The world's religions : a popular account of religions ancient and modern, including those of uncivilised races, Chaldaeans, Greeks, Egyptions, Romans; Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Mohammedanism, and a sketch of the history of Judaism and Christianity / by G.T. Bettany.

  • Bettany, G. T. (George Thomas), 1850-1891.
Date:
1890
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The world's religions : a popular account of religions ancient and modern, including those of uncivilised races, Chaldaeans, Greeks, Egyptions, Romans; Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Mohammedanism, and a sketch of the history of Judaism and Christianity / by G.T. Bettany. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    llama was sacrificed; sun-fire was kindled from the sun by means of a con- cave mirror, and then a number of llamas were sacrificed and distributed to the families of the upper classes, to be eaten with sacred cakes prepared by the virgins of the sun. At the second great festival, that of the Spring, ball-shaped cakes, mixed with the blood of victims or of young children, drawn from above the nose, were eaten, to purify the land from hostile in- fluences. In the evening an Inca, with four relatives, undertook the task of chasing all maladies from the city and its environs ; and at night all evil spirits of the night were driven into the river by the hurling of torches into its water. These are only specimens of numerous feasts of the Inca religion. The sorcerer had but little place in civilised Peru, for his place was largely taken by the priestly ‘‘ diviners of the future,” or “ those who made the gods speak.” It is very worthy of notice that something like convents were to be found among the Peruvians, inhabited by “ virgins of the sun,” of whom The virgins there were 5CX) at Cuzco. They took a vow to be the consorts of the sun. only of the sun or of him to whom the sun should give them. Thus the reigning Inca chose from them the most beautiful for his harem ; but any of the virgins who otherwise broke her vow was buried alive, even for the offence of letting the sacred fire go out, and her whole family was put to death. The virgins were occupied in making garments for the Incas, adornments for the temples and palaces, in preparing the sacred cakes and drinks, and in watching the sacred fire. Few moral teachings have been discovered in. the Peruvian religion. The most important thing was to please the sun, and his representative, the Mcrai Iiica. The priests had power to make inquisition into private inquisition, conduct, to discover any actions detrimental to the state if not expiated by penance. Children, a few da}^s after birth, were dipped in water before receiving a name, the dipping being supposed to drive away evil spirits and malign infiuences. Between the ages of ten and twelve, at the time when the adult name was given, the child’s hair and nails were cut off as an offering to the sun and guardian-spirits. The future life was thought of as similar to the present, and all kinds of useful objects were consequently buried with the deceased. It was not imagined that the body would be raised again to life, although it was thought that the soul still returned to the body at times after death. The Incas were believed to be transported to the mansion of the sun, while the nobles might, if exceptionally meritorious, follow them there, or live under the earth under the sway of Supay, the god of the dead, whose kingdom was a gloomy one rather than a place of punishment. Future life.