ABSTRACT
The cults addressed to the liveliness of the landscape are easily missed. Perhaps there is an unremarkable, unadorned stone in a secluded, unfrequented patch of forest. Perhaps there is an understated shrine housing it, featuring a few spent candles, the remains of incense, and dried-up posies. This chapter focuses on the other half of that common gloss "guardian spirits": are the energies of the soil really "guardians"? When thought of as monsters, another interpretation becomes possible. For instance, a great deal of ritual action in these cults concerns the prevention of violence from the energies of the soil against the people who live in the area, the very people supposed to be under their protection. The "something wrong" was variously interpreted as taking the stone and taking a turtle. Despite these and other horrifying stories, Arhem notes that the villagers chose to live close to the hill because it was their protector.
