Subject:Rosewater
Entries
Entry 4943
Take a woman's stockin' - dat's tuh keep 'em home. Now, fo' a man's sock, yuh'll go tuh work, if yuh wan' 'im tuh stay at home. An' yuh'll take dat sock an' yuh'll go tuh work an' yuh git cinnamon, sugah an' rose watah. An' yuh damp dat sock good an' [in the sock] put yore name an' all of dat. Dat's tuh keep 'im home. When yuh fixin' it yuh'll have yuh a house plant, yuh undahstan'. A plant, but yuh know, don' destroy it. An' yuh'll take dat sock, eithah [or] her sock. An' yuh take dat sock an' yuh'll fix [dress] it wit de cinnamon in yore name an' 'er name. An' yuh'll put it in de bottom of dat plant an' jis' keep dat plant in yore house all de time. Dat'll keep 'im or keep 'er home. An' she cain't go.
(What do you put in that sock?)
Yuh put sugah, cinnamon, rose blossom [water] an' - ah fo'got dis othah per- fume. An' yuh put dat all in dat sock. [There are a number of the plant rites in HOODOO.]
Entry 6261
Dey'll fool roun' an' soon git a scissor [or] somepin an' cut off some of yore hair. Git dat hair an' put nine pins wit it an' some graveyard dirt an' hang it up in a tree. An' in nine days, eight or nine days, yo' loses yore mind. Well, dere's a way tuh stop dat, ef dey git it [your hair] an' yo' ketch de idea dat dey got it [your hair] befo' it's too late, or aftahyo go to de [doctor] an' bring yo' back [how to cure yourself]. Yo' kin go tuh de drag store an' buy dis ole rose watah an' mastah dat rose watah.
(How do you mean master it?)
Yo' kin go tuh de drug store an' buy yo' some old rose watah - smells good - a' yo' mastah it. [Mix it with] a quart of watah an' a teaspoonful of table malt. An' yo' use dat on yore head an' at nighttime. If yo' don't want'a do dat, yo' kin git chew somepin on yo' dat chew kin do without buyin'. Well, yo' arah [urine] penetrates through yo', yo' know. Well, YO' TAKE A PINCH OF SALT A'KETCH YORE WATAH WHILE IT'S HOT AT NIGHT, AN' PUT IT ON YORE HEAD 'FORE YO' 00 TUH BED, AN' ON YORE FACE. WELL, DAT HAIR WILL FALL OUT OF DAT TREE. YeS, su, hit'll fall out of dat tree. Dey run yo' crazy when dey hangs dat up dere. IF SOMEBODY DON'T BE SO BRIGHT, T'S GOIN' STAY UP IN DERE. As long as it stays up in dere, yo'll goin' [lose yoar mind]. [I turned off machine here and had to repeat substance of informant's words S y following statement.] (If you do that at night, then this spell will be turned back on the other person.)
Entry 9082
An' yo' gits dis John de Conkah root, an' yo' gits a piece of devil's- shoestring root. An' yo' split dat devil's-shoestring root, split it in half, in fo' halves [quarters]. An' yo' cut dat John de Conkah root round. An' yo' puts hit [both roots] intuh a vial, an' yo' put dis Jack of Clubs, Hearts Cologne [2 perfumes] on it. He totes dat in his right pocket.
(For what?)
Dat's fo' luck in trouble. (Now what does he do? He puts that John the Conker piece, cut round, puts it in the bottle. What does he do with the devil's-shoestring?) Mix it wit it, put it right in de same bottle - put dat in de same bottle. (Wait a minute! You didn't put that round piece and that split part of John the Conker then?) No.
(Separately?)
Jes' separate dem.
(Why do they split that John the Conker root? I mean the devil's-shoestring?)
Ah don't know, jes' tuh split de enemies dey say. Dey put dem two into a bottle.
(How many pieces of John the Conker do you put in there, you say?)
Three piece, three round pieces.
(Why do you put three round pieces in there?)
Dat is fo' de jedge an' de solicitor an' de lawyah, ah 'spose.
(That goes in with that devil's-shoestring.)
Yes.
(And you feed that you say?)
Jes' feed dat, Hearts Cologne, Rose Van [Rosewater] or Jack of Clubs.
Entry 1526
He got poison in some whiskey. Don't know what he [poisoner] had in there, but he'll pour it in your liquor. Well, another fellow gave him [poisoned man], sent him a dime, a silver dime unaware to him - he didn't know anything about it. This fellow's wife cut this silver dime with a file and gave it to him to drink in sweet milk. [This is the magic rite of the unknown remedy, one of many devices for hoodwinking the disease spirit within.] That helped him awhile, until they got him to an old lady and she gave him some - some blacksnake root and rose water and May-water (see p.381) together. You take the blacksnake root, a package of blacksnake root from the drug store, and you pour it in your water, in your - or anything you going to put it in and then pour it - put this May-water and rose water in thataway and let it get hot, good and hot, and then when she cool down you drink it. And this poison in you, it'll pass up and down, from this way and that way [from mouth or bowels]. You understand. If it too hard here, well it come from up above. And through the rose water it will go through the lower bowels - it'll pass, all be gone. And the fellow will become well - that sickness will leave him.
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.