III.
CHARM FOR A SUCKLING CALF.
I rose up early in the morning.
I took the sickle (scythe)
In my hand.
I went up to the hill of love.
I went down into the valley of affection.
I cut nine handfuls of flowers,
I cut (gathered) love from nine jolly widows,
From nine beautiful girls,
From nine kings and nine rulers.
With the same zest as kings hasten to their kingdom,
Rulers to their rule,
Ministers to their ministration,
Knights to their knighthood,
And merchants to their business,
So shall the “Thursday[1] one”
Hasten to the calf,
And the calf to her.
As the tongue is fast in the mouth,
So shall “Thursday one” stick to her calf,
And the calf on to her.
I burnt it (the spell) with fire,
I singed it with the flame,
I enveloped it with love,
With affection I kindled it.
As the honey is sweet,
So shall the calf long for “Thursday one.”
IV.
CHARM FOR A COW AGAINST SNAKE-BITE.
N. N. rose up,
Got up very early,
And met the accursed on the way,
And he poisoned him as one bitten by the poisoned fly.
The Lady Mother heard it from heaven.
She took the staff in her hand,
And came down upon a silver ladder.
Do not cry, and do not low, O “Thursday one.”
Come with me to that old woman, that she may say the charm (disenchantment) for thee,
With water from the well,
With three stalks of elder-tree,
With twigs of hazelnut tree,
With a knife that has been found and with silver coins.
These charms were told in the year 1913 by a woman who was believed to be in her 109th year.
V.
CHARM AGAINST EVIL EYE.
Fly away, evil eye, from the White one.
Do not wonder at her.
Do not stare at her admiringly
Of the milk that is milked,
Of the calf that is sucking
Her sweet body,
That it is sweet to me as honey and yellow as wax; but wonder at,
And stare admiringly
At that green bush,
That it is as green as the ivy,
And white as the lily.
Fly away, yawn,
Fly away, shout,
Of the great evil eye.
VI.
CHARM AGAINST EVIL EYE.
The mistress has gone on her way with Joyana (Thursday one)
To feed her on the green field.
Well she did feed her,
Well did she satisfy her,
Well did she slake her thirst.
She turned her back.
In the middle of the way
She met an old woman
Dressed in a shirt of nettles,
With sandals of a black sow on her feet.
Her eyes she caused to shed tears,
Her hair she ruffled (bristled),
The tail she cut off,
The breasts she squeezed (flattened),
The udders she emptied.
The cow lowed and the cow moaned.
No one saw her;
No one heard her;
But the Holy Mother saw her.
Only she heard.
She said to her:
“Thursday one, do not low, do not moan.”
“How am I not to low?
How am I not to moan?
As I went with my mistress to feed in pastures green,
She fed me well.
She slaked my thirst well.
Back she did turn me.
When in the middle of the way,
An old woman met me,
Dressed in a shirt of nettles,
With sandals of a black sow on her feet.
She lopped my horns,
She caused my eyes to run over,
My hair she made to bristle,
My tail she has cut off,
She has flattened my breasts,
She has emptied my udders.”
”(Joyana) ‘Thursday one,’ do not low, do not moan.
Go to N. N.
He will disenchant thee with the nettle in flour,
From the little horns
To the little tail,
From the little tail to the little horns.
The horns will become sharp again.
The hair will be smooth,
The breasts will be strong,
The udder will be full again.
Go to thy mistress,
And she will milk thee from the pail into the can,
From the can into the pail.”
This disenchantment is made with nettles in flour.
VII.
CHARM AGAINST WORMS IN BEASTS.
Take three stalks of madwort. Go to the beast that has worms, touching the wound with the madwort, say:
May there be as many maggots in the wound as there are (popi) priests in Paradise.
As many and not even as many.
Say it three times, and the worms will fall off.
VIII.
AGAINST WORMS.
On a day of Lent, before sunrise, take the beast, which has worms outside the village to a place where reeds are growing. Get nine bushes of reeds, each with three reeds (stalks) in one root. Stop still at each bush, cut the middle reed, shake it three times over the wound, and say:
“Ye three reeds are three brothers,
And ye all three are to join together,
And drive away the worms from Joyana;
For, if not,
I come to-morrow at the same time,
To cut you off from the root,
To take away your peace,
And dust and ashes shall you become.”
Then spit aside. Repeat this with each of the reed-bushes. At mid-day, when the sun stands in “the balance” (noontide), repeat the whole incantation, and yet a third time shortly before sunset. The cut reeds must be tied together by their roots, and you will see the worms dropping off when you finish the charm.
This cure can also be effected when the beast is not present. In this case, go alone, and remember the animal whilst making the operation. It will be found quite effective.
IX.
CHARM AGAINST SNAKE-BITE.
Above it is thundering,
Lightning,
Speckling, clinging to the skin,
Skin to bone,
Bone to flesh.
The flesh has been bitten,
Bitten by a snake.
God, send the cure.
Holy Mother, overshadow him.
This charm is made with “virgin water,” using a hazelnut twig, especially if a snake has been killed with it. The bite is washed with the water, and a mouthful is taken three times.
X.
CHARM IF BITTEN BY A WEASEL.
Weasel, beautiful girl,
There are nine boils.
Nine boils have gone down;
Eight boils have grown,
Eight boils have gone down;
Seven boils have grown,
Seven boils have gone down;
And so on until one boil has grown,
And one has gone down.
And the cow N. N. shall now remain clean and sweet (strong), as she was made by God.
This charm is said three times over a pail with “virgin water”; a cross is made over with the skin of a weasel, or with the twig of hazel-nut, or with a found knife.
The cow is washed with the water, and the rest is poured into running water.
The charm must be repeated three times daily, and for three consecutive days, if the bite is a bad one and the swelling does not go down.
[1] The cows are often called by the names of the days on which they were born. Of these Monday and Thursday seem to be the lucky ones.