Human interest in the supernatural

Dr Senarath TENNAKOON

Even the present century is not immune to human interest in spiritualism and the occult. Odyssey and Iliad by Homer as well as Ramayana are epics teeming with incidents related to the power of the supernatural. The Holy Bible is a repository of many supernatural events. The belief in the power of the supernatural was perhaps the highest during the middle Ages or the Dark Era in human civilization. Pests and pestilences were thought to be caused by supernatural influence.

Witches

In some countries some queer women who were believed to be witches were put to death. In 1692 in the village of Salem, USA several women suspected as being witches were killed and several were subject to cruel punishment. The witches have entered the world of literature through children's stories, novels, short stories, drama and art. In Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cindrella and the Red Riding Hood we come across witches. In 'Robin Hood' there is a witch called Lilith who seduces Robin Hood. In Shakespeare's Macbeth there are three witches who could predict the key future life events designed to occur to Macbeth and Banquo.

The power of supernatural

As far back in 124 AD a Roman writer, Apuleius who wrote the novel 'The Golden Donkey' has observed that the witches were able to fly after applying an ointment over their bodies. In the middle Ages, in England we come across King Arthur.

In his court there was a character called Merlin who was a magician and he has predicted some future events to the king about the end of the world. The Arabian Nights, Jack the Giant Killer, and many folktales are full with supernatural characters and supernatural events. In Rider Hagard's 'The Ghost King' developed from the text 'King Solomon's Mines' we encounter several mysterious events happening in Africa and there is a powerful woman endowed with mystical power who guides the king. Apart from the films like Frankenstein, Drakula, Exhorcist and several ghost stories, there are several short stories and novels dealing with the supernatural and the occult. In 1979 the Nobel Prize for literature was won by the Polish writer Ishak Besvis Singor who wrote the novel 'The Magician of Labin' which presents the unusual talents and life events of the protagonist Yasha, the magician. Then we come to 'The X-file', 'Bewitched Buffy', the Vampire Slayer, 'Charmed and Sabrina the Teenage Witch' which are familiar to us. The latest is perhaps 'Harry Potter' by J K Rowling where the Hermiane Granger is the witch. In Garcia Marquez's 'One Hundred years of Solitude' Rubecca is a mysterious girl as 'Beloved' in Toni Morrsion's' The Beloved'.

Traditional societies

We are very familiar with the queer events that occurred when Vijaya and his 700 followers landed on the Sri Lankan coast. A dog came and led them to meet a dark skinned pretty lady (Kuveni). While some writers have depicted Kuveni as a witch some have declared the dog was her creation of the devil in disguise. We have several folktales where supernatural and magical deeds are mentioned. The power of God Pattini and other gods are quite well-known. King Ravana is said to have supernatural knowledge and supernatural power and imagination. In many Jataka stories supernatural beings and events have been described Mohini and Allaw Yakka have become metaphorical entities in our society. Even the Buddhists are familiar with the supernatural powers of the Hindu pantheon of gods. In Guttila Kavya there is the honorable mention of the Sakra who came to assist pundit Guttila in the violin competition between Guttila and Musila.

The concept is interwoven around witches, devils, spirits and other invisible beings are still rooted in traditional societies. In Sri Lanka the ritual dances are very common to appease gods and devils. Some infectious diseases like Measles and Varicella are believed to be caused by the evil eye of spirits or gods. Balagiri devil is supposed to cause illness among kids. Gammadu, Devol Madu, Kohoba Kankariya etc are some rituals performed by devil dancers to bring about cure and protection of the people from the evil effects of diseases and crop failure. These rituals exist despite widespread globalization, new technology and scientific knowledge.

Supernatural stories

Libraries and bookshops still teem with literary works dealing with ghost, mystery, detective and supernatural stories. Some belong to the nineteenth and twentieth century. But even the twenty first century is not free of them. Harry Potter is the shining example. Agatha Christie's detective stories are still very popular among us. Edgar Allen Poe's "Tales of Mystery and Imagination", ghost stories by Charles Dickens, selective stories by Sir Arthur Cannon Doyle and even Jane Ayer by Charllotte Bronte are popular among the readers. Despite the crucial work of Charles Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species' (1859) which attempted to clear off the doubts about human creation and paved way to the acceptance of the concept of human evolution there, remained doubts about human life throughout the nineteenth century. Even with tremendous scientific and technological advances, religious and mythical beliefs continue to exist. Different communities believe in the power of the supernatural and the occult in different ways.

These have been enshrined in the texts of several genres like the Gothic novel (novels usually set in the medieval times where violent bizarre and often supernatural incidents are described), sensational novels (popular novels of the 1860s containing sensual plots and incidents) surrealism, magic realism and post modernism. References.

1. Lythe Tony (1999), Mystery Stories of the Nineteenth Century, York Press, London.