Browse:Penny (Volume 1, entries 1412–1417)
Penny
Volume 1, entries 1412–1417. 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 1412
Jes' lak if yo' got a boil or anything come on yo' dat de doctors can't cure it. (It usually comes from what?) It's some witchcraft or somepin lak that. Well, yo' use a penny.
(How would you use that?)
Well, yo' take dat penny an' for instance jes' lak yo' fix a poultice - it may be a salt poultice, it may be a poultice of snuff, or [corn] meal, or either a piece of bacon; well, yo' lay it on dere - or either a frog. Yo' may even cut a frog open an' lay it on dere. A frog supposed tuh draw out any kinda poison or a sore or anything like dat dat's not nachur'l. [For frog in cures, see No. 1263, p.441f., and Index.] Well, yo' take dat penny an' yo' lay it next tuh dat place where yo' place dat frog or anything [poultice] whut chew put ovah it - on top of it - hit will draw it out.
Entry 1413
If yo' had de cramps so bad yo' can't hardly walk, take a nail an' drive a hole in a penny an' tie it roun' yore laig an' go on. Long as yo' live dat cramp'll not worry yo' no mo'.
Entry 1414
Heard of 'em usin' a penny for such as drawin' poison out of yore feet, if yo' stick a nail or somepin in yore feet. Yo' set a penny on it an' dat will draw it out.
Entry 1415
Say fo' instance anybody wanted to harm me. Ah would take a penny an' place it into de middle of mah foot an' ah would wear dis penny all de time. Ah would put a dime - a silver dime up above mah knee, see - an' dere ain't nuthin yo' kin do. Ah kin walk ovah anything wit dat dime wit a hole in it round mah laig.
(Would you wear that penny, too?)
Could wear de penny - could keep de penny in de bottom of yore shoe, see. Yore left shoe.
Entry 1416
Now, jest like someone is harmin' you, you kin take a penny and take it and knock a hole troo it and have a frog. Ah don't know if you know what a frog is. And cut dis frog open and place de penny in before you knock de hole in it. Cover de frog back together tight, and after covering de frog back, you let it stay fer about thirty or forty minutes. Den take dis frog out - [I mean] take de penny out of de frog, bore a hole in de penny, take a cord and take dis penny and tie one round yore ankle and tie another one around de other ankle. Jes' like the wimmin keep people from hurting them - they take a dime and bore a hole in that dime and put one dime on one laig and one dime on the other laig, and then that will keep anybody from poisoning them or any kind of thing. Protection to the body. An' dat's de way wit de penny.
Entry 1417
Suppose that someone did something to you. You nail a penny to de head of yore door or you sleep with three pennies to de head of your bed - any bed [in which you sleep]. You gota take a piece of cloth and sleep with de three pennies at de head of yore bed when you go to sleep and you'll wake up and den you move that away from you. See, jest like I'm speaking to you now, de man [who hoodooed you] will come to you and rap - speak to you and tell you dey [there] by de mattress [I mean] by de three pennies to de head of yo' bed. (He will tell you what he has done to you. He raps. How many times does he rap?) Three times.