Traditions of ancient societies from "summary" of The Golden Bough by James George Frazer
The customs and beliefs that prevail among primitive peoples are apt to seem irrational and meaningless to us, because they are often based on a different view of the world from that which has been enshrined in the beliefs and practices of civilised nations. The savage, for example, finds it hard to believe that the wind, which he feels blowing against his face, is not caused by some invisible being who breathes upon him, and he naturally seeks to propitiate the being by prayer or sacrifice. In the same way the savage may think that the sun, which rises and sets, is a living creature who is born and dies, and that he can make the sun rise and set by his own act. These notions appear to us absurd; but they are the necessary outcome of the savage's view of the world, which is different from ours. The traditions of ancient societies are thus founded on a different basis from our own, and we must make allowance for this if we would understand them. It is only by putting ourselves in the place of the savage that we can hope to understand his beliefs and customs. We must not judge him by our own standard, but by his; and if we do this, we shall find that his customs ar...
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