Spirits guarding the refugees’ treasure cave

Overview

Refugees travelling south entrust their valuables to spirits in a remote cave before continuing into slavery. Generations pass without their return, but the spirits remain faithful to their charge. They extinguish intruders’ lights with their breath, and a man who fills his hands with jewels becomes dangerously ill until he puts them back.

The narrative also says foreign commercial exploiters fail to obtain the hoard. Fleeson’s footnotes identify the refugees’ northern country as China, their destination as Siam and the coveted forest resource as teak. The spirits receive no personal names or described bodies. Their role is protective stewardship, and the text’s historical geography is retained without assigning the cave a modern location.

Origins & earliest records

Historical Laos country within Siam, as identified by the collection

Records & interpretation

Complete relevant narrative and Willis G. Craig’s introduction directly read.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India

   Katherine Neville Fleeson, collector/translator · 1899

   I.3, The Spirit-Guarded Cave, pp. 20–23

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

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Historical folktale collectionFleeson (1899), I.3, The Spirit-Guarded Cave, pp. 20–23Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.