Ka'ahu Pahau

Queen Shark of Oahu
Also known as: Ka'ahupahau; Ka-ahu-pa-hau
Origin: Hawaii
Ka'ahu Pahau is a shark goddess who protects people from sharks. Her empathy for people may derive from her own human
ancestry. Ka'ahu Pahau and her brother, Ka-hi'i-uka were born red-headed humans. In traditional Hawaiian cosmology, their red hair
indicates spirit ancestry or connections: Pelé is the most famous red headed Hawaiian spirit. Another shark deity transformed the sister
and brother into sharks but they still maintain allegiance and warm feelings toward humans.
Ka'ahu Pahau guards the entrance to Pearl Harbor sending menacing sharks on their way. She is the guardian spirit of Oahu and
specifically Ewa Beach. Pearl Harbor's name is no romantic affectation: until the late 19th century, it was full of oyster ponds, providing
sustenance (and the occasional pearl!) for the local population. The ability to access the oyster beds without undue fear of sharks was
crucial.
In 1884, a treaty allowed the United States exclusive rights and access to Pearl Harbor. In 1913, drydocks, then under construction
but almost done, completely collapsed. No scientific explanation or natural causes were ever found for the accident, despite an
extensive one-year investigation. Explanations by local people that the drydocks were blocking Ka'ahu Pahau's access to her undersea
cave and that she had caused the collapse were dismissed as superstition however the dry docks were finally completed in April 1919
only after a kahuna (traditional Hawaiian priest or shaman) performed rituals of propitiation to the shark goddess.
Invoke Ka'ahu Pahau's blessings if you're afraid of sharks.
M anifestations: Woman with red hair; shark; mermaid
Home: She lives in a submerged cave in Pearl Harbor (Pu'u loa in Hawaiian).
Offerings: Food; flower leis; shark toys
See also: Kanekua'ana; Kihawahine; Pelé

Kachina
Also known as: Katsina; Katchina
Origin: Pueblo Indian

The Kachinas are benevolent spirits of the Pueblo peoples of the southwestern United States. They are mediators, messengers from
other realms: they bring rain, clouds, moisture and blessings in a dry habitat where survival is dependent on adequate precipitation.
Kachinas ensure plant, animal and human fertility.
In English, Kachina is also commonly used to refer to dolls created in the image of Kachina spirits or the masked dancers who
channel them. In Indian languages, distinct words may be used to distinguish the dolls from the spirits. Although crafted by human hands,

from the traditional Native American perspective, these dolls are gifts from the spirits. Many modern Kachina dolls, however, are
crafted specifically for the tourist trade and for collectors who value them for their intricacy, beauty and monetary worth as investment
art. Kachinas are among the most commodified of spirits; their images used to market products with a southwestern theme including
things like potato chips, soft drinks and snack foods much to the displeasure and despair of those for whom they are holy.
Archaeological evidence links Kachinas to all the Pueblo peoples including Hopis, Zunis and the various Rio Grande Pueblos
although each may possess different pantheons of Kachinas. Kachina spirits live among people from approximately the winter solstice to
late July when they return to their own realm. The Kachinas taught people how to make masks depicting them and transmitting their
power and how to channel them through rituals including dance. Masked, ritually initiated men are able to transmit the blessings of the
Kachinas to people; heal illness; reinforce order; deliver prophesies; bring rain and serve as shamanic bridges between people and the
spirits.
There are hundreds of distinct Kachina spirits each with its own distinct identity, function and appearance. There is no single
consistent number of Kachinas. This is a living tradition: new Kachinas appear and old ones fade from view, sometimes reappearing
decades later.

M anifestations: Kachinas appear in an extremely wide variety of forms (including ducks). Many books variously oriented towards
spiritual seekers, anthropology students and/or art collectors display their images.
Rituals: Kachina rituals occur privately within subterranean kivas at night, (especially from January to March) and also outdoors in
Pueblo plazas during the daytime (especially from March to July). Some ceremonies are open to outsiders; others are not. Websites
belonging to the various Pueblos will advise.
See also: Koko

Kadesh

Lady of Heaven; The Holy One
Also known as: Qadesh
Origin: Levantine

Kadesh is the holy whore; the Scarlet Woman; the Lady of Pleasure. Her name literally means holy or sanctified. She is a spirit of
power, beauty, joy, ecstasy and sexual pleasure. She is from the Levantine: the Semitic coast of West Asia encompassing Syrians,
Phoenicians, Jews and Canaanites. It is unknown from which of these groups she originates; she was venerated by all of them as well as
by the ancient Egyptians who recognized her as a foreign, Semitic spirit and adored her anyway. (The Egyptians did not adopt many
spirits; generally preferring their own.)
Terra cotta figurines and plaques identified as Kadesh have been dated as far back as the Middle Bronze Age (2000–1500 BCE).
Little is now known of her veneration other than that sacred prostitution was among her temple rites.
Iconography: Kadesh was depicted as a naked woman, sometimes pregnant; sometimes not.
Attributes: Stalks of wheat; lilies; snakes; she may stand atop a lion and wear the crescent moon in her hair
Consort: Resheph
Sacred animals: Lions; snakes
Plants: Lotus; papyrus plants; lilies; wheat
Planet: Crescent moon

Offerings: Lilies; stalks of wheat; aphrodisiacs especially erotic perfumes and incense; spring water; candles in the form of genitals;
images of snakes and lions
See also: Aisha Qandisha; Aphrodite; Astarte; Resheph

Kadru
Origin: India
Kadru is the mother of the Nagas. She has over one-thousand powerful snake-spirit offspring. Her primary myth involves her
competition with her co-wife, Garuda's mother. Kadru may be venerated with her children or alone. She is invoked for fertility and
wealth, as well as protection from snakes. Do not venerate together with Garuda.
See also: Garuda; Manasa; Nagas

Kahlo, Frida
Origin: Mexico

Frida Kahlo (6 July 1907–13 July 1954) has transcended her status as beloved painter, mythic figure and political activist, she is
now literally an icon, too. Her ubiquitous image is instantly recognizable. Even those who don't really know who she is, recognize her
images, which appear everywhere from t-shirts, jewelry and Mexican restaurant menus to sacred items.
Kahlo created icons. She was her own favorite subject. She created images of herself depicting her stark reality: the pain, grief and
humiliation of her everyday existence. (Childhood polio permanently damaged one leg. A horrific traffic accident shattered her body,
necessitating over thirty operations and hampering her fertility. Her love life was traumatic. One leg was eventually amputated.) She also
created images of herself as a goddess; the primordial Lady of Beasts; a woman of bravery, defiance and endless creativity.
Although this seems almost laughable now, not that long ago, Frida was an obscure historic figure, overshadowed by her then more
famous husband, artist Diego Rivera. Her popularity and renown exploded in the 1970s theoreticallybecause she was reappraised in the
context of feminist and Mexican-pride political movements but possibly just because her time had come: Frida's own art, her selfcreated image, served as a portal for her powerful spirit. A March 2, 2008 New York Times review of her retrospective show at the
Philadelphia Museum of Art used the word "saint" to describe her and described the crowds who flock to her home, now a museum, as
pilgrims.
Frida is the subject of books, films, web tributes and museum shows. She has become symbolic of her beloved Mexico; female
empowerment; and bold, transcendent creativity. Once known in only small circles, she is now familiar worldwide. The centennial of her
birth was celebrated interna tionally.
From icon to folk saint or goddess is but one small step. Her image now appears in spiritual context as well as in creative and
commercial: images of Frida are incorporated into retablos; nichos; votive candles and statues suitable for home altars. Many images
incorporate powerful spiritual overtones:
• Frida appears in the company of Guad alupe
• Frida's face superimposed onto Guada lupe's body, merging their identities, has become so popular the image has its own name:
Fridalupe
• Skeletal Frida appears frequently among Day of the Dead sculptures and toys.
• I have in my possession images of Frida Kahlo in the forms of a mermaid, a devilish Salomé brandishing Diego's head on her
pitchfork and a love goddess.
Frida is petitioned to intercede with healing, love and fertility: all issues that caused her tremendous grief and pain during her lifetime.
Petition her protection while traveling, especially on public buses, trolley and trains. Request her help to step out from the shadows if
you feel that your creative light is blocked by more dominating people. Frida was an ardent Communist and briefly Leon Trotsky's
lover: invoke her assistance with issues of social justice and political activism.

Altar: Find images of Frida that resonate with you. Decorate with reproductions of her artwork and traditional Mexican folk art.
Add figures of the animals she loved so much (dogs; deer; monkeys; parrots and others).

Shrine: The Casa Azul (Blue House) in Mexico City where Frida was born, lived and died. Following her death, Diego donated
the house and contents to the Mexican people. It remains as it was during Frida's life; her ashes are contained in an urn within the house.
Offerings: Cigarettes; tequila; sugar skulls with her name written across the forehead; works of art; cook her meals from
Fiestas, the 1994 cookbook compiled by her step-daughter, Guadalupe Rivera and Marie Pierre Colle.

Frida's

See also: Guadalupe; Herodias; Lady of the Beasts; Mermaid; Santissima Muerte; Xochitl

Kahoupokane
Origin: Hawaii

Kahoupokane is a snow goddess; presiding spirit of Hawaii's Mount Hualalai. She is the sister of fellow snow spirits, Poliahu,
Lilinoe and Waiau. All are Pelé's enemies but Kahoupokane has a particularly interesting, competitive relationship with Pelé as
Kahoupokane is simultaneously a snow goddess and a fiery volcano spirit. Kahoupo kane controls the snows on Mount Hualalai,
westernmost volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. Although it has not erupted since 1801, it is not dormant. Should Kahoupo kane ever
feel like rekindling her rivalry with Pelé, her volcano will erupt.
Kahoupokane is reputedly an expert tapa (bark) cloth maker. Thunder is the sound of her beating the cloth. She is venerated
alongside her sisters but not alongside Pelé.
Sacred site: Kona Airport is built over her 1801 lava flow
See also: Lilinoe; Pelé; Poliahu; Waiau

Kajishin
Origin: Japan
Classification: Kami
Kajishin is the kami of ironworking and smithcraft. In Japan, as elsewhere, ironworkers doubled as shamans (or at least were
perceived as such). This is especially true of nomadic, itinerant smiths. Kajishin thus is more than just an artisanal spirit: he also has
dominion over shamanism, magic and secret, mystical rites known only to the initiated. Kajishin forges powerful, magical swords.
Kajishin is venerated as a teacher who transmits secrets of shamanism and smithcraft but also as an ancestral spirit. Ironworkers tend
to form inter-related clans: Kajishin may be understood as the root ancestral founder of these clans.
Kajishin literally means blacksmith spirit. The name may refer to one specific kami or to the family of spirits associated with smithcraft
including Amatsumara and Kanayago.
M anifestation: Kajishin may have one eye
Sacred day: The Bellows Festival on the eighth day of the eleventh lunar month
Offerings: Rice wine (sake); oranges
See also: Amatsumara; Inari; Kami; Kanayago; Ogun

Kali
Also known as: Kali Ma (Mother Kali)
Origin: India

Kali is India's Great Mother: goddess of time; creation; destruction and contradictions. Kali was a tribal goddess prior to the Aryan
invasions, which brought Vedic traditions and Hinduism to India. Her veneration was so persistent, enduring and significant that she was
eventually incorporated into the Hindu pantheon as one of its most powerful deities. According to myth, when all the other deities were
stymied by a demon, Kali emerged as an independent emanation of the goddess Durga. Kali is an unstoppable force: she handily
defeated that demon but was then unable to stop her whirling dance of destruction. The entire world would have been destroyed had
not Shiva, her beloved, thrown himself at her feet, risking his own death but snapping her out of her rampage.
Kali births and destroys her children. She is the Corn Mother who simultaneously grinds out life and death. Her name may be
interpreted as having to do with time but it literally means black as in Earth's fertile black soil or as in black holes, those regions of
space whose gravitational pull is so intense that nothing can escape. Reputedly the most difficult of all spirits to understand, Kali's
devotees claim that attempts to comprehend her will free you of all fear. Her stereotype depicts her as a scary, bloodthirsty, out-ofcontrol demon. She was notorious as the spirit venerated by the now infamous Thuggees, secret fraternities of thieves who may have
strangled victims in her honor. However, Thuggees were always but a tiny minority of her following. Sensationalized descriptions of Kali
tend to overlook the tremendous blessings she brings: bestowing protection; good health; abundanceand fertility on her devotees.
Kali is among the most widely venerated spirits on Earth; worshipped by millions of Hindus as well as by many others including
(unofficially) many Indian Mus lims. She is also venerated by independent practitioners and goddess-devotees worldwide. The Indian
Diaspora brought Kali to the Caribbean, where she is now also incorporated into various Obeah traditions.
Kali's association with time may indicate her primordial nature. She may have existed since the beginning of time and is
possibly a form of the primeval Earth woman or Dirt Woman.

Fiercest of the fierce, Kali backs away from nothing. To fully appreciate joy and life, suffering and death must be faced. Kali is
responsible for life from conception to the grave. She maintains world order. Kali protects the helpless, particularly women and children.
She is the Matron of Witches. Her attendant spirits are the Dakinis. Kali is the chief Dakini and is sometimes called Dakini.
Kali is not a remote deity but has intense personal relationships with individual devotees. Kali appears frequently in dreams and
visualizations and is also channeled by spirit mediums. She may offer instruction in yoga or various mystic, esoteric arts.
Favored people: Folk tradition suggests that people with pointy tongues have been touched or called by Kali and may consider
themselves under her sponsorship and protection.
M anifestation: Sometimes her appearance is consistent to her iconography: she has jet black or midnight blue skin and a fierce or
loving expression. Her hair may form one-hundred locks. She may dance or twirl. Kali is described as appearing in the form of brilliant
light or a deep black void. She may manifest in the form of cholera or a jackal-headed woman.
Iconography: Her images are frequently but not always intended to terrify. A standard votive image shows Kali's smiling or
grimacing face with fanglike teeth. Her tongue sticks out. She has three eyes and wild, disheveled hair. She wears a necklace of severed
human heads, still dripping blood and a girdle of severed human hands. Her earrings are children's corpses. She wears cobras as
garlands and bracelets. Her mouth is smeared with blood. She is adorned with gems possessing the celestial brilliance of the sun and
moon and usually depicted with four hands, demonstrating her contradictions: two are involved with destruction; the other two confer
blessings and protection:
• The left hands hold a severed head and a bloody scimitar.
• The right hands bless her viewer and form symbolic gestures (mudras) indicating fearlessness
Kali is frequently depicted together with her beloved Shiva. Typically she stands upon his prone body or they are shown in sexual
union. One famous image shows Kali squatting over Shiva's prone body devouring his entrails while simultaneously offering him her
breast.

Attributes: Mirror; black cauldron; a chalice containing blood from a head she has severed; she may drink from a skull.
Consort: Shiva
Colors: Black, red, midnight blue; purple
Sacred creatures: Crow; jackal
Flowers: Red hibiscus; red rhododendron; poinsettia
Planet: Moon (especially dark and waning phases)
Home: Kali lives in cemeteries and cremation grounds.
Offerings: Red hibiscus flowers; jaggery (a form of unrefined sugar)
Kali promised to bless anyone who offered her red hibiscus flowers .

See also: Anat; Baba Yaga; Dakini; Dirt Woman; Durga; Sara la Kali; Parvati; Shiva

Kallikantzari
Also known as: Kalikàtzari; Kallikant zaroi
Origin: Greece

Greek Christmas is an extended holiday. The Twelve Nights of Christmas, from Christmas Eve to the Feast of Epiphany, are called
the Dodecameron and it is a time for feasting and celebrating. It is also the time of the goat spirits called Kallikantzari.
Their name is believed to derive from Kalos Kentauros or "Beautiful Centaur" and like centaurs of old, the Kallikantzari are wild and
rambunctious. They're hairy horned man-goat spirits with cloven hooves, sharp fangs and claw-like talons. The Kallikantzari spend
almost the entire year captive underground trying to chew through the World Tree but at Christmas, they are released into our realm to
run wild.
The Kallikantzari ascend to Earth only during this twelve-day period. They are nocturnal creatures, used to the dark and so hide
during the day in dank, dark places like caves. (In urbanized areas, they may sneak into basements or warehouses.) At night, they run
amok. The Kallikantzari are vandals; hoodlums. They loot, steal and rampage. They break into mills. They break into stores (especially
liquor stores). They break into homes and eat people's Christmas dinner. Sometimes they eat people, too. They take pleasure in
tormenting people: they think it's fun. Kallikantzari tie up people or torture them. Sometimes they force women to dance with them;
kidnap or assault them.
Despite this reprehensible behavior, offerings are made to the Kallikantzari, whether to honor or propitiate them is subject to
interpretation. Put food outside for them and they may leave you alone.
The Kallikantzari are afraid of fire. Carry lit flaming torches and you may be able to fend them off. If you would like to avoid them,
stay inside during these twelve nights; keep doors and windows sealed and maintain a massive fire in the hearth. Should you run into
them outside at night, the Kallikantzari have a code word. They will ask you: hemp or lead?
• Answer hemp and go free
• Answer lead and anticipate attack
Who are these rampaging Kallikant zari?
• In some regions, they're considered pure spirits
• They may be vestiges of the satyrs and silens who attend Dionysus
• In some regions, the Kallikantzari are believed to be transformed humans: Babies born with a caul or on Christmas Day or during

the Twelve Nights may be destined to transform into Kallikantzari, similar to the transformation of men into werewolves
• In some regions, Kallikantzari are humans.
They may be unable to help themselves. These men may be transformed into Kallikantzari in the same manner that werewolf
transformation is activated by the full moon. Allegedly, Christmas Eve evokes the transformation but
pre-Christian versions of the
Kallikantzari were likely affected by the winter solstice.
Alternatively, the Kallikantzari are masked men who consciously know what they're doing (at least before they get too caught up in
liquor and frenzy). The Kallikantzari may be vestiges of old Diony sian winter masked possession rituals.
The leader of the Kallikantzari is called the Great Kallikantzaro, also known as the Lame Demon. (He limps.) He's
considered a bit smarter than the average Kallikantzari, no doubt why he received his position. The Great Kallikantzaro
attempts to organize the Kallikantzari although rarely completely successfully, as the rambunctious, chaotic spirits resist. He
rides a rooster.

M anifestation: The Kallikantzari are goat-men. They have goat's horns, ears and legs. Sometimes they wear iron or wooden
boots or shoes. Whether men or spirits, they are generally considered bellicose and stupid and, if you stay calm, can often be outwitted.
(Their leader is a bit sharper.)
Time: They roam Earth during the twelve days of Christmas and then they must leave. Offerings may be made anytime during the
Twelve Nights but especially on the last night to bid them farewell for the year.
Offerings: Their very favorite food is roast pork. They love wine. They will not refuse other liquor, either. Some may be tempted
to get them drunk so that they'll fall asleep and be pacified but drinking just makes them more rambunctious and their capacity for
alcohol is tremendous. The Kallikantzari fear fire and can't cook their own food. Their usual fare is raw flesh but they adore cooked
food, when they can get it.
Offerings are traditionally placed outside on the chimney ledge. Some hang a rib or other pork bone inside the chimney. Standard
offerings include mainly pork products: sausages, bones, ribs accompanied by waffles although they lust after and will make great
attempts to capture an entire roast pig. (Coincidentally perhaps the sacrifice made to Dionysus during the Anthesteria festival was a
sow.)
See also: Dionysus; Exotika; Silen

Kalma
Origin: Finland
Kalma is a death goddess who lives in Tuonela, the Finnish realm of death. Her name can be variously translated as "corpse",
"grave" and "stench of rotting corpses." (A modern Finnish word for "cemetery" is kalmisto.) She is not the presiding spirit of Tuonela;
that's her father, Tuoni but Kalma serves as one of his assistants. Kalma presides over graves and so she haunts the cemetery. She may
be responsible for deaths caused by illness.
M anifestation: Kalma is recognized by the way she smells.
Spirit ally: Kalma is often accompanied by Surma, the creature who guards Tuonela. Surma is usually described as a huge canine
with a serpent for a tail.
See also: Hel; Louhi; Persephone; Tuo netar

Kaltes

Origin: Siberia

The moon exerts its pull on Earthly tides and women's menstrual cycles. Kaltes is the beautiful spirit who mediates this relationship
between Earth, the moon and women. Kaltes first manifested to the Ugric tribes of Western Siberia such as the Mansi, formerly called
the Voguls, who traditionally inhabited the forests and swamplands near the Ob River and who are linguistically related to the Finns,
Saami and Hungarians.
Once upon a time, Kaltes lived in the sky with her husband, Numi-Tarem the Sky Master who may be a bear spirit. (She may also
be his sister or daughter.) Kaltes had a secret love affair with Xul-Ater, Prince of the Underworld but her husband found out. He drew
his sword to stab Kaltes but their eldest son stopped him. Later, when he had the opportunity, the enraged Numi-Tarem threw Kaltes
to the ground three times; then dropped her to Earth through a hole in the sky. While falling, she gave birth to the spirit-child who would
become World Surveyor Man, the Gander Prince.
Kaltes (the very same spirit or her double) serves as World Surveyor Man's foster mother. Yes, she is also his real mother. When he
comes of age, depending on the version of the myth, World Surveyor Man may or may not marry Kal tes or her avatar.
Kaltes resembles those Russian dolls, which appear identical except for size and which fit one inside the other. There are seemingly a
dizzyingly endless number of Kaltes who may be one and the same or reflections of each other, sort of the way rabbits legendarily
multiply. Fittingly, Kaltes is the Lady of the Rabbits, her sacred creature and messenger. She is a goddess of fertility, childbirth, and
women's reproductive health.

M anifestation: Kaltes appears as a beautiful woman, a rabbit or a goose. She is intensely associated with rabbits; even when she
appears in another form, some reference to rabbits may still exist, giving the clue to her true identity.
Planet: Moon
Sacred tree: Birch
Animal: Rabbit
Bird: Goose; swan
See also: Swan Goddesses; World Surveyor Man

Kalu Kumara

The Black Prince
Also known as: Kalu Yaka
Origin: Sinhalese (Sri Lanka)

Kalu Kumara is a demonic Eros; a disease demon whose favorite target is young girls on the threshold of womanhood although he
will also strike older women and sometimes infants and children. He attacks through dreams so pleasurable that his victims may not
appreciate that they are being attacked or may not care.
Kalu Kumara manifests to women via ecstatic erotic dreams. His target may wish never to wake from this beautiful rapture, wherein
is the problem. Kalu Kumara is a vampire: he doesn't suck blood nor is he frightening (unless he wishes to be) but he is draining his
victim's life essence. His attacks are accompanied by malaise, wasting, anorexia (not because she's worried about weight or
appearance but because the victim can't be bothered to eat; she lacks appetite) and the desire to sleep all the time, in hopes of once
again receiving a visit. Without shamanic intervention, Kalu Kumara's dreams may ultimately lead to serious illness and death. Various
protective measures are used to control and repel Kalu Kumara. If dream attacks occur, a specially trained shaman can drive him out

and prevent his return.
Kalu Kumara may be an embittered spirit. His name literally means "Black Prince"; he is royalty and was a significant deity prior to
Sinhalese conversion to Buddhism. Once upon a time, he didn't have to invade dreams: devotees came to him. Offerings are sometimes
made to propitiate him and prevent him from manifesting dangerously. He can sometimes manifest benevolently and has the power to
heal illness as well cause it. If he desires, he can bestow fertility rather than death.

Spirit allies: Kalu Kumara's assistants are the spirits known as the Seven Barren Queens who transmit infertility to women. Kalu
Kumara may be especially dreaded because where he goes; the Seven Barren Queens tend to follow. They may target women other
than Kalu Kumara's own specific victim.
See also: Eros; Sanni Yakka

Kalvis
Also known as: Kalvaitis; Kelvelis
Origin: Baltic (Lithuania; Latvia)

Kalvaitis, the celestial smith, lives by the water's edge at the end of the world where he hammers out a new sun every morning. In
1431, the missionary Jerome of Prague complained that the Lithuanians not only worshipped the sun but also an exceptionally large iron
hammer, which helped rescue the sun from imprisonment. Among the sacred treasures forged by Kalvelis is Ausriné's crown.
Attribute: Humongous hammer
See also: Ausriné; Dwarves; Gabija

Kama

Lord of Love; Churner of Hearts; Stalk of Passion; Lord of All Seasons
Also known as: Kama Deva; Manmatha
Origin: India
Kama Deva is India's Lord of Desire and Love; the Hindu equivalent of Eros. Kama, too, has a bow and arrows but his bow is
formed from sugar cane, strung with a line of honey bees and his arrows are flowers. Kama's parents are Lakshmi and Vishnu. He is
honored by those seeking love, happiness and sensual pleasure.
M anifestation: He's very handsome. Kama Deva may signal his presence with a gentle breeze.
Consort: Rati
Spirit allies: Kama is served and attended by the Apsaras
Birds: Parrots; parakeets; love birds
Sacred creature: Honeybees
M ount: Parrot

Time: Kama Deva is at the peak of his power in spring
Tree: Mango (Mangifera spp.); Ashoka (Saraca indica): ashoka means without grief
See also: Apsaras; Eros; Lakshmi; Rati

Kamakhya
Origin: India

Kamakhya is a Tantric goddess who presides over a famous shrine in Assam, northeastern India. The Kamakhya shrine is among
the fifty-one Shakti Peethas: holy shrines located where the different parts of Sati's body fell. (See also: Sati.) The Kamakhya Shrine is
special as it is located on the spot where:
• While still alive, Sati engaged in erotic delights with Shiva
• Her vulva fell to Earth
Kamakhya may be another name for Sati. She may also be a pre-Hindu Assamese goddess who has been absorbed into Hinduism
as an avatar of Sati. (Kamakhya is also occasionally identified with Tantric Hindu Tara.) Although there are different facets and
interpretations of her myth, one way or another, Kamakhya is a spirit of women's generative power and death.
She is the menstruating goddess who radiates supreme female generative, reproductive power, which means she may be petitioned
for personal fertility but also that she has the power to banish evil spirits, especially malevolent ghosts and the walking dead. The
meaning of her name is unknown. It is sometimes translated as one who is worshipped by Kama; because according to myth, Kama
regained his body at her shrine (following a curse cast by Shiva, which rendered him formless). Other etymologists suggest that the name
is not Sanskrit and may relate to words for "corpse" or "ghost." Kamakhya presides over ghosts and spirits and prior to the
construction of her temple may have been worshipped in cremation grounds. (The present temple structure dates from the 16 th century
and is formed in the shape of a bee hive.)
The Kamakhya Temple is considered the highest seat of Tantricism. Devotees come to venerate the goddess but also to seek out the
many mystics and holy people who congregate here in order to request their assistance with healing, romance, fertility and changes in
fortune.
Iconography: Kamakhya is not personified. She is venerated in the form of a vulva-like stone over which a spring of water flows
Color: Red
Sacred site: Kamakhya Temple, Nilachal Hill in Assam, India

Sacred times: Festivals honoring Kama khya are held throughout the year; this is an exceptionally popular temple; the center of
th day of the Hindu month of Ashaad, corresponding in time to the
Tantric India; a particularly popular festival occurs on the 7
astrological sign Cancer. This festival honors the goddess' menstrual cycle: the water in the springs turns red, possibly with the help of
some vermillion powder.
Offerings: Flowers, incense, pilgrimage
See also: Kama; Sati; Shiva; Tara (1)

Kamapua'a
Origin: Hawaii

Kamapua'a is Lord of Pigs, a sensual hog spirit, half-pig/half-man who lives in swampy parts of Hawaii. Although now most famous
for his epic battle and romance with volcano goddess, Pelé, he is also a spirit of sex, abundance, fertility, well-being and precipitation.

The son of Hina and her illicit lover, he is passionate, charismatic, a renowned warrior, brawler and lady's man. Pelé isn't the only
goddess he romanced. He also had a steamy affair with snow goddess, Poliahu, perhaps one more reason the two goddesses can't
stand each other's sight.
Kamapua'a is Pelé's rival, ally, lover and enemy. A myth recounts their battle to control the island of Hawaii and their ultimate truce.
Kamapua'a engaged her in a battle over land-rights (and a rough seduction). She attacked him with flames, almost defeating him but he
retaliated by dousing her with fog, dampness and rain; then sent an army of hogs to root and rampage through her territory.
Finally, to prevent complete devastation of the island, other spirits intervened and a truce was brokered. Pelé decided she liked the
big lugand consented to his attentions. They divided Hawaii with Kamapua'a maintaining dominion over Hilo and the wet, rainy region
and Pelé asserting dominion over the lava districts of Kona, Puna and Ka'u. He promised never to flood her side of the Wailua River
and she promised never to cross the river and ravage his green fields.

M anifestation: Kamapua'a is a real shape-shifter: he manifests as a man, hog, fish or plant. When he appears in human form, he
traditionally wears a long cloak to camouflage the hog bristles running down his spine that betray his true porcine identity. (His tattoos
may also indicate his pig nature.)
Attribute: Kamapua'a owns a magic leho shell (red cowrie), which he uses as a boat to travel between islands.
See also: Hina; Pelé; Poliahu

Kami
Origin: Japan
Kami are the indigenous spirits of Japan and the basis of the Shinto religion. The word kami encompasses a very wide variety of
spirit beings as well as host of mysterious, mystical powers, energies and forces.
There is an infinite number of kami. The sacred text, the Kojiki says that there are eight million kami but this may be a symbolic
number, interpreted as truly meaning innumerable. (Eight is a sacred number in Shinto cosmology.)
Kami animate everything i n the universe: every object; thing; formation has a kami. There are kami of places, cities, villages,
neighborhoods. Look around you: if you can see something, it probably has a kami. There are elemental kami and kami of the
crossroads. Because of the kami, everything in the entire universe is sacred and animated with profound potentially benevolent, mystical
energy. After death, human souls may re-emerge as kami. Ancestral kami are venerated at household shrines.

The name Shinto, translated as Way of the Spirits, derives from two Chinese words: Shen (spirit) and Tao (way). Shinto has
no one individual founder. Features recognizable as Shinto religion can be documented as far back as the late pre-historic era,
circa 300 BCE to 300 CE. In 1871, Shinto was established as Japan's state religion and the word Shinto as a name for this
spiritual system derives from this period.

Kami are divided into two branches:
• Earthly kami (Kunitsukami)
• Celestial kami (Amatsukami)
Kami may be used as an honorific title or classification for any sacred being and so some Taoist and Buddhist spirits, now so well
integrated into Japanese spirituality, are the equivalent of honorary kami, as for example Jizo or Hotei.
Only six kami are honored with the title Okami ("Great Kami"). Five are celestial kami: Amaterasu; Izanagi; Izanami;
Michikaeshi and Sashikuni. Only one is an Earthly kami: Sarutahiko.

Kami are traditionally petitioned for health, fertility, success, prosperity, academic achievement, abundance and protection. In general,
domestic offerings are made to the kami early in the day, usually in the morning (although clearly this ultimately depends on individual

kami and devotee).

See also: Amaterasu; Amatsumara; Ebisu; Hosogami; Inari; Izanagi; Izanami; Jizo; Kajishin; Kamui; Kanayago; Kannon
Okame; Sarutahiko; Susano'o; Uzume

Kamohoali'i
Also known as: Moho
Origin: Hawaii

Kamohoali'i is the most famous of Hawaii's many shark spirits. He is Pelé's devoted big brother; the shark brother who led and
escorted her from Tahiti to Hawaii.
Kamohoali'i is more than just a shark with good navigational skills. He is an important deity and among the most important Aumakua.
Kamohoali'i communicates via ritual possession of his spirit mediums. Devotees are expected not to eat, harm, harass or otherwise
annoy sharks (although this may be good advice for all). In myth, he is a fun-loving spirit, credited as being the one who taught his sister,
Hi'iaka to surf.
M anifestation: Kamohoali'i manifests in the form of a shark, a man or any kind of fish or sea creature.
Sacred sites: Kamohoali'i is considered chief of the shark spirits of Oahu but he's a shark: he travels where he wants.
• Kamohoali'i lives in an underwater cave near Pearl Harbor.
• Pelé named a cliff to the west of the Kilauea crater in his honor in gratitude for his protection during her long journey from Tahiti:
Ka-Pali-Kapu-U-Kamohoali'i
• Many heiaus (stone shrines) are dedicated to him on the island of Molokai
Offerings: Flower garlands; kava; good deeds on behalf of sharks, oceans and Hawaiian waters
See also: Aumakua; Hi'iaka; Ka'ahu Pahau; Pelé

Kamui
Origin: Ainu (Japan)
The Kamui are the spirits of the Ainu people, an indigenous ethnic group of Japan. The word Kamui is very similar to Kami and the
spirits are alike in nature. Kamui are innumerable. Some have distinct personalities and names and maintain relationships with people.
Others are localized spirits identified with specific land formations such as trees and rocks.
See also: Fuji; Kami

Kanaloa
Also known as: Tangaroa
Origin: Polynesia
Classification: Akua

Kanaloa is the spirit of the sea. Kings of the sea are important in all pantheons but especially so in Polynesia, which means "Many
Islands" and consists of groupings of islands, many quite isolated, spread over vast expanses of the southern and central Pacific Ocean.
Kanaloa is his Hawaiian name; Tanga roa is the Maori pronunciation. Kanaloa is venerated throughout Polynesia and is always
associated with the sea but may otherwise manifest differently in different locations.
In Tahiti, he is the supreme creator and deity. Kanaloa and Kane traveled together from Tahiti to Hawaii bringing food plants so that
the Hawaiianswould survive. As Lord of the Sea, Kanaloa is a spirit of abundance, fertility and procreation. He is a master healer and
magician who can transmit sacred and secret knowledge.
Favored people: Those who fish; those who make their living from the sea (presumably without harming his domain); carpenters;
house builders
Iconography: Tiki carvings representing Kanaloa are available
Spirit ally: In Hawaii, Kane and Kanaloa are perceived as partners; in Fiji, Tane and Tangaroa may have a contentious,
competitive relationship
Sacred animal: Specifically octopus and squid but also sea creatures in general.
Direction: West
Sacred site: The Iao Needle, the sacred mountain peak, now in Iao Valley State Park, Maui, Hawaii embodies Kanaloa's
generative, procreative energy
See also: Aukua; Kane

Kanayago

The Iron Worker's Child
Origin: Japan
Classification: Kami

Kanayago, a celestial kami, stepped off the moon tree intending to deliver a treatise, "A Secret Writing about Iron Mountain" but
her foot got caught and she tripped. Falling to Earth, Kanayago died. She started a vigil over her own corpse. Kanayago's vigil is
eternal. This watchful soul atop a mountain of iron emerged as the presiding spirit of metalworkers. She taught people how to work iron.
(Their first project was an iron kettle.) Kanayago protects metal-workers; guards their safety; prevents accidents and increases yield.
Kanayago's earliest manifestation seems to have been as a female but she eventually began to appear in both male and female form.
Kanayago is now envisioned as the male half of a pair of iron-working spirits. The polite way to address him is Kanayago-sama and his
female counterpart as Kanayama-hime (i.e., Lord Kanayago and Princess Kanayama).
Iron-working is intimately tied to primordial women's blood mysteries. Many cultures perceive iron ore to be Earth's own menstrual
blood. Kanayago has stringent taboos against menstruating women: they cannot come into her presence. Active devotees who are male
must also avoid menstruating women; not only not having sex with them but also not even looking them in the face. Complete avoidance
is preferred until the menstrual cycle has completely concluded.
M anifestation: Kanayago wears rags and his or her teeth are blackened.

Sacred animal: Kanayago's relationship with dogs is subject to controversy. Some say she travels with a dog; others that she hates
them because it was a dog's unexpected barking that caused her to trip.
M ount: Snowy heron

Plant: Wisteria
Sacred day: Kanayago is honored at the Bellows Festival on the eighth day of the eleventh lunar month
See also: Gorgon; Inari; Kajishin; Kami; Ogun

Kane
Pronounced: Kah-nay
Also known as: Tane (pronounced Tah-nay)
Origin: Polynesia
Classification: Akua

Kane is among the most foremost deities of Polynesia. In parts of this far-flung region, he is considered the supreme Creator,
sometimes in conjunction with Kanaloa. Kane was lonely and longed for female companionship but there was one problem: women
hadn't yet been invented. Finally, Kane literally took matters into his own hands, forming a woman from moist red beach sand. He
breathed life into her and named her Hine-hau-one, "Earth Formed Maiden." They made love and became the ancestors of humanity.
Kane is considered the Lord of the Akua. He is a spirit of procreation. As Kana loa is the spirit of the sea, so Kane is spirit of land
and in particular lord of the forests and its creatures. Birds serve as his messengers.

M anifestation: Kane can manifest any way he wishes; however, typical forms include a handsome man, lightning, hailstones, and
rainbows.
Direction: East (Kane rests in the west and moves towards the east)
Birds: Crows; owls
See also: Akua; Hina; Kahoupokane; Kanaloa; Lilinoe; Poliahu; Waiau

Kanekua'ana
Origin: Hawaii
Classification: Mo'o

Kanekua'ana is the lizard goddess of Pearl Harbor. This Mo'o spirit and divine ancestress brought pearl oysters from Tahiti to
Oahu but then later brought them back again. Kanekua'ana was angered when in the 1850s, after traditional Hawaiian religion was
abolished, harvest taboos were broken. Human greed and disrespect offended her, too: the oyster beds were ceded to the control of
human landlords. An old woman, a descendent of Kanekua'ana who served as her spirit medium, was caught harvesting oysters without
permission from the landlord. She was punished. Kane kua'ana, outraged at the treatment of her medium (and by extension the
disrespect shown to the goddess), took the pearl oysters back to Tahiti.
Kanekua'ana is invoked and propitiated when fish are scarce. Heiau (traditional Hawaiian stone shrines) are erected in her honor;
cooked offerings are given and blessings requested from Kanekua'ana. Kane kua'ana communicates via spirit mediums and will ritually
possess her female descendents. Kanekua'ana still guards freshwater ponds in the vicinity and blesses and protects those she loves.
Sacred site: Pearl Harbor where she once had a shrine
Sacred creatures: Pearl oysters (In Hawaiian:pipi); oysters in general

Colors: Saffron; turmeric
See also: Aumakua; Ka'ahu Pahau; Kihawahine; Mo'o

Kangi Ten
Also known as: Kangi

Two elephants locked in erotic embrace: that's the magical image of Kangi Ten. Kangi Ten names a pair of elephant spirits and the
specific iconographic image used to represent them. Kangi Ten is known elsewhere but is particularly popular in Japan. Veneration of
the image unlock Kangi Ten's many blessings:
• Kangi Ten bestows happiness, health and good fortune
• Kangi Ten bestows material wealth as well as supernatural and erotic prowess
• Kangi Ten is also petitioned to avert and eliminate crises and disasters
Kangi Ten's identity is unclear and subject to debate. The male elephant may be an East Asian manifestation of Ganesha or a
completely different elephant deity. The female may be a distinct, independent elephant deity or an emanation of the Bodhisattva
Avalokiteshvara. Earliest documented veneration of Kangi Ten dates from the early 17th century when Osaka merchants credited Kangi
Ten for their wealth, success and good fortune. In response, the merchants offered lavish, generous gifts and Kangi Ten's reputation
spread.
A Japanese Buddhist legend describes Kangi as an obstreperous elephant king who caused obstructions for people. (Al though he is
not named, this likely refers to Ganesha, famed for removing obstructions for his own devotees but who has a long history of hostility
towards Buddhism.) Avalokiteshvara heard peoples' cries of despair and took pity. He assumed the form of a sexy female elephant
with whom Kangi Ten immediately fell in love. However the lady elephant rejected his embrace until he vowed to stop causing
obstructions and start protecting the Dharma.
Favored people: Kangi Ten is especially venerated by those in food and alcohol service industries such as bars and restaurants as
well as by Tantric practitioners
Iconography: The standard image of Kangi Ten depicts two figures, male and female, each with a human body and an elephant's
head. Their bodies face each other; tightly, closely entwined; heads resting on their partners' right shoulders, so that they gaze in
different directions. They may or may not be engaged in sexual union. The female elephant is usually crowned and bejeweled. She
places her feet on those of her mate.
• An alternative pose depict the pair facing in the same direction, cheek-to-cheek, tails entwined
• A rare version depicting the female partner with the head of a wild sow (female boar) is traditionally kept hidden. When
venerated in the context of secret Tantric rituals, Kangi Ten also provides marital bliss and lots of happy, healthy children.
See also: Avalokiteshvara; Chinnamasta; Ganesha; Tanuki

Kannon
Kannon is the manifestation of Kwan Yin in Japan and Korea. Although technically considered the same spirit, they do not manifest
in exactly the same way nor are they always petitioned in exactly the same manner.
• Kannon protects pregnant and laboring women, children and dead souls
• She bestows the gift of fertility
• She can heal incurable illnesses
• Appeal to her if you seek mercy or forgiveness
• Kannon wards off all forms of danger: appeal to her if you are afraid
In Japan, Kannon presides over dream incubation. Devotees journey to her shrines, vowing to spend a specified time there, sleeping
in the spaces allotted for pilgrims. Kannon appears in dreams (typically not until the last night of the stay) to respond to petitions, reveal

information or perform healings and miracles. She may manifest in any of her thirty-three forms, as one of her servants or as an old
Buddhist priest.
M anifestation: There are thirty-three forms of Kannon including female, male, nun, horse, horse-headed woman, bird, snake,
dragon and others.
Number: 33. Kannon has thirty-three paths or manifestations. A Japanese pilgrimage route dedicated to Kannon includes thirtythree shrines. The numbers three and eleven are also sacred to her. (Three times eleven is thirty-three.)
When Christianity was suppressed in Japan, secret Christians continued to venerate Mary by substituting images of
Kannon. These images, now called Maria Kannon, often contained a hidden cross, but were otherwise indistinguishable from
other images of Kannon.

See also: Avalokiteshvara; Black Madonna; Kwan Yin; and the Glossary entry for Path

Kapo

Red Eel Woman
Origin: Polynesia

Powerful and unpredictable, Kapo has dominion over fertility, childbirth, miscarriage, abortion and death. She is a spirit of
witchcraft, and prophesy, famed for being able to reverse any curse or malevolent spell. Kapo is admired and respected but also
feared. She is among the preeminent spirits of hula dancing, which originally derives from sacred ritual. Some legends credit her with the
invention of hula although others suggest that the primary sacred matron of hula is Laka, Hawaiian Spirit of Beauty.
The exact relationship between Kapo and Laka is unclear. They may be sisters or Kapo may be Laka's mother but the most widely
accepted theory is that they are aspects of one being, two sides of one coin with Laka as the consistently benevolent life affirming aspect
and Kapo as the volatile, shadow side.
Kapo's mother is the lunar spirit Haumea; her more famous younger sister and sometime traveling companion is volcano spirit, Pelé.
Kapo was born in Tahiti but was already in Hawaii when Pelé arrived. Upon her own arrival, Kapo is rumored to have established a
hula school on each Hawaiian island.
Invoke Kapo to help further and inspire your magical skill and power. Kapo possesses the power to break any hex or curse. She
can help control your fertility, as you desire; encouraging conception or protecting from pregnancy.
Favored people: Sorcerers; shamans; magical practitioners; hula dancers; midwives and abortionists

M anifestation: Like the other Hawaiian deities, Kapo manifests in any form she chooses, human, animal, botanical or mineral. She
can be stormy and fearsome or alluringly beautiful. In addition to beauty, Kapo possesses a magical detachable flying vagina that she
flings and retrieves at will.
Sacred plant: Pandanus (hala)
Creature: Eel
Sacred sites: Kapo was widely adored throughout Hawaii, especially in Molokai, once renowned for its powerful sorcerers. The
imprint of her flying vagina is still seen on the eastern side of the hill Kohelepelepe (literally detached vagina) at Koko Head, Oahu.
See also: Haumea; Laka; Pelé

Kappa
Also known as: Kawako (River Child)
Origin: Japan
Classification: Suijin
Kappa are Japanese water spirits who live in family groups near sources of fresh water. Given
the choice, Kappa prefer quiet,
remote locations and have a special fondness for swamps but can theoretically inhabit any stream, lake, river, spring or even well.
Kappa are powerful trickster spirits who are potentially very dangerous but who can also assist people and bestow tremendous
blessings.
Kappa can be extremely malevolent. They lure children into the water to drown and/or eat them. Sometimes they sneak beneath
swimming children, grab them and hold them underwater, drowning them, just for fun. They rape women and may drown them, too.
Sometimes they steal.
As with Fairies, myths and legends regarding Kappa have been softened and sanitized in recent years. Kappa were once
invoked as a threat to keep children from wandering near water; now Kappa are portrayed as cute, sweet and impish . Hello
Kitty!(tm) plush toys appear dressed as Kappa.

Once you are in the water with them, it can be hard to escape from a Kappa however Kappa behave very consistently and so
trouble can be averted. The defining physical quality of a Kappa is a hollow on top of its head filled with a mysterious liquid. Spilling this
fluid will temporarily disarm the Kappa, rendering it harmless.
Here's the trick: Kappa may be killers but they are very polite. If you bow to them in the Japanese manner, they
will bow back.
Keep bowing. Bow lower. Every time you bow, the Kappa will match you. Eventually if it bows low enough, the liquid will spill. This is
your moment to run and escape.
Avoid encounters: Kappa dislike metal, especially iron and steel. Wear or carry iron implements or amulets. (Perhaps the reason
Kappa traditionally pick on children and women is that, back in the day, they were the people least likely to be carrying swords or other
metal weapons.)
Alternatively, when in Kappa territory or anticipating trouble, carry cucumbers. They are the Kappas' very favorite food and they
much prefer them to human livers, their other favorite food. Throw the Kappa a cucumber and run away.
Some negotiate with the Kappa: carving names onto cucumbers (one name per cuke) and throwing these into Kappa ponds on a
regular schedule in the understanding that the Kappa will refrain from harming the persons named on the substitute offerings. This
technique may also be used to petition or otherwise communicate with Kappa. Carve your message onto a cucumber and throw it into
the water.
Kappa enjoy the art of sumo wrestling and are potentially competitive spirits, however this is one sport they can't win, if
only because the formal bow at the beginning of the match causes them to lose their precious head fluid and become
temporarily weak. Do not, however, under any circumstances, accept a Kappa's thumb-wrestling challenge. It's just a ploy to
pull you into the water. The Kappa always wins.

Why would you wish to petition the Kappa? Because they are not entirely evil and because they are the source of significant
blessings:
• Kappa are skilled healers and can teach and transmit these skills to humans
• Kappa have access to underwater treasure, which they may be persuaded to bestow
• If Kappa like you, they are exceptionally loyal and helpful allies
• Kappa certainly have their faults but they are polite and honorable; their word is good, once they have given it. If a Kappa makes
a promise, it will fulfill it.

Favored people: Kappa are quirky and may mysteriously take a fancy to someone however they passionately love sumo wrestling
and hence sumo wrestlers.

M anifestation: Resembling a cross between a turtle, frog and monkey, Kappa are approximately the size of a human child with a
long beak and webbed hands and feet. Their bodies are covered with scales and there is a tortoise shell on their back. They smell fishy
and may be greenish. Although they are child-sized, Kappa possess tremendous physical strength: they are strong enough to drag horses
and cattle underwater with their bare hands. Remember: their Achilles heel is the water-filled indentation atop their heads.
Offerings: Cucumbers; Kappamaki (cucumber roll sushi named for Kappas' love of cucumbers); melons; eggplants
See also: Suijin; Yokai
Kappa serve as literary inspiration, for example, Ryunosuke Akutagawa's 1927 novel Kappa and Hiromi Goto's 2002
novel, The Kappa Child. A character identified as half-kappa is among the main protagonists of the very popular manga/anime,
Saiyuki.

Karina

The first documented mention of the Karina is amongst a list of spirits summoned by King Solomon to reveal their powers to him
and how they can be controlled. The Karina appeared to Solomon in the guise of a beautiful young woman. She is a renowned shapeshifter and has many forms but the most common are canine, owl, serpentine and the aforementioned alluring girl. Although her forms
change, she is consistently female. In other words, she may appear as a snake or an owl but it will be a female snake or owl.
The Karina may look appealing but she's a spirit of miscarriage and illness who demonstrates particular jealousy and hostility towards
pregnant women. She curses by displaying her genitals, infecting those who witness this action with illness, miscarriage or stillbirth. In
conversation with King Solomon, the Karina revealed that the archangel Gabriel controls and counteracts her. (So, if a strange woman
or female dog exposes their genitals to you in an ominous way and now you're feeling nervous, it's time to request help from Gabriel.)
See also: Gabriel; Solomon, King; Qarin; Umm Es Subyan

Karni Mata

Lady of the Rats
Also known as: Karni Ma; Mother Karni
Origin: India

Karni Mata, Rat Goddess and Great Mother, is a protective deity, venerated in India and worldwide although her principle shrine is
in Deshnok, Rajasthan, northern India, famous for the thousands of sacred rats it houses. Karni Mata is a tribal ancestress goddess who
has been incorporatedinto the Hindu pantheon as an avatar of Durga. Her identification with Durga is now central to her modern myth.
She was allegedly born a human girl named Ridhu Bai on 2 October 1387 and quickly demonstrated healing and supernatural
powers, especially the ability to miraculously cure or antidote venomous snake bites. She became known as Karni, interpreted as "She
Will Do Something Mirac ulous on Earth." (The affectionate honorificMata means Mother, Ma or Mom.)
Karni was married to a prince but before the marriage was consummated, she revealed herself to him as a goddess sent to Earth to
serve people. She could never be just a wife. She advised her husband to marry her sister and have children, which he did. Karni Mata
treated those children as her own; their descendents were the first to venerate Karni Mata. They form a distinct caste and serve in

Karni's temple. (Karni Mata's sisters are also enshrined in her temple.)
When her nephew/step-son drowned in a lake, Karni brought him to a cave and enclosed herself in with him. She wrangled with
Yama, Lord of Death and successfully restored the young man to life. Karni Mata then vowed that none of her people would ever again
fall into Yama's clutches. Instead their souls would temporarily inhabit the bodies of rats and then they would reincarnate right back into
her own tribe.
Karni Mata never died but on 21 March 1438, she is said to have vanished in a flash of light. A disembodied voice later told her
grieving followers that if they installed her image in her cave, she would stay with them forever. She vowed to help anyone who came to
pray at her Rajasthani shrine with true faith and a good heart. Karni Mata performs miracles of healing, provides victory and success
and protects from all harm.
Karni Mata's once small cave shrine has expanded into a beautiful, lavish marble temple with silver gates described as among the
wonders of the world. It has earned something of an air of notoriety, especially among those unfamiliar with her spiritual tradition. Some
are offended that, in the midst of a nation marked by intense poverty, rats are fed generously and regularly. The temple feeds people,
too and devotees explain that the rats residing in Karni Mata's temple only resemble rats but are not truly rats. Instead they are human
souls awaiting rebirth.
The rats allegedly do not leave the temple precinct. They are very tame and will approach and sit on visitors, perceived as transmitting
the blessings of the goddess. Food offerings are first given to the rats and then distributed to human devotees. Rather than spread illness,
Karni Mata's sacred rats may possess the power to counteract it. Food and beverages that the rats have tasted are perceived as having
sacred medicinal properties. During a recent epidemic, people visited the temple to partake of the rats' milk and water.
There are only a handful of white rats among Karni's thousands of temple rats. A sighting of one of these rare rats is considered a
special blessing from the goddess and an indication that your petition or vow has been heard.
Iconography: The traditional votive image of Karni Mata shows her standing with an upward pointing trident in her right hand, a
demon's severed head impaled from the lower butt end. She holds another severed head in her left hand.
Sacred site: The Karni Mata Temple in Deshnok, India. She is also closely associated with caves and trees. Karni Mata
specifically requested that people stop cutting trees.
Sacred animals: The rats in her temple. Karni Mata is not the goddess of rats in general. Offerings on behalf of rodents in general
are not appropriate. Her sacred rats are specifically those that dwell in her temple.
Spirit ally: Because of his association with rodents, Ganesha may be venerated alongside Karni Mata.
Sacred times: Two fairs/pilgrimages are held in Deshnok: in the spring and in the fall
Offerings: On behalf of trees; incense; flower garlands; pilgrimage to her shrine; offerings on behalf of shrine maintenance or the
rats may be made by mail or possibly on-line
See also: Durga; Ganesha; Yama

Karttikeya
Origin: India
Karttikeya is a complex, mysterious, powerful spirit. Under the name Skanda or Murugan, he is the most beloved deity in modern
southern India.
Karttikeya is lord of war and patron of thieves but also a great yogi, brilliant philosopher and masterful spiritual adept. Karttikeya is
usually described as the son of Shiva and Parvati but variations of his myth exist. Ganesha is his brother.
Karttikeya means "related to the Krittikas" and refers to the six Krittikas, the goddesses who raised him. In one version, they find
and raise the baby. In another version, Karttikeya is the result when six of the wives of the Cosmic Seers unknowingly conceive when
they bathe in a river in which Shiva's sperm has fallen.
Subramanian, one of Karttikeya's names, means "dear to the Brahmins" and yet in southern India and Sri Lanka, Karttikeya is
associated with intensely shamanic rites. Fire-walking is practiced in his major Sri Lankan shrine.

Request Karttikeya's blessings and assistance:
• Before traveling, especially abroad
• Before academic or entrance exams
• For protection
• For enhanced business
• To avert or eliminate personal or family troubles and disasters
Karttikeya goes by a number of names including Murugan, Subramanian, Skanda, Kataragama and Kumara. All the
names may refer to the same spirit. Alternatively, various local spirits have been absorbed into the Hindu pantheon by
identifying them as the son of Shiva and Parvati. This may also account for Karttikeya's very different behavior in different
parts of India and Sri Lanka.

Favored people: Karttikeya often demonstrates interest in people by bestowing locks: their hair suddenly, abruptly forms locks.
M anifestation: Karttikeya takes many forms. He may have six heads. His hair may form six locks (one lock per face). He is
usually depicted with four arms. In his wrathful form, Karttikeya is a lion-man.
Iconography: Frequently depicted in the company of his two wives and/or mounted on his peacock
Attribute: Spear; lance
Consorts: Devasena and Valli
Bird: Peacock
Karttikeya has two wives in South India but is eternally celibate in the north.

Number: 6
Planet: Mars
Color: Red
Offerings: Many of his devotees adopt a vegetarian diet and abstain from alcohol; traditional offerings to Karttikeya include milk,
fruit; cooked rice, boiled black lentils
See also: Ganesha; Hanuman; Korravai; Parvati; Shiva

K'daai Maqsin

Origin: Yakut (Siberia)
K'daai Maqsin is the primordial blacksmith; the very first smith according to Yakut cosmology. He is the father of ironworking and
responsible for training future smiths. A Yakut proverb says that blacksmiths and shamans were born in the same nest. According to
Yakut myth, the first blacksmith, shaman and potter were brothers but the blacksmith is the eldest brother and hence the most powerful.
K'daai Maqsin initiates shamans. He tempers their souls on his forge in the manner that he tempers iron. He is a divine physician and

heals and revives the broken bodies of heroes. He mends amputated limbs. Post-Christianity, K'daai Maqsin was reclassified as a fire
demon. He lives in an iron house surrounded by flames.
See also: Demon

Kebechet
See: Qebhut

Kedalion

The Purifier; The Old Crab; Phallic One
Also known as: Cedalion
Origin: Greece

Instead of throwing baby Hephaestus into the sea, another version of this Greek myth suggests that Hera brought her son to the
island of Naxos to be reared by her ally, the crab spirit Kedalion. Kedalion is a primeval forge master, master smith and shaman. He is a
phallic spirit who bestows fertility and protection and wards off the Evil Eye. Hephaestus was apprenticed to Kedalion so that he too
could learn smithcraft. Kedalion served and advised Hephaestus and was venerated beside him in his shrines. He is sometimes classified
among the Cabeiri.
Kedalion also features in the myth of Orion. After Orion was blinded, he made his way to Hephaestus' forge (he could hear the metal
clanging even if he couldn't see); Hephaestus took pity on him and lent him Kedalion who, riding on his shoulders, guided him towards
Helios who restored Orion's vision.
Kedalion is traditionally venerated alongside Hera, Hephaestus or in the company of shaman/smith spirits
Favored people: Smiths; shamans; those born under the sign Cancer
M anifestation: Kedalion is sometimes envisioned as a small man or dwarf but he may manifest as a crab. Once upon a time,
smiths were often deliberately lamed so that they could not easily take their prized skills away; Kedalion may not literally be a crab but
he may move like one because his legs have been damaged; hence he cannot walk beside Orion but must be carried. Hephaestus, too,
is lame.
See also: Cabeiri; Helios; Hephaestus; Hera

Kel Asuf

The People of Solitude
Also known as: Kel Esuf; Goumaten
Origin: Tuareg
The Tuareg are a traditionally nomadic African people who, until the mid–20 th century and the advent of airplanes and automobiles,

controlled the Sahara's salt roads and caravan routes. The Tuareg began to be converted to Islam in the 16 th century; however strong
traditional spiritual elements survive and remain vital.
In recent years, many of the Tuareg have been forced into sedentary existence but previously they roamed the vast Sahara and Sahel:
no one knew the mysteries of the desert better. The Kel Asuf, Spirits of Solitude are among those mysteries.
"Solitude" may be understood to mean remote; distant from human habitation; a synonym for desolation. Kel Asuf are spirits of the
bush; spirits who dwell beyond human thresholds. They linger near people but remain independent. They will not adjust for civilization.
They will not submit to Islam or otherwise be co-opted. They are pre-Islamic spirits who refuse to be abandoned or forgotten.
Propitiate them; make them into allies or get sick and die.
Solitude is also the Tuareg euphemism for spirit possession. The Kel Asuf are the spirits who possess but through ritual these spirits
are transformed from debilitating illness into helpers and guardians. Kel Asuf possession doesn't resemble
The Exorcist; there's no
spinning heads or vomiting pea soup. Instead, it manifests as illness: Western society might not recognize symptoms of Kel Asuf
possession. The afflicted person might just be sent for endless medical testing: no physical cause for their ailment is ever found. (See the
Glossary entry for Possession.)
Signs indicating possession or a Kel Asuf spirit's interest in a human being include depression, malaise, loss of appetite, red eyes with
no apparent physical cause and loss of the faculty of speech. It is also characterized by intense cravings for beautiful aromas like
perfume or incense. Kel Asuf, like Zar spirits, generally, though not always, manifest in gradual, wasting illnesses as opposed to the
sudden severe strikes that are characteristic of many Djinn and Sidhe.

There is very little written about the Kel Asuf, especially in English. As the Tuareg have been forced into sedentary
communities amongst more orthodox conventional Muslim neighbors, they have lost much autonomy and Tande N Goumaten,
which are public ceremonies, are discouraged, if not outright forbidden. Susan J. Rasmussen's Spirit Possession and Personhood
Among the Kel Ewey Tuareg(Cambridge University Press, 1995) describes her experiences among the Tuareg.

Rituals to summon, celebrate, and propitiate the Kel Asuf are called Tande N Gou maten.
• Goumaten, the plural of Gouma, is the word for Kel Asuf in Tamacheq, the Tuareg language, related to Berber
• Tande has three meanings: mortar (as in mortar and pestle); a type of drum constructed by stretching goat skin across a mortar
and also a generic term for musical events
Rituals feature drumming, dancing, and singing. Carefully selected ritual music activates and summons the Kel Asuf similar to songs
played for Lwa and Orishas. Women play prominent roles in Tande N Goumaten. Social conventions are broken. During rituals women
hold swords, traditionally men's weapons, even if menstruating.
It is usually considered best to remove Koranic amulets during Tande N Goumaten. (Whether because the amulets are so powerful,
the spirits cannot approach or because the spirits are offended by the amulets and thus will not is subject to interpretation.)
Kel Asuf may attack out of anger, if disturbed or annoyed but may also cause symptoms of possession because they are interested in
starting or maintaining a relationship with someone. Spirits are often passed from mother to daughter and thus one or more Kel Asuf
spirits may be venerated by a family over many generations.
Tande N Goumaten is not the only way to cure illness caused by Kel Asuf. Illness may also respond to healing via Koranic verses
especially when men are afflicted, possibly because Kel Asuf tend to strike men out of anger but infect women to form alliances. Kel
Asuf, both male and female, tend to prefer human women. The Kel Asuf spirits most closely associated with Tande N Goumaten rituals
afflict women almost exclusively.
Kel Asuf resemble Djinn and are sometimes classified as a type or subset of Djinn.

Illness caused by Kel Asuf does not respond to conventional treatment. Once infected, ritual healing is required if someone wishes to
get well. However, it is possible to ward off Kel Asuf and avoid them via the use of amulets and metal:
• Silver, the metal of purity, may keep you safe (in Tuareg cosmology, silver is considered the purest of metals; gold the least pure
and thus offers the least protection)
• The Tuareg amulets known as the 21 Crosses including the Cross of Agadez are traditionally crafted from silver and intended to
protect against Kel Asuf

• Iron may frighten and repel them
Individual Kel Asuf have names, distinct personalities and preferences although Kel Asuf as a group also display certain predilections:
• They detest dirt. In order to maintain a personal relationship with Kel Asuf, you must keep your body clean and fragrant.
• They like blood and thus may be found lingering near slaughterhouses. They have no problem being served by menstruating
women.
• They insist on becoming active participants in your life. They are nosy and bossy when it comes to devotees' sex lives. You must
request their permission before getting married. (They will likely give it but are highly offended if not asked.)
• They are nocturnal but like things that glow in the dark. Anthropologist Susan J. Rasmussen describes a ritual held after midnight
outside in the dark. The patient wore a white festival blouse described as "glowing white." Kel Asuf respond favorably to this
glowing white contrasted against darkness.
• They are very sensitive to smell: maintain the aroma of perfume and fragrant incense
Favored people: Kel Asuf generally prefer to maintain relationships with women
Time: Night
Day: They're at the peak of their power on Fridays (and believed especially active on important Muslim holidays).
Sacred sites: They prefer wild, desolate, untamed places. They can live within people either as debilitating parasites or as guardian
advisors who bring blessings of health and good fortune.
See also: Bori; Djinn; Lwa; Mami Waters; Orisha; Sidhe; Zarand the Glossary entry for Menstruation

Kelpie
Origin: Scotland

Kelpies are shape-shifting Scottish water spirits usually found near running, moving water like rivers or streams. Kelpies are
notorious for abducting people either just to drown them or to carry them back to their own realm to live among them, marry and have
Kelpie children. They may abduct human women to be mid-wives or wet-nurses.
The Kelpie assumes the form of an attractive horse or pony walking alone on the shore. It looks docile and may make overtures
inviting a person onto its back. It's typically saddled and ready to ride and just looks like a friendly pony who has somehow gotten
separated from its people. It's a trick. If you get on the Kelpie's back, it may walk nicely for a little bit, offering a pleasant pony ride but
ultimately it plunges deep into the water. Kelpies are spirits: they don't have to come up for air.
One would imagine that the simplest solution would be to just avoid strange, lone horses on the shore but many actively seek Kelpies
because theoretically they can be commanded and controlled. The Kelpie's Achilles heel is its bridle. Capture the bridle: control the
Kelpie. Kelpies are not horses; they are spirits and thus can perform many magical functions. According to legend, Scotland's Clan
MacGregor is in possession of such a Kelpie bridle.
Kelpies may be oracular horse spirits to whom human sacrifices were once made.
Whether Kelpies also haunt lochs (including Loch Ness) or whether these are the exclusive stomping grounds of the Each
Uisge, Scotland's dangerous salt water horse spirit is subject for cantank erous debate. However, this is a fine detail that is
probably irrelevant to either horse spirits' victims .

M anifestation: The standard form taken by a Kelpie is equine. The clue to its true identity may be a mane and tail that won't stop
dripping even on a dry day. Kelpies are not restricted to equine form and may be full of surprises. Female Kelpies are described as
manifesting in the form of beautiful women dressed in green.
See also: Achilles; Each Uisge; Fuath; Green Lady

Keres
Also known as: Ceres
The Keres are a band of fierce, frightening female justice spirits. They are the entourage and servants of the goddess Car. The Keres
administer punishment and justice but not gently. They are vampiric spirits who leave death in their wake. They cause plagues and
epidemics and drag bodies from battlefields. Greek myth describes the Keres as Car's sisters. She is the eldest. They are also
described as the daughters of Nyx.

M anifestation: The Keres are described as dressed in red: whether this is red fabric or whether their clothes are stained red with
blood is subject to interpretation. Homer called them the hounds of Hades. Whether this was meant literally—whether like Hekate, they
actually manifest as dogs is unknown but possible.
Although their names are similar, the Keres are not identical to the Italian grain goddess whose entry is found under Ceres .

See also: Car; Erinyes; Hades; Hecate

Keshalyi
Origin: Romani (Gypsy)
Keshalyi are usually described as "Fairies." Their name is believed to derive from a word for "spindle" and so they may be
associated with those deities who spin the threads of fate. Keshalyi resembles an ancient Akkadian word meaning wizard or magician
and a Hebrew word meaning magic itself. Indeed the Keshalyi are magic-working spirits.
They live in the remote forests and mountain glades of Transylvania and possibly elsewhere but many Keshalyi are in hiding. They are
gentle, beautiful, generous and benevolent but theirs is a tragic saga. Once they lived in a magical palace atop a sacred mountain until
one day the King of the evil Loçolico spirits fell in love with Ana, the magnificent, magnanimous Queen of the Keshalyi. She spurned his
hand in marriage and so he decided to force her hand by sending his minions to devour her Keshalyi entourage. The Keshalyi are gentle
and kind and very good at granting people's wishes but they're no match in a tussle with evil spirits. To save the Keshalyi from
extinction, Ana agreed to marry the king leading to her degradation and tragic consequences for people. She eventually persuaded her
husband to grant her a divorce but the price of her freedom was steep: any Keshalyi who reaches the age of 999 must marry one of the
Loçolico.
The Keshalyi possess so much fertility, it overflows. Petition them to heal infertility, especially if no physical cause can be determined:
KESHALYI INVOCATION
1.
2.
3.

The following phrase invokes them: Keshal yi lisperesn (literally: Keshalyi spin)
Write the words with glue on cardboard
Sprinkle gold or red glitter over the glue so that the words become visible (Make it sparkly and pretty: decorate the
cardboard if you choose.)
4.
While it dries, prepare an offering table for the Keshalyi.
5.
When you're ready, begin to chant the words aloud like a mantra
6.
When you feel the presence of the Keshalyi, make your request
7.
Promise them a larger offering table when your request is fulfilled or perhaps an annual one on an appropriate date (and an
offering table after a healthy birth)
M anifestation: Keshalyi are classic romantic Fairies, the stuff of fantasy: pretty and sparkly and shimmery
Offerings: Milk; Palinka or other fruit brandy; cakes; cookies

See also: Ana; Fairy; Loçolico

Keto
Also known as: Ceto
Origin: Greece
The sea isn't all fun, games and splashing about. Dangers lurk in the deep, too, and sometimes approach the shore. Keto is the
goddess of the dangers of the sea; the treacherous aspects of the ocean. Her name is the feminine form of the Greek word for sea
monster. Keto presides over the ocean's living dangers: carnivores; really big, potentially dangerous creatures; mysterious sea monsters.
Her parents are Pontus and Gaia: the primordial Earth and Sea. With her brother/ lover Phorkys, she has many children including
Echidna, Scylla, Ladon, the Graeae, the Gorgons including Medusa and sometimes, depending on myth, the Sirens. They may be
venerated together on an altar: they may once have formed an independent pantheon who were eventually demonized. They are closely
related to Hekate.
Keto is a primordial goddess who is now frequently dismissed as nothing more than a sea monster. It is perhaps more appropriate to
describe her as the goddess of the mysteries of the deep or of awe of the ocean. She is feared and dreaded but also may once have
been the subject of intense veneration: several of her children are targeted for destruction by the Olympian spirits.
Iconography: Keto is usually depicted as a beautiful woman in the company of fish-tailed mermen like Phorkys or Triton.
Sacred creatures: Sharks, whales, giant squids or octopi, mysterious monsters of the deep
Altar: Decorate her altar with shells, fossils and motifs of the sea. Add merpeople and images of her children and the fierce
creatures she loves. Offer glasses of salted water; sea salt and treasure.
See also: Echidna; Gaia; Gorgons; Graeae; Hekate; Heracles; Ladon; Medusa; Olympian Spirits; Phorkys; Pontos;
Scylla; Siren; Triton and the Glossary entry for Pantheon.

Ketta
Origin: Norse
Ketta are cat spirits. Ketta literally means shecat or female cat but the word is also used to identify certain fierce female spirits. The
most famous Ketta is the being that Grendel, the monster in Beowulf, calls Mom. Some perceive a resemblance between Grendel's
Mother and Black Annis (Cat Annis)
M anifestation: As a large cat, a woman or something in between. The defining characteristic seems to be extremely long sharp
cat's claws (even if the rest of the body appears human).
See also: Black Annis; Neko Mata

Khadiravani
Also known as: Tara of the Forest
Khadiravani, Lady of the Acacia Forest, protects from all danger. She removes obstacles from the paths of devotees. She is
fearless and is invoked to banish any evil. Khadiravani breaks malicious spells and faces down any malignant spirit or ghost.

nd Tara; the one who comes after the
Who is she? Khadiravani is now mainly identified with Tara and sometimes called the 22
twenty-one official manifestations. She may be a manifestation of Green Tara and is sometimes called the Emerald Tara, referring both
to the precious gem and the green leaves of the forest in which Khadiravani dwells. There is no documentation of this form of Tara
before the 9 th century; no image crafted before the 10 th century has been found. Previously she was a completely independent,
unafilliated spirit.
Khadira literally means acacia, among the most popular of Himalayan shamanic plants. It also refers to a widely diffused Tantric
manual. There are two theories regarding Khadiravani's identity; they are not mutually exclusive:
• Khadiravani may be an indigenous Bon spirit eventually identified with Tara
• Khadiravani may be a path of Green Tara who, according to legend, appeared to Buddhist scholar and teacher, Nagarjuna in a
Khadira forest in southern India

Spirit allies: Khadiravani is frequently accompanied by Marici and Ekajata (Blue Tara)
Realm: Khadiravani is associated with actual forests but also presides over a mystical forest paradise, filled with glorious trees
(acacia, sandalwood, fig, nutmeg, clove, banyan) and an abundance of creatures, specifically peacocks, parrots, tigers, leopards, bear,
deer, jackals and monkeys.
Attribute: Blue lotus
See also: Bon Spirits; Ekajata; Lady of the Beasts; Marichi; Tara (1); Tara (2); Tara, Green

Khephri

Father of the Spirits
Also known as: Kephera; Kefri
Origin: Egypt

Deities come in all forms. Khephri is a deity in the form of a dung beetle. (Species: Scarabaeus sacer or Ateuchus aegyptiorum.)
Khephri is the spirit of life, resurrection and the sun. He is invoked for spiritual protection; resurrection into the Afterlife and to keep the
sun shining in the sky.
Dung beetles, also known as scarab beetles, lay their eggs in dung, which they then roll into a ball and move so as to hide them in a
safe place. The ancient Egyptians interpreted this action to be akin to the ball of the sun moving across the sky daily. Dung beetles fly
during the hottest part of the day, furthering their associations with the sun.
Khephri's name derives from an Egyptian word meaning "to come into being." Because baby dung beetles were witnessed emerging
from this ball of dung, rather than from a mother or directly from eggs and because dung beetles were believed to be exclusively male,
they were perceived as self-generated just like the solar deity Ra. Khephri is a spirit of creation; a progenitor of life.
Veneration of Khephri was eventually grafted onto the state cult of Ra. Khephri is described as being an aspect of Ra; specifically the
morning sun. However veneration of a deity in the form of a scarab beetle predates veneration of Ra. Some Egyptologists believe that
Khephri was among the most ancient deities of Egypt and that, at one time, a giant stone scarab on a plinth, appeared in most, if not all,
Egyptian temples.
Khephri's power and blessings are transmitted in the form of scarab amulets, formed in his image. Scarabs were among the most
popular amulets serving both the living and the dead. Scarabs were considered protectors of the heart, thus a scarab amulet was placed
within a mummy's heart cavity.
• Placing scarabs within a tomb invoked the blessings and protection of Khephri.
• If scarabs were placed beneath the coffin, it was believed that nothing, no spiritual or magical force, could harm the deceased.
• Scarab amulets allegedly provide longevity to the living.
• Scarab amulets are worn or carried to protect the heart: whether physically (heart disease), spiritually or romantically.
Iconography: Khephri is depicted as a man with a scarab beetle on his head; as a man with

a scarab beetle head or as a scarab

beetle. Sometimes he is depicted wearing a crown more usually associated with Osiris.
See also: Osiris

Khidr, Al

The Verdant One; The Green Man
Also known as: El Khidr; El Khizr; Al Khidri
Feast: 23 April

His true name, if he has one, is unknown. It is unclear exactly when he lived. Al Khidr literally means "The Green One" or "The
Verdant One" in Arabic. He is a mysterious sage, prophet and holy man, possibly an angel, definitely an Ascended Master. He may be
a spirit or he may be a man who, having drunk the Water of Life is now immortal.
Al Khidr is the Green Man. He is the patron of fertility, spring, youth, good health and life everlasting. In a dry region where the
desert and drought are never far, Al Khidr is a spirit of water, allegedly responsible for several magical, therapeutic and restorative
springs found in the desert. He may know, control and/or produce the Fountain of Youth, also known as the Water of Life. Al Khidr
drank from the Water of Life and so is eternally youthful, healthy, energetic and alive.
Al Khidr is the patron of travelers; serving as both physical and mystic guide. He mysteriously and miraculously appears to rescue or
guide travelers in need and then just as mysteriously disappears. There have historically been many reported sightings and encounters
with Al Khidr.
Al Khidr has been venerated since before Islam although how much before is unclear. He may predate Christianity and Judaism, too.
He is identified as a contemporary of Moses with whom he is said to have traveled. He is venerated among such diverse spiritual
traditions as the Bektashi, Druse, Kizilbash, Nosairi and Yezidi.
Highly unusually, he is a pre-Islamic spirit who is perceived as benevolent by Islam. Devotion to Al Khidr is considered compatible
with Islam because he is considered to support and serve the Prophet, not be a competitor or rival. Al Khidr is revered amongst some
branches of Islam, especially Sufis. Depending on tradition, Al Khidr may be considered an angel, prophet or saint. Although now
venerated all over the Islamic world, the heartland of Al Khidr's veneration is Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the Balkans.
Al Khidr epitomizes the goodness and generosity inherent in the world. Al Khidr guides spiritual seekers and those who seek the
mysteries of the divine. He initiates those who walk mystical paths. The hallmark of many Sufisaints is a meeting with Al Khidr who
bestows a cloak representing their initiation.
Al Khidr is the subject of many, often contradictory, legends. The prophets and saints with whom he is sometimes identified include
Elijah, John the Baptist and especially Saint George whose feast day he shares. (In other words, some believe Saint George and Al
Khidr to be one and the same; two names for the same being. In Syria, Turkey, Lebanon and Palestine, images of Saint George may be
identified as Al Khidr.) In some places, his feast day is considered the first true day of spring. Stories of Al Khidr were extremely
popular in Moorish Spain; it's possible that after the Christian Reconquest, these legends were transferred to Saint George.
Alternatively, Al Khidr and Saint George (or at least some of his paths) may initially have been a Pagan spirit who transitioned to Islam
and Christianity under two different names.

M anifestation: Historical sightings of Al Khidr describe him as a traveler riding a greyhorse; although these days, it may be a grey
car or perhaps even a Greyhound bus. He leaves telltale signs of his identity: his footsteps allegedly leave a green imprint. Places where
he sits or that he touches may also turn greenish. Some describe him as having a greenish hue, a lingering effect of drinking the Waters of
Immortality. You can allegedly recognize him because one of his thumbs lacks a bone.
Myths from India suggest that Al Khidr's true home is beneath the sea and that he travels to land sitting on a green carpet
that skims the surface of the waters.

Iconography: Al Khidr appears amongst Persian miniatures but images of Saint George or the Green Man may also be used to
represent him
Plants: All green plants but especially hemp; marijuana
Color: Green
Time: Spring

Sacred sites: Al Khidr is a traveler; a man always on the move and so, not surprisingly he has close associations with many places:
• Khidrlik (literally Khidr's Place), a popular Turkish place-name, usually refers to high places
• There is a hot spring named in his honor near Elbassan, Albania.
• Sanctuaries or sites associated with Al Khidr are also often linked to the Crusaders including sites in Damascus and Jerusalem
and a spring in Nablus ('Ayn al-Khidr)
• The shrine of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, is associated with Al Khidr by Muslims, Saint George by Christians and Elijah by Jews.
The shrine has historically been associated with miraculous cures of mental illness • Abadan Island, Iran is dedicated to him
If a shrine specifically associated with Al Khidr is inaccessible, never fear. Vows to Al Khidr have traditionally been
fulfilled at shrines dedicated to Saint George.

See also: Ascended Master; Green Man

Khnum

The Sculptor Who Gives Life; Lord of Destiny; Father of Fathers, Mother of Mothers; Lord of the Cool Water
Also known as: Khnoum

Origin: Egypt
Khnum presides over the Nile cataracts. It was at his command that the river rose dur ing the annual inundation. When the correct
time for the Nile floods arrived, Khnum opened the flood gates and released the waters.
Khnum is a particularly ancient deity, as is his original consort, Frog Lady Heket. Their myths explain that they were here from the
beginning: they precede creation; they transcend time. In parts of southern Egypt, Khnum was believed to be the Supreme Creator who
first fashioned humans from Nile River clay on his potter's wheel, while Heket assisted with the breath of life.
Khnum fashions the bodies of children on his potter's wheel and places them into their mother's womb. In one Egyptian creation
legend, Khnum creates all the deities of Egypt in this fashion. The spirit of pottery, Khnum shaped the Earth and all its inhabitants out of
clay.
Khnum is the Lord of barley and wheat, flowers, fruit, birds, fish and animals. In one creation legend, Khnum wearies of the labors of
creating and maintaining all life. Eventually he created a device to relieve him of his burden: by placing a replica of his potter's wheel into
the womb of female creatures, he was able to transmit his creative power.
Heket and Khnum were well known throughout Egypt. At some point, Khnum acquired another family as well, a Nubian wife
(Anuket) and their daughter (Satis). The exact relationship between the two female deities is unclear; variations upon this legend abound.
Arguments are also made for Satis as wife and Anuket the daughter. A third theory suggests the goddesses are sisters. Jewish
angelology identifies Khnum with the angel Anmael.
M anifestations: Khnum manifests as a ram, (the literal meaning of his name), or as a man with a ram's head. A two thousand year
old inscription describes Khnum sitting upon his throne at Elephantine Island with his sandals resting on the Nile and his crown touching
the sky.

Element: Water, Earth

Places: Khnum's main sanctuary was on Elephantine Island. An inscription from Pharaoh Zoser states that Elephantine belongs to
Khnum forever. One tenth of Upper Egypt's production was to be offered to Khnum at his temple. Zoser promised that Khnum's
temple, named Joy of Life, would forever be kept in perfect repair. The ruins may be visited today. Another temple dedicated to Khnum
in Esna, formerly Latopolis, south of Luxor, may also be visited.
Offerings: Khnum traditionally accepts offerings of fish. His devotees refrained from using any aspect of a sheep or lamb, whether
for food, leather, wool or otherwise.
See also: Anuket; Heket; Satis

Khonsu
Also known as: Khensu, Khons
Origin: Egypt

Khonsu is described as Bastet's son or as the son of Ammon and Mut or Sobek and Hathor. Spirit of the moon, when he causes
the crescent moon to shine, women conceive. Moon-bathing helps the process (young women were once warned not to lie in the
moonlight; apparently Khonsu may not need human male assistance). He possessed many sanctuaries throughout ancient Egypt but his
principle shrine was in Thebes, where he had a temple within the precinct of the Temple of Ammon at Karnak.
Khonsu is also a master healer with dominion over time. He has some control over the length of the human life span. He is an ally,
friend and companion of Thoth who also has association with the moon and time. Khonsu has a youthful, charming nature: he likes
games and is portrayed playing the Egyptian board game senet with Thoth. Khonsu, like Thoth, likes to wager and may be persuaded to
play with a devotee. You set the wager: before you start playing, tell him what you will give if you lose and what he must give if you win.
If you can't play senet, learn or teach him a new board game.
Khonsu is most frequently petitioned for fertility especially if no physical cause for infertility can be determined or when the woman is
fertile but the male component needs some assistance. He also provides safe childbirth. The most ancient aspect of Khonsu was as a
fierce warrior who inspires rage and serves Egypt's pharaoh.
Iconography: A young man wearing the royal sidelock and bearing the moon on his shoulders
Attribute: Knife
Bird: Hawk
Planet: Moon
See also: Ammon; Bastet; Chandra; Ha thor; Mut; Sobek; Thoth

Khronos
Origin: Orphic
Khronos is the Time Lord, Gnostic spirit of time. He turns the wheel of the zodiac. In various esoteric traditions, Khronos emerges
from the primeval void to birth the world together with his consort, Ananke. He may or may not be identified with the Titan Kronos of
Greek myth.
Iconography: Khronos is depicted with a serpentine body and three heads: bull, lion, man.

See also: Ananke; Kronos

Khun Paen
Also known as: Khun Phan
Origin: Thailand

Khun Paen (c. 1491–1529) was a legendary Thai magician and warrior. (
Khun is a military rank similar to General. English
translation literary sources tend to spell his name Phan but modern Thai amulet vendors generally prefer Paen.) He was a disciple of the
renowned monk and magician, Arjarn Kong from whom he learned many magical secrets and rituals including the esoteric use of
yantras (magical diagrams incorporating sacred geometry and astrology).
Khun Paen developed incredible magic powers: he could make himself invulnerable or invisible. He transformed tree leaves into angry
wasps in order to foil enemies. Perhaps most significantly to many modern devotees, Khun Paen, who was allegedly very handsome,
was able to make himself absolutely irresistible to women. (The alleged proof is in the harem he is reputed to have amassed.)
Modern Khun Paen amulets are believed to magically attract and entrance women and thus are among the most sought-after Thai
amulets. Allegedly wives sometimes forbid their husbands from wearing them. In addition to being love magnets, Khun Paen amulets
also allegedly provide protection and prosperity. Khun Paen's other claim to fame derives from allegedly being the first to transform a
baby into a Guman Thong spirit helper, in this case his own infant son.
See also: Golden Boy; Nang Kwak

Kihawahine

Lizard Woman; Red Torch
Classification: Mo'o; Aumakua

The Hawaiian island of Maui is ornamented with the ubiquitous image of a lizard understood as the island's mascot. It's hard to
avoid this image: it appears everywhere; on t-shirts, shot glasses, key chains, bumper stickers and other tourist trinkets. For those who
are unfamiliar with Kihawahine and Mo'o spirits, this lizard may be understood as a cute little island gecko but in fact this is not so.
Kihawahine is a grand, tremendous, potentially dangerous Mo'o lizard goddess, once Maui's most revered spirit.
Kihawahine was not always a spirit. Originally human, she is believed to have been born with something, some mark or sign,
indicating her affiliation with the spirits. (This may have been a physical mark or a demonstration of psychic powers.) (See also: E'epa.)
Maui's royal family, the Pi'ilani, had long, close associations with Mo'o spirits. That's the family into which Kihawahine was born at
th
the royal residence of Moku'ula. Her birth name was Kihawahine Mokuhinia Kala'aiheana. She lived in the latter part of the 16
century and was the daughter of High Chief Pi'ilani. Her brother became King of Maui.
After she died, Kihawahine was transformed into a goddess. Following death, esoteric rites of deification were performed so that the
woman was transformed into the Mo'o Akua known as Kihawahine, guardian of the royal family, the sacred Mokuhinia ponds and
Moku'ula Island. It is unclear how old she was when she died but she is believed to have borne at least three daughters and possibly
other children and so she also serves as an Aumakua, a family guardian spirit, to their descendents.
When King Kamehameha sought to unify the Hawaiian Islands, he married into the Pi'ilani royal family as part of his consolidation
plan. His wife, Keopuolani, among the highest ranking women in Hawaii, was considered a living goddess. (She outranked her
husband.) Kamehameha inherited and adopted veneration of Kihawahine from his wife, carrying her image with him during his conquest
of the Hawaiian Islands.
Kihawahine is an unusual Mo'o spirit. She is not localized but traveled widely (with or without Kamehameha). Surviving legends
describe her travels through the Hawaiian Islands. She was venerated by royalty, nobility and commoners alike. Kihawahine was
venerated on the Hawaiian islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Lanai, Molokai and Nihau as well as Maui. She lives in ponds and rivers and

mediates between realms of Earth and water.
Kihawahine's primary home is Mokuhinia, a pond in Lahaina. Moku'ula, an island in this fresh-water, spring-fed pond whose
elevation was only about one meter above sea level, was considered capital of the Hawaiian kingdom.
As an Aumakua spirit, veneration of Kihawahine remained active, if secret, after the 1819 abolition of traditional Hawaiian religion.
Numerous sightings of Kihawahine were reported. (When manifesting as a large aquatic lizard, she's hard to miss.) Dowager Queen
Keka'ulohi, a devout Christian and supporter of Protestant missionaries, encouraged suppression of traditional Hawaiian religion. In
1837, Kihawahine almost overturned her canoe as she was heading for church. Whether or not this was a factor, in 1845, the royal
court moved to Oahu and in 1914, island and fish pond were filled in and converted to recreational use. The sacred precinct now lies
beneath a baseball park. In 1993, archaeologists rediscovered Moku'ula and plans for an environmental restoration are in the works.
More information may be found in P. Christiaan Klieger's book, Moku'ula: Maui's Sacred Island or at
M anifestation: Kihawahine manifests as a woman; a giant black monitor lizard or a dragon. She may be missing an eye, lost in a
battle with Haumea. She is described as having red or auburn hair.
Iconography: Carved wooden statues of Kihawahine depict her as a woman whose hair is bleached with lime.
Sacred plants: Coconut; noni; turmeric
Sacred site: Moku'ula is her primary residence but she had others on other islands, too.
Rituals: Her veneration incorporated many taboos. She must be approached with caution.
Offerings: Yellow tapa cloth dyed with turmeric or noni root; lots of kava; restoration of her sacred precinct
See also: Akua; Aumakua; Haumea; Ka'ahu Pahau; Mo'o

Kikimora
Also known as: Shishimora
Origin: Slavic

The Kikimora is a female house spirit with dominion over spinning, weaving and needlework. There is not one Kikimora but many.
Theoretically, every household may have one. She may or may not be married to the Domovoi, the Russian male house spirit. If she's
happy with the family with whom she lives, then she'll serve as their guardian; tending family chickens and helping with housework and
needlework.
But beware if she's unhappy! The Kiki mora will create havoc. She demonstrates displeasure by moving objects around and causing
significant items to go missing. She also throws things; sometimes aiming at people. Her aim is allegedly quite good. Al though she is
reputedly very small, based on the weight of the items she is describing as throwing, the Kikimora is very powerful.
The Kikimora is not an innately malicious spirit. She can be helpful. She possesses powerful psychic talents and will warn her family
of impending disaster and the arrival of enemies. However, she can be a difficult and challenging spirit to work with and keep happy.
The Kikimora is a chicken goddess but not necessarily a chicken guardian. She has affinities with poultry, either caring for them or
tormenting them. She may pluck their feathers or scare them so they won't lay eggs unless the chicken yard is magically protected. (For
example, a fieldstone containing a natural hole placed in the chicken yard is a traditional magical remedy to protect chickens from her.)
The Kikimora is sometimes associated with Baba Yaga who also has affinities with chickens. Both spirits reward and favor women who
perform traditional women's work skillfully and graciously.
The Kikimora sleeps in dark corners of the home such as behind the stove or in the cellar. Although the Kikimora is a house spirit,
she is capable of travel and apparently enjoys visits to the bathhouse where she is frequently encountered. The Kikimora is an oracular
spirit but she tends to deliver warnings of misfortune rather than happy news. She does not explicitly deliver her information but her
appearances, actions and behavior may be interpreted for clues. To witness her seated by the home's entrance was interpreted as an
ominous sign. To witness the Kikimora spinning was believed to be a harbinger of impending death.

In his tone poem "Kikimora", Russian composer Anatol Liadov (1855–1914) describes this house spirit as a tiny brown
witch with a thimble-sized head and a body no wider than a straw. She spends her first seven years living in a magician's
mountain cave where she sleeps in a crystal cradle and is regaled with fairy tales by the magician's cat. Only after seven years,
does she leave the cave to go live among people.

M anifestation: The Kikimora is usually described as a small woman with long flowing hair wearing traditional Russian folk
costume. She may have chicken feet. She is most frequently witnessed combing her hair.
Bird: Chicken
Time: The Kikimora is particularly active during the Yuletide season
See also: Baba Yaga; Domovoi

King of Terrors

The King of Terrors is among those spirits classified as Holy Death. He is closely related to the Grim Reaper. The King of Terrors is
a skeleton bearing weapons. He may be crowned. He is a psychopomp but a fierce, scary one. His name says it all: he does not arrive
bearing comfort or platitudes.
The name, King of Terrors, derives from the Book of Job 18: 14: He is torn from the security of his tent and marched before the
King of Terrors. Thus the King of Terrors is traditionally depicted driving dead souls before him. His image is carved onto tombstones
and as ornamental motifs on medieval churches, most famously at Scotland's Rosslyn Chapel.
Attributes: Arrows; darts; scythe; spear
See also: Ankou; Psychopomps; Santissima Muerte

Kings of Hell
Also known as: The Ten Kings; Ten Judges of Hell
Origin: Japan

The Ten Kings of Hell are afterlife judges. They derive from Chinese Taoist tradition, filtered through Japanese Buddhism:
• Those who've clearly lived exemplary lives travel to Paradise when they die
• Those who have been clearly wicked travel to a punishment realm
But what of those whose actions are more ambiguous? Those who may have performed both good and bad deeds while alive?
Where do they go? That's for the Kings of Hell to decide. The Kings of Hell preside over a series of afterlife trials intended to determine
the fate of the dead soul. The person's actions while alive, both positive and negative, are weighed, analyzed and discussed. Jizo serves
as the defense attorney for dead souls and always attempts to present human actions in the best possible light. Final outcome however is
up to the Kings of Hell. Although few look forward to meeting the Ten Kings in person, they are a popular subject of Japanese art.
See also: Amida Buddha; Datsueba; Enma; Jizo; Ksitigarbha

Kishijoten

Origin: Japan
Kishijoten is a spirit of love, beauty and good luck. She is considered to be Bishamon's sister and so has close connections with the
Shichi Fujukin, Japan's Seven Spirits of Good Luck. Kishijoten is now most famous as the matron goddess of geishas. Those who
consider themselves modern geishas may seek Kishijoten's protection.
Favored people: Singers; dancers; courtesans; children: Kishijoten is invoked by mothers to provide protection for infants and
older children.
See also: Bishamon; Shichi Fukujin

Kitchen God

The Stove Master
Also known as: Zao Shen; Tsao Chun
Origin: China

The Kitchen God traditionally lives by the hearth. His role is to protect family harmony by guarding the kitchen and dining areas,
once considered the soul of the house. His presence in the kitchen is not abstract but entirely visible: his image once hung in virtually
every Chinese household. Because he lives in the house as one of the family, he is privy to intimate knowledge. The Kitchen God sees,
hears and knows all.
Although officially a guardian spirit, the Kitchen God is really a spy. He is the witness to what a family might prefer to keep private.
With the Kitchen God around, what happens in the home does not stay in the home. His true function arrives at year end when each
family's Kitchen God is summoned to the Jade Emperor's court to offer an annual report regarding what he has witnessed all year. The
family's fortunes in the New Year are dependent on his giving them a favorable review.
The Kitchen God has been popularly venerated since at least the second century B CE. He may derive from an old hearth spirit.
Alternatively various myths describe how a man was deified, inheriting this position. (See Kitchen God's Wife.)
Iconography: There are different versions of the Kitchen God's identity and thus different images used for him. Many are sold just
before Chinese New Year. Some show him as a dignified official. He may be depicted alone or with one or two wives and possibly as
many as six daughters.
Feast: On the 23rd day of the final lunar month of the Chinese calendar, an offering table is prepared for the Kitchen God featuring
only sweet dishes so that his tongue and words are equally sweet, not sharp, spicy, bitter or sour. Traditional foods include sweet
oranges or tangerines; chicken; roast pork; cakes; candy; big bowls of cooked rice studded with candied fruits and lots of rice wine.
After he's had time to eat, his image, which has hung in the kitchen all year is taken down. His mouth is smeared with something
sweet and sticky like honey or molasses. (Either to further sweeten his words or to glue his gossiping mouth shut.) He is petitioned to be
kind and only report good things about the family. His image is then burned, simply or with elaborate rituals; enabling his spirit to rise
with the ascending smoke to the Jade Emperor's Celestial Court. A new image, posted at the New Year, signals his return.
Offerings: The Kitchen God is quite open to bribery, which may be offered on a regular basis or just before he leaves for Heaven.
Lavish offering tables; sweet liqueurs or spirit money may be given however the Kitchen God only accepts offerings from men,
traditionally from the "head" of the family.
See also: Jade Emperor; Kitchen God's Wife

Kitchen God's Wife

Origin: China

Although variations do exist, the most popular version of the Kitchen God's myth suggests that he was once a mortal man married
to an exceptionally kind, patient, virtuous woman. The same, unfortunately, could not be said of him. In some versions, he's a truly
dissolute, irresponsible gambler; in others he merely has a roving eye. In all versions, he willfully abandons a good wife:
• He abandons her for a younger, prettier woman
• He sells her to pay off gambling debts or gain more money with which to gamble
• He wagers her during her a game and loses
When he abandoned his wife, good fortune abandoned him. Again there are different versions, but in all of them, his life takes a
downward turn: he loses all his money; the girlfriend leaves him; he may or may not go blind but in any case is reduced to begging.
Eventually, years later, he unknowingly ends up at his former wife's door. He doesn't recognize her but she knows him instantly,
admits him and treats him with great kindness although she does not identify herself. In all versions of the story, her virtue has been
rewarded. She ishappy and prosperous. Sometimes she's happily remarried; in one version, the man who won her gambling fell in love
with her and reformed, open to her good influence.
She feeds her ex-husband but it's his last meal. At some point he recognizes her (sometimes because in her presence, his vision is
miraculously restored) and is so humiliated, humbled and ashamed that he knowingly walks into the big, blazing kitchen fire. Little was
left of him other than a leg but the Jade Emperor took pity on his soul, maybe because his last emotions were shame and remorse and so
he was transformed into the Kitchen God.
Even in death, however, he is not a nice god. He serves as the Jade Emperor's spy revealing a family's secrets so that they can be
judged. He is open to bribery or is that blackmail? Lack of bribes and propitiation are reflected in his annual report.
The true heroine of the Kitchen God's myth is the loving, patient, kind woman who demonstrates the powers of a goddess of healing
and wealth; a spirit of generosity and virtue. The Kitchen God's Wife is never quick to point out flaws or misbehavior and perhaps
should really be the one presiding over the home. Amy Tan explores this theme in her 1991 novel, The Kitchen God's Wife.
Iconography: No traditional images depicting only the Kitchen God's nameless wife exist however she often appears together with
her husband and may be an ameliorating presence. Kitchen God and wife may once have been joint spirits of the hearth.
See also: Green Jade Mother; Jade Em peror; Kitchen God

Kitsune
See: Fox Spirits

Klu
Origin: Tibet

Klu are ancient water snake spirits who may or may not be identical to Nagas. Bon is the Tibetan spiritual tradition that predates
Buddhism: according to some Bon creation myths, Klu created the world. (SeeKlugyalmo Sripé Tanla Phapa.)
Klu are profoundly associated with snowfall, precipitation and water. Every single Tibetan source of living water whether lake, pond,
river or stream is inhabited by at least one Klu. Because water seeps beneath Earth and is subterranean, Klu also rule the regions
beneath the surface of Earth: they have dominion over Earth's hidden treasures.

Myths and legends of the Klu are collected in a Bon sacred text, the Klu-'bum or "One-hundred thousand Subterranean Water
Spirits."

Because of their associations with water, Klu affect agricultural fertility but they also exert influence over human personal fertility,
bestowing or withholding it, however an individual Klu spirit is inclined. Klu manifest their displeasure by causing various ailments,
especially skin disorders or illnesses associated with excessive or otherwise troubled bodily fluids.
Klu are angered when water is polluted; treated disrespectfully; diverted (for irrigation or other purposes) or even just taken without
asking for their permission. Frankly, Klu get aggravated easily. They're emotional, sensitive, easily wounded; very much like human
beings born under astrological water signs.
In some cases, behavior they dislike is reasonably easy to anticipate: the Klu perceive breaking the soil, as for instance when
ploughing, to be disrespectful. Thus to avoid trouble, their permission is first ritually sought and gestures of appeasement made.
The Klu dislike certain types of human behavior: they don't like thievery, adultery and lying. They're extremely sensitive to certain
smells or foods. Monks and shamans subsist on grains and dairy products for weeks prior to addressing the Klu, foregoing alcohol,
spices, onions, garlic and meat, all of which offend the Klu.
Sometimes it can be more difficult to avoid offending the Klu. The Klu live in beautiful subterranean palaces. Subterranean means
underground: they're not readily visible (and may be invisible to all but shamans or those permitted to see them). Sometimes the
locations of these palaces are well known but not always. Here are some things that aggravate the Klu:
• Tombs or shrines built over their subterranean palaces
• Cremation of corpses in the vicinity of their palaces
• People having sex near their palaces
Should the Klu be offended, professional help may be required: trained Bon shamans are consulted to determine appeasement
offerings.

Time: Klu hibernate through the winter or try to anyway. They are very grouchy if disturbed or awakened. Klu awaken on the
twenty-fifth day of the 1st Tibetan month.

Offerings: Klu accept juniper incense (real juniper; they recognize synthetics); libations; dairy products including butter; grains
including beer and cakes in the form of animals, birds or fish plus wool, silk, gold or turquoise ornaments
See also: Bon Spirits; Klugyalmo Sripé Tanla Phapa; Naga
Klu spirits bestow, heal and remove fertility and various skin ailments including acne.

Klugyalmo Sripé Tanla Phapa

The Klu Queen Who Set the Universe in Water
Origin: Tibet
In the beginning, Klugyalmo Sripé Tanla Phapa the water snake emerged from the primeval void. Her body became and is the
universe:
• Her flesh is Earth
• Oceans are her blood
• Rivers are her veins
• Mountains are her bones
• The top of her head is the sky
• Clouds are her breath
• Her left eye is the sun
• Her right eye is the moon

• Four of her teeth became Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn
• The rest of her teeth form the Mansions of the Moon
When you step on the ground, you're standing on a gigantic snake. If you take a dip in the sea, you're swimming in her blood. Look
outside: daytime means Klugyalmo Sripé is awake. When she sleeps, it's night.
See also: Ayida-Wedo; Damballah; Eurynome; Jahi; Klu; Nyx

Knockers
Origin: Cornwall

The Knockers are spirits of Cornwall's tin mines. They live in the mines but they work them, too: they are divine miners. Their name
derives from the sound they make as they work. Their location can be identified by the sounds.
Knockers may be mischievous, playing tricks on human miners. They are temperamental and can be dangerous but are sometimes
very friendly and helpful. Knockers have been known to rescue miners in trouble.
The Knockers are understood to be the ghosts of pre-Christian people who once inhabited Cornwall and worked the mines:
• They may be the ghosts of a long-lost pre-Celtic tribe. They were kind, generous, ethical people and so when they died, they
were too good to be sent to Hell. However, as Pagans, there was no room for them in Heaven and so they were left to haunt tin
mines.
• They may be the ghosts of Jews who may or may not have once formed small communities in Cornwall, serving in the
international tin trade, possibly in the company of Joseph of Arimathea who is credited with bringing the Grail to Britain.
• They may be the ghosts of Jews sent to labor as slaves in Cornwall's tin mines by the Romans following the destruction of Judea.
Knockers are nocturnal, working the mines all night long although they will appear during the day, too. They are associated with rich
lodes and so human miners pay close attention to noises indicating the Knockers' location.
Knockers are highly opinionated. Whether they manifest helpfully or harmfully depends largely on whether miners humor their whims:
• The Knockers do not like whistling. It really gets on their nerves. Miners take care not to whistle in or even near mines.
• Knockers never work on Christian or Jewish holidays, especially not on Easter, Christmas Day and All Saints Day. Many miners
traditionally avoided working at these times, too, so as not to offend them.
• Knockers loathe the sign of the cross; miners avoid marking anything with a + or x.
• It is considered an antagonistic sign of poor manners to enter a tin mine for the first time without asking permission from the
Knockers.
Favored people: Knockers dwell in the mines; the only people they have contact with are those who join them there. Knockers
are only reported leaving mines to visit miners.
M anifestation: Knockers are described as little men about the size of toddlers; they dress in miner's clothes.
Offerings: Knockers expect food offerings, especially from those who have benefited from them. A portion of whatever you're
eating is sufficient. Offerings are left in mines. Traditionally, they were also left tallow with which to craft candles. Modern Knockers
might appreciate flash lights or similar light sources.
See also: Dwarves; Kobold; Tommy knockers

Kobolds
Origin: Teutonic

Kobolds are mysterious spirits with an affinity for people. Mobile, master shape-shifters, they can make themselves invisible at will.
In their earliest manifestations, they seem to have been subterranean and tree spirits. When people entered their subterranean homes, the

kobolds followed the people home, too. Kobolds traditionally live in mines but also in human habitations and on ships. These must be
inhabited homes and ships: kobolds like the company of people.
Kobolds attach themselves to specific people. Alternatively, people use magic spells to capture them. People seek kobolds because
in some ways they are ideal magical servants. Kobolds are potentially very helpful. If they feel affection for the person or family to whom
they are bound, they will work tirelessly on their behalf. Kobolds perform housework like house spirits; they locate wealth and missing
objects. They have magical skills and serve as household guardians.
However, kobolds seem to have an extremely difficult time severing links with people. If they feel slighted or dislike the people, they
won't just leave or sulk; instead they'll put all their copious energy into playing tricks, raising havoc and being a general nuisance. They
don't really cause aggressive harm but they won't allow you peace either. Kobolds rarely attack directly or violently but their constant
pranks and annoyances quickly become very tedious.
It is difficult to make them leave; there are tales of exorcists being consulted with mixed results. Therefore if one has a Kobold one
should seek peaceful, harmonious relations. Alternatively, one should not seek a Kobold unless truly committed to making the
relationship work: the Kobold must be treated with respect, consideration and good manners. Commanding and compelling techniques
backfire: the result is not obedience but practical jokes and a spirit who will spend all its time harassing you.
The term kobold has become something of a catch-all for any sort of potentially helpful spirit that manifests in the form of a small
human. Thus kobolds, knockers and dwarves, all of whom dwell in mines, are often lumped together.
• Knockers rarely leave mines. They are attached to the mine itself; not people.
• Kobolds are gregarious shape-shifters who seem to make themselves at home anywhere
• Dwarves possess associations with metal-working and magical craftsmanship not shared by either kobolds or knockers.
The tendency to use the term kobold to describe various types of spirits leads to confusion and vagueness about the true identities of
these spirits. This was originally done deliberately: during the European witch-hunt era, any traces of Pagan ritual and worship attracted
incredibly severe punishment. Although there is evidence that Kobolds were worshipped, the term itself was considered reasonably
innocuous and so may have been applied to other spirits, too, for safety's sake.

M anifestation: Kobolds can make themselves invisible (a problem when they're feeling prankish). Kobolds are shape-shifters and
can take many forms. Favorites include bats, cats, roosters, snakes and worms. They can manifest in human form, too although they are
always small, rarely bigger than a four year old. Kobolds travel in the form of light.

Iconography: There is evidence of carved images of Kobolds being kept in German homes in the 13 th century and later. These
images were one way of obtaining the services of a kobold. Once a kobold is in residence, it doesn't like to leave however they are
highly mobile and will flit from home to home. Some kobolds live in trees. The essence and power of these kobolds is retained in carved
pieces of wood taken from these trees.
1.
2.

A tree housing a kobold must be located.
The wood must be obtained without annoying the kobold. It will come with you one way or the other but do you want a
friend or a foe?
3.
The ideal method is to bring gifts to the tree (water; honey); explain your purpose and ask the kobold to willingly accompany
you.
4.
Branches that fall at your feet are the affirmative reply. (Repeat visits and offerings may be in order.)
5.
Offerings must be made regularly to the carving, too, in order to activate it.
Date: Midsummer's Eve is the night for rituals intended to locate and capture kobolds
Color: Red
M ineral: Cobalt

Offerings: A small portion of whatever you eat and drink; unlike other household helper spirits, kobolds do
like clothing especially hats and uniforms.
A sinister kobold plays a pivotal role in Neil Gaiman's novel, American Gods.

not shun gifts. They

See also: Dwarves; Kikimora; Knockers; Lantukh; Lutin

Koko
Also known as: Kokko
Origin: Zuni
Koko is sometimes interpreted as a synonym for Kachina but may be translated literally as "Rain People." This Zuni word is used
to name a class of spirit beings; dancers who may channel them and the masks representing the spirits and sometimes worn by the
dancers. The Koko bring literal precipitation but also rain down all kinds of blessings and prosperity.
See also: Kachina; Kokopelli

Kokopelli

You may not know his name but if you have ever been to the southwestern United States, then you know Kokopelli's image. He is
ubiquitous throughout the southwest region called the Four Corners, encompassing parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
Kokopelli may be among the most commodified of all spirits: his image has become a virtual emblem of the southwest. It appears in
advertising; on food packages; as trail markers for hikers. Wrought-iron Kokopellis replace garden gnomes or lawn jockeys in the
southwest. It can be easy to forget that his origins lie in sacred mysteries.
Kokopelli's image scratched, pecked, painted and carved on canyon rocks and walls appears with greater frequency than any other
identifiable figure amidst the pictographs and petroglyphs near sites inhabited by the Anasazi, the mysterious ancestors of the Pueblo
Indians. Kokopelli appears in modern Hopi ceremonials, too. There is scholarly speculation that he may be among the most primeval of
all southwestern deities.
Who is Kokopelli? Good question. Either no one is entirely sure or there are a lot of opposing theories. Kokopelli is a trickster spirit
and he may take pleasure in sowing confusion among those who attempt to interpret his image. He is a sacred mystery.
The standard Kokopelli image is a hunchbacked stick figure blowing a vertical flute. Old images frequently depict him with a big,
erect penis; newer images tend to be neutered. There are variations amongst the images:
• Sometimes he has a clubfoot as well as a hump
• He may have antennae or feathers on his head
• He may lead a flock of mountain sheep
As best as can be made out, the name used to describe this image is a compound derived from two unrelated languages:
• Koko, a Zuni word, indicates a kind of spirit (See Koko above)
• Peli is Hopi for "hump"
Kokopelli's image tends to revolve around his capacity to bring or to enhance: he brings gifts, rain, babies, prey animals, especially
those mountain sheep. He is interpreted as a fertility spirit, a musician, hunter, warrior or trader. He may not actually be hunchbacked;
the hump on his back may be a big bag, so heavy he must bend over. Kokopelli's image may resemble ancient traders who wandered
between Mex ico and the Anasazi carrying their packs on their backs. Some feel very strongly that he's an insect; very likely a locust
although other identifications are made, too. (Hopi mythology features flute-playing sacred locust spirits although the Hopi do not
identify them as Kokopelli.)
Look around. You may already have an image of Kokopelli. If not, he's easy to find; not an endangered spirit at all. (The first time I
ever encountered Kokopelli was in a catalog selling southwestern-style furnishings.) Ask him to do more than just be a souvenir.
Kokopelli can bring fun, magic, fertility, conception, abundance and joy
Attributes: Flute; staff; (the flute might sometimes be a blow gun)
See also: Ganaskidi; Gobbo; Kachina; Koko; Tanuki

Kokuzo

The Boundless Vessel
Also known as: Akasagarbha (Sanskrit); Kokuyo
Classification: Bodhisattva; Bosatsu
Kokuzo is among the great Bodhisattvas, venerated for his endless store of knowledge. He was among the first of the Bodhisattvas
to reach Japan. Technically speaking, Kokuzo Bosatsu is invoked for wisdom leading to enlightenment. However, in Japanese folk
religion, Kokuzo is beloved and renowned for granting wishes.
Kokuzo grants wishes and bestows intelligence. He is invoked to improve artisanal and technical skills. Meditating on his image is
believed to improve the memory. (He may also be directly petitioned for improved memory.) Kokuzo is a road-opener, removing
obstacles from one's path. He helps people recognize their own faults and self-generated obstacles and also helps to correct and
remove these. Kokuzo is not widely venerated except in folk religion and in Shingon Buddhism where he is a highly significant spirit.
Children aged thirteen traditionally honor Kokuzo in hopes of enhancing intelligence and academic success.
Favored people: Artisans; Kokuzo is patron of those born in the years of the ox and tiger
Attributes: Wish-granting jewel; sword with which to slice through ignorance
Direction: Northeast
See also: Bodhisattva; Bosatsu

Kola Sanni Yakka
Also known as: Kola Sanniya
Origin: Sri Lanka
Kola Sanni Yakka is the chief of the eighteen disease-causing Sanni Yakka spirits. He contains and controls them. As he
theoretically can heal or remove any illness, a quick fix remedy involves addressing him by name three times and specifying the affliction
you would like him to cure. If it works, lay out an offering table for him. If it doesn't, you owe nothing. Find another remedy.
See also: Sanni Yakka

Kolowisi
Origin: Zuni

Kolowisi, the Great Horned Serpent, is a plumed water serpent. Kolowisi inhabits every drop of fresh water. Kolowisi is the
guardian spirit of all sources of fresh water including springs, rivers, streams and rain; hence he is the guardian of the source of all life.
Kolowisi lives in underground springs but sometimes emerges to swim in surface waters, especially ponds and lakes. (There are periodic
reports of sightings.)
At his finest, he is a guardian spirit who brings abundance, fertility, prosperity and good health. If offended or not treated respectfully,
Kolowisi causes floods, the destructive power of water. Kolowisi is also sometimes credited with saving people from floods; restraining
flood waters until people can reach high ground.
Once upon a time, according to a Zuni myth, a young girl found a baby by a spring and brought it home, neglecting to mention it to

her parents. She put the baby to bed beside her. Unbeknownst to her, that baby was really Kolowisi in disguise; at night, while she
slept, he transformed back into his true form; picked the girl up in his coils as easily as she had picked up the baby and returned to his
spring with her, keeping her as his wife.
Stone fetishes in the form of Kolowisi transmit the power and blessings of water. They may be used to spark and ease
transformation. They are also ritually used to protect and bless sources of water and to bring rain. Kolowisi is considered among the
most potent fetish animals.
M anifestation: Kolowisi is a huge horned, feathered water snake. He also manifests as lightning.
See also: Ahuizotl; Kukulcan; Quetzal coatl

Komokwa

The Wealthy One
Also known as: Komokoa
Origin: Kwakiutl
Komokwa is King of the Sea, Lord of all undersea creatures, master and special protector of seals. Komokwa distributes and
guards wealth. Komokwa rules an underwater realm inhabited by fish and sea creatures but also by magical sea bears and sea eagles.
He lives in an underwater palace formed entirely of copper and filled with blankets, copper, carvings: basically everything that the
Kwakiutl people traditionally perceived as luxuries. Komokwa is a hospitable, generous host. If you can reach his palace, whether by
literal or shamanic means, he will make sure that you leave carrying boxes filled with magical treasures.
M anifestation: He may appear as a man; a giant octopus or something in between
Iconography: The Kwakiutl, an indigenous people of Vancouver Island and the adjacent mainland, are acclaimed for their carved,
painted wooden masks. Traditionally carved for shamanic use, they are now also crafted for art collectors. Komokwa is a popular
subject of masks.
Consort: Talio (Copper Maker Woman)
Spirit ally: Komokwa's servant is an octopus, also a spirit of wealth and prosperity; if Komokwa wants to see you, he may send
an octopus to pull you into the water and deliver you to his realm (and hopefully escort you safely back home, too).
Sacred animals: Seals; killer whales (Orcinus orca); sculpin fish; octopus

Konohana Sakkuya Hime
Also known as: Konohanasakuya; Sengensama
Origin: Japan
Classification: Kami
Konohana Sakkuya Hime is the presiding spirit of Japan's Mount Fuji and the kami of blossoming cherry trees. The younger
daughter of mountain spirit, Oyama Tsumi; she was given in marriage to Amaterasu's grandson, Ninigi. She conceived on their wedding
night, leading him to suspect infidelity.
Konohana was so aggravated and affronted by his suspicions that she entered a cavern on Mount Fuji, sealed it shut and lit a fire

within, announcing that if she and her child emerged unscathed, that was proof of her innocence. She successfully gave birth to her son
while her home was consumed by flames. She reconciled with her husband with whom she had two more children. Konohana Sakkuya
Hime is invoked for safe, easy childbirth and abundant milk as well as by those who seek fertility. Various shamanic rites were
associated with her shrines; amulets associated with her are prized for stimulating pregnancy and safeguarding birth.
Konohana Sakkuya Hime replaced the Ainu goddess of Mount Fuji. In turn, she has since been sublimated or somewhat
merged with Buddhist deities, Jizo and Kan non. However, she is still venerated at over one-hundred shrines throughout Japan.

Konohana Hime is a benevolent but formidable goddess who must always be approached with respect. This is meant literally: when
th century hero Nitta Tadatsune when they
approaching Mount Fuji, one approaches Konohana. She slew followers of the 12
trespassed in a sacred cave. Tadatsune was an exceptionally brave man but when Konohana warned him to retreat or meet his fate, he
took the escape route. People honor Konohana by walking the pilgrimage route up Mount Fuji. She is also venerated at home altars.
Iconography: She stands on clouds upon or beside Mount Fuji
Flower: Sakura (cherry) blossoms
Color: White
Creature: Snake, dragon; snakes made from braided rice straw are placed near her altar
M ount: Konohana rides a dragon or a giant snake
Sacred site: Konohana emerged as the primary goddess of Mount Fuji between the 14 th and 16 th centuries; her primary shrines
are at the top and bottom of Mount Fuji
Offering: Rice; flowers; incense; pilgrimage
See also: Fuji; Koyasu; Sita

Konsei Myojin

Root of Life; Great Shining One
Origin: Japan

Among the most ancient forms of religion is worship of human genitalia. This primeval form of spirituality occurs around the world.
Sacred images of the reproductive organs or the spirits associated with them were identified as possessing the spark of life, sacred procreative power but also capable of bestowing wealth and abundance, healing illness, encouraging good health, banishing malicious
spirits,breaking the influence of the Evil Eye and providing safe, easy childbirth.
Konsei Myojin is an ancient Japanese phallic deity. He is unusual as he is not venerated as part of a pair as is typical with sacred
genitalia. He seems to have no consort. He is venerated alone in the form of a phallus.
Konsei Myojin bestows wealth, power and good health. He has the power to heal all illness and afflictions that occurs below the belt.
Konsei Myojin is invoked for fertility, virility and safe, easy childbirth.
Initially venerated throughout Japan, he became the favored deity of bordellos. His image was believed to magnetically attract wealth,
business and safety to the establishment. The customers liked him, too, as Konsei can reputedly stimulate sexual prowess.
After Japan ended its long isolation and began to take its place as a world power, ancient folkloric symbols were reassessed. A deity
in the form of a sexually aroused phallus was considered neither polite nor civilized. The primeval image of Konsei Myojin was banned
during the Meiji era (1868–1912). He was largely replaced by the image of Maneki Neko although substitutions also include Daruma

dolls, images of Daikoku, Ebisu and mushrooms.
Some treasured images of Konsei Myojin were hidden away. One survives in a small museum devoted to sex attached to Japan's Izu
Paradise Park where his ritual may be reenacted in order to receive Konsei Myojin's blessings of wealth, good fortune and sexual
prowess:
• Invoke Konsei's blessings
• Touch the image's exposed penis three times
• Ring the bells on the altar
• If he fulfills your request, carry his amulet or build a private home altar for him
Iconography: A big erect phallus or as a man whose erect phallus pokes through his garments
Sacred site: Once upon a time, Konsei Myojin had many temples; his image appeared on the kamidana (spirit shelf) of
brothel. A particularly ancient shrine was located at Konsei Pass above Lake Yumoto, near Nikko.

every

Altar: Traditional Japanese images of Konsei Myojin are virtually impossible to find but any sort of phallic imagery can substitute
Offerings: Penis-shaped candles; milagros in the form of male reproductive organs; (if you can't find mass-produced images, they
are easily cut from tin or made from wax or bread dough); all kinds of phallic imagery: Roman images; Thai penis amulets; Shiva lingam
See also: Daikoku; Daruma; Dionysus; Ebisu; Hermes; Maneki Neko; Priapus; Shivaand the Glossary entries for Altar and
Milagro

Kore

The Maiden
Also known as: Core
Origin: Greece

Kore is not a name but a title, usually indicating Persephone, especially in her aspect as the eternally youthful Goddess of Spring.
Kore was venerated amongst Mystery Traditions and thus little is really known or understood. It is possible that some paths of Kore do
not refer to Persephone but to the primordial goddess, Car. (Or perhaps Persephone's roots lie in the mysterious and ancient Car.)
Kore is a spirit of birth and resurrection. Veneration of Kore was integral to the Eleusinian Mysteries. She was venerated amongst
Gnostic Mysteries too, sometimes independently of her mother, Demeter. In the early centuries of the Common Era, Kore was
venerated in Alexandriaas the self-generating virginal mother. Her festival, the Koreion, celebrated by both Christian and non-Christian
Gnostics, honored the annual birth of Aeon, the Divine Child. Images of virginal Kore with her Divine Child may survive amongst some
Black Madonnas.
Color: Black
Feast: The Koreion, 6 January, eventually assimilated to the Feast of the Epiphany
See also: Black Madonna; Car; Demeter; Persephoneand the Glossary entry for Mystery

Korravai

Victory in War; The Victorious One

Also known as: Kuravai
Origin: Tamil

Korravai is an extremely ancient deity from southern India. She is the powerful and ravenous spirit of the battlefield. Korravai leads
devotees to victory. When battle is complete, she feasts on the entrails of the dead. She must be appeased and propitiated before
corpses can be removed for funerary rites. Korravai remains associated with tunankai dances, which are also called kuravai dances:
war and victory ring dances. Korravai may be identified with Durga. In ancient Tamil lore, she is the mother of the war lord Murugan
(apparently conceived independently; no father is mentioned). He joins her on the battlefield.
M anifestation: She has twelve arms with which she carries twelve blood-stained weapons. She bears burning coals on her head
and wears bells around her ankles. She can make herself as small or as tall as she desires. (Legends have her growing so tall, her head
touches the sky.) When she wishes, her voice is as loud as thunder.
Creatures: Carrion crows, dogs, vultures
See also: Durga; Kartikkeya; Murugan

Kothar Wa-Khasis

Deft; Skillful

Origin: Semitic
Kothar may be interpreted as "skill" or "skilful"; Kothar wa-Khasis is the divine craftsman of the Ugaritic pantheon. Kothar was
venerated in what is now Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Israel by Phoenicians, Canaanites and Jews.
Kothar is a smith and metalworker; shaman and magician; soothsayer; craftsman; architect, inventor and artisan. He designed and
built beautiful furniture for Asherah; weapons for Ba'al and Anat and built Ba'al's palace from cedarwood, silver, gold and lapis lazuli.
He is Ba'al's ally. Kothar is identified with the Egyptian craftsman deity, Ptah: they may be the same spirit operating under two names.
Kothar is sometimes described as living in Ptah's city of Memphis, Egypt.
See also: Anat; Asherah, Lady of the Sea; Ba'al; KTRT; Ptah

Koumyoumin

Lord of the Nine Towns
Origin: Shan
Classification: Nat
Koumyoumin is a regional Nat whose territory encompasses a large part of the area around Kyankse, Burma. Because the number
nine is sacred to him, it is tabooed and off-limits to people. Koumyoumin dislikes and will potentially harm anything that consists of nine
units. For example, when driving through his domain, a vehicle cannot contain nine people as it is feared that Koumyoumin will cause an
accident. There must be either more or less but never nine. If the number absolutely cannot be avoided, then subterfuge must be used to
avoid Koumyomin's wrath. For instance, a large stone will be placed in the vehicle to symbolically represent a tenth passenger.
See also: Nat

Koyasu
Also known as: Koyasu-sama; Koyasu-gami: Koyasu Kannon
Origin: Japan
Classification: Kami; Bosatsu
Koyasu protects children and facilitates safe, easy, successful childbirth. Koyasu-sama is another name for Konohana Sak kuya
Hime, Goddess of Mount Fuji, renowned for her powers over childbirth. With the advent of Buddhism, the name Koyasu became
attached to Bodhisattvas or spirits who also facilitate childbirth. Event ually identities were merged and it can be hard to disentangle the
various female deities addressed by this name. Among these spirits are:
• Koyasu Kannon, one of Kannon's thirty-three paths or manifestations, venerated in Shinto shrines dedicated to Konohana
Sakkuya Hime.
• A theory suggests that Koyasu Kannon is really a Japanese version of Hariti, the reformed child-gobbling demon whose image
has been softened so much that she passes for Kannon
• The bodhisattava Ksitigarbha is sometimes venerated as Koyasu Jizo
See also: Bodhisattva; Hariti; Kannon; Konohana Sakkuya Hime; Ksitigarbha

Krishna

The Charmer
Also known as: Krsna
Origin: India

Krishna is among the most beloved Hindu deities, worshipped throughout the subcontinent and around the world. He is also a great
favorite of independent practitioners. He is among the most widely venerated of all spirits, bar none.
Technically, Krishna is an avatar of Vish nu however, if so, he is the favorite form. Krishna himself is worshipped in several forms:
• Krishna is the Divine Child, eternally delightful, mischievous, fun-loving and charming
• Krishna is the intoxicatingly beautiful, irresistible lover
• Krishna is the young cowherd who lives in an idyllic forest
• Krishna is the spiritual teacher, guide and advisor
Krishna is free, spontaneous and fearless. He is a prankster although never evil intentioned. Despite his sweet, loving nature, he is a
powerful spirit who vanquishes the fiercest, deadliest, most toxic demons. Krishna is a pivotal figure in the epic, the Mahabharata. He
remains a particularly energetic, active spirit; manifesting to people and appearing in dreams and visions. He is all-powerful and may be
petitioned for anything.
M anifestation: Krishna is physically beautiful; charming and charismatic. He has a sharp sense of humor but he is an incredible
spiritual adept. Those who have witnessed him recently comment on his very recognizable blue skin.
Iconography: Krishna's skin is blue; he wears a peacock feather crown
Attribute: Flute whose sound is compelling and enchanting
Color: Blue
Sacred site: Krishnajanmabhoomi Temple in Mathura, India, said to be Krishna's birthplace

Offerings: Butter; sweets
See also: Kunti; Vishnu; and the Glossary entry for Avatar

Kronos

Father Time
Also known as: Cronos; Kronos
Origin: Greece

Kronos was among the Titan children of Gaia and Uranus. He married his sister Rhea. Uranus adored the Titans who were beautifu
and powerful but he imprisoned their less aesthetically pleasing siblings the Hecatoncheires and Cyclopes. Gaia sought for a hero among
the Titans: one who would overthrow their father and liberate their siblings. All the Titans refused except for Kronos, the youngest male.
Gaia gave Kronos a sickle that he used to castrate his father. He assumed his father's place as head of the pantheon but Kronos did
not fully accomplish what he had promised his mother. He did not liberate his imprisoned siblings. Instead, convinced that one of his
own children would treat him as he had treated his father, Kronos proceeded to swallow all of his offspring. (An alternative myth
suggests that he only swallowed the male children.) Rhea, devastated at the loss of her babies, consulted with her mother, still aggrieved
at the captivity of her other children and with Metis, Goddess of Wisdom. A plot was hatched: Rhea secretly rescued her youngest son
Zeus and sent him into hiding.
Years later, Zeus emerged to confront his father. Kronos was secretly served an emetic that caused him to disgorge the children he
had swallowed. They emerged full grown and in total command of their godly powers. Zeus and his siblings formed a new pantheon, the
Olympians, who squared off in combat against their elders, the Titans, led by Kronos. This war between pantheons lasted ten years until
Zeus finally liberated the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires who helped propel the Olympians to victory.
There are different versions of what happened to Kronos, leader of the Titans:
• He escaped to Italy where he assumed a new name, Saturn
• He was imprisoned alongside other defeated Titans in the pit of Tartarus. Zeus eventually took pity on his father. He released
him, giving Kronos the position of king of the Elysian Fields, the paradise awaiting the blessed dead.
Although children's mythology books consistently portray Kronos as a baby-swallowing monster, the era he presided over before he
was overthrown is known as the Golden Age. Kronos is the lord of time. He is consistently benevolent and generous toward people, if
not toward his own offspring. He remains a powerful deity with potent connections who may be invoked for any sort of assistance.
Kronos and Khronos may or may not be the same spirit.
M anifestation: A powerful man or a magnificent stallion
Attribute: Sickle
Planet: Saturn

See also: Ananke; Aphrodite; Atlas; Erinyes; Gaia; Khronos; Metis; Nike; Olympian Spirits; Poseidon; Prometheus; Rhea
Saturn; Styx; Thetis; Titans; Zeus

Kshumai
Origin: Nooristan (Afghanistan)

Nooristan is a province located in the Hindu Kush mountain range and populated by descendents of Alexander the Greek's troops.
Previously called Kafiristan, (Land of the Nonbelievers or Land of the Infidels), the province was renamed Nooristan, meaning Land

of Light or Land of the Enlightened following its forced conversion to Islam in 1895. Previously a traditional Pagan religion was
practiced.
Kshumai is among the primary pre-Islamic Nooristani goddesses. She rules rain and precipitation and hence the harvest. Kshumai, a
goat goddess, introduced goats to people, which provides them with wool and milk, survival needs in a harsh, remote climate.
Kshumai is a goddess of wild nature. She lives on Tirich Mir, the highest peak in the Hindu Kush, now in northern Pakistan. She
manifests to people near lakes by the mountain. Kshumai has her own flock of goats. Tossing her long breasts over her shoulder, she
sits down to milk them: to witness Kshumai milking her goats is to receive the blessings of the goddess.
M anifestation: Kshumai may manifest as a woman or a wild mountain goat
Offerings: Kshumai traditionally receives gifts of the first harvest, especially grapes

Ksitigarbha

Earth Matrix
Pronounced: Kshee-tee-garb-ah
Also known as: Dizang (China); Jizo (Japan); Sai Nyingpo (Tibet)
Origin: India
Classification: Bodhisattva

Bodhisattvas vow to remain on Earth until all suffering on Earth is relieved. Ksitigarbha took this one step further, vowing not to
become a Buddha until all beings are saved and all hells are emptied. Ksitigarbha is the Bodhisattva of the Hell Beings. Ksitigarbha's
myth appears in the Sutra of the Great Vow of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva , a Sanskrit text in the form of a dialogue between Buddha
Shakyamuni and Ksitigarbha.
Centuries before the time of Buddha Shakyamuni, Ksitigarbha was a young and devout Brahmin girl named "Sacred Girl" or "Holy
Girl." Distraught by the death of her irreverent mother, whom she feared was destined for Hell; Sacred Girl sold all her possessions to
make offerings to the Buddha and spent all her time petitioning for mercy for her mother's soul. (Although Sacred Girl is identified as a
Brahmin, the story, philosophy, rituals and her fears are not consonant with Hinduism but are very Buddhist. She is essentially identified
as a precursor to historical Buddhism.) While praying in a temple, she heard the disembodied voice of Buddha advise her to go home
and chant repetitions of his name if she wished to save her mother. She did so; eventually experiencing a vision journey to Hell whose
guardian informed her that because of her piety and good deeds, she had accrued enough merit to liberate her mother. Although happy,
Ksitigarbha was shocked at the suffering she witnessed in Hell and so made her famous vow.
Ksitigarbha heals the sick, comforts the grieving and the depressed and provides spiritual protection. She provides safety in the face
of evil. Ksitigarbha trounces demons. Ksitigarbha traveled east through Asia with Buddhism where she also resonated with the nonBuddhist population and was incorporated into Taoist and Shinto practices, too. Ksitigarbha is now almost universally envisioned and
depicted as male.
Iconography: Ksitigarbha is typically envisioned as a monk
Attribute: The wish-granting jewel; pilgrim's staff

Sacred site: Mount Jiuhua, one of China's four sacred Buddhist Mountains. The entire mountain is sacred to Ksitigarbha and
contains many shrines and temples dedicated to her (or him, as the case may be).

M antra: Chant her mantra for safety, protection and relief if menaced by nightmares, night paralysis, malevolent spirits or any kind
of danger:
OM KSHITIGHARBHA BODHISATTVA YAH

See also: Bodhisattva; Buddha; Jizo; Koyasuand the Glossary entry for Mantra

KTRT

The Swallow-Like Daughters of the Crescent Moon
Origin: West Semitic: Canaan; Phoenicia
Semitic languages traditionally have no written vowels and so only the consonants of these sister goddesses survive: KTRT. Among
the suggested pronunciations of their names are Katirat; Kotarot and Kotharat; however these are all guesses. Their name derives from
a root word indicating skill or wisdom.
The KTRT are goddesses of sexual delight, conception and childbirth. They are seven in number. In the Ugaritic myth, the Epic of
Aqhat, when a child is desired, the KTRT are feasted for seven days. By the time they depart on the seventh day, pregnancy has been
achieved. In the mythic epic poem, "Nikkal and the Kathirat", the seven sisters are summoned to provide what is necessary for the
wedding and are requested for their blessings. The KTRT are reminiscent of the Seven Hathors.
Planet: Moon, especially crescent
Sacred bird: Swallow (associated with fertility in Egypt and Semitic West Asia)
See also: Asherah, Lady; Hathor; Kadesh; Kothar wa-Khasis

Ku
Also known as: Tu
Origin: Polynesia
Ku is a warrior spirit; Lord of War as well as a spirit of the abundance of the sea. The essence of male generative power; he is a
spirit of testosterone. In Hawaiian cosmology, Ku is the essence of masculinity, as Hina epitomizes feminine energy. Ku is among the
four major Hawaiian deities alongside Kane, Kanaloa and Lono but was mainly venerated, at least in his warrior form, by the elite.
Formal ceremonies were reserved for the nobility and priesthood and were performed under severe taboos. The practice of human
sacrifice seems to have been introduced to Hawaii largely by Ku's priesthood. King Kamehameha worshipped Ku as Lord of War in
his eventually successful efforts to unite the Hawaiian Islands under his rule.
Ku has many paths and aspects ranging from brutal and bloodthirsty to nurturing and kind. He is the patron of war,
fishing, forests and certain types of agriculture and sorcery .

Ku's name means "to strike" or "to stand." He is a versatile, many faceted spirit with concerns other than war. He was also the
patron of Hawaii's master canoe builders and wood workers, considered a sacred occupation. Ku dwells in deep places: the depths of
the forest and the sea.
M anifestations: Ku can manifest in any form he likes; he is a master shape-shifter. However, common forms include man,
caterpillar and cucumber

Iconography: Fierce carved wood tiki statues
Botanicals: Breadfruit; coconut; cucumber; 'Ohi'a lehua tree (
traditionally carved from this wood

Metrosideros collina; M. macropus ): images of Ku were

Color: Red
Direction: East
Sacred animal: Pig; eel
Bird: Hawk
Planet: The rising sun
Time: The first, second and third days of each month
See also: Akua; Haumea; Hina; Kanaloa; Kane; Kihawahine; Kukauakahi; Ku'ulakai; Lono

Kua
Classification: Aumakua
Kua, King of Kona's shark spirits is an important Aumakua, an ancestral spirit. A gigantic red shark, Kua led a posse of sharks
from Tahiti to their new home in Hawaiian waters. He had sex with a woman on the beach at Ka'u on the big island of Hawaii (believed
to be where Polynesians first landed on Hawaii). She gave birth to twins: a boy shark and a human girl just like Daddy and Mommy.
She placed her shark son in the water. To this day, many descendents of her daughter have rough patches of skin resembling shark skin
on their lower legs. Those possessing that physical attribute, even if not of Hawaiian descent, may possess an affinity with shark spirits.
See also: Aumakua; Ka'ahu Pahau; Kamohoali'i; Merrow

Kubera

Lord of Wealth
Also known as: Kuber; Kuvera
Origin: India

Kubera, Golden Lord of Wealth, is considered the richest of all Hindu deities. Kubera is the King of the Yakshas and elder halfbrother of Ravana, the primary antagonist of the epic, the Ramayana. The brothers have a contentious relationship. Although Kubera,
too, was once classified as a demon, he made the transition to Hinduism by practicing austerities for one-thousand years. He is the
banker who lent Vishnu money.
Kubera lives in a palace in the Himalayas where he is served by Yakshas. He is invoked for protection and especially wealth. Kubera
is guardian of all Earth's treasures; his sacred function is to distribute them. Allegedly Brahman charged Kubera to distribute them based
on an individual's destiny however devotees hope that Kubera will be generous and make exceptions. He is also petitioned to help
regain lost wealth.
M anifestation: Kubera is described as a fair-skinned dwarf with a pot belly, symbolic of his wealth and comfort.

Attribute: Mace
Consort: Vasudhara (Yellow Tara)
Day: Thursday
Sacred animals: Mongoose, horse
Direction: North
Numbers: 72, 9
Kubera is associated with a magic square in which all lines add up to 72:
27 20 25
22 24 26
23 28 21
This magic square is used as a yantra (mystic diagram), which allegedly provides wealth and business success if incorporated
in 72 day long rituals for Kubera.

See also: Jambhala; Tara, Yellow

Kuchisake-Onna

Slit Mouth Woman
Origin: Japan
Classification: Yokai

It's unclear how long the ghost of Kuchisake-Onna has been wandering the streets of Japan. (Lately, she's been appearing in
Korea, too.) Her legend may date back as early as the Heian era (794–1185) but exact details are lost and subject to debate. In life,
this very beautiful woman was a jealous samurai's wife, consort or concubine. Doubting her fidelity, whether or not with any justification,
he reacted violently, slitting her mouth from ear to ear and taunting her with the words, "Who will think you're beautiful now?"
His words went to her heart; Kuchisake-Onna cannot rest in peace. Her ghost roams about on foggy, misty evenings. In her
traditional manifestation, Kuchisake-Onna wears long, white, flowing clothes; her face, especially the lower half, is veiled by the draped
white cloth. (In modern manifestations, Kuchisake-Onna may wear a surgical mask.) At first glance, Kuchisake-Onna appears very
beautiful, sensuous and alluring. Eventually, however, Kuchisake-Onna will flag a passing car or someone on the street. When they stop,
she asks something like " Do you think I'm beautiful? " simultaneously whipping off her mask or veil and exposing her horribly
disfigured face
Most people react badly. The sight is unexpected: they panic and run. It's the wrong thing to do: the ghost pursues and if she catches
her victim, attacks them with some sort of metal implement: knife, sword or scissors. She may kill them or inflict injuries similar to her
own.
Should Kuchisake-Onna be encountered, the best way to disarm her is to give her something to think about. Kuchisake-Onna is a
low-level spirit: the process of thinking is beyond her and frustrates her. Straight-forward answers to her query activate her violence,
regardless of whether the answer is yes or no. Those who answer her question vaguely or ambiguously survive without injury. Thus
respond along the lines of "That depends upon perspective" and Kuchisake-Onna will not attack or follow. Instead she stands musing
and you can walk away (rapidly).

For safety's sake, keep small candies in your pocket. If unable to control yourself—you just panic and run—toss the candy on the
ground behind you. One piece is insufficient; throw at least a handful or empty the container. Kuchisake-Onna, like so many ghosts, is
afflicted with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. She will be compelled to stop, count and pick up each piece while you get away.
Like La Llorona, Kuchisake-Onna is more than just a ghost story. Reports of encounters are frequent. In 1979, rumors spread
throughout Japan regarding children who were terrorized by Kuchisake-Onna. Compared to other night wanderers like Hone-Onna, La
Llorona or Aisha Qandisha and considering her history, Kuchisake Onna is unusual: her targets tend to be children or younger people,
rather than men.
Real-life encounters with Kuchisake-Onna may be dreaded but she's beloved in popular entertainment, making
appearances in various manga and anime as well as her namesake 1996 film, Kuchisake-Onna.

See also: Aisha Qandisha; Bloody Mary; Diablesse, La; Harionna; Hone-Onna; Llorona, La; Xtabay; Yokai

Kukauakahi

Origin: Hawaii
Kukauakahi is King of Hawaiian owls and a powerful, aggressive guardian spirit. He may be a manifestation of Ku; his name is
interpreted "Ku the Single Battle."
Owls are considered the most primeval Aumakua, family guardian spirits and Kukauakahi is their leader. Owls remain the most
frequently encountered of all Aumakua.
In many places, owls are considered harbingers of death and greeted with dismay. Not in Hawaii, where Kukauakahi is a savior who
performs feats of resurrection. Kukauakahi's appearance on the battlefield was greeted by joy, at least by those for whom he was a
protector. He led armies to victory or, if things weren't going well, found escape routes for fleeing warriors.
A man once found and stole a nest of seven owl eggs but before he could abscond with them, the owl father appeared and pled for
mercy. Eventually the man relented and the owl revealed himself as Kukauakahi and ordered the man to build him a heiau (sacred stone
shrine). The man did as told, enraging the island's chieftain who had commanded that no heiaus be constructed without his permission.
He sent men to destroy it before it could be consecrated but they were attacked by dive-bombing owls. Kukauakahi's power was
acknowledged; the heiau remained.
In the most famous Hawaiian owl story, an owl Aumakua resurrected Kahala O'Puna, a beautiful young woman from the Manoa
Valley beaten to death by her fiancé. He killed her three times and her owl guardian dug her up and revived her three times.
Once upon a time, some corpses were exposed to owls so that they could ritually transform the dead souls into Aumakua, too.
Modern stories describe owl Aumakua saving a man from falling off a steep cliff by beating its wings before the man's face to restore his
equilibrium or keeping a drowning swimmer alert at night and leading him to shore in the morning.
Offerings: If the owls are your guardian spirits or if one performs a feat of rescue for you, offerings on behalf of owls, many of
which are critically endangered, are appropriate. The native Hawaiian owl species is the Pueo.
See also: Aumakua; Kane; Ku

Kukulcan
Origin: Maya
Kukulcan is the Mayan plumed or feathered serpent. Is he the same spirit as Quetzalcoatl? That's subject to debate.
• Kukulcan may be the Mayan name for Quetzalcoatl;Kuk means quetzal

• Kukulcan may be a distinct spirit; one of several feathered snake spirits like Quetzalcoatl and Kolowisi
• Kukulcan and Quetzalcoatl may initially have been distinct spirits but eventually influenced each other to the extent that they are
now impossible to disentwine
Iconography: Rattlesnakes were sometimes used to represent Kukulcan
Sacred site: The step Pyramid of Kukulcan, also known as El Castillo (The Castle) in Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico
Sacred time: Vernal Equinox
See also: Kolowisi; Quetzalcoatl

Kumiho
Origin: Korea

A Kumiho is a type of fox spirit. Like her compatriots, the Japanese Kitsune and Chinese Huli Jing, the Kumiho is associated with
rampant, unbridled female sexuality. Unlike other types of fox spirits, however, there is nothing ambiguous about the Kumiho. Korean
lore paints her as a wholly negative spirit.
"Kumiho" literally means "nine-tail". The true form of this spirit is believed to be a nine-tailed fox spirit. Unlike other types of fox
spirits, the Kumiho rarely, if ever, engages in spirit possession. Instead she murders her victims. Sometimes she even eats them.
Although young virile men are her favorite prey, stories sometimes describe Kumiho snacking on children.
The Kumiho transforms into the guise of a sexy, seductive woman in order to capture her prey and then vampirically drains male life
essence (yang energy) during sex. She may vampirically drink blood, too. Encounters with the Kumiho tend to be fatal. Some Kumiho
are stealth operators as in the legend of the Kumiho who disguised herself as a beautiful woman and married a Chinese emperor's son.
She successfully maintained her disguise with her husband and his family but meanwhile young male members of the court began to
mysteriously disappear.
Legends suggest that the Kumiho will desist and flee if her true identity is exposed. Apparently, in the dark, the Kumiho is
indistinguishable from human women. A good, long look at her in the hard light of day will reveal her foxy characteristics. Dogs can see
through the Kumiho's disguise and will be hostile toward her. Once the Kumiho suspects that her cover is blown, she will usually run
away. Appeals to Inari may serve to protect against the Kumiho.
See also: Fox Spirits; Hone-Onna; Huli Jing; Inari; Lamiae; Vampire

Kunti
Also known as: Raja Mata (Royal Mother)
Origin: India

Kunti is an ancient goddess of fertility and wisdom, sister of Krishna's father and hence his aunt. She is now most famous as an
important character in the epic, the Mahabharata but her veneration may predate the Vedic texts. In her most primordial manifestation,
she epitomizes female generative power in the way that Shiva represents corresponding male power. Kunti's powers are so intense that
her very presence stimulates conception and painless childbirth. In the Mahabharata, her powers are gifts of the devas, the deities but
once upon a time, Kunti was the self-generating mother. She bears children parthogenically, not because virginity is spiritually superior
but because her fertility power is so strong, no partner is needed. In her earliest manifestations, Kunti may have been a wanton virgin,
similar to Anat:notably even in the Mahabharata, her children are born of many fathers.
According to the Mahabharata, her birth name was Pritha but she was given as a daughter to childless King Kuntibhoja, whose name
she bears. Miraculously, shortly after her arrival in his home, the king was blessed with children. He credited Kunti's presence;
considered her his lucky charm; treated her as his daughter and was very devoted to her. She lived in his home until she married.

While still a girl, she served the sage (rishi) Durvasa when he visited her father's home. She impressed him and he taught her a
mantra enabling her to call any deva and have a son by him. (There are two different versions: either the deva would make love to her
and she would miraculously, instantly, painlessly give birth or the deva would just give her the child: no sex, no pregnancy, just a baby.)
It sounds too good to be true and Kunti wasn't sure she believed it so one day she tried the formula out, calling Surya the Sun. He
stepped down from the sky and made love with her. (That is, unless you prefer the version where he just gives her the kid.) A son was
miraculously born wearing golden earrings and a breastplate. Afraid of the scandal, the young unmarried Kunti put the baby in a basket
and floated him down the river, once again bringing children to the childless: a childless charioteer found and raised the boy (who would
eventually be reunited with his mother).
In one version, after the mantra summons Surya, Kunti respectfully explains that she was just experimenting and asks him
to leave. Surya replies that he is compelled to fulfill the mantra and a baby miraculously appears.

Kunti was given in marriage to Prince Pandu who was suffering a paradox. He had been cursed: if he had sex with his wives, he'd die
and yet he wanted sons. Kunti provided the solution. Just as she had brought children to the childless home of her adoptive father, so,
once again, she brought sons to the childless. She chanted her mantra; called down three devas and bore three sons (and may not even
have committed adultery. Depending on the version of the myth, sex may or may not have been involved.) After giving birth to her sons,
she taught the mantra to her co-wife, enabling her to have children, too. Kunti's three sons are:
• Yudishtara (Yama's son)
• Bhima (Vayu's son)
• Arjuna (Indra's son)
When her husband died, the co-wife joined him on the funeral pyre, but not Kunti, spirit of irrepressible life. She is the widow who
does not commit sati but stays alive and takes responsibility for the children.
• Kunti's presence brings children to the childless. Incorporate her images into fertility rituals and magic or let her preside over an
altar.
• Kunti is invoked to heal and protect women's reproductive health and organs
• Kunti protects and sponsors women who bear and care for children independently, with no male partner
Iconography: Many traditional images are available; she is a popular subject of Indian spiritual imagery but she is usually depicted
subservient to her sons or their deva-fathers. Vulva shaped stones or amulets may also be used to represent her.
Offerings: Flowers; spring water; vulva-shaped candles
See also: Hanuman; Indra; Krishna; Sati; Shiva;Yamaand the Glossary entry for Mantra

Kura
Also known as: Kurana; Kurene; Kyrene; Cyrene; Qrennah
Origin: Berber (Amazigh)

Kura is a Berber water spirit, guardian of a spring in Cyrene, now in modern Libya. Cyrene may sound like a backwater now but
once upon a time, it was a wealthy and significant place. The nation now known as Libya was once called Cyrenaica. The spring, the
city, and the nation all derive their name from Kura. Cyrene is the Greek version of her name.
Cyrene was famous as the sole home of the now extinct plant, silphium, famed as an extremely effective herbal contraceptive (and
allegedly an aphrodisiac, too). The powers of that plant and the fortune that it engendered attracted outside attention. Legend says that
Apollo sent Greeks to colonize Cyrene. The city expanded and became one of Greece's Hellenized outposts in North Africa although
not without some tension between the Greeks and the native Berbers, as history records.
Greece took over the silphium trade. (In 74 BCE, Cyrene came under Roman rule. Silphium disappeared in late antiquity, having been
over-harvested into extinction. More information about silphium may be found in John Riddle's 1997 book, Eve's Herbs: A History of

Contraception and Abortion in the West.)
Apollo was considered patron and founder of the Greek city of Cyrene. A temple of Apollo was constructed as early as the seventh
century BCE. The neighboring port on the Mediterranean was named Apollonia but the city itself remained named after its presiding
indigenous spirit. Apollo's sanctuary was built beside her spring, which was renamed the Fountain of Apollo.
Cyrene's Berber roots were hidden. A legend emerged that Apollo had transported a Greek Nymph named Cyrene to Libya, naming
the city in her honor. (Apollo may indeed have transported other Nymphs to North Africa, however the name Kura/Cyrene predates
his arrival in the region.) Greek myth identifies Cyrene and Apollo as the parents of the major deity, Aristaeus. Kura's waters emerge
from a cavern. She is a hidden goddess of love, fertility, and contraception.

Iconography: Depending on perspective, Cyrene is depicted strangling or hugging a lion. This image officially derives from Pindar's
Ninth Pythian Ode, which recounts how Apollo fell in love with Cyrene, a Thessalian Nymph in the entourage of Artemis, after
witnessing her battle a lion. Whether or not the image of the goddess with a lion in this region predates Apollo is now unknown. In
addition to ancient images, the Strength tarot card, which traditionally depicts a woman with a lion, may be used to represent Kura.
Sacred site: The ruins of the ancient city of Cyrene may be visited as can Kura's spring, now known as Apollo's spring.
Offerings: Spring water; Berber jewelry; honey; old coins from Cyrene, which virtually all feature images of the silphium plant;
pilgrimage to her spring
See also: Apollo; Aristaeus; Artemis; Nymph

Kure

The Hyena
Origin: Hausa
Classification: Bori

Kure, son of the Head of the Seventh House of Bori spirits, was adopted by Sarkin Zurkalene whose sister, Hawa'u he then
married. Kure also married Amina and Maimuna, two daughters of the Chief of Butchers. When the Butcher Chief retired, Kure
inherited his position.
His association with hyenas is not considered complimentary. Hyenas are very much feared in Hausa folklore not only as fierce
animals but because of associations with witchcraft. (Hyenas are often believed to be witches in disguise or vice versa.) Kure's
association with hyenas indicates his importance in pre-Islamic shamanic traditions as well as modern associations with blood.
Kure is a lurker and a watcher. His favored spot is lingering outside royal palace gates. He witnesses a lot and is a font of information
although not necessarily inclined to share. Kure is a nocturnal spirit and most likely to be encountered at night.
Favored people: Butchers
M anifestations: Kure may manifest as a man but at night he often wanders in the form of a hyena. He lingers by thresholds and
gates. Should you desire to meet him, soul journey to the gates of the palace of Jangare at night. He will, eventually, appear.
Affliction: Kure inflicts headaches, nose bleeds and inexplicable choking (no physical cause).
The key magical ingredient to healing Kure's afflictions is dust gathered from outside the gates of any royal palace. That's
where Kure lurks; the dust contains his essence.

Sacred tree: Doka (Isoberlinia doka)

Color: Red
See also: Bori; Sarkin Zurkalene

Kurukulla
Also known as: Red Tara; Kurukulle
Origin: Himalayas
Classification: Dakini; Bodhisattva
Kurukulla is a spirit of love, beauty, wealth and desire, now most famous for her sponsorship of spells and rituals of domination and
control. Kurukulla began her incarnation as a popular tribal goddess, later incorporated into the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon as Red
Tara. Kurukulla is the Spirit of Subjugation. Kurukulla is invoked when building monasteries or when beginning any new enterprise in
order to subjugate any malevolent force, spirit, demonic or human, which might pose obstacles.
• Kuru kulla tames and controls the spirit world.
• She provides protection against malicious spirits and all harm
• Kurukulla helps devotees achieve their desires
• Kurukulla delivers cash, power and lovers
• Kurukulla is petitioned for wisdom and academic success
• She is invoked by Tantric practitioners
At her most primal, Kurukulla presides over menstrual power. Kurukulla is the Scarlet Woman. Menstrual blood is considered the
single most powerful magical ingredient, able to enforce a woman's will (perhaps one reason why menstruating women are traditionally
kept under lock and key). Menstrual blood banishes evil spirits and provides spiritual protection. One drop of a woman's menstrual
blood allegedly causes others to love her forever. Kurukulla epitomizes and transmits this power. She may be invoked to bless and
further menstrual magic spells and rituals.
M anifestation: Kurukulla is a blissfully joyous scarlet woman with disheveled hair.
Iconography: Kurukulla is depicted dancing naked amidst flames. Her red body radiates light. She has one face, three eyes and
four arms. She sometimes wears a long red scarf, a crown of five skulls and a necklace of fifty freshly severed heads. A tiger-skin skirt
emphasizes her fearlessness and wild nature. Luxurious Tibetan images of Kurukulla are crafted from gold on red vermillion.
Attributes: Flower bow and arrow; noose of flowers; hook (The hook symbolizes her power to attract, obtain and influence; the
noose demonstrates her ability to bind all to her will and desire)
Spirit allies: Kurukulla is attended by two Dakinis
Color: Red
Kurukulla is intensely identified with the color red. Written petitions should be written in red: red ink, vermillion, menstrual
blood or blood pricked from one's right ring finger .

Flowers: Red utpala flowers (red lotus)
M antra (short form):
OM KURU KULEE KRIY SO HA!

See also: Bodhisattva; Bon Spirits; Dakini; Jahi; Gorgon; Tara (2)and the Glossary entry for Mantra

Kuturu

The Leper
Origin: Hausa
Classification: Bori

Kuturu is the head of the fourth house of the Bori pantheon, the House of Lepers. Kuturu is an extremely important Bori spirit who
exerts tremendous influence in the Bori court and palace. He is the senior counselor to Sarkin Aljan Suleimanu. However, Kuturu has an
intimate relationship with Inna, Sarkin Aljan Suleimanu's wife. The relationship between the two male spirits is tense and they should be
kept apart. Kuturu, potentially a kind and very generous spirit, is likely to be found near the main gate of Suleimanu's palace.

Favored people: Lepers; (Allegedly his priesthood successfully treats leprosy, especially in early stages. The cure may involve
becoming a devotee of Kuturu.)

M anifestation: Kuturu can't walk; he crawls (and manifests like this during ritual possession). He moves like a snake. Kuturu has
a nasal voice. During ritual possession, the person embodying him tends to sweat profusely.

Attributes: A woven grass bag and a small gourd (to beg for alms); a horsehair switch (symbol of authority plus to shoo flies); a
Dum Palm nut string serves as his weapon
Consort: Almajira is Kuturu's only wife (but he has a long-running affair with Inna)
Affliction: Kuturu inflicts leprosy. His victims' eyes turn red.
Animal: Snake
Sacred tree: Dundu (Dichrostachys nutans) a thorny acacia-like shrub and the Dum Palm (Hyphoene thebaica)
Offering: Kuturu will accept any offering given with sincerity and a good heart
See also: Bori; Inna; Kure; Sarkin Aljan Suleimanu

Kwakiya

The Black Hooded Cobra
Origin: Hausa
Classification: Bori
Kwakiya, daughter of Sarkin Aljan Zurkalene, is married to Danko Dan Musa, Chief of the Bori Snake Spirits. Her characteristic
affliction is blindness. Like a snake, she blinds by spitting venom into her victim's eyes, a technique she has taught her husband.
See also: Bori; Sarkin Aljan Zurkalene; Danko Dan Muso

Kwan Kung
Also known as: Kuan Kung; Guan Gong; Guan Di; Quan Cong (Vietnamese)
Origin: China
Kwan Kung is the Lord of War, a spirit of protection and defense. He protects people from demons, scoundrels, thieves and
malefactors in general. The very essence of righteousness, integrity and loyalty, in Chinese cosmology, Kwan Kung is often ranked just
below the Jade Emperor. Rumors persist that he has, in fact, quietly and modestly assumed that office.
Kwan Kung was an historic person. In life, he was a Chinese warrior, leader of an army possibly during the Warring Kingdoms Era.
He was unvanquished, brave and fierce in battle but also very beloved because he helped and protected the weak. A chieftain's son
kidnapped a local girl, an everyday occurrence in much of the world, then as now but not something Kwan Kung could tolerate. He
killed the kidnapper, rescued the girl and brought her safely home to her family. Kwan Kung who wished no further violence fled but
was pursued by the vengeful chieftain's men. He sought refuge in a temple but his pursuers set it on fire. Kwan Kung, his face aflame,
escaped the burning building and killed his attackers.
Kwan Kung was eventually unjustly executed for refusing to betray his king. In death, he continued to serve the people. Temples
were erected to him throughout China and now around the world. Venerate him at home, too: allegedly an image of Kwan Kung kept in
the home prevents trouble and domestic disturbances.
Kwan Kung is a master martial artist. He is generous, very frank and truthful but emotional and easily-angered. He cannot be bribed.
Kwan Kung is also considered a great scholar; able to recite Chinese texts by heart.
Favored people: Soldiers; those who work in law enforcement; scholars; Kwan Kung is the spiritual patron of the Hong Kong
police department.
Iconography: Kwan Kung is depicted with a red face and long black beard.
Attribute: A weapon named in his honor (a long staff with a blade); book; spear; pen; pike
M ount: Red horse
Color: Red
See also: Jade Emperor

Kwan Yin

The Goddess of Mercy;
She Who Hears the Cries of the World
Also known as: Guan Yin; Kuan Yin; Phat Ba Quan Am (Vietnamese)
Kwan Yin is the very essence of mercy and compassion; among the most beloved and well known of all spirits. Technically, Kwan
Yin is considered a Bodhisattva, venerated as such throughout the Buddhist world but she also possesses the stature of a goddess and
many consider her to be one, not just modern Western goddess devotees but also in East Asian folk religion. Kwan Yin is a spiritual
phenomenon: she transcends religious boundaries and is also found in Taoist and Shinto shrines, even in the shrine of her main rival, the
Lady of T'ai Shan. Kwan Yin is a great favorite of independent practitioners and goddess devotees everywhere.
• Kwan Yin protects the helpless, particularly women, children and animals
• She bestows good health and fertility
• She guides and protects travelers especially seafarers and sky travelers
• In recent years, Kwan Yin has emerged as the guardian of air travel
• She protects against attack from either animals or humans

• She breaks cycles of rebirth, punishment and retribution
• Kwan Yin provides protection in the realms of the living, the dead and anywhere else
Kwan Yin's true identity is subject to debate. Officially she is an aspect of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. The Lotus Sutra, which
describes Avalokiteshvara, was among the first Buddhist texts translated into Chinese. Avalokiteshvara translated into Chinese is Kwan
Shih Yin. The first Chinese statues of Kwan Shih Yin, a.k.a. Avalokiteshvara, appeared in the 5 th century CE and depict him as a slight,
graceful, androgynous man.
Kwan Yin as we know her today first emerged from China's wild northwest frontier, by the Silk Road, sometime between the 7 th
and 9th centuries CE and began to move into the Chinese heartland during the 9 th and 10 th centuries along with detailed legends of her
life, which do not correspond to Avalokiteshvara but to the Taoist goddess, Miao Shan. Kwan Yin may really be Miao Shan assuming
the official guise of Avalokiteshvara as Buddhism was then socially dominant while Taoism was disparagingly considered folk religion.
Her strong identification with horses may also indicate her origins on the western frontier.

Kwan Yin epitomizes goodness: no one is kinder, more compassionate or more benevolent. Kwan Yin doesn't possess a
single malevolent or malicious impulse. She is also exceptionally responsive, as evidenced by her world -wide veneration. If you
are new to spirits or are generally afraid of them, Kwan Yin may be the right spirit for you .

Alternatively many believe Isis, Mary Magdalen and/or Mary, Mother of Christ traveled the length of the Silk Road, finally emerging
as Kwan Yin or that their images may have served as a portal for a frontier spirit. Whoever she is, she is entirely good. The desire of so
many individuals and traditions to claim Kwan Yin testifies to her appeal and power.

Favored people: Women, children, exiles and travelers but Kwan Yin vows to respond to anyone who calls out her name in his or
her moment of fear or suffering. She offers aid, mercy and compassion to anyone who suffers. She helps not because of who you are,
but because of who she is.

Iconography: Kwan Yin has many forms: she is typically depicted as a kind, beautiful woman dressed in white. In her fertilitygoddess path, she carries at least one child. These statues closely resemble images of Isis or the Madonna. Kwan Yin is depicted with
one-thousand eyes and one thousand arms indicating her ability to see all and help all. Kwan Yin may be accompanied by her acolytes,
a small girl and boy.
However, Kwan Yin is a goddess of the masses. Not everyone can afford a statue: Kwan Yin's name or even her title, the God dess
of Mercy, written on a piece of paper and posted where it is visible is considered just as powerful and effective as an image.
Attribute: Rosary, lotus, a sutra vase from which pours compassion, a willow branch symbolizing her powers of exorcism
(according to Chinese shamanism, demons flee from the presence of willow); fish basket
Color: White
Animal: All are sacred to Kwan Yin but especially horses
Bird: Peacock
Gem: Pearl
Among her crucial roles, Kwan Yin is a Goddess of Divination. She may be petitioned to provide information in dreams but
Kwan Yin also presides over a specif c system of divination: one-hundred poems attributed to Kwan Yin serve as a divination
device. Mass-produced versions of Kwan Yin's oracle are available .

M etal: Iron
M ount: Lion or hou, a mythic lion-like creature; dragon; giant carp; dolphin

Number: 19
Tree: Willow

Sacred site: Kwan Yin has shrines on all nine Chinese sacred mountains (4 Buddhist; 5 Taoist) as well as throughout the world.
Her primary shrine is Pu To Shan, actually a small mountainous island in the East China Sea. The entire island is dedicated to her. The
central site is the Cave of the Tidal Sound where Kwan Yin frequently appears. There are countless stories of sightings and miracles; the
earliest dating from the 11 th century.
A massive statue of Kwan Yin in the forecourt of the maternity hospital of Southern Canton was among the first new
statues of a deity erected near the end of China's Cultural Revolution.

At the time of the establishment of the Communist state of China in 1949, there were 218 temples on Pu To Shan. Over twothousand monks and nuns lived on the island. Most survived until the Cultural Revolution (1966–1975) when the island was sacked and
most temples destroyed. Some temples have since been reopened.
Sacred days: The first and fifteenth of each lunar month: the New Moon and the Full Moon
• the 19th day of the second Chinese month is Kwan Yin's birthday
• the 19th day of the sixth Chinese month commemorates when Kwan Yin became a Buddha
• the 19th day of the ninth Chinese month, the day she first wore her sacred pearls
Rituals: Kwan Yin is a vegetarian. Her image on restaurant menus often indicates that vegetarian fare is served. Give appropriate
offerings (i.e., don't give her steak). Many devotees adopt a vegetarian diet in her honor but even those who do not, traditionally eat
vegetarian on her sacred days.
A poor farmer walked past an abandoned temple of Kwan Yin twice daily. He regretted its condition so he began to sweep
it daily; lighting incense before the iron statue of Kwan Yin. She eventually appeared to him in a dream, advising that there
was treasure in a cave behind the temple, which he should take but share with others. He searched, finding only a single tea
plant shoot, which he cultivated. It sprouted into a giant bush. The farmer marketed the tea, became prosperous and used the
proceeds to repair and expand the temple. Iron Goddess of Mercy Tea, also known as Iron Buddha or Iron Bodhisattva, grown
in Taiwan and Fujian, is still considered the finest oolong tea.

Offerings: Oranges, pomegranates, spices, incense; Iron Goddess Oolong tea; offerings on behalf of needy women, children and
wildlife. At one time, Pu To Shan was a de facto nature preserve. The island, whose religious activities were curtailed during much of the
last century, is now a major tourism site and so humans encroach upon the habitat of Kwan Yin's beloved wild creatures. Any gesture
on behalf of preserving Pu To Shan should gain favor.

See also: Avalokiteshvara; Bodhisattava; Buddha; Isis; Kannon; Lady of the Beasts; Lieu Hanh; Ma Zu; Mary Magdalen;
Miao Shan

Kyane

Dark Blue
Also known as: Cyane

Origin: Greek; Sicilian
Classification: Nymph; naiad

Persephone wasn't the only victim of Hades. Her childhood friend, the water Nymph Kyane was also utterly transformed by
Persephone's abduction. Abbreviated versions of Persephone's myth usually indicate that no one came to her aid but that's not exactly
true. In some variations, the kidnapping of Persephone was witnessed by her friend Kyane who loudly protested but to no avail. Hades
opened a path to his realm right at the freshwater spring over which Kyane presided and disappeared with Persephone. (Alternatively,
the gateway to Hades may have already existed; Kyane may be a threshold spirit, a dweller between realms, hence her proper
placement to witness the crime.)
Kyane was either so grief-stricken that she literally dissolved into tears becoming one with the water or Hades struck her mute so that
she was unable to reveal what she had seen. She may also have been rendered unable to leave her sacred Sicilian spring, ever after
dedicated to Persephone as well as to its resident Nymph.
Kyane is closely associated with the color blue. Her hair may be blue. She may manifest as a mermaid and if so, her tail may be blue.
Kyane is a melancholy spirit; she is the forgotten victim of Hades' attack and has never entirely recovered. She is the goddess of the
blues and bluemoods as well as the literal color. She may or may not be among the Sirens. (There is a Siren bearing her name but it's
not clear if they're the same spirit. If so, then the loss of her voice is even more poignant.)
In Ovid's version of the myth, Kyane, attempting to wrest Persephone from Hades' arms, is only able to catch hold of her
scarf, which she preserves. When Demeter comes seeking Persephone, Kyane, rendered mute by Hades, is unable to speak but
she allows the scarf to float in the spring and Demeter instantly knew all.

M anifestation: As a beautiful girl; as a mermaid or as water. Kyane does not speak but can be very expressive.
Spirit allies: Kyane may be venerated alongside Demeter and/or Persephone.
Color: Blue; cyan refers to the watery colors between blue and green
Element: Water
Time: L'heure bleu or "the blue hour": the hour between daytime and darkness, just before nightfall and dawn, often characterized
by vividly blue skies.
M essengers: Blue birds
Offerings: Spring water; blue flowers (delphiniums or hydrangeas, for example); Guerlain's L'Heure Bleu perfume; Blue Curaçao
liqueur or other blue drink.
See also: Demeter; Hades; Naiad; Nymph; Persephone; Sirens

Kybele

The Magna Mater; The Mountain Mother
Also known as: Cybele, Cuba, Kubaba
Earth's oldest surviving goddess was once a forest witch. Kybele's cult is considered Earth's most ancient religion. A clay statue,
excavated at Catal Hayuk, now in modern Turkey, dated from between six to eight thousand years old, depicts a woman flanked by
leopards. Although no name plate was attached, it is recognizably an image of Kybele.

Ancient Anatolians called her the Mountain Mother; the Romans called her Magna Mater or Great Mother. She seems to have
originated in what is now Turkey and then traveled to the Middle East. The Hittites called her Kubaba, which evolved into the Phrygian
Kybele and eventually the Roman Cybele. Some associate Siduri, the sacred harlot who tends the bar located at the world's end with
Kybele. (See also: Siduri.)
Kybele is usually translated as Cave, Place of Caves, or Cave Dweller. Kybele and the Sibyls are both associated with caves and
prophesy and it's believed that the original sibyls were Kybele's priestesses although at least some eventually became independent
practitioners.
Legend has it that Kybele was an unwanted child, left exposed in the wilderness. Instead of consuming her, the leopards and lions
who discovered her raised and nurtured her, a leopard serving as her wet-nurse. Living alone with animals in the woods, Kubaba
became a witch so powerful she evolved into an immortal goddess.
In her oldest manifestations, Kybele is a deity of healing, witchcraft, fertility, women and children. Rites were held in forests and caves
and included ritual possession, ecstatic dancing, intoxication, music and sacred sex. She is closely identified with Dionysus and with
Hekate who hails from her neck of the woods. Before her arrival in Rome, Kybele was associated with women, slaves and the poor,
not with the elite and already bore a somewhat dangerous reputation.
In 204 BCE, the Romans fetched Kybele in the form of a meteor from her shrine at Pessinus in central Turkey. The Oracle of Delphi
had forecast that Rome would never defeat Hannibal unless Kybele was brought to Rome. (The Romans traced their descent from
refugees from Troy in Anatolia, now modern Turkey, and so basically the Oracle was instructing them to go fetch Mom to get them out
of trouble.) Kybele was brought to Rome in triumphant procession and in 202 BCE, as the Oracle predicted, Rome defeated Hannibal.
The black fist-sized meteorite became the face of a silver statue and must have resembled some Black Madonna statues. The Romans
combined Kybele's mythology with that of the Greek Earth goddess Rhea so that now it can be sometimes difficult to distinguish
between the two spirits.
In Rome, Kybele's rites evolved. Secret rituals once performed in hidden caves and forests now occurred in public streets during
processionals attended by thousands. By Roman law, women could not be chief officiators of official state cults and so men assumed
positions of authority in Kybele's Roman cult that had been previously assumed by women.
Kybele was served by priestesses and by transgendered clergy known in Rome as galli. (Singular: galla or gallus, literally "hen" or
"rooster".) To join the galli, self-castration was required. The galli dressed and lived as women. Kybele's clergy were also skilled
medical practitioners: through surgery, replica vaginas (caves) were crafted through which the galli could engage in sacred sexual rituals.
Kybele's festivals became notorious: men would suddenly be seized by the spirit and feel compelled to castrate themselves on the
spot using potsherds (terra cotta, Earth, so that Kybele who may be understood as Earth personified, is the knife herself). The detached
organ was flung aside; the house that it hit was considered blessed. Its owner was expected to purchase the ritual wardrobe for the new
galla. Kybele's primary myths (or at least those that survive) also involve castration, death and resurrection. It became a scandalous faith
and was periodically suppressed.
With the advent of Chris tianity, serious efforts were made to eradicate her religion. Among other reasons, the early Church despised
Kybele for the prominence of women, homosexuals, lesbians and the transgendered in positions of authority. In urban areas, her
devotees included a high percentage of men, intellectuals and the elite but she was also extremely popular among the poorer classes and
so was perceived as strong competition for Christianity.
Her religion was brutally suppressed. In 397 CE, Saint John Chrysostom (c. 347–September 14, 407) led what would today be
described as a "death squad" through Phrygia (located in the mountains of what is now Western Turkey) targeting devotees of Kybele.
Emperor Justinian (c. 483–565) despised Kybele and ordered her remaining temples torn down and her priestesses and galli murdered.
Her sacred texts were burned. Although her veneration was widespread,
none of Kybele's temples remain. Various ruins may be
visited in Turkey. Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican was built directly over her temple; parts may survive under the foundation. Some
believe that her sacred meteorite is buried there, too.
Kybele was clearly more than just a scandalous, bloodthirsty goddess. She was beloved for millennia and continues to be. In one
formor another, her veneration may have lasted longer than any other deity on Earth. She remains a favorite of independent practitioners
and serves as a protective guardian spirit. Kybele is revered for her power to provide miraculous healing and fertility. She provides
spiritual and mystical enlightenment. Her temples served as hospitals: Women came to sleep in her Roman temple to beg favor. Her
priestesses and priests underwent intensive training in herbal medicines. Many priestesses were skilled midwives.
Favored people: Midwives, healers, diviners, fortune tellers, crystal gazers, those who work with or on behalf of big cats; she is
especially devoted to women and children. Historically, the bulk of her devotees were women and her most exclusive mysteries were
reserved for women only.
M anifestation: Kybele manifests in various ways:

• Her typical human manifestation is as a crowned mature beautiful woman
• She also frequently manifests in the form of rocks and as Earth herself
• To enter a cave is to enter Kybele
• Her most sacred manifestation was as a meteorite
Iconography: Ancient Hittite and Anatol ian images depict her with lion cubs. Some times she hugs them in her arms. Roman
Kybele is depicted seated on her throne surrounded by lions, sometimes with a lion cub in her lap. Kybele wears a crown in the form of
crenellated towers or a city gate. She holds a pan of water intended as a divination device representing her prophetic ability and her
willingness to bestow this skill to others.
Attributes: Keys; cymbals; frame drum; Kybele is credited with inventing drums, flutes and percussion instruments
Creatures: Bees, bulls, big cats especially leopards and lions; her chariot is pulled by lions
Bird: Vulture, chicken
Tree: Pine, pomegranate
Flower: Rose
Element: Earth

Day: The Vernal Equinox; Kybele's Roman festival, the Megalensia, was held from April 4 th through April 10 th , her birthday;
another festival, beginning March 25 th, honored Kybele's lover Attis: The first day commemorated Attis' self-castration and death,
followed by three days of public mourning. The last day of the festival was the Hilaria, the Day of Joy, as devotees celebrated Attis'
resurrection from the dead and the return of fertility to the Earth, all courtesy of Kybele. This last day is considered especially auspicious
for requesting Kybele's assistance with fertility.

Sacred sites: Caves and mountains are sacred to Kybele and were the site of her earliest ceremonies. It is the easiest place to
contact her. As she is the deified Earth, she may be contacted directly through Earth. Many of her myths emphasize that Kybele is ever
present. The city of Lyon, now in France, was once dedicated to her and an important center of her veneration.
Rituals: Kybele enjoys a celebratory atmosphere. She feeds on energy generated by the human response to incense and ecstatic
dance and music. Call her with loud, percussive, rhythmic music. She loves cymbals and drums. Kybele most frequently responds
through dreams and visions.
Offerings: Honey, fruit and flowers are traditional. The Romans decorated her statues with roses. She drinks water, wine and arak
and enjoysfeta cheese dressed with garlic, oil, vinegar and fresh herbs. Kybele likes devotees to share meals in her honor. She is an
unpretentious, earthy spirit who is not easily bribed: gourmet dishes and expensive offerings do not sway her. She prefers things that are
closest to their earthly source. Kybele likes offerings made from clay, particularly if you have fashioned them with your own hands.

See also: Artemis of Ephesus; Ba Den; Black Madonna; Car; Daphne; Dionysus; Hekate; Kura; Lady of the Beasts; Lugh
Maries de la Mer; Rhea; Siduri; Sybil

Kyeryong
Also known as: Gyeryong
Origin: Korea
Classification: Dragon
Kyeryong may be translated as "rooster-dragon"or "chicken-dragon" depending on the gender of the dragon. They have dragon

bodies but their heads resemble that of poultry. (Don't laugh; once upon a time, chickens and roosters were considered extremely
sacred.) Kyeryong feature in various Korean myths and fairy tales. They are associated with Rooster-Dragon Mountain (Kyeryong-san
and the Male and Female Dragon sacred pools, among Korea's most sacred sites, long beloved by shamans and Buddhist monks. Part
of the area is now an extremely popular national park however, the government of South Korea moved its official military headquarters
base from Seoul to the southern slopes of Dragon Mountain in the late 1970s, in the process allegedly removing 15,000 shamans and
monks and destroying shrines and temples.
See also: Aryong-Jong; Kikimora; Kybele