"Similar beliefs are held by the natives of the Cross River valley within the provinces
of the Cameroons. Groups of people, generally the inhabitants of a village, have chosen
various animals, with which they believe themselves to stand on a footing of intimate
friendship or relationship. Amongst such animals are hippopotamuses, elephants, leopards,
crocodiles, gorillas, fish, and serpents, all of them creatures which are either very
strong or can easily hide themselves in the water or a thicket." Sir James George Frazer,
1854-1941, The Golden Bough, § 3. The External Soul in Animals
