Twins: The Indians at Canelos never eat two bananas which have grown together,

believing that if they eat them, their wives will give birth to twins. (KARSTEN, Indian
Tribes of Equador, p. 74; cf. BAARDA, pp. 466, 468.)
If pregnant women eat fruits which have grown double, they will be delivered of twins.
(Mecklenburg.-WUTTKE, p. 193; Great Britain, India; Ethnologie du Bengale, p. 81.)
Tychon: Gr. Myth. The spirit of good luck.
Tyndareus: Gr. Myth. Legendary king of Sparta, husband of Leda, father of Castor,
Pollux, Helen and Clytemnestra.
Typheus: Gr. Myth. The chief of the giants who scaled the heavens. He was struck by
lightning by Zeus.
Typhon: Egypt. Myth. An ancient god of wickedness, darkness and sterility.
Typhus: The Polish peasants believe that the hand of a dead Jew is effective against
typhus. (SCHIFFER, Urquell, Vol. III, pp. 123, etc.)
Tyr: Teut. Myth. An ancient war or sky god. His name has been connected with Zeus,
Jupiter and Dyaus.
Tyrant: If a person eats the heart of a bear, he will become a tyrant. (Jews of Minsk.)
U
Uatchit: Egypt. Myth. The goddess of the North who, along with Nekhebit, was taken by
Horus, in the form of two serpents, that they might consume with fire any rebels who
still remained. (WIEDEMANN, Leg. of the Winged Sun-Disk.)
Uazit: A variation of Uatchit.
Ugly Females: These are to be found in Yomi (q.v.).
Uhatsu-wata-dzume: See Sokotsu-wata-dzume.
Uhijini: Mud has been deified under this name in Japan.
Ukemochi: A Japanese Food-goddess who, with the Sun-goddess, is worshipped at
Ise. She is said to be the child of Ohonomochi, the great Earth-god.
Ukhat: Babyl. Myth. The word literally means a "wailing woman." Ukhat lured Eabani
into the service of Gilgamesh. Vide Eabani, Gilgamesh.
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Ulcer: The tongue of a dog cures ulcers. (LEAN, Vol. II, p. 516.)
Ulysses: Gr. Myth. A legendary king of Ithaca, son of Laertes, father of Telemachus,
and husband of Penelope. He was one of the principal heroes in the Siege of Troy, and
is noted for his sagacity and prudence. The principal episodes of his life in chronologi-
cal order are : (i) the ruse he employed in order to single out Achilles disguised as a
maiden and living with the daughters of the king of Lycomeda, to take him to the siege
of Troy; (ii) his dispute with Ajax for the, possession of Achilles' arms; (iii) his entry into
the cave of the giant Polyphemus whose only eye he blinded; (iv) the metamorphosis
of his companions into pigs brought about by the wicked enchantress Circe; (v) the
manner in which he escaped the allurements of the sirens by binding himself to the
mast of the ship and stopping his own and his companions' ears; (vi) his reception in
the court of Alcinos, king of the Pheacians; (vii) the flight of the image of Ithaca before
him; (viii) the touching manner of his recognition by his dog and his faithful nurse
Euryclea, after an absence of twenty years. Vide Circe, Penelope, Euryclea.
Uma: Hind. Myth. Devi, the consort of Siva, is also called Uma, "light."
Umbrella: In Eastern countries the umbrella is a symbol of supremacy. If a king is pres-
ent, no one is allowed to carry an umbrella. (M0NIER WILLIAMS, Buddhism, p. 523.)
It is unlucky to open an umbrella inside the house; it denotes a speedy death (general),
or that you will remain unmarried all your life. (U.S.A.-KNORTZ, p. 39.)
Umkulunkulu: The supreme spirit of the Zulus (CALLAWAY).
His character seems to vary from the idea of an ancestral spirit, or the spirit of an
ancestor, to that of a god. (HAGGARD, Nada the Lily, pp. xii, 206.)
Underclothing: A woman must not change her underclothing for a period of six weeks
after she has given birth to a child; if she ignores this precaution, she will give birth to a
baby every year. (Mark.-WUTTKE, p. 207.)
Unfaithful: Elephant hunters of East Africa attribute their want of success in hunting to
the unfaithfulness of their wives ; in such case they think they will be killed or severely
wounded. (P. RAICHARD, Deutsch-Ostafrika, Leipsic, 1892, p. 427.)
Unicorn: Unicorns can be caught only by placing a virgin in their haunts.
The horn of a unicorn dipped into a liquor will show if it contains poison. (cf. HAZLITT,
p. 605 sq.)
Unicorns do not eat anything but virgins. Vide Chichi Vache, Poison, Virgin, Venetian
Glass, Drinking Horn, Rhinoceros, Dragon.
Unlucky Days: There are forty-two unlucky days in the year of which three are the most
unlucky, viz., 1 April, the day of the birth of Judas Iscariot; 1 August, the day of the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; and 1 December, the day on which Satan was
driven out of Heaven.
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The forty-two unlucky days are: January 1, 2, 6, 11, 17, 18; February 8, 16, 17; March
3, 12, 13, 15; April 1, 3, 15, 17, 18; May 8, 10, 17, 30; June 1, 17; July 1, 5, 6; August
1, 3, 17, 20; September 1, 2, 15, 30; October 15, 17; November 11, 17; December 1, ,
11. (STRACKERJAN, Vol. II, p. 52; cf. HAZLITT, pp. 374-379.)
Upasruti: Hind. Myth. A supernatural voice which is heard at night, revealing the secrets
of the future. (DowsoN, H.C.D., p. 326.)
Upior: The vampire of Polish superstition.
Upir: The vampire of Russian superstition.
Urania: Gr. Myth. The Muse of astronomy. She is represented with a compass and a
globe.
Uranus: Class. Myth. The most ancient of the Greek gods, father of Saturn, the Ocean,
the Titans, the Cyclops, etc.
Urdhr: Scand. Myth. "Was." One of the Norns or goddesses of Fate. She corresponds
to the Greek Lachesis. According to the Eddas she was a water-nymph. (THORPE,
N.M., Vol. II, p. 13.)
Urganda: A fairy of the Middle Ages, who was beneficent to the knights. Sometimes
she appeared as an old woman and sometimes as a charming maiden.
Uriel: An angel whose name is often mentioned in Eastern liturgies.
Urine: Urine is an excellent means for keeping away all evilintentioned spirits and
ghosts. (LEAN, Vol. II, p. 460; RINK, Tales and Trad., p. 56.)
If a girl urinates in a man's shoe, he will fall madly in love with her. (PLoss, Das Weib,
Vol. I, p. 443.)
Urisk: Celt. Folklore. "The Urisl was a large, lubberly supernatural being of solitary
habits and harmless character that haunted lonely and mountainous places . . . . There
were male and female Urisks, and the race was said to be the offspring of unions
between mortals and fairies." (CAMPBELL, Sup. of Scot. Highi., p. 145.)
Urshu: Egypt. Myth. Spirits who played the part of the watchers.
Urth: Same as Urdhr.
U-simbela-banta-bami: "He digs-up-for-my-children." This was the peaceful name of a
Zulu assegai. (CALLAWAY, Relig. of the Amazulu, p. 186.)
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Usurer: The spirits of usurers must return to earth.
If you mention the name of a usurer the first thing in the morning, you will have nothing
to eat that day (Bengal). cf. Miser.
Ut-napishtim: Babyl. Myth. A hero who by special favour of the gods has secured
immortal life, and to whom Gilgamesh (q.v.) applies for the secret of immortality. He is
the hero of the Babylonian deluge myth, of which he and his household are the only
survivors.
Uttama-pada: Outstretched, supine. In the Vedas, a peculiar creative source from
which the earth sprang. Supposed to refer to the posture of a woman in parturition.
(Dowson, H.C.D., p. 329.)
Utukku: Babyl. Folklore. They were like the Shedu, strong and powerful demons.
V
Vadava, Vadavanala: Hind. Myth. The submarine fire which "devours the waters of the
ocean" causing it to throw off the vapours which are condensed into rain and snow
(Dowson, H.C.D., p. 330.)
Vaitarani: Hind. Myth. The river which separates the land of the living from the land of
the dead. cf. Styx.
Valentine, St.: He should be invoked as a last resource in cases of epilepsy.
Valhalla: Norse Myth. The hall of Odin, in which he receives the souls of heroes slain in
battle; it is the palace of immortality. From its 540 gates the warriors go each morning
to fight, and at night they return to feast with the gods, Valkyries being their servitors.
Vail: Norse Myth. One of the Asir, son of Odin, and avenger of Balder. He survives
Ragnarok.
Valkyrie: Norse Myth. One of the twelve maidens of Odin, awful and beautiful, who
hover over the field of battle choosing those to be slain, and conducting the worthy
heroes to Valhalla (q.v.).
Vampire: A spirit of a dead person or his corpse reanimated by his own spirit or by
another, returning to sap the life of the living by sucking their blood. The vampire is
often one who has died an untimely death, or one who in his turn has been killed by a
vampire. The superstition is very widespread, and may be found among the Slays, the
Greeks, the Malays, the Chinese, etc.
When a grave is opened, a vampire may easily be recognized owing to the body
remaining in perfect preservation and the lips being stained with blood.
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