FIRE WALKING
A sample of magic lately investigated by a scientific institution is a significant instance of how simpletons may be impressed by appearances. The purpose of the magical act is to ensure good crops. The rite consists of walking bare-foot over a bed of stones heated red by a fire underneath. A shallow pit is dug, and wood is placed at the bottom and overlaid with several rows of round stones. Then the wood is lighted, and it burns till the stones glow. The priest chants a prayer for protection, and afterwards walks w r ith his naked feet over the stones, impressing the natives. One explanation is that the soles of the feet of the natives are much tougher than those of Europeans, but that is not all. The stones used are basalt, which is of volcanic origin, and is remarkable for being extremely porous and a non-conductor of heat. Such a stone can be red-hot at one end while at the other it is comparatively cool, and the priest knows exactlv where to put bis feet.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/SUNAK19270511.2.177.16
Bibliographic details
Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 41, 11 May 1927, Page 14
Word Count
179FIRE WALKING Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 41, 11 May 1927, Page 14
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