While angels and spirits swarm about the world in every shape from mischievous or helpful fairies to R[=a]hu, whose head still swallows the sun, causing eclipses (I. 19. 9), there are a few that are especially conspicuous.  Chief of the good spirits, attendants of Indra, are the Siddhas[36] ‘saints,’ who occasionally appear to bless a hero in conjunction with ‘beings invisible’ (III. 37. 21).  Their name means literally ‘blessed’ or ‘successful,’ and probably, like the seers, Rishis, they are the departed fathers in spiritual form.  These latter form various classes.  There are not only the ‘great seers,’ and the still greater ‘brahma-seers,’ and the ‘god-seers,’ but there are even ‘devil-seers,’ and ‘king-seers,’ these being spirits of priests of royal lineages.[37] The evil spirits, like the gods, are sometimes grouped in threes.  In a blessing one cries out:  “Farewell (svasti gacchahy an[=a]mayam); I entreat the Vasus, Rudras, [=A]dityas, Marut-hosts and the All-gods to protect thee, together with the S[=a]dhyas; safety be to thee from all the evil beings that live in air, earth, and heaven, and from all others that dog thy path."[38] In XII. 166. 61 ff. the devils fall to earth, mountains, water, and other places.  According to I. 19. 29. it is not long since the Asuras were driven to take refuge in earth and salt water.[39]

These creatures have every kind of miraculous power, whether they be good or bad.  Hanuman, famed in both epics, the divine monkey, with whom is associated the divine ‘king of bears’ J[=a]mbavan (III. 280. 23), can grow greater than mortal eye can see (III. 150. 9).  He is still worshipped as a great god in South India.  As an illustration of epic spiritism the case of Ilvala may be taken.  This devil, d[=a]iteya, had a trick of cooking his embodied younger brother, and giving him to saints to eat.  One saint, supposing the flesh to be mutton (here is saintly meat-eating!), devours the dainty viand; upon which the devil ‘calls’ his brother, who is obliged to come, whether eaten or not, and in coming bursts the saint that has eaten him (iii. 96).  This is folk-lore; but what religion does not folk-lore contain!  So, personified Fate holds its own as an inscrutable power, mightier than others.[40] There is another touch of primitive religious feeling which reminds one of the usage in Iceland, where, if a stranger knocks at the door and the one within asks ‘who is there?’ the guest answers, ‘God.’  So in the epic it is said that ‘every guest is god Indra’ (Parjanyo nn[=a]nusa[.m]caran, iii. 200. 123.  In the epic Parjanya, the rain-god, and Indra are the same).  Of popular old tales of religious bearing may be mentioned the retention and elaboration of the Brahmanic deluge-story, with Manu as Noah (iii. 187); the Acvins’ feats in rejuvenating (iii. 123); the combats of the gods with the demons (Namuci, Cambara, Vala, Vritra, Prahl[=a]da, Naraka), etc. (iii. 168).