Short Fiction · Chapter
III: The Image in the Cellar explained
Lieutenant Lanark and Sergeant Jager interrogate Enid Mandifer, a young woman who was bathing in a stream and speaking ritual words to summon the 'Nameless One.' Lanark brings her to the house, where she reveals her name and the name of the
What happens
Lieutenant Lanark and Sergeant Jager interrogate Enid Mandifer, a young woman who was bathing in a stream and speaking ritual words to summon the 'Nameless One.' Lanark brings her to the house, where she reveals her name and the name of the rock formation, Fearful Rock. Later, Jager shows Lanark his copy of 'John George Hohman's Powwows or Long Lost Friend,' a book of charms and protections. Jager then leads Lanark to the cellar, where they discover a coffin-like box containing a ruddy, horned, featureless humanoid image. Jager smashes the image, revealing a hollow interior stuffed with excelsior and a mysterious, cold, hard strongbox with no visible hinges or lock, which Lanark retrieves. The chapter explores themes of superstition, supernatural evil, and the tension between rational skepticism and belief.
Themes in this chapter
Supernatural Evil and Occultism
The chapter introduces a horned image in the cellar, Enid Mandifer's ritual to summon the 'Nameless One,' and Jager's belief in a 'real devil,' all pointing to occult and demonic forces.
Science vs. Superstition
Lanark dismisses Enid's story as 'mountain-folk ignorance' and calls Jager's book 'superstition,' yet he is unsettled by the events, highlighting the tension between rational skepticism and folk belief.
The Power of Belief and Ritual
Enid Mandifer recites specific words given by Persil Mandifer, and Jager carries a charm book for protection, showing how belief and ritual shape characters' actions and fears.
Characters to notice
- Kane Lanark
The Federal officer who discovers Enid Mandifer, interrogates her, and later investigates the cellar image with Jager.
- Sergeant Jager
A superstitious soldier who carries the 'Long Lost Friend' book, leads Lanark to the cellar, and smashes the horned image.
- Enid Mandifer
A young woman found bathing in a stream, who was reciting words given by Persil Mandifer to meet the 'Nameless One.'
- Persil Mandifer
Mentioned as the person who told Enid Mandifer the words to say.
- Suggs
An orderly who brings a candle and later escorts Enid Mandifer to a bedroom.
Key passages
“Whosoever carries this book with him is safe from all his enemies, visible or invisible; and whoever has this book with him cannot die without the holy corpse of Jesus Christ, nor drown in any water nor burn up in any fire, nor can any unjust sentence be passed upon him.”
Anyone who carries this book is protected from all enemies, cannot die without receiving the Eucharist, cannot drown or burn, and cannot be unjustly condemned.
Jager reads this charm from his 'Long Lost Friend' book, illustrating the protective folk magic of the Pennsylvania Dutch tradition.
“I can prove, sir, that there's a real devil here.”
I can show you that a genuine demon is present.
Jager says this to Lanark before leading him to the cellar, revealing his conviction that the image is diabolical.
“It's Satan's own image.”
This is a representation of the devil himself.
Jager declares this upon seeing the horned figure, reinforcing his belief in its evil nature.