Pointing

In tribal cultures around the world it is thought that a sorcerer or witch can kill someone by pointing at them. The principle it works on is that the persons will is a weapon that can be used on others. Summoning their will makes the magic energy emerge from their fingers, which then travels to the victim. If the black magician has sent death and hatred the energy will attract the dark forces to accomplish this on the way to the hapless target. Should the person receiving the curse know he has been pointed and believes in the power behind it, he may bring his own demise about as a self fulfilling prophecy.

Examples of fatal pointing:

• Several North American Indian tribes have legends about the killing of animals in this way.
• Malaysian magicans point their kris (a dagger with a wavy blade) at someone, and it begins to drip blood.
• Alexander Sanders, leader of the Alexandrian movement, claimed he had given various women abortions by pointing at their womb and commanding that the pregnancy end

In modern lore, pointing at someone is thought to kill faeries. It's likely this is said by parents to young children to discourage pointing wildly at strangers, which can be considered rude (particularly when accompanied by "that lady is FAT" or "look at his funny hair!")

Point"ing, n.

1.

The act of sharpening.

2.

The act of designating, as a position or direction, by means of something pointed, as a finger or a rod.

3.

The act or art of punctuating; punctuation.

4.

The act of filling and finishing the joints in masonry with mortar, cement, etc.; also, the material so used.

5.

The rubbing off of the point of the wheat grain in the first process of high milling.

6. Sculpt.

The act or process of measuring, at the various distances from the surface of a block of marble, the surface of a future piece of statuary; also, a process used in cutting the statue from the artist's model.

© Webster 1913.