On the Origin, Idea, Scope, and History of Ancient and Modern Magic

The Mandingo Negroes believe in good and evil spirits, but are only interested in both insofar as they attribute to them magic and supernatural healing powers. *)

The Bushmen, the Namaquas, etc., in the interior of South Africa, have, says Campbell in his travels, hardly a concept of a highest God, but believe in benevolent and mischievous spirits. Divination, he adds, and belief in sorcery is their religion.

Among the Californians, as among the Greenlanders, god- and magic-service, priests and sorcerers are synonymous. Especially striking is the assumption of the northern Californians, namely the Koschimer, concerning their evil spirits. He who is alive—a periphrasis for the highest God—they said to the missionaries, also created other spirits, which, however, rebelled against Him, are now evil, and torment us. **)

IV.

We provide no further examples, and even those shared here, only in the most concise brevity. In the first essay of the first volume of the Magic Library regarding the spirit-doctrine in the old and new world, we want to treat this material more thoroughly. For our next purpose, to prove the generality of the belief in higher good and evil beings, and its

*) Traditions on the History of Our Time. Year 1819, No. VII. Home's Sketches of the History of Man, etc. Vol. II, p. 318 ff.
**) Traditions, etc., at the aforementioned location.