4. (Incantation to ward off Ke´let).

Sacred-Texts Asia
  

4. (Incantation to ward off Ke´let).¹

 When evening comes, I tie up two big bears on either side of the entrance of my (house), and I speak thus: "Oh, you are so big (and strong)! At your side nothing ill can befall me [from anywhere]."

p. 130

 If some ke´lẹ should come, and try to enter, the bears would catch him, because they are hardly inclined to allow passage, [bad to begin with.]

 Then there is a little old woman, quite blind, and eyeless, and armed with an iron whip. She swings her whip all night long towards every direction. She frightens away [the ke´let]. She is bad to attack. After that, around the house, from every side, two big polar owls (made) of iron (are put on the watch. They have) iron beaks, iron wings. Their beaks are very sharp.

 When the ke´lẹ, the Murderer, who is wont (to make assaults), comes again to the house from under the wall, and wants to begin an attack, they strike at him and wound him severely, and peck out his eyes. All covered with blood, he flies away to the wilderness. Then he feels afraid, and leaves off.

Told by Ve´lvuñe, a Maritime Chukchee Woman, at the village of Če´čin, May, 1901.

Footnotes

p. 129

¹ Compare Vol. VII of this series, p. 498, No. 5, b.