Category of Spirits and Demons 精怪門

A Stone Eagle Steals Grain 石鷹竊米

Below the bank of the Meixia River in Chaotan was a great boulder several dozen zhang in height (a zhang is c. 3.33m), and even at that scale its form was like that of an eagle dipping its beak in the water, its wings drawn down and back as if restrained, their power seeming incredibly mighty. Boatmen refused to moor their vessels beneath it, saying that it was a demonic being. One year, the prefectural granary having lost its grain, thirty or forty people were falsely accused so commissioned Daoists to make an investigation and summoning. They then realised that it was this stone eagle that had stolen it away in its beak. On digging beneath the stone, they indeed found more than several dozen dan of grain.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後2.264 (Tale 479):

石鷹竊米

潮潭梅下江畔有石高十數丈，大如之，其形類鷹喙插水，翼如墜而將斂，其勢甚雄。舟人不肯艤舟其下，曰有怪物。一年州倉失米，被誣者三四十人，遂命道士行法考召，方知為此石鷹竊銜去。掘之石下，果得其米數十餘石。

Yuan Haowen 元好問, Chang Zhenguo 常振國 (ed), Xu Yijian zhi 續夷堅志 (Continued Records of the Listener), and Anon., Jin Xin 金心 (ed.), Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi 湖海新聞夷堅續志 (Continuation of Records of the Listener with New Items from the Lakes and Seas) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1986).

A Stone Turtle is Able to Walk 石龜能行

By the side of the Chuzhou government office was an ancient stone stele, recording someone’s good governance, even their courtesy name having been rubbed away over the years. Beneath the stele was a stone turtle, which emerged to roam about every night. The government clerks marvelled at this, making offerings to it in search of blessings and fortune, and it never failed to provide results. Due to this prayers to it never ceased for a single day, and it was named ‘Great King Transcendant Turtle’. Eventually a new prefectural chief took over, and, believing it to be a demon, not only would not make offerings, but even had it thrown in the river. The residence was then without calm or peace, but the clerks and populace lifted it back out and made offerings, thus restoring their good fortune. They later encountered a supernatural being who recognised that the turtle was indeed a demon, and smashed it, after which the uncanny events ceased.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後2.264 (Tale 478):

石龜能行

處州設廳側有一石古碑，亦不知紀載何人善政，字亦漫滅。碑之下有石龜，每夜出遊。官吏奇之，祭以邀福，無不驗者。由是禱祈無寧日，名之曰靈龜大王。續有太守來，以為怪，非惟不祭，且投之水。居不遑安，吏民再扶起而祭之，因此獲福。後遇異人，知其為怪，碎之，而怪方息。

An Elm Demon 榆木為怪

Lü Yijian, Duke Shen, served several times as a magistrate in Shu, but the name of his prefecture has been forgotten. The government office had long experienced a ghostly manifestation, named Great Aunt Yu, who was an elm spirit. In form she looked like an ancient and ugly woman, and she frequently emerged in the kitchen, encountered among a crowd of maids, who often saw her. The household, having seen her over a long period, did not think her strange. The Duke called out a question to her, at which she bowed low and said: “Your servant has long been resident in this hall, and though not human, I dare not cause misfortune.” The Duke then laid the matter aside and asked no more questions. She often predicted that he must later become very influential. One day she suddenly announced that she was pregnant, and the maids mocked her. She herself said that she would soon give birth, and then disappeared for over a month. Then, all of a sudden, her voice was heard, saying: “I have given birth; [264] please come and look. In the back garden, to the southwest of the elm tree, there’s another, and that’s my child.” They looked, and it was true.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後2.263-64 (Tale 477):

榆木為怪

呂申公夷簡常通判蜀中，忘其郡名。廨宇中素有鬼物，號俞老姑，乃榆木精，其狀一老醜婦，常出廚間與羣婢為偶，或時見之。家人見之久，亦不為怪。公呼問之，即下階拜（「階拜」原作「拜階」，據抄配本改。）云：「妾在於（抄配本無「於」字。）堂府日久，雖非人，然不敢為禍。」公亦置而不問。常謂公他日必大貴。一日忽懷妊，羣婢戲之。自言非久當產，遂月餘不見。忽出云：「已產矣， [264] 請視之，後園榆木西南生大贅乃是。」視之，果然。

A Camphor Spirit Bewitches People 樟精惑人

In winter, the jiaxu year of the Xianchun era (1274), two men offered paper money at the third bridge in Hangzhou, inviting travelling entertainers to wait upon them, saying that it was for a Governor Zhang’s wedding, and also stipulating in advance that they must not play melodies in the Golden Goblet Palace mode. The entertainers asked: “In what place?” They said: “On the border of Wuxi County in Jiangyin.” The entertainers asked: “When does the even take place?” They said: “Tonight.” The entertainers said: “That is more than five hundred li away; it is already evening. How can we get there?” The reply came: “You all lie in the boat; we will push it along.” The group all followed this instruction, and the boat sped along as if it were flying. They passed through Chang’an, Chongde, Suxiu and Wujiang, and around the second watch (9-11pm), they went ashore at a large mansion. The entertainers struck up their music as arranged, and saw that the seated guests were all small and short, the lamps burning with green flames, and soon it became dim and dark. On reaching the fourth watch (1-3am), there was no food or drink; people became hungry and annoyed, so they played in the Golden Goblet Palace mode. The seated guests and wine servers became very alarmed, and some tried to stop them, but the musicians would not listen. Suddenly there was a gust of black wind, people and room all vanished, and instead they saw a great tree filling the starry heavens. Following the barking of a dog the musicians took refuge in a nearby house and asked the people about it. They replied: “There is a camphor tree spirit here that can delude people. You have been bewitched!” The next morning there was indeed a huge camphor there. The two men were therefore the two messengers of the temple close to the tree, and the rest were temple spirits.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後2.262 (Tale 475):

樟精惑人

咸淳甲戌冬，有二男子齎官會於杭州三橋，請路歧人祗應，云是張府姻事，先議定不許用黃鍾宮曲調。路歧人曰：「在何處？」曰：「在江陰無錫縣界。」路歧人曰：「事在幾時？」曰：「在今夜。」路歧人曰：「此間相去五百餘里，又日暮，如何可到？」應曰：「汝等皆卧舟中，我自撐去。」衆從之，舟行如飛。經長安、崇德、蘇秀、吳江，約二更，上岸至一大府第，路歧人如約奏樂，見坐客行酒人皆短小，燈燭焰青，既而幽暗。至四更無飲饌，人飢且怒，因奏黃鍾宮。坐客與行酒人皆驚，亦有止之者。樂人不顧。須臾黑風一陣，人與屋俱亡，但見一大樹滿天星宿。因犬吠，投人家問之，人曰：「此間有樟樹精，能惑人，汝被惑矣！」天明，果一大樟樹也。二男子乃樹近廟中二使，其餘皆其廟神也。

A Frog Becomes A Spirit 蝦蟆為精

Wei Heshan was receiving guests, and was with a Mr Shi in the official hostel. After three rounds of toasts, Heshan went in. Then two servant girls emerged, each holding a candle, and said: “The Grand Councillor invites Professor [261] Shi.” Mr Shi went in after them, and the other guests all marvelled at this. Shortly after, Heshan emerged and asked: “Where did Mr Shi go?” The crowd said: “He followed two maids sent to invite him in.” Heshan was alarmed, and asked: “Where are they?” He then ordered his retinue to go and search everywhere. They suddenly heard a human voice coming from the pond, and hurriedly kindled a fire to illuminate it. They found Mr Shi, jumping into the water and already half submerged. The gathered people helped him up and used the cooking fire to warm and revive him. When they asked him why, he said: “Following the two maids’ invitation I arrived below a great building, and entering the central hall found a person dressed in green robes seated in the middle, who indicated a young woman and said: ‘It is ordered that you take her to wife; the rites will be completed this night.’ The gathering then swarmed around us as we entered the bedchamber. Your servant said: ‘My elderly mother still lives; she has not been consulted. Not right! Not right!’ I had no idea that we were in the water.” The next day, Heshan ordered people to drain the pond and inside it they found a frog as big as a grain scoop, with only four or five small frogs. Some suspected that this was a frog spirit.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後2.260-61 (Tale 473):

蝦蟆為精

魏鶴山會客，館中史先生與焉。酒三行，鶴山入內，忽有兩丫鬟秉二燭出，云：「參政請史教 [261] 授。」史君相隨而入，諸客怪之。少頃，鶴山出問：「史先生安往？」衆曰：「適先生令二婢請入內矣。」鶴山驚曰：「安有此？」於是令左右遍去搜尋，忽聞塘中人聲，急舉火照之，則史先生已半身投水矣。衆扶掖上，用火炙蘇，問其故，則曰：「適二丫鬟請到一大屋下，入中堂，有一人身綠衣坐於中，指一小女云：『令與汝為妻，今夕成禮。』衆遂簇擁入房。某曰：『有老母在，未曾報覆，不可！不可！』不知身在水中。」次日，鶴山令人幹塘，內有蝦蟆一隻，大如斗，小蝦蟆四五而已。或者疑其為蝦蟆精也。

An Earthworm Demon 蚯蚓為妖

Qian Zizhao of Pengze County in Jiangzhou had a daughter who was still unmarried when she reached ‘the hairpin’ (i.e., the age of fifteen). Her parents came to realise that she was pregnant, and questioned her about it. She said: “Every night a beautiful youth comes out of the Heavenly Well and sleeps with me; this has been going on for half a year.” Her father and mother suspected that she might have been seduced by a demon, so gave her a length of fine thread on a needle, and instructed her to wait until she went out, and then to secretly attach it to her robe, so they could track where she had gone. The next morning they walked around and made an inspection, finding a two-cun length of thread trapped against one of the bricks in the well (a cun is about 2.5cm). Digging out a stone slab, below it they found a white earthworm, more than two chi in length (a chi is about 33 cm). When they killed it, it made a chirruping sound.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後2.260 (Tale 472):

為妖

江州彭澤縣潛子昭，有女及笄未婚，父母覺而有娠，詰之。乃曰：「每夜有美少年從天井中出，與同寢，今已半年矣。」父母疑為祟所惑，乃以[*糸末*]線穿針授女，令俟其去，則密縫其衣，視之何去。次早巡視，天井中磚縫外尚留線二寸許，掘開石板，下得白蚯蚓一條，長二尺許，殺之，作聲唧唧。

A Python Spirit Becomes A Demon 蟒精為妖

In Nanzhong there is the Xuanxian place for offerings, at the foot of a steep and rocky precipice, and at the top of that is a stony grotto cave. Tradition has it that this was the residence of supernatural beings, and at times it is shrouded and hidden by clouds and mist. Students of the Way often built houses beneath it, and would see an immortal manifest before them, saying: “Every year on the Zhongyuan day (the Ghost Festival; the fifteenth day of the seventh month), you should select a person of virtuous conduct at the altar, and they will then ascend as an immortal.” At this all of those who studied the way and admired immortals gathered together there. When the time came, people from near and far congregated beneath the altar, holding incense, gazing at the cave mouth and praying. Afterwards, a person of moral virtue was selected from among the crowd, dressed and capped spotlessly, and stood still on the dais for a long time, eventually ascending, at which the remainder were all left dejected, saying goodbye and leaving. Then a multi-coloured auspicious cloud gathered, extending from the cave over to the altar. The virtuous person, robe and hat quite still, rode the cloud and ascended to the grotto’s entrance, where a great scarlet lantern guided their way. The spectators without exception wept and snivelled in admiration and envy, gazing into the distance and making obeisance. This continued for several years, and none were chosen whose lack of virtue or destiny in the Way provoked resentment.

The next year, the crowd chose someone of great age, and just as he ascended, a person of the Way said that he had come from Wudangshan to take up residence at a monastery, and asked what was going on; everything was explained to him. The monk sighed in admiration of this, and said: “Ascension as an immortal, now, [260] who would have thought it could be so easy? In the void there must, however, be noble spirits among the strong celestial winds, and one must be able to intercept them. I have a token which can protect against this; please place it on your chest, and be careful not to lose it.” The virtuous one placed it on his chest, and was delighted. When the time came the multi-coloured cloud wound around his feet, and he gradually ascended.

The following day, the monk sent his people to the edge of the cliff, in order to look into the cave. There they saw the levitated person lying emaciated and haggard as if suffering from serious illness, breathing with difficulty and eventually just about able to speak. When questioned, he said: “Just as I reached the cave mouth, I caught sight of a huge python, spitting a haze that became clouds, with two eyes like fires. Just as it opened its jaws, intending to swallow me, there came a sudden quaking of wind and storm, striking it dead at the edge of the cavern.” When they looked, it was a python of several arm spans around, dozens of zhang (3.3m) in length. Moreover, there were skeletons piled up around the cave, which were the bones of the levitated people. The multi-coloured cloud was the python’s poisoned breath, and the scarlet lantern its glowing eyes.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後2.259-60 (Tale 471):

蟒精為妖

南中有選仙道場，在一峭崖石壁之下，其絕頂石洞穴，相傳以為神仙之窟宅，時有雲氣蒙藹。常有學道之人築室於下，見一仙人現前，曰：「每年中元日，宜推選有德行之人祭壇，當得上昇為仙。」於是學道慕仙之人咸萃於彼。至期，遠近之人齎香赴壇下，遙望洞門祝禱，而後衆推道德高者一人，嚴潔衣冠，佇立壇上，以候上昇，餘皆慘然訣別而退。於時有五色祥雲油然，自洞而至壇場。其道高者，衣冠不動，躡雲而昇至洞門，則有大紅紗燈籠引導。觀者靡不涕泗健羨，遙望作禮。如是者數年，人皆以為道緣德薄，未得應選為恨。至次年，衆又推舉一年高者，方上昇間，忽一道人云自武當山來掛搭，問其所以，具以實對。道人亦嗟羨之，曰：「上昇為仙， [260] 豈容易得？但虛空之中有剛風浩氣，必能遏截。吾有一符能禦之，請置於懷，慎勿遺失。」道德高者懷之，喜甚。至時果有五色祥雲捧足，冉冉而昇。踰日，道人遣其衆緣崖登視洞穴，見飛昇之人形容枯槁，橫卧於上，若重病者，奄奄氣息，久方能言。問之，則曰：「初至洞門，見一巨蟒，吐氣成雲，兩眼如火，方開口欲吞啗間，忽風雷大震，霹死於洞畔。」視之，蟒大數圍，長數十丈，又有骸骨積於巖穴之間，乃前後上昇者骨也。蓋五色雲者，乃蟒之毒氣也；紅紗燈籠者，蟒之眼光也。

The Great Serpent Of Chengdu 成都長蛇

In the Xianchun era, on the sixth day of the fourth month in the yichou year (23 April, 1265), the clerk Xia Yingchen of the Tanzhou government office made a report in an imperial bulletin, and one section within it read:

In Shenwenjiang County, Chengdu Prefecture, there was a mottled yellow snake, more than a hundred zhang (a zhang is about 3.3m) in length, a spirit radiance extending more than three hundred paces around, its mouth spitting out a fragrance of pepper and plum flowers, its vapour scorching more than twenty li; those people and animals killed by it are innumerable. On the third day of the seventh month last year (27 July, 1264), this prefecture gathered more than two thousand five hundred soldiers to apprehend it, but the serpent used its tail to turn and sweep the troops away. More than five hundred were drowned, and the rest all fled in terror. The emperor decreed that the Daoist Masters of Shu use their powers to deal with the matter; they have just slain it, and its bones are like mountains.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後2.259 (Tale 470):

成都長蛇

咸淳乙丑四月六日，潭州書局夏應辰錄邸報從遞來，內一項云：「成都府申溫江縣有黃花斑蛇一條，長百餘丈，神光照三百餘步，口吐椒梅花香，薰灼二十餘里，殺人畜無數。去年七月三日，本府差甲士二千五百餘人收捕，蛇用尾掉卷軍士，溺死者五百餘人，餘皆驚遁。上旨命天師蜀中有法之士治之，方戮死，骨如山。」

A Snake Steals Wine And Drinks 蛇竊酒飲

Zhou Bixian was supervisor of the Panfeng wine store in Wuxi County, Changzhou. He used fragrant medicinal material to produce his yeast, bringing forth a dense fragrant cloud. The flavour of his wine was pure and clear, and it was produced in top, middle and lower qualities. When distilling the wine, he made offerings to deities, slaughtering a sheep and a pig, carrying out the rite of the three offerings in his official robes, and when this was complete sending the wine out to all levels of officials at the court. One day, at the autumn offering, the storehouse clerk came reporting that there were holes in the clay of the highest grade wine flasks. When he was taken to see, several hundred flasks were indeed quite empty. The clerks thought it strange that those chosen and cleaned as offerings to the spirits had not been affected, and nobody knew the cause of it all. A month later, laughing voices were suddenly heard in the wine store, and when they peeped in they saw a crowd of children sucking from the mouths of the wine jars; when the doors were opened they all vanished into the earth. He hastily ordered that the floor be excavated, and at a depth of three chi (about 1m), they found a huge serpent lying drunk, with several dozen smaller snakes wound around beside it, and they realized that those spoiling the wine were snakes. His heart weighed down with doubt and bewilderment, gloomy and without joy, [lacuna] within two months he had resigned and returned to his home region.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後2.258 (Tale 469):

蛇竊酒飲

周必先監無常州錫縣潘封酒庫，用香藥料造麯，香氣氤氳，酒味清洌，有上中下三等。酒熟祭神，刺羊刺豕，庫官展裹行三獻之禮，事畢分送朝官監司太守以下。一日秋祭，庫吏走報，謂上等酒瓶泥皆有孔，取而視之，則數百瓶皆空空如也。官吏以為怪，擇其潔者供祀神，不之顧，亦莫知所自也。越一月，忽聞酒庫有笑語聲，潛視之，則有羣小兒口吸瓶上，開門則失入地矣。急命掘地，深三尺，有巨蛇醉卧，數十小蛇旋繞其旁，始知壞酒者此蛇也。其心疑怪，鬱鬱不樂， [ ] 踰兩月以事罷歸。

A Strange Serpent Spits Light 異蛇吐光

In Huizhou, among the peaks facing the river old serpent lived in secret; it was several zhang in length (a zhang is c.3.3m), and none knew its age. Whenever the year of the Song court’s civil examination arrived, it spat out a thing emitting a strange light. When this was a single glowing ball, one person would pass the examinations; if there were two then two would pass. The scholars of Hui would make a special trip and spend the night at a riverside building, to check the number of snake lights, to verify their exam success in the coming year.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後2.258 (Tale 468):

異蛇吐光

惠州對江山中，有老蛇隱於其間，其長數丈，莫知年數。宋朝科舉年則夜吐異光。若光一團，則主一人登科；若光二團，則二人登科。惠之士人專以夜宿於江樓，望蛇光之有無，以為次年科舉之驗也。