Folk-Lore of West and Mid-Wales

by Jonathan Ceredig Davies

Place it under the door post and no snake nor adder can ever enter thy house.

The leaves placed in beer or wine will keep these liquids from becoming sour and give such a flavour that you will dispose of them quickly.

Place a branch of rosemary on the barrel and it will keep thee from fever, even though thou drink of it for a whole day.

“SLIME” OF TROUT AS MEDICINE.

In West Wales once a freshly caught trout was placed in a pan of milk in which it would swim, and after it was supposed that the fish had passed the milk through its gills and left some of its slime in the milk, the milk was supposed to have been given the necessary medicinal powers for the cure of whooping cough and other illness.

CHARMS FOR FITS AND FOR QUINSY.

There is a belief in some parts of West Wales that fits may be cured by wearing round the neck a band made of the hair from the crop of an ass’s shoulder. Hair cut at midnight from the shoulder of an ass and applied to the throat was also thought to be efficacious in curing the quinsy.

Charm for Rheumatism.—Carry a potato in your pocket.