[167] It is still to some extent a matter of dispute as to how far existing races of savages are ignorant of the rôle of the father in reproduction. There is much evidence in favour of such ignorance being often very considerable and sometimes perhaps complete (See E. S. Hartland, "Primitive Paternity," 1910). Some authors however (e. g. Walter Heape, "Sex Antagonism," and Carveth Read, "No Paternity," Jour. Royal Anthrop. Inst. 1918, XLVIII, 146) have maintained that the facts do not admit of the assumption of complete ignorance. Read especially has shown that such ignorance as exists may often be due to social or individual inhibitions, which prevent the knowledge of the true facts (a knowledge which exists in certain persons even in primitive communities) from penetrating to the consciousness of the majority of the inhabitants. If this view is correct, it reveals an interesting parallel to the fate of sexual knowledge in the individual; psycho-analytic investigation often showing that knowledge of the facts of sex and reproduction can be repressed from consciousness, though persisting in the unconscious levels of the mind. (Cp. Freud, "Three Contributions to the Theory of Sex," 37 ff., 51.)
[168] Where of course the vagueness in question is beyond all doubt due to repression.
[169] E. S. Hartland, "Primitive Paternity." Vol. I, Ch. 1.
[170] A frequent dream in childhood consists in being chased by some wild and dangerous animal, which on analysis is almost invariably found to represent the father—the dream being comparable as regards conative tendency to the games of being pursued, in which children so often delight and which arouse in them a pleasant combination of fear and excitement, highly tinged with masochistic feeling. As regards mythology, the cases in which—as in that of Romulus and Remus—the rôle of foster parent is taken over by animals are of course quite numerous (cp. too in this connection the recent literary examples of Mowgli and Tarzan; also the dog Nana in Peter Pan), while in fairy stories there are also many examples of animals being endowed with parent attributes.
[171] "Analyse der Phobie eines fünfjährigen Knaben." Jahrbuch für Psychopathologische und Psychoanalytische Forschungen, 1909. Vol. I, p. 1.
[172] "Contributions to Psycho-Analysis," Ch. IX, 204.
[173] Sometimes however, one of these opposing elements is directed to the animal, the other to the human parent. Thus, as Mr. Burt has suggested to me, it would seem that in delinquents the tender elements are often withdrawn from the parents and manifest themselves in the excessive fondness for animal pets, to which Lombroso has drawn attention. ("Criminal Man," 1911, 62-3.)
[174] Frazer considers that the Australian system of exogamy bears the stamp of "deliberate design." "Totemism and Exogamy," IV, 112 ff.
[175] Freud, "Totem and Taboo," 198 ff.
[176] The Puritanical movement represented, in one of its most important aspects, an attempt to re-introduce the notion of the stern, relentless father. It is interesting to note that there seems to exist an association between the puritanical attitude in religion and a harsh, authoritative relationship between parents and children.