Subject:Egg/Fresh
Entries
Entry 7820
Well, yo' kin take a envelope an' go tuh a cemetery, well maybe 'long about dis time a-day, or maybe 'bout eight a'clock in de mawnin', an' yo' kin git some dirt offa de grave- yard. An' yo' takes it back home an' put it in dis enve- lope an' write chure name down nine time an' [demon- strates] write chure name heah nine time, er, one time, an' her name heah one time, see all de way down. Well, yo' go on down an' let chure name be firs' all de time, all de way down. Well, yo' go on down till yo' git dat nine times.
(Each one nine times?)
Yessir, yores nine an' mine nine times. Well, yo' takes dis envelope an' yo' cuts a hole in de mattress an' put dis envelope undah dere, undah de feet or eithah at de haid, or eithah where de body lay on de baid, see. Well, dat'll make him come, if he's workin'; an' if he ain't been bringin' 'is money home, dat'll make him come an' give his money tuh dis girl or 'is wife. An' den, when yo' do dis, put dis envelope undah dere, why yo' kin take...
[I interrupt.]
(Now, which side do you put it under, his place or under your place?)
His place where he sleeps. An' den yo' take dis aig, newly-freshly-laid aig, hen aig. Write chure name [demonstrates] heah one time, an' hers heah once, until yo' write it all de way round nine times.
(Each one nine times?)
Dat's right, each one nine times on dat aig, an' on de envelope, an' yo' bury dis aig undah de do'step. All right, whenevah he comes in, he gotta go in ovah dis aig an' he gotta come back out de do'. Dat's all tuh dat story.
Entry 9009
Why he'll jes' take a fresh aig an' when he go tuh co't, one of his people kin jes' carry dis aig an' jes' bust it up on de co'thouse, an' tell it whut dey want it tuh do. Why it will come all right.
Entry 9010
Yo' take dis aig, a black hen's aig, an' yo' go tuh wherevah de trial's goin' tuh be, an' throw dis aig 'cross de co'thouse or jailhouse, whatsomevah it is. Throw it 'cross dat. Dey say dat's O.K. (That settles the case.) Yo' done control 'em, yo' see, an' dey throw de case out.
Entry 9018
If yo' git in trouble, see if yo' in trouble, in jail, or some of yore relatives in jail, or friends an' dey want out. Well, yo' kin take three aigs, right fresh aigs - see, right from de henhouse. See, not cold storage aigs. An' take an' write - yo' know de judge dat's goin' try yuh, put his name on de aig. (On just one egg?) No, on de three aigs. Put his name on de three aigs, de judge'g name. Yo' know he's goin' try yuh. An' de man dat caught chew, goin' up on de stand against yo', see, yo' put his name down on de aig. All right. Den yo' take dat aig an' chunk it up on de top of de buildin'. If yo' can't git a chance tuh chunk it up on de top of de buildin', if yo's in jail, send out someone an' git chew three aigs an' jes' in dis li'le stall [cell] heah, when de gang away, jes' put it up against de wall, say, "Ah put dis aig up 'ginst de wall In de Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost, an' ah'll' [add any petition]. An' yo'll come out okay.
Entry 9192
Well, jis' lak yo' wanta person tuh break up er [or] sompin lak dat. Yo' loved 'er. If yo' love a girl [and] de othah fellah - well yo' want 'er. Well yo' cain't git nex' tuh love 'er, yo' see, becuz dis man be's huh husban', she husban'. Why he might be a pure mahn, den yuh spirit might agree. Well, yo' wanta break dese parties up. Well, yo' go tuh work. Now, yo' may have [a] chicken layin', sompin lak dat. Yo' go tuh work an' yo' watch de chicken when de [they] lay. See, yo' git a fresh, fresh egg [at the] time dey drop it, [egg] leave de chicken, why yo' git dat egg: See. An' yo' take it tuh his house dat night an' throw it up jis' de hide [height] of de house an' let it fall right befo' de doah. An' aftah dat why yo' gotta have a broom, yo' unnahstan' [understand], an' sweep dat [away], see. Yo' sweep dat away from de house, see. Well, dat man'll continue goin', he'll be continue goin' until 'is min' [mind] will be changed until he leave dat woman.
Entry 9237
If yo' got a woman, or eithah if yo' wanta see a fren' of yor'n an' yo' wants dis woman, an' yo' don' know how tuh git up tuh 'er. Yo' take dis aig, a white fresh aig, an' yo' writes her name on dis aig, an' how ole she are, an' her address. An' jis' howsom- evah her facin', her house turn, yo' digs right down at de steps an' plant it at 'er do'. Go tuh 'er house an' digs dat down dere jis' about, say about fo' inches. An' yo' turn de edge [end] of de aig out tuhwards de streets, de small end tuh de streets. Yo' know, jis' ary way her house turnt tuhwards de streets, yo' turn dat sharp end [of egg] tuhwards de streets. Dat supposed tuh git dis woman undah yore control.
Entry 9280
Go an' git chew a fresh hen aig. Take it an' write dere name on it, see. Take it an' chunk it up on top of de house. In de nex' day or two dey gone
[move away].
Entry 9286
Well, ah'm goin' tell yo' whut ah kin do wit a chicken aig. Well, ah kin take a fresh chicken aig an' ah'll bet any man money if anybody livin' nex' do' tuh me, see, an' ah can't git along wit dem, see, an' durin' de time ah jes' make up mah mind tuh make dem move from dere. Ah'll take dat fresh chicken aig an' ah'll go tuh de house an' ah'll call dem, see. Dey will give me no anxiety. Ah take dat chicken aig an' throw it cross dey house. An' dey wouldn't be dere ovah three days, ah bet chew money.
(You call him first?)
Yes.
(Well, what if he comes out?)
Yes sir, if dey answah, yo' know dey owin' de house. If dey answah, ah take dat aig an' chunk it right cross dey house, an' dey wouldn't be dere ovah three days.
(He has to answer though? He has to answer else you can't do that?)
Yes sir, he has tuh answah.
(Well, if he doesn't answer, then you come back some other time?)
Yeah, some othah time. [Brunswick, Ga., (1249), 2120:1.2
Entry 9295
Jes' lak anyone stayin' by yo' an' yo' wants 'em tuh move, sompin lak dat. Now, yo' kin take a fresh hen aig an' write dere name on dat fresh hen aig an' den throw dat aig away. Well, dey'll move.
(Throw it away where?)
Throw de aig - jes' lak yo' jes' to dere house. But dey'll move.
Entry 9313
If yo' wan' tuh hurt[hoo- dool anybody or do anything tuh anybody, even yuh enemah, yo' got'a go tuh de sto' an' buy a aig, a fresh aig, an' come back tuh dere house, yuh enemah house. An' stand off from de front do', an' take an' throw dat aig up ov' [over] de do' an' bust it. An' let it drain down an' make a oath whah choo wan' 'em tuh do. Jis' lak if yo' wan' 'em tuh die. An' while dat aig. drainin' down, yo' make a oath, an' in nine days dey'll take sick, an' dere's no cuah [cure] fah [for] 'em.
Entry 9314
Well, dey kin go intuh a place dat's got plenty of chickens, intuh de yard, but it must be a place dat have chickens. Now yo' git one fresh aig outa dis place. Yo' take dis egg an' yo' mark de party's an' yo' go an' break it intuh de do', where dis party's livin' at, an' dey gotta go. (I see. Well now, why must we get that egg from a yard that has lots of chickens?) Well, yo' see, accordin' tuh - de reason why yo' must do it, becuz a cold- storage egg is not any good. It must be a fresh egg.
(I see.)
Entry 9324
Well, go dere an' break up people. Well, yo' gits a fresh egg. If yo' can't git a black hen aig, yo' git a fresh egg. Write de individual name on it nine times, an' write one name goin' dis way [away from you] an' don't write no name so dey comin' dis way [towards you]. See, dat writin' mean dey go de othah way. (They write one going away from writer, and one going down nine times.) [The first name is written away from the writer, the other eight names are written down and across the first name. This is an elaborate crossing of the victim.] Dey'll put nine "J's" on each one [one "J" on each name], go tuh de fork of de road twelve o'clock in day or twelve at night, eithah one, an' broke de egg an' call dere name. Smash it up. [The letter "J" could stand for the obsolete word "Holy Jakes" we met in No.9068, p.3676.]
(What will that do?)
Dat will smash up de life of de couple. De individual yo' wanta break up, put dere name on it.
Entry 9338
Well, yo' take an' git chew some black peppah an' some cai-yanne [cay- enne] peppah, an' git chew a fresh yard aig. De one in dat house dat made yo move out an' tole [told] him some yarns [lies] on yuh, him an' dim [= dem = them] gonna be jis' lak cat's an' dogs, until dey go, see. Now, if yo' wanta git back tuh dat house [if you Want to move back into that house]. (What do you do with that yard egg and that stuff that you mix up?) Jes' throw it up 'ginst de gate or any- wheres inside de yard, if yo' kin git in dere, an' [when] dey gone off tuh make [a visit] or sompin lak dat. An' throw it down on de groun' in front-a dey do'. Yo' kin do dat.
Entry 9342
Lak if ah been workin' in a place a long time, an' ah wants tuh stay dere, ah gits me a fresh yard aig [chicken egg laid in an old-fashioned henhouse and not on the modern commercial production line!] right aftah de hen lay it. An' ah take some straight stickin' pins [ordinary pins], dey gotta [be] new, an' ah put one right through it lak dis, see [demon- strates]. An' den ah run one across it, yo' see [demonstrates]. An' fo'evah weah dat. Even in mah pocket, jis' lak ah have a pocket, an' weah dat in dere, see [demonstrates]. An' yo' be dere [on the job] fo' a long time. Dey'll nevah fiah [fire = discharge] yo'.
Entry 9358
Say fo' instance if yo' own a piece of property, or if yo' don' own a piece of property. Heah's a fellah livin' intuh a house dat chew would lak tuh move in. Yo' take a aig an' yo' write de person's name, whoevah it might be, on de aig three times. Yo' take dat aig, aftah yo' write de name, an' shake it lak dat [dem- onstrates] an' dat'll make it, de white an' yallah come tuhgethah yo' know. An' yo' put dat aig away fo' nine days, see, an' it'll spoil. An' den yo' take dis aig an' throw it on de top of de house dat de person is livin' in. An' dey'll move.
Entry 9373
Den ah know a woman she tole me how ah could put mahself in good luck, an' ah ast 'er how. She tole me tuh git a new fresh aig from a nest an' write on it jis' whut ah want it tuh be. Yo' know, whut ah want tuh tell it, an' black it wit sut [soot] an' bury it undah de house. An' aftah nine days why ah'll git a result. Good luck in anything dat ah wanted tuh happen, dat will happen.
Entry 9389
Ah've heard 'em say dey take a chicken aig, an' say jis' lak yo' wus livin' in dis home an' de rentahs wus worryin' yo' or somepin, yo' could git chew three fresh ones an' jis' go out on one side of de house an' jis' chunk 'em clean ovah on de othah [side]. Ah imagine dat would be hard tuh do. But dey says dat stops dem from bothahin' yo' any mo'.
(Stops who?)
Stop de rentahs from worryin' yo', de man dat chew rent from, or de lady dat chew rent from. (Oh, they come bothering you about the rent or something of that sort. Any kind of chicken eggs?) Dey says jis' fresh aigs. Some folks says dey use black hen aigs. [This is an unusual rite. Most of these rites involve a person renting or owning the whole house. Here we have a person renting a room in the house, a person who does not want to be bothered too often about the rent. In throwing these eggs he or she does not move himself or herself. I suppose this could also apply to the renter of the whole house. Intention can change the normal meaning of a rite.]
Entry 9396
Take a fresh yard egg [from chicken yard or chicken that runs freely], not a groc'ry egg...write de person's name on dat egg...three times...cross de Mississippi River an' when yo' gits in de middle... throw dat egg ovah yore shouldah an' yo' curse it. Dat breaks 'em up.
Entry 10966
If yo' livin' in a house an' ah want chew tuh move, yo' [I] git a black hen's aig an' let it be fresh, an' go to a ole cow lot an' git some fresh cow manure. An' wrap it in a piece of red flannel cloth an' wrap it tight an' tie it with three white strings. (Just how do you tie that with three white strings?) Take yore aig an' put it [manure] all ovah it an' wrap it. When yo' wrap it up in de center, always turn it to yo'. Don't turn it from yo', turn it to yo' and fold it up, an' den git chew three white strings - oh, about dat long [demonstrates].
(Several feet long.)
An' wrap it to yo'. Den wrap it round dis way. Den yo' take dat aig...
(You make a little parcel out of it?)
Yes. (You wrap it one way and then turn around and wrap it the other way, always wrapping it to you.) An' den yo' take dat aig an' go tuh a runnin' stream of watah an' put dat aig right down in dat watah, an' leave it, an' jes' de same as dat watah wash dat aig away, it'll wash yo' from where yo' are. (Well, now what connection has that egg with me? Has it some connection with me?) [The connection I wanted expressed was that the informant was trying to send me away. The rite is legitimate as it stands.] De connection ah don't know, but ah'm jes' tellin' yo' whut ah heard.
(This will make them move out of the house, make them move out of town?)
Yessuh.
Entry 10972
Take a fresh-laid aig [often called yard egg] an' put it up on de do' facin' [top over door uninclosed leaving a ledge] on de do' yo' know lak, an' dat'll move dem. [Uninclosed space over door indicates an unfinished or shed-type build- ing. For a similar over-the-door rite, see No.11044.]
Entry 11666
Yo' go down to de fo'k of de road an' yo' kin take a fresh aig - jes lak yo' in bad luck. Git a fresh aig an' a penny an' throw it cross yore shoulder at de fo'k of de road an' walk on an' don' look back. After while it put chew in good luck. (You throw that penny and
[WHY EGG? THAT IS PAYMENT FOR SPIRIT OF THE FORK] the egg over it [shoulder]?)
An' de aig ovah - both of 'em together, an' throw it cross yore shoulder an' walk on - de left shoulder and walk on. An' why dat put chew in good luck? An' de one dat come an' find dis penny, it put dem in bad luck. [This is a tranference rite, very common in wart cures.]