Regarding touching corpses:
I wonder if the taboo applied to certain people being able to touch
a corpse safely and not others? Family, friends, someone of the
opposite gender, or of a certain age, etc. might or might not be
permitted to touch a corpse? In many cultures preparing the dead
body is a job that is given to older female relatives, for example.
On another note...
19th C Irish informants told Irish folklore collectors that touching
the hand of a corpse could cure a person of afflictions such as
warts and rheumatism.
Quoting "Robert L. Cerra" <[log in to unmask]>:
> I read your post regarding touching of corpses.
>
>
> Touching of corpses was an ancient practice that was used
> to determine the guilt or innocense of an individual accused of
> murder.
> The authorities would bring the accused to the dead body of the
> victim. The accused would be forced to touch the body of the
> victim and if the victim/dead body bled then the accused was
> guilty of murdering the victim. There are many refernces to to
> this practice as late as the 17th century. The taboo of touching
> the corpse may haver come from this practice. Sometimes
> referrred to as "blood touching"
>
>
> Regards
> Bob Cerra
>
>
>
>
>
> From: "Amy C. Kowal" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 2007/04/05 Thu PM 06:30:38 CDT
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Fwd: Taboo about touching corpses
>
> This inquiry was posted on another listserv, Early Americanists,
> but I thought maybe some of you might be able to assist Ms.
> Hutter. You may post to either listserv, or respond to Dr.
> Griffin directly; I can forward your response if you'd like.
>
> Amy
>
> Edward Griffin <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2007 14:49:33 -0500
> From: Edward Griffin <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Taboo about touching corpses
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> One of my graduate students, Liz Hutter, brought this question to
> me,
> and I blush to confess that I have no answer. So I thought I'd
> send it
> to all of you and hope that somebody will point us in the proper
> direction. I can forward replies to her. Here's Liz's query:
>
> In my research (late eighteenth century) on preventing and saving
> individuals from accidents that could cause sudden death, I have
> come
> upon a couple of brief references to social taboos that prevented
> people
> from touching or assisting an apparently dead body because
> corpses were
> not supposed to be touched. I have been trying to locate other
> primary
> and/or secondary discussions of such a taboo about corpses. Where
> did it
> come from? Why was a corpse not to be touched, especially one
> without
> visible indications of illness? I surmised at first that the
> literature
> on premature burial might provide some clues, but I haven't had
> any
> luck. I would consider anything from the 18th and 19th centuries;
> the
> 17th century, too, if that is relevant. Do you have any ideas of
> sources
> that might illuminate reasons for this taboo? Or suggestions
> about where
> such information might be found?
>
>
> Edward M. Griffin
> Department of English
> University of Minnesota
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
> Amy C. Kowal, RPA
> Department of Anthropology
> Florida State University
> Tallahassee, FL 32306-7772
> (850) 644-4281
> [log in to unmask]
>
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