The four ghost brothers; or, The origin of cremation

They recognized there some people they had known and who had died. The eldest brother said, “We are dead, for we have found the place where these people are.” They talked with them, and the latter heard them and answered quite readily. The eldest brother said, “We can only converse with ghosts. Certainly, we are dead.” The village where these people lived was on the same level with the earth. The people inhabiting it were for the most part those whose bodies had been left on the ground unburned. They saw another trail leading underground. They followed it some little distance, and then returned. The eldest brother said, “Let us visit our people again!” They had four married sisters, and the eldest brother proposed that they should enter them. The eldest one entered the body of the eldest sister, and the youngest that of the youngest. The sisters became pregnant, for the souls of the brothers had entered them. In due course, and all on the same day, the sisters gave birth to four boys. The eldest brother was born first. The boys grew fast, and soon were able to talk. They told the people, “Now we have come back. Why did you not answer us when we came back from our trip?” The people said to them, “You were drowned.” The boys knew all the people, and could call them by name. They knew the women who were their wives, and spoke to them kindly. After a time they said, “We are going to leave you soon. We are going to explore the trail we saw leading underground to the spirit land. Burn us when we die.” They told the people all about the place they had visited, what the ghosts did, and whom they saw there. Shortly afterwards they died. The people burned their bodies, and the brothers went on the trail to the lower spirit-world. They saw some people there whom they had known on earth. They returned, and were born by their sisters in the same way as before. They grew rapidly; and when they became able to talk, they told the people about the ghost-land below the earth, and whom they saw there. They described it as a damp, dingy place, where people were starving. Now they said, “We shall soon depart again, and explore another trail that we saw leading above the earth. Burn our bodies as before. We shall come back to you again.” This time they followed a trail that led to the sky. They recognized some people there. The time arrived for the brothers to be born again, but they did not return. The people said, “They are lost, and cannot return.” At last the youngest sister gave birth to a boy. This was the youngest brother who had come back. When he was able to talk, he told the people all about the ghost-land in the sky. He said it was a good place, and the people were always happy. He said, “We saw there all the people killed in war. My brothers remained because it is such a nice place, and they asked me to come back and tell you about it. Tonight I shall die and go to join my brothers. I shall return no more. Burn my body as before. We have told you of all we have seen in the spirit-lands. When people die, burn them. People left on the ground or buried have a bad smell, and their ghosts smell also. The spirits of cremated people do not smell. They are purified by the fire.” Now the people know all about the spirit-lands, and since that time people have burned their dead.

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