland, p. 267.)
The Esquimaux believe that seals will be frightened away, if the heads of those taken
are thrown into the water; so they burn them or pile them up on the shore. (BASSETT,
p. 246, quoting FARRER, Primitive Customs, p. 28.)
Seb: Egypt. Myth. The earth deified. The consort of Seb was Nut, the sky; their childreninclude Osiris, Isis, Nepthys and Set. Vide Shu. Sebastian, St.: St. Sebastian cures diseases because he was martyred with arrows.

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Sarugami: The monkey-god possession of Shikoku, Japan.
Satan: Theology. The chief of the demons. His name is mentioned several times in the
New Testament, and especially in the Apocalypse.
Sati: The burning of widows in India on the funeral pyre of their deceased husbands,
had probably its origin in the idea that dutiful wives should accompany the spirits of
their dead husbands, and administer to their wants in the spirit world (cf. Ethnologie du
Bengale, pp. 67 sq.) cf. Horse, Camel, Dog.
Saturday: In India this day is particularly unlucky, because it is dedicated to Sani, the
god of misfortune.
Saturday derives its name from Saturn to whom it is dedicated. Vide Wednesday,
Sunday, Friday, Thursday.
Saturn: Rom. Myth. The ancient god of the seed-sowing, whose temple in Rome was
built in 497 B.C. In 217 B.C. the worship of Saturn was conformed to that of the Greek
Cronus.
Satyr: Class. Myth. A sylvan deity or demi-god, represented as part human and part
horse or goat, given to riotous merriment and lasciviousness. They were companions of
Bacchus. cf. Pan.
Satyavana: Hind. Myth. Husband of Savitri (q.v.).
Savitri: Hind. Myth. Wife of Satyavana, who, after the death of her husband, compelled
Yama, the god of death, by her devotedness, to restore her husband to life again. The
story has been related by various authors. Savitri is considered by the Hindus to be a
model of wifely devotion.
Sbires: Muham. Myth. The assistants of Malik, the demon of the underworld. They are
eighteen in number.
Scabs: St. Rooke cures scabs.
Schachtmandl: German Folklore. The guardian-spirit of the mines.
Scinus: A legendary robber of Attica, who was thrown into the sea by Theseus. The
sea, however, refused to take such a scoundrel, neither would the earth, after being rid
of him once, take him back, so that he stuck fast in the air. (cf. HAWTHORNE, T.T., p.
181.)
Scissors: If while using scissors they break in half, it is a sign of a great disappointment.

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Samson: Samson’s strength was said to have been in his hair (q.v.). Sandal: New sandals must not be put on after five o’clock in the afternoon. (Jaan.GRIFFIS,
M.E., p. 472.) Sandhya-bala: "Strong in twilight." Rakshasas and other demons are supposed to bemost powerful at twilight. Sandmann: In German children’s superstition. it is a bogey which throws sand into theeyes of children who will not go to sleep. (cf. E. T. A. HOFFMANN, Der Sandmann.) "Sandm nnchen kommt, geschlichenUnd guckt durchs Fensterlein, Ob irgendwo ein Kindchen Nicht mag zu Bette sein.Und wo es nur em Kindlein fand Streut es ins Aug’ ihm Sand."–W. VON ZUCCAMAGLIO, Sandm nnchen (1839). Sand-Pillar: The whistling sand pillars of the desert are believed by the Muhammedans
to be caused by the flight of an evil jinn. (LANE, BURTON.)
Sani: Hind. Myth. The god who brings ill luck and misfortune.
Sahkchinni: Indian Folklore. Female demons of a white complexion. They usually stand
at the dead of the night at the foot of trees and look like sheets of white cloth. (DAY,
Folktales of Bengal, p. 197; Ethnologie du Bengale, pp. 98 sq.)
Sankini: In Bengal it is a kind of a female spirit, closely allied to Petni (q.v.), Dakini
(q.v.), etc.
Sapphire: Sapphire produces somnambulism and impels the wearer to all good works.
Sapphire brings misfortune to the wearer. (India.)
In the Zodiac it signifies Leo; in Christian art it is dedicated to St. Andrew, emblematic
of his heavenly faith and good hope. This gem is dedicated to April.
Sarabha: Hind. Myth. A fabulous animal represented as having eight legs, and as
dwelling in the Himalayas. (Dowson, H.C.D., p. 282.)
Saraswati: Hind. Myth. Wife of Brahma, the goddess of eloquence, learning and arts.
Sargon: "A fish supposed to be . . . our gilt-head. It was anciently supposed to have an
extraordinary affection for goats, and to leap for joy when they approached the sea."
(HAZLITT, p. 534.)
Sarpanit: Babyl. Myth. Consort of Marduk. She is sometimes identified with the mother-
goddess Ishtar.

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Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, viii, 1897, 35 sqq.; J. E. CROMBIE, "The Saliva
Superstition," International Folk-lore Congress, 1891, Papers and Transactions, 249
sq.; C. DE MENSIGNAC, Recherches ethrographiques sur la salive et le crachat,
Bordeaux, 1892, 50 sqq.; FRAZER, Taboo, pp. 279, 287 sqq.)
Fishermen usually spit on their hansel for luck in fishing. If you spit on a letter just
before enclosing it in the envelope, and then again before posting it, you will have success.
Vide Spitting.
Salmon: If, when a girl shows signs of womanhood, she eats fresh salmon, she would
lose her senses, or her mouth would be changed into a long beak. (Kolosh Indians of
Alaska.–FRAZER, G.B2., Vol. III, p. 211, quoting FR. BOAS, Fifth Report, p. 42.) Vide
Fisherman.
Salt: Salt spilt towards a person indicates contention. (General.-BRAND, Observations,
Vol. III, p. 160), but the evil may be averted by throwing a pinch of the spilt salt over
your left shoulder. (Great Britain.-DALYELL, Dark. Sup., p. 127.)
Salt must not be bought at night, neither be sold (India) ; it should be obtained at daytime,
and a portion of it be thrown in the fire to ward off all dangers, and especially to
prevent quarrels in the family. (Japan.-GRIFFIS, M.E., p. 470.)
In Bohemia a mother throws salt behind her daughter as she is going out, as a preventive
against her falling in love.
"As many grains of salt you spill, So many days of sorrow you will fill."-U.S.A.
If on a Christmas Eve you make a little heap of salt on the table, and it melts overnight,
you will die the next year; if, in the morning, it remains undiminished, you will live.
(RAGNER).
It is unlucky to help another person to salt. But to whom the ill-luck is to happen doesnot seem to be settled. (HAZLITT, p. 533.)
A sieve or salt must on no account be lent out of the house. The prosperity of the family
will depart with them. (Macedonia.-ABBOTT, p. 101.) Salt-cellar: If a girl omits to put the salt-cellar on the table, while laying it for dinner, it is
a sure sign that she is no longer a virgin. (Rhineland, Westhalia.-WUTTKE, p. 43.) Vide
Virginity.
If a salt-cellar be overturned, a ship will be wrecked. (Holland.-BASSETT, p. 438.)
Salzburg: Vide Charlemagne.
Samael: Semitic Lore. A known storm-demon, from whose name we have the samiel or
simoom. (DR. BREWER, R.H.)
Samovilas: Slav. Folklore. These are the souls, of deceased children and irgins, which
dwell in woods, mountains and lakes, and fly in the clouds. They are noted for their
dancing and exquisite singing; they sometimes intermarry with men.

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Sakhrat: Muham. Myth. The sacred stone on which Mt. Qdf rests. Mt. Qdf is a circular
plain, the home of giants, and fairies. Anyone who possesses a single grain of the
stone Sakhrat has the power of working miracles. Its colour is emerald, and its reflection
gives a blue tint to the sky.
Sakti: Hind. Myth. The goddess Devi (q.v.) is called Sakti, because she is the female
energy of Siva.
Salamander: The salamanders are the spirits of fires and live in them. They seek the
hottest fire to breed in, but soon quench it by the extreme chill of their bodies.
Should a glass-house fire be kept up without extinction for more than seven years,
there is no doubt but that a salamander will be generated in the cinders.
Food touched by a salamander (a kind of a lizard) is poisonous. (cf. HAZLITT, p. 531.)
Prester John in his letter to Manuel Comnenus, Emperor of Constantinople, describes
the salamander as a worm, and says it makes cocoons like a silk-worm. These
cocoons being unwound by the ladies of the palace are spun into dresses for the imperial
women. The dresses are washed in flames and not in water.
"Diese Wesen k nnen die Menschen ihre Umgebung beeinfl ssen, indem sic deren
Eigenschaften in T tigkeit versetzen, und wir m ssen immer daran denken, dass sic
keine Unterscheidung von Recht und Unrecht haben; sic haben ihre eigene Gesetze
von Moralit t. Aber wie gesagt, wir kommen nicht viel mit ihnen in Beruhrung da sic der
Menschlichkeit so fremd sind." DORA VON GELDER in Theosophische Kultur, January,
1925.
"Les salamandres, croyait-on, jouissaient de la propri t de traverser la flamme sans
se bruler."–Petit Larousse illustr , p. 892.
Salemal: One of the four gods of Adite, the preserver of sickness
Saligen: Teut. Myth. A class of forest-spirits.
Saliva: The human saliva is a cure for blindness and a charm against fascination.
(ELWORTHY, EE., pp. 420, 663.)
A blacksmith who has to shoe a stubborn horse, spits in his hand to drive off the evil
spirit.
To unbewitch the bewitched, you must spit into the shoe of your right foot.
If a pugilist spits on his hands, his blows will be more telling. (DALYELL, Dark. Sup., p.
71.)
If you spit on a serpent, it will die.
Spitting for luck is a most common superstition. (cf. HERRICK, Hesperides, The
Temple; HAZLITT, p. 560; SHIFFER, Am Urquell, Vol. II, p. 202; Jew. Enc., Vol. XI, p.
600; Folklore, Vol. IV, pp. 358, 361; FRAZER. G.B2.I Vol. I, p. 204; ZINGERLE, Sitten,
176, 580; M lusine, 1878, C. 79; ELWORTHY, pp. 416, 418; ABBOTT, p. 110;
DOUGHTY, Arab. Des., Vol. I, p. 227; CROOKE, Pop. Rel., Vol. I, p. 167; Ethnologie du
Bengale, p. 132; F. W. NICOLSON, "The Saliva Superstition in Classical Literature,"

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S Saalah: Muham. Myth. An Arab evil spirit said to be found mainly in forests, and when"it captures a man it plays with him as a cat plays with a mouse." It is described as acreature of a hideous form, and is supposed to be an offspring of human beings andmen who eat men. (LANE, A.S.M.A., p. 44.) Sabazius: An ancient Greek deity who was worshipped with orgiastic rites and withnocturnal mysteries. Sabbat: Medival Demonology. A nocturnal assembly in which demons and sorcererswere thought to celebrate their orgies. Sabbath: Vide Witch’s Sabbath. Sabdag: Tibetan Folklore. "Earth owners"; numerous local spirits who inhabit the soils,
springs and lakes. They correspond to our own "Elementals." Sable: When Siberian sable-hunters have caught a sable, no one is allowed to see itand they think that if good or evil be spoken of the captured sable, no more sables willbe caught. (FRAZER, G.B2., Vol. II, p. 403, quoting J. G. GMELIN, Reise durchSibirien, II, 278.) Sack: If a pregnant woman looks long in an empty open sack, the child will have to suffer
hunger. (U.S.A.-KNORTZ, p. 8.) Sacrifice: Gods of various nations can be appeased by offering sacrifices to them.
There have been various theories to explain the meaning and importance of sacrifice.
Thus Tylor saw in sacrifice an attempt to secure the favour of the gods. W. RobertsonSmith explained sacrifice as a meal in which the worshipper was sharing the meal withhis god, and Durkheim interpreted it in the same way. Frazer has thought that he canfind in sacrifice an -attempt to save the god of the worshipper from the inroads of oldage. L. Mari]lier thinks that sacrifice is a magical rite to bend the will of the god to thewill of the worshipper. And lastly, Westermarck regards the offering of a victim as anattempt to save the life of the worshipper, and Hubert and Mauss (Essai sur la natureet la fonction du sacrifice, Ann e Sodol., Vol. II, 1897-1898, p. 41) define sacrifice asfollows: "Le sacrifice est un acte religleux, qui, par la consecration d’une victime, modi-
fie l’ tat de la personne morale qui l’accomplit ou de certains, objets auxquels elle s’int resse."
The flesh and blood of the sacrificed were eaten and drunk by the Aztecs, as this wasconsidered to make them strong and powerful. (WUTTKE, Geschichte desHeidenthums, Vol. I, p. 268, etc.; FRAZER, G.B2., Vol. I, p. 133.) Saga: An ancient Scandinavian legend, tale, or history; hence any historical, mythical,
or romantic tale of ancient times.

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Ruah tezarit: Jew. Folklore. A spirit of delirious fever and madness befalling man and
beast. (Jew. Enc., Vol. IV, p. 517.)
Ruah zelahta: Jewish Folklore. The spirit of headaches, which dwells on palm trees.
Ruah zenuim: Jewish Folklore. The spirit of sexual desire. (Jew. Enc., Vol. IV, p. 517.)
Ruah zeradah: Jewish Folklore. The demon of catalepsy.
Rubbing: If you see a person rubbing only one eye in the morning, you are sure to
have a quarrel in the course of the day. (Bengal.)
Rubezahl: The most famous of the mountain spirits of Germany, who dwelt in
Riesengebirge between Silesia and Bohemia. According to a legend, he once stole a
princess and in order to please her, planted a big field with turnips (Ruben); she asked
him to count (zahlen) the turnips, and while he was doing so, escaped; hence his ironic
name: Rubezahl.
Ruby: Rubies are the blood of the sacrificed. (HAGGARD, People of the Mist.)
The Burmese believe that rubies ripen like fruit. They say, a ruby in its crude state is
colourless, and as it matures, changes first to yellow, then to green, then to blue, and
lastly to a brilliant red, its highest state of perfection and ripeness.
The ruby signifies Aries in the Zodiacal signs. It is given by some to December; it is the
emblem of brilliant success.
Rudha: Hind. Myth. "Howler." He is a howling god, the god of storms, and sometimes
identified with the god of fire. Sometimes he is a destructive deity who brings about diseases
upon men and cattle, and sometimes he is a beneficent deity for healing diseases.
(Dowson, H.C.D., p. 269.)
Rudra: Hind. Myth. The god of thunder. He is usually represented as riding a bull.
Rusalka: Among the Slays, these are more or less like the Vilas. They are delicate
female beings who live in forests, fields and waters, and are mainly the souls of unbaptized
children and women who have died by drowning. They seduce men by their voice
and tickle them to death.
In Bohemian folklore they are kinds of water-spirits who entice young men and women
to destruction. (GROHMANN, p. 8.)
In Russian folklore, they are female water-spirits who appear as beautiful maidens with
long hair, bathing and sporting in the waters. They tickle bathers to death, cause
storms and wind, and are thought to influence the luck of sailors and fishermen. (RALSTON.
Songs of the Russian People. pp. 139-146.)

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Roch, St.: St. Roch cures plague.
Rockenmuhme: "Rye-aunt"; a Teutonic spirit in human form.
Rockensau: "Rye-sow"; a German field-spirit.
Roggenalte: Danish Folklore. A field-spirit in human form.
Roggenhund: "Rye-dog"; a German field-spirit.
Rojenice: The Slovakian name for the Sudi&y.
Rokhitu: Egypt. Myth. They were spirits full of wisdom, and were the personifications of
the powers opposed to Egypt.
Romulus: Legendary founder of Rome. He is said to have vanished in the midst of a
cloud.
Rook: Rooks forsaking a wood, foretell a famine. cf. Crow, Raven.
Rooke, St.: Vide Boil, Disease, Scabs.
Roque, St.: St. Roque protects from infection.
Rosary: A rosary protects from the machinations of evil spirits. (Roman Catholic.) cf.
Beads, Crucifix.
Rose: According to a Teutonic superstition, rose trees spring up on the graves of
lovers, and are the abodes of departed souls.
Rothmurchas: Vide Bodachun Dun.
Round Table: The table at which King Arthur (q.v.) sits. It belonged to him.
Rowan Tree: A twig of the rowan tree is effective against all evil things, including witch
es. (RHYS, C.F., p. 325; cf. Word-Lore, Vol. I, p. 207, fl. 33).
Royalty: Lions do not injure royalty.
Royal blood cures hydrophobia. (Arabs.-HASTINGS, Dic. Bib., Vol. IV, p. 603.)
Ruah palga: Same as Ruah zelahta.
Ruah qezarit: Jewish Folklore. A particular spirit of nightmare. (Jew. Enc., Vol. IV, p.
517.)

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