Subject:Quicksilver
Entries
Entry 3917
Take dey sanitary cloth an' roll it up aroun' dat hair wit de quick- silvah in it, an' den yo' stick dose needles in dere, yo' see, an' yo' put it in a secret place somewhere. An' dey'll be worried to death wit dat, an' natchly [naturally] it will run 'em crazy. (You told me something a while ago. How does it make them feel, you say?) Oh! it makes 'em feel lak pins is stickin' in 'em - in dey flesh or somepin all de while.
Entry 5192
Take a person's shoe an' take an' burn it, an' yo' crimp it jis' lak yo' would when yo' take livah sometime. Ah mean yo' may not have nevah did it but Jews does it. Yo' put livah intuh - jis' lak yo' take a shoe yo' put it inside de stove. Now, yo' don't burn it. Yo' put it in- side de stove an' let it burn from de inside of de stove. See, yo' take an' let it burn from de inside of de stove an', den yo' take dis shoes leathah an' yo' git chew some of dis quicksilvah an' drop it all roun' in dat thing. An' den yo' git chew a white of aig wit dis quicksilvah, an' den yo' take dis an' whip it right good an' put dis quicksilvah in dere. See. An' den yo' jis' put it all in dat shoe an' powdah dat shoe all up wit - jis' let it go all up, yo' know. An' den yo' jis' take an' sew hit up, but choo sew it up in a silk cloth. An' den yo' puts a red piece of ribbon aroun' it. See. An' whatevah yo' wanta do wit dat - if yo' fixin' fo' tuh do anybody harm or do anybody good. [If harm], dey'll git tuh walkin'.
(What do you do with it after you put it in the bag? What happens then?)
Tote it in yore pocketbook or tote it...
(You take either shoe? Take one of your own?)
Take de lef' shoe. Always take a lef' shoe.
(Take your own?)
No, don't none of yore own. Yo' got tuh take one of his'n. (What are you going to do this stuff. What are you making this preparation for, now?) Why do you do it? Well now, dat starts 'im walkin'. When yo' fool wit a person's shoe, yo' know, dat's de scent from 'is feet zhoo know. Dat's de nature of 'im, yo' see. (This starts him walking. Well, what do you do with that bag that has this stuff in it?) Jis' take an' tote it, make 'im start walkin'.
Entry 5331
Take yore foot tracks an' put it intuh a bottle intuh some quick- silvah - use a black bottle - an' throw it over yore [shoulder] intuh de rivah... as long as dat bot- tle drift, yo'll drift, too.
Entry 5493
Take dat - yo' take yore foot track an' yo' put dat wit sulphur, red peppah an' gunpowdah an' put quicksilvah wit dat. Yo' go tuh de rivah an' go throw it right 'cross yore right shouldah. Go on an' don' look back. Dat will run yo'. Dey say dat will run yuh. Quicksilver may be the real thing, tin foil, or scrapings from back of mirror; the important idea being the five letters q-u-i-c-k.1
(You take, use either foot track. It doesn't make any difference?)
No.
Entry 5693
Now, jis' lak yo' say at de start back dere, ah would wan'a do yo' some evil. An' ah'd git up between midnight an' day jis' befo' de sun rise, but ah'd have tuh have some of yore urine watah or yore track. An' ah'd take dat an' ah'd mix it wit - it ain't powdah, it's a quick- silvah [and] brimstone. Yo' take dat brimstone an' ah'd have some of yore urine watah an' yo'd mix some bluestone wit, jis' lak yo' say. An' yo' take dat an' yo' git chew a tin box, yo' know, whut de lid will fasten down on, an' yo' put dat in dat box. Yo' bo' li'le holes in de bottom of de box. Yo' don' put no liquid in dat, jis' dat powdah. An' den set dat - de sun goin' tuh rise, yo' set it dis way [demonstrates]. Yo' don' lay it complete down, jis' kinda tilt it. Yo' set it so when de sun rise it'll come ovah it. Brimstone, bluestone an' quicksilvah.
(You bury that towards the sunrise.)
Yes, toward de sunrise. Yo' see de sun rise on it an' go ovah. Dis part of it tuh de sunrise. An' dat li'le box, whosomevah is doin' dis, dey got some words dey use three times a day: in de mornin' dey uses some words, dinnahtime dey use some words, when de sun go down dey use dose same words.
(What do they use?)
Entry 5717
If dey ketch yore track where yo' make a track at, dey kin take dat track. Git a thread of any kin' an' measure it from toe tuh heel, undahstan', an' take de dirt up an' put it in [put in] quicksilvah, an' put it in a swinging bird nest, an' yo'll walk in yore grave. [Yo'll swing into your grave would have been better.] Jis' lak it's a bird nest yo' know up in a tree. Put it up dere where de birds go.
(And which foot do they get, both feet?)
No, de right feet.
Entry 5747
This is to cross you. You take the right-foot track, you dig that out and turn it over, and fill the hole full of salt and pepper and quicksilver and sulphur and gunpowder. Then you put that foot track back in the hole upside down and tamp it down and make a wish. You do that the same both for a man and a woman, if you want to break them up.
[Berlin, Md., by Ediphone.]
Entry 5750
Ah heard dey pick up foot track, in hollah of it. Dey tell me dey puts dat in somepin an' puts quicksilvah wit it.
(What do you mean, they put it in something?)
Dey put it in somepin like a jar or a cup or anythin' like dat an' dey puts quicksilvah wit it. An' dey tells me, yo' know yore urinate, well dey tell me dey will po' dat ovah it fo' so many days. An' dey tells me de zo' dey po' dat ovah it an' keep it shet up tuh time dat dry, it dries up a per- son, drifts 'em away-lak.
(Whose chamber lye do they put on there?)
Dere own.
(The person that is doing the bad work?)
Yes.
(That's to dry them up.)
Entry 7400
Take yore shoes sometime an' lak if dey did anythin', yo' kin take dere shoes an' have 'em caught.
(How would you do that?)
Well, yo' take an' put - yo' git chew some quicksilvah. Well, yo' kin git some of dat an' put nine drops in each shoe. Dat's, if yo' wanta git dis person, put nine drops in each shoe. Den yo' take dese shoes an' yo' pray ovah dem fo' three days, an' yo' use de 26 Psalm on dat fo' three days 'fore sunup, an' put 'em undah de steps whence [where] he goin' back to. Bury dem undah dose bo'ds. An' in nine days he'll be back dere.
(If he has committed some crime.)
Entry 7744
See, jes' lak if yo' in a house an' somebody else wanta undahmine yo' fo' dat house, dey have tuh go tuh de graveyard an' yo' git some graveyard dirt, an' git chew some quick- silvah an' yo' git some High John de Conkah root an' some devil-shoestring roots, an' place it up undah de house. An' yo' goin' tuh an' fro', an' den evah night dey'll come 'n'int [anoint] it wit somepin an' yo'll soon come out.
(Do you know what they anoint it with?)
No suh. Ah did, but it's been a long time [since I heard this].
Entry 7829
Said if anybody had done anything tuh yo' an' yo' didn't wan' 'em tuh know yo' done anything tuh 'em, yo' go tuh de graveyard an' git some fresh graveyard dirt. An' yo' take dat dirt an' yo' take quicksilvah, an' when yo' take de quicksilvah... (What is that quicksilver? Is it a liquid-like or that tin paper [tinfoil]? What is quicksilver?)
[Quicksilver among my informants meant several things.]
Well, ah call dat liquid silvah. An' den yo' take dat. An' yo' git dat an' yo' git dis lodestone an' yo' shivah [sliver? = shave] it off right fine. An' yo' take dat dirt an' all dat an' mix it tuh- gethah. An' when yo' git chure oin- ment made lak yo' wan' it, yo' take dat li'le wad [insole] in de bottom of yuh lef' shoe [and put it under there] an' dey'll lingah an' lingah den until dey be's put in de ground. Ah heard it lak dat.
Entry 7861
Take graveyard dirt an' spidahs an' eggshell an' dis stuff yo' call quicksil- vah, an' put it tuhgethah an' put it in person pump where dey pump. An' dey drink dat watah an' it will kill 'em. De ole people [in the country] uses pumps. Yo' put it in dere an' it kill 'em. [Somewhere we have a rite about quicksilver drying up a pond.]
Entry 7897
Well, dey take de shoes an' dey git some graveyard dirt an' quicksilvah an' chip [stir or mix] it up tuhgethah, an' sprinkles it in dey shoes an' dat'll make 'em walk away. Ah've heard dat. A fellah tole me dey done him dataway an' he walked away.
Entry 7898
Dress de shoes wit grave- yard dust an' quicksilvah an' gunpowdah. (What will that do?) Dress yo' shoe. (Why?) Oh, dat'll make yo' leave, jes' keep yo' always on de go.
Entry 8011
Make doll baby, put in box like a coffin, with person's hair and quick- silver balls at stomic [stomach]. Person who cured victim shot the evil-doer with a spiritual gun. [Long story, not much detail, recheck.] [Doctor Bayhan (Bayhand), a white doctor on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, used a spirit- ual gun to harm persons as far away as Baltimore - see No.62, p.28; and another comment about him from Deal Island, Md., No.3069, p.891.] [Washington, D. C.,
(between 629-638), 816:2.]
[In this subsubsection we have an animal buried as a substitute for the burial of a person. Our first example will be a substitute for the substitute, an egg for the chicken.]
Entry 8293
[Quicksilver in hoodoo is rarely the. metallic element mercury; it is usually tin foil, or scrapings from the metallic amalgram backing a mirror. There are other examples of this quicksilver in Hoodoo, and perhaps one or two of the real substance.] Ah said dey take a gun an' load it wit quicksilvah an' shoot chure pichure, in yo' arm or somepin lak dat. Make a card, don't chew undahstand, an' if yo' don' do somepin fer it, why it will jis' keep arottin' an' rottin' till it ruin yo', yo' undahstand, wit bloodpoison. (How could you shoot quicksilver in a gun?) Take yore [gun] powdah an' put it in dere an' den yo' pack it. Now yo' [add] buckshot. Den yo' take yo' quicksilvah lak dat [put these 3 things in gun or shell] don't chew undahstand, an' put it in de gun.
Entry 8456
Yore photograph is yore pichure. Well, ah've heard dat people have taken yore pichure an' some quicksilvah an' throwed it in watah an' run yo' crazy or make yo' leave home. (Well, what would they do with that quicksilver?) Dey taken an' put it on de pichure [quicksilver here probably tinfoil] an' put it in a li'le sack, an' throw it in a stream of cleah runnin' watah. Jes' lak dis watah's runnin' downstream an' throw it in dat stream of watah, an' turn yo' back on it an' go on back. An' it'll eithah run yo' crazy or make yo' leave home.
(You just spread that quicksilver on the picture? The back of it or?)
On de back of it.
Entry 8512
Take nine needles an' nine nails, an' also nine pins, an' a coconut wit a eggshell.
(An eggshell?)
A eggshell, an' dis quicksilvah papah.
(Quicksilver paper?)
Quicksilvah.
(You mean the paper they put around tobacco?)
[I am referring to tin foil.]
Yes, sir. Yo' take a indelible pencil an' write someone name on it nine times across.
(Over that silver paper?)
Yes. An' yo' write it nine times across dis way [demonstrates].
(You mean cross them like that, like an "x"?)
Yeah, an' den yo' cross dat again. See, jis' keep it all covahed up. Yo' are writing dere name backwards doh [though]. Yo' don't write it, yo' know, lak it should be, but yo' write it backwards. See, lak if yure name is WELLS, well yo' start wit dat SLLEW an' go right on lak dat. Write it fo' nine times, jis' lak dat, each way, backwards an' forwards, same way. Den, yo' take an' jis' put it inside of de coconut - take dis inside of de coconut an' take it tuh a midstream, an' throw it upstream, but it must be flowin' down, lak a drift [cur- rent], see. Yo' take dis coconut an' throw it out [into the stream] an' when dis coconut go down, dis person whatevah yo' wish tuh drift, dey'll come tuh dey can't be satisfied nowhere neah. If dey have no place, dey'll set out. Dey know dat yo' live in dere, an' dey'll come in an' dey won't see no peace at home. Dey are always on de go. Dat's if dey stay dere. Finally, dey'll git so dat dey can't stay in de house. Dey'll pack up whut dey got an' if de things dat dey have is too much trouble fo' 'em, dey'll take an' pro'bly sell it an' jis' go on adriftin'. Yo' pro'bly may nevah see 'em no mo'.
(What do you do with that eggshell and that stuff?)
De eggshell, dat goes intuh de coconut.
(Oh, that goes into the coconut.)
Egg, [coconut] milk, de quicksilvah, evahthing inside of dis coconut. An' yo' put it in dere an' yo' throw it ovahbo'd.
(I see.)
Entry 8691
De quicksilver. A woman use quicksilver when she Wants tuh keep a man. [Whether quicksilver here is quick- silver or tinfoil or back of mirror scrapings, I failed to ask.] She take dat quicksilver an' she puts it in a perfume bottle, one dem li'le perfume bottle, an' when she puts it in dere, she writes dat man's name down. Write it down on one piece of papah but jes' big enough tuh fit into dat perfume bottle. She writes it down nine times, but jes' big enough tuh fit into dat perfume bottle. Write it down straight, one right behin' de othah.
(Like Sam Jones, Sam Jones?)
Yassuh. An' she put dat in a piece of papah an' she put dat quicksilver in dere. She takes dat quicksilver an' she stops it up tight so it won't come out or nuthin. An' she bo's a hole in 'er mattress, on de side where he supposed tuh lay, an' she puts dat quicksilver right down in dat bed on de side where he lays. Dat'll keep 'im. Dat whut de wimmins do. Dey uses dat concernin', dat concernin' say, lak yo' would de yellah cotton.
(Did you tell me about the yellow cotton?)
Yassuh, ah tole yo' 'bout de yellah cotton.
Entry 8907
If somebody take anythin' from yo' - they come in yore home an' take somepin - yo' get yo' some dragon's blood. It's a stick [it comes in the form of a stick], a dragon's blood. Yo' get yo' some quicksilvah an' yo' beat dat dragon's blood up into a powdah. An' if yo' know de person, who dat is dat stole it from yo', an' [you take] dat quicksilvah. Wheresomevah dey live, yo' go to dere home an' try to get it undahneath de door - get into dere room. If yo' can't get into dere room, yo' try to put it on de step, but yo' have to get watah or somepin an' scrub it, get dat dragon's blood on dat step. Dat's goin' to drag dem wit what dey brought from yo' back. [The drag in dragon's blood makes thief drag stolen goods back!] But yo' gotta get dere name an' yore name, an' write yore name undah de bottom of deres an' dere name on top cause dey goin' to drag what dey brought from yo' back to yo'. [The magic of their name on top is not too clear!] See.
(Well, where do you put that name?)
Yo' take dat name an' place it undah dere steps - undah dere steps into de mud wide open - into de mud. Jes' put it down dere an' jes' put de mud ovah it. An' put dragon's blood in dere, an' every time dey walk ovah dat [thief will say]: "Ah'm shore is sorry ah took dat from Mr. So-an'-so. Ah'm goin' to bring it back. Ah've got de pass [ticket where he had sold the article]. Ah've got to go where ah done sold it. Ah've gotta go get it an' bring it back." Gotta drag it back dere or dey [thief] goin' to drag like a dog.
(What did you do with that quicksilver?)
QUICKSILVER IS TO MAKE 'EM BRING IT QUICK. [This quick from quicksilver and the preceding drag from dragon's blood are good examples of magic thinking at its worst! Or best?]
(Well, what did you do with that quicksilver?)
It's in a runnin' form but yo' gotta ketch it quick an' put it in dat dragon's blood. (Oh, you put it in the dragon's blood - that's what I wanted to know. That's all right.)
Entry 8993
Yo' wanta know 'bout whut ah would do to keep people 'way from me. Ah go ketch one dese wild birds an' ah pull a feather out of his right wing an' burn it, an' burn quick- silvah with it, an' ah sprinkle this around the co'thouse do'. Well, dat beat 'em in all sech case.
(That is to beat a lawsuit case.)
Entry 9302
Jes' lak anybody went away, yore husban' or anything, an' yo' wanta bring 'em back home. Yo' know, dey gone away a long time. Yo' gits a yolk of a aig, let it be jes' laid if yo' could, an' some white wine, an' Some quicksilvah, an' yo' mix it good tuhgethah. An' den yo' git chew a pencil an' a papah an' yo' start writin'. An' yo' write a lettah an' say anything in dat lettah dat chew Want him tuh know - or she. AN' YO' WON' SEE WHAT YO' WRITIN' WHILST YO' WRITING IT, YO' CAN'T SEE IT. An' de time yo' fold it up tuh put it in de lettahs [in the envelope] [the writing] will appeah an' den yo' kin put it in dis envelope an' send it anywhere yo' wanta, an' dey'll have tuh come to yo'...
[I stopped recording too soon but my comment explains.]
(You say you won't see it because you are using this other stuff [I did not care to say invisible ink], but it comes out [appears] after awhile and you can see it?) Yeah, yo' kin see. Dat'll bring anyone back. [My preceding comment in the original parenthesis, made during the recording, shows my understanding at the time. Invisible ink had been used. For several of my experiences with invisible ink, see Doctor Cunningham, Little Rock, Ark., introduction to his interview, p.1315, v.2; and Nos.791-792, Pp.264-266, v.1. Surely the 3 ingredients and invisible ink were not mixed; pretending to use the 3 merely being a part of the trick.]
Entry 9346
Take a aig an' put some quicksilvah in it. (A chicken egg?) Yes, sir. Make a little hole in it, chew know, an' put quicksilvah in it chew know. An' stop de hole up an' plant it right down at de place wheah yo' workin' at, an' dere can't nobody take dat job away from yuh.
Entry 9614
They kin take salt, cayenne peppah an' saltpetah an' sprinkle it. Take off of [back of] old broken looking glass that quicksilvah-like, yo' know, an' mix it all togethah. They kin throw it right up in the door an' sprin- kle it all aroun' the door. An' that'll make yo' move.
Entry 9681
An' tuh avoid thin's lak dat tuh keep people away from yore house, lak dat - yo' kin take a piece of quicksilvah an' some table salt. An' mix it in, if yo' kin git somepin from 'em, a piece of deres. An' throw it away tuhward dey house an' dey won't nevah One tuh yore house any mo'.
Entry 10662
Anvil dust mixed with guicksilver [often tinfoil, sometimes the scrap- ings from back of mirror, rarely real quicksilver] worn in pocket for gambling luck.
Entry 12343
Tuh git a job, yo' jis' have tuh dress yo'self an' ah tell yo' jis' whut chew have tuh do. Yo' have tuh dress yo'self wit lodestone an' quicksilvah an' Jockey Club Perfume - both togethah. Ah tell yo' jis' how yo' do now. Yo' git chew a red piece of flannel aftah yo' beat it all up dere to- gethah. Git chew a red piece of flannel an' den take a thread outa yore sock. See, jis' lak yo' got a pair of socks, but let it be a pair of socks yo' done worn amn' take a thread from dat sock an' tie it aroun' dis, an' den befo' yo' go in dere, yo' know, yo' kin'a run yore han's lak dis [demonstrates]. Yo' see, yo' rub yore han' lak dis an' den when he [boss] git tuh talkin' tuh yo', yo' have tuh kinda hold yore face lak dat. An' when yo' go, yo'll kin'a throw yore fingahs lak yo' kinda throwin' yore fingahs tuh him yo' know, an' he'll git de odor of it all right. Dat Jockey Club Perfume dere. The're [there are] two chances tuh one yo' won' be turned down.
(You rub this bag in your hand?)
Dat's right.
Entry 12704
Ah told him take quicksilvah, lak mah name would be Goldie[!l. Well, ah tolt him take dat an' put it in a lil' bottle of watah lak dat an' set it up an' have all kinds of luck in yore home. (What kind of luck?) Luck fo' anything. Jes' lak if yo' move in a place an' peoples don' want chew dere an' yo' Want de place an' want tuh stay dere, yo' put it in dere an' nobody kin move yo'. [Quicksilver can be mercury but usually it is scrapings from back of mirror or tinfoil from around tobacco.]
Entry 1429
And should you not want anyone to harm you in your home, you get chew some quicksilver and put it under your doorstep with a stick of dragon's blood - you know what dragon's blood is - and just bury that under your doorstep and no one will ever bother you.
Entry 2220
An' yo' wanta keep dem away, yo' kin git chew some quicksilver an' when dey leave yore house, why yo' kin sprinkle some in front of yore do'step when dey walk 'way. Call dat person by dere name an' yo' be's sprinklin' dis stuff along. Call 'em by dey name an' say fo' 'em not tuh come back dere no mo'. An' dey won't come back no' mo'.
Entry 12707
Take quicksilver an' sprinkle round de fiahplace from one corner to de othah an' yo' can't nevah sit to it no mo'. [The bottom of the fireplace is a rectangle. To sprinkle from corner to corner is to sprinkle along the two diagonal lines, creating an "x", crossing up the fireplace. This sprinkling could be along the four outer lines and probably be as effective, but I doubt it here.]
(Why?)
Well, 'cause yo' won' be satisfied, yo'll be restless.
Entry 10166
If yo' Wanta bring a person back - lak a man is away from his wife an' yo' wants tuh bring him back - well de way ah use. Ah takes dere name three times an' put 'er name three times, an' git rose water, orange blossom an' Jockey Club Cologne [for 3 perfumes see p.729, v.1] yo' know whut dat is, honey, crushed sugah, white, three lumps, an' put it in dey bottle. White lodestone, a she an' a he one, yo' knows dat. A ball of quicksilver an' a teaspoonful of steel dust. Dat's tuh return 'im. An' yo' put it in de glass bottle an' set it up - put de haid to [cork in]. Dis is de front do [demonstrates]. Well, yo' put de haid dat-away tuh come in. Dat is to come.
(The head is pointing into the house?)
Into de house. Dat's fo' tuh return de man back. (On this piece of paper on which you wrote the names, you wrote his name three times and hers three times on top of each name?) On top of his'n.
(That is to bring him back.)
[This rite can be done another way.]
Well, yo' take de names an' write it de same way. Yo' take de name an' yo' write it three times an' dey [woman's] name on top. An' den yo' cross de woman's name on top an' den yo' put yore candle an' yore honey, an' yore names in a glass. It supposed tuh be used in a glass an' holy watah with prayers.
(What sort of candle do you use?)
Well, yo' kin use a white one or blue one, anything but a black candle or a red one.
(Do you burn that candle any special time or anything?)
Yes, an hour. Yo' light it six a'clock in de mawnin' an hour an' den yo' put it out. Yo' light it at twelve a'clock ag'in an' dat hour, an' at one a'clock yo' put it out. Den three a'clock till fo', den yo' put it out.
(You do that just one day?)
No, no, yo' do dat about seven days.
(In putting these names down on the paper, do you put his name down first?)
Yo' put his name down first if yo' aftah bringin' 'im.
(Her name is over that?)
On top of his'n.
Entry 1889
A frog, now he's good fo' luck too.
(To make the lucky hand. Tell me that all over again.)
Yo' git dis - yo' take dis frog an' yo' git chew some moonshine [illegally distilled whiskey] an' make yo' a - have yo' a container an' have it deep enough where that he'll go down in there, see. Then yo' fasten him down in that stuff an' let him stay in dere until he die. [You drown the frog in moonshine.] An' when he die, then yo' git some mercury an' yo' fill his mouth - yo' know, put that in his mouth. Yo' put this mercury in his mouth an' then yo' take him an' a piece of flannel - yo' know, a square piece of flannel, red flannel, an' put him in dis flannel an' then yo' drop nine drops around in de flannel.
(What kind of drops?)
Mercury. Then yo' sew dis flannel up an' ev'ry time yo' make a stitch, bring it to yo' like that [demonstrates] - ev'ry time yo' make a stitch until yo' git it sewed plumb up. Well, when yo' git it sewed plumb up, den yo' pray de 23rd Psalms fo' three days, an' all at de same time he'll drink [soak] up this othah stuff. Put him in some more an' let him drink that an' git him good an' full of it, don't chew know. Den put that in yore pocket an' that's tuh bring yo' luck.
(In gambling?)
Yes sir.
Entry 2218
Git de dust of dat - dat's tuh make love. (The file?) [Steel tool.] Yessuh. Yo' take an' file dat off, git de steel of it an' git de dust, an' yo' puts hit in quicksilver an' yo' - it'll run yo' cross country, jes' run yo' clean to devilment. Yo' take an' put dat powders an' dat silver dust together an' yo' take an' make a salves of dat - make a salve of dat silver an' lard, don't put no peppah in dat. Grease yore han's wit it an' when yo' shake han's wit anybody, dat's conjurin' anyone. (And that quicksilver, is that the silver that comes around tobacco?) [I ask because quicksilver and silver are sometimes tin foil.] No, it comes on de back of a lookin'-glass, on de back of de lookin'-glass.
[Steel dust is usually bought prepared.]
Entry 2920
A green candle's for money, see. (How would you burn that?) You take three green candles, just like this [demonstrates]. Fix 'em just like the - you know, kind of a round.
(You fix the three together? Tie in a circle?) [Tie into a triangle.]
Yes, into a shape. You cut the top of 'um off. You write the person's name nine times - whose ever name you wanta be on that candle, nine times. You put it in a saucer with some cinnamon, sugar, steel dust and quicksilver, and you let it burn out there. And whatever you want 'em to do, they come and do that, after that, after that candle's burned out.
Entry 7511
If dey kin git 'is pichure, jes' lak if yo' wuz stayin' heah an' yo'd kill somebody an' ah wanted tuh git chew back home. Ah wanted tuh find out who it wus did it, ah'd take an' come heah an' git chure Pichure. An' take some quicksilvah an' some sulphur an' some salt an' put it all togethah. An' den some Adam-an'-Eve [root] an' put dat wit it. An' take it an' sew it up an' carry it tuh mah house, an' put it undah mah do'step, an' in two day's time yo'd be back. An' yo'd tell somebody dat chew de one dat did it. It would keep worryin' yo' till yo' did.
Entry 11318
Lak de manure from a dog, why yo' take dat manure an' yo' git chew a nickel's wuth [worth] of peanuts an' git chew a box of salt. An' yo' take dose peanuts an' hull all of 'em an' mix de peanuts up an' yo' take dat whole box of salt an' put in dere an' yo' take de dog manure an' mash it all up in dere together - lak yo' got a jar with a cover on it.... Lak yo' see a dog do his business out dere, de hah'd [hard] hah'd, yo don't git dat soft. Yo' git de hah'd one, an' yo' take dat an' yo' git chew a bag of peanuts. Yo' git chew a box of salt ain't nevah been used out of. Yo' take dose peanuts an' de dog manure an' yo' have yo' somepin yo' kin beat it up in real fine tuhgethah - hammah [hammer] it up tuhgethah.
(What do you beat up, the peanut shell or the nuts?)
No, de nuts. De peanuts an' de dog manure, yo' put dat salt in dere. Yo' git chew a box of red peppah an' yo' put dat whole box of red peppah in dere. An' if yo' don't use it all, yo' take it an' po' it in de toilet: an' turn [flush] de watah on it. Well, yo' mix all of dat up tuhgethah. Well, yo' have sompin dat yo' kin.always keep it in. Yo' have dat, dat's tuh mun a person. Yo' kin take dat if anybody come in an' yo' kin use a little pile of dat. Put some quicksilvah in it an' mash all dar tuhgethah. Dat makes yo' go. Yo' gotta go.
(You take that mixture and scatter it around in there?)
Yo' cain't stay. [For peanuts and bad luck see Nos.2574, p.710, v.l, etc.]
Entry 11768
Dirt from a sinner's grave, mixed with quicksilver, placed on or under a bed will kill the person who sleeps there. [Wilmington 260:4+85.]
Entry 1428
[Quicksilver sometimes means quicksilver and at other times tin foil; which, it is not always easy to say. The latter is occasionally called silver paper. Scrapings from back of mirror is a well-known quicksilver - this probably in the following:] Take de quicksilver, yessuh, an' sprinkle it ovah yore house from dis corner to dis corner, to de corner of de do' dere to each corner of de do' dere, an' see dey cain't come ovah quicksilver.
(That keeps ghosts from coming in there.)
Entries from source headings
These entries are listed under the following headings in the source volume:
- TREE - MEASURE TRACK TOE TO HEEL - ADD QUICKSILVER; PUT IN SWINGING BIRD NEST — Volume 4, entries 5717. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- URINE - TRACK - QUICKSILVER DRIES UP BLOOD OR DRIFTS 'EM — Volume 4, entries 5750. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → SWEAT → FOOT TRACK.
- (20) SHOE - 90 DROPS OF QUICKSILVER IN EACH; PRAY OVER THEM 3 DAYS BEFORE SUNUP USING PSALM 26; PUT UNDER HIS DOORSTEP - HE'LL RETURN WITHIN 9 DAYS — Volume 4, entries 7400. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → MURDER → HOW MURDERER CAN BE CAUGHT.
- DEVIL'S-SHOESTRING - JOHN DE CONKAH - QUICKSILVER - GRAVEYARD DIRT — Volume 4, entries 7744. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → WHAT TO DO WITH GRAVEYARD DIRT.
- SHOE - QUICKSILVER - GRAVEYARD DIRT IN — Volume 4, entries 7897. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → WHAT TO DO WITH GRAVEYARD DIRT.
- QUICKSILVER: TO KEEP MAN - PUT IN BOTTLE - WITH; HIS NAME 9 TIMES - IN HER MATTRESS - HIS SIDE — Volume 4, entries 8691. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF → DEATH AND BURIAL AND GRAVEYARD → THREE SUBSTITUTES FOR HUMAN BODY → NAME.
- DRAGONS BLOOD - QUICKSILVER - IN THIEF'S HOUSE; WRITE HIS NAME - YOUR NAME BENEATH; MAKES HIM DRAG BACK STOLEN GOODS — Volume 4, entries 8907. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → THEFT.
- LETTER - WRITTEN WITH 3 INGREDIENTS; YOLK OF NEW-LAID EGG - WHITE WINE - QUICKSILVER; FOURTH INGREDIENT [SEPARATELY] INVISIBLE INK — Volume 4, entries 9302. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → THE AMAZING CHICKEN EGG.
- QUICKSILVER IN EGG - PLANTED AT JOB - PROTECTS IT — Volume 4, entries 9346. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → THE AMAZING CHICKEN EGG.
- SALT - RED PEPPER - SALTPETER - QUICKSILVER - TO MOVE — Volume 5, entries 9614. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- QUICKSILVER - SALT - MIX - TIE IN PIECE OF VICTIM'S; CLOTHING - THROW TOWARD HIS HOUSE TO KEEP AWAY — Volume 5, entries 9681. Source context: ADDITIONAL RITES AND BELIEFS → SALT AND ITS COMBINATIONS.
- ANVIL DUST - QUICKSILVER - FOR GAMBLING LUCK — Volume 5, entries 10662. Source context: "CHANNEL DE WORLD".
Source passage
continuous interview or recording context · Source-local attribution; no resolved person identity is asserted.
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2099
Why, yo' take a dead person's bone. Yo' gits de middle bone out of 'em. Dat aoapin lak de backbone, sompin lak dat - dat s de middle part of 'em. Yo' gits one joint of dat.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2099
[The fact that I do not ask the doctor to identify the middle bone would nor- ally indicate that I understood what he was talking about, or thought I did. Bat my transcriber, on the contrary, was confused or impressed, she typing back- back instead of backbone! The jointed bone in the middie of the body, sompin lak de backbone, is the coccyx. And the one joint of dat is the pointed end joint called the indestructible bone or everlasting bone or something - it being able to withstand fire and decay, a magic bone.]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; supporting excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2099
Well, yo' takes it an' yo' dress it - it an' de black cat bone tuhgethah. Yo' go tuh de drug sto' an' yo' git whut chew call de quicksilvah. Yo' gits it in a Ⅱ'le ball about as big as a cent - cost yo' 25c.
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2099
[This is tin foil, not quick- silver.]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2099
Yo' wraps dat up in it an' git chew about fo' ounces of sulphur an Puts in dere wit it. Yo' gits nine pins an' lay 'em in dere 'side of it. Yo' take 'em tuh de no'th cornah of yore house, or in de east cornah of yore house an' lay 'em down. Covah 'em - hide 'em-like. Yo' come tuh be complicated
editorial gloss or commentary; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2099
[?]
informant · Current unnamed interviewee; context excerpt · Vol. 3, p. 2099
or cones tuh - not enemies, or yo' won' have no fren's come roun', yo' know, an hart chew.
Nested source context: informant term and editorial correction · Vol. 3, p. 2099
go tuh de drug sto' an' yo' git whut chew call de quicksilvah. Yo' gits it in a Ⅱ'le ball about as big as a cent - cost yo' 25c. [This is tin foil, not quick- silver.]
locally coherent printed subpassage
Aoapin/backbone and other uncertain forms remain literal. Coccyx/tin foil are Hyatt interpretations/corrections, not the speaker's resolved anatomy/material identity.
closed_printed_instruction_with_ambiguous_terms
Coccyx, indestructible bone and the rationale for identification are editorial assertions, not the informant’s literal identification.
Quicksilver is the informant term; tin foil is the editor’s correction. Preserve this disagreement.
The damaged-looking words and complicated[?] outcome do not support a more precise reconstruction.
Bounded passage retrieval, not complete corpus coverage or practitioner consensus.
Read the full source context: Vol. 3, p. 2098 · Vol. 3, p. 2099 · Vol. 3, p. 2100 · Vol. 3, p. 2101 · Vol. 3, p. 2102