Evening star., 1934-09-28
MAYAS HAVE HOST
OF GOOD FAIRIES
Descendants in Yucatan Be-
Iieve Them Helpful,
Scientist Reports.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

among whom enthnologists Of the Car
negie Institute of Washington are
conducting an intensive field study.
A report on the supernatural lore of
the preSent-day Mayas, with Curl
Gus admixture of Christian practices
with those probably derived directly
from the great culture found by the
Spaniards, has just been made by DR..
Robert Redfield of the Carnegie staff,
who made his headquarters for some
time in a single isolated village.
He found three principal groups of
these fairies" the balams or guardians
of the village and the corn, the chaacs,
who are the rulers of rain, and the
kuilob kaaxob, the deities of the forest.
The balams, he found, are sometimes
thought of as little people without
form, but made entirely of air. To
others they appear as small old men
with white hair, wearing sandals,
sombraro and the rest of the local cos
tune.
Protect Faithful.
They are good to men. according to
culturalist makes them the proper Of
ferings and prayers" says Redf1eld,
''they watch over his field and protect
his maize from marauding spirits.
They guard the village from wild
beasts and from evil winds. They
watch over forest paths and set the
lost traveller on his road again. BY
night you may hear a high whistling
sound. This is caused by the balams
who are driving away evil winds by
shooting them with fragments OF flint
But the balams are also much to
be feared. They are uncanny beings
of the night. When they cry out
in the darkness it is a sign that some
one is going to die. They watch over
lost children, but they return only a
changeling, for the balam exists only
on a succession of children's souls.
The idiot and the feeble minded are
children of the balam. They punish
trespasSers in the corn field with sick
ness or sudden death. Many stories
are told of men who stole from strange
corn fields and were struck dead by
the balam.
Mention has been made of the
four entrances of the village. These
exist in the thinking of the native,
for in cold fact there are seven paths
that converge upon the village from
no particular compass points. But
the world, the village and the corn
field are thought of as squares with
four corners, lying in the four cardl-
nal points of the compass. For this
reason pairs of wooden crosses are
erected at only four of the seven
entrances. Above each of these hov-
ers one of the balams that watch over
the village, ready to seize upon any
evil that should attempt to cross the
threshold.
The most important of the balamS
Is known as the thup. He is thought
of as smaller than the others. The
thup is ready to descend to the aid
of any other balams when they strug-
gle with an animal or evil wind.
The chaacs, or raingods, are gods
of the whole world. They are many
and arranged in hierarchial rank
The chief is San Miguel, the arch
angel. He rides with the other chaacs
across the sky and acts as their leader.
During the dry season, these chaacs
dwell in the trunk of heaven which
is situated in the eastern sky. Thence
they issue through small, round
opening in the sky. the doorway of
the clouds. AS the clouds sweep
westward across the sky, it is the
chaacs riding the heavens. They are
visualized as old men who ride on
horses which are seen as clouds. Each
rider holds a gourd vessel containing
the waters of the rain, and brandishes
a machete-like object which produces
the lightning.
Othe: Perverse.
"The most important and pervasive
of the evil spirits are those thought of
as identified with the winds. They
are evil and harm personified. There
is scarcely an ailmen; which may not
be caused by them and hardly mo-
ment Of crisis at which they are not
present They are not considered as
gods but as mischief to be averted.
But one wind out of the many
that are distinguished is not evil. 1t
grants help to men and is addressed
in prayers. This is the kakalmozonik,
the fiery whirlwind which, properly be-
sought, sweeps down upon a field
made ready for burning and carries
the kindred flame across the cleared
field.
The dead almost never appear
to people, but animals see them
frequently. 1t is observed that when
dogs howl at night or other animals
snort with fright it is sign that on
the next day there will be a funeral
in one of the neighboring settlements.
A traveller in the bush is sometimes
when he hears mysterious voices and
when small stones appear to be thrown
at him by an invisible hand.
The bush is thought to be in
habited by small goblin people
known as the alux. Their uncanny
and mischievous acts form the subject
matter for many stories. Some claim
to have seen them-about foot high
and looking like small children, except
for their boards and their crowns.
These crowns go around the head.
They are square in outline and made
of clay Inside is a hollow which ex-
tends through the body of the alux
so that rain enters at the top and
runs out at the toes"
Redfleld found evidence Of many
dangerous and uncanny beings who
had no redeeming qualities, but were
altogether demons. They include
witches that have taken animal forms,