Browse:UNNUMBERED OR SPECIAL KNOTS (Volume 3, entries 3466–3481)
UNNUMBERED OR SPECIAL KNOTS
Volume 3, entries 3466–3481. 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 3466
Now a man connect wit 'is wife or woman, whatsomevah it is. He git a bran'-new piece of yellah cotton, unbleached dey call dat. Don' chew discharge, yolet im discharge anketch, yo see. An' yo' take hit an' use a cose [coarse] stran' of black thread, an' yo' tie dat. Yo' fol' dat piece an yo' tie it. Yo' tie it, yo' tie it till evah piece is offa dat spool of thread. Now yo' lie dat right on de side dat he sleep on an' dat keep 'im home. An' dat keep 'im dat he don' want nobody but chew.
(How do you wrap that thread? Away from you like that?)
[My preceding words are an attempt to avoid a leading question.]
No, yo' wrap it to yo', an' tight as beeswax, until evah stran' is offa de spool. An' den yo' put it straightways, 'cuz it's gonna be stiff aftah it's wound tight, an' right on de side dat chew sleep on. An' dat man don' ca' [care] fo' nobody but chew.
Entry 3467
Git holt of a man's pocket han'ke'chuf an' tie it up - lak yo' wish 'im tuh have trouble in two or three places, lak yo' runnin' a business ovah yondah an' want yo' tuh lose, runnin' a farm an' want chew to lose yore farm an' yo' stock. Tie knots to evah - cuss de devil an' God an' tie a knot fo' evah- thin' yo' want done. An' take dat han'ke'chuf an' burn it up, an' dat'll make yo' have hard luck.
Entry 3468
If he's goin' wit 'er, she kin take de measure of 'is a - 'hawk. (What?) His 'hawk, his tomahawk. If it's seven or eight inches, den she t take a string see, an' she measure dat; an' if eight inches, why she tie eight knots in dat an' wears dat in 'er purse.
(What if it's seven inches?)
Jis' tie seven knots. Yes, she kin fix 'im so dat he can't have anything to do wit any othah woman but 'er. [There are 1 or 2 other examples of tomahawk in HOODOO.]
Entry 3469
Yo' take a piece of string, any kin'a string, a cord string mo' spec- ially. An' de length of de string, yo' see, evah inch - if it's nine inches, evah one of dose inches yo' tie a knot to each one of dose inches, yo' see. Git de measure an' den evah inch, tie a knot in it. Well, den dey sav dey could take dat an', yo' know, dey could take it an' tie it on 'em an' carry it wit 'em. An' dat would have yo' to de place dat yo' wouldn't have no feelin's fo' no othah woman, jes' dat one pahtic'lah woman, de one dat do yo' dat way.
Entry 3470
She kin measure him down dere, take an' measure hisself when he 'sleep. An' she kin take a ribbon an' put jes' how long it is, she kin put dat many knots in it an' wear it aroun' 'er lef' laig. An' he cain't do nuthin but wit dat woman.
Entry 3471
Dere's two ways a woman kin fix a man so he couldn't have nobody but 'er. Take a cord string an' measure 'im in 'is sleep an' git de many inches as he is long down dere, yo' see. She take an' tie dem many knots in dere, walk to de side of de house an' WRAP IT AROUN' A NAIL. Well, he kin git ready fo' a woman, but when he git up on 'er - well, he gits down.
(That nail is in the side of the house?)
Yessuh.
Entry 3472
If yo' kin git de measure of a lady or eithah a man, take dat measure an' see how many inches it is an' tie dat many knots in it. An' put it in yore pocket an' she cain't go wit nobody else but 'im, or he couldn't go wit nobody but 'er. (Well, how do they measure a woman?) Dat's very easy. Jes' lak she's layin' down, but git 'sfur [as far] as it'll go up heah, not de hair, where de place start at an' on down where it stops at. Dat's de correct measure. Yo' kin take dat an' bury it, an' she'll follah 'im [you] an' love him [you].
(Bury that hair from below?)
Sho'.
[No, bury the measurement.]
(The man would do that to the woman?)
Man de same - it works both ways. [The measurement of women appears to be fairly rare in hoodoo.]
Entry 3473
When he go tuh sleep a woman take a string an' measure de length of 'i [his body] from de haid to de foot, an' tie jis' as many knots in it as yo' are tall, see, an' tie it aroun' 'er waist. Den she measure yo' othahwise, straight down, jis' de length dat [penis] is. She tie it in a knot an' tie it roun' 'er ankle an' wear it. One roun' one ankle an' one roun' de othah one - den dat roun' 'er waist. [This ambiguous statement sounds like 3 places the cause of my close questioning that soon follows.] Yo' cain't have no nature fo' no othah woman. (With THE FIRST STRING SHE MEASURES FROM THE HEAD TO THE FOOT? And tie as many knots?) As yo' [he] is high - de height of 'em, see. Yo' kin take dat string an' measure his height by dat string.
(You have to put a knot at each foot?)
No, yo' jis' take de string jis' how many foot yo' is an' put dem little knots in dere. Don't make no diff'rence whereabouts yo' put 'em, jis' yo' tie 'em in dere.
(Where does she wear that string then?)
She wear it roun' 'er waist.
(WHAT DOES SHE DO WITH THE OTHER STRING?)
Take de othah string an' measure othahwise, yo' undahstan' - de privates, yes- suh.
(The second piece of string, and she only ties one knot in that?)
"Cordin' tuh how long he is, jis' de length of it.
(For how long?)
Ah dunno, jis' as many knots - yo' see jis' lak if it's seven inches lak dat, yo' puts seven knots in it.
(Where does she wear that?)
Aroun' 'er ankle, eithah one. Or she have tuh put it roun' both 'er ankles, one on each foot.
(SHE'S GOT THESE TWO STRINGS THEN?)
Yessuh.
(She only uses the string for measurements?)
Yessuh. (You say the man can do the same thing to the woman.)
Entry 3474
Ah ties 'er against 'em.
(You what?)
Against de othahs.
(What do they say about that?)
Well, it's - lots of 'em will take an' use a cord string. If yo' can't git a good cord string, yo' kin some stuff dey call catgut - see, if yo' kin make it long enough. An' yo' dresses dat stuff wit 'er when yo' have intahco'se wit 'er. An' if ah wanta be away from dere four weeks, ah put four knots in dere an' I keep dem knots tied [around my waist - see later].
(What will that do?)
Jes' lak evah day, why yo' take a man he step off sometime, lak he wanta uri- nate or somepin. Yo' go, why yo' jes' take dis han', yo' know, sometime, an' urinate in 'is han' an' kin'a keep dat string aroun"is waist livened up. Jes' lak, [you are] goin' away, befo' yo' put it [string or catgut] on yo', jes' lak fo' instance, ah have dis night-glass [empty glass jar] or somepin settin' behin' on dis floor. Well, he not supposed to use dat, if he wanta dress dat string. He takes hisself an' let 'er use an' he wets dat in dere, takes it out an' puts it on 'im. Well, he ties dem knots in it first. An' aftah tyin' dem knots in it - well, dat will keep 'er straight prob'ly till he gits back.
(And how many knots do you tie in that string?)
Well, now, yo' have - it's accordin' if yo' goin' to be gone six weeks, well yo' put six knots in dat. If yo' be gone four weeks, yo' put four knots in it.
Entry 3475
They tie knots in a string. If they get a new cord, you see, and tie that, and that's for to make a man or a woman come under their control. They wear that around the waist. You doesn't buy a new ball [of string] for that. Just like you go to the grocery store or some store, you see, and you take it and just break you off a piece the length that you want. And each knot that you tie you make your wish, vbatever that you wish 'em to do. If you wish 'em to get the money, or wish for them to stay away from a certain home, or you wish for 'em to come to your home all the time, each knot that you tie you make a wish. And then the last knot that chew tie, if yo' want 'em to come under your control, you wish then for them to come under your control, to be controlled by you and you alone. And then you tie that around your waist, you see, and wear it. You do that on the last quar- ter of the moon.
Entry 3476
A woman kin git a man's seap [penis] an' measure it. Don't measure yo' roun' but measure disaway [lengthwise], an' war [wear]. Put a hole in a silvah dime an' put dis string [used in measuring] through dis silvah dime, an' war dat cord aroun' 'er leg [left ankle]. An' as long as she war dat cord dis man would nevah have no dealin's wit dat [any other] woman - no feelin's fuh 'er.
Entry 3477
Men and women?
(Yes.)
A woman dat anothah man - dat she got a husban' an' anothah woman wants dis man. Well, she can persuade, she kin make him lose his nature fer 'is wife an' have all de nature fer her by buyin' a square of yellah domestic-lak. De yellah domestic is de only kin' dat'll do. An' when she has connec- tions wit dis man she lets 'im use dat yellah domestic. An' she ties it in a knot jes' as tight as she kin tie it where the spots are. An' she puts it undah de side of de bed dat she lies on, an' sleeps right on dat knot, an' she has 'im tied up where 'is wife can't git any service outa 'im at all. He can't do any- thing at home. De only time he kin do anything is when he come an' lie on de side of de bed where dat piece of domestic is. She lies right on dat when she has dealings wit 'im an' he can't git up any courage fer anybody but 'er. He naturally mistakes dat fer love an' leaves 'is wife an' comes to her.
Entry 3478
Yo' take a string an' measure de man while he's 'sleep an' measure de length of 'im, if he's a normal man. Yo' tie dat to de springs to yore bed. He nevah kin stretch out unless'n he's in dat bed.
Entry 3479
Even if she want 'im an' don't want 'im tuh mess wit no othah wimmins de cloth whut dey connect wit, she ties dat on de springs of 'er bed, throw 'er mattress ovah it, an' he can't go wit nobody but 'er.
Entry 3480
Jes' lak yo' a man an' yo' wife wuz runnin' aroun' - jes' lak a man would run aroun'. Well, when he sleep, de woman could take a cord string an' measure de end of 'is thing an' tie it on de slat undah de bed slat, an' he couldn't mess wit nobody but 'er.
Entry 3481
Takes yo' a piece of string an' measure de root from de end up to yore stomach, an' take it an' tie it aroun' a li'le bottle an' set it up ovah yo' do. An' hit'll - a man can't have no othah woman but 'is ole lady.
(The woman would do this?)
Yes sir.