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In Search of the Supernatural: The Written Record
Stories from In Search of the Supernatural: The Written Record, a collection of strange anecdotes and tales from 4th century China.
Writing a couple down here so as to keep note of them.
Ominous Events at the Home of Tsang Chung-ying (3,51)
The Guardian of the Right, Tsan Chung-ying, was promoted to Attendant Censor, and his family prepared a scarificial dinner in honor of the event. The tables had been laid out when unclean dust blew in and soiled al. The stove had come to cooking heat, but none could find the cauldron. Weapons and crossbows were seen to move of themselves, and fires broke out in storage hampers; the clothes in them were completely burned but the wicker hampers remained undamaged. All the women, girls and maidservants lost their mirrors at the same time. After several days a human voice was heard coming from the reception hall below the court saying: "Your mirrors are returned."
One of his grandchildren,a little girl of three or four, could not be found for two or three days but suddenyl appeared, crying, seated amid the excrement in the privy. And there were many other like events.
Hsu Chi-shan of Ju-nan was most successful at casting hexagrams, and he made divination of the matter, saying: "There must be an old black dog-spirit in the house, which together with Palace Attendant Yi Hsi, is brining about these events. If you really wish to be rid of these events, you must kill the dog and send Yi Hsi back to his native district."
Chung-ying followed his advice, and the anomalies ceased. Afterward he became Grand Guardian and was then made Minister of Lu.
Shun-yu Chih Controls the Rat (3,57)
Shun-yu Chih (T. Shu-ping) came from the Lu district in Ch'i-pei Commandery. He was a profound man and upright. When young he was a student and became conversant with the Yi-ching divination and the arts of spirit control by incantation.
Liu Jou of Kao-p'ing was asleep one night when a rat gnawed the middle finger of his left hand. He was greatly distressed by this and brought the problem to Shun-yu Chih.
"The rat intended to kill you," said Chih, after divination. "We must see to it that it dies instead!"
Thereupon, with cinnabar ink he wote the character for "field" on Jou's forearm three inches above the crease that marks the wrist. This character was one inch and two-tenths in square.
Chih then instructed Liu Jou to sleep with that hand exposed. Next morning a rat was found dead in front of his left hand.*
* The translators find cause and effect in this item a bit mroe incomprehensible than most.
Writing a couple down here so as to keep note of them.
Ominous Events at the Home of Tsang Chung-ying (3,51)
The Guardian of the Right, Tsan Chung-ying, was promoted to Attendant Censor, and his family prepared a scarificial dinner in honor of the event. The tables had been laid out when unclean dust blew in and soiled al. The stove had come to cooking heat, but none could find the cauldron. Weapons and crossbows were seen to move of themselves, and fires broke out in storage hampers; the clothes in them were completely burned but the wicker hampers remained undamaged. All the women, girls and maidservants lost their mirrors at the same time. After several days a human voice was heard coming from the reception hall below the court saying: "Your mirrors are returned."
One of his grandchildren,a little girl of three or four, could not be found for two or three days but suddenyl appeared, crying, seated amid the excrement in the privy. And there were many other like events.
Hsu Chi-shan of Ju-nan was most successful at casting hexagrams, and he made divination of the matter, saying: "There must be an old black dog-spirit in the house, which together with Palace Attendant Yi Hsi, is brining about these events. If you really wish to be rid of these events, you must kill the dog and send Yi Hsi back to his native district."
Chung-ying followed his advice, and the anomalies ceased. Afterward he became Grand Guardian and was then made Minister of Lu.
Shun-yu Chih Controls the Rat (3,57)
Shun-yu Chih (T. Shu-ping) came from the Lu district in Ch'i-pei Commandery. He was a profound man and upright. When young he was a student and became conversant with the Yi-ching divination and the arts of spirit control by incantation.
Liu Jou of Kao-p'ing was asleep one night when a rat gnawed the middle finger of his left hand. He was greatly distressed by this and brought the problem to Shun-yu Chih.
"The rat intended to kill you," said Chih, after divination. "We must see to it that it dies instead!"
Thereupon, with cinnabar ink he wote the character for "field" on Jou's forearm three inches above the crease that marks the wrist. This character was one inch and two-tenths in square.
Chih then instructed Liu Jou to sleep with that hand exposed. Next morning a rat was found dead in front of his left hand.*
* The translators find cause and effect in this item a bit mroe incomprehensible than most.