Small-scale societies often endowed strangers with magical or dangerous powers

Evidence

Among many peoples, a stranger-however human-was believed to be possessed of special powers. Sometimes these powers were thought to be malevolent, sometimes benevolent, sometimes both; whatever the case, extraordinary ceremonies, often involving long periods of time, were called for (Van Gennep, 1960:26-35; Frazer, 1922:226-230). And even when the stranger was not thought to have magical powers, he was often viewed with a fear or joy or some mixture of both emotions. He might, for example, be an enemy in disguise and require close observation, as in the twelfth century injunction to “Beware of strangers while thou have an enmye, and see welle to his wayes” (Saint Bernard, Le Regisme de Mesnaige, c. 1130). — Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order and Action in…, 58

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Small-scale societies lack norms dictating generosity to anonymous strangers. — Joseph Henrich, The Secret of Our Success: How Culture…, 628