212 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 123 



MEN AND DEMONS 



In Ancient Times People and Demons Could 

 See Each Other (44) 



In ancient times tiie yin and tlie yang prin- 

 ciples had not been clearly separated. People 

 and demons lived and mingled with each 

 other without distinction. 



There were two cousins who were very 

 friendly. One day one died, but although his 

 body was dead his soul had not evaporated. 

 He constantly had communication with all. 

 When others came to make presents, this 

 demon also came and made presents. His 

 presents were fine fruit and cocoons. But 

 people did not realize that they were other 

 kinds of things and only thought they were 

 fine wine and meat. Not many days later, 

 after drinking the wine, the people had de- 

 parted and all returned home the first time. 



In the second year the demons had a festival 

 (happy celebration), and of course the de- 

 mons came and invited people to go to the 

 demons' homes and drink wine (to enjoy the 

 feast). The people prepared several jars of 

 wine and presented them to the demons with 

 a big fat pig. 



When people went to the demon's home 

 to eat and drink his things, people did not 

 know what the edibles were. But those de- 

 mon guests were covetous and drank much 

 of the wine that the people had presented, 

 so they became drunk. Late at night the 

 demon relatives and all their children were 

 drunk. Then people saw their true likenesses. 

 They were not people, but big rats, mice, 

 frogs, and all sorts of small creatures. Their 

 presents were fruit, insects, etc. The people 

 then became angry and with their pipes they 

 killed all the demons (demon relatives). 



Their host, the demon cousin, came out 

 and saw it, and became very angry and said, 

 "From now on we will not be friends of men 

 any more." He then said to the people, 

 "When I went to your homes, I did not 

 deceive your guests, but when you came to 

 my house you truly were without conscience 

 and beat all my guests to death. After this, 

 please do not come to my home." Because 

 of this, men and women can no longer see 

 each other. 



A Man and a Demon Scheme Together to 

 Get a Family's Money (32) 



In very ancient times men and demons 

 mingled together. Once an official sent a run- 

 ner to call a person to be tried in court. The 

 demon king also sent a demon messenger 



to go and arrest a demon. The two mes- 

 sengers met at a road crossing. The two 

 walked together one morning. They both 

 became hungry. The demon runner said, 

 "Friend, we are both servants of others, which 

 is truly hard to bear. It would be better if 

 we should cooperate to get a little money to 

 buy our dinner with." The human runner 

 said, "How shall we do it?" The demon 

 runner said, "If you will only heed my words, 

 I have a way." The human messenger said, 

 "Yes, begin." The demon said, "We will not 

 go to those careful people. I see that among 

 those people opposite there is an old person 

 whose hair and whiskers are white and 

 whose age is seventy-two years. I see that he 

 is very careless. I will go into his window 

 and leap inside and twist him and choke him 

 until he is half dead. Then you come as a 

 doctor and tell them to prepare wine, meat, 

 and money, and then I will release him, and 

 we will be all right." Then the human mes- 

 senger said, "All right. We two will separate 

 for a while and each will perform his task." 



In less time than it takes to eat a meal, the 

 demon seized the old man. Near evening 

 the human runner went to that home and 

 saw the old man half dead and half alive 

 and helpless. He then asked, "Master, this 

 old man, what sickness has he?" Someone 

 replied, "I do not know what strange illness 

 it is. He began suffering this morning." The 

 same person also said, "Guest, can you heal 

 it?" He said, "I am not efficient in anything 

 else except in exorcising cunning spooks." He 

 again said, " If you folks want to heal him, 

 you may prepare good incense and spirit 

 (paper) money and candles, and gold nuggets 

 and lumps of silver and a rooster and four 

 strings of cash as my pay and I can heal him." 



When the family heard these words they 

 did not refuse, but immediately made ready 

 and invited him to perform. He then per- 

 formed the do nun's ceremonies for one night. 

 Next morning the old man was well and his 

 strength was especially good and he said, 

 "Good teacher, thank you." 



Although the demon trick was already ac- 

 complished, the human runner was not strong, 

 and he could not carry on his back four 

 strings of cash and the peck of rice in which 

 incense was placed. He said, "This demon 

 has truly harmed me, for I cannot carry a load 

 that heavy." The demon said, "Who made 

 your mind that big? I also cannot carry ten 

 bundles of spirit money, and diere is the 



