Not incorporating ancient Hindu Naga beliefs SYNOPSIS Common Elements of Religion: One of the hallmarks of religion is a belief in supernatural beings and forces. They can take a variety forms, not all of which are found in every...
moreNot incorporating ancient Hindu Naga beliefs
SYNOPSIS Common Elements of Religion: One of the hallmarks of religion is a belief in supernatural beings and forces. They can take a variety forms, not all of which are found in every religion. The beliefs usually fall into one of five categories: animatism , animism , ancestral spirits , gods or goddesses, and minor supernatural beings. Animatism A belief in a supernatural power not part of supernatural beings is referred to as animatism. For those who hold this belief, the power is usually impersonal, unseen, and potentially everywhere. It is neither good nor evil, but it is powerful and dangerous if misused. It is something like electricity or "the force" in the Star Wars movies. Animatism is a widespread belief, especially in small-scale societies. Among the Polynesian cultures of the South Pacific, this power is commonly known as "mana". For them it is a force that is inherent in all objects, plants, and animals (including people) to different degrees. Some things or people have more of it than others and are, therefore, potentially dangerous. For instance, a chief may have so much of it that he must be carried around all of the time. If he were to walk on the ground, sufficient residual amounts of his mana might remain in his footprints to harm ordinary people if they later stepped on them. Volcanoes and some other places were thought to have concentrated mana and were, therefore, very dangerous. In this paper we willexamine the ancient legands the Khemer believe in That of being ancestors to the Nagas or Serpents tribes. This is the full story covering nagas in Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, Laos and Thiland.
