Fishing from the earliest times - Blog

"FISH ENGRAVINGS—MAGICAL CHARMS 27with a fish incised on a reindeer antler from Laugerie-Basse.^evoke the Uvely admiration of de Mortillet and Parkyn.Such is their graphic truthfulness and attention to detailperfectly characterised in general form, but is rendered withthe spots on the top of the back dotted quite accurately. 2Not less admirable is the bas-relief of a fish in reindeer hornfrom Mas d'Azil, or of another pierced by a spear. 3The frequent engravings of animals and of fish promptS. Reinach and others to the interesting surmise that since allor most portray creatures desired for food by hunters andfishermen, they were executed not for amusement, " mais sontles talismans de chasseurs qui craignent de manquer de gibier.L'objet des artistes a ete d'exercer une attraction magique surles animaux de la meme espece. Les indigenes de I'AustraheCentrale peignent aussi sur les roches ou le sol des figures desanimaux dans le but avoue d'en favoriser par la meme raison,qui dans certaines campagnes fait qu'on evite de prononcer lenom du loup." *2 G. de Mortillet, Origines de la Chasse et de la Peche (Paris, 1S90), p. 222.Our learned author nods. If the seals had killed the trout, it would not havefloated " belly up," but instantly down their bellies.' S. Reinach, Repertoire de I Art Quaternaire (Paris, 191 3), p. 156, which isa complete summary of the various finds in excavations, etc. See p. 88 fora seal, and p. 114 for a fine representation from Laugerie Basse of two fishmeeting.* Fishermen in Malay, while they are at sea, studiously avoid mentioningthe names of birds or beasts : all animals are called " cheweh," a meaninglessword, which is believed not to be understood by the creatures (J. G. Frazer,cette galere " ? is invariably referred to as " the man with the black guyte ' 'that, according to the former writer, the trout which the sealshave killed floats, as dead fish do, belly up, and is not onlyAfter pointing out that the representations of the Reindeerepoch " offrent un caractere analogue," he continues, " Acette phase tres ancienne d'evolution humaine la religion (ausens moderne de ce mot) n'existe pas encore, mais la magie^ E. Cartailhac, Mateviaux pour I'histoire de I'homme, xiii. p. 395. TheMagdalenian workmanship on bone was extraordinarily fine. Their boneneedles (according to de Mortillet) are much superior to those of the later,even of historical times, down to the Renaissance. The Romans neverpossessed needles comparable with them.The Golden Bough, second edition, 1900, vol. i. p. 460). So, too, fishermenfrom some villages on the N.E. coast of Scotland never pronounce, while at sea,under penalty of poor catches, certain words such as " minister," " salmon,"" trout," " swine," etc. The first, poor fellow !" que diable allait-il faire dans{Ibid., p. 453).