The body moisture of gods and demons had vitalizing properties.  When the Indian creator, Prajapati, wept at the beginning, “that (the tears) which fell into the water became the air.  That which he wiped away, upwards, became the sky."[50] The ancient Egyptians believed that all men were born from the eyes of Horus except negroes, who came from other parts of his body.[51] The creative tears of Ra, the sun god, fell as shining rays upon the earth.  When this god grew old saliva dripped from his mouth, and Isis mixed the vitalizing moisture with dust, and thus made the serpent which bit and paralysed the great solar deity.[52]

Other Egyptian deities, including Osiris and Isis, wept creative tears.  Those which fell from the eyes of the evil gods produced poisonous plants and various baneful animals.  Orion, the Greek giant, sprang from the body moisture of deities.  The weeping ceremonies in connection with agricultural rites were no doubt believed to be of magical potency; they encouraged the god to weep creative tears.

Ea, the god of the deep, was also “lord of life” (Enti), “king of the river” (Lugal-ida), and god of creation (Nudimmud).  His aid was invoked by means of magical formulae.  As the “great magician of the gods” he uttered charms himself, and was the patron of all magicians.  One spell runs as follows: 

I am the sorcerer priest of Ea... 
To revive the ... sick man
The great lord Ea hath sent me;
He hath added his pure spell to mine,
He hath added his pure voice to mine,
He hath added his pure spittle to mine.

R.C.  Thompson’s Translation.

Saliva, like tears, had creative and therefore curative qualities; it also expelled and injured demons and brought good luck.  Spitting ceremonies are referred to in the religious literature of Ancient Egypt.  When the Eye of Ra was blinded by Set, Thoth spat in it to restore vision.  The sun god Tum, who was linked with Ra as Ra-Tum, spat on the ground, and his saliva became the gods Shu and Tefnut.  In the Underworld the devil serpent Apep was spat upon to curse it, as was also its waxen image which the priests fashioned.[53]

Several African tribes spit to make compacts, declare friendship, and to curse.

Park, the explorer, refers in his Travels to his carriers spitting on a flat stone to ensure a good journey.  Arabian holy men and descendants of Mohammed spit to cure diseases.  Mohammed spat in the mouth of his grandson Hasen soon after birth.  Theocritus, Sophocles, and Plutarch testify to the ancient Grecian customs of spitting to cure and to curse, and also to bless when children were named.  Pliny has expressed belief in the efficacy of the fasting spittle for curing disease, and referred to the custom of spitting to avert witchcraft.  In England, Scotland, and Ireland spitting customs are not yet obsolete.  North of England boys used to talk of “spitting their sauls” (souls).