Subject:Stocking/Dirty stocking
Entries
Entry 3115
Ah heard yuh could take a man's sock an' weah it between yore laigs an keep 'im down, an' yuh kin go an' he would not be jealous of yuh. (You use either sock?) Eithah sock, eithah one, jis' since he have worn it. An' a man kin take a woman's stockin' an' weah it undah 'is lef' arm wit de feet turned up, an' he'll ketch 'er in evahthin' dat she start at. If she go tuh slip on 'im an' have othah men, he'll walk right up on 'er.
Entry 4874
[The words of the submargin title. informant's own. I consider one of the great statements in HooDoO, because they describe the essence of his hoodoo reality. Did transcriber and I mishear word soul? Could it have been soil equalling dirt in sock? Was the word sole of the sock, which is the same as the preceding meaning? Soil or dirt can be removed from the sock by washing. Those words dey claim tuh be able mean what they say - secret ability or power. Spirit rather than soul would have been more usual and frequent in HOODOO. Somehow, to me at least, soul is less amorphous and more individualized than spirit.] Dey claim if dey git aholt of 'is stockin' [sock], an' if dey kin git any of dat sand or whutevah might be in dat shoe aftah 'i, an' if dey bury dat, dat supposed tuh run a person crazy.
(What do they bury, just the sand or the stocking or what?)
Dey git holt of de sand or whatevah come out of dat stocking [sock] an' - yuh See, if de Stocking is dirty. An' DEY CLAIM TUH BE ABLE TUH MAKE DE SOUL COME OUTA DERE SOCK. AN' IF DEY BURY DAT, DAT SUPPOSED TUH RUN A PERSON CRAZY.
(An old sock. Either one of them or?)
Eithah one of 'em, or piece of 'is shoe - de linin' of 'is shoe. Ah've heard dat.
(They bury the lining of the shoe?)
Or dere sock. Dat supposed tuh run 'em crazy.
Entry 5038
Yuh could fix 'em diff'ren' ways in dat if yuh got dere stockin' or anythin', cuz dere [they are] dark stockin'. Well dey - well yuh take a dirty sock or stockin' from 'em like dat. Well dey got dirt in dere. Yuh could take dat dirt an' if yuh want tuh do 'em harm, yuh could take it an' bury it or do anythin' yuh want wit it - jis' depend what yuh wan'a do it fo'. See, dat's how dey do's wit dat. Now, yuh could take her socks or stockin's from a woman an' run 'er crazy wit it.
(How would you do that?)
Well, yuh see, yuh take her stockin' an' it got dirt in it. Yuh git a piece of 'er hair an' yuh sew it up wit what yuh call dis fast luck [perfume or powder] an' sew it up tight. Yuh walk tuh any creek or any runnin' watah - an' sew it up tight - an' when yuh walk back from down tuh de creek or anywhere de running [water] is, yuh jis' turn backwards an' make three wishes - any wishes yuh want. Jis' like if yuh wanta run 'er in dat fast watah or run 'er out of town, or run 'er any part of de worl' dat yuh feel like. Jis' make de wishes fo' dat. Throw it backwards. Walk nine steps befo' dat yuh evah look back tuhward dat watah. Jis' long as dat turnin' in de water, she go on.
(You mean, you throw it over your left shoulder?)
Yeah, ovah yore lef' shouldah an' walk nine steps befo' yuh evah look back. But yuh make de three wishes, jis' de wishes yuh want.
Entry 7841
Dey kin take dat bow an' keep yo' wit a headache all de time. Dey odll take dat bow an' take it tuh de cemetery tuh a ole grave an' go tuh de haid of de grave an' call yore name an' bury dis dere, an' say tuh de spirit in de grave, "Why, keep dis till ah come fo' it." An' until dey come, why yo'll have de head- ache. If it's a stockin' dat's been worn, if it's a dirty sock, not one been washed, dat dirty, dat have de sweat or presparin' [perspiring] from 'er feet, don' chew undahstan', den yo' kin take dat an' take hit tuh de cemetery. An' put [it] down at de foot of de grave, not de haid but de foot, an' say tuh dat spirit: Keep dis till ah come back. An' dat puts dis woman's mind on yo'. Now, when yo' git tired of 'er, yo' have tuh go an' git it up an' throw hit in runnin' watah.
Entry 12893
[These two separate rites I have left together for the sake of the reference; the first rite being somewhat special, the second fairly common:] Dey'll take de bottom, jes' lak yo' got a ole piece of stockin' an' take de bottom out of a stockin'. Cut it off an' let it be dirty. It can't do yo' no harm unless it's dirty. Dey take de bottom of dat stockin' an' cut it out - cut de bottom of dat stockin' out - an' takes it an' stops it m. If dey kin git a chance, yo' know, when dey make connection, dey kin use dat. Stop it up, jes' continue - continue - continue. Well, jes' lak if yo' wus a man, wus comin' to mah house, an' wus goin' into anything wit me, yo' know, an' ah'd git chew sometime. Dere's de bucket right dere. Make yore connection [urine] right dere in dat bucket. Well, ah'm not goin' make none in dere. Ah'm puttin' yo' up to make it. [Then I] stop it up.
Entry 13137
If you got a husband that runs around, [or] if a man got a woman that runs around, he can take her dirty stockings and wash the toe and the heel - not the whole stocking, wash the toe and wash the heel. In about, well, I'd say about two ounces of water - that's suffi- cient, two ounces of water. And take that water and pour it in a bottle and stop it up, and bury it underneath the steps and that party will stay home all the time.