Phi pop (¼Õ»Íº)
In character and habit
the phi pop is similar to the phi ka. When a person is obsessed by a phi pop, he is dealt
with in the same manner. If a person in a village is known to be a phi pop, the villagers
will go in a body to drive him away from his house and village. He is not driven alone but
also his family too. The person who is supposed to be a phi pop and his family will
stiffer hardship for he can no longer live among the people. Some times many exiled
families who are supposed to be phi pop will form a village and 'live, exclusively by
themselves. If any of them happens to emigrate to a distant village and if lie is found to
be a phi pop and obsesses anyone lie will be driven out. There are three kinds of people
much feared by phi pop, namely a "maw devada", a person who can use powerful
incantations with effective results and a monk versed in such lore. If one of these is not
present, the phi pop will be obstinate about coming out of the person whom it obsesses.
How do the villagers know that anyone is a phi pop? The obsessed person when ill will say
something like this: "I get inside this man as a revenge for a wrong lie has done me.
My name is so and so, my wife and child or children are so and so, and I live in such and
such a village" When it is found out that he is a phi pop, the villagers will go to
the headman of the village asking him to drive away the person who is supposed to be a phi
pop, After he is gone monks are invited to chant certain chapters from the Buddhist
scriptures in the middle of the village as a precaution to prevent his coming back.
Persons who are phi pop will not harm their own kind nor will they do harm to dignitaries
or people from towns for fear that their power, as a phi pop will become impotent. , These
practices in the past often led to difficulty in administration because the people would
not permit any tampering with their age-old beliefs.
The phi pop, though
peculiar to the Northeast area is unlike the phi ka, for the phi pop is also, generally
known in Bangkok, especially by the older generation. According to popular belief there
are three kinds of. Phi that obsess people, that is, phi pop, phi Tai hong
(¼ÕµÒÂâ˧) and phi Tai thang klom (¼ÕµÒ·Ñ駡ÅÁ).
A person who dies a violent death will become a phi tai hong, and a woman who dies with
her child during childbirth will become a phi tai thang klom. These three, phi are much
feared by the people. Customarily the corpse of any person who dies either a violent death
or in childbirth is not cremated I like an ordinary corpse but has to be buried only. An
uncremated corpse is called a "phi (dip" (¼Õ´Ôº) or raw phi. A person
practicing magic as a phi doctor will keep such phi for his evil errand. The phi may
obsess anyone by its own malice or be sent by the phi doctor. A man wishes to injure his.
Enemy may engage a phi doctor for a certain fee to send one of his phi to obsess the
enemy. Women are easily attacked by phi while it is rare for a man to be. The victim will
start crying bitterly for no apparent cause and may continue crying throughout the night
or day. Symptoms of raving madness follow. With glaring eyes and restlessness the obsessed
person will abuse everybody, and sometimes say that she is a phi taking revenge on some
wrong done or has been sent by a phi doctor named so-and-so. If anyone goes near or coaxes
her she will kick and claw him violently and will not allow anyone to touch her. 'She
develops more than human strength. In fact, every gesture and sign she makes is abnormal,
leaving no doubt in the people's mind that she. is obsessed by a phi.
In such a case a phi
doctor is called for. When lie appears before her, she becomes calm and sometimes shows
signs of awe. The phi doctor will ask her what phi she is and why the phi came there. If
the phi is, sent by someone, the name of the sender is asked. If when asked the phi does
not answer, a magic rod or other magical instrument is administered severely until the
obsessed woman yields and gives the required answers. Then the final question of the phi
doctor will be, "Will you come out?" The phi's answer will always be in the
negative and it will try to hide itself within the body. The phi doctor by his supposed
magical ledge will know in what part of the obsessed woman's body the phi is hiding. He
will apply either his magical rod or knife to that part of the body. Every time the rod or
knife touches that part the phi will shift its hiding place. The magic instrument follows
it unerringly. The phi flees further down until it reaches one of the "Pratoo
lom" (»ÃеÙÅÁ) of either foot. A "pratoo lom" means literally
a "wind-door" and is the space between the base of adjacent fingers or toes
which is believed to be where, the vital wind escapes, The phi while dodging the magical
rod or knife reaches this part and tries to escape out of the body temporarily. To prevent
its coming back the phi doctor will gather the toe and fingers and by twisting them catch
hold of the escaping phi, imaginary of course, and put it' in a new unused earthen pot
provided for the purpose. He seals the mouth of the pot with a piece of cloth
with-mystical Characters or drawings, He may bury the pot or submerge it like the genie in
the Arabiau Nights. If on the contrary he keeps the phi as his own or as a counter-agent,
he may send it, to obsess its former owner in retaliation.