A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
An elderly man tells a sick chow that a spirit led him in a vision to a boat rowed by unseen hands, then up a pathless mountain to a small well in the rock. The guide forbade him to drink and directed him to bring the ruler instead. Following the man’s account, the ruler’s party finds the same landscape and spring; the story says its water restores his health. Neither the spirit nor the unseen rowers receive names or bodily descriptions. The cure is the narrative’s claim, not a medical property established for a real spring.
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.
- 01
Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India
IX.4, The Magic Well, pp.126–128
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
Katherine Neville Fleeson, Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India (1899)
IX.4, The Magic Well. 126–128
Complete narrative directly read. Spirit encounter explicitly reported as a vision, followed by narrated visit and cure; no invented morphology or practical healing claim. Collector’s mission-framed introduction retained.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical folktale collectionFleeson, The Magic Well126–128Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.