Previously: The Television Ritual.
Exactly who or what the Red Man may be is unclear. Some sources cite the summoning ritual as Japanese, although this may or may not actually be the case; if it is, the closest analog in Japanese folklore I’ve been able to find is Aka Manto, or the Red Cloak. However, although Aka Manto is described as being dressed entirely in red, he seems to be kind of his own thing — like Hanako-san, he’s a bathroom ghost, and he typically likes to ask people if they want red paper or blue paper, rather than messing about with the accoutrements seen in the Red Man summoning ritual — so I’m skeptical he’s the Red Man in question here.
But mysterious and dangerous fellows in red are rife throughout folklore in a wide variety of cultures and traditions. There’s the Redcap, for example — a blood-thirsty variety of goblin said to take up residence in ruined castles positioned along the border of England and Scotland. He gets his name from his habit of killing travelers who venture into his domain and using their blood to dye his hat red.
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In Dutch folklore, there’s the Kabouter, a sort of helpful house elf; male Kabouters wear red, pointed caps. (I imagine them to look something like David the Gnome, but that might just be my own sense of nostalgia.)
L’Homme Rouge is said to haunt the Palais des Tuileries in Paris; he might have been possessed of many secrets about Catherine de Medici and killed to keep him quiet, or he may have been a prophetic specter already in residence by the time she moved into the palace.
And there’s the Far Darrig, an Irish sprite who wears a red coat and cap and likes to pull mean-spirited pranks — like switching out human babies for changelings while their parents aren’t looking.
Even so, whether the Red Man summoned in this ritual is related to any of these other figures remains to be seen. Indeed, it’s not even clear why one would want to summon him in the first place — beyond, perhaps, bragging rights. No matter the case, though… well, you know how it goes:
As always, play at your own risk.
Players:
- One principal.
Requirements:
- A quiet room.
- A sheet of paper.
- Scissors.
- A writing implement.
- Five candles.
- A lighter or matches.
- Two mirrors. Mirrors that are capable of standing upright on their own are recommended.
- Red lipstick.
Instructions:
The Preparation:
- Begin at night.
- Go to your quiet room. Bring your supplies. Draw the curtains. Shut the door.
- Using the scissors, cut out the shape of a man from the sheet of paper.
- Bisect the paper man: Using the writing implement, draw a line down the center of it.
- On the left side of the paper man, write your full name.
- On the right side of the paper man, write the word “Rubeus.”
- Using the lipstick, draw a pair of eyes on one mirror. The eyes should be positioned in the top half of the mirror.
- Position the mirrors opposite each other, with about 12 inches of space between them. The reflective surfaces should be facing each other. The mirror with the eyes drawn on it should be on the left.
- Place the paper man in the space between the mirrors. If you think of the space as the face of a clock, with 12 o’clock at the top, 6 o’clock at the bottom, and the mirrors at 3 and 9 o’clock, the paper man’s head should be at 12 and his arms at 3 and 9. The line you drew and words you wrote on the paper man should be facing outwards, with the blank side facing the floor.
- Place the candles around the “clock face” at 12, 2, 5, 7, and 10 o’clock.
- Turn off the lights.
The Summoning:
- Using the matches or lighter, light the candle positioned at 7 o’clock.
- Using the matches or lighter, light the candle positioned at 12 o’clock.
- Using the matches or lighter, light the candle positioned at 5 o’clock.
- Using the matches or lighter, light the candle positioned at 10 o’clock.
- Using the matches or lighter, light the candle positioned at 2 o’clock.
- Using the scissors, cut the paper man in half along the line you previously drew on him, making sure to keep him within the circle of candles as you do so.
- After he has been cut, place the left half of the paper man closer to the left-hand mirror and the right half closer to the right-hand mirror.
- Close your eyes.
- Repeat the following words six times: “Please come. Please come. I will not leave until you come.”
- Extinguish the candle positioned at 12 o’clock.
- Extinguish the candle positioned at 7 o’clock.
- Extinguish the candle positioned at 2 o’clock.
- Extinguish the candle positioned at 10 o’clock.
- Extinguish the candle positioned at 5 o’clock.
The Arrival:
- Is he there?
- He should be there.
- Look closely.
- But be careful.
The Aftermath:
- When you are done playing, erase the eyes from the left-hand mirror.
- Collect the candles and the two halves of the paper man.
- Take the candles and the paper man somewhere far, far away.
- Bury them deep within the earth.
- Do not return to the burial site again.
- Do not use the mirrors again.
Additional Notes:
Once begun, this game cannot be aborted, abandoned, or otherwise halted. Do not begin it unless you intend to finish it. Do not begin it unless you are able to finish it.
Bystanders who wish to meet the Red Man may be present in the room while the game is proceeding, although they may not participant in the actual summoning. Anyone who does not wish to meet the Red Man should vacate the room before The Preparation begins. DO NOT be in the room while the game is proceeding unless you intend to meet the Red Man.
Concerning The Mirrors:
It is possible to play this game during the day; however, it is not recommended to do so. No amount of daylight may be allowed to reflect off of the mirrors during the game. The best way to ensure that daylight does not touch the mirrors is to wait until nightfall to play.
DO NOT allow yourself to see your own reflection in either mirror at ANY POINT after Step 7 of The Preparation.
Concerning The Red Man:
Do not assume that he has left at the conclusion of the game.
Do not assume that you are safe at the conclusion of the game.
Do not assume anything at the conclusion of the game.
Just because you are done playing doesn’t mean he is.
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[Photo via saeedkebriya/Pixabay]
Let me start by stating that I have died 7 times. I am 32. So, it shouldn’t be too shocking to say that while I enjoy life, I do fully understand how very mortal I am and do not fear my own death as much as many others do.
I have encountered an entity like this many times, and so have members of my family, but have never been afraid of it. In fact, I believe it may have saved my life on at least one occasion. One particular instance involved a man in a red trench coat appearing in the reflection of our sliding glass door to my mother, which prompted her to run through the house searching for an intruder and instead discovering me underneath my mattress at the bottom of the stairs, not breathing. (I had set up a tent in the living room and thought I could bring the mattress down myself.)
From the ritual description, I think what is actually summoned is the embodiment of your own death. Our death is born with us, and is a part of our life, no matter how much we wish otherwise. The symbolism of dividing a single paper person and then further cutting these parts into two separate pieces is what makes me think that’s what it is.
Drawing the eyes only on one mirror also may represent the ability to “see it coming,” as the mirrors are facing each other. (One representing the ability to see yourself, and the other to see the “Red Man.”)
I am by no means a ritualist, but I think the act of burying all the materials together is supposed to represent reunifying with this aspect of ourselves upon death. The reason the Red Man stays is because everywhere you go, there you are.
I’m curious if the following would work for anyone who is still seeing him: recombining/reunifying the pieces of the paper doll, either with glue or tape, or even dissolving the paper into pulp and creating a new paper man from these pieces?
The mirrors are probably a lost cause. After all, whatever knowledge you gain from him cannot be unlearned. If you learned the time and method of your own death, there is nothing you can do to change it.
Thanks for reading/considering!
Trying to find more information on who “The Red Man” is. Can’t find anything other than the actual summoning ritual. If anyone knows of any articles of websites that might mention him, could you link the or something? If this is just a ritual with no actual legend/mythology/story backing could you also tell me. Thank you!
Heyy! First of all: I really LOVE these games. Wouldn’t ever dare to try any of them, not even the less dangerous ones. Also I’m Dutch myself so I can confirm/add on the information about Kabouters.
Just wanted to say that indeed, a Dutch “kabouter” is a small gnome like creature living in the forest. They’re usually known for living in mushrooms. They’re also really friendly but shy for humans, so that’s why you can’t really see them, they hide before you can see them.
In some stories they are depicted as being mean, mischievous or even evil, but those aren’t as common.
One “kabouter” that’s really well known in the Netherlands is called “Paulus de boskabouter”, meaning Paulus the forest gnome.
Thanks so much for the info! Super interesting — appreciate you sharing!
I think it’s best not to speak unless spoken to.
What really does happen once you summon the Red Man? I mean, once you meet him (or see him), is it dangerous to communicate?
Just have a question: Why Rubeus?
Because it’s a word meaning Red I’d think. After all, you don’t want just any spirit.
Because it means red. The first I was reading this, I thought it meant rhombus.
Should you perform a banishing before or after burying the paper and candles?
Ahhh, anyone notice that the order of lighting candles draws a star?
Woah man! I didn’t notice that! Well, the star symbolizes the devil or spirits in general, right? That’s why those are on ouija boards, more like a pentagram.
When it comes to stars, the pentagram is not the only symbolic star. The upside-down pentagram isn’t even necessarily Satanic, although Satanists did adopt it into their own rituals and culture.
Here’s me playing this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngWV-cGWBKI You can watch it and decide if this is real or not. BTW you can be sure that whatever you see in my video is not fake. You’ll understand if you watch it till the end. Please tell me what you thought of it 🙂 Enjoy!
I watched it… (Spoiler Alert) …. Well at least you were honest.
Not sure if you should’ve recorded it… might be considered disrespectful.
I’m too freaked out to watch so can you tell me what happens?
I did not know of this game since I recently read Lady Spades. I was too scared to try either, but I could try it later on in life.
Ok, let’s say he shows up when summoned. Are you supposed to talk to him or be quiet? What happens if you look at the mirror after step 7?
This leaves more questions if anything.
Considering the instructions warn not to be in the room if you don’t want to “meet” him, rather than if you don’t want to “see” him, one would assume you’re supposed to speak to him. As for what happens if you look in the mirror, try it and find out. 🙂
So, if meeting means speak to him. What do you talk about with a spirit?
His favourite football game?
There are no instructions regarding this. Can you ask him questions? Does he speak first? What topics are the most fitting for this kind of situations?
It’s just so vague.
I love the way you write out these games! Adding in “play at your own risk” and “just because you’re done playing doesn’t mean he is” just adds a spooky factor to an already scary game! Love your website! It gets my mind going for different concepts to put into my writing!
How will you know if he’s there? Will you see a literal red man somewhere, if you look closely enough? Will the paper man you cut in half be red?
There should be a red man somewhere in the room but I still have no idea of what to do next.
All these games are about being polite, so I guess I’d ask him if he wants a glass of wine or something XD
What do you do when the Red Man arrives? Can you talk to him or do you just stand there?
I think the ultimate goal in summoning him is just to experience and acknowledge his existence. It says “when you’re done,” to erase the eyes from the mirror, collect the paper doll and candles and take them to a place far, far, away. So I assume this means when you’re done “playing” or whenever you feel it’s just time for him to leave, initiate the ending sequence. Of course, it’s heavily stressed he may linger.
Yea
What happens if you do it in your room? Btw, I love your page a lot. I played almost all the games you posted.
When you say “your room”, do you mean “your bedroom?” Because I don’t think the type of room matters so long as it is dark and quiet.
Wow you’re so daring! Stay safe, buddy.
Wow I love reading these games! Thx for uploading them Lucia cx