User:0XQ/Dream-spouse (in shamanism)

The dream-spouse is one of the most widespread elements of shamanism, distributed through all continents and at all cultural levels. "The spirit spouse visits in dreams. Female shamans give birth to spirit children". The person dreaming will habitually dream of having, in the dream, a spouse accounted as divine, that spouse able to assist in waking-world activities by controlling categories of events which may in the waking-world impinge on the life of the dreamer. Of course, dreams about Christ by nuns, who are considered to be "brides of Christ", belong in this category, as also perhaps do dreams by other devout Christian women.

the Americas
Mapuche, in Chile -- "human-like wekufe include Punkure and Punfüta, nocturnal ... spouses who seduce ... in their dreams ... . ... "The affected person gets accustomed to this new power, which transforms itself into a man at night ... to ... seduce the machi by sleeping with her.""

Kʔicheʔ in Momostenango, Guatemala -- Diviners "are recruited in a classical shamanic fashion, including divine election -- through ... dreams -- and their initiation involves a marriage to a spirit spouse." The "male elders who decide on community leadership roles all possess female personal icons (bara) which commonly manifest themselves in dreams as women." "Quichés openly talk about the bara as a spouse". "Quichés are open and expressive in talking about and playing with their bara, or metaphoric 'spouses,' kissing, fondling, opening, and caressing them".

Oceania (Pacific-Indian Ocean islands)
Sandwich Islands -- "ʔaumakua could ... have sex with living persons during the night. These spirit mates ... could be of help".

Kaluli on northern slope of Mt. Bosavi in Papua -- "Mediums are men who have married spirit women in a dream". "The medium is always a man who is married (in a dream) to a woman of the invisible world. When he has a child by her, he is able to go to sleep, leave his body, and walk about in the mama world."

Kodi of Sumba Island in southern Indonesia -- A man "dreamed that he had an encounter with two wild spirits who lived in the forest ... . The wild spirit takes the form of a seductive woman, asking for ... sexual favors in return for the magical powers she controls." A generation later, this man's son "was seduced by the wild spirit woman he saw and entered into a "spirit marriage" (ole marapu)" with her, she becoming "his "spirit wife" (ariwyei marapu)".

Asia
China -- "King Xiang (Hsiang; third century B.C.E) is said to have dreamt of a tryst with a goddess on Wu Shan (Witch's Mountain), with the goddess seizing the initiative." In another translation, "Witch's Mountain" is "Shamanka Mountain". This goddess of Wu Shan "transformed into the fungus-like yaocao 媱草", the "edible mushroom" being a metaphor in courtship for marriage.

Goldi of Siberia, along Sea of Japan -- A male shaman may have in dreams a divine wife as ayami ('spirit-helper').

Yukaghir of Siberia, along upper Kolyma River -- The goddess of hunting is "a lustful young woman whom hunters must persuade to provide them with prey animals by seducing her in their dreams."

Yakut of Siberia -- The daughters of the abassy ('deities'), "in appearing to the shaman in his dream, ... enter into sexual intercourse with him." Thereby she imparts to him "luck."

Nganasan of Siberian -- A woman in a shamanist family married the smallpox-spirit : she "became a wife of the Smallpox in her dream."

Buryat of Siberia -- In shamanic dreams, "The soul of a Buryat novice travels to the center of the world, where it meets, in an amorous encounter, the nine wives of Tekha, the god of ... dance. Eventually, the soul meets there his future celestial spouse."

Akkad -- "Hemerologies reveal that the ardat lilī-demoness could pick a man as mate (hâru)" The "ardat lilī-demoness (associated with Lilith of Jewish mythology)" appeared to men in dreams.

Europe
Norse -- The fylgja ('fetch') is "visible in dreams". "In men the fetch is seen as female, and in women it is male." It is able to impart hamingja ('luck).

French -- "During the night, in dreams, which he contrives to excite, he takes care to be the principal object of her ideas -- ... ’tis her sylph that causes her those pleasing reveries". "Humans long to mate with sylphs, according to the Comte de Gabalis, because they want to live forever".

Africa
Ewe of Togo : variant in Haiti (Vodou) -- "Wedding ceremonies between Vodou divinities and their devotees take place ... . It is also believed that there is sexuality between the conjugal pair, by way of dreams."

Baule of the Ivory Coast -- "Baule statuary is dominated by elaborate figures carved to symbolize "spirit spouses." Baule mythology dictates that every adult, male or female, has such a spouse, manifested through dreams." Each woman has a blolo bian ('spirit-husband'), and each man has a blolo bla ('spirit-wife') : these may be encountered in dreams; "Every Baule man and woman living in the world has in the blɔlɔ a 'spirit spouse'. Women have a blɔlɔ bian ... and men have a blɔlɔ bla ... . ... This dream partner is always described as very beautiful". Figurines representing them made be made for particular reasons. The blolo is able to give "good luck".