Some thoroughly interesting information from a book called Primitive Folklore by someone known as Elie Reclus.
The author is actually very sympathetic towards the Inoit Indians he’s talking about.
This information is actually extremely important because it demonstrates the use of urine – {though it’s not always clear whose urine – but in many cases, it seems human urine} – in all cultures across the world, including the European and Arabic.
It also makes some mention of the use of dung.
This goes on to show that the use of urine – in case of Indians, cow-urine – was not something limited to Indians.
It was not a Brahmanical invention, begotten from the depths of Brahmanical stupidity: it must have existed long, long before any Vedic cult ever arose.
As it turns out, urine of various creatures including human beings, was used even throughout the world, from very primitive times, and down to Christian Europe!
The short excerpt is all I can give now.
I might return to this subject sometime later.
“Although generally dirty, these people have, like the other Inoits and the majority of the Indians, a love of vapour baths, for which the kachim always provides the means.
They rub their bodies with urine, which they carefully preserve for their tanning operations; the alkali therein, mingling with the exhalations and the oils with which the body is impregnated, cleanses the skin as soap would do.
The acrid odour of this putrified liquor appears to be agreeable to them, but it catches the breath of strangers, who recoil suffocated, and have great diifFiculty in getting accustomed to it.
Horrible!
Horrible! Yes, for those who have a cake of soap on their toilette table.
But what about those who do not possess this detergent?
And those that do possess it are perhaps ignorant that even gloves, those articles of luxury and elegance made for the covering of white hands and plump arms, are soaked in the yolk of an egg, to which is added a large quantity of the aforesaid amber liquid; an indispensable operation, it seems, to give the skins the requisite suppleness and elasticity.
...
For a long while this same substance gave its beautiful orange tints to Dutch cheese, and to the Virginia tobacco something of its penetrating aroma.
Even to-day, in several civilised countries, in Paris itself, many individuals, unaccustomed to the emoilescence of glycerine and milk of bitter almonds, entertain a prejudice in favour of the Aleutian lotion, which in their opinion cleanses better than any other substance, and even preserves the health—an assertion contested by the doctors, who attribute to this toilette-water certain cases of blood-poisoning and purulent ophthalmia.
...
The custom used to be universal.
“To cleanse the teeth with urine is Spanish fashion,” said Erasmus.
The Spaniards inherited it from their prehistoric ancestors.
“To wash themselves and to cleanse the teeth, the Gantabrians, men and women,use the urine which they have allowed to stagnate in reservoirs.”
“Although the Celtiberians are careful of their persons and cleanly in their manner of living, they wash the body all over in urine, rubbing even the teeth with it, esteeming it as a good means of preserving the health of the body.”
It is therefore by no, means astonishing that the Wahabis and Ugogos of East Africa still do likewise.
But even in this matter people have preferences.
Thus the Arabs and Bedouins prefer the urine of camels.
The Banians of the Momba wash their faces with cows’ urine, because, say they, the cow is their mother.
This is employed also by the Silesian women as a preventative of freckles.
The Chewsures of the Caucasus find it good for preserving the health and for making the hair grow luxuriantly.
For this purpose they carefully collect the liquid manure of the cattle-sheds, but the liquid still impregnated with the vital warmth is accounted the most effective.
The milkers caress the animal, tickle it, whistle to it, and at the right moment put out their heads to receive the torrent that pours forth.
An industrious mother lets it stream over the head of her nursling at the same time as over her own.
...
Such were, and such are, the first steps towards bodily cleanliness.
...
The priests in office do not leave the recruiting of their pupils to chance; they make choice at an early age of boys or girls, not limiting themselves to one sex—a
mark of greater intelligence than is exhibited by most other priesthoods.
They have been known to address themselves to married couples of peculiar qualifications, and request of them a choice specimen to cultivate, even before its birth, by suitable education and special training.
The father and mother of the future sorcerer will fast often and long, will seek certain foods and avoid others, will supplicate their ancestors to envelop the precious offspring with all care.
As soon as it is born, the little creature will be sprinkled with urine, in order that it may be impregnated with the characteristic odour—it is decidedly their holy water.
Elsewhere, the beard, tresses, and entire person of kings and sacrificial priests are anointed with oil taken from holy phials and in other places they are buttered and smeared with dung, carefully spread out.
Every one to his taste.
...
...the Slavonic rustics shake over their cattle some of the herbs of St. John, boiled in urine, to keep them from bad luck.
Our French peasant-women used to wash their hands in their urine, or in that of their husbands and children, to avert enchantments or to prevent their taking effect.
Judge Paschasius caused the blessed Saint Lucy to be watered with this liquid because he thought she was a witch.”