Browse:Lye (Volume 1, entries 1377–1383)
Lye
Volume 1, entries 1377–1383. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → FOLK MEDICINE → CURE AND PROTECTION. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 1377
[Hoodoo lye is almost always Red Devil or Red Seal commercial brands, the former more frequent than the latter, and both bearing pictorial labels of symbolic significance - magic and legal approval.] If they find a red spider on the steps, they get lye, concentrated lye. Red Devil Iye they call it - it's the same kind but they get the kind that's got the red devil on it. They seem to think that the devil will have some effect on it, but you see it's nothing - that's only the man's trademark. But dey don't even seem to realize that. Well, they'll scrub that porch off with it and sprinkle sulphur and sugar around - burn it, you know. And they'll burn sulphur on an ole shoe sole. That's to dispel the witchcraft that people will put down.
Entry 1378
Git a can of potash - Devil Lye. Yo' hear talk of Devil Lye with the devil with the red head on the can of potash. Git chew nine nails - ten-penny nails an' git - put in nine new needles, dese goldeye needles. Bury it in de center of de gate. Dat's to turn back de devil-like - dat's if anybody tryin' tuh hurt cha.
(What do you do with these needles and nails? Where do you put them?)
Put them on top of that can of potash in the gate, when yo' bury it about that deep.
Entry 1379
Is dey botherin' yo', whut shall yo' do? Well, yo' shall git yo' a can of Red Seal Lye. See, yo' take dat Red Seal Lye an' yo' git chew a tablespoon of sugah an' yo' git chew two or three drops of Jockey Club Perfume an' yo' take that an' yo' go all aroun' yore house an' aroun' the edges of yore po'ch, lak this. Jes' sprinkle it all around in all de corners as yo' come in yore house, an' yo' take jes' a little of that ley an' throw two or three grains up in each corner, an' that keeps 'em away.
Entry 1380
Ah heard 'em tell of - say if anybody got poisoned or put down anything fo' yo' an' yo' don't wanta move, yo' jes' git chew two ten-cent can of potash, Red Devil Iye, an' at twelve a'clock in de night yo' dig a hole as deep as yore elbow - measure yore hand all down - gotta do it exactly at twelve though. An yo' bury a can of dat potash an' git chew a brand-new box of cookin' salt.
(Where do you bury that potash?)
Tuh de gate - between de gate an' de steps, at twelve a'clock in de night.
(That's just one can?)
Yo' put one can dere an' a fresh box of salt whut chew have nevah nused any of it.... Yo' dig dat hole an' yo' put dat potash down in dere an' po' dat cookin' salt, de whole box, on top of it tuh yore front an' yore back. Ah don't care whut it is dey put down round dere, dat potash will eat it up. It can't hurt chew - can't harm yo'.
Entry 1381
Dat a very cheap thing, dat lye. Take dat lye an' open de can an' bury it at de foot of de front steps when yo' comin' out, an' bury it at de foot of de back steps. Aftah de lye is sot down, no witchcraft whatevah kin take yo' in, because it eats it all up. See, it cain't set in.
Entry 1382
Now, if anyone try tuh harm yo' or anything lak dat in yore home, yo' heah talk of dis Red Devil Iye. Well, yo' goes tuh work an' git chew - put one tuh de fust: gate chew git in, right as yo' come inside yore gate, an' de nex' yo go tuh work an' put one on dis side of de step an' one on de othah side an' den yo' kin put one right settin' in de middle of de steps. Dat'll keep 'em out.
Entry 1383
Git chew a box of [Red] Devil Lye an' bury one at chure step, one at each corner yore house or either at each corner of yore yard where yo' comes in an' go out, an' bluestone an' brimstone, but open de top of it an' put de brim- stone an' bluestone an' de red peppah on de top. Yo' see, dat's good tuh keep 'em away, kill out all de germs an' everything an' take care of de home. It will destroy all dat wus dere.