Cattle Charms
: STORIES OF SATAN, GHOSTS, ETC.Mr. Hamer in his Parochial Account of Llanidloes published in The
Montgomeryshire Collections, vol x., p. 249, states that he has in his
possession two charms that were actually used for the protection of live
stock of two small farms. One of them opens thus:--
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen . . . and in the name of Lord Jesus Christ my redeemer, that I
horses, and his sheep, and his pigs, and all creatures that alive be
in his possession, from all witchcraft and from all other assaults of
Satan. Amen.
Mr. Hamer further states that:--
At the bottom of the sheet, on the left, is the magical word,
Abracadabra, written in the usual triangular form; in the centre, a
number of planetary symbols, and on the right, a circular figure
filled in with lines and symbols, and beneath them the words, 'By
Jah, Joh, Jab.' It was the custom to rub these charms over the
cattle, etc. a number of times, while some incantation was being
mumbled. The paper was then carefully folded up, and put in some
safe place where the animals were housed, as a guard against future
visitations.
In other cases the charm was worn by the cattle, as is shown by the
following tale:--
More
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A White Cock
A white cock was looked upon as an unlucky bird, thus:-- Na chadw byth yn nghylch dy dy, Na cheiliog gwyn, na chath ddu. Never keep about thy house, A white cock, nor black cat. ... A Witch In The Form Of A Hare Hunted By A Black Greyhound
The writer has heard variants of the following tale in several parts of Wales:-- An old woman, credited to be a witch, lived on the confines of the hills in a small hut in south Carnarvonshire. Her grandson, a sharp intelligent lad, lived with... A Witch In The Form Of A Hare In A Churn
In the Spectator, No. 117, are these words:-- If the dairy-maid does not make her butter come so soon as she would have it, Moll White (a supposed witch) is at the bottom of the churn. Until very lately I had thought that the milk... A Witch Shot When In The Form Of A Hare
The following tale was told me by the Rev. R. Jones, Rector of Llanycil:-- An old woman was evicted from a small farm, which she and her family had held for many years. She was naturally greatly annoyed at such conduct on the part of the landl... A Witch Transformed Into A Hare Injured By One Whom She Tormented
An old woman, thought to be a witch, was said by a neighbour to be in the habit of visiting her nightly in the shape of a hare, and that in consequence she was deprived of her rest. The witch came to her bed, as a hare, and crossed it, and the to... A Witch Who Turned A Blue Dye Into A Red Dye
An old hag went to a small farmhouse in Clocaenog parish, and found the farmer's wife occupied in dyeing wool blue. She begged for a little wool and blue dye. She was informed by Mrs. --- that she was really very sorry that she could not part wi... A Witch Who Was Refused A Goose And Her Revenge
A witch called at a farm when they were feathering geese for sale, and she begged much for one. She was refused, but it would have been better, according to the tale, had her request been granted, for they could not afterwards rear geese on that ... A Young Man Marries A Fairy Lady In Fairy Land And Brings Her To Live With Him Among His Own People
Once on a time a shepherd boy had gone up the mountain. That day, like many a day before and after, was exceedingly misty. Now, though he was well acquainted with the place, he lost his way, and walked backwards and forwards for many a long hour... An Evil Spirit In Llandysilio Church Montgomeryshire
The history of this Spirit's proceedings is given in Bye-Gones, Vol. ii, p. 179, and the writer's fictitious name is Gypt. This church, says Gypt, was terribly troubled by a Spirit in times gone by, so I was informed by a person who took me over... Annwn_ Or Annwfn
is defined in Canon Silvan Evans's Dictionary as an abyss, Hades, etc. Plant Annwn, therefore, means children of the lower regions. It is a name derived from the supposed place of abode--the bowels of the earth--of the Fairies. Gwragedd Annwn, d... Another Cattle Charm Spell
Mr. Hughes, Plasnewydd, Llansilin, lost several head of cattle. He was told to bleed one of the herd, boil the blood, and take it to the cowhouse at midnight. He did so, and lost no more after applying this charm. A Charm for Calves. ... Another Tale Of A Doctor
I received the following tale from the Rev. Philip Edwards, formerly curate at Selattyn, near Oswestry:-- There was, or perhaps is--for my informant says he believes the lady is still alive--in a place called Swyddffynnon, Cardiganshire, a Mrs. ... Another Version Of The Gors Goch Legend
When the people of the Gors Goch one evening had gone to bed, lo! they heard a great row and disturbance around the house. One could not at all comprehend what it might be that made a noise that time of night. Both the husband and the wife had w... Apparitions Of The Devil
To accomplish his nefarious designs the Evil Spirit assumed forms calculated to attain his object. The following lines from Allan Cunningham's Traditional Tales, p. 9, aptly describe his transformations:-- Soon he shed His hellish ... Ass
The stripe over the shoulders of the ass is said to have been made by our Lord when He rode into Jerusalem on an ass, and ever since the mark remains. It was thought that the milk of an ass could cure the decay, or consumption. This faith was ... Bees In A Roof
It was thought lucky when bees made their home in the roof, or indeed in any part of a house, and this they could easily do when houses were thatched with straw. Many a swarm of bees found shelter in the roofs of ancient churches, but in our days... Birds And Beasts
Folk-lore respecting animals is common in Wales. It has been supposed that mountainous countries are the cradles of superstitions. But this is, at least, open to a doubt; for most places perpetuate these strange fancies, and many of them have reac... Birds Flocking In Early Autumn
When birds gather themselves together and form flocks in the early days of autumn, it is thought to foretell an early and severe winter. On the other hand, should they separate in early spring, and again congregate in flocks, this shews that har... Birds Singing Before February
Should the feathered songsters sing before February it is a sign of hard, ungenial weather. This applies particularly to the blackbird and throstle. The following lines embody this faith:-- Os can yr adar cyn Chwefror, hwy griant cyn Mai. ... Birds' Feathers
Feather beds should be made of domestic birds' feathers, such as geese, ducks, and fowls. Wild fowl feathers should not be mixed with these feathers; for, otherwise, the sick will die hard, and thus the agony of their last moments will be prolong... Buying A Hive Of Bees
In the central parts of Denbighshire people suppose that a hive of bees, if bought, will not thrive, but that a present of a hive leads to its well-doing. A cottager in Efenechtyd informed the writer that a friend gave her the hive she had, and... Bwyd Ellyllon Or Goblins' Food
This was a kind of fungus or mushroom. The word is given in Dr. Owen Pughe's dictionary under the head Ellyll. ... Caellwyngrydd Spirit
This was a dangerous Spirit. People passing along the road were stoned by it; its work was always mischievous and hurtful. At last it was exorcised and sent far away to the Red Sea, but it was permitted to return the length of a barley corn ever... Cat
The cat was thought to be a capital weather glass. If she stood or lay with her face towards the fire, it was a sign of frost or snow; if she became frisky, bad weather was near. If the cat washed her face, strangers might be expected; and if sh... Cattle Charms
Mr. Hamer in his Parochial Account of Llanidloes published in The Montgomeryshire Collections, vol x., p. 249, states that he has in his possession two charms that were actually used for the protection of live stock of two small farms. One of the... Ceffyl Y Dwf The Water Horse
The superstition respecting the water-horse, in one form or other, is common to the Celtic race. He was supposed to intimate by preternatural lights and noises the death of those about to perish by water, and it was vulgarly believed that he even... Ceridwen And Gwion_ (_gwiawn_) _bach's Transformation
But a striking instance of rapid transition from one form to another is given in the Mabinogion. The fable of Ceridwen's cauldron is as follows:-- Ceridwen was the wife of Tegid Voel. They had a son named Morvran, and a daughter named... Charm Against Foot And Mouth Disease
The cattle on a certain farm in Llansilin parish suffered from the above complaint, and old Mr. H--- consulted a conjuror, who gave him a written charm which he was directed to place on the horns of the cattle, and he was told this would act both ... Charm For Asthma
Place the Bible for three successive nights under the bolster of the sufferer, and it will cure him. ... Charm For Clefyd Y Galon_ _or Heart Disease
The Rev. J. Felix, vicar of Cilcen, near Mold, when a young man lodged in Eglwysfach, near Glandovey. His landlady, noticing that he looked pale and thin, suggested that he was suffering from Clefyd y galon, which may be translated as above, or l... Charm For Cocks About To Fight
The charm consisted of a verse taken from the Bible, written on a slip of paper, wrapped round the bird's leg, as the steel spurs were being placed on him. The verse so employed was, Eph. vi., 16:--Taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall b... Charm For Fits
A ring made out of the offertory money was a cure for fits. About the year 1882 the wife of a respectable farmer in the parish of Efenechtyd called at the rectory and asked the rector's wife if she would procure a shilling for her from the offeri... Charm For Removing A Stye From The Eye
Take an ordinary knitting needle, and pass it back and fore over the stye, but without touching it, and at the same time counting its age, thus--One stye, two styes, three styes, up to nine, and then reversing the order, as nine styes, eight styes... Charm For Removing The Ringworm
1. Spit on the ground the first thing in the morning, mix the spittle with the mould, and then anoint the ringworm with this mixture. 2. Hold an axe over the fire until it perspires, and then anoint the ringworm with the sweat. ... Charm For Rheumatism
Carry a potato in your pocket, and when one is finished, supply its place with another. ... Charm To Make A Servant Reliable
Y neb a fyno gael ei weinidog yn gywir, doded beth o'r lludw hwn yn nillad ei weinidog ac efe a fydd cywir tra parhao'r lludw.--Y Brython, vol. iii., p. 137. Which is:--Whosoever wishes to make his servant faithful let him place the ashes (of a... Charming The Wild Wart
Take a branch of elder tree, strip off the bark, split off a piece, hold this skewer near the wart, and rub the wart three or nine times with the skewer, muttering the while an incantation of your own composing, then pierce the wart with a thorn. ... Charms
The cure of diseases by charms is generally supposed to be a kind of superstition antagonistic to common sense, and yet there are undoubted cases of complete cures through the instrumentality of charms. Warts are, undoubtedly, removed by the fait... Charms For Quinsy
Apply to the throat hair cut at midnight from the black shoulder stripe of the colt of an ass. ... Charms For Warts
1. Drop a pin into a holy well and your warts will disappear, but should anyone take the pin out of the well, the warts you have lost will grow on his fingers. 2. Rub the warts with the inside of a bean pod, and then throw the pod away. 3.... Charms Performed With Snake's Skin
1. Burn the skin and preserve the ashes. A little salve made out of the ashes will heal a wound. 2. A little of the ashes placed between the shoulders will make a man invulnerable. 3. Whoso places a little of the ashes in the water with w... Clefyd Yr Ede Wlan Or Yarn Sickness
About twenty years ago, when the writer was curate of Llanwnog, Montgomeryshire, a young Welsh married woman came to reside in the parish suffering from what appeared to be that fell disease, consumption. He visited her in her illness, and one da... Coblynau Or Knockers
have been described as a species of Fairies, whose abode was within the rocks, and whose province it was to indicate to the miners by the process of knocking, etc., the presence of rich lodes of lead or other metals in this or that direction of the ... Cock-fighting
Cock-fighting was once common in Wales, and it was said that the most successful cock-fighters fought the bird that resembled the colour of the day when the conflict took place; thus, the blue game-cock was brought out on cloudy days, black when t... Coel Ede Wlan Or The Yarn Test
Two young women took a ball of yarn and doubled the threads, and then tied tiny pieces of wood along these threads so as to form a miniature ladder. Then they went upstairs together, and opening the window threw this artificial ladder to the grou... Conjurors
1. It was formerly believed that men could sell themselves to the devil, and thus become the possessors of supernatural power. These men were looked upon as malicious conjurors. 2. Another species of conjurors practised magical arts, having o... Corwrion Changeling Legend
Once on a time, in the fourteenth century, the wife of a man at Corwrion had twins, and she complained one day to the witch who lived close by, at Tyddyn y Barcut, that the children were not getting on, but that they were always crying, day and ni... Cows
Cows Kneeling on Christmas Morn. In the upland parishes of Wales, particularly those in Montgomeryshire, it was said, and that not so long ago, that cows knelt at midnight on Christmas eve, to adore the infant Saviour. This has been affirmed ...