Singers and Storytellers Page: 73
v, 298 p. ; 24 cm.View a full description of this book.
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DON'T LOOK BACK
Then go ahead." The question is germane: How could Alex-
ander or Crockett know they were on a proper undertaking
unless they had previously considered the past? Kierkegaard
said that life can be understood only backward, but it must
be lived forward. Janus was a two-headed god; he reviewed
the past before looking to the future.
To understand and face the pitfalls of the future, in view
of those of the past, requires not only faith but also asceticism.
Orpheus is the classic example of the man who could not
resist looking back prematurely upon the wife he was retrieving
from the abode of the shades, and thus lost her forever. Here
is a legend that extends from Ovid in first-century Rome to
Alabama Negroes in twentieth-century America, who tell their
version of "Dicey and Jim Orpus." Lot's wife is the classic
example of the woman who could not resist looking back. And
here is a legend that extends from pre-Christian Israelites to
modem native Peruvian Indians, who have ten different
versions corresponding to the story of Lot's wife. This, inci-
dentally, testifies to the universality of folklore in general and
of the superstition against looking back in particular.
Among the ancient Hittites there was a myth about a
dragon-slaying hero who practiced a folk taboo: he refused
to look back upon his wife or child before setting out upon
his adventures. He thus conformed to the ritual of sexual conti-
nence before battle and kept foremost in mind his mission.
Modern U.S. Air Force pilots have a related custom; many
will not allow their wives to see them take off, saying it i's bad
luck. The serious or vital pursuits of life require ascetic
continence. To go without it may be fatal.
Zufiis practice rigid, stoical asceticism when they refuse to
look back during certain of their rituals. Before a raid, aside
from avoiding sexual incontinence, the warrior goes to a river
seeking omens and performing these rites: Four times he takes
four steps backward from the river and each time pauses for
omens. Then without a backward glance, he proceeds to the78
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Singers and Storytellers (Book)
Collection of popular folklore of Texas, including personal anecdotes about storytellers and singers, as well as folk songs, myths, and ghost stories. The index begins on page 295.
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Boatright, Mody C. Singers and Storytellers, book, 1961; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc67655/m1/79/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Press.