Motif
contagious magic through severed body parts
contagious_magic_through_severed_body_parts
A motif of the External Soul and Life-Token family, within the sub-family Bodily Sites and Severed Parts Holding Soul. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
comparative
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The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2) PREFACE. / J. G. FRAZER. / CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE WOOD. / MACAULAY.; lines 442-515 confidence: high
The passage states that magical sympathy is believed to exist between a person and severed parts such as hair or nails, enabling action upon that person at a distance.
Hair and nails are described as retaining a magical sympathy with the person from whom they were cut.
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