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VOL. XV. (2) KOREA III 
80,000 in number, each at the head of a large host, 
who obey their commands. ‘These spirits seem to stand 
apart from the rest in that among them are various grades 
of rank. The spirits of the house, the land, the mountains 
and other places are apparently independent of each other, 
and are not subordinate, some to others. 
The fetish of the village gods is a group of posts rudely 
carved and painted to represent human beings. These 
posts are frequently found at the entrance to a village, 
and each year receive an offering of rice, dough and fruits. 
The mountain gods have shrines erected to them by the 
side of streams, trees, or large rocks. These shrines are 
of the simplest character, often only a few feet high, with 
rough roofs of straw on a few small posts. Sometimes 
the spirit is represented in the picture of an old man 
sitting on a tiger; occasionally it is a woman surrounded 
by her servants. . 
The cairns, which are constantly found at the head of 
passes and under trees, are not to one spirit only, but 
to all the local gods. The stones are of small size, and no 
passer-by fails to add to the heap. On the branches of the 
tree are scraps of paper, cast-off clothes, locks of hair and 
utensils. The gods to whom they are erected are “the 
most important factors in the work of Korean Shamanism.” 
The offerings are generally of food, presented with prostra- 
tions and prayer. A curious feature of the worship is 
that it is customary to expectorate in front of the altar. 
This is not done as an insult, but it is in some way 
connected with superstitions about snakes, of which 
Koreans stand in great awe. Mr James suggests that the 
expectoration is intended to give any snake spirit that 
may occupy the cairn subject matter to occupy him until 
_the traveller has passed by. 
Besides these there are the earth spirits, which occupy 
groves—the Guardian Spirits of the village—goblins and 
