Three asses, three dogs,
Go down the hill,
They close the holes,
They put the moon in (them)
Thy belly be soon fruitful!”
“The moon has here,” remarks Wlislocki, “a phallic meaning, the mention of the ass, and the use of the gourd and apron are symbols of fertility. Vide De Gubernatis, ‘Animals in Indian Mythology,’ in the chapter on the ass.”
There is another formula for protecting and aiding cattle, which is practised among other races besides that of the gypsies; as, for instance, among the Slovacks of Northern Hungary. This I shall leave in the original:—
“Dieses Verwahrungsmittel besteht darin, dass dem gekauften weiblichen Thiere der Mann den blanken Hintern zeigt, einem männlichen Thiere aber eine weibliche Person. Hiebei werden die Worte gesagt:—
“Sár o kár pál e punrá,
Kiyá mánge ác táysá!
Wie der Schwantz am Bein,
Sollst du stets bei mir sein!”
Or else:—
“Sár e minč pal e per,