Browse:ADDITIONS TO - SELL SELF TO DEVIL (Volume 5, entries 10496–10554)
ADDITIONS TO - SELL SELF TO DEVIL
Volume 5, entries 10496–10554. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 10496
Dey says thet if yo' goes tuh de fork of de road an' kneel down an' Oarse God fo' everything possible thet chew'll be transformed intuh some kin'a being called a witch, an' yo' kin do anything dat's in yo' power. (Do you go out to the fork of the road at any particular time?) [Time is important for moon and sun.] Yes, on a young moon.
(In the daytime?)
No, midnight - on a young moon.
Entry 10497
Those forks of the road? If a man wants to join in with the order world work, he want to go to the forks of the road at between twelve and one o'clock at night. He'd want to take his guitar and he'd want to play it at twelve or one o'clock at night; see, at the forks of the road. And cuss The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, and he'd get them. His sight would come through his eyes [sight would be only guide] where he could be a underworld man and anything don't bother him - the worry. And he'd just say he joined the devil and anything that he'd take, that Wasn't right, well he'd be successful at it.
Entry 10498
Go to de forks of de road an' walk back cross de road nine times, an' look up an' cuss God 9 times. An' walk backwards cross de road. Dey say yo done sold yo'self to de devil. (Now here's the forks of the road. [I demonstrate.] I walk over the forks of the road.) Nine times backwards. (Nine times backwards and I look up into the air and curse God nine times. Then I've sold myself to the devil. And then what do I do?) Yo' kin go back an' do anything yo' wanta do den.
Entry 10499
When yo' wants tuh sell yo'self to de devil, ah've heard of dat. Yo' go to de fo' fo'ks ah b'lieve fo' nine mornings - or 15 mornings, somepin lak dat. Ah disremember how many mornings, but anyway, dey say yo' kin go dere an' repeat a question. Say yo' re- peat dat ah think three times, ah believe, an' say Devil, Devil, ah wants tuh be with chew; wants tuh work fo' yo'. An' dey say de last mornin' yo' go, say den yo' meets up with a whole lotsa racket an' fuss an' all lak dat. An' dey say if yo' kin stand de fussing dat chew hear, why den yo' kin do most anything in de worl' - yo' come to do anything.
Entry 10500
Because you will tell it by de diff'rent - you have diff'rent feelings. See, I know this because I've been hurt. [He whispers something.] [Several times whispering else- where meant "I don't want to talk too loud, someone might hear me." (I see. You can tell the differ- ence.) [If you have been tricked, your feelings are different. Informant starts a selling-yourself-to-the-devil story.] And then I remember this thing. You go to de fork of de road, but de road have to have four forks. See, four. [This is sometimes called a 4-way road.]
(Four?)
Yes, sir, and you go there at midnight. And when you go there, you turn round three times and just - and then I heard a man say, well he say he did it. Well, he musta did somepin because he could do anything he wanted look like. And he went there and he said he sold - told de devil, say, "Devil take me. I sell mah soul to you." Now for knowing; I don't know that, but I've heard that.
(I see. That's all right. What time did he go out there?)
Twelve o'clock.
(At noon?)
At night, twelve o'clock at night; but you have to be in de four fork of de road.
Entry 10501
You kin go out to de forks of de road and learn about anything there is that you'd like to have - [I] mean like to have done. If you wanta learn music, you can go to work and git to the forks of the road and you kin learn it - jus' whatever you desire to be.
The bracketed “I” is an editorial insertion. The account describes forks of the road as a place to learn, with music as one example.
Entry 10502
Mah mothah's brothah went out - he wanta know how tuh pick a banjo, yo' know. An' he had tuh go out on a Sunday - it's Sunday yo' has tuh go. An' he'd go out on Sundays at de crossroads an' start tuh learn how tuh pick.
Entry 10503
Well, if a person wanted tuh - say for instance, if yo' wanted tuh learn tuh do most any dev'lish act, yo' know.... Dey tell me whenevah yo' learn tuh play a banjo or guitah or anything lak dat, dey go tuh work an' sell yo'self tuh de devil anyhow. So dey go right out tuh de fo'k of de road on Sunday morn- ing, yo' know, befo' day an' play an' try de picks [strings]. Say it will come tuh yo' jes' as natchral as anything else yo' wanta do dat ain't right. It will come tuh yo' jes' as natchral - yo' know, perfect tuh yo'.
The informant reports Sunday morning before daylight at a road fork, trying banjo or guitar strings and supposedly acquiring skill naturally. Selling oneself to the devil and the moral framing remain this source's claims; Hyatt's bracketed 'strings' identifies the source word 'picks'.
Entry 10504
Dey say, go tuh de fo'k of de road in de late hours at night, if yo' wanta learn how tuh pick a box, or learn how tuh dance. Dat's sellin' yo'self tuh de devil. Ah've heard of dat.
(What do you do when you go out there?)
Ah don' know anything dey did, jes' go out dere.
Entry 10505
If yo' wanta be a dancer, yo' kin go to de fo'k of de road seven Sumday mawnin' [before day] an' start dancin'; any dance yo' wanta dance, yo' kin dance it.
Entry 10506
Yo' go to de fo'k of de road in de nighttime aftah twelve a'clock, if yo' wanta be done sold yo'self to de desl, an' yo' kin do mos' anything. Go to de fo'k of de road an' carry a guitah Cany yo' a guitah an' set to de fo'k of de road an' pick or fingah it; if yo' don't know how to pick, jes' fingah it. An' anything dat come dere, don't git frightened or don't be scared, until day. Yo' be successful.
(You learn how to play that guitar.)
Entry 10507
Ah wus told dat if yo' wanted tuh learn tuh play music, sompin like Sing music [or] mouth organ, yo' go out tuh de fo'ks of de road some dark night at twelve a'clock. An' if yo' stayed dere - dey tell me now - wit whut come tuh see yo', well yo'll leamn tub Plzy music.
Entry 10508
Dey tell me dat on a Sunday night at twelve a'clock if yo' could rike [find by chance here?] a fo'k of a road an' - dey says - an' have nerve anoagh to stand whut chew see, yo' kin come back tuh town an' do ost anything yo' want; but have a banjo or guitah or sompin to attract dis ole devil or sompin whut dis might be. But it gotta be a road wit three fo'ks to it, an' yo' gotta be dere at a certain time - at twelve or fo'. An' if yo' kin stand whut comes by yo'self [you have it made in this world!].
Entry 10509
(What do they say about that?)
Well, they tell me you go to the fork of the road late at night, by yourself, with a guitar. See, forks of de road - a road go this way and one go the other Way [demonstrates]. You sit there with that guitar 'till it get dark, you under- stand. It kin be fair, but it come - it's getting dark. See. Well, if you know how to play dat guitar, you under- stand, well you go there and get in that fork of the road for three nights. And you come an' play, make any kind of tune - make any kind of note on that guitar you want. (I see.) [This is learning to play better or selling self to devil.]
Entry 10510
If yo' got a gui-tah or ukulele or eithah a banjo, an' if yo' wants tuh learn how tuh pick an' yo' can't learn with your own knowledge, yo' take at about fo' 'clock in de mawn- in' an' go an' sit out at de fo'ks of de road, an' begins tuh pick. Ev'rythin' will appeah befo' yo' but 'cos' when yo' do dat yo' sells yo'self tuh de devil. If yo' kin stand tuh see all dose things tuh come befo' yo', when yo' come back home yo' kin pick jes' as well as if yo' been doin' it fo' ten or twelve yeahs; if yo' can't, [then you] be 'fraid of anythin' dat come befo' yo'.
Entry 10511
Well, jes' lak if yo' wanted tuh be a professional gambler or a pro- fessional slick person. Yo' go dere an' yo' sits at fo' forks, jes' lak dat [is] fork right dere [demonstrates], yo' sits right dere at a cer- tain hour lak midnight, until yo' hear - dere'll be a chain rattlin' jes' lak [someone rattling a] chain. An' dere'll be a spirit or voice come up tuh yo' an' tell yo' whatsomevah yo' wants tuh know. An' it points yo' tuh de way tuh go.
Entry 10512
Dey tell me yo' could go tuh de fo'ks of de road: jes' lak if yo' wanted tuh sell yo'self tuh de devil, or want tuh learn how tuh pick a guitah or anything lak dat, see. Yo' go tuh de fo'ks of de road an' at a certain hour of de night - it be at twelve 'clock at night. Go tuh de fo'ks of de road an' go dere an' play, an' all kinda devils an' all kinda thin's will come tuh 'em attah [after] dat hour at night, an' den yo' could learn how tuh play anythin'. Ah have nevah tried it.
Entry 10513
To a guitar to - go to the forks of the road at midnight. The devil comes and teaches you to play it.
Entry 10514
To make music, dey tell me, yo' go to a fork of de road at twelve 'clock at night, an' have yore guitah or whut kind of music yo' wanta make. Sit down an' play, an' real late somepin'll come up an' take yore guitar an' play a piece fo' yo'. An' aftah den yo'll git it down perfect. Dat's de way dat is ah've heard.
Entry 10515
Dey go tuh de fo'ks of de road tuh learn music. Yo' go at twelve a'clock in de night an' yo' have yore instruments, an' yo' stop in de centah of de road - see, dere fo' points. An' den yo' start tuh play yore music an' dat's de way yo' learn tuh play music. [The center of the crossroad is rarely expressed as here, it probably always being assumed. If it is the center of a 4-forked road, each with a 90° angle, it is a quincunx rite.]
Entry 10516
Well, ah had a friend, he wanted tuh learn how tuh play music. An' he said dat he went tuh de fo'k of de road an' carried a rooster in a box; an he had a little - made him a guitar. An' when it twelve a'clock dat box wus layin' ovah dere, an' he [it] went tuh playin' music - de roost- er crowed first - an' dat box went tuh playin' music. An' when dat box went tuh playin' music, he went an picked it up. An' den de devil come up dere, he says, an' he showed him how tuh play dis.
(He went out there at any time?)
No, went at night, twelve a'clock at night.
(Any day of the week?)
All 'cept Sunday.
(You can't go on Sunday? Any day but Sunday?)
Yes.
Entry 10517
Know one thing dat happen to de fo'k of de road, if a man wanted tuh go out an' learn how tuh pick de guitar. So he used tuh carry de guitar roun' all de time from "joint" tuh "joint" [from one fun drinking IT place to another]. So he went to a party one night an' on de Way comin' back he met a man op at de bridges [at the fork of a road] an' de man got de box from him, an' he picked it pretty well. He picked de purttiest [prettiest] music he evah heard. Bell, he [stranger] give him de box back an' den aftah dat he could pick it [much better than he had picked it before].
Entry 10518
Dey say ef yo' want de devil tuh...but chew have to go to de forks of de road jes' de same...at night an' set there an' he'll come an' learn you any me yo' wanta know.
Entry 10519
Like if you wanted to play a guitar, you take it and go to the four forks of a road and play. And the devil will come and take it out of your hand and play a piece of it and hand it back to you. And you can play anything you Wnt. You go about twelve o'clock at night. [Fredericksburg, Va., No.56, by Ediphone.]
Entry 10520
Yo' kin go out tuh de fo'ks of de road at twelve a'clock at night m' yo' kin stan' dere fo' jes' a few minutes 'fore twelve an' anything dat yo' enta learn, jes' lak if yo' wanta learn tuh play a piece of music - a mouth organ, a guitar, anythin' - take dat 'long wit chew. An' be standin' dere at twelve a'clock an' dere'll come somebody. When yo' go, yo' go dere fo' nuthin but jes' dat. Jes' lak yo' make up yore mind: "Well, ah'm goin' dere, if ah see anything [out there] or if ah ain't seein' it; ah'm jes' goin' fo' whut ah want." Yo' jes' go an' stan' dere an jes' at de minute of twelve, sompin will walk up tuh yo' an' take it [music in- strument] from yo', an' tell ev'ry kinda music an' ev'ry kinda song dat it is, good songs an' bad ones; but dat is not lak if yo' would take a cat fo' a black cat bone. Dey used tuh do dat too, but den dat's when yo' sold yo'self tuh de devil.
The informant contrasts the music-learning account with a former black-cat-bone practice; the cat belongs to that comparison.
Entry 10521
You go to the road with three forks, and set in the forks of the road, and the devil will come there and learn you how to play. You go along about mid- night.
Entry 10522
I've heard of people selling thereself to the devil when they wanted to be a musician. They go to a cedar tree and git under the cedar tree and that's where they commence using this music. They carry what they want to play with them. That's supposed to sell themself to the devil. The devil appears to them and shows them how to play this music.
Entry 10523
De thing tuh do at de fo'ks of de road, learning how to dance an' learning how tuh pick a guitar an' learning how tuh.... Well, dey say if yo' wanta learn how tuh be a musician or anything, say yo' go tuh de fo'ks of de road at twelve a'clock at night an' stay dere. When yo' git dere, dey say, dere'll be sompin appear befo' yo' an' jes' as dey do dey fingers, dat's de way yo' do yorn. Dat's in order of selling yo'self tuh de devil for an infidel.
Entry 10524
Well, ah heard say, jes' lak if a man, he wanta be a musician or gui- tah player. He go tuh de fo'k of de road around about twelve a'clock in de night an' yo' know, he will git tune up. An' yo' know, jes' like a road [has] fo' diff'- ent fo'k, [he will] walk up each one a piece an' come back in de middle an' tune his box, an' he kin pick most anythin'. (He goes up one [fork] and then he comes back [to center of roads] and tunes it up; then he goes back up the other and comes back and tunes up...) Yeah.
Entry 10525
Carry a black cat bone and a red rooster to the fork of the road before day on three mornings. Meet the devil on the third day.
Entry 10526
Said lak if yo' want- ed tuh play music, yo' go tuh a graveyard an' sompin would meet chew at dis graveyard. Lak yo' wanta know how tuh play a guitar or somepin lak dat, somepin would meet chew at dis graveyard. Well, yo' go out dere, ah think it's one or two a'clock at night, an' yo' go tuh de fo'ks of dis path. Go tuh de graveyard first an' den come back dere tuh de fo'ks of de path, an' den dis thing would carry yo' tuh de fo'ks of de path. An' dey say yo' learn how tuh play anything yo' wanta. [Fay- etteville, N. Car. (1413), 2540:5.]
Entry 10527
When you want to sell yourself to de devil, you go to de graveyard at 12 o'clock ever'night and they say you'll meet a man, you'll meet de devil. And he says, "You want to be- lieve in me or de Lord." And you say you believe in de Lord. But you can't sell yourself to him [devil]. If you say, Yes, I believe in you, well he takes you and he does sumpin to you. Be blows [on you] or sumpin. And [after that] you can do anything you want.
Entry 10528
De way de' do's to sell dereself to de devil an' learn all dese tricks, well dey goes to de graveyard. Dey goes dere dey tell me - mah ole pappy say, tell me, fo' about nine mornings an' dey lay upon dat grave, on a sinner's grave. An' say if he lay up dere dat nine mornings, said dey could do most anything dey wanta do.
(They go there on what morning?)
Any morning, only it's - yo' know, 'fore day in de morning. Yassuh, fo' nine pornings, an' lay upon a sinner grave.
reported repeated graveyard observance for acquiring tricks/powers. Preserve mah ole pappy say and dey tell me; no eyewitness claim. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 10529
Go tuh a graveyard nine nights an' come back de crossroads an' if yo' could spend de nine nights, dat chew could do anything else dat chew wanted tuh do.
Entry 10530
Dey tell me dey goes tuh de forks of de road fo' nine mornings and at de end of de nine mornings whatevah in dere mind, what dey desire to do, dey kin do it. Yo' anderstand. Even ah've heard people say if yo' wanta be a good dancer yo' go dere. If yo' wanta be a good musician yo' goes dere, an' any other kind of work dey say.
The informant reports nine mornings at road forks to gain a desired ability, naming dancing, music and other work. The account remains hearsay and does not specify a encountered being or a particular musical instrument.
Entry 10531
You kin go to de forks of de road and all - if dey wanta learn to play de banjo, guitar - at a certain hour at night. And play dere till a certain hour at night, but dey say you supoosed to go for nine nights, you know. An' den de devll supposed to come. Dat's supposed to get de ticket for yuh to play de gui- ur, banjo, any kind of string music dat you wanta.
The informant reports nine nights at road forks, playing at a certain night hour to learn banjo, guitar or other string music. The devil's arrival and successful learning are marked in the source as supposed events; no precise hour beyond that source wording is added.
Entry 10532
Ah heard dat chew could go out to de fo'ks of de road fo' nine mawn- in's with a banjo, guitar or anything. An' if yo' wanta play - whatevah yo' wmta do - jes' go out dere fo' nine mawnin's 'fore day. An' de ninth masin yo'll succeed in whatevah yo' wanted tuh start - de purpose yo' went out dere fo'.
Entry 10533
Well, ah heard if anybody wanted tuh learn how tuh play music or any tind dat dey could jes' take dere music fo' nine mawnin's an' go to de fo'ks of de road an' sit dere an' begin tuh play. An' as dey begin tuh play, den sompin adl come along an' tune dis music [instrument] fo' 'em an' cause dem tuh play anythin' dey Wanta play.
Entry 10534
Go tuh de four corners of de forks of de road for nine mornings - for nine nights, at twelve o'clock. Yo' suppose tuh meet de devil out dere at de ninth night. And after you meet him, yo' walk wit him an' yo' come back. Yo' supposed tuh do anything yo' want: play music or be a good gambler, yo' know; but de aver- age fellah haven't got de guts tuh do dat.
Entry 10535
Ah've heard dem say if a fellah wants tuh dance - if he wants tuh learn - dat yo' could try fo' nine mawnin's tuh play music or anything lak dat; anything dat chew wanta do. Say yo' go out tuh de fo'ks of de road nine Sunday mawn- in's befo' day. Go out dere nine Sunday mawnin's befo' day, if yo' wants tuh play music, wanta play de vio- lin or anything. Go out dere nine Sunday mawnin's 'fore day, an' de ninth, well, dey say a devil will meet chew an' he'll tell yo' tuh play. He'll tell yo' tuh play de violin an' nuthin will happen tuh yo'. An' dey say yo' absolutely will be a musician or whatevah it wuz yo' tryin' tuh do.
Entry 10536
Ah heard long yeahs ago concernin' a person's goin' dere on sech an' sech a day. Ah heard folks say yo' could take a banjo on Sunday mawnin' [before day] fo' nine mawnin's an' go tuh de fo'ks of de road an' pick dat banjo, an' de ninth mawnin' de devil would meet chew dere an' yo' would be able tuh do anythin'.
(You will learn how to play?)
Yes.
Entry 10537
Dis story whut ah've heard of, de man whut wants tuh learn tuh play de gui-tah music. He kin take his instrument, whut he Wants tuh learn tuh play, an' he kin go tuh a crossroads fo' nine mawnin's. An' on de ninth mawnin' dere will be sompin dere, dey said, which would take de gui-tah - which would be de devil. He take dat instrument an' tune it into tune fo' yo' tuh play, understand. An' yo' kin play it from den on, aftah de ninth mawnin' at de crossroads.
Entry 10538
You kin go to the forks of the road fer nine straight mornings and the last morning you'll meet the devil there. And that devil will learn you all the tricks they is going.
Entry 10539
If you want to learn how to pick a banjo, you go to the fork of the road before sunrise nine mornings. The ninth morning when you go there, they say you meet a man, but it was the devil. They said the man asked him what he got there and [the owner] told him a banjo. And he [devil] took it and tuned it for him and learn him a piece.
Entry 10540
To be a musician, go to forks of road for 9 mornings. A black man will come and take your guitar and teach you. (Not much story. Do not use with- out checking. Use as foot- note.)
Entry 10541
Dey go to de forks of de road at midnight an' prac- tice dancing, an' dey become to be a natural dancer. Say de devil will meet 'em dere between midnight an' ( one a'clock an' dey will prac- tice. Go dere fo' nine nights an' dey'll become to be a natural professional dancer.
Entry 10542
To play guitar, go out to forks or road before sunrise. Sell self to devil. Go 7 mornings with the guitar and play.
Entry 10543
Dey say dey kin go out to de fo'k of de road fo' nine mawnin's an' yo' kin go out dere each mawnin', in case yo' wants tuh play a guitar, or yo' kin do anything yo' wanta. Yo' go out fo' nine mawnin's an' de ninth mawnin' when yo' go, say yo' turn around three times an' look ovah yore left [shoulder] say sompin will meet chew. Yo' don't know whut 'tis but sompin will meet chew an' den yo' kin do anything yo' wants tuh.
The informant reports nine mornings at road forks for guitar skill or another purpose, turning three times on the ninth and looking over the left shoulder for an unspecified meeting. Hyatt supplies 'shoulder'; the unknown thing and source-reported powers remain qualified.
Entry 10544
Go to forks of road 9 successive mornings, after midnight, about 2 o'clock. Something comes each night [to frighten you]. Ninth night devil comes. [Bad recording.]
Entry 10545
The same way at the fork of this road. He go there for nine nights and offer hisself up to the devil to learn him anything he wants to know. And his [man's] soul will be his [dev- il's]. Well, at the end of the nine nights, he stays until three from twelve until three, and.why then his soul is sold to the devil. He kin do anything, any kind of tricks he wants to do.
Entry 10546
Dance and cuss God for nine Sunday mornings at fork of a road sells you to the devil.
Entry 10547
If yo' wanta be a guitar picker or sompin lak dat. If yo' wanta be a guitar picker, yo' go to de fo'ks of de road fo' nine mawnin's. An' when yo go dere fo' nine mawnin's wit chure guitar, yo' be standin' in de fo'k of de road tryin' tuh be pickin' on it, an' dere will be a man come up an' pick on yore box, axe yo', say, "How long dat chew wanta do dis?" An' so yo' tell him, "Well, ah wanta do dis fo' sech an' sech a time." An' he say, "Yo' gotta cuss God an' give solomn warnin' an' tell Him yo' goin' sell yore soul to de devil. Den yo' kin pick de guitar." Dat whut ah heard about dat.
The informant reports nine mornings at road forks with a guitar and a man who asks the desired duration, then instructs the learner to curse and sell his soul to the devil. The dialogue is enacted or hypothetical speech inside a hearsay account; the source does not establish a named teacher or personally completed pact.
Entry 10548
If dey wanta sell deyself tuh de devil, in lotta cases tuh de fo'ks of de road, dey makes a trip down dere nine successful [successive] mawnin's an' de ninth [morning] de devil 'sposed tuh meet chew dere. An' so he an' de devil come tuh a 'greement on dat, an' de devil give him a cer- tain length of days an' yeahs - see, he gi's 'im [gives him] all dat power. Den he turn himself loose tuh him. Dat's death. Now, yo' go dere [to the forks of the road] fo' mo' den one purpose. Ah may be lak ah wuz dancin'. Ah goes tuh de fo'ks of de road fo' nine mawnin's, tuh see if dere anything dat would be in de way; see, tuh pacify yo'. Yo' go fo' nine mawnin's. Yo' go fo' nuthin [but] good, yo' goes in de Name of God, de Father, God de Son an' God de Holy Ghost. Now, when yo' goes fo' de bad, yo' takes de devil, an' all his temptin' ways tuh do de evil things. Well, yo' go dere. Ah'm comin' tuh do good an' yo' comin' tuh do de harm. [Informant demonstrates all this!] Now, ah'll come down In de Name of de Father, Son an' de Holy Ghost, down heah, see, tuh do de good; an' yo' come up heah in de way of de devil an' all his imps tuh do de harm. Well, when ah git up heah, ah beat chew an' we have a fight right heah. All right, if ah whup yo' heah, see, ah call yore name heah an' turn yo' back. Now, dose all sech things yo' do's at de hour in de mawnin' jes' befo' sun- rise. Dat whut chew do at de fo'ks of de road. [Between informant's treatment of me and my being on the devil's side, author appears to have had a hard time!]
Entry 10549
[I heard] that you kin get up nine nights and walk to the fork of a road to sell yourself to the devil. You will agree to give up soul and body at the end of your life for the pri- vilege of being able to master everything while you are here on earth. Then, if you do that for nine nights, or nine mornings, early before dawn good - and the devil will meet chah there and give you per- mission what you shall do in carrying it out. And naturally from then on you'll be the master of the world while you are here in it.
The account describes nine nights or mornings before dawn at a road fork, giving up soul and body at life's end for claimed worldly powers and a devil meeting. Hyatt supplies the bracketed 'I heard' qualification; the informant's alternatives in timing and the life-term condition remain explicit.
Entry 10550
Go down to a cross- road, where a road crosses, nine Sunday mawnin's. It's a very ha'd [hard] thing tuh do. When yo' thought of doin' one thing fo' nine Sunday mawnin's it's a good long while. An' meanwhile ah come an' maybe somebody try tuh hol' him off, but yo' gotta meet at dis same place at de same time of day. Jes' lak ah say ah'll be dere at nine a'clock, yo' gotta meet dere at nine a'clock fo' nine Sunday mawnin's at de crossroads. An' yo' gotta read a verse out de Bible.
(Do you know what the verse is?)
It's de 36 Psalms, an' ev'ryone ends wit de same words - de 136th Psalms, an' ev'ry verse ends dis chapter heah wit de same thing, de same words. Well, yo' start wit dat an' yo' read it fo' nine Sunday mawnin's, an' de ninth [Sunday] mawnin' yo'll meet what yo' didn't expect. Yo'll meet trouble dere, storms, high winds or somepin of dat sort. Yo' cain't tell exactly whut's it goin' be, maybe it will be rain, maybe wind, maybe snow or somepin lak dat. It be somepin diff'rent, de ninth mawnin'. But anyhow yo' continue wit it an' when yo' git through wit it, yo'll do whut chew wanta do so fur as tricks is concerned an wit'out bein' religious atall. But chew kin do anything yo' wants tuh do.
[Wilson, N. Car., (1476), 2655:3.]
12. BAT [Originally this section about the bat - not a bird as folklore believes - was a part of CHANNEL DE WORLD, a catchall later in the present volume. I did not realize until too late, that BAT should have followed FROG AND TOADFROG, a pre- ceding section of the present volume. Yet, to follow section SELL SELF TO THE DEVIL may not be inappropriate. These following rites show less knowledge and interest in bats than in frogs and toads, because bat was a night animal and frog and toad better known and easier to catch and handle.l
The informant describes nine Sunday mornings at crossing roads at a fixed chosen hour, reading a Psalm, with unexpected weather or trouble on the ninth and claimed abilities afterward. The spoken Psalm number changes from 36 to 136 and remains literal. The following BAT heading and Hyatt's section-placement introduction are retained only as surrounding context.
Entry 10551
An' yo' could take a leather-wing bat an' kill 'im, yo' know. While he's live, take his heart out befo' he die good. An' tie it up in a red piece of flannen an' tie it undah yore right arm. An' yo'll be lucky in anything yo' wanta do. Yo'll be successful in it.
Entry 10552
Gits a leather-wing bat to run people 'way from dey house - jes' lak de person nex' tuh me. Git de leather- wing [never leather-winged] bat an' git de ashes of him. Burn de whole body. Burn him up an' git his ashes, an' take an' place dat [ashes] down in dere wit some good fresh hog lard. Put it [mix- ture] down in dere path an' dat will move dem.
(That will run them. They have to walk over that?) Yes.
Entry 10553
One drop of bat blood on your eyes, you can see in the dark; three drops of blood on hand, you can go anywhere, take anything, you are invisible. [Elizabeth City, N. Car., 408:1.]
Entry 10554
Well, yo' know a leather-wing bat. Well yo' kin take hit an' split him open, an' yo' kin git nine drops of blood from him, an' den git some Heart Cologne an' mix it together. An' yo' kin tote dat in yore pocket an' dat's very good luck. (Well, how would you carry all this stuff, in a rag or in a bottle or in a wallet, what?) Well, yo' take yo' a bottle whut chew buy de Hearts Cologne in an' yo' po'es dat in it.
(You put this blood in the Hearts Cologne bottle.)
Dat's right, an' den yo' see, yo' watch it an' yo' feeds it on dat all de time, yo' see, an' it, yo' know, grows an' grows, makes yore luck be stronger an' stronger.