Subject:Wind
Entries
Entry 3829
If she gits yore fingahnails an' she gits de dirt in [under] which dat [dirt under fingernails] - much as she kin git wit dose fingahnails. Jis' lak if yo' wuz settin' down an' she tell yo', say, "Let me trim yore fingahnails." Well, she will trim yore fingah- nails off. Prob'ly yo' might not be thinkin' of any- thin'. Say, "Yore toenails needs trimmin', too." Well, she'll keep all dat. Well, de nex' thin' she'll do, she'll have intahco'se wit yo'. Well, she'll keep dat, but chew wouldn't think dat - no idea of how she would keep dat. (You said something about bringing it back. You said something about her bringing it back or something - the woman bringing it back.) Yes, sir.
(Well, what did you say about that?)
Well, she take dat an' she keep it. She put dat intuh a rag [making a hand] an' she'll keep dat fer - see, sev'ral times she'll do dat. Yo' see. An' it come tuh be a certain amount. Well, aftah she git dat certain amount, well she'll take dat certain amount den an' she'll take it off somewhere, intuh de house, an' she'll tie it up. [Here are the knots and tie up.] An' she tie dat up fer sev'ral yeahs. Yo'll come tuh be in a way dat yo' kinnot leave dere or leave her wheresomevah she is. If she go away, well yo' will go an' hunt 'er until yo' find 'er to be outa yore sight. Well, when yo' gits dataway, why den she wants tuh turn yo' loose. De day dat she gits ready tuh turn yo' loose, why she'll walk an' ketch de air blowin' a certain way - no'th or east or sout'. Well, she will take dat den an' she will shake it in de air. Well, yo' are loose den. When she shake dat in de air, well yo' git so den yo' won't care anythin' abou Ter atall in de world. Well dat's de way dey do dat part of dat.
(You put these fingernails and stuff in that rag with the other.)
Yes, sir.
Entry 4362
They take the underclothes and they can cut a piece out of the man from under his arm or from the tail of the shirt and wear it on a person. They sew that up in a piece of red flannel. They take that and satu- rate it, you know, with the same in- gredients, urine and Hearts Cologne. [This, of course, is a hand - pp.519-669.] They say then they can control 'em like that. Or they can take them and throw them away. They can carry them back in the woods and hang 'em up on the west side of a tree where the wind just blows and wears it all the time. They say whenever that blows and wears down from up there, why then the person will die. But chew got a new cord, like this wrappin' twine. You get that right off from the ball, right off from the cord where there's never any been pulled off, and fasten it on that tree or bush or what chew put it on. But you put it so the wind can blow it and the rain beat it. And whenever this cord rots, you see, and that blows away from where it's at, they say the person then'll soon die.
Entry 4721
If yuh kin git holt of 'is photograph or anythin', yuh kin git 'im back ag'in.
(Do you know just how they do that?)
Well, yuh git holt a piece of 'is clothin'. Now, if it's a woman dat wants 'im back ag'in, yuh git aholt of a piece of 'is clothes an' yuh dress it in cologne. Yuh take it an' fold it de way [direction] he is. If he is east, no'th, west, or south, yuh take dat piece of clothin', a small piece of it, an' fold it [demonstrates] an' make yore wishes.
(Fold it toward you.)
Towards yuh evah time. Points it de way he is an' fold it back evah time. An' yuh git yuh a couple of needles an' pin it each way, bottom an' top, an yuh split dat needle. Lets 'er wear one in 'er right shoe here, an' give her de othah one an' let 'er hold it in 'er han'. An' she kin walk - an' let 'er go straight tuh runnin' watah an' drop it ovahbo'd. Ketch de wind - she has tuh do dis on de grown [growing] of de moon an' ketch de wind blowin' towards de way she wants 'im tuh come. If she is in New York, ketch de wind blowin' disaway.
(Blowing south?)
Dat's right. Drop dis ovahbo'd an' walk backwards from it about nine steps, turn tuh left an' go on. Make her wishes an' he'll come right - in nine days he'll be dere.
(I didn't quite understand you about putting these needles?)
Yuh see, if yuh fold de clothes, prob'ly fold it dis way. Well aftah yuh git a little pad of it made, git yuh a needle on each side of it. Git chew a pair of keen - anythin' dat's sharp an' split dem needles in two.
(Oh, I see! You cut the whole package in half.)
De needles den will be on each side of it.
(Two halves of the needles will be in each side of the package.)
An' have dem needles so dey won't injure her foot an' let 'er wear it right in 'er shoe. Fasten it in dere in a way dat it won't slide backwards an' for- wards. Take dis half an' fold it in yore han' an' when it gits warm, when yuh go tuh de watah wit it - an' throw it ovahbo'd. Ketch de wind blowin' from de Way dat yuh want 'im tuh come home.
Entry 5101
Has a sweetheart dat he may lak 'er. He may wanta git hold of 'er. Whut he'll do. He'll take - go tuh yuh front gate an' he may put 'er shoe on de right-han' side, take one of yuh ole shoe or eithah a sock, an' place it on de left. An' he'll git a bay bush, he'll stick it between dem shoe - jis' a li'le small piece. An' jis' as de wind blow dis li'le bush, den dey'll be agru- in' [arguing] an' quarrelin' - raisin' cain. An' de minute dat dis bush - de wind blow dis bush down on de ground, an' she [the bush] fall, dere's where dey part.
(That's when they'll part. That's if you want to separate these people?)
Separate dem, yeah. (But you must do that at the gate. You just get a bay bush and stick it in the ground?) Yeah, a li'le small piece of bay bush.
(A twig or something?)
Dat's de idea. Don' have it so large cuz dey might be able to find it befo' de wind blows it down. When it fall from de wind, dere's where yo' got 'em. [Norfolk, Va., No.466, Doctor Paul Bowes, see 300, p.89; 337, P.99; 410, p.122; 455, p.141;614, p.206.]
Entry 5713
Yo' wants whut could ah do tuh make yo' move out dis house. Well, all right, ah'll tell yo'. Now, ah could git some of yore track. Yo' make a track on de groun'. An' ah'm gona take dat track up an' ah'm gona put dat track in a sack or tie it up in a rag. An' ah'm gona ca'y [carry it out, way out in de woods, an' ah'm gona hang it up; an' ah'm not gona look back at it. An' yo' gona move.
(Where are you going to hang that?)
Hang it 'way up in de tree, out in de woods.
(Will you take either one of my tracks or just one track?)
Jis' take eithah one of 'em, jis' one.
(That will make me move.)
Entry 5718
De cocklebur.
(That's a bush, isn't it, with stickers on it? What do they do with that?)
Say yo' kin hang anything up in dat tree an' if yo' want me tuh go, ah'm gone. Dey say, all yo' gotta do if yo's mad wid me, yo' take my track an' put it in a cup or a bottle, wit some red peppah an' hang it up in dat tree. (What kind of a tree.) A cocklebur. Evah time when de win' blows, see dat cup will go roun' an' roun' dat way an' come back dataway [unwind the other way]; an' when dat string rotten an' broke, den ah'm gone.
(How high is that cocklebur tree?)
Ooh some of it real high an' some of 'em - de young 'un ain't so high. (It has those little stickers on it, hasn't it, those little burs? The cock- lebur?) Dat's right. [Cocklebur appears twice in FACI, 1st ed., but the present rite is the first and only time I ever heard of a cocklebur tree! Does he mean chestnut, buckeye, sweet gum, or what?]
Entry 5790
Yo' take a wasps nest an' take a person's track halfways; scrape de dirt back from right about middleways in de foot tuh de heel [demonstrates].
(From the MIDDLE OF THE FOOT BACK TO THE HEEL.) Yeah, back tuh de heel, an' den back tuh de toe [demonstrates]. (Then you begin in the middle and SCRAPE FROM THE MIDDLE UP TO THE TOE.)
[To scrape from hollow or middle of foot track to heel, then from middle to toe, is unusual if not rare.] Git dat sand or dirt. Burn yore wasp [nest] in yore stove an' git dose ashes of de wasp nest, an' mix de ashes an' de dust tuhgethah, de foot dust. Yeah, mix it all up good tuhgethah an' take dat an' put it in de palm of yore han', an' yo stand out [doors] an' yo' say, In de Name of de Father, de Son, [an' Holy Ghost]. An' whichevah way dat wind blows, why a person dat yo' don' wan' aroun' or sompin, dey'll go away. Dat's a easy way tuh git rid of 'em. Dey'll go on off.
(You take either foot track?)
No, take de left one. [This rite comes from my second trip to Memphis and it was given by an informant different from one in preceding rite.] [The spirit of the wasps chases away the spirit in the foot track.]
Entry 5791
Go tuh de forks of de road, anybody yo' wanta send dem tuh travel or n 'em away from dere. Goes out dere when de wind be blowin'. Take some of 'is track an' red peppah an' salt, an' throw it an' say, "Go, yo' son-of-a-bitch." Dataway. Or yo' kin throw it in some watah. (Or you can throw it into some water and it will do the same thing. Which way do you throw that stuff?) De way yo' want 'im tuh go.
(Well, what about. the wind blowing?)
De wind will blow it de way he want 'em to go.
Entry 5794
[The preceding rite in various versions must have been fairly common at one time in country districts. Similarly, cities also have variants of sending away by wind. One follows:] Jes' pick up dere crack an' put salt in it an' throw outdo's out in de street... That will make them Iove.
(They take either track?)
Both.
(Put salt in both tracks?)
Yes.
Entry 6254
I knew a girl. Shewuz goin' wit a boy an' dis othah girl wuz goin' wit 'im too. An' she didn't like it. So she says she got some dis girl's hair, see an' climbed a tree an' tied it on a limb. When de wind blow like dat [demonstrates].
(Swinging the hair back and forth.)
Dis girl jis' finally left town. Den she's crazy too, she ain't got goodmind.
Entry 6258
Yuh wanta put 'em in de road - 'cordin' tuh how yuh want it. If yuh want 'em tuh stay home, yuh bury it. [Here, having heard buried hair so often, I turned off recording machine; but informant continuing with something about first hair, I restarted machine.] (Where do you take the first hair?) Git it from undah yo' arm, undah yuh lef' arm. Yuh put it in a tin can an' screw it tight. Hang it up in a gum tree an' evah time de wind blows an' blow it aroun' lak dat, an' when dat string pop loose an' it fall, den yuh gone.
Entry 7237
Dere a preachah stayed in Boyce, Mississippi, Scotts County, an' some- one stole his suitcase an' he went tuh one of de gentlemen [doctors] an' de gen- tlemen tole him he'd git 'is suitcase back. An' so de fellah [doc- tor] went an' cut some cahds [cards] an' tole him tuh go tuh de stō' an' git 'im some sulphur, an' git 'im some salt, an' he give it tuh 'im. Den he [doctor] sprinkle dat ovah him [preacher] an' rubbed 'is [preacher's] hands an' [they] says he [preacher] throw it up in air where de wind blow it. An' he got 'is suitcase an' dere wusn't a thing tuk [taken] outa it. Dat's a true fac', he got 'is suitcase. [For wind- blowing rites, see Nos.5713-5718, Pp.2917-2918, etc.]
Entry 7681
[Here is a rare rite. While talking to the grave spirit, ask him to give you a sign before you 'leave the grave, that you will be successful in your undertaking with his dirt.] What dey do wit it? Well, dey take dat, yo' see, an' dey go an' shake hands wit de dead yo' see. Den dey give dat to dem. (Well, how do they do that? They get hold of your handwriting. And how would they shake hands with the dead, then?) Well, yo' see, yo' go tuh a pusson who's neighbah yo' know died, yo' know [buried]. An' yo' go down elbow deep an' yo' know, when yo' git down elbow deep, down dere it'll be as cold as de pusson is dead, yo' see. An' yo' talk tuh 'em an' yo'll request whethah yo' be successful an' tell 'em give yo' a sign. Well, if it's a calm day, yo' call de sign, an' yo' tell 'em tuh make a - shake a limb on a tree or shake a bush or send a breeze of wind. An' he give yo' a sign by dat, yo' know. Yo' know whethah yo' be successful when yo' leave [the grave] or not. He give yo' de sign 'fo' yo' leave, yo' know.
(Well, what do you do with this handwriting?)
Dey jes' take it an' put it right - as yo' go down dere elbow deep, dey'll put it in dat hole an' pay 'em two cents an' tell 'em whatcha wanta happen wit dis, yo' know, what chew Wanta happen - kill
Entry 8001
You can cut out of paper or you can cut them off from shingles and make the image of a person, and write the name and whatever you wish. Well, you can take this shingle and carry it and throw it in running water, or you bury it, or you can take it and hang it upon the side of a tree and let it blow away. That's if you want to run 'em away.
Entry 10550
Go down to a cross- road, where a road crosses, nine Sunday mawnin's. It's a very ha'd [hard] thing tuh do. When yo' thought of doin' one thing fo' nine Sunday mawnin's it's a good long while. An' meanwhile ah come an' maybe somebody try tuh hol' him off, but yo' gotta meet at dis same place at de same time of day. Jes' lak ah say ah'll be dere at nine a'clock, yo' gotta meet dere at nine a'clock fo' nine Sunday mawnin's at de crossroads. An' yo' gotta read a verse out de Bible.
(Do you know what the verse is?)
It's de 36 Psalms, an' ev'ryone ends wit de same words - de 136th Psalms, an' ev'ry verse ends dis chapter heah wit de same thing, de same words. Well, yo' start wit dat an' yo' read it fo' nine Sunday mawnin's, an' de ninth [Sunday] mawnin' yo'll meet what yo' didn't expect. Yo'll meet trouble dere, storms, high winds or somepin of dat sort. Yo' cain't tell exactly whut's it goin' be, maybe it will be rain, maybe wind, maybe snow or somepin lak dat. It be somepin diff'rent, de ninth mawnin'. But anyhow yo' continue wit it an' when yo' git through wit it, yo'll do whut chew wanta do so fur as tricks is concerned an wit'out bein' religious atall. But chew kin do anything yo' wants tuh do.
[Wilson, N. Car., (1476), 2655:3.]
12. BAT [Originally this section about the bat - not a bird as folklore believes - was a part of CHANNEL DE WORLD, a catchall later in the present volume. I did not realize until too late, that BAT should have followed FROG AND TOADFROG, a pre- ceding section of the present volume. Yet, to follow section SELL SELF TO THE DEVIL may not be inappropriate. These following rites show less knowledge and interest in bats than in frogs and toads, because bat was a night animal and frog and toad better known and easier to catch and handle.l
Entry 13434
An' if a person 'sleep an' be layin' in de bed an' yo' want 'em tuh talk tuh yuh, yo' git chew a pan of watah an' put dere han' in it. Jes' put doon dere fingahs down in de watah an' dey'll tell yo' jes' whut dey done durin' dat day. Dey talk in dere sleep. But if de wind would change de time dey got dere han' in dere, well it would kill 'em. (If the wind outside would change it would kill them?) It would kill 'em. [My only example of this belief. Presumably spirit of sleeping person to recall scenes of day must revisit them. A sudden change in the wind prevents him from returning to his body.]