Browse:Witch's Ring (Volume 1, entries 464–476)
Witch's Ring
Volume 1, entries 464–476. Source context: SPIRITS → THE HAG - WITCH IN HAG FORM. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 464
I heard of a man, his wife she would go out hag-riding every night. And that night when she came in, her husband was in the horse stable when she brought the horse in. And when she opened the door he cut her finger off with the ring and he got that. She would go to the stable and get the prettiest white horse he had in there. And when he cut her finger off it dropped and he got the ring, she rushed to the house. And when he went in she were in bed. Next morning when he got up she had her finger tied up. So he asked what was the matter with her hand. She said she cut it. So then he asked her where was her ring. And then she said her finger was sore and her finger was gone. So then he asked her where was the finger. She didn't know where the finger was at. So he taken the finger and ring and showed them to her and told her, "This is the ring I gave you. You've been out hag-riding with my horse. I were in the stable when you came in. You don't need to worry because I'm going to kill you." And he killed her.
Entry 465
An old lady one time, her husband had give her a gold ring. She use to go out every night witch-riding. So that night when she went out and when she got out of her skin, she left her skin laying on the floor. So while she was gone her husband came home and he saw this skin on the floor. And he picked it up and he recognized the ring on it. So he took the ring off and put it away. So when she came that night and was in bed - no, he didn't say anything to her that night. So the next morning when he got up he asked her where was the ring. She said she had put it away. He told her to go and get it. She never did go and get the ring. So finally he asked her at midday to get the ring again. And she wouldn't get it. So the next night he asked her again where was her ring. And she wouldn't get it. So then he took the ring out of his pocket and asked her what was it doing on there with her skin. So he found out that she was a hag-rider. So then he burnt her up.
Entry 466
Ah heard dat a wumman jumped out de skin an' - it was in slav'ry times - say, ev'rytime dey'd go out dere yo' see, dey said dere would be a white gyp dog; a white dog would be trottin' round all de time, ev'rytime. Said, at last one mawnin' dere was a man took a axe an' chunked it at dat dog an' cut one of his laigs off - de front laig off. An' dey say dey picked it up an' it turned back to a nachur'l han'. An' dey went in an' tole - de han' had a gold di'mon' ring on it, an' dey showed it to de marster an' he tole 'em, say, dat look lak mah wife's han', an' dey went in dere an' he tole 'er, "Lemme see yah han'." An' it Was her han'.
Entry 467
They said there was some men traveling and they had no place to stay: They came to this house. This man told them there was a house there and there couldn't nobody stay in it. He give them some matches to make them a fire, he give them some potatoes and said they could roast them if they Wanted to. They made a fire and roasted these potatoes. Something came down the chimley and scratched the fire out. They had nerve enough to make the fire again. They scratched the fire out again. They decided they Wouldn't make the fire again. They blowed the light out. They lit the lamp and they blowed that out. They said they wouldn't light the lamp again. So they laid down to go to sleep. One man watched. After awhile a whole lot of people came in and began to dance. Then they went out and brought the card table in and began to play cards. Then they went out. And after awhile - this man was still watching - the door flew open. He fastened the door and the door flew open a second time. He fastened it a third time and the door blew open again. Then he happened to look up and this cat had her paw through the door. He said, "Now, I'm going to get that." He got up and goes around the side of the house and taken his knife and whacked off the paw. The ring dropped on the floor. He taken the ring up and put it in his pocket. So the next morning he walks on up to the house and this man says, "Well, you made a night of it." He says, "Yes sir." He said, "Well, did you see anything?" He said, "A plenty. There's one thing I want to tell you. Look what I got," and he held the ring up. He said, "Let me see that. Do you mind if I show this to my wife?" 'Not at all if you bring it back." So he went upstairs. And his wife was in bed. He said, "Haven't you got up yet?" She said, "Go away, I don't feel well." He said, "Look, I got something to show you." "Go on away from here, I don't want to see nothing." He pulled her over and took her by her hand and her finger was gone. That was his wife's ring. He said, "Well, if that's what you are, I'm going." So he left her. I heard that story ever since I was a little girl [in Orange County, Virginia,1886].
Entry 468
I remember one time about a shoemaker. He had a wife and three children. And one night this shoemaker was at his work late. So another woman went to the shoemaker's wife's home and began to talk to her, and as they began to talk, one says to the other, "Leave us transform ourselves." And they did so. And they turned to cats and went down to the shoe shop where her husband was working. And after they got there they set and watched him work on the shoes. And one of the cats pawed at this man, and while she did it, he grabbed a shoe knife and hacked at this cat with the knife and cut one of the cat's forefeet off. He left it standing there and the cats went away and he didn't see them any more. While he Was at his Work, the foot being lying on the floor, he got ready to go home. He picked up the foot and looked at it. And while he had it in his hand the foot turned to a natural hand. And on this hand was a ring. It was the engagement ring he had gave his wife before he married her, not knowing that he had married a hag.
Entry 469
"I heard a story of a man who had a mill. The miller died that owned the mill. There couldn't nobody work in that mill. They could go there all right in the day but at night there couldn't nobody stay there. This woman that owned the mill was a witch and turned into a cat. This cat would just dance around and all at once she would light on whoever was staying at the mill at night. So nobody couldn't stay there. One man said, "I'll stay there." He went to the mill. He had a very sharp knife. And when this cat commenced to dancing around and around he watched her. She lit on him and he cut her front paw off. It was the man's
[dead miller] wife's hand with a gold ring on.
Entry 470
An old witch used to worry the miller. He sat one night for to catch her. She came in the form of a cat. She put her paw through the hole to raise the latch up and he took a knife and chopped it off. She had her gold ring on her finger. He took the ring and carried it to her husband next morning and this finger. And he looked at the ring and knowed the ring, and he said, "This is my wife's ring." And he went upstairs and she was in the bed with her hand wrapped up. And he asked her what was the matter and she told him, "Nothing." He told her, "There is something the matter, '' and showed her the ring and said, "Ain't this your ring?" She tried to deny it but he wouldn't let her. I heard that he killed her.
Entry 471
I have heard that a miller was at his mill one night grinding corn. There was a big cat came in and put its paws upon him. He was setting down. So he took his knife and cut this cat's paw off. After awhile he began to examine it, and instead of seeing a cat's paw, it was a woman's hand. So when he goes home next morning he found his wife in bed. He asked her what was the matter. And she said she didn't feel very good. So he goes and turns the cover down and looks. And he had cut her finger off that had her engagement ring on. So his wife was a witch. That was down in Culpeper [County, Virginia] some place. They say it was done there.
Entry 472
Well, they tell me a man once lived by himself and there must have been a woman who had something against him for she turned herself into a witch and the form she taken was a cat, a black cat. So the man when he come in from work, he set down to eat, and the cat would grab at his food. He would just shoo the cat away. Finally the cat continued to do so and he kinda got angry and took his knife and when the cat grabbed at him again he chopped off his paw. When he chopped off the paw the cat disappeared. He was holding the paw of the cat and it turned into a woman's hand. So he decided to investigate. Next day he heard of this woman being sick who he knew. So he decided to visit her. So he went there to enquire of her what was the trouble. And she said, "Oh, nothing." And he said, "What's the matter with your hand?" She had it covered. She said, "Nothing." Then he pulled the cover back and found her hand was missing.
Entry 473
I can tell you one thing in my childhood days about a witch. There was a cat and it used to come and set right down on the hearth. And the cook would be cooking. She did that for weeks in and weeks out. She said, "I wonder why that old cat hangs around here every morning? I can't get rid of her." She said, "Never mind, I'm going to get rid of her. Some morning I'm going to have the poker and set it right here and I'm going to cut her feet out from under her." That went on maybe for a month or so. The cat came in, set down right in the corner, it was cool weather, very, just sat there. And the cook had that fire iron setting off there. The first time she got that cat's eye on her she grabbed that poker and swung it like that [in a sweep] and cut one foot off. It wasn't a foot no longer, it was a hand. It had real beautiful rings on it and she knew it was madam's hand that had the rings. I heard that told when I was a child [about 1866 near Elizabeth City, North Carolina]. That was in the morning. Then she took the breakfast from the kitchen and carried it on to the great house and served it there. After putting it on the table the boss [the master] came in and madam didn't come. The cook said, "Where's Miz Sarah?" He said, "She doesn't feel well this morning." So we went in to speak to her. In the meantime she had her hand all covered and wrapped over. She was never able to see that hand. The cat went on about its business. They never saw that cat come back. The cat went on. I can't remember just how long she stayed there, the cook, but they got rid of the cook. She was too smart. They claim she [the madam] turned into a witch. This cook knew about it and she said, "If there's any such thing as witches, I am going to find out." So that was the morning she found out.
Entry 474
I have heard that there was a man, his wife would be gone every night to a ball or a dance. The husband came to the party and asked for a drink of wine. The cat waited on him. It seems in some way or another she didn't satisfy him and he cut her paw off. It was a finger with a ring on. When he got back home he said to his wife, "Let me see that hand." And the finger with her wedding ring on was cut off.
Entry 475
Well, I know once, a witch used to ride a woman - a man, it was. You would like for to hear dis story'
(No, I never heard it - yes, yes, I'd like to hear it.)
Once dere was a boy he was traveling through de country and he went to a rich farmer's home and he asked him, said, "Mister, could you give me a place to stay tonight?" He says to him, said, "Yes, I got a big place over yonder," he said, "if you kin stay over dere," he say, "I'll give you dat place - you kin have it." He said, "Well, I'll go over dere and see kin I stay." He said, "It's really ha'nted, '' he say, "I never knowed no one to go there and stay." He say, "Well, I'll go try." So he cut up some wood dat day what he carried in to her and she fixed supper for him, and den she give him an old lamp and a little oil to go tc make him a fire, or so he could have a little lamp burning sittin' up dere by himself. Sittin' up dere by himself he started to burn dis old lamp. And after while, he had him some beans an' he ete up all dem beans. And after while he looked and he saw five black cats was coming down de stairs - looked to him they had a coffin totin' of it, and he'd taken his [New] Testament and begin to read it upside downwards. And the next thing walked in was five chickens. He's still reading - still reading. And the next thing he looked and saw a cat dipping his paw in de wash basin tryin' to put de light out.
(He what?)
The cat had his paw - putting it in de water, trying to slap de light out - splashing de water trying to put de light out - he still reading. And after while he looked and saw dis cat and he seed a ring on de cat's paw and he grabbed de hatchet, you know, and chopped de paw off and had taken it up and put it in his pocket with de ring on it. Well, de next morning he went up to de boss' house and spoke to him. De boss say, "Well, I'm surprised to see you here alive." He say, "Yes," say, "well, I made out all right but I had a hard time - [he's ahead of his story] - but jest before he gets: dere [to the boss], a little low-sided, gray-headed man walked in, which was a ghost. Well, dis boy -
(What kind of a man?)
A little short gray-headed man - about three foot high with beard hanging down to his shoe-top. Dis boy say, "What in the Name of the Lord, the Father, and the Son do you want here?" And dis ghost says, "You follow me," said, "I've got a fortune for you." Well, de boy went on down in a old out-house way down into de basement and he [ghost] put a mark down and he say, "You dig down here and you'll find a fortune." Well, de boy, he marked dis place and after he marks it, he waited till the moon got right - on the growing of de moon, he started to plan for to dig at dis place. Den he goes up to de house and the old man [the boss] says, "I'm surprised to see you livin'." He says, "Well, I had a hard time but I made it all right." Well, he told de boy he could have the place, which he gave de place to him, and de boy he run his hand in his pocket and passed him dis ring. De old man lqoked at the ring and says, "Seem lak I know dis ring." His wife was in bed very sick. Well, he got de doctor for her. When de doctor rech for her hand, she 'fused to pass him her right hand and give him de left hand. Well, why she give him de left hand? "Cause de right hand was chopped, you see, which had de finger cut off in de shape of a cat, for she was a witch, you see, but dis man didn't know she was a witch. Well, he made her hand her right hand and he happen to see de finger all chopped up dere and the hand being bloody. He wanted to know what was de trouble. He happen to look at de ring and he found it was de ring dat boy give him, and dey found out she to be a hag. Well, de old man got a little troubled den and got to worryin' over it. An ole riddle says, "He sent 'er out jes' as fur as men an' water could take 'er" - he got rid of 'er. An' dis boy he begin to dig down dere and he find a whole lot of silver and gold, what de spirit had give him.
(Where did you hear that story?)
Well, I heard dis story in North Carolina, down in Bertie County.[ Norfolk, Va., (466), 463:10; Doctor Paul Bowes.]
Entry 476
There was a man annoyed every night by being rid by a witch. He thought it was a certain woman who hated him through jealousy and worried every night. He did everything he could to prevent this witch from riding him. Finally one night he was ridden by this witch. He looked and he saw a woman sitting on the side of his bed, whom he knew very well, the same woman whom he had suspected. He struck at her with a pair of scissors and cut the end of her finger off. She then turned into a cat and went out the door with one of her paws cut off. Next morning a daughter of this lady's came over to the house and said her mother had one of her fingers cut off and she didn't know what happened. There's no doubt this Woman Was a witch in the form of a cat. [Fredericksburg, Va., (35), Ed.; happened (!) at White Oak,7 miles from Fredericksburg.]