Subject:Ring
Entries
Entry 784
This was in 1863 - mah huncle [uncle] was a slave an' his mastah name Was Miller, an' he made out he was a fortune-tellah only to keep from goin' tuh de field tuh work. (Where did this happen?) Dis happened in No'th Ca'lina. An' he made out he was a fortune-tellah in order to make good wit his boss, that he wouldn't have to work so hard. He says, "Mastah, I kin tell fortunes." He's bluffin' - couldn't tell nuthin. So one day his mistress was out washin' her hands an' she had a di'mond ring prob'bly not as expensive that day as it is now, in '63. She pulled it off an she laid [it] on de side of de washbo'd while she was washin' her hands. An' Bias [Tobias] come along - dat was mah mothah's brothah. He picks up de ring an' goes in de kitchen an' mix up some wheat dough right quick an' he bobbled it up in dere somepin de size of a marble of a middleman - dey used to have middle- men fo' marbles. An' she said dey had about fifteen or twenty turkeys an' he takes it out to a certain gobbler. Dey had several gobblers but he knew the gobbler - he had a beard hangin' down his breast an' de gobbler swallowed it, gobbled it up. Dat evening - afternoon, mah mother said, dey called Bias, says, "Now, Bias, you sich a" - he spoke a oath. Shall I speak that?
(Yes.)
She say he spoke a oath, he says, "You sich a damn good maker of wisdom, tell me whare mah wife's ring went dis mawnin'." Bias says, "Mastah, yo' have tuh give me a little time tuh study." He says, "She had it heah in de house an' she's lost it somewhare. Now, you make out you kin tell me that." Says, "The war's prob'bly fixed to go on. If sich a thing gon'a be done, you prob 'bly be de loser an' you may not, but if you tell me this definitely, ah'll make it very easy on you - ah'll put chew overseah ovah de othahs." "Mastah," he says, "ah'll tell you." He says, "When you gon'a feed dese turkeys?" He say, "Ah ain't got nuthin do wit turkeys; tell me whare mah wife's ring is." See, he was hot, de mistress was cryin'. She [informant's mother] said he went on den an' he tole 'em tuh call 'em up den. He call 'em up tuh feed 'em an' he fed 'em, an' he says, "Mastah he says, "you kill dat gobblah thare." Dey didn't know nuthin dat he done dat himself. Says, "Look heah, kill him fo' what?" He says, "You kill dat gobblah," says, "ah wanta bring dat ring back." Says, "Whut de gobblah got'a do wit dat?" 'If ah kill dis gobblah ah'm gon'a buckle you across dat barrel an' give you a gen'ral whupping. So, dey caught de gobblah. Soon as dey killed 'im - when dey cleaned 'im an' cut his craw dey found de ring. An' his mastah went all about ovah de country, tole ev'ry man, says, "Ah've got a niggah on mah place dat knows something." An' he jes' jumped up and down an' gave 'im a very easy job, but he was awful to pick. up things hisself - he was a great thief hisself, you know, tuh steal, an' so he didn't be hard on him.
(Your uncle was supposed to have done it in Cleveland County, North Carolina.)
[I occasionally found this practice among white informants in Adams County, Illinois - a person telling a folktale would identify the chief actor as a member of the family. Sometimes this was a story; other times the informant as a child had heard the tale so often he actually believed it belonged to the family.l [At the time of collecting I must have known what the marble of a middleman was or he explained while machine was off.]
Entry 1753
Go an' git a brass ring. Ah kin go an' git a brass ring an' wear that ring on yore [my] finger - what they call the ring finger on your right hand. (On which finger of the right hand?) The ring finger - the second finger - next to the little finger. The brass ring there. An' that will help yo' git a job.
Entry 3844
Prick yo' fingah an' git chure blood.
(Which finger?)
Dis fingah [demonstrates].
(The finger with the ring on, the ring finger of the left hand.)
Dat's it. Yo' prick it an' yo' git chure blood an' yo' write his name full an' yore [woman'sl name full. Den yo' make three rings aroun' dat wit de blood. An' yo' fold dat papah, yo' know, dis way, de two ends in, an' yo' bury it undah de no'th end of de house. Dat'll bring a person back tuh yo' regardless tuh who it is. It'll make him come back tuh dat pahtic'lah place. Dat'll bring anybody back. (If your husband has left, if you put the two names together.)
Entry 3845
Take de lef' third fingah - dis fingah [demonstrates].
(Which one is that?)
[Informant demonstrates.]
(That's the ring finger, the finger next to the little finger on the left hand.) An' yo' take yo' a needle [demonstrates] an' pick dis fingah till it bleeds, an' yo' would write her name on de top line an' 'is name on de bottom line. Now, jes' say mine, an' draw a small ring aroun' it de first time, an' den one a li'le bit largah, an' de nex' a li'le largah [magic of increasing size] till yo' draw three rings aroun' de names wit yore blood. Den yo' would bury dis papah undah yore do'step. If yo' do dat in de mawnin', why dat night he would come back tuh 'er. He'd stay wit 'er an' wouldn't leave. Jes' de blood from yore lef' fingah.
Entry 5510
De track yo' know. Dey take de track, take it from de heels tuh de toes jes' lak dis [demonstrates]. [If he]' walks dat way [away from you], why yo' take it from de heel, jes' from de heel tuh de toe. Take dat track an' throw it tuh where jes' lak dey walks on [throw it direction he is walking]. Throw it dat way an' dat'll keep 'im goin', yo' see - goin'. Lak if yo' wanted 'em comin', why yo' take it from de toe tuh de heel.
(What would you do with that, then?)
Yo' takes de track den an' yo' throw it off - yo' know, throw it so far goin' from yo' [as far as possible from you] an' dat makes 'em go.
[Informant misunderstood my question, I ask it another way:]
(What if you wanted to bring them back, what would you do with that track?)
Why, if yo' want tuh bring 'em back, why yo' kin take de track from de toe tuh de heel an' keep de track. Take de track in de design lak ah wus tellin' yuh, from 'is toe tuh 'is heel, an' keep it an' he come back. Or eithah a ring outa his shirttail. Jes' cut a roun' ring outa his shirt- tail. Cut a roun' ring outa dat an' yo' kin keep it an' he'll come back. (Just cut a ring out of his shirttail and keep it. That will make him come back.) [In addition to a ring or circle of cloth cut from clothing, squares and oblongs (coffin symbols), perhaps other designs are also cut out.]
Entry 8487
Dey will take a brand-new ink pen an' pick dis fingah [demonstrates]. (That's the ring finger, next to the little finger on the left hand. All right.) Uh-huh, on de left hand, nex' tuh yore heart. An' prick dat fingah an' git de blood outa dat fingah, an' write de name on a piece of clean [new] papah, an' bury it tuh [in] de east cornah of de house, jis' facin' lak dat [demon- strates] east cornah ovah dere. An' make yore wish. If yo' had a gurl fren' or somebody wus in New York or some place an' make dat an' bury dat stuff, an' she'll come regardless.
(That brings her back to you.)
Entry 9683
They say that if a person doesn't like you, they'll draw a ring in the road right at your house and they'll sprinkle salt, soda, ashes, lime, other chemicals, sulphur. That will keep you from being an enemy against him. SPRINKLE IN IT: ASHES - LIME - SALT - SODA - SULPHUR
Entry 10451
If ah knows yore name, well at nine 'clock at night ah call yore name through a black art, which is cause an' [which is the cause of and contains] a witch, calling yore name. Only three time dat ah calls yore name, but ah wills mah voice will ring in de back [of your mind?] dat will go to yo' in yore sleep an' cause a worriation upon yo' de next morning. Yo'll be worried over de one who dat chew long to meet or who it is dat wants chew - womans, wife or gurl, or whatevah it is. Dey want chew at one 'clock in de night, when you [are] worst. When dey are sleeping dat seem to me as a better time to get holt tuh [hole to] 'em.
(What do you mean you call them through the black art? What's the black art?)
Well, dat's at night. Ah have - was sold mahself to contain of a witch, work- ings of witchcraft onto de body of de person.
(Well, do you mean you become a witch when you do that?)
Nah, ah wouldn't come [become] a witch [and fly away]. Ah stay home.
(You stay home, but...)
To my own house. Ah wouldn't have 'em dere. But using dere name, which you might call [like using] dis here 'lectric telephone. (That will make them do what you want or something of that sort?) Yes, dat will carry 'em to de house, but ah wouldn't tell you dat will make you stay when you git dere. (What would make them stay there?) Ah'm usin' dere name on it. Ah'd strip three verses out of de Bible, which ah would take de 2nd Kings, writin' dere name an' drawin' a ring round it with nine figures below - must be nine be- low dere name: dere wife's name or de woman's name down below dat. Put it into de mattress of de bed. (Then after this person has been called to go to this woman's house, that will keep him there?) Yes, got somepin to keep him off [away from home]. Whether he might wanta stay, ah don't know. But he [person I worked on] stay over dere yet. Dat's right heah in de city.
Entry 12207
Sech as ah heard people take horseshoe nails. An' dey take 'em an' make a [finger] rind out of 'em tuh give 'em luck.
(Lucky for what?)
Fo' gamblin' or fo' anything. (A horseshoe-nail ring?) Yes.
Entry 13235
Well, now, yo'll go an' get a good gol' ring, you know a nice quality of ring an' jes' rub that eye down like that [demonstrates] 9 mornings, 9 times, an' the tenth mornin' it'll be gone. Each mornin' 9 times, jes' like that [demonstrates]. An' make a wish, say, "Sty, go away."
Entry 13250
I stayed at a place up north. Every morning when I kindled de fire- I gen'a'ly made de fire - they had a package of sulphur there on that stove. When it was hot, they would sprinkle de sulphur on it, to fumigate de house with sulphur. They said that kept off the evil spirits and give it luck. (Every morning?) Every morning they'd sat- urate dat stove, when ft. got hot, you know, so that sulphur Would burn, they would sprinkle some of that sulphur on the stove. Said that kept off the evil spirits and give them luck. Druv [drove] the evil spirits out of the house, which, you know yourself, that there are more evil spirits than there are good ones. We are told by the Bible that many's the soul to walks this earth, visible or invisible. What they meant visible ones is the ones that we want to get rid of, don't want to be bothered with 'em. Well, now, we'll go back to de sulphur question. When you go to dig money, you make a circle around, all de way around de place yo' goin' to dig. Now a fellah tole me this to be a fact. Ah never seen it. An' sprinkle sulphur all around it [circle], an' yo' dig inside de ring of sulphur. When de evil spirit comes up there, he can't get inside that ring over that sulphur.
Entry 464
I heard of a man, his wife she would go out hag-riding every night. And that night when she came in, her husband was in the horse stable when she brought the horse in. And when she opened the door he cut her finger off with the ring and he got that. She would go to the stable and get the prettiest white horse he had in there. And when he cut her finger off it dropped and he got the ring, she rushed to the house. And when he went in she were in bed. Next morning when he got up she had her finger tied up. So he asked what was the matter with her hand. She said she cut it. So then he asked her where was her ring. And then she said her finger was sore and her finger was gone. So then he asked her where was the finger. She didn't know where the finger was at. So he taken the finger and ring and showed them to her and told her, "This is the ring I gave you. You've been out hag-riding with my horse. I were in the stable when you came in. You don't need to worry because I'm going to kill you." And he killed her.
Entry 465
An old lady one time, her husband had give her a gold ring. She use to go out every night witch-riding. So that night when she went out and when she got out of her skin, she left her skin laying on the floor. So while she was gone her husband came home and he saw this skin on the floor. And he picked it up and he recognized the ring on it. So he took the ring off and put it away. So when she came that night and was in bed - no, he didn't say anything to her that night. So the next morning when he got up he asked her where was the ring. She said she had put it away. He told her to go and get it. She never did go and get the ring. So finally he asked her at midday to get the ring again. And she wouldn't get it. So the next night he asked her again where was her ring. And she wouldn't get it. So then he took the ring out of his pocket and asked her what was it doing on there with her skin. So he found out that she was a hag-rider. So then he burnt her up.
Entry 466
Ah heard dat a wumman jumped out de skin an' - it was in slav'ry times - say, ev'rytime dey'd go out dere yo' see, dey said dere would be a white gyp dog; a white dog would be trottin' round all de time, ev'rytime. Said, at last one mawnin' dere was a man took a axe an' chunked it at dat dog an' cut one of his laigs off - de front laig off. An' dey say dey picked it up an' it turned back to a nachur'l han'. An' dey went in an' tole - de han' had a gold di'mon' ring on it, an' dey showed it to de marster an' he tole 'em, say, dat look lak mah wife's han', an' dey went in dere an' he tole 'er, "Lemme see yah han'." An' it Was her han'.
Entry 473
I can tell you one thing in my childhood days about a witch. There was a cat and it used to come and set right down on the hearth. And the cook would be cooking. She did that for weeks in and weeks out. She said, "I wonder why that old cat hangs around here every morning? I can't get rid of her." She said, "Never mind, I'm going to get rid of her. Some morning I'm going to have the poker and set it right here and I'm going to cut her feet out from under her." That went on maybe for a month or so. The cat came in, set down right in the corner, it was cool weather, very, just sat there. And the cook had that fire iron setting off there. The first time she got that cat's eye on her she grabbed that poker and swung it like that [in a sweep] and cut one foot off. It wasn't a foot no longer, it was a hand. It had real beautiful rings on it and she knew it was madam's hand that had the rings. I heard that told when I was a child [about 1866 near Elizabeth City, North Carolina]. That was in the morning. Then she took the breakfast from the kitchen and carried it on to the great house and served it there. After putting it on the table the boss [the master] came in and madam didn't come. The cook said, "Where's Miz Sarah?" He said, "She doesn't feel well this morning." So we went in to speak to her. In the meantime she had her hand all covered and wrapped over. She was never able to see that hand. The cat went on about its business. They never saw that cat come back. The cat went on. I can't remember just how long she stayed there, the cook, but they got rid of the cook. She was too smart. They claim she [the madam] turned into a witch. This cook knew about it and she said, "If there's any such thing as witches, I am going to find out." So that was the morning she found out.
Entry 12208
Yo' git a used horseshoe nail if yo' want to an' make a ring. It's good luck to wear for a ring.
Entry 475
Well, I know once, a witch used to ride a woman - a man, it was. You would like for to hear dis story'
(No, I never heard it - yes, yes, I'd like to hear it.)
Once dere was a boy he was traveling through de country and he went to a rich farmer's home and he asked him, said, "Mister, could you give me a place to stay tonight?" He says to him, said, "Yes, I got a big place over yonder," he said, "if you kin stay over dere," he say, "I'll give you dat place - you kin have it." He said, "Well, I'll go over dere and see kin I stay." He said, "It's really ha'nted, '' he say, "I never knowed no one to go there and stay." He say, "Well, I'll go try." So he cut up some wood dat day what he carried in to her and she fixed supper for him, and den she give him an old lamp and a little oil to go tc make him a fire, or so he could have a little lamp burning sittin' up dere by himself. Sittin' up dere by himself he started to burn dis old lamp. And after while, he had him some beans an' he ete up all dem beans. And after while he looked and he saw five black cats was coming down de stairs - looked to him they had a coffin totin' of it, and he'd taken his [New] Testament and begin to read it upside downwards. And the next thing walked in was five chickens. He's still reading - still reading. And the next thing he looked and saw a cat dipping his paw in de wash basin tryin' to put de light out.
(He what?)
The cat had his paw - putting it in de water, trying to slap de light out - splashing de water trying to put de light out - he still reading. And after while he looked and saw dis cat and he seed a ring on de cat's paw and he grabbed de hatchet, you know, and chopped de paw off and had taken it up and put it in his pocket with de ring on it. Well, de next morning he went up to de boss' house and spoke to him. De boss say, "Well, I'm surprised to see you here alive." He say, "Yes," say, "well, I made out all right but I had a hard time - [he's ahead of his story] - but jest before he gets: dere [to the boss], a little low-sided, gray-headed man walked in, which was a ghost. Well, dis boy -
(What kind of a man?)
A little short gray-headed man - about three foot high with beard hanging down to his shoe-top. Dis boy say, "What in the Name of the Lord, the Father, and the Son do you want here?" And dis ghost says, "You follow me," said, "I've got a fortune for you." Well, de boy went on down in a old out-house way down into de basement and he [ghost] put a mark down and he say, "You dig down here and you'll find a fortune." Well, de boy, he marked dis place and after he marks it, he waited till the moon got right - on the growing of de moon, he started to plan for to dig at dis place. Den he goes up to de house and the old man [the boss] says, "I'm surprised to see you livin'." He says, "Well, I had a hard time but I made it all right." Well, he told de boy he could have the place, which he gave de place to him, and de boy he run his hand in his pocket and passed him dis ring. De old man lqoked at the ring and says, "Seem lak I know dis ring." His wife was in bed very sick. Well, he got de doctor for her. When de doctor rech for her hand, she 'fused to pass him her right hand and give him de left hand. Well, why she give him de left hand? "Cause de right hand was chopped, you see, which had de finger cut off in de shape of a cat, for she was a witch, you see, but dis man didn't know she was a witch. Well, he made her hand her right hand and he happen to see de finger all chopped up dere and the hand being bloody. He wanted to know what was de trouble. He happen to look at de ring and he found it was de ring dat boy give him, and dey found out she to be a hag. Well, de old man got a little troubled den and got to worryin' over it. An ole riddle says, "He sent 'er out jes' as fur as men an' water could take 'er" - he got rid of 'er. An' dis boy he begin to dig down dere and he find a whole lot of silver and gold, what de spirit had give him.
(Where did you hear that story?)
Well, I heard dis story in North Carolina, down in Bertie County.[ Norfolk, Va., (466), 463:10; Doctor Paul Bowes.]
Entry 785
During slavery my father told me he knew a man who was a cunjure and his master and mistress trust him with everything, and he was boss over the rest of the slaves as well as being a cunjure. And he could tell many tales and never get caught. His mistress lost her gold ring and asked him to find it for her. And he said, "Missus, if you give me three days off from work, I'll find your ring" which he already had by being tricky. So he laid in bed and slept as much as he want, and got the best food from master's table. On the third day he took the gold ring and a fishhook - at first - to work the trick. So he changed off and got a grain of corn and corn meal. And he put the gold ring inside of the meal and the grain of corn and give it to a certain duck, which he had marked that he may know from the rest. And he give the duck that corn meal, grain of corn, all rolled up together, and went to his master's room and said, "Get your madam, for I'm going to find your ring right here this day. Come and go with me to the chicken yard." He told him to kill a duck which he knew did not have the ring, neither the second duck, but the third one which he killed had the ring inside. So he said, "Master, what are you going to give me for this job?" He said, "Anything you ask." He said, "One month off, boss, to court the gals." When he had killed the third duck and opened it, he found the ring. And then he got thirty days off and the ducks which he had killed. So his master after this went coon [racoon] hunting one night and caught a coon. And the other men that went with him got a bet of five-hundred dollars that his nigger couldn't tell what his master had in the bag. So he called his slave John out of bed that night that he might win the five-hundred dollars. So John got up and come indoors with a dozen other men that was in the coon hunt and also had a part in the bet that John could not tell what was in the bag. So his master said, "John, tell these men what is in the bag: So John scratched his head and lit his pipe, knowing not what was in the bag and that his master had caught him this time. So he said, "Well, master, you have got the ole coon at last." [Near Fredericksburg, Va., (71), by hand; supposed to have happened in King George Co., Va.; a folk story.]
Entry 468
I remember one time about a shoemaker. He had a wife and three children. And one night this shoemaker was at his work late. So another woman went to the shoemaker's wife's home and began to talk to her, and as they began to talk, one says to the other, "Leave us transform ourselves." And they did so. And they turned to cats and went down to the shoe shop where her husband was working. And after they got there they set and watched him work on the shoes. And one of the cats pawed at this man, and while she did it, he grabbed a shoe knife and hacked at this cat with the knife and cut one of the cat's forefeet off. He left it standing there and the cats went away and he didn't see them any more. While he Was at his Work, the foot being lying on the floor, he got ready to go home. He picked up the foot and looked at it. And while he had it in his hand the foot turned to a natural hand. And on this hand was a ring. It was the engagement ring he had gave his wife before he married her, not knowing that he had married a hag.
Entry 470
An old witch used to worry the miller. He sat one night for to catch her. She came in the form of a cat. She put her paw through the hole to raise the latch up and he took a knife and chopped it off. She had her gold ring on her finger. He took the ring and carried it to her husband next morning and this finger. And he looked at the ring and knowed the ring, and he said, "This is my wife's ring." And he went upstairs and she was in the bed with her hand wrapped up. And he asked her what was the matter and she told him, "Nothing." He told her, "There is something the matter, '' and showed her the ring and said, "Ain't this your ring?" She tried to deny it but he wouldn't let her. I heard that he killed her.
Entry 471
I have heard that a miller was at his mill one night grinding corn. There was a big cat came in and put its paws upon him. He was setting down. So he took his knife and cut this cat's paw off. After awhile he began to examine it, and instead of seeing a cat's paw, it was a woman's hand. So when he goes home next morning he found his wife in bed. He asked her what was the matter. And she said she didn't feel very good. So he goes and turns the cover down and looks. And he had cut her finger off that had her engagement ring on. So his wife was a witch. That was down in Culpeper [County, Virginia] some place. They say it was done there.
Entry 1345
Yo' makes a ring outa it an' wear it fo' luck. An' then yo' take it, too, an' wear it in yore haid [hair] fo' headache. (If you have the headache.) Yes, the horseshoe nail.
Entry 1811
De bones of a dead man - yes, dey showed me dat in my studies. [This small-time doctor now tells me how to make and sell bone rings.] You take de bones of a dead man and if you kin get it and dry it and if anybody wanta do anything to you - anything in any way, you take that bone of a dead man and have ring make of it and wear dat ring. A bone ring dey call it - and nobody kin harm you. And if you git de bone of a dead man and make dat ring yourself, you kin sell those fer five dollars apiece - each ring is five dollars. Then everybody come to you and you say, "Now you put this ring on - it cost you five dollars" - be sure and make them give it to you first - "dat's a real ring - give it special to you and nobody kin harm you." You git dat bone - you speak to de undertaker when he begin embalmin'a body. He embalm de body and get a bone for you. You see dat's de spirit. There 206 bones in every parts of de body.
Entry 1934
Dey tell me dat chew kin go to work an' if a man dies - jes' lak a gambler. We all could be in de gambling hall an' jes' gambling. Prob'bly dis man will be shot off, prob'bly ah may be shot off in gambling. Well now, dey tell me dat if he has a ring on his finger - if yo' got any money in yore pocket an' he has a ring on his finger - any kind of ring, doesn't matter if it's jes' little ole ten-cent ring - yo' gits dis: ring offa his finger. An' in pulling off dis ring yo' tell him - jest call him name, tell him, "John or Henry, ah'm buyin' dis ring fo' yore luck on gambling." Well, dat's gittin' luck offa dead man tuh gamble. Now, in buyin' dis ring yo' puts dis ring in yore pocket an' puts de money whut chew goin' tuh give him in his pocket. Well, after he'd be buried, yo' goes back to his grave den an' git chew some dirt - about three or fo' months after he done laid dere in de grave. Git chew some dirt an' tote dis dirt in yore pocket wit dis ring, yo' see. Well now, dat gives yo' a hand.
The informant introduces hearsay about acquiring a dead gambler's ring and later dirt from his grave. The quoted purchase words are prescribed speech; the gambling-luck claim remains reported.
Entry 474
I have heard that there was a man, his wife would be gone every night to a ball or a dance. The husband came to the party and asked for a drink of wine. The cat waited on him. It seems in some way or another she didn't satisfy him and he cut her paw off. It was a finger with a ring on. When he got back home he said to his wife, "Let me see that hand." And the finger with her wedding ring on was cut off.
Entry 12032
A girl may put a man's hair from his head in a finger ring [not in earring] and wear it to break him up from another woman. [Richmond 297:8.]
Entry 2198
To keep 'em from comin' down de Sound stealin' 'em? [This man is an oysterman from Wrightsville Sound.] You make a roun' ring, put some sulphur roun' it. Make a roun' ring, I say about twenty yards long roun' de oysters. Can't come ovah dat ring. [Another oysterman hand was given in No. 1767, p.534.]
The ring is a round boundary around oysters; the source size wording remains approximate.