58 Proceedings of the Eojjdl Irish Academy . 



power of assuming human shape temporarily. All are malignant, and more 

 or less evU, and if not appeased may do him bodily harm, or interfere with 

 his wives or his chop (food) ; if he can gain their favour, he will acquire 

 copper (money), and their aid will preserve him in immunity from the conse- 

 quences of his evil actions. Freedom from bodily harm, wives, copper, and 

 chop define the limits of the Mendi's perception. The devils can he destroyed 

 by burning them and their abodes. If not fed by sacrifice, the devil eats man ; 

 he catches and kills him ; and he also steals children. By living with devils 

 man can turn into a devil. 



A boy was once stolen by a devil. " The boy and the devil returned to 

 the devil's town. The devil caught the boy, and put him in a house. He 

 shut him in the house and night came, and the boy turned into a devil. They 

 went into the bush and got medicine. Devil gave him medicine. He took 

 it. They went to the road ; people came. The devil caught a man ; he killed 

 him, he carried him. He gave him to his son ; they ai-ose ; they came to 

 their town ; they cooked him. He gave to him, and he said, ' I will not 

 eat.' " (Migeod's Mendi Grammar.) 



An ever-increasing number of Temne are Mahommedans, but still the real 

 objects of worship are the " Krifis " or spirits, upon whose good- or ill-will 

 their happiness in this world depends. For these they care much more than 

 for the supreme being, hence the many sacrifices they make to them. Any 

 evil which may befall a person is attributed to the ill-will of the Krifi who 

 have been offended or neglected, and must be appeased by sacrifice; while 

 every good is attributed to the good-will of the Krifi, for which a sacrifice in 

 thanksgiving must be rendered. The same belief is prevalent among the 

 Angass of Nigeria, the Krifi being known as " Gigwel." 



The Krifi or devils are good or evil, male or female, and their business is 

 not only to take care of men, but of towns, farms, and houses. At the 

 entrance to towns a small hut containing stones, bones, and skulls may be 

 seen, which is dedicated to the Krifi, or tutelary spirit of the town, before 

 whom they set food at certain times. The sacrifices consist of food, cooked 

 rice, or of cakes. 



The Temne has advanced from the belief in incorporeal beings with neither 

 name nor shape, for he teUs us that the Krifi can be seen by those possessed 

 of second sight, but not by the ordinary individual, who represents them by 

 stones taken from the graves of relatives which he keeps in his house, and calls 

 " the dead ones." For them he cooks, and offers the product in sacrifice. 



The immortal part of man is his shadow, but it is not a Krifi, The Krifis 

 may be the deified spirits of their departed ancestors ; if so, he rather fears 

 than reveres them. 



