A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Two companies of demons meet below a palm tree on a steppe. Those arriving from the south wear ox-hide caps and ride horses covered in ox-hide; the northern arrivals use paper caps and paper horse coverings. They dance, feast and shout together.
A frightened man hidden in the tree accidentally drops a horse’s head among them. They scatter, abandoning a golden goblet that endlessly provides drink and food. Their appearance is conveyed through clothing and mounts rather than bodily deformities. The goblet later helps the man resist a ruler, but the demons themselves do not return in the tale.
Origins & earliest records
Kalmouk tale cycle as presented by Rachel Harriette Busk
Records & interpretation
Complete relevant tale or frame passages directly read in the 1873 textual witness.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Sagas from the Far East
Tale VI, The Turbulent Subject, pp. 82–88
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
Rachel Harriette Busk, Sagas from the Far East (1873)
Saga of the Well-and-wise-walking Khan. Tale VI, The Turbulent Subject, pp. 82–88
Full relevant narrative read from cached Gutenberg historical text; preface read for transmission limits. Primary evidence of this published adaptation, not proof of the described supernatural events. No modern translation quoted.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical literary adaptationBusk, Sagas from the Far East (1873), Tale VI, The Turbulent Subject, pp. 82–88Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.