Tag: Mask
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Shi (personator)
The shi (Chinese: 尸; pinyin: shÄ«; Wade–Giles: sh’ih; lit. ‘corpse’) was a ceremonial “personator” who represented a dead relative during ancient Chinese ancestral sacrifices. In a shi ceremony, the ancestral spirit supposedly would enter the descendant “corpse” personator, who would eat and drink sacrificial offerings and convey messages from the spirit. James Legge, an early translator of the Chinese classics, described shi personation ceremonies as “grand family reunions where the…
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Peris
In Persian mythology, Peris are exquisite, winged spirits renowned for their beauty. Peris were later adopted by other cultures. They are described in one reference work as mischievous beings that have been denied entry to paradise until they have completed penance for atonement.[need quotation to verify] Under Islamic influence, Peris became benevolent spirits, in contrast to the mischievous jinn and evil divs (demons). Scholar Ulrich Marzolph [de] indicates an Indo-Iranian origin for peris, which were later[when?] integrated into…
