ABSTRACT
Similar kinds of constraints can apply to the names of things, as well as to the names of people. It is fairly common to find a taboo against the use of the name of a powerful animal such as a bear, tiger or crocodile. Instead phrases like 'honey-eater' or nick-names like 'Bruin' are used. In parts of Africa and India it is not done to name a snake. Instead you say things like 'There is a strap' or 'There is a rope.' It is believed that if you call something a snake it is likely to act like a snake, and bite you. In a similar vein, Bavarian farmers in Germany traditionally do not name the fox, in case using the word calls the fox, and causes it to attack their hens. In a very similar vein, we still say 'Talk of the devil', suggesting that speaking of someone causes them to appear. Finally, and more subtly, it used to be the case in China that a doctor who did not have the appropriate drug for his patient would write the name of the drug on a piece of paper, burn it, and get the patient to eat the ashes. It was believed that the name of the drug would be just as efficient as the drug itself.
