著者

井本 英一

出版者

一般社団法人 日本オリエント学会

雑誌

オリエント (ISSN:00305219)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.29, no.1, pp.1-16, 1986-09-30 (Released:2010-03-12)

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Eiichi IMOTO, Abandonment of Infants and their Rebirth: Infants were abandoned in the mountains or on the water. They were never slain but reared up by men, animals or birds, and eventually returned to their native place.For example, Cyrus the Great, in his babyhood, was given to a cowherd at the foot of a mountain. Dara, a son of Humay, was, according to the Shahnama of Firdausi, abandoned by the water and found by a washerman. When he grew into a boy, Dara realized that he was of royal descent. He came home and was enthroned.Thus, infants were supposed to go to the world of totems and return to their native place endowed with a supernatural power.