Subject:Crossroads
A source-described road junction, crossroads or fork of a road used substantively as a locus, route, encounter or source of material. Include unspecified forks only with the source wording visible and geometry left unspecified.
Entries
Entry 9206
Well, if yo' wanta do anybody any harm, go tuh work an' yo' take a penny an' put it right in de crossin' of de road. An' yo' goes tuh work an' yo' take dat aig, an' yo' bust it right on dat penny. An' if dey wanta cross dat, dey can't cross.
Entry 10050
I have heard that you take a black cat at two o'clock and carry him to a crossroad and there you will see evil spirits. Evil spirits are walking every night at two o'clock. [Hampton, Va., Ediphone cyl.24.]
Entry 10502
Mah mothah's brothah went out - he wanta know how tuh pick a banjo, yo' know. An' he had tuh go out on a Sunday - it's Sunday yo' has tuh go. An' he'd go out on Sundays at de crossroads an' start tuh learn how tuh pick.
Entry 10505
If yo' wanta be a dancer, yo' kin go to de fo'k of de road seven Sumday mawnin' [before day] an' start dancin'; any dance yo' wanta dance, yo' kin dance it.
Entry 10676
Ah hear'd dey take a axe an' carry it down tuh de fo'ks of de road an' throu it back ovah yuh haid, ovah yuh shouldah, an' don't nevah even look back at it. Clain den dat'll dhmge yuh luck.
Entry 2390
Yo' go to de fo'ks of de road nine Sunday mornings befo' sunup - ah guess yo' heard. An' dat's to learn de witchcraft - dey might call it. Dat's whut we call it down in dis country. Some of us call it rootworkin', some of us call it witchcraft an' some of us call it hoodoo, but it's all run into de same thing. An' jes' lak if yo' wanted to do a thing - wanted to do somepin dirty. Now, dat comes about dirty - whut dey always practice, ladies workin' on mens. An' dey go dere to de crossroad nine Sunday mornings befo' sunup an' dat's de way dey do dat.
Entry 10507
Ah wus told dat if yo' wanted tuh learn tuh play music, sompin like Sing music [or] mouth organ, yo' go out tuh de fo'ks of de road some dark night at twelve a'clock. An' if yo' stayed dere - dey tell me now - wit whut come tuh see yo', well yo'll leamn tub Plzy music.
Entry 10529
Go tuh a graveyard nine nights an' come back de crossroads an' if yo' could spend de nine nights, dat chew could do anything else dat chew wanted tuh do.
Entry 1029
Ah goes dere [graveyard or crossroad] an' gives God three prayers. At twelve a'clock in de night - don't go dere in de day. Give God's three prayers fo' all mah undertakin' an' different things - transactions in business. That means fo' sickness or death or anything interferin' wit me.
Editorial alternative locus: graveyard or crossroad. The source leaves the location unresolved; this is not a confirmed crossroads visit. The informant specifies midnight, not daytime, and God's three prayers; the source heading does not identify their wording.
Entry 10066
While boiling black cat at a three-pronged road, a rooster comes out of the steam, crows. an' then the devil appears. [For rooster at forks of road, see also No.10052.] [Richmond, Va., resumé, 305:1.]
Source résumé, Richmond, Va., 305:1. This summary describes an explicitly three-pronged road; the No.10052 cross-reference is separate editorial context. It is not a verbatim informant turn or a verified apparition.
Entry 10501
You kin go out to de forks of de road and learn about anything there is that you'd like to have - [I] mean like to have done. If you wanta learn music, you can go to work and git to the forks of the road and you kin learn it - jus' whatever you desire to be.
The bracketed “I” is an editorial insertion. The account describes forks of the road as a place to learn, with music as one example.
Entry 279
I heerd mah mother tell this here. I remember I was right good size. The ole fellah claimed he wanted to be a root worker. You hear 'em talk of root workers. So a fellah told him - he paid a fellah five dollar to learn him. The fellah told him, he said, "Now, I'll tell you whut choo kin do." He says, "You git choo a black cat, take him to the house, put him on, boil him, boil him till he come all to pieces, all de meat come off his bones. After all the meat come off his bones," he says, "you git" - I think t'was the left hip bone - "you git his left hip bone, the back, an' take it down to the crossroad." He says, "You make nine wushes [wishes]," he said, "an' break dat bone half in two." He said, "You go to a crossroad where's one goin' dat-a-way an' one goin' so." So he went on down there. He got down there an' he looked an' he looked, an' he stood there an' looked. Didn't see nobody. He broke de bone in half in two. An' he said, "Well, I'm goin' back dis-a-way." He come dat-a-way, but he said, "I'm goin' dis-a-way." So he took the bone, jis' broke it choo know an' threw it away.
[Informant demonstrates.]
(Facing the direction he intends to take, he throws one-half bone to the right and the other half to the left, at right angles to the intended road. In other words, the bones are thrown down the two forks that form the bisecting line of the crossroad.) "After you git sich a distant [distance] from there," he said, "don't choo look back," he said, "you keep a-goin'. After you git sich a distant down the road an' you don't see nobody, well, you stop an' pick up you nine pinches of dirt," he said, "an' ev'ry pinch of dirt you pick up" - he told him whut to say [informant could not remember the words] - "put it in a red han'kerchef an' tie it up" - he told how many knots to tie, I think it was nine knots - "an' tie it up an' care [carry] it to the runnin' water an' throw it overboard in the river an' let it go on down the river," he said, "an' you kin do anything you want."
The informant recounts a mother's story of a learner paying another person, a black-cat bone broken and thrown at a crossroads, then roadside dirt tied in a handkerchief and cast into running water. Direct instructions are nested reported speech; the informant cannot remember the required words and only thinks there were nine knots. Hyatt separately interprets the demonstrated directions.
Entry 282
Yo' kin take a black cat - yo' boil him alive an' go to a stream of watah an' de first bone dat wash down de stream, dat's de bone fo' yo' tuh git. An' take an' go to de fo'ks of de road nine mawnin's an' chew dat bone, an' de last mawnin' yo' go dere, everything will turn dark an' different things will come to yo'. Then yo' kin do anything - yo' be's sold yo'self to the devil. Yo' kin be de ruler of anything an' git out of it.
The informant describes a black-cat bone taken to road forks on nine mornings and chewed, with a final darkening and encounters, followed by claims of broad powers and selling oneself to the devil. These are historical source reports; the neighboring accounts' different bone-selection methods and visit counts are not imported.
Entry 283
The way I heard it was this - that he takes a black cat that's black all over and throw him in boiling water and let all de meat boil off the bones. And suck one of them bones each morning for nine mornings and go to the forks of the road and make a wish for whatever you wanted. And at the ninth morning, the council of the devil would meet him there and make him ruler over black arts - the way I heard that, make him a ruler over black arts. He could go into a place and couldn't be seen and take what he wanted and go out and do anything of that kind.
The informant explicitly reports hearsay about a black-cat bone, nine mornings at road forks and wishes, followed by a claimed meeting with the devil's council, powers and invisibility. The neighboring accounts' different selection methods remain separate.
Entry 284
They claim you go to the fork of the road fo' nine mornin' straight. You walk backward. You curse the day you were born. You curse the sun, the moon. You curse God. Then they'll sell theirself to the devil. The ninth mornin' they'll take a black cat to de fork of that road an' they'll git a tea- kettle of water boilin'. They'll take dat cat an' they'll t'row him down in dat water an' let him cook to pieces. An' then they'll take a - somepin, an' they'll fin' one of them bones. an' they'll call that the black qat bone. An' they sell theirself to the devil an' they be able to do all kin' of matter.
The informant reports nine mornings at a road fork, walking backwards and cursing, with a black cat brought on the ninth morning and a bone sought. Selling oneself to the devil and gaining powers remain attributed claims; this sequence is not combined with different neighboring cat-bone accounts.
Entry 286
Ah could tell yo' dat story but not knownin' whether all of it's 'zactly true or not - about de cat. Ah hear dem say dey kin - dat chew boil a black cat an' yo' put de black cat in runnin' watah after yo' boil it an' yo' git de bones dat come towards yo'. An' den fo' nine mawnin's yo' go to five points - fo'ks of de road, an' when yo' go there, dey say yo' hear de wind, stormy like, an' on de ninth mawnin' if yo' kin stand an' hear an' see whut chew see, why den - after yo' done boiled dis cat an' go through this process, why yo've sold yore soul to de devil an' yo' kin do most anything.
(You take those bones to that road?)
Yes - yo' carry them with you. In de first place yo' carry dem to the runnin' watah, an' then yo' take 'em out. See, there'll be so many come to yo' an' so many go from yo', but de ones fo' yo' is de ones dat come towards yo'. An' then yo' go to those fo'ks of de road nine mawnin's.
(You just carry those bones with you when you go to the fork of the road?)
Yes - but then those three bones dat come towards yo', you supposed to keep dem bones with you always. That's fo' yo'. De othahs is fo' de othah fellah - providin' if it's a person sellin' dat kind of work.
The informant explicitly doubts whether the black-cat story is wholly true, describing bones moving toward the collector and nine mornings at 'five points' or road forks. The follow-up specifies three bones to retain, with others for another person if the work is sold. Claimed encounters and powers stay qualified by that uncertainty.
Entry 287
Well, de way ah've heard yo' have to do dat, yo' have tuh git a black cat an' put him in - git some real hot watah an' git chure watah tuh boilin' an' don't kill de cat. From whut ah heard about it, yo' don't kill de cat. Yo' takes de cat alive wit'out any white spots atall on him - no place atall, an' throw him in dat hot boilin' watah an' let him boil until all de meat boil off his bones. Aftah de meat boil offa his bones, den yo' take de bones - takes all his bones, all de laig bones - take all his bones an' carry him to a stream of runnin' watah. Yo' take dem bones an' throw 'em in runnin' watah an' den dere's one of de bones goin' go upstream. Well, yo' take dis bone dat goes upstream - one of 'em will run up de stream. Yo' take de bone dat runs up de stream an' yo' take it an' put it in yore left-han' pocket an' yo' goes back. When yo' go back, yo' start goin' to de fo'ks of de road every mawnin' - every Sunday mawnin' an' be dere at nine 'clock. An' yo' go dere fo' nine mawnin's, an' wear dat bone in yore pocket every mawnin' an' de last mawnin' yo' go dere, dey tells me, say, practi'ly ev'rything - all kinda animals an' ev'rything dat yo' kin think of will mostly come to yo', jes' come natchral right up befo' yo' face, an' if yo' don't git scared, if yo' kin stay dere an' make it out until de las' thing come, dey tell me dat de last thing come is de devil. But if he come an' yo' kin 'ford tuh see all dat, den yo' take dis bone an' dere prob'ly some marrow in dat bone an' yo' have tuh suck it out - yo' don' have tuh swallow it, spit it out. An' then yo' kin prob'ly do anything yo' wanta do - disappeah an' all dat stuff.
The informant reports a black-cat bone selected by upstream movement, carried in the left pocket to road forks for nine Sunday mornings at nine o'clock, and a succession of beings ending with the devil. Staying without fear and sucking then spitting marrow are described conditionally; powers and invisibility remain hearsay.
Entry 357
Well, whatevah yore desires is, yo' go tuh de fo'ks of de road - one goin' yonder way an' one goin' dis way, lak dat. Well, dat's a fo'k, see. Well, yo' stand direct in de fo'ks of dat road an' look towards de sun jes' befo' it rise. Yo' makes yore wishes an' whatevah yo' wants done or did why yo' say dat an' den make a wish In de Name of de Father, an' de Son an' de Holy Ghost. Dat's de climax on whatevah yo' wish fo'. Do dat fo' nine mawnin's befo' de sun rise. Be shore yo' do dat befo' de sun rise an' yore wishes will come true.
The informant describes standing at road forks facing sunrise on nine mornings, expressing wishes in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The account gives a promised outcome without specifying a devil encounter or applying neighboring rites' requirements.
Entry 362
Dey go to de fo'k of de road if yo' wanta learn to do any trick or to have people, or to win some goal or 'nothah. Yo' go to de road an' lay flat on yore back on a Sunday mawnin', an' anything dat yo' wish fo, it would appear, an' yo' could perform de action whut chew wish fo'. Ah heard that once there was a man he wanted tuh learn jes' tuh be a banjo picker, an' he undertake to try dat same trick at de fo'k of de road. He went tuh de road undah a tree an' he lied flat on his back, an' fin'lly he got so he could pick a tune on his banjo. An' de folks didn't wanta believe it dat he had learnt that way, so he made de second trip in order to prove it, an' his han' become tied to his banjo at de fo'k of de road on a Sunday mawnin'. [Tied to log, see No.75.]
The informant reports lying at road forks on Sunday morning to gain abilities, with a hearsay story of a banjo learner returning to prove it and becoming tied to the banjo. Hyatt cross-references a log account; the differing object is not reconciled into this story.
Entry 753
Yo' kin go out to de fo'ks of de road an' if yo' got anything tuh use, why yo' kin turn either way - dis fo'k of de road run dat-a-way and de othah fo'k go dat-a-way. Yo' turn each fo'k an' throw fo' whosomevah yo' got backwards. Go ahead an' tell de Lord dat he go.
(What would you throw down in that road backwards? What would you throw?)
Well, ah had a fellah heah some yeahs ago dat ah went tuh when ah first got dis stroke, an' he said dat somebody had fixed me dat way - dat had some aigs, and he tole me tuh git nine aigs. Ever' night roun' midnight ah was tuh take mah car an' go down to dat fo'k of de road an' turn backwards an' throw one of de aigs 'ginst it, an' say to de Lord aftah ah throw de aig, "He's [You're] able tuh do all things," an' throw de aig away.
(Do you throw that down in both forks of the road?)
Yeah, but not de same night. Yo' got'a ketch all fo' of de fo'ks, yo' see, at diff'rent nights de same hour.
(Suppose you tell me the whole story of how it happened to you - it began.)
Well, some yeahs ago ah used tuh be with a woman sometime an' ah got married agin - ah didn't marry her. An' she got mad at me an' she wanta hurt me. So she went to a man up heah an' ask him tuh kill me. Dis man came [to my] home an' he gave some medicine tuh rub me. Ah got up outa de bed an' took hol' him an' said, "Captain, yo' cain't kill me - yo' cain't kill me." So he went away an' tole de woman dat he couldn't do anything to me. She went den - paid a transfer - paid seven dollars tuh go tuh Beaufort [South Carolina] - ovah heah to dis man, an' de man all he done was dis - fes' take [the use of] dis han' away. Ah don't know whut he did now, but he's a fellah - whatsomevah he did [in Beaufort] it come ovah heah [to Sumter - ninety-nine miles by crow-flight]. De woman, she sent me five dollahs by another fellah an' prob'bly dat might be how de way dey do it, too - when ah took de money put dis fellah han', dat might cause dis han' tuh git 'flicted.
(What happened to your hand?)
It kinda lak a stroke - paralyzed - de left hand.
(What did you do then? Tell me the whole story of what you have done.)
Well, ah begin workin' on mahself then. Ah went to a woman ovah heah - little burg, Holly Hill, near Columbia. An' aftah ah gotten dere, dis woman says to me, says - after she look ovah her cards, she says, "A woman hurt chew - she's got yo' so dat chew can't make an intercourse wit chure wife." So she tole me, says, ah must go back home an' take a aig - de white of an aig ev'ry mawning in a tea- spoonful of whiskey. Ah did that. Well, ah found that come straight. Then she work on me till she dies and after de death of her then ah had to went to anothah man. So ah went to anothah fellah back ovah heah an' he tole me 'bout dem nine aigs.
(What did he say to do? Tell me the whole story?)
He said tuh git mah nerves back in dis han's, ah'd have to carry those aigs back ovah there each night - nine nights he said. Aftah ah'd work them fo' fo'k [crossroad] ovah there, ah had tuh hunt anothah fo'k - fo' nine nights. Aftah ah'd pitch de aig yo' see, an' turn backward an' say, "Nuthin' could [can] ovah- power God," and throw de aig backwards in dat road, an' come back de next night an' throw it dat-a-way, an' come back de nex' night an' throw it dat-a-way, an' come back de nex' night an', when ah git through wit dat, ah'd hunt anothah fo'k till ah work up tuh nine aigs.
(What happened then?)
Well, ah got 'long purtty good. Ah kin use de han' where ah couldn't use it 'tall. Ah couldn't pick up nuthin' in dis han' but ah kin pick up dis penny [demonstrates] - ah kin plow wit dis han' an' shovel wit mah han' all right now - purtty good.
The informant recounts a paralysis experience and later instructions involving nine eggs thrown backwards at road forks around midnight, rotating forks across nights with spoken religious formulas. The account includes unknown cause, other treatment and reported improvement; it does not establish the eggs as a medical cause of recovery. Quoted voices and Hyatt's corrections remain distinct.
Entry 1420
An' if ah got a wart on me, a large wart on mah han' or on mah face an' ah wanta git rid of it, ah'll go an' git me nine stickin'-pins. When ah git dese nine stickin'-pins ah'll pick dis wart until it bleeds. Well, den ah take nine drops of blood on each nine pins an' take it an' put it in a pretty white han'kerchief an' carry it to de fo'ks of de road an' throw it down; an' when ah throw it down dere'll be somebody come along an' see dat pretty han'kerchief layin' down dere an' dey pick up dis han'kerchief an' walk off wit it. Well, somebody else will be ketched
[by my warts].
The informant describes a hypothetical wart-transfer rite using nine pins, blood and a white handkerchief left at road forks for another person to pick up. Hyatt supplies the bracketed explanation of being caught by the warts. The transfer is a reported claim, not medical evidence.
Entry 1690
Ah've heard dat chew - jes' like if yo' want tuh do somepin other, anything dat chew wanta do, why yo' kin go to a thunder-strucken tree an' git jesta chip off dat tree, an' yo' take it an' go to de fo'ks of a road, where de roads crosses, an' yo' stick it down dere, an' when yo' stick it down dere, jest like if yo' wanted a person dat done somepin to yo', yo' call his name three times an' say, "In de Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost, let not dis trouble come upon me." Well, now dat's all ah've heard about dat.
(You can do almost anything you want to by doing that out there?)
Yassuh. (You can tell them to leave or you can tell them to stop bothering - you can tell them almost anything? That the idea?) Yassuh.
The informant reports a chip from a lightning-struck tree placed where roads cross, naming someone three times and a spoken request against trouble. Two interviewer questions broaden the proposed purpose and receive affirmative answers; those prompts and the informant's limited hearsay remain explicit.
Entry 4738
[In] fac' [fact] ah have known it tuh be a fac'. Ah've known people tuh say so dat were very superstitious of dat so't [sort] of thing. Dey say dat dey git a piece of yore - some piece of yore clothes dat chew wear close tuh yore body. Take dem an' bury 'em undah yore do'steps so many days, an' go tuh a crossroad in de mawnin' an' turn roun' nine times, an' aftah den dey say yuh cain't stay dere. Jis' diff'ren' so't of invisible things will appeah dere an' jis' evently [eventually] drive yuh away.
(They would bury this piece of clothing under the person's own step?)
Bury it undah dere step. Jes' sneak up in de night an' bury it undah de step, undah whos'evah steps yuh wanta move.
The informant reports others' belief in bodily clothing buried beneath the target's steps, followed by a morning crossroad visit and nine turns for a claimed departure through invisible things. A follow-up identifies whose steps. The opening assertion and hearsay qualification both remain explicit, with Hyatt's word completions separated.
Entry 5847
Dey'll go tuh de fo'k of de road [changed to crossroads later] - dey'll go to de fo'k of de road till yo' passes, yo' see. Dey kin take yore hair right to dat fo'k of de road an' make a cross mark, [a cross] jes' like de road is, an' dey'll drive dat hair down in dat cross- roads. Drive it down dere, jes' like wedge it down. Dat will keep yo' down long as yo' live. Yo' can't prosper wit nuthin.:
The informant describes a target's hair driven into a cross mark at road forks, later calling the place crossroads, with a claim of blocked prosperity. Hyatt explicitly notices that change in wording and supplies the cross gloss; no global junction or hair equivalence is inferred.
Entry 5848
Ah haven't heard dis'n [this one], ah saw dis'n. Ah saw a man wuz in love wit de girl an' he got holt dat girl's hair an' he carried it to de fo'ks of de road, an' he got some little shiney stuff. Ah don't know whut dis little stuff wuz, but he got it an' he got 'er hair an' he carried it to dere. It wuz a road runnin' dat way [demonstrates] - run dat way an' it run dis way.
(Crossed, crossroads.)
Un'hmm, yeah, where she could walk ovah it - chew know, evah time she come dat way, she walk ovah dat hair. An' he hasn't got shet [rid of] dat girl yet, an' dat's been about nine yeahs ago.
(Was that here?)
No, dat wuz ovah heah at Windsor, Ark.
(Do you come from Windsor? Near there?)
Yessuh, ah ma'ied [married] dere.
The informant explicitly claims having seen hair and unidentified shiny material placed at road forks, where a woman would walk over it, and reports continued attachment after about nine years. Questions distinguish the reported place from the interview location. The unknown material stays unidentified and the observation is attributed to the informant.
Entry 7540
Yo' go to an ole cemetery dat chew nevah been to befo' an' yo' reach down - reach down an' pick up a little of dis dirt, see. Yo' go to dese fo'ks of de roads - fo'ked disaway, fo'ked disaway an' fo'ked disaway [demonstrates]. (Make the form of a cross right in the road.) Dat's right, make a fom of a cross lak yo' take a pencil an' make a mark, see. Evah whut chew want - who yo' want done or whut chew want done, it Won't be long befo' dey'll be gone. Dat will do one or 'tuthah [the other] - run 'em off, see.
(You don't make a special wish or do something out there?)
Yeah, yo' kin make a wish fo' anything dat chew wanta happen.
The informant describes dirt from an unfamiliar old cemetery, road forks and a cross mark, with a claim that a person will leave and wishes may be made. The demonstration and interviewer clarification remain separate. No unstated way of placing the cemetery dirt in that mark is added.
Entry 7641
Dey go out tuh de fo'ks of de road, an' ah think dey speaks fo' times [recite an incantation of some sort] an' turns tuh de lef'. An' dey goes tuh de graveyard an' dey gits some graveyard dust from de left, from de head of de grave, an' put it in a li'le bag an' weah it in dey pocket- book. (What is that supposed to do?) Dat supposed tuh give yo' luck. (That will give you luck, I see. You go out to this crossroad and speak four times?) Yes, sir.
(What time do they go out there, any particular time or just any old time?)
Naw, five an' six o'clock in de mawnin' an' twelve o'clock at night, an prob'ly three o'clock in de mawnin'. [This means midnight or after, or before daybreak - the usual dark hour.]
(I see, and from the crossroads then they go to the cemetery.)
Yes, sir.
The informant thinks four utterances at road forks and a left turn precede taking dust from the left head of a grave and carrying it for luck. The account gives several possible hours; Hyatt summarizes a usual dark hour and interprets the utterances as an incantation. Keep the informant's uncertainty and times distinct from those editorial summaries.
Entry 8684
Well, yo' go out there [to a crossroad] for whatsomevah yo' want [to] be done. Yo' make a cross in dat road. Yo' go to a 'simmon [persimmon] tree an git a 'simmon tree an' cut [a piece off] about 3 inches, yo' know what 3 inches is. Yo' make a split in that, in that piece yo' cut off, if yo' wan'a stop 'em from goin' de way they're goin', if dey goin' roun' some woman, somepin like dat. Yo' always urinate on it an' make yore wish an' write de name. Stick it [name] right down in dat cut chew made an' drive it in de ground.
[This is one of a number of split stick rites.]
(Where?)
Right in that cross, where you make dat cross.
(At the crossroad.)
Yes sir, under dat cross an' cover it.
The informant describes a split persimmon stick with urine, a wish and written name, buried beneath a cross mark to stop a person's going. The final exchange confirms the crossroad location; Hyatt supplies several initial explanations and classifies it among split-stick rites. The source tree name is retained without a botanical authority assertion.
Entry 9201
Ah've seen 'em take a aig an' ma'k [mark] it roun' an' roun' dataway an' jis' dataway [demonstrates].
(Wait! Take the egg and mark it around. Which way do they mark it around?)
Each way [demonstrates]. (That's the egg. That's lengthwise. Mark it around that way. That's [the second marking is] the fat part of the egg.) Right roun' it lak dat. (Then you go around it lengthwise. You are making a cross on the egg. All right.) Take it tuh de bend of de road. Carry it tuh de bend of de road, de aig, an' dey dig a hole an' bury it - not so deep. De fus' [first] thing run ovah it an' smash it up, dey gone. Dey shō' gone.
(You mean you take that out where four roads come together?)
[Bend and curve of road are different.]
Yessuh, jes' lak dis is a road go disaway an' one go dataway. Well, yo' jes' put dat aig right in de fo'k lak dat, right in de fo'k of de road. Den de fus' thing come 'long an' mash it, dey gone, whosomevah yo' put it dere fo'. Yo' got a idea who yo' wanta run. Well, jes' put it dere fo' dem. Jes' do dat ma'k roun' an' roun' [the egg] an' put it right dere [at the fork of the road]. (In other words you would see these people coming and run out there and put that egg down, so that they would cross over it, if you want to get rid of a certain person. If some other person crossed over it, they would get it. To get the right person you would have to go out there and wait for them to come by.)
[I doubt my reasoning here. Almost always the intended person suffers.]
Don' let noboby see yo' when yo' go out dere.
The informant describes marking and burying an egg, first at a road bend and then at a road fork after clarification, for claimed departure when it is crushed. The interviewer proposes that another passerby could receive the effect, then Hyatt doubts that reasoning. Preserve the changing place words and the target-versus-passerby distinction rather than substituting one explanation.
Entry 10063
Now, if it's a hand dat he wants, he'll go in de fo'k of de road 'fo' day in de mawnin' at fo' 'clock. He'll be dere by foah. Well, he take jis' thin's. Yo' evah heah talk of dis root dey call John de Conkah? Well, it's de root dat chew git - it's a blacksnake root also. Well, yo' take de root. Well, it's a bone. It's lak a chicken bone. It's on a black cat. Ah could almost tell yuh where tuh git it from. [I too can tell where tuh git it, wishbone from, but you wo won't find it in a black cat! I have discussed this matter elsewhere in HOODOO.] Yo' take dis cat an' yo' kill de cat, see. Yo' take de bone, it's long lak a chicken. Well, yo' take dis bone, de blacksnake root an' yo' take dis John de Conkah, an' yo' takes dis bone, an' yo' goes in de fo'ks of de road. An' yo' draws somepin in de Way of a triangle. Dis way [demonstrates] in de mawnin' at fo' 'clock when- evah yo' make yuh wish. An' yuh hand dat chew wants, yo' sellin' yuhself tuh de devil, also, whenevah yuh do dat. Den yo' take de sinnahman's dirt from 'is grave an' nine pennies which yo' pays de devil fo' 'is work. Yo' give him dis stuff an' leave it dere. An' he'll come up jis' de same as a natchal man. An' when yo' give him dis, he give yuh a hand an' dere's nobody kin break it up.
[All hands can be broken by counter charm or powerful doctor.]
(This is the hand for gambling. Where do you put all this in this triangle?)
Right in dis triangle. Jis' lak in de fo'ks of de road: one comin' dis way an' one goin' dat way an' one's behin' yuh. Well, yo' stands right in de fo'ks of de road an' yo', yo' know, so nobody cain't git it up. Yo' know, dig it up, an' yo' stand right dere, if yo' have nerve enough, an' yo' fix all of dis in heah [demonstrates].
(In this hole?)
In dis triangle in de hole [in the hole in the triangle]. An' whenevah yo' do, yo' talk tuh hit, yo' know, jis' talk jis' lak ah'm talkin' tuh yuh: Ah wan' chew tuh do so an' so, an' ah wants a "hand, " an' ah wants tuh win evahthin'. Well, whenevah yo' do dat, well, dere's yuh luck right dere. Well, den yo' kin take, when yo' git ready tuh leave, yo' take a piece of each of de roots an' de black cat bone, an' put it in a ten-cent vial of Hearts Cologne. [This ten-cent vial of Hearts Cologne as hand we have elsewhere.] An' when yo' go in yore game yo' 'n'int chureself wit it, an' dat'll cuz evahbody tuh come right tuh yuh.
(Where do you put these pennies?)
Yo' take dose pennies. Well, see, yo' bury dose pennies. Yo's payin' 'im [devil] fo' yuh hand.
(Where do you put those pennies?)
Yo' put it right in de triangle an' yo' bury it. See, yo' won' take dose pennies [away] wit chew, yo'll leave 'em dere.
(You take the roots with you?)
Takes a piece of de root, jis' a piece. See, de roots join. Jew evah seen a piece? De root's [root is] join [has joints].
(You take a piece of it and you leave the rest of the root in the hole.)
Leave de rest of de root. Jis' take a piece of each piece of dis heah, but chew takes dat bone an' put it in de jah [jar], right in de jah, an' den yo' put chure - den yo' stops it up, each piece of de root. Den yo' 'oint [anoint] yuh- self when yo' git ready tuh go on a game.
The informant describes a four-o'clock road-fork triangle rite with named roots, a black-cat bone, grave dirt and pennies, and later carrying parts in Hearts Cologne for gambling. Hyatt disputes the bone identification and indestructibility claim. Preserve the source's shifting root description, represented request, payment recipient and editorial qualifications without equating roots or bones globally.
Entry 10097
Now, ef ah wanted tuh sell mahself tuh de devil, so ah kin be a hoodoo ' do all kinds of tricks, ah would go tuh de fo'ks of de road at tvelve 'clock Inight - on a Sat'day night. An' dere [at forks] ah'd stay an' leann dese tricks an' git a black cat bone. Boil de black cat chew undahstan', an' git 'is bone. An' when ah see dat bone through a looking ' glass until ah turns dark, ah git dat bone in dere. An' ah'd do whut dat bone tell me to. An' ah kin do anythin' ah wanta do, an' go anywhere ah wanta go.
(What do you mean about turning dark in the glass?)
When yo' see yuh got a certain bone an' yo' pull it through yore mouth, dat glass turn dahk, yo' undahstan'. Makes 'im know dat he's got de right bone.
(Makes what turn dark, the man?)
De glass will turn dahk [everything disappears!].
The informant presents a hypothetical Saturday-midnight road-forks visit and black-cat-bone test, initially describing himself turning dark before clarifying that the glass turns dark. The interviewer's questions and Hyatt's disappearance gloss remain separate; the wording is not silently reconciled.
Entry 10503
Well, if a person wanted tuh - say for instance, if yo' wanted tuh learn tuh do most any dev'lish act, yo' know.... Dey tell me whenevah yo' learn tuh play a banjo or guitah or anything lak dat, dey go tuh work an' sell yo'self tuh de devil anyhow. So dey go right out tuh de fo'k of de road on Sunday morn- ing, yo' know, befo' day an' play an' try de picks [strings]. Say it will come tuh yo' jes' as natchral as anything else yo' wanta do dat ain't right. It will come tuh yo' jes' as natchral - yo' know, perfect tuh yo'.
The informant reports Sunday morning before daylight at a road fork, trying banjo or guitar strings and supposedly acquiring skill naturally. Selling oneself to the devil and the moral framing remain this source's claims; Hyatt's bracketed 'strings' identifies the source word 'picks'.
Entry 10530
Dey tell me dey goes tuh de forks of de road fo' nine mornings and at de end of de nine mornings whatevah in dere mind, what dey desire to do, dey kin do it. Yo' anderstand. Even ah've heard people say if yo' wanta be a good dancer yo' go dere. If yo' wanta be a good musician yo' goes dere, an' any other kind of work dey say.
The informant reports nine mornings at road forks to gain a desired ability, naming dancing, music and other work. The account remains hearsay and does not specify a encountered being or a particular musical instrument.
Entry 10531
You kin go to de forks of de road and all - if dey wanta learn to play de banjo, guitar - at a certain hour at night. And play dere till a certain hour at night, but dey say you supoosed to go for nine nights, you know. An' den de devll supposed to come. Dat's supposed to get de ticket for yuh to play de gui- ur, banjo, any kind of string music dat you wanta.
The informant reports nine nights at road forks, playing at a certain night hour to learn banjo, guitar or other string music. The devil's arrival and successful learning are marked in the source as supposed events; no precise hour beyond that source wording is added.
Entry 10543
Dey say dey kin go out to de fo'k of de road fo' nine mawnin's an' yo' kin go out dere each mawnin', in case yo' wants tuh play a guitar, or yo' kin do anything yo' wanta. Yo' go out fo' nine mawnin's an' de ninth mawnin' when yo' go, say yo' turn around three times an' look ovah yore left [shoulder] say sompin will meet chew. Yo' don't know whut 'tis but sompin will meet chew an' den yo' kin do anything yo' wants tuh.
The informant reports nine mornings at road forks for guitar skill or another purpose, turning three times on the ninth and looking over the left shoulder for an unspecified meeting. Hyatt supplies 'shoulder'; the unknown thing and source-reported powers remain qualified.
Entry 10547
If yo' wanta be a guitar picker or sompin lak dat. If yo' wanta be a guitar picker, yo' go to de fo'ks of de road fo' nine mawnin's. An' when yo go dere fo' nine mawnin's wit chure guitar, yo' be standin' in de fo'k of de road tryin' tuh be pickin' on it, an' dere will be a man come up an' pick on yore box, axe yo', say, "How long dat chew wanta do dis?" An' so yo' tell him, "Well, ah wanta do dis fo' sech an' sech a time." An' he say, "Yo' gotta cuss God an' give solomn warnin' an' tell Him yo' goin' sell yore soul to de devil. Den yo' kin pick de guitar." Dat whut ah heard about dat.
The informant reports nine mornings at road forks with a guitar and a man who asks the desired duration, then instructs the learner to curse and sell his soul to the devil. The dialogue is enacted or hypothetical speech inside a hearsay account; the source does not establish a named teacher or personally completed pact.
Entry 10549
[I heard] that you kin get up nine nights and walk to the fork of a road to sell yourself to the devil. You will agree to give up soul and body at the end of your life for the pri- vilege of being able to master everything while you are here on earth. Then, if you do that for nine nights, or nine mornings, early before dawn good - and the devil will meet chah there and give you per- mission what you shall do in carrying it out. And naturally from then on you'll be the master of the world while you are here in it.
The account describes nine nights or mornings before dawn at a road fork, giving up soul and body at life's end for claimed worldly powers and a devil meeting. Hyatt supplies the bracketed 'I heard' qualification; the informant's alternatives in timing and the life-term condition remain explicit.
Entry 10550
Go down to a cross- road, where a road crosses, nine Sunday mawnin's. It's a very ha'd [hard] thing tuh do. When yo' thought of doin' one thing fo' nine Sunday mawnin's it's a good long while. An' meanwhile ah come an' maybe somebody try tuh hol' him off, but yo' gotta meet at dis same place at de same time of day. Jes' lak ah say ah'll be dere at nine a'clock, yo' gotta meet dere at nine a'clock fo' nine Sunday mawnin's at de crossroads. An' yo' gotta read a verse out de Bible.
(Do you know what the verse is?)
It's de 36 Psalms, an' ev'ryone ends wit de same words - de 136th Psalms, an' ev'ry verse ends dis chapter heah wit de same thing, de same words. Well, yo' start wit dat an' yo' read it fo' nine Sunday mawnin's, an' de ninth [Sunday] mawnin' yo'll meet what yo' didn't expect. Yo'll meet trouble dere, storms, high winds or somepin of dat sort. Yo' cain't tell exactly whut's it goin' be, maybe it will be rain, maybe wind, maybe snow or somepin lak dat. It be somepin diff'rent, de ninth mawnin'. But anyhow yo' continue wit it an' when yo' git through wit it, yo'll do whut chew wanta do so fur as tricks is concerned an wit'out bein' religious atall. But chew kin do anything yo' wants tuh do.
[Wilson, N. Car., (1476), 2655:3.]
12. BAT [Originally this section about the bat - not a bird as folklore believes - was a part of CHANNEL DE WORLD, a catchall later in the present volume. I did not realize until too late, that BAT should have followed FROG AND TOADFROG, a pre- ceding section of the present volume. Yet, to follow section SELL SELF TO THE DEVIL may not be inappropriate. These following rites show less knowledge and interest in bats than in frogs and toads, because bat was a night animal and frog and toad better known and easier to catch and handle.l
The informant describes nine Sunday mornings at crossing roads at a fixed chosen hour, reading a Psalm, with unexpected weather or trouble on the ninth and claimed abilities afterward. The spoken Psalm number changes from 36 to 136 and remains literal. The following BAT heading and Hyatt's section-placement introduction are retained only as surrounding context.
Entry 11124
Dey take de rule, de pocket rule.
(What do they do then?)
And say dey take dis to de crossroads and dey fix it. Dey fix it so and when you come along dey'll make you fall. Yes, sir. [I] hear: 'em tell dat, at de crossroads where you go down, and de roads comes across like dat [demonstrates] and dey fixes it. (I see. What would they fix there? I mean what would they put there?) Dey say dey'll get - dey'll get a scorpion, a red-headed scorpion. (A red-headed scorpion?) Yes, sir. Fix him and dey put him - make sompin like a coffin and dey'll put him down in de middle of dat fo'k, yes, sir. Yes, sir, in middle of de fo'k.
(In the middle of the fork?)
[The center of two roads crossing is the center of a square or a quincunx rite.] Yes, sir, in de middle of de fo'k and you git dere and you won't know it, but you commence having swimming 'bout de head. Head commence swimming, feeling bad; yes sir, and make you fall. I hear say dey tell dat.
(They put this scorpion in sort of a little coffin-like?)
It is a coffin. What I mean, sompin dey makes like a coffin. Dat what dey tole me. And dey'll put him in dere alive and when dey fixes him, it make you tremble, you know. And he'll die. Dey'll fix him dataway.
(I see.)
The informant reports a pocket rule and then a red-headed scorpion in a constructed coffin at the middle of crossing roads, with claimed dizziness and falling. Questions clarify these objects and the middle location; Hyatt supplies a square or quincunx interpretation. No unstated relation between the pocket rule and scorpion is invented.
Entry 11186
You take dat to de crossroads - dat nine strands of de devil's-shoestring dere. (Nine strands?) Of devil's-shoestring. (You take a piece of devil's-shoestring?) Devil's-shoestring, and you kin take nine strands and plant it at de crossroads: dat three in de east, three in de west and three in de north, and de south is open. And cover dat up. Under- stand me, after you cover dat up, den say one word to dat. Dere you are, and turn around and go away from it - dat's a very diff'rent proposition.
(What does that do?)
Dat's a detrimental character, dere you are. If you want a person to leave from 'round you, dere yo' are.
(I see, that will make them leave?)
Shore.
(You take nine strands of the...)
Devil's-shoestring.
(You put three strands to the east.)
Three in the west.
(Three west.)
Three in the north and leave the south then open.
(What do you say when you do that?)
I say, "Go, damn you, go."
(I see, you say that and then you cover it up.)
Cover it up dere.
(Where do you come from?)
New Orleans - 219 Ramport Street.
The informant describes nine devil's-shoestring strands at a crossroads, three each east, west and north with the south open, covered with a command to make a person leave. Repeated questions clarify placement and wording; the source's command and variable ordering of speaking and covering remain explicit. The later personal address is context only.
Entry 11664
Go to the forks of the road. You gotta get - there's a certain dust on the middle part of the forks of the road. Well, they take that and they put it in a clean cloth and they make nine knots - tie it in nine knots. And they take that and wear it around their waist, and now they got you stopped. [This is a protection against con- juration.] (Well, what do they wear that for?) Well, they - what they wear that for? Well, they kin harm you a whole lot, see. They kin make you go to a certain distance as they want you to go, and they kin stop you at a certain distance, if they wanta stop you, see.
(Well, how would they use that?)
[Informant has already answered my question.]
How they?
(Do they use it in any way? Or do they just wear it around their waist?)
Just keep it around their waist [for protection]. [New Orleans, La., (884), 1457:5 0r 4.]
The informant describes dust from the middle of road forks tied in a clean cloth with nine knots and worn at the waist, discussing control or harm. Hyatt labels it protection, including a final bracketed gloss. Preserve that difference in purpose and the interviewer's repeated questions without converting editorial protection into the informant's explanation.