Xi mythology

The Xi mythology is the mythology common to the various Xi peoples.

Frog Merchant
The Frog Merchant is a giant golden frog that sleeps on top of rocks in the middle of streams, rivers and under waterfalls.

House Demon
The House Demon (Xhí': Qaimpá'au, lit. eating house), the Shoesucker or the Footcruncher is a bad spirit that takes the shape of a house to deceive people and eat them. Its origins are found in the Ancient Xi milestones left during the Migrations, but it survives in non-nomadic Xi cultures.

The Xhí' think of it as a kind of demonic snail that uses a burnt house to trap people. Once they enter it, the House Demon eats them, but spits out the shoes. To not be eaten, the Xhí' (who do not live in fully built housing) leave their shoes outside in a protected box. They then touch the wall inside to chase the spirit.

The Aši chase the spirit from their houses by knocking on the wall outside and inside when they enter a house. The Maktwax do the same, while also leaving their shoes in the entry.

The Maixi engrave "begone Shoesucker" on their doorways and leave their shoes in the entry. They also put tapestries on the walls with prayers for the family's well-being knitted on them to prevent the Shoesucker from possessing the house.

This maleficent spirit has analogs in Qhapaq and Tokam cultures, but while the original House Demon of the Xi people was the result of a distrust towards the sedentary life, the Home Devourer of the Qhapaq and the Disturber of the Tokam are folklore elements that actually push people to manage their houses well.

Rulling Stallion
The Ruling Stallion is a black horse which rides in the sky. The Xi believe that thunder is the noise of his gallop.

Sleeping Tiger
The Sleeping Tiger is a large tiger that digs holes in the ground, and it sleeps. Trees, grass and other plants grow on him and he wakes up during winter as the day shorten and become colder to settle elsewhere.