Subject:Impotence
Entries
Entry 3629
Takin' yore chamber lye an' usin' dat an' yo' can't - yore dick won't rise till yo' see her, yo' know.
(Well, how do they use that? Do that?)
Put it in a bottle an' tie nine knots in a string, an' put de string aroun' de bottle an' put it up ovah top de door where yo' go out at; an' when yo' go out, dey lay dat bottle an' yore dick won't rise. An' while dat bottle layin' down, yo' come back an' den dey set it up. Yo' set de bottle up an' yo's all right den. (Well, what do they do with this string first? Where do they get the string first?) Wet it in de watah.
(Oh, they wet this - in whose water?)
In yores. (The woman gets the string and wets it in the man's water, and she ties these kmots in it.) Yes, ties nine knots in it. I hear'd of peoples takin' yore hair an' puttin' it in a rag, puttin' it in a bottle an' puttin' some vinegar wit it, an' puttin' it up ovah top de door. An evah time yo' go out dey lay dat bottle down, an' yo' have to come back; an' when yo' come back, dey set dat bottle up, an' yo' is all right.
(What would she do about getting his nature? What would she do with that?)
Put it in a bottle an' lay it 'cross, put it up in de do'r - see, anywhere yo' go out. An' when yo' go out she lay dat down when yo' come back, she stand it up. But yo' kin easily do somepin fer dat. [Norfolk, Va., (469), 475:7.] [I had intended to comment at the end of KNOTS NINE about the number of them in HOODOO. Instead I write a few words to fill in the end of this page.] [I agree with the informant who supplies our first margin title: AH'M GON'A TELL YUH SOMEPIN OTHAH DAT BEAT DE WORL'. Snail rites do beat de WOrl'. They are so amazing I have been more than generous with examples. HooDoO as a whole will show that no special effort was made to collect them, because sex in itself was never emphasized in field work. When I first heard about the snail rite in 1936, I thought the man was lying - see 3635.]
Entry 3705
Well, when she have intahco'se wit a man, well she kin take dat string yo' see, aftah evahthing is ovah, an' she'll jis' dry wit dat string, yo' know [wiping] to huh. Git it right wet an' she'll tie a knot in it an' jis' as many ties as she has interco'se wit dis man, she'll tie a knot in dat an' jis' keep on till she git nine knots an' wear it roun' her laig or eithah roun' her waist an' he cain't bothah nobody else.
(She just uses a string for this doesn't she?)
Yessuh, a cord string.
(She doesn't measure him or anything of that sort?)
She measured 'im, she measured 'im first.
(She ties it later on?)
Yessuh, aftah. Aftah wearin' dat string aroun' 'er waist or eithah roun' 'er laig, take dat an' burn it up an' he'll git rid of dat.
(He'll get his nature back again.)
Yes sir.
Entry 3748
Ah know dis heah. If yo' think yo' got a woman an' she's indiff'ren', yo' take her wit dat snail. An' at night when yo' happen tuh be foolin' aroun', handlin' ovah 'er, yo' press dat snail ovah 'er, grease dat snail ovah 'er, an' den de nex' man - if she has othah ones about 'er, when he go tuh 'er, he can't git up no 'rection [erection], yo' see. Hit'll fall evah time. An' de onliest way now - now here's where tuh conkah 'it. When he finds out dat he can't have no intahco'se wit 'er, he'd steal a dishrag. He steal a dishrag from some wumman, somebody's place, an' bathe hisself down nine mornings - bathe hisself down nine mornings wit dat rag, an' den take it an' bury it at de do'step - dis same fellah's do'step now. An' den aftah de nine days - he bury it an' let it stay nine days. - aftah nine days he kin take 'er an' screw 'er jis' as much as he wants.
Entry 6985
[The following rite, a MISCELLANEOUS CAUSE of sexual impotence (pp. 2341-2391), should have followed margin title WATER RUNNING, p.2389:] De willah tree, de weepin' willah. Dey tell me dey kin take de roots of dat an' make a tea or eithah dry it an' sprinkle it on a man an' yo'll stay wit 'im. He'll nevah have no connection wit no one. If he start, he'll fall. (Well, who would do that?) De woman, his wife, anybody, if he's bad fo' runnin' aftah othah wimmins. Or if she's de same way, a man git dat, he can't stay, he'll leave. He'll git mad wit de woman an' leave her. It's eithah way [you can stop a man or woman].
(Well, then when he came home, he couldn't do anything with his wife either?)
Oh, he be all right when he git home - jes' stay home all de time.
(Oh, he wouldn't be all right with other women?)
No, not fo' nobody else, jes' dat woman.
Entry 7197
Yo' see, jis' lak if yo' been messin' wit a woman an' she take yore nature 'way lak dat, de way fo' her tuh do dat, she git some dis heah clovah root. She takes some of dat clovah root an' boil it intuh a tea. Well, quite natchel [natural] in de sum- mahtime yo' drink ice tea. She'll take some of dat an' go ahaid an' she put it in dat [tea] watah, an' yo' drink it an' yore courage will leave. An' de fus' thin' yo' know, yo' cain't [do] nuthin. An' it's quite natchel she'll say attah while, say, "Yo' know, Conn, ah'm goin' leave yo'." An' she'll leave yo'. Dat de way Women do. An' anothah thin' she kin do, she kin take red shank root. She'll take dat red shank root an' gi' yo' dat air [give you that there] an' three raw aigs a day herself. Not have a thing on 'em. An' yo' suck dem aigs fo' nine days, an it'll bring yo' [nature] back. She'll bring yo' back.
Entry 10221
Boil a cicada in lard and grease man's tool with it to cure a spell of im- potence. [The magic here is probably be- cause the insect sings, then comes out of a hard shell it leaves behind; a symbol of escape, new life and singing with joy!]
Entry 10231
Ah hear'd dere wuz a lady once taken a girl's dress an' taken de front of it out, an' torn de front of it out so she'd be [weak] in de front [of her body]. She takes dis piece of de dress an' buries it, buries it right where it would have chills an' things an' she wun't [wouldn't] have no nature fo' no man.
(Did she tear the dress out?)
Dey [she] to' [tore] de front of it out.
(The whole front of it out.)
Entry 10261
If a woman have tricked him where he can't do business, well every morning he take dat. Take some milk an' put it in de pan an' bathe down wit it; an' throw it toward de risin' sun, every morning fo' nine mornings. [I had stopped machine but restarted it to include informant's use of the word courage.]
(What will that do then? That will restore his courage?)
Yes, restore his courage. [Stop machine.]
[Start machine again to pick up another addition.]
(You say bathe down.)
Entry 10262
Ah heard dey said yo' could take yo' discharge an' put it in a rag an' put it where no air kin git to it, an' put it in yore pillah, an' he cain't do nuthin off nowheres else, an' he'll have tuh stay home.
Entry 10263
(What can he do for that?) Well, he kin go to take black mo- lasses syrup an' eat it, eat it fo' about nine days. Dat will kill ever' bit of it [impotence].
Entry 10271
If a person got chew fixed so yo' ain't got no manhood wit chureself, yo' jes' go an' make water into a red ant's nest. It will freshen right up ag'in. Ah've lost mah nature mah- self dat way an' ah've gained it back dat way. Dat's true about dat. [For ants see Nos.3111-3112, p.2342, v.3.]
Entry 11287
You go kill a deer.
(A deer?)
Oh, yeah! Kill a deer. It's a very tame animal. You kill a female deer, save the blood and save the fat out of the side for a salve. I get that. You know the female, what they call in the east you know, is a lamb and the buck's a man. Get that fat and fry it out. That fat, I don't mind giving that fat for that. That will bring it. That will fix him so that he kin have some woman about once or twice a month. That other thing, [whatever it Was], I could not give. It's too deadly.