Subject:Hag
Entries
Entry 10415
She caught it [hag in a bottle. She put the bottle under her bed, turned the mouth of it toward the bed - under bed - it was a black bug [in the bottle next morning]. The first person coming to the house next morn- ing and asking for a match or salt or anything, if she give to her, won't get rid of the hag. [For loans to witches, see NEVER LEND TO WITCHES, No.16338, P.875, in Folklore from Adams County Illinois, 2nd ed., and elsewhere in witch- craft section.] If you don't let the bug out the bottle, the person will die.
(Story rather disconnected, if nothing better may transcribe for a footnote.)
[This was my note shortly after transcribing cylinder. Never got back to it.]
Entry 10417
Keep hag away - 9 needles in bot- tle. [Caught hag] looked like jellyfish. Sot much of story.
Entry 10421
Well, it supposed to be nuthin but a hag ride chew. Jes' lak yo' can't sleep at night, yo' know. See, de hag jump on yo' an' will ride yo' an can't rest. If yo' gits up in de night an' put de broom, a straw broom, across de path right wheresomevah dey supposed tuh come in an' in de mawnin' when yo' go by dere, yo' be done caught de witch. It'll be nuthin but a ball of jelly dat look lak de watah [gummy sap] out of a peach tree.
(You said you put the cap what?)
Put a cap ovah de do' [the knob of door with man's cap over the keyhole]. [Straw broom for sweeping floor, has long wooden handle; hand broom is made of small twigs or long grass doubled together and tied at bend for a handle.]
Entry 10428
Put fork under pillow to keep hag from riding you [for hag or witch riding you see p.136f., v.l, margin title WITCH RIDES PERSON] at Petersburg, Va.,
(447), 423:6; at Wilmington, N. Car., (208), 114:5+85.]
Entry 10439
Hag looks like a lump of jelly [Jack- sonville, Fla., (592), 765:7. For similar beliefs see No.10421, p.3996 and elsewhere].
Entry 10452
New needles stick under [hag's] steps - couldn't leave - took sick - sent over to borrow salt - story diffuse - in lowland dialect.
Entry 10458
If a witch ridin' yuh, botherin' yo', followin' yo' aroun', yo' kin git salt, cookin' salt, an' tie it up in a little rag an' yo' kin git rid of dat witch. She can't stand salt. (What do you do with that rag then?) Yo' take dat rag an' yo' ties it an' yo' lets it stay right in yore room. An' yo' have tuh put a little lard on dat rag. Yo' know, have it kinda greasy. An' jes' hang dat rag right up in yore room an' dat witch ain't goin' tuh bother yo' no more. So, dat's de onliest time - look, lak de witch will bother when yo' in, yo' know, in yo' room tryin' tuh rest, be try- in' tuh ride yuh.
Entry 10468
Well, dey tell me how tuh ketch 'em [hags] is [tol git a sifter yo see, an' dey'll come in dere roun' 'fore day, yo' see, an' dey count de holes dere an' right dere's where it be yo' ketch [her] countin' dem holes in de sifter. So dey caught a ole lady lak dat once. (What did she look like when they caught her?) Well, she looked lak sompin didn't have no skin on, jes' kinda like butter - not butter, jelly yo' know. So dey caught her an' dey beat her. De ole lady was staying dere herself [living in same house].
Entry 12576
De pillah yo' sleep on - jes' lak ah sleep on a pillah, ah have a penny in dat pillah, see, in dat cloth right in dat pillah, an' all ah have to do is jes' put mah haid on dat pillah an' sleep. (Sleep all night.) [This un- doubtedly is a rite to prevent a hag from riding you. In hag rites a penny is not generally used, though we have copper in No.527, p.156, v.1.]