Note 177 — Chapter V · Magic Rites connected with the Several Departments of Nature (continued 2)
Reading edition
“The gaharu merupa is a piece of strangely formed gaharu wood, having a rough resemblance to some living creature, be it a bird, a dog, a cat, or something else.
“The writer of these lines has never been able to see one of these gaharu merupa, and it would seem that none have been found in Siak in recent times.
“The power which it is believed to possess rests on the supposition that it is the spirit of the kayu gaharu. With it in hand, the holder is sure to make large finds of gaharu wood in the jungle.
“The gaharu wood is not the wood of a tree named gaharu, but is the product of a tree of the name of karas.”—J.R.A.S., S.B., No. 17, p. 154. ↑