132 6 Masters of the Underground: Termite Mound Worship and the Mutuality of Chthonic and Human Beings in Thailand’s Lower Northeast Benjamin Baumann In modern times spirit houses are usually very ornate and brightly coloured, made of painted concrete or expensive woods, but like most of those in the village Granny’s was simple and unadorned, made from a large, rusty, square tin can. Spirit houses usually stand on wood or concrete posts, but Granny had set hers on top of a metre-high termite mound. To her, such mounds had gea ππa πgπfcace. (Sorasing and Robinson 2011: 33, emphasis added) The opening citation for this chapter is taken from an autobiographic book narrating everyday village life in Northern Thailand from the perspective of a young boy growing up in his grandmother’s house. The boy’s grandmother is the village midwife and a lay ritual expert, consulted whenever allopathic treatment ve inefecive and village ec malevlen magic iial aggein behind an ailment. Termite mounds and their gea ππa πgπfcace are mentioned at various points in this autobiography. They are also frequently