Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 7 1889.djvu/84

76 the earth the Creator formed the dry land quite smooth and flat. So Shaitan threw over it the earth he had kept back, and from it originated mountains, stones, and ravines. But Cham Pas remedied the evil by putting gold, silver, iron, and precious stones into the mountains. From the stones he taught men to make mill-stones, and he filled the ravines with water, from which rivers take their origin. The Creator had made the earth covered with beautiful trees, quite like a garden. So Shaitan raised a storm, and felled a number of them. Cham Pas turned the great open spaces thus caused into meadows and pasture ground, and also taught men agriculture and hay-making. Shaitan wanted to destroy man as well as the other creations of Cham Pas. The latter had formed a man out of clay, but it was still without life. He went away for a moment to create a spirit elsewhere, and left a dog to watch over the body, to prevent Shaitan from destroying it. Now formerly the dog was a clean animal (see note, § 9), and had no hair at all on its skin (see note, § 24). So Shaitan caused such fearful cold that the dog was like to die. Then he made an offer to clothe it with hair, as a protection against the inclement weather, if he were allowed for a moment to get near the lifeless man. The dog assented. Shaitan spat all over the man, and from his spittle diseases were evolved. Then he began blowing his evil breath or spirit into the body. Upon this Cham Pas hurried to the spot, chased away Shaitan, and ordered the dog always to carry about his dirty hair. To remedy the mischief wrought by Shaitan he turned the body inside out, but the diseases caused by the spittle remained all the same. Then he blew his own good breath into the man and left him. For this reason man remained inclined to both good and evil. When man had thus been created, Shaitan said to Cham Pas, pointing to the man :

"My breath is in him to a half and thine to a half. Let us divide all mankind ; let half be thine and half mine." Cham Pas drove Shaitan away, gave men understanding, and taught them to discern between good and evil, lest they should fall a prey to Shaitan. In his resentment the latter began to create first of all a whole quantity of evil spirits like himself, only less powerful ;