Dear Reader
In the history of Salt so far, we have seen its role in forming civilization, grooming economics, and its role in power politics.
This post presents how salt is regarded in various religions around the world and myths about salt in various cultures of the world. Most of these myths stem from the preserving nature of salt. It's fascinating to see the earliest connection between man and preservation. Here are some myths surrounding Salt in various religions:
Salt as a preserving and longevity agent:
1. Preserving is associated with longevity and fertility. It is believed that early Egyptians protected the 'mummies' by covering them in salt'
2. To the Hebrews, salt represents the covenant of God with Israel. Thus the followers of the Jewish religion, on their Sabbath Day, dip the holy bread in Salt to eat. The bread is the symbol of food-a gift from God and dipping it in salt means the continuance of the bond between Man and God.
3. Salt is also used to make promises as it is immutable. In both Islam and Hebrew religions, a pact is sealed with salt. Indians swear by salt and are vary of it too (one is bound by uppina runa- literally, the debt of salt- for seven births. So, it is a practice to pour water on salt served by friends/relatives at the beginning of lunch/dinner)
4. Ancient Romans and Greeks used to invoke their Gods with salt and water, which is considered to be the origin of the 'Holy Water' in Christianity. Thus, the Catholic Church dispenses not only Holy Water but also Holy Salt=Sal Sapientia -the Salt of Wisdom.
5. It is a Jewish practice to carry Salt and Bread to a new home. The British dispensed with carrying bread but continued to carry salt into new homes as a harbinger of prosperity.
6. The City of Hamburg, Germany, renews its blessings every year by carrying chocolate-covered bread and marzipan saltcellar filled with sugar.
Salt as a potent medicine against evil:
1. It is believed that evil spirits detest salt. So, in traditional Japanese Theater, salt would be sprinkled just before the play began to protect both the performance and the actors.
2. In Haiti, salt was the only agent to bring a Zombie back to life.
3. In the Caribbean and Africa, it is believed that evil spirits shed their skin to enter the women to possess. Thus, the shed skin would be buried in salt so that the evil spirits could be destroyed when they try to return to their bodies.
4. Both Jewish people and Muslims believe that salt destroys evil spirits.
5. In India, if the babies within a year cry for no known reason, it is believed that the baby is targeted by an 'evil eye'. To cast off the evil eye, a woman takes rock salt in her fist and moves her fist around the baby in an anti-clockwise direction. This salt then would either be dissolved in water and thrown into a ditch or thrown into the fire to destroy the evil eye.
6. In Europe, it was the custom to protect newborn babies by rubbing their tongues with salt or submerging them in salt water. In France, this practice was abolished by 1408.
Well, it is yet another story of civilization about how salt played a central role in domesticating wild goats and sheep in the earliest times. People learned to domesticate some of these animals to protect their salt!! And it's an entirely different discourse of the very famous Soy Sauce-that it was also a means of preserving salt and so, in many Chinese cuisines, Soy Sauce was used instead of salt !!
I am certain that innumerable stories of salt are available and are interesting. And if you have one such story, do share 👇 Looking forward to hearing some stories from you.
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