Page:Chinese Life in the Tibetan Foothills.djvu/151

Rh suicide this charm is used to drive away the demon. It is also used after deaths to purge away the bad acts of the deceased.

Chao hsien fu, the call-fairy charm. It is said that each celestial has a particular charm.

Shê kuei (攝鬼) fu. The seize-demon charm is for haunted houses and is used both for wearing and for burning.

Ch‘ien chiang (遣將) fu, the dispatch-general charm. It is believed that there are in the spirit world thirty-six shuai (帥) and seventy-two chiang (將) or generals; and this charm can command the help of all these to ward off an attack by evil spirits.

Wu kuei fu, the five-demon charm. It is believed that the four points of the compass have their particular evil influences and one which controls the centre. This charm wards off these evil influences.

Ch‘i sha (七煞) fu, the seven baneful deaths charms. These seven deaths come from the following seven sources: heaven, earth, man, year, month, day, and hour.

San sha. The three baneful deaths come from the following sources, and are spoken of separately as sui (歲) sha, ch‘ieh (刼) sha, tsai (災) sha, the evil influences of the year, robbery and calamity respectively.

Wu lei fu, the five-thunder charm, is used to break up an attack of ague or demon possession. It is burned and swallowed or worn on the person. The ague demons (擺子鬼) are said to be five in number, three cold and two hot; the two hot demons were originally named mao (毛), and the three cold ones named chao (趙). Legend has it that these five stole Lu pan's (魯班) hatchet and chisels and on being pursued, two fell into fire and were burned and three fell into the river and were drowned. The patient blackens the face, adding patches of red over the eyes and nose; a high cap is put on his head and he goes out with a club in his hand and stands motionless in an open place. Sometimes people who want medicine for ague dare not even whisper the name of pai tsŭ for fear that when they speak it, it will come; they will simply give a description of the disease and sometimes hardly