Page:Siamese ghostlore - Irwin - 1907.pdf/7

 its "pi" may return, and entering into the mother may cause her death. The correct method of burying an infant, in order to prevent the return of its "pi kuman," is to double it up, and place it in a large rice pot the top of which is closed by paper or leaves on which some charm or prayer in Pali has been written.

The "pi krasu" is one about which the writer do has not found it easy to get information which is quite satisfactory, as different conceptions of it appear to exist. Although it is, by name at least, known to every one as a very common "pi," its attributes seem to vary considerably. One account says it exists in the bodies of certain women. When such a one sleeps it goes out of her mouth, and wanders about in search of food. It likes to eat the dirtiest matters, and does no harm to human beings. Its distinguishing marks are a head the colour of fire, about the size of the electric light lamps in the streets of Bangkok, and a tail about half a metre long of a bluish colour, like that of burning alcohol. From this description it would appear to be like a large luminous tadpole some sixty centimetres long. Another account is different from this. It states that the "pi krasu " is a demon that possesses certain women, apparently witches, who are spoken of as penn krasu."

When a woman in the neighbourhood is about to be confined the demon issues forth at night and consumes the entrails of the child in the womb, thus causing it to be still born. It may also, it is said, enter into and consume the entrails of a living person, thus causing death. Api krasu" is naturally a most unpleasant neighbour. Any one "penn krasu" may be known by the following signs. She has a sleepy appearance, with unblinking eyes that do not show the reflection of any one she looks at. In order to avoid this being noticed she will never look any one in the face. It would seem, if this is so, that she must be somewhat difficult to detect. "Krasu" are said to be found mostly among Mawn and Malay women. An informant of the writer who had seen what he believed to be a "pi krasu" issuing forth on a nocturnal expedition from a village where many "krasu" were said to live, described it as a luminous ball about the size of a foot ball followed by several moving sparks like fire flies. When one "penn krasu" is about to die she must get some one to eat some of her