Browse:CAUSES OF SEXUAL IMPOTENCE (Volume 3, entries 3110–3699)/Part 8
CAUSES OF SEXUAL IMPOTENCE
Volume 3, entries 3110–3699. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 3670
Keep de othah men from dere, git chew one dese big white pocket han'- ke'ch'ef. Go to de Dime Sto', git chew one ain't nevah been used, an' den take a snail an' put 'im in dat han'ke'ch'ef. Den take dat han'ke'chef when yo' have connection wit dat person dat night, an' she cain't nevah have.nobody else but 'im - cain't have nobody else. He ain't goin' have nobody else.
(What does she do with that handkerchief then after she has used it?)
She take de han'ke'ch'ef, she wipe him wit it an' she got 'im right den. She takes de han'ke'ch'ef an' puts it anywhere undah de baid, so he won' see it.
Entry 3671
(What would she do to fix him up that way?)
Well, she'd take a snail an' git some slime off dat snail on a piece of cot- ton, an' when she have dealings wit 'im, well she'd git some of dat on dat cot- ton an' wear it between 'er toes. (Between her what?) Between 'er big toe an' 'er othah toe - jis' lak ah tol' yo' 'bout de man a while ago, wear it between dere, an' he can't have anothah woman. (What would she do with that snail slime? What would she do with it first? Would she wipe that on her or him or what?) Yes, she wipe dat on 'er. Dat [snail slime] be already on de cotton an' she wipe it on 'er, yo' know, an' dat will keep it all togethah; an' she jis' put it between 'er toes dere an' keep it dere. Whenevah she pull off 'er stockin', change stockin's, she jis' take dat out an' put it right back in dere. Keep it in dere, wear it out in dere.
Entry 3672
Yo' take a snail dat crawl an' evahthing when de rain. Yo' take dat wit a little piece of yellah domestic cloth. Cloth lak dis [on interviewing table] dat has flowah on it, lak yo' say white cloth. Well de dark yellah yo' git. Yo' git enough fo' de woman to wipe herself on. Well, when he is wit dis woman, take - when dey gits through - take dat little piece of cloth, an' take dat snail live - don't let 'im be dead - an' run it right 'tween aftah yo' wipes 'er off. An' aftah yo' git through, yo' take dat an' yo' fold it up. Put it in a Holy Bible.
(How do you fold that up now?)
Yo' fold it in fo' cornahs [demonstrates]. Let it [snail] be live, don't let it be dead. Jis' take it lak dat an' jis' wipe to yo' an' lay ovah. All right. An' den yo' put it on a dish or eithah undah de pillah. Den yo' let 'er use it, but yo' don't wipe yo'self. An' den yo' fold it to yo' dis way, see [demon- strates].
(Fold it nine times that way.)
Yes sir, an' put it in de Bible. An' den yo' leaves 'er. Any man come he would nevah bothah 'er.
(Where do you put the Bible then?)
Yo' put de Bible somewhere, yo' know lak a safe anything - hide it. [Safe here is not a steel box with combination lock, but an old-fashioned kitchen cabinet, a piece of movable furniture with shelves and drawers holding dishes. knives and forks. etc.1 (This is like a square handkerchief and you roll it to you nine times, and then you turn it around lengthwise and roll it lengthwise.) An' de only way den, when yo' wan' to break 'er from bein' lak dat, yo' take dat cloth an' yo' wash it out wit Sameman [Salmon] Soap, see. An' den fold de cloth an' burn de cloth [and] dey [she] be's in de same condition [her nature will be restored].
(What kind of soap?)
It's 18c a bar - Sameman, Saveman [Salmon, has picture or mold of fish].
Entry 3673
Lockin' de bowels, well ah tell yo' ah don' really know much about dat, but it's one thing ah do know. Yo' kin stop a woman or a man from havin' intah- co'se wit anothah fellah, if yo' want to. Well yo' go an' git chew a house snail, dese ole snails crawl aroun' de house. Yo' take yore dishrag dat chew been usin' in de kitchen an' yo' washes it out. When dis snail starts tuh crawlin', yo' take de rag an' put it ovah 'im dataway [demonstrates]. Well, yo' know he's bound tuh melt.
(You just drop that rag over him and pick him up that way?)
Dat's right. Den put 'im back down. Do dat fo' about fo' times. Yo' take dat rag an' fold it up nice in yore pocket, or yore towel - whatevah it is. But it's best tuh be wit a dishrag. Yo' take dat dishrag an fold it up an' yo' go somewhere an' have intahco'se wit 'er. Well, she say, "Ah got sompin." Yo' say, "No, yo' take dis'un [this one], ah got sompin heah, mah ole han'ke'chef" - sompin lak dat. Well, when she take dat - but don' chew use it yoreself, let 'er use it. An' cain't nobody in de worl' have nuthin tuh do wit 'er but chew. Cain't even give her a million dollahs. Ah kin give her a million dollahs, an' de min- ute ah starts it will be jes' lak dis cloth heah [on table holding recording machine between us]. (Well, is there any way that you can get rid of that, after you are fixed up that way? How can you get rid of that?) No Suh, YO' CAIN'T GIT RID OF DAT. YO' GOTTA DIE [TO] PASS AWAY DAT OFFA YO'.
Entry 3674
I've heard of people takin' snails. Take dat snail an' mash 'im up fine. Yo' git a dishrag out de kitchen, I've heard, take an' wrap 'im up in dat dishrag. An' when yo' fool wid a woman, yo' wipe her wid dat an' bury dat, an' she no good. Den if she happens to fool wid anothah man on yo', she's gon'a git hung jis' lak de dog.
Entry 3675
(Now, what were you going to say about those snails?)
I wuz sayin' a man kin do de same thing wit de snail, shell of a snail, an' put a woman in dat predicament of life. (Well, just how would you do that?) Well, he'd take de snail an' hull de snail, yo' know take de flesh part out de snail's shell, an' parch dat snail's shell an' den beat it up real fine. He'll take dat snail dust - undah- stan' me - an' jis' be playin' wit 'er, yo' know, lak a man do sometime. Yo' know, run 'is index finger up 'er vagina, UP IN DAT PREDICAMENT OF LIFE. An' jis' put some of dat snail dust up in 'er vagina, AN' SHE BE LAZY AS A SNAIL, SURE AS GOD LIVIN', FO' ANY OTHAH MAN DAT CREPT IN DERE.
(I see. I get the idea.)
Entry 3676
Tuh keep 'im from havin' anybody, yo' take dat snail an' yo' kin dry 'im. Eithah [or] yo' kin take 'im an' put 'im in de stove an yo' kin brown 'im. An' den when yo' brown 'im yo' kin pound 'im up into powdah. An' yo' take de seat of yore man's drawahs an' yo' open it, jes' a little place, an' yo' put all dat down in dere. An' he cannot fool wit no one but chew. An' he gotta come home an' bring yo' de money.
Entry 3677
(Ever heard of using a banana?)
[I used this question in New Orleans because it was the great port for re- ceiving bananas.] Well, I tell yo' what I'm experiencin' dataway round here. He kin fix 'is- self, fix 'er so dat she won't bothah wit no othah man. He gits a snail an' he takes dis snail an' he makes a powdah an' puts it on 'im. An' when he's foolin wit - he put dat powdah on 'er an' no man kin fool wit 'er. When he go to her, he put - it fall, see.
Entry 3678
Take a snail an' if yo' [a man] have a sweetheart an' [so that] no othah man couldn't go wit 'er, takes dis snail an' dey makes a powdah out of it, parch it first, an' yo' sprinkle on de head of yo' [penis] befo' yo' go to fool wit 'er, an' whoevah [approaches her will fail].
The informant describes making powder from a snail. The anatomy and final outcome completions are editorial, and no effect is verified.
Entry 3679
So he wouldn't want no othah woman but chew, ah know how tuh fix 'im so "HE CAIN'T RAISE NO STAKES." Git a snail. It's mighty dirty. Git a snail an' put 'im on a ole [tin-can] top an' put 'im in yore stove an' let 'im brown. Take it out an let 'im cool, an' yo' take dat [browned] snail an' jes' rub it to a plumb powdah. Jes' parch it up, parch it up, an' when yo' an' 'im are layin' in de baid, yo'd have a little on yore han' an' tetch 'is thing, an' he cain't raise stakes fo no othah woman. Lak yo' been wit 'im a long time an' ti'ed [tired] of 'im an' got 'im fixed, yo' take dat stuff out de trunk an' take dat stuff from between de mattress, whut ah tole yo' tuh fix, an' carry it to de rivah an' turn yore back an' say, "Go, ah nevah want chew no mo', '' an' throw it in de rivah, an' he'll go on an' won't bothah yo' no mo'. Throw it ovah yore lef' shouldah an' don't look back, an nevah want chew no mo'."
Entry 3680
Well, yo' kin go tuh work an' git chew a snail shell, an' yo' take a snail shell an' jes' put it in a lil' yo' kin set it on de back of de stove where it's hot, an' let it stay right dere till it come hard. When it come hard, yo' kin mash it up an' use it same as flour, an' den yo' take dat an' come on back. Jes' lak if yo' got a woman an' don' want 'er tuh have muthin do wit no- body, yo' kin go tuh work when yo' make connection wit 'er, jes' put it on yore fingahnail an' rub it right down right dere fo' three times. Dere's muthin on yore han', but chew jes' do lak dat. An' any othah man dat come dere, de time he git right dere, dat will fall.
Entry 3681
Well, yore wife - jis' lak if yo' goin' off to work an' yo' wan' 'er not to be foolin' aroun' wit no othah man. Well, jis'as - befo' yo' leave dere, yo' git some snail dust - some snail, yo see, what creeps slow-slow across - JIS' GO TO ANY DRUG STO' AN' SAY, "GIVE Prob'ly yo' have to pay about 40c or prob'ly a little bettah. Yo' git dat snail dust an' jis' lak, say when yo' go on 'er dat night when yo' leavin' 'er [to go to work], yo' wants to go to bed wit yore wife befo' leavin'-time, an' yo' fools wit 'er. Befo' yo' fool wit 'er, yo' put some of dis snail dust into yore undahclothes or in yore hair - yo' know, put it in yore hair, see. Yo' put some of dis same sinimint [cinnamon] an' sugah right in de middle of de bed, jis' where yo'll put 'er to lay. An' yo' take dis snail dust an' yo' put it all on yoreself. Well. But she not payin' attention cuz she used to it an' yo' leave 'er. Yo' git on 'er an' yo' fool wit 'er an' she nevah have no feelin' fo' no man in de worl'. Evah time, yo' jis' rolls across 'er mind [she thinks of you]. Jis' look lak she ain't got no feelin' atall [for another man].
Entry 3682
A fellah could stop anothah fellah from goin' wit 'is wife. He'd taken a snail an' dead skin from undah his feet an' parched it an' take it an' - wit a dishrag. An' while she's asleep dat night, jes' sprinkle dat on 'er, put dat on 'er an' rub 'er wit de dishrag, so she couldn't go wit no one. Dat take de nature away from 'er.
(What did he do with this snail and the dirt and that dishrag?)
Take de snail an' ground - yo' know, groun' de whole shell an' de snail. Parch it good, make a kinda powdah out of it. An' when she went to sleep, why he sprin- it ovah 'er an' he wipe her across wit de dirty dishrag. Sprinkle dat ovah 'er on 'er drawahs, an' anyone couldn't go wit 'er no mo'. So findly [finally] dey broke up.
Entry 3683
Dey kills a couple of snail an' dey'll take dat snail shell an' dry it. Ef ah'm goin' wit a whoman an' she won't want me go nex' wit mah wife, she'll take dat snail shell an' dry it good an' parch it an' make a powdahs out of it. Put dat powdah in mah bread an' ah will eat it. Well, ah can't git up no nature fer nobody but 'er. Leave an' walk off.
Entry 3684
Well, yo' pound 'im up, poun' de snail up. Dry it an' pound it up an' git it in some likkah or coffee, jes' a leetle bit chew know, so dey can't ex- serve [observe] it, an' dat will kill yo' 'cuz yo' be [become] jes' lak dem [snails] an' yo' be's slow about evahthing. Can't have - nevah git ovah it.
(And it kills their courage?)
Kills dere courage.
Entry 3685
Well, takin' any snail an' while de woman's sleepin', he would take dat snail an' he would pass it across her stomach right dis way an' makin' a cross dat way. Ah don't care whut man she go wit or how he been wit 'er, when he goes tuh go wit 'er, his cnbition will fall.
(He will rub that across this woman's abdomen in the form of a cross?)
Jes' cross it.
Entry 3686
Yo' take a snail, fo' instance, if a man have a woman cr wife, an' if he figure dat she's goin' bad. He don't want 'er have any dealin' wit any othah fellah. While she sleep, he'll take a snail an' make a cross right undah de navel. An' each man dat would aim to go wit 'er, he'll nevah be able to go wit 'er. He'll have ambition until he mount 'er an' den he's - he'll fall. He'll nevah go wit 'er.
(I see.)
Entry 3687
Well, ah've nevah tied any but ah've heard 'em say how yo' tie 'em. Dey say jis' tuh measure 'em, an' if yo' kin measure 'em, git whatsomevah come out, an' tie dat wit a cord lak dat. See, an' put pins an' things in dere. Now ah have nevah did it but dat's whut a girl tole me tuh do, but ah wouldn't do dat. An' den dat would cut 'is nature from dis othah one, or eithah git a snail. See. Git a live snail an' den durin' 'er playin' wit 'im, take dis snail an pass it cross 'im lak dat [demonstrates].
(Like you were making an "x".)
Yh-hah, jis' lak dat. See, dat will kill 'is nature.
Entry 3688
Take a snail an' mark a cross, make a horse's pitchure on a woman's stomick, an' she cain't deal wit no othah man but jes' dat one. (Make what kind of a picture?) A horse's picture - a horse whut chew rides. (You have to draw a picture of a horse on a woman's stomach, but you have to use a snail - this thick stuff from the snail - and then she won't be able to have another man?) No, no man but jes' 'im. [An old note of mine reads: "I do not understand the picture, unless the per- son who draws the picture is the rider!"]
Entry 3689
So far as I know, ah kin tell yo' on dat part, too. So now, yo' take a woman - jis' lak ah'm got a ole lady mahself an' she don't want me runnin' out wit nobody but 'er. Ah seed [saw] 'er do it mahself. Dey take a snail, a live snail dat crawls aroun' - lotta people say yo' kin take yore han'. She take 'er han' an' she will run it across dis snail an' rub it on 'er stomick. Well, yo' kin do it a diff'- ren way dan dat. Yo' kin take a snail an' put it in a clean towel, see, dat yo' use to dry off or somepin. An' where dat snail greasin' dat towel - yo' don't kill 'im or nothin - jis' let 'im crawl across it or somepin an' he makes a mark across it each way he comes. [The crawling snail makes an X-mark.] An' dat towel will be folded right back up some place an' be hung right on de - or prob'ly at de foot of de baid. An' whilst de man have intahco'se wit 'er or somepin, why she han's 'im dat towel. Well, she han's 'im dat an' as long as he uses dat, why he can't do no good wit no one else.
(I see.)
Entry 3690
Dey tell me dat dey kin do things to 'er so dat a man cannot have intahco'se wit 'er at all. Say he kin go an' git 'im a snail, an' GIT DE DUST FROM WHARE DE SNAIL'S CRAWL- IN'. Take de snail an' fry dat snail plumb till it cook up. Yo' kin roll it up, yo' know. Put all dat dus' togethah an' jis' when he kin have intahco'se wit 'er, jis' have dat dus' an' git some of it on 'is han's an' rub on 'er, an' dey say a man nevah could - don' cay [care] how he tried, nevah kin have anything to do wit 'er.
(That's to protect his home while he's gone?)
Yes, sir.
Entry 3691
Yo' been in de woods an' yo' see dese thousan' laigs [= centipede, sometimes called thousand-legger, see FACI, 1st ed.,1399, p.62; 2nd ed.,1383, p.54]. Yo' know what dese thousan' laigs be's. An' dese conk [conch] shell in de rivah. Jes' lak yo' git a conk, yo' know what ah mean [see later], an' eat 'em. Yo' carry dat home, yo' git a piece of snail. Yo' git a ole snail. Yo' know what a snail is. Yo' put dem on de stove. Yo' cook dem until it's nuthin but a powdah.
(You put the snail and the shell and?)
An' de thousan' laigs all togethah [3 ingredients] right up on dat place an' dat will cook it tull [till] it nuthin but a powdah - tull yo' kin tetch it as nowthin' but a powdah. Well, yo' put all dat togethah, put it in a box. Well, he'll come to yo' an' say, "Ah want sompin to kill dat - dat kill 'er nature, to kill evah man nature fo' 'er, excusin' 'im [me]." Well, den yo' give him jis' a leetle bit an' put it in 'is han' an' yo' rub it out of sight lak dat. Rub 'is han' lak dat - hit's gone, he can't see it. Don' care if yo' wash de han' wit soap an' watah, dat's gone. [Here we have a doctor "dressing" a patient's hand - a little now you see it, now you don't "trick".] Well, dere's nobody kin have no dealin' wit 'er but chew.
(A man will do that to keep other men away from his wife.)
Evah man goin' stay away.
Entry 3692
Dey take a snail yo' know to stop a man from bein' wit a woman.
(How would they do that?)
Dey put dat snail - de woman will fix dat water in de tub. She'll fix de watah in de tub fo' de man an' den she'll put dat snail - wash dat snail all roun' in dat watah, an' when [then] he go to take a bath yo' see. An' evah time dat he go to be wit anothah woman outside of 'er, he'll fall.
Entry 3693
Yo' git de snail an' yo' cook de snail, an' yo' take de watah an' yo' git chew a han'ke'ch'ef, a new han'ke'ch'ef an' yo' soak dis han'ke'ch'ef wit it, an' yo' put dis on dis woman, an' she won't have any nature. If a man go dere, he can't do anything.
Entry 3694
Ah'm very, very fo'getful now.
[See my comment about this woman later.]
Kin do a man in dis way, yo' kin git a snail. Yo' know a woman kin take a syringe an' wash her purse out. Yo' know whut dat is. [This ancient use of the word purse is probably my only example of it.] An' aftah she washes it out, she takes de watah from whut she wash out wit an' she puts de snail in it, an' [afterward] she take it an' put it in de stove an' let it brown down to a crust. An' she takes it out, outen de crust, she take it an' she grinds it up, jes' mash it up yo' know right right small. An' den she take it an' put it - dope it in a wax, de chewin' gum yo' know dat chew chew - she'll roll it [in that]. Dat's to take dis man in [to trick him]. If she think any way fresh [here's another meth- od], she would git an asafetidy [asafetida] an' make little pills. An' she'll wait till he gits sick an' den give it to him, give de pills to him fo' swallow- in'. An' dat yo' know, it's got 'er nature. An' he swallah - take dese pills fo' a medicine. An' ah don' care whut woman or what kind, she cain't nevah git 'im tuh leave aroun' heah. [To be certain that I know what informant is talking about, I now comment to the machine and ask a question:] (She takes a syringe and washes her purse, and then she puts this snail in that water. Does she put the snail into the water before she washes herself or does she put the snail in after she has washed?) Aftah she has washed 'erself. She'll have a intahco'se wit 'im first befo' she do dat, yo' know. Dat's tuh git 'is nature. An' den she takes dat an' douche herself out right good, yo' know, wit not too much watah - yo' know, wit a very small amount. An' den she set 'im in de stove an' let 'im dry right. (This elderly woman supposed to be good, but she couldn't get her things to- gether. She may have been a little frightened also.)
Entry 3695
He kin go an' git 'im a pound of alum an' git 'im a cloth an' mess wit 'er all he kin an' wash dat cloth in dat alum an' wear it round him.
(Wear it around him?)
ALUM Yes sir, it'll bring 'er to 'im - it'll take dat up. Dat'll kill dat othah [impotence] dead, dat's whut dey say.
Entry 3696
[As ants cause (No.33llf.), so they cure impotence.]
Yo' kin git nine red ants an' boil 'em an' dey will give yo' courage, if yo' drink that tea three times a day.
(If a woman has taken your courage away?) Yes, it will give you courage.
Entry 3697
[To draw blood is a common remedy against witchcraft - see Nos.485-487 and elsewhere in HOODOO. That explains the use of many of the sharp-pointed instruments in hoodoo; the witch being afraid of cutting herself and drawing blood. Penis captivus and impotence, like all ailments and disabilities - in fact just about every misfortune in life - comes from a spell put on you.]
(Well, is there any way of getting them apart?)
De only way to git 'em apart is fer dem to git a ole doctor - young doctor don't know of it, but git a ole doctor. Ah've been told by mah fathah to take a penknife, a penknife an' stick it right in de hollah of de foot, an' den he'll bleed an' dat will disconnect 'im.
(What is a penknife?)
[Even in my boyhood penknife was becoming rare.]
Very small.
Entry 3698
De doctor kin do it by splittin' de bottom of his [patient's] feet.
(To get them apart.)
Yes sir.
Entry 3699
If any confusion come up between 'im an' de woman, an' if it be a fight an' HE DRAW ANY BLOOD FROM 'ER, he would be able aftah dat tuh go wit de [other] woman. See, he git a drop of blood from dat - drawin' any de blood from 'er yo' undahstan', DAT UNBIND 'IM FROM 'ER, an' he go on wit dis [other] woman. (If she tied him up, and he actually draws blood from her, that would kill that [impotence spell].) Kill it.
The informant links drawing blood in a conditional fight account to an alleged release. No actual violence, diagnosis or resulting effect is verified.