OCR Text |
Show IDEAS ABOUT THE RAINBOW Queer Notions Held by People of Different Countries Regarding Regard-ing the Bow. In many countries the rainbow Is spoken of as being a great bent pump or siphon tube, drawing water from the earth by mechanical means. In parts of Russia, in the Don country, and also In Moscow and vicinity, It Is known by a name which is equivalent equiva-lent to "the bent water-pipe." In nearly all Slavonic dialects It is known by terms signifying "the cloud siphon." and in Hungary It is "the pump," "Noah's pump" and "God's pump." The Malayan natives call It by the same name that they do their manded water cobra, only that they add "boba" (meaning double-headed), the equivalent in our language being "the double-headed water-snake." They tell you that the bow is a real thing of life, that it drinks with its two mouths, and that the water is transferred to the clouds through an opening in the upper side of the centre cen-tre of the great arch. In the province of Charkav, Russia, the rainbow Is said to drain the wells, and to prevent this many are provided with heavy, tight-fitting stone platforms. In the province of Saratov the bow is said to be under the control of three angels, one of whom pumps the water, the second "feeds" the clouds, and the third sends the rain. Many improbable im-probable and impossible things would happen if you could only get In reach of "the bow." The little Turk is told that If he would have a silver head, with gold teeth and ruby eyes, he has but to touch the orange stripe. In Greece they say that the person so unfortunate unfortu-nate as to stumble over the end of the bow will have his or her sex imme. diately changed. |