The power of faith can sometimes elicit surprising results .....
..... but not always what was hoped for.
Take for instance the story of Syarifuddin, an Indonesian man, was bathing in the Lempake river in Berau, Indonesia with friends, when he was attacked by a crocodile, and dragged into the dark slow running water.
His desperate relatives searched in vain for him, or at least his body for a burial. When this failed they turned for help to a local shaman, who specialises in 'crocodile witch craft' and paid him a fee to intercede with the crocodile.
The hope was that the victim would be brought back alive .... but perhaps not surprisingly that didn't happen.
A local myth says that clothed people don't get taken by crocodiles, naked people do. Syarifuddin was clothed, so this myth probably reflects local taboos about nudity, and the lack of safe bathing areas, rather than any real protective against crocodiles, who I suspect don't recognise human clothing or nudity.
However, rather strangely, the body of Syarifuddin was brought back to the river bank by a crocodile just after the Shaman's prayers. It hadn't been eaten. Police Inspector Hamid said the 'important thing was that the body had been found. People also bathe in the water, so again, it is unlucky that he was killed by the crocodile.'
An odd story .... but true.
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| Faith May Not Always Be Enough ..... But We Always Hope So. |
..... but not always what was hoped for.
Take for instance the story of Syarifuddin, an Indonesian man, was bathing in the Lempake river in Berau, Indonesia with friends, when he was attacked by a crocodile, and dragged into the dark slow running water.
His desperate relatives searched in vain for him, or at least his body for a burial. When this failed they turned for help to a local shaman, who specialises in 'crocodile witch craft' and paid him a fee to intercede with the crocodile.
 |
| Crocodile Tears? |
The hope was that the victim would be brought back alive .... but perhaps not surprisingly that didn't happen.
A local myth says that clothed people don't get taken by crocodiles, naked people do. Syarifuddin was clothed, so this myth probably reflects local taboos about nudity, and the lack of safe bathing areas, rather than any real protective against crocodiles, who I suspect don't recognise human clothing or nudity.
However, rather strangely, the body of Syarifuddin was brought back to the river bank by a crocodile just after the Shaman's prayers. It hadn't been eaten. Police Inspector Hamid said the 'important thing was that the body had been found. People also bathe in the water, so again, it is unlucky that he was killed by the crocodile.'
An odd story .... but true.
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