112 PROCEEDINGS COTTESWOLD CLUB 1905 
demons innumerable, and the dragon. All of these have 
their peculiar shrines and offerings. The Korean’s house 
is peopled in its turn by other spirits, e.g. the Lord of the 
Site, Good Fortune, the Messenger, the Gatekeeper, the 
spirit of Small Pox, of Nativity and others. The most 
prominent of these house spirits is the Lord of the House. 
‘His fetish is enshrined in the frame of the house as soon 
as the beams are set up, and from that day he is lord of all 
who dwell within, and their weal or woe is subject to his 
whim. His fetish consists of blank sheets of paper and a 
small bag of rice, which are hung from the ridge beam 
of the principal room—generally the living room of the 
house.” On the completion of the house a grand cere- 
mony is held by the mudang. “A large sacrifice of 
food is prepared, and an elaborate ritual gone through 
until she has worked herself up to the proper pitch of 
frenzy. She then seizes a wand, which enables her to seek 
the spirit. When found, he perches on the wand, and 
drags her back to the fetish, into which she introduces 
him by violently shaking the stick and beating round about 
the fetish. He is now supposed to feed on the feast for a 
time, after which the food is passed out to the assembled 
guests. The spirit becomes the chief protector of the 
house, and every inmate lives in constant anxiety of 
offending him. The children are taught not to tread 
on the threshold, for that is his neck; and when a meal is 
eaten in the inner room, all parties are careful so to place 
their tables that they will not be eating facing the fetish. 
This would anger him, and cause him to afflict some 
member of the household.” 
This description may convey a mistaken idea of 
grandeur, unless it is read by those who are acquainted 
with the extreme poverty of the Korean people. In 
all cases the offerings to the spirits. are of the simplest 
character. In the above case, some sheets of paper and a 
