this transfer of biological properties, associated with animals, plants
and persons, to what is otherwise identified as an inert natural object.^3
These people do not have a fantastic ontology in which mountains
in general are live organisms with digestion, in the same way as llamas,
people and goats. The supernatural concept specifies that thismoun-
tain has somephysiological features. That other mountains are inani-
mate natural objects like rocks and rivers quite literally goes without
sayingin the Andes as it does everywhere else in the world. Indeed, the
notion of onemountain having a physiology is attention-grabbing only
against this intuitive background.
[66] All animal species, in our intuitive categories, belong to only one
species. Our intuitions go beyond the surface features of these different
species. For instance, everyone (even young children) has the intuition
that members of a species have the same "stuff" inside: the innards of
all cows are similar, and so are the insides of all giraffes. Violations of
this principle are often found in supernatural concepts, not just in reli-
gion but also in myth and folktales. In the Sumerian Gilgameshepic the
hero's companion Enkidu is a half-human, half-animal composite. In
the Fang epics, some heroes have an iron stomach and liver, which sup-
posedly explains why they are invulnerable. To mention yet another,
perhaps more familiar example from religion, the concept of a woman
who gave birth without having sex is another instance of this general
pattern: same species (she is a human being like other human beings)
but counterintuitive physiological property (she reproduced in a way
that is not the same as other members of the species).
Among the Fang some people are said to possess an internal organ
calledevur,which allows them to display particular talent in various
undertakings outside the domain of everyday activities. People with
great oratory skills or a particular ability in business, people whose
plantations are especially successful, are commonly said to have an
evur.This is usually described as a small additional organ located in
the person's stomach. One is born either with or without an evur,
although there is no easy way to find out which. Indeed, how the evur
affects the person depends on external circumstances, so that posses-
sion of the extra organ is invoked to explain both positive personal
features (someone is particularly skilled or attractive) and nasty but
mysterious dealings. Most cases of illness or misfortune are con-
nected to the evur.Some evur-bearers are said to launch invisible
attacks against other people, drink their blood and bring misfortune,
illness or even death to the victim. In fact, there are few examples of
RELIGION EXPLAINED