Browse:KNOTS THREE (Volume 3, entries 3512–3532)
KNOTS THREE
Volume 3, entries 3512–3532. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → CAUSES OF SEXUAL IMPOTENCE → KNOTS AND TYING. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 3512
If chew have a man or a husban' an' he's runnin' out somewhere, jes' lak yo' been mate tuhgethah yo' jes' take dat stuff an' tie in a little string an' tie it roun' yore waist, an' when he go back tuh dis lady he can't mate ag'in. [See margin title SPIRIT CAUGHT IN KNOT, p.389.]
Entry 3513
Well, he jes' takes 'er an' when he deal wit 'er he takes 'is hans'- scuff, takes a ten cents linen pocket hans'scuff, not a cotton hans'scuff, an' he use dat. Well, yo' know what. He takes dat an' ties three knots, ball it, an' stick it in 'is pocket an' take it on wit 'im. When he come back she be dere jes' lak she wus when he lef' 'er - if he take dat wit 'im.
Entry 3514
Well, if yo' be's wit a man, an' de cloth dat yo' use, yo' take dat cloth an' let it be a new cloth an' tie three knots in it, an' jes' put it anywhere where de air don't git to it.
Entry 3515
Dat's fo' anybody tuh do anything to yo', see, lak if yo' go wit a woman, yo' know, an' anothah woman, see, dey have yo' tricked an' dey wear it roun' dere waist. Jes' lak a string, any kinda string dey wear roun' dere waist. Dey tie three knots in dere an' wear it roun' dere waist.
(What do they do with that string first or that cloth?)
Dey do nuthin but take a plain knot an' tie it. [Wilson, N. Car., (1456) 2647.
Entry 3516
If a man leaves home an' a woman wants a man back, he's easy tuh git back. It's very easy tuh git 'im back. She haven't got anything tuh do but go 'head an' have a intahco'se wit 'im an' when dey have intahco'se wit 'im an' git de measure of 'is, yo' undahstan', an' den she'll tie three knots in dat string an' ca'y [carry] it aroun' 'er waist. Ain't no way in de world he kin git up anothah heart fo' anothah woman. He goin' come back where she is.
Entry 3517
[When yo' at home at night, yo' an' yore wife or sweetheart, somepin lak dat. Well, she takes a string, see while yo' sleep, an' put it round yore thing; roun' dere, see, an' git de measure from it. An' dey say if she tie three knots in dat string an' wear it up undah her clothes, right nex' to her skin, say she have yo' tied up den where yo' can't have no discharge wit anothah woman.
Entry 3518
Yo' kin keep 'im from goin' wit a woman. Git chew a cord string an' measure 'im, hisself yo' know, an' yo' git de length of 'im, an' den yo' measure aroun' 'is waist [the thickness or circumference], an' tie a knot in it, see. (You get the measure around his waist with the same string or a different De same one. Look heah. Yo' see [demonstrates] de string is long, an' yo' measure it sompin lak dat, an' yo' tie a knot at dis end an' yo' tie one in de middle. An' yo' done tie it dat far roun' yo' see. Den yo' take an' measure dat dis way. (The same as the length.) Yes, an' tie a knot dere, an' den yo' tie it all de way aroun' yore waist an' den [or] yo' wear it aroun' yores right in yore laigs an' dat keeps 'im from - he cain't do it wit anyone else. [This should probably be classified under 4 knots, usually reserved for the 4 corners of a handkerchief. Here, however: lst knot is tied in the end of the string; 2nd at end of length; 3rd at end of added circumference; and 4th about the waist.]
Entry 3519
Well. dey take a cord string, lak a. twine string, an' take de length of 'is private. Well, yo' make three knots right in de middle of dat, dat'll keep 'im from: bein' wit somebody else. It will fall evah time he go wit somebody else same as a [dishrag?]. (What does she do with that string, then?) Take dat string an' keep it, wears aroun' 'er waist.
Entry 3520
[Informant's opening words answering a question of mine were probably something like, "She could measure him." I then turn on recording machine:] (How would she measure him?) Well, take a cord string an' ketch 'im when he's sleep or sompin an' measure him, an' tie three knots in it an' put de othah knot in 'er back an' [to] hang it [round her waist]. Put three knots in it an' tie de othah knot - de last knot tie dat string in 'er back, de third knot. [In other words, that third knot, that middle knot, she puts right in the mid- dle of her back, and then ties the string around her.] Yes. [This is an untied string with two knots of the measure to the front. A third knot appears when she ties the two loose ends of the string at back of her waist.]
Entry 3521
[The following rite is a good example of what happens when you do not turn on or have turned off your machine because informant is "less than fair" - so evaluated at the time. When I ask for a repe- tition of the rite, here is usually what happens - I have to drag it out of informant.] (She takes a cord string and measures a man, how long, and she puts a knot in each end.) In each end.
(And then she puts it in turpentine, you say, and wears it around her waist.)
Around her waist.
[Here, tying string about her waist makes the third knot.]
(And he is no good with other women.)
No, no good whatever.
Entry 3522
Well, that's so he can't have anothah woman.
(Well, how would she do that?)
She jis' take a string offa some of 'er clothes an' measure dis man, an' den take anothah string an' tie onto it, long enough to reach aroun 'er waist, an tie three knots in it an' wear it aroun' 'er waist. An' as long as she got dat aroun' 'er waist, he can't have anothah woman. (I see.)
Entry 3523
Well, de way yo' know dat I undahstan' it, jes' lak if yo' have intahco'se, yo' undahstan'. Well dey'd take dat, dat same piece. Well dey'd be careful an' try to git de edge of it, yo' see. Well dey got some of yores, pref'rence. An' ketch yore urine, yo' know, an' git deres what wuz on dere. An' dey jis' tie a little string on it an' tie three knots in it, an' put dat aroun' dere waist an' wear it fer nine days.
(What will happen?)
Well dat controls yo' to dem.
Entry 3524
In case ah wanta make love to a woman - now ah go to dis woman an' make love to her an' git part of 'er "nature", de same as mah "nature", an' tie a string into three knots an' put it up ovah her do', or undah her front do'step where she have to walk ovah it. Ah make love to her. She only once walk ovah it three steps forwards an' I take it up 'fore she walk back ovah it. Ah have her trapped.
(What do you do with her nature and your nature?)
Take dat an' keep it, wear it roun' yore waist three weeks. (Well, what do you do with this string? You make three knots in the string or what?) In a string or eithah in a rag.
(What do you do with the string I mean? Is anything done to the string?)
De string - dat's it, bury it.
(How do you use that string?)
Fold it - wrap it up into a small piece of papah. Yo' take a string an' tie it - use de nature lak yo' an' a woman have "purgements" togethah, an' yo' take de string an' tie three knots in it.
(You wipe with the string.)
[Here we have a definite statement of the folklore belief about what happens in coitus; both man and woman have purgements together. To purge means to cleanse, to purify the impure or undesirable. I am certain my informant equates purgement with ejaculation or emission, not with something impure. A man's pur- gement is semen, a collection of so-called seeds. A real seed, of course, is complete in itself, needing only a soil or place in which to grow, and nurishment. These latter says folklore are what the woman's purgement supplies, a suitable liquid for the growth and development of man's so-called seed. It never occurred to folklore and earlier medicine that a man's so-called seed was incomplete; that it became a true seed only by uniting with a woman's ovum or egg. Before uniting, the single successful semen and ovum had been single separate cells; but after union they became one new cell, which immediately split into two cells and many others. What the woman purges according to folklore is part of 'er "nature", de same as mah "nature". She certainly does not ejaculate ovah to meet the ejacu- lated semen.]
Entry 3525
(You tie three knots into a string. Yes?) Ah show yo' now. Yo' ties in dat string dem knots, dey got chew tied - yo' can't leave yo' see.
(Well, would they do anything else with that string first?)
No, don't do nuthin else wit it. Dey will git a piece of yore hair aroun' yore private, yeah, an' tie it in dere, an' yo' can't - see now, dat's three knots in dere an' yo' can't leave. Yo' can't go wit no othah woman but de one.
(Well, what do you do? Tie that hair into that string? Tie it in the knot?)
Knot. Tie 'em in a hard knot.
(Well, they use a piece of string though?)
Yassuh, dey roll it up dere, roll de string once on it, tie 'em. Den she wear 'em roun' 'er...
(Round her, near her privates?)
Yes.
literal tying of hair into string/hard knots, with an attributed partner-restriction effect. Keep private-area hair and the limited no-other-woman/cannot-leave claim as the source presents them; do not convert them into proven impotence. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Read full source (printed page 2432) · Read full source (printed page 2433)
Entry 3526
Take a bran'-new pocket han'ke'ch'ef, white han'ke'ch'ef, an' jis' lak a woman an' a man be tuhgethah yo' know, an' let 'im have intahco'se an' she not have nuthin, an' jis' dry 'im wit de han'ke'- ch'ef. Tie it in three straight knots, yo' know, catahcornah. Jis' tie it in dem three knots an' put it right undah de mattress on de side where he sleep at, an' dat'll stop 'im from runnin' roun'.
Entry 3527
Listen, dat is fo' a man an' woman dat has sexual intahco'se tuhgethah. Now, dis man perhaps wants tuh fix dat woman so she kin be wit no othah man. She wanta fix 'im so he can't be wit no othah woman. Yo' take yo' a piece of new homespun dat's nevah been used. Yo' take it tuh bed wit yo' an' use it an' take dat an' yo' put it catahcornah - lak yo' would a han'- ke'ch'ef, three-cornahed-lak. Yo' tie one knot right in de middle [at the apex of the triangle] an' one near each end [each angle of the base]. An' yo' take it an' yo' go undah yore bed an' tie it undah de middle part of de springs or de slat - jis' tie it an' leave it dere. [This tying under the center of the bed creates a fourth knot, also a quin- cunx made with a triangle.]
(That's all you have to do.)
Entry 3528
When a woman wanta make a man lose his nature, dat's by ovahfeedin' 'im wit dis monthly - a man, dey take his discharge an' take de pocket han'ke'ch'ef an' iron [it], tie three knots in it, an' throw it in de bottom of de trunk. He wouldn't fool wit 'em, not until he dead. (With any other woman.) No more good. All 'is nature will go to his head, an' den he'll come to be a man usin' wit 'is mouth. Dat's why a lotta fellahs use wit dey mouth an' can't use down below here, becuz dey nature is taken away from dem. [In hoodoo every ailment and misfortune, including impotence, is caused by a spell or conjuration.]
(They use this nature on the handkerchief and iron it.)
Iron it an' put three knots in it.
Entry 3529
[Put the towel] with watah an' put it into a [chamber] pot an' soak it - boil it an' steam it through de top an' dat will keep yo' home an' cut yore nature from any othah man or eithah de woman, see.
(What will they do with that towel then, after they finish with that towel?) Rolls it up very tight - roll it togethah tight an' tie it in three places on de top [of the rolled towel]. (Tie it in three places on the top?)
Yes suh, an' stick it into a trunk or eithah to a slit [in the house], anywhere dey have a mind to put dat towel up, aftah dey done steam dis chamber lye through it.
(What will they do with that chamber lye then that was left in the pot?)
Throw it out de way de sun goes down.
Entry 3530
Mah gran'mothah tole me dis, an' I don't know whethah it's true or not. She wuz ole, I think she musta knowed. Said yo' take yo' a bran'-new pocket han'ke'chuf an', when yo' have connection wit 'im an' yo' - know how yo' do - yo' bring it towards yo' three times an' wish. Make a wish yo' know so he will nevah bothah about nobody. An' yo' take dat pocket han'ke'chuf lak dis, an' tie three knots in it, an' wish all de while yo' tie dem knots in it, an' take it an' bury it undah de doorstep. An' yo' go on in de house an' long as dat is dere, he can't bothah wit, make no love wit no othah woman but chew.
Entry 3531
Yo' kin keep yore husban' from a woman lak dat, he cain't raise up fo' a [another] woman. Yo' kin take a bran'-new cord string an' name it 'im, an' perhaps while he's sleep, yo' measure him, an' yo' tie three knots comin' to yo', an' yo' tell it whut chew don' want 'im tuh do. Den yo' take dat an' tie it an' wear it aroun' yore wais'. He cain't raise up fo' nobody but chew.
Entry 3532
She measure his privates an' git de measure of 'is privates, an' git de length of 'is privates, how it is den, an' tie three knots in de back of de string an' three knots in de front, an' tie it aroun' 'er wais' where it'll come 'cross 'er privates lak dat. It'll cause him tuh come back home tuh 'er. An' if he don't come back home ag'in, he druthah [rather] come aroun' 'er an' be wit 'er, if he's wit somebody else; but he'll nevah git de thrill outa othah people dat he will [with] 'er. He'll come back an' fo'th tuh 'er. She wears three knots right in de front of dat thing, an' three knots in de back, an' ties it roun' de side down heah [side depending on whether tier is right or left handed].
(She ties a piece of string to this piece?)
Naw, jis' a piece of cord string, see. [This means that her original string was long enough to be tied about her Waist.]