A Taboo (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠ambivalent: unconsciously people want nothing more than to break it, and they fear it exactly because they want to — the fear simply wins.

A Taboo (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the oldest unwritten code of laws in humanity — older than the gods.

A Taboo (n.) upon ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the dead arises from the contrast between conscious pain and unconscious satisfaction over the death — so those with most to fear from the ghost are its nearest and dearest.

A Taboo (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a symptom of ambivalence and a compromise between two conflicting impulses; as ambivalence diminished, taboo slowly disappeared.

The Totem (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a substitute for the father — which is why its killing is both forbidden and festive, both celebrated and mourned.

A Totem (n.) appeared ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠in a child when little Árpád, pecked by a fowl, became one — cackling instead of speaking, gleefully slaughtering poultry then kissing the bodies, and announcing 'My father's the cock.'

A Totem (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the father: primitive men say so themselves, calling it their common ancestor and primal father — psychoanalysis merely takes them at their word.

A Totem (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠at heart an easily drawn pictograph: totemism grew not from religious needs but from the practical need for a name that could be written — and once savages bore an animal's name, they imagined kinship with it.

Totemism (n.) contains ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a self-justification: 'If our father had treated us the way the totem does, we should never have been tempted to kill him' — and so it helped forget the deed it came from.

Totemism (n.) forbids ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠exactly the two crimes of Oedipus once the totem is read as the father — killing the father and marrying the mother — which are also the two primal wishes of children.

Totemism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a covenant with the dead father — he promises protection, care and indulgence; the sons promise not to repeat the deed.

Totemism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠an identification of a man with his totem — its whole essence.

Magic (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠mistaking an ideal connection for a real one.

Magic (n.) arose ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠when men mistook the order of their ideas for the order of nature, and imagined that control over their thoughts gave them control over things.

Magic (n.) holds ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the idea of a thing more important than the thing: whatever is done to the idea will befall the thing, and since thought ignores distance, magic treats far as near and past as present.

Magic (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠all the folly of association: its two laws, similarity and contiguity, are simply the two laws of the association of ideas ruling over the world.

An Compulsion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠ostensibly a protection against the prohibited act, but actually a repetition of it.

An Compulsion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a compromise — remorse and expiation on one side, substitute satisfaction on the other — and by a law of neurosis it creeps ever closer to the very act it forbids.

An Compulsion (n.) begins ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠as a counter-charm against an expected disaster — always, at bottom, death — and ends as the closest possible imitation of the forbidden sexual act.

An Compulsion (n.) follows ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠once a prohibition can be lifted by performing an action: the action must be performed — expiation, penance, purification; most commonly, washing.

The Incest taboo (n.) proves ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not a natural aversion to incest but a natural instinct in favour of it.

The Incest taboo (n.) insists ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠that the genealogical history of one's choice of a lover shall not be recalled.

The Incest taboo (n.) cannot ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠be explained by an instinctive dislike of it — incest is no uncommon event even today, and history shows it was the rule among the privileged.

The Incest taboo (n.) was ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠aimed first at the son: the old totem rules leave the father free with his daughters but bar the son from his mother.

Projection (n.) relieves ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠us of pressure from within only by exchanging it for oppression from without: we no longer rejoice at the death — the dead man has turned into a demon eager to kill us.

Projection (n.) lets ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the survivor deny he ever hated the dead loved one; the dead man's soul harbours the hatred instead and seeks to act on it.

Projection (n.) was ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not made for defence: it is a primitive mechanism that shapes our sense perceptions and so builds the external world itself out of what belongs within.

Projection (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠most tempting when impulses all striving for omnipotence collide — for they clearly cannot all become omnipotent.

Guilt (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠creative: it still produces new moral precepts and restrictions as atonement for crimes committed and precaution against new ones.

Guilt (n.) fit ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠for a mass-murderer can weigh on the most considerate man alive — justified not by his deeds but by the death-wishes unconsciously at work in him.

Guilt (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a 'dread of conscience' — its anxiety corresponds to something unknown: the unconscious reasons for the repudiation.

Guilt (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not lessened by innocence of intention: the guilt of Oedipus was not palliated because he incurred it without knowledge and against his will.

Sacrifice (n.) makes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the scene of the father's greatest defeat into the representation of his supreme triumph — offering him satisfaction for the outrage in the same act that commemorates it.

Sacrifice (n.) became ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a gift to the god only with the idea of private property; before that it was a sacrament in which the clan killed and ate the totem — the primitive god himself — to renew their likeness to him.

Sacrifice (n.) alone ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠could procure the sacred cement that keeps alive the bond between worshippers and their god.

Sacrifice (n.) confesses, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠once the god himself is the victim, that its object has always been the same — what is now worshipped as God, that is to say, the father.

A King (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠taboo because everyone, perhaps, would like to be a king.

A King (n.) was ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠at first perhaps a foreigner who, after a brief reign, was sacrificed with solemn festivities as representative of the deity.

A King (n.) cures ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠what he causes: contact with him is the remedy for the dangers of contact with him.

A King (n.) must ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠observe more taboos the more powerful he is — until on the day he ascends the throne he is positively suffocated by them.