Sympathetic Magic

   “Sympathy or empathy”: A question of just a few letters and a tweak in meaning that confuses, in my experience, the vast majority of people. Personally, I normally hesitate to use one without looking up the definition just to be sure I’m not going to make myself look stupid. After all, I’m the vocab-guy in a lot of my friend-groups. So, for those that are unaware of the difference themselves, sympathy is feeling a sense of compassion for another, and empathy is being able to put yourself in the shoes of another person to understand their situation. Now, with the grammar lesson out of the way, we can move on to what this post is actually going to be about. Empathy is the odd-man out here: It just gave me an easy way to bring up sympathy. Now, sympathy. More specifically, a brand of magic known as Sympathetic Magic.

The Facts

   Sympathetic Magic is one of the oldest types of mysticism in the world. “Sympathy”, as we’ll call it, operates heavily on two major principles. The first, imitation, is an idea that is likely familiar to many people. Here’s the clue as to where the inspiration for this post came from: Voodoo dolls are an example of imitation-based Sympathy that have pervaded popular culture in recent years. The idea that physical representations of people or places are able to, through their shared connection (a lock of hair, a piece of clothing, etc.) Exert some degree of influence over a target is the core belief behind imitation. Second, we have correspondence, the slightly vaguer, more nebulous cousin of imitation. Correspondence deals more strongly with relationships between objects, and how those can be magically exploited. A famous example of correspondence exists within the universe of Patrick Rothfuss’ King Killer Chronicles series, where, by convincing oneself that two separate things are innately connected, someone is able to lift a coin on the opposite side of a table by lifting another, individual coin. Granted, that sounds fairly underwhelming, but its a tame example.

Now, lets move on to something more interesting. We’ve heard the lengthy mental acrobatics to allow me justifying this post, and the brief historical lesson is finished. We can move on to something a bit 

more interesting, finally: Some examples.

Examples: Historic and Modern

Imitation

   As I’ve stated, the most famous type of imitation is the image of a Voodoo doll. A movie may depict some stereotyped Creole individual stabbing needles into an effigy, but that is far from the case. The concept of a “Voodoo” doll originates more accurately within Europe. Should an individual fear that they had caught the attention of a witch, they would create a doll out of rags. The classic image of needles is accurate however, as the needles were meant to cause physical harm to the witch and keep the individual safe.

   Once again, Europe brings us the concept of another form of imitation Sympathy: The Clay-body. A creation of Scottish origins, the Clay-body, or clay corpse, was an effigy of a target that a witch would make with killing intent. The Clay-body would be placed under a slow flowing stream or another body of warm and slowly erode. The erosion of the effigy was thought to cause the body of the target to waste away.

Correspondence

   Something of a boring example of correspondence Sympathy is prominent within eastern medicine. For the sake of an amusing example, I’ll use a rhino horn. Once upon a time, it was believed that, based solely on the somewhat phallic shape, grinding a rhino horn to dust and consuming it would fix male impotence. If its shaped like a genital, it must be good for your genitals! Right? Yeah, the committee is still out on whether or not that tracks. But, various other examples of consuming vaguely body shaped objects exist: walnuts increasing brain strength and the ability of yellow sap being just the right cure for jaundice are two others I find especially silly.

   Another form of correspondence Sympathy is something that just about everyone has heard of in some form or another. For the nerds out there, we have a lich, undead creatures common in the game D&D. They house their souls within objects known as phylacteries, making them effectively immortal. This has gotten a more modern spin in a small indie series from Britain: Harry Potter. Yes, horcruxes are a form of correspondence Sympathy. The connection between the item and the practitioner allow their souls to be transplanted into an item, making it their only true weakness in life.

   Finally, taking it back a couple thousand years, we have our oldest known form of Sympathy magic. There are historians that believe that many ancient cave paintings are in fact not depictions of great hunts, but rather a form of shamanistic Sympathy. The paintings are thought to have been made with the intent of influencing events in favor of the hunters.

This attempt to exert influence on the world outside the control of humankind is one of the hallmarks of magic throughout the entirety of time the world over. In times when people had less of a grasp on the mechanics of the world, it was the belief in magic’s abilities that gave people a sense of control they felt the lacked. 

Jiangshi, the Chinese Hopping Vampire

October is upon us! A very special special month for this blog, October and, more importantly, Halloween are treasure troves of inspiration for post topics. With everything that goes bump in the night being low-hanging fruit for material, its hard to choose a topic for the week. In the end, I’ve chosen to go with a classic creature of the night, with a cultural twist. From Bram Stroker’s iconic Dracula to Stephenie Meyer’s upsettingly popular Twilight series, vampires are a pervasive symbol throughout western culture. But, its that last detail that some people often draw the line at. Many depictions of vampires throughout pop culture represent them as these uniquely European creatures. This post should enlighten readers to the existence of one of the most well known eastern interpretations of the classic vampire: The Jiangshi.

The Facts

Jiangshi are a creation of Chinese folklore. Sometimes known as hopping vampires, depictions of appearance and behavior of these entities differ starkly from western vampires. The legend of the Jiangshi is thought to have originated during the time of the Qing dynasty. When workers would travel far from their home a specialized coroner would carry the bodies home, and terrain along their journey’s would make it appear as if the corpses were bouncing. As such, the most recognizable depiction of a Jiangshi is of a corpse dressed in the robes of a Qing official with stiff arms and pale green skin.

The Legends

Like most depictions of vampires, the Jiangshi is an undead creature. The means by which they become a Jiangshi can vary according to the legends, however. There are the common trends such as the use of magic to bring a body back and the possession by a spirit. However, a more uniquely Chinese mythology around the creation of a Jiangshi dates back to the Qing Dynasty as well. The Qing Scholar, Yuan Mei, posited that the body was controlled by evil and good forces, and that when the soul passes it removed the goodness from the body, allowing the evil to take over and bring the corpse back as a Jiangshi. These Jiangshi would be brought back to life, residing within tombs and coffins the same as European vampires. However, when they emerge they are more corpse than many western depictions of vampires. Still stiff with Rigor Mortis, a Jiangshi hops stiffly, keeping its arms outstretched to balance itself as it approaches its prey.

Pray brings about the question of what exactly Jiangshi feed upon. Yet another difference between the Jiangshi and western vampires come from this topic. Most people in the west know vampires as being that feed upon the blood of their victims. The Jiangshi, again, are a distinctly more eastern creature when it comes to feeding. Rather than blood, the Jiangshi feed upon the qi (life force) of their prey. Qi is an eastern concept that is meant to be the energy that holds the body together from within, the Jiangshi feed on it either for sustenance or to become stronger themselves.

But the biggest concern when it comes to vampires and creatures like them is how to survive them, right? Luckily, there are a few options to deter a vampire. One interesting weakness that further connects the Jianshi to western vampires is their weakness to mirrors. The Jiangshi, unlike Dracula, are capable of seeing their reflections in mirrors. However, they are terrified of their own image and are said to retreat from it. Another weakness that is general to all Chinese spirits according to Yuan Mei is an aversion to the wood of a peach tree. Specifically, peach tree wood is capable of subjugating and warding off Jiangshi and other such spirits. With other weaknesses such as the call of a rooster (signifying morning), traditional Taoist talisman, and fire, the Jiangshi seem to have a plethora of ways to be defeated. However, there is one final thing that relates them to western vampires once more. Whereas the eastern vampires are said to be incapable of entering a home without permission in some lore, the Jiangshi have a similar restriction. According to feng shui, a six-inch plank of wood placed width-wise in a doorway can prevent the Jiangshi from crossing.

Its interesting to see some of the distinctions that the Jiangshi have from eastern vampires. I would say, though, that it is more interesting finding the connections between the two and how their myths seem to have parallels that are shifted to better suit the culture that the story originates from. Does that signify some collective subconscious that causes these stories to show up in multiple places throughout the world, or is it a sign that maybe, just maybe, the stories hold some truth to them?