Oct

11

Word Of The Week: October 11th, 2008

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

October 11, 2008 |

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According to Freudians, werewolves represent the id, our deepest, darkest, most untamed selves, the selfish, dangerous child in all of us. And yet this is a misguided view of wolves, who have a distinct pack structure and who, even when they’re roaming alone, aren’t completely uncontrolled. It’s a misguided view of animals in general, in fact. There are, however, mythological creatures who might be said to better represent the id. Take, for example, the Japanese oni, a sort of demon. According to A Field Guide To Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, And Other Subversive Spirits by Carol K. Mack and Dinah Mack,

Excessive in their behavior, all Oni drink and eat too much, randomly abduct women, and are revoltingly uncouth…Despite their great powers, they are so preoccupied with satisfying excessive bodily needs that their intelligence is diminished.

That sounds a lot like a roommate I had in college–but that’s another story. The Field Guide includes a story of an oni who abducted a young woman. She fled with her mother, and the two women escaped the demon by lifting up their skirts at it, causing it to fall down laughing. Oni can also be distracted by tasks, such as counting the holes in a sieve–a trick very similar to a Mediterranean method of keeping away vampires by putting a fishing net over a door. The revenant will be so preoccupied counting the knots that it will stay until sunrise and be destroyed.


Comments

3 Comments so far

  1. Baino on October 11, 2008 5:28 pm

    Well Mr Waldrup, I know a few men who are so preoccupied with satisfying excessive bodily needs that their intelligence is diminished . . .they tend to wear blue singlets, drive utes and shoot pigs! Aussie Oni’s perhaps? Love the image of skirt flashing to down a demon! Perhaps he’d never seen a Brasilian before! Very interesting - I learn something every day coming over here!

  2. Morgan on October 11, 2008 7:26 pm

    The Oni sound a bit like the Southern Redneck Male. Except I’m not sure rednecks can count high enough to keep track of the number of holes in a sieve.

    And were I to cause something to fall down laughing by flashing it, I’d be deeply insulted.

    Hmmph.

  3. Christopher Waldrop on October 13, 2008 1:37 pm

    Baino, I think the Oni can be found in every part of the world. And thanks for the image of a Brasilian knocking him down laughing.
    Morgan, according to the folktales, the Oni and vampires keep losing count of the holes in the sieve or fishing net–that’s why they’re so good at distracting them. Actually I know quite a few vampires who wouldn’t be stupid enough to fall for that trick.

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