The Penguin Book of Demons by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2024-10-08T00:00:00+00:00

(A) ON THE TRAIL OF THE CHILD-EATER[1]

During the consulate of King Laurentios, there was a woman in the land of the Ausitai, that is, Arabia, called Meletene.[2] She had given birth to seven children and the abominable female demon who is called Gellou had taken each of them. Meletene had again become pregnant and was about to give birth, so she built a tower and secured it with nails and sealed it with lead, inside and outside, and laid up provisions in the tower to last twenty-five years. Meletene took two servant girls with her and went into the tower. The saints of God Sysinnios and Sysinnodoros were brothers of Meletene; they were serving in the military unit of Arabia. One day after they had set up camp, they went off to the tower to see their sister. When they reached the door, they called out to her to open it for them. But Meletene was determined not to open it for them and said to them, “I cannot open it for you because I have given birth to a child and I am afraid to open it.” But they were equally determined and said, “Open it for us because we are messengers from God, and we come bearing God’s mysteries!” So, she opened it for them and the saints of God went in. But that unclean Gellou turned herself into dirt, laughing as she did so, and went inside on the throat of one of the saints’ horses. And so, around midnight, she killed the child. Meletene lamented bitterly and said, “Sysinnios and Sysinnodoros, why did you do this? This is why I did not want to open the door for you.” Then the saints of God raised their hands towards heaven and asked to receive authority against the abominable Gellou. After they had prayed for a long time, an angel of God was sent to them, and he said to them, “The Lord God has heard your prayer and has sent me to strengthen you and give you power wherever you may go.”

When the brothers left the tower, they mounted on horses with winged bridles and went off in pursuit through the nooks and crannies of the mountains of Lebanon. And when they encountered a pine tree, the saints asked it, “Pine tree, did you see the abominable Gellou pass by?” And the pine tree said to them, “No, I did not see her.” Then the saints said to it, “Because you have hidden the abominable one from us, may your shoots be rootless and your seeds withered.” Then they encountered an olive tree and said to it, “Olive tree, did you see the abominable Gellou pass by?” And she said to them, “Yes, my lords, here and there towards the sea. Yes, for twenty plants, for eating heads, for children’s brains, she’s staying there.”[3] And the saints said to the olive tree, “Your fruit will be blessed and it will be used in the Lord’s church.”

Then the

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