Historians do not know exactly what prompted the ancient man to turn to religion. Someone believes that this is the desire to explain to themselves incomprehensible phenomena that bring death to entire tribes. Others believe that a primitive man, who is very dependent on nature, suffered from his own helplessness and sought to enlist the support of higher powers. How was everything really? We don’t know this yet. It is only known that various early forms of beliefs appeared, while they were primitive and unsystematic, but they became the most important step in the development of the spiritual essence of mankind. What is fetishism? This is one of these forms of belief. We offer you to get acquainted with the distinctive features of this phenomenon and to monitor how this is preserved today.
The concept
Animism and fetishism were the first forms of religious understanding of man that appeared in ancient times. What are the specifics and distinguishing features of these terms? Let's consider in more detail:
- Animism is the deification of natural forces, the belief that the world is inhabited by invisible entities (now they are called spirits) that surround a person, capable of both helping him and harming him. They could be coaxed with magic rituals. Each object, plant or animal in the minds of the ancients had its own spirit, whose power was much more powerful than that of an entire tribe. The soul was also in the person himself.
- Fetishism has become a natural form of development of animism. Unlike the latter, fetishism implied endowing with magic power a certain subject, a fetish, which could be chosen on various grounds. For example, a tree that attracted a primitive man with an unusual shape could become the fetish of an entire tribe, they called out to him before the hunt or war.
Such ideas are understandable, because the inhabitants of bygone ages did not have scientific knowledge, so they tried to explain the phenomena of the world around them that were important to them by the intervention of divine forces.
Features
Scientists believe that primitive people have not yet compiled a clear picture of the world for themselves, their religious ideas are often very foggy. So, analyzing what fetishism is, we still cannot answer the question of why a certain boulder became a fetish, and another, exactly the same, was perceived as an ordinary stone.
Hence the key feature of this religion - absolutely any object could be endowed with superpowers, which in the mind of a primitive man was endowed with such properties for only understandable reasons. Perhaps the first appeal to this very stone brought the long-awaited luck on the hunt, after which he became a fetish.
Considering what fetishism is, we will present the following features of this belief:
- Fetishes could be either complacent to the tribe or unfavorable.
- Due to their magical power, they had the ability to influence the course of events, for example, bring good luck on the hunt.
- Communication with a fetish was most often entrusted to special people - shamans or sorcerers.
So what is fetishism? This is an ancient prareligion, a primitive religious representation, which means the endowment of an object of the material world with magical properties that can be used both for the good of the tribe and to the detriment of it.
Manifestations in antiquity
Various forms of fetishism are somehow presented in the life of almost all the peoples of the primitive era. Any object of the material world could be endowed with supernatural powers, since in the minds of ancient people these objects, like the people themselves, possessed a “soul” and emotions. To enlist the support of these powerful creatures, they were elevated to a cult: they held various religious events, performed rituals and even sacrifices.
Obtaining useful information about how exactly ancient people behaved helps scientists observe indigenous tribes far from civilization. They sincerely believe that pebbles and shells are endowed with magical powers, are able to help them, therefore they organize ritual dances and chants in their honor. Thus, in Australia, cases of sacrifices to stones and fetish sticks were recorded.
Further development
It is interesting to follow the path that animism, fetishism and magic have done, and find out how significant they are for modern man:
- Fetishism became the primary principle of idolatry. After the loss of polytheism prevalence, the remnants of belief remained in the use of amulets, talismans, charms.
- The remains of fetishism are religious paraphernalia: the rosary, the relics of saints, and other relics.
- Animism became the basis of the doctrine of the immortal soul, which is somehow present in all world religions.
- Magic is still popular today, divided into black and white, and is actively practiced in many cultures. Many very modern people believe in its power.
Thus, each of the oldest beliefs has not completely lost its meaning.
Appointment
Why did ancient people need to empower inanimate objects? There are several reasons for this:
- The desire to enlist the support of higher forces and to visualize the object of their veneration. It is much easier to sacrifice to a particular boulder than some intangible invisible entity.
- The object was endowed with the ability not only to help, but also to protect, for example, from attacks by other tribes, that is, its action took place not only as a result of direct conversion, but also as constant support.
- The fetish helped the ancient man indirectly exercise power over nature.
The significance of this religious concept is evidenced by the fact that so far the world religions have retained some features of fetishism: worship of holy places, icons, veneration of relics.
Varieties of fetishes
You can understand the essence of the religion of fetishism using descriptions of various options for fetishes:
- This is a certain object of the material world that primitive man endowed with magical power. It could be an animal’s tusk, stone, shell — anything, either of natural origin or created by human hand.
- An item that has gained its strength only because of its relationship with a certain magical place. For example, things taken from the shaman’s tomb were considered sacred, so the enemy tribes were afraid to rob such tombs, because the anger of the fetish could fall upon them.
- Religious paraphernalia.
- Various items. This is a modern vision that has nothing to do with religion.
Fetishism can now manifest itself in the fascination with any items of clothing, materials, body parts. Some of its forms are considered mental disorders, for example, the desire to put on women's clothing (fetish transvestism).
Interesting Facts
Let's get acquainted with some curious facts about the ancient form of religion - fetishism, which has not completely disappeared in our days:
- The sacred stones of Mecca and the Vedic boulders are examples of rethinking this primitive belief.
- The worship of weapons and instruments of labor (ax, sword, saw, plow) was widespread among some nationalities; it also originates in fetishism and related cults.
- The most amazing documented sexual fetishes include frogs and glue. And the most popular are high stilettos.
- Some tribes very peculiarly tried to induce a fetish to help - they tortured them, drove them in with nails, believing that only by such violence could one attract the attention of a powerful force and gain its support.
For the first time such a religion was discussed not in relation to ancient peoples, but in relation to African tribes remote from civilization, who made sacrifices to inanimate objects.