About Hmong Witchcraft

The sorcery of the Miao belongs to the culture of Ch'u Witchcraft! Miao sorcery is divided into two kinds of black and white. "Xiangxi corpse" art is a kind of witch of the Chu culture, belongs to the white witchcraft, but also popular in the western part of a mysterious legend, the famous Hmong writer Shen Congwen wrote in one of his articles: "through the Tatsumi state (now Yuanling), the place out of the Tatsumi sand, and there are people who can catch the corpse. If you have good eyes, you will have the chance to see a group of dead bodies walking on the highway, and when the car is close, you know to avoid the roadside, exactly the same as the living."

The so-called "corpse drive", in fact, is "back corpse" only. The necromancers look for people to split the body, and then sprayed special potion on the limbs to prevent the body's limbs from rotting. A person on the back of the limbs, set in both long and large black robe, wearing a large straw hat, the entire head cover nothing, even the outline of the face is difficult to call people to see clearly. Another person dressed as a "necromancer" in front of the throwing yellow paper, ringing bells, to the back of the corpse to guide the direction. Two people also deliberately create a horrible atmosphere so that people do not dare to get close to them. If the road is long, the role of the two will be changed on a day to day basis.

To the destination two or three days ago, notify the families of the deceased in advance, ready to coverlet coffin, and so on "dead" to, immediately will be the body of the limbs put together, will be the life jacket, cap and shoes to the dead dressed ready, loaded into the life wood. This coffin process, all by the "corpse" who undertake, absolutely do not allow bystanders inserted and onlookers, just as the departure of the body "help out of the coffin" does not allow peeping. Said in these critical moments, the living close to the body, there will be "shocked corpse" of the danger, and the coffin process, must be in the middle of the night. All the arrangements are in place, that is to say, the dead after the coffin, the mourners only go to claim.

On the origin of the corpse, no evidence. According to the relevant documents, western Xiangxi corpse drive "three catch, three do not catch" said. Where the beheaded, hanged, the three can be driven by the death of the cage station. The reason is: they are forced to die, die unconvinced, both homesick and miss their loved ones, can be hooked to their souls with spells to the town in the body, and then spells to drive them to climb the mountains and cross the mountains, and even on the boat across the water, to return to their hometowns. Where the death of the disease, the voluntary death of the river neck hanging, lightning and fire burned limbs of these three can not be driven. Due to the death of their souls have been hooked by the king of Yan, with magic can not be their souls from the ghost gate there to recall.

The geographical scope of the corpse: to the north to Langzhou (Changde) can not cross the Dongting Lake, to the east to Jingzhou, to the west to Fuzhou and Wushu, to the southwest to Yunnan and Guizhou. Legend has it that these places are the jurisdiction of the ghost country of the ancestors of the Miao people, and then far out of the boundary, the old division can not drive those zombies. The method of driving the zombies is: the red-clothed Lao Si reads incantations, points the vermilion sand, and pastes the talisman.

About the necromancers

Xiangxi folk, since ancient times, there is this industry to catch the corpse, learning this industry, must have two conditions: a bold, the second is a good body. Moreover, must worship teacher. Catching corpses never accept apprentices. Apprentice by the parents first set up a note, then the necromancer must be interviewed. Generally speaking, to see the full 16 years of age, 1.7 meters tall or more, while there is a very special conditions, looks to look a little ugly.

The necromancer first let the applicant look at the sky sun, and then rotate, and then suddenly stop, you have to immediately distinguish between east and west, north and south, if you can not distinguish, can not be hired. Because you do not distinguish between east and west, north and south at this time, it means that you can not distinguish the direction of the night to catch a corpse, can not catch a corpse. Next, the necromancers want you to find things, pick the burden. Because the corpse is not a living person, after all, meet the steeper slope, the corpse can not climb up. The necromancers will have to carry the corpses one by one up the slope. Finally, there is an interview, which is the necromancer will be a piece of tung tree leaves in the mountains on the hill, let you go alone in the dark to retrieve back, only so that you can show that you have the courage to be competent necromancers. If you pass these three hurdles successfully, you have gained the possibility of becoming an apprentice corpse-driver.

The reality of corpse driving

In fact, if we look at the "corpse driving" from a scientific point of view, it is just a form of corpse transportation in ancient times. Catching corpses and the necromancers in the past that particular era is real, but with the progress of society, this ancient profession has been on the verge of being lost, so now in the western part of Xiangxi, people under the age of 50 on "catching corpses" are mostly half-believing, and it is also for this reason that makes this ancient "compulsive" arts. It is for this reason that this ancient "compulsion" is becoming more and more mysterious.

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