Hair | Scott Lowe | Literary Hub | 28th July 2016

Book extract. On the spiritual and magical properties of human hair. In 18C China Buddhist monks were believed to steal pigtails to animate paper golems, using a “stupefying powder” to subdue the victim. “Next the thief snipped off the end of the victim’s queue and recited magical incantations over it, transferring the victim’s soul to the hair. Later the hair would be tied to a paper doll that, animated by the force of the victim’s stolen soul, would be sent out to do the sorcerer’s evil will”