Subject:Frog/Living frog
Entries
Entry 9966
Ah hear'd dat if - jis' lak if a man wants tuh be a swift gamblah, an' he wanted tuh be lucky in 'is gamblin', dat he'd ketch a toadfrog an' he'd cut 'is hin' guartah off - 'is left [hind] quartah - an' put it in 'is pocket. De longah yo' tote dis heah hin' quartah, dey say yo'd be lucky in gamblin'. An' den if yo' evah lose yore luck, why yo'd lose yore love. [The preceding folk- lore or hoodoo penalty was and still is new to me, uhich may be the reason why I failed to ask an obvious question. What do you Dean by love? Would you lose your lover or sexual potency? Could these final words be a proverbial saying?]
Entry 573
A woman in Georgia said if yo' got a pain about chew anywhere, said, take a frog an' don't kill him, but jes' lay him in de palm of yore hand or wherevah de pain wus an' dey tie him an' let him stay there. An' dey say, if he dies, yore poisoned; if he don't die, then yo' are not poisoned.
Entry 1901
I was told dis by a fellow. Well, he was a white boy worked at de Ford plant - working every day and I reckon he is working there now.
(Here in towm?)
At de Ford plant over here at North Norfolk. See, I was told that a man - he's a North Ca'lina boy, too. He told me dat he left home - I knowed his people well - didn't know that's where his home was but I knowed his people by seeing them away. He told me dat he left home and there was a couple of men told him something to do, and when he left the plant and went home, see, they didn't like him much. Seemed like if he kind of hard on him, the man he worked for. So he went home and there was a couple of colored fellows told him what to do, and he told me what he told him. He say he told him to go ahead and get a little Spring frog and take him - one of de small ones you kin put into a small bottle and put him down in dere with his feet up and head down. Den he bring dat back and put him in dat bottle some cologne - see, de Hearts Cologne and continue to go to work with that on him, and when he come back - I don't know what he had did, but that's what he told me he did and his brother-in- law told me so too. Well, when he come back this same man that he was hard on 'em, he would take him around and take him all the way home in his automobile. I know that to happen, but I don't exactly what he did. That's what he told me. (That's what he said he did. He just had this frog in the bottle and put this Hearts Cologne in there.) Yeah, and let the frog be bottom up and his head down in dat little bottle.
Entry 10000
Take fo' instance, we had a carnival - a show. All right, in ordah to have luck an' win with pract'ly evahthing dat chew have in de show, whenevah ah would go tuh throw at de darts or try tuh win a doll or somepin, well ah would jis' slip a frog in mah hip pocket or eithah a turtle or toad or somepin. Well, quite natchral evahthin' dat ah would take a chance on ah would be successful in it.
(Do you kill this turtle, frog?)
No, jis' keep im live.
Entry 576
I know a fellow, a schoolmate of mine down in King George [County, Virginia], he worked in New Jersey years ago and most everyone took him to be a cunjure and fortune-teller, which he was not. But his father was a Southerner from Louisiana and he [the son] also believed in cunjuration. And while he worked in New Jersey, it was an old colored family and the old man was sick, and someone told him about this man that came from Virginia who was supposed to be a cunjure. And this [supposed] cunjure didn't like to work hard and he thought he would make some easy money. So he went to the home of this old family and had a talk with the old man, and he was convinced that he also believed in cunjuration. And after he talked with them awhile, he said he could cure the old man. The old man was sick. After he found out they believed in him, he went to work and he said he could cure him for fifty dollars and put the spell back on the woman who put it on him. So he went away that night and came back another dark night. Being very late at night, he planted a bottle under the doorsill containing button hooks [hooks and eyes] and needles and pins, and he had a coloring, some liquid in a bottle. He hid it under the doorsill and came back another night. So the next night he brought with him a simlin [or simling] gourd [= simnel, a squash in U. S. A.] which he had sawed in two and sealed up with a live frog inside. And then he told the man he would tell him in a few moments what was wrong. If no one hadn't thrown a hand [Throw for, in Indexl at him, he did not want his money. So the old map was satisfied. Then he laid the gourd before the fireplace with the live frog inside and says, "Gourd, gourd, you have never lied to me, and don't lie to me tonight." Then he put his hand acrost his eyes and he said, "If anything is wrong, move, move, move," three times, of [on] which the frog began to get warm. He [the frog] was a little slow in moving so he [conjurer] stood up [closer to the fire]. And he knew the gourd was going to move because the frog was inside. By that time the gourd got hot and the frog made one jump. And he said, "Move again." And the gourd moved. And said, "Move again." The gourd moved off the fireplace between the old man's legs that was sick. He was setting in a chair. And he says, "Mister, I told my wife I was cunjured. Now I know it and you know it." So he told the cunjure the money was ready whenever he would cure him. So the cunjure said it would take about three weeks, because the person that put the spell on him was a far off. So the cunjure went home that night knowing that he had some easy money coming. He went in the woods the next day and got some pokeberry roots and red oak bark and saxafras [sassafras] roots and cooked it together and made a tea, which is got for rheumatism, [I] don't care how [long] standing, because his father cured himself with the very same remedy. So he came back three days later to the old man's home and brought a pint of this tea that he had made, and told him to take a tablespoonful three times a day before each meal, which he did. And inside of one week he was feeling much better. And the following Sunday this cunjure came back to see how the old man was. And the old man said, "Boy, I'm feeling fine. Come over one night next week and I will give you half of the money." The cunjure didn't wait a week. He came back the third day with another pint and told him to double the dose, which the old man did. And at the end of the second week the old man's rheumatism was gone. And instead of giving him twenty-five dollars he gave him fifty and just spread his name abroad. And the cunjure still lives today and said he made over three-hundred dollars just for this good remedy which his father cured himself. And lots of other people that don't know him go and see him today, for he still lives. He still lives in King George as a cunjure, of which he knows nothing about.
Entry 1899
Totes a toadfrog. If a fellah got roots or anything lak dat, chew go an' git chew a live rusty toadfrog an' put him in a han'chief an' put him in yore pocket, in yore side pocket or anythin' lak dat, an' go in a game, an' yo' wanta kill his luck, if yo' [he] got any lodestone or anything, that's goin' kill it.
Entry 1902
Ah used de nest of de red ants mahself - see, ah used to be a gambler. Yo' git a frog an' take tie him up, both his laig, to a stake ovah a nest of dose large red antses an' let dem eat de flesh off his bones, see. An' den yo take de bones an' wrap 'em up in a cloth an' dress em wit cologne an' yo'll win. But it's dangerous - yo' have tuh pay fo' it.
(What do you mean by that?)
Well, yo' li'ble lose a member of yore body, yore arm or laig, toe, yo' know, or lose somebody in de family yo' love, or either yore life. Yo'll have to pay fo it. It s de devil's trick.
(What do you do with that frog? You stake - you mean?)
Yo' stake him - yo' torture him - yo' let de red ants eat de flesh off him - stake him alive. Yo' tie him up, all fo' of him laigs where de ants kin git to his flesh.
Entry 6201
I've heard people say dat yo' kin take when de sap rise, at a certain change of de moon, an' yo' kin take a live frog an' put in dat. Yo' bo' three holes in dere wit a brace an' bit: one De Father, an' one De Son, an' one De Holy Ghost. Un- dahstan'? (The sap rises in what?) De sap rise in a tree, yo' know. What I mean, by de sap risin' in de spring of de year. Say, an' take an' bo' three holes in dat tree. Undahstan' me: Dat's one De Father, one De Son, an' one De Holy Ghost. An' yo' kin hollah dose holes out in- to one, an' put a live frog in dere, an' dey kin git some of yore hair an' put in dere. An' dey Say, WHEN DAT SAP BEGIN TO COME DOWN AG'IN, SAY DAT DE HEAT FROM DAT SAP WILL RUN DIS FROG CRAZY DERE; AN' DEY SAY, AN' AFTAH DEY RUN 'IM CRAZY IN DAT [HOLE] ALIVE, WHY HE BEGINS TO EAT DAT HAIR. Why yo' kin take a frog anywhere an' he see somepin - roll a ball or...
(JUST A LITTLE BIT SLOWER.)
Yo' kin take a frog an' put 'im on de flo' here an' roll a ball [gunshell shot]. He'll eat de shot fast as yo' rolls it to 'im. [This belief is wide- spread in the South, though I did not always record it.]
(He what?)
Yo' kin take a frog an' put 'im on yore flo' dere, an' yo' roll dat ball - little shot dere. Yo' know, little ball, some kinda gunshell, any kind - yeah. He'll eat 'em fast as yo' git 'em to 'im dere.
(Oh, I see - eating shot.)
Well, I done said, aftah yo' git dat hair when dat sap begin to come down again in dat tree, yo' undahstan', to de epiderma of de tree here - dat epiderma here. De epiderma is de outside linin' of de tree here. [And the word epiderma is also rare in Hoodoo!] He will go crazy. De heat from dat sap will run 'im crazy an' he eat dat hair. An' when he eat dat hair, say yo' will go [crazy] yourself.
(Which hole do you put him in?)
No, yo' bo' three into de tree wit a brace an' bit. Dere yo' are. Den yo' hollah dem three out an' into one dere.
(Oh, these three holes you make into one.)
Dere yo' are.
(And put the frog into the one hole, and then you stop it up some way?)
Yes, stop it up dere wit a piece of galvanized tin here - see, put a piece of galvanized tin ovah dat hole an' stop it up.
Entry 1332
Well, this cow an' hog hoof, de hog hoof - yo' take yo' a hog hoof an' boil it - jes' lak yore chile - take dat hoof an' boil it an' take and give a chile some de watah, let him drink de watah, an' take a frog, a live frog an' split him wide open an' hol' de chile, put him on his mouth lak dis, wit de whoopin' cough.
(You must use both things?)
Yessuh - boil de hoof of de hog an' let him drink de watah an' den jes' ketch yo' a frog an' split him open an' hold him right ovah de mouth - dat's fo' de whoopin' cough.
Entry 1892
Fo' gamblin', ah heard 'em say, yo' kin git chew a frog - a toadfrog. Well, a frog is got a numbah undah his neck right undah dere. Take dat frog an' git one wit de even numbah. Don't git no odd numbah lak three or five, but git chew one got a two or fo' an' take him 'live an' put him in yore pocket an' go to de skin gome or any kinda gamblin' game an' yo's lucky in winnin'. An' if yo' think dat dere's somebody else dere dat's got some roots or somepin dat's tryin' tuh win too, yo' jes' take an' git chew some table salt an' put some sulphur in yore shoes, yo' see, 'fore yo' leave home an' go on there. Yo' take dat salt an sprinkle it on their haid an' dey'll lose. Dey roots won't be no good to em.
(That kills that?)
Dat kills dat.
Entry 1903
Jes' lak yo' go to de race track bettin' on de horse races, yo' ketch - yo' have two toadyfrogs - jes' have 'em wit chew, see. An' Jes' lak yo' bettin', take an' pat 'em on de horse an' de horse yo' want to win he will win every time.
(How do you carry those frogs?)
In yore pocket - either in a papah bag, both of 'em together so long as dey live. If dey's live it all right; if dey's daid dey ain't goin' be no good.
Entry 3200
Dey says dat dey take a frog - ketch a frog an' put 'im in a can or a pot where yo' outdo's washin', while it's 'live, an' put 'im in dere an' jes' let im cook on down tuh a powdah, an' sprinkle a man wit dat, or a man could sprin- kle a woman wit it, an' dey won't have no intahco'se atall wit nobody atall but jes' dem. (That's all they have to do?) Dat's all - jes' take it when it gits, yo' know, it burn tuh pow- dah, jes' lak ashes, an' yo' put it in a cloth yo' know, an' evah time yo' have sompin tuh do wit 'a man or woman, yo' sprinkle some of it on 'em.
Entry 3954
Well, dat's like if yo' wanta kill someone. Dat's whut dat is. Yo' kin take a woman ministratin' cloth, don't chew know, an' yo' kin care [carry] it to a pine tree as de sun go down an' yo' kin take a ten-penny nail an' drive it in de hollow of dis ole pine tree as de sun goin' down an' walk off an' leave it right dere. Den when de frog eat it up, den she'll die.
(What eats it up?)
De frog.
(The frog eats that up?)
Yeah, a frog will eat dat up, den yo'll die.
(Where would the frog come from?)
Yo' would have tuh carry de frog dere an' put de frog in dere. When de frog eat dat up, den yo'll die.
(You just put it in the hollow of a tree?)
De hollah of a ole pine tree.
Entry 5703
Take frogs - jis' lak if yo' wanta run a person off, ketch a live frog an' split 'im wide open. Yo' take a person track - yo' take both of 'is track an' put one crossways, cut it dis way Idemonstratesl. (You cut that frog lengthwise and cross- wise - cross like an "x". All right.) Yo' put de right track straight up an' down, de left track yo' crosses dat. Dat crosses up 'is mind an' he'll drift an' drift an' drift. Dat crosses up 'is mind, see. An' den yo' sew 'im back up an' yo Pat 'im into a green gourd. Put 'im in an' stop it up. A green gourd, dat's right, an' go where de tide is gotta go a long ways, an' yo' walk dere, an' when yo' git tuh dis rivah yo' walk nine steps backwards an throw it ovah, say, "Go, Go." An' throw it ovah. Don' look back, jis' walk from de rivah an' keep agoin'. An' he'll go.
(You say "Go" twice?)
Yassuh.
Entry 6568
Dey takes a toadfrog. See, dey takes a toadfrog an' put dat toadfrog alive - put 'im undah de step wit a li'le sulphuh right undah *Is chin dere, an' if de people walks ovah 'im, dat put de toadfrog into de person.
Entry 6802
Yo' kin split a live frog open an' put it on dat place where yo' snake bitten at an' de poison will come intuh de frog.
Entry 8915
Yo' take a frog. Dat's when yo' wanta go in to git somepin. Yo' wants to go into a place to git sompin, certain things out. Well, yo' take dis frog an'you put him in yo' pocket live today. Well, yo' go in dis place an' smoke dis place off today. Well, yo' won't git nuthin today, but tuhmahrah [tomor- row] yo' intend to git whut chew Want. Yo' bring dis frog back an' buy yo' 15 buckshots, which yo' shoot in a gun. Yo'll put him over heah in de corner. He ain't going move. Yo'll roll dem shots to him an' he'll swallow every one of dem. Den yo'll pick him back up an' go to de store an' evahthing yo' calls for, evahthing yo' call fo', he'll nevah ask yo' fo' no money. [A frog swal- lowing buckshot is widely believed.]
Entry 9914
If ah be in de baid sick - ah hear'd dat if yo' be in de baid sick an' yo' are poisoned, yo' ketch a live frog an' wherevah de misery is, yo' put dat frog dere an' dat frog turn green, but if yo' are not poisoned, why he won't. [To understand this remark- able frog-turning-green rite, let us examine a similar rite previously given, the hoodoo woman from Bergen Junction (reference later). Here the victim, having exchanged shoes with another man, wore them to work next day: Dat night he wasn't able to walk home. He was hoppin'. His laig was hurtin' all up, clean up tuh 'is knee. An' yo' kin hear 'im hollerin'. Ah hear 'im my ownself...two blocks. De doctor [M.D.] he come. De doctor couldn't do no good. Dey had to go git...big [prob- ably both in size and importance] hoodoo woman stay out from Bergen Junction... she come dere and she put her han' on 'im jes' lak dis heah [demonstrates] an' drag it over 'is face - we all standing dere lookin' at 'em - bring 'er han' right down ovah 'is face jes' lak dat an' carried it straight on down, right ovah dat laig. An' she done dat three times, an'...two toadyfrogs hopped outa dat man's laig, an' dat man got all right. Come out [the frogs came out] back dere where de two places 'bout tuh come to a haid - where it done, you know, formed a corruption. Here we have one of those head-down-to-feet rites that drives di- sease or evil out of the body through the feet, often the big toe, into or on to the ground. How a sleight-of-hand artist would have performed this trick I do not know, but I can suggest a possible method. The hoodoo woman, probably saying she worked In the Name of the Lord, opened her right hand, turned it about to show it empty, and laid it on top of the man's head In the Name of the Father. Then slowly the open palm went down over the man's face, neck, shoulder, side of body to hip, thigh, knee, leg, foot and finally rested open palm on the ground. There may have been verbal mumbo jumbo along the descent. Next our hoodoo oper- ator saying she would now use more force, closed her hand loosely and began at the man's head again; this time In the Name of the Son. Her half-closed hand going down this time pressed heavier against the man's body. A third time and In the Name of the Holy Ghost, she laid her hand on the man's head, but now hand was a closed fist pressing heavily on its downward journey over the man's body. When she opened her fist on the ground it was empty but two frogs, young ones probably the size of hulled peanuts were jumping about. (Yes, I have seen many of these small frogs.) She then pointed out de two places 'bout tuh come to a haid, where it done, you know, formed a corruption. Surely the corruption on the man's leg was the misdirection permitting the release of the frogs. (For this hoodoo woman from Bergen Junction, see No.1263, p.441, v.1.) The reader will now understand how in our present rite the non-green frog suddenly could turn green. And finally the reader should notice how the present informant quickly changes from if ah be in de baid sick to if you be in de baid sick. This change occurs frequently in HOODOO. After all I was a total stranger to my in- formants, many of whom considered me a hoodoo doctor! Reference for green-frog rite: Brunswick, Ga., (1219), 2061:8.]