Demons and Ghosts in Indian Folklore

Among the rural peasantry of South Asia there is a tendency to attribute the misfortunes of life to the attacks of demons and ghosts. Serious attempts to incarnate the gospel message in this context must, therefore, seek to understand this cosmos of malignant spirits and its relevance to the everyda...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Missiology
Main Author: Mcclintock, Wayne (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage 1990
In: Missiology
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Among the rural peasantry of South Asia there is a tendency to attribute the misfortunes of life to the attacks of demons and ghosts. Serious attempts to incarnate the gospel message in this context must, therefore, seek to understand this cosmos of malignant spirits and its relevance to the everyday life of the villager. Within Indian folklore, the term bhut represents a large amorphous category of spirit beings with common distinctive characteristics. Twenty-nine demon/ghosts are identified in the nomenclature presented here. Other beliefs and practices associated with bhut are also examined, and several recent field studies indicating the persistence of traditional beliefs concerning these beings are briefly summarized.
ISSN:2051-3623
Contains:Enthalten in: Missiology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/009182969001800104