The Master of Night There is a little man who is three or four feet high and who looks like a human being but is invisible. He may be a spirit or he may serve a spirit, but in any case, he does only one kind of work. He is the master of night and is the one who brings sleep to human beings. When dusk comes, he goes to work. His magic works well on some, and they cannot help but fall asleep easily. He stares at a person and they cannot help but fall asleep. For those who are already in their beds, he knocks them on the head with something soft like a pillow. He visits babies first, and then the children, and then on up to the old people. It is said that those who are struck by the master of night live to a very old age. (Adapted from Alanson B. Skinner and John Satterlee, 1915, Folklore of the Menomini Indians, Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History XIII:217-542.)
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 07:20:05 +0000
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