One day a woman who was a reputed Witch, called at the door of a neighbouring farm-house when churning was going on, and asked the dairy-maid for some buttermilk. Not having any, she refused and went on churning; but from that moment it was of no avail, as the butter refused to come, and she got none at all, while the Witch, who kept only one cow, took sixteen pounds of butter to sell, the produce of her dairy, which was a common event with her when the farmers near her were unsuccessful.—Oral.
The following extract from a poem by the Rev. T. E. Brown, of Clifton, entitled “The Manx Witch”, gives an excellent idea of the usual Manx notions about these creatures:—
The following stories refer to the popular antidotes to the effects of witchcraft, which, as stated above, are mainly the use of fire and dust, the former being used partly as a preventive to witchcraft, and partly as a means of detecting the Witch, while the latter is an antidote only. The sacrifice of cattle by burning, as a means of preventing witchcraft, has been common even in the present century, and is secretly practised in the remote districts even now:—
The cattle of a farmer, in the Parish of German, having been, in about 1834, attacked by a kind of murrain, which he attributed to witchcraft, he sought to stay the spreading of the disease by offering up a living calf as a burnt sacrifice. The ashes of this unfortunate beast were collected and applied to the rest of the herd. A small chapel was afterwards built near the spot where this disgusting sacrifice took place, and was consequently called Cabbal yn oural losht, “Chapel of the burnt offering.”—Oral.
A similar case occurred near the Union Mills in 1843.
The Manx Sun newspaper describes the sacrifice of a calf in the Parish of Maughold, in 1853, as follows:—“The calf was dragged to an eminence not far from the highway, a large quantity of peat and straw was provided, and, a light having been applied, the calf and pyre were consumed.”
There was an oural losht in the Parish of Jurby in 1880, and even within the last five years there have been several sacrifices, but it is difficult to obtain any particulars. One of them was that of a young horse which was supposed to have been bewitched to death, which was burned in order to see the Witch come by, and she was, accordingly, seen through the smoke.
Some thirty years ago, cattle which were afflicted with “black-leg” were thrown into the sea at the Lhen-vuirr, in the hope that, as the tide carried them out, so would the disease be prevented from seizing their fellows.
It was not only on land that burning some animal or thing to detect or exorcise witchcraft was resorted to, but at sea also, for when a boat was unsuccessful during the fishing season, the cause was ascribed by the sailors to witchcraft, and, in their opinion, it then became necessary to exorcise the boat by burning the Witches out of it. Townley, in his journal, relates one of these operations, which he witnessed in Douglas harbour in 1789, as follows:—“They set fire to bunches of heather in the centre of the boat, and soon made wisps of heather, and lighted them, going one at the head, another at the stern, others along the sides, so that every part of the boat might be touched.” Again he says, “there is another burning of witches out of an unsuccessful boat off Banks’s Howe—the flames are very visible to the top of the bay.” Feltham, writing a few years later, also mentions this practice.
We now come to some stories relating to the use of dust, the great antidote to the effects of witchcraft. “If a person”, says Train, “wishes to purchase an animal, but will not give the price demanded, the disposer lifts earth from the print made by the person’s right foot on the ground, where he stood to drive the bargain, and rubs the animal all over with it, to prevent the effects of what is called by the Islanders, ‘overlooking.’” The following stories will illustrate this:—
A farmer and his neighbour were in treaty for the purchase of a pony; but, differing about the price, his neighbour, vexed at his disappointment, put an evil eye upon the beast, who instantly, and without visible cause, became so lame as to be wholly useless, and so continued for twelve months; when, by extraordinary good luck, another person called on him, who had on his part the power to discern these unrighteous influences, and to do away with them by a counter-charm. No sooner had this man cast his eye on the animal than he pronounced his lameness to have originated with the malignant purchaser, and, after performing certain ceremonies, he assured the farmer that the spell was broken, and that within a few hours, the pony would be restored to perfect soundness and strength, all which, in course, happened as foretold.—Waldron.
A farmer in the parish of Braddan sold a calf to a Douglas butcher; but his wife, not being aware of this, had sold the same calf to another person of the same trade, who, upon concluding the bargain, paid the price agreed on, and then took away the calf and killed it. As soon as the farmer discovered the mistake made by his wife, he called on the butcher to whom he had sold the calf, and, after explaining the circumstances, offered to refund the price which his wife had received from the other butcher, which was more than the price which the first butcher had agreed to pay. This he not only refused; but instituted an action against the farmer for the unlawful disposal of his property. During the continuance of this law suit, the mother of the disputed calf ceased to give milk, and became hide-bound, as did all the rest of the farmer’s cows. This led to the belief that they were all bewitched, and they were not cured till a servant maid was obtained, from the north of the Island, who was skilful in applying the antidotes to witchcraft.—Train.
Mr. Karran, the late Captain of the Parish of Marown, had a fine colt, to which a person in Baldwin took a particular fancy, and was very anxious to purchase it, though Mr. Karran had no intention of parting with the animal. On the evening of the last refusal, the colt became suddenly ill; and although every possible means were resorted to for its recovery, it continued to grow worse. On the third day, a friend accidentally called at Mr. Karran’s house, and on being told the circumstance thus related of the colt, undertook the cure of it. He immediately started off for Baldwin, in the hope of meeting the person whose evil-eye had infected it; he did so; and when the person with the evil eye had passed Mr. Karran’s friend, the latter gathered the dust of the road out of his footsteps, and returned with it in his pocket-handkerchief. On rubbing the colt all over with the dust, it presently partook of food and rapidly recovered, to the surprise of the proprietor and many of his neighbours.—Train.
In the following there is no purchase:—A hare, or rather a Witch in the shape of a hare, was crossing a field and stood still to stare at a team of horses employed in ploughing, when, to the horror of the ploughman, they instantly dropped dead on the ground. Fortunately, however, he retained his presence of mind, and, remembering that what had occured was doubtless the result of the “Evil Eye”, he collected some of the dust from where the hare had stood and threw it over the horses, who were at once restored to life.—Oral.
The use of dust against the influence of the “Evil Eye” has not been uncommon during the last fifty years. Quite recently a man on the south side of the Island, finding his calf suddenly taken ill, and observing an old woman crossing a field where it was, hurried after her, took up the dust from the place where she had passed, and then rubbed the calf with it till it recovered. It should be remembered that touching or lifting the earth was in many countries considered a remedy for diseases, especially for those of the eye. Earth taken from the spot where a man was slain was prescribed in Scotland for a hurt or an ulcer.
Having given an account of the remedies against witchcraft made use of by amateurs, we will now proceed to describe the skill of the regular practitioners, or Charmers, in the same direction. The two following stories relate to two of the best known of them, the first being about the famous Teare, of Ballawhane:—
In the spring, when the doctor is called professionally to more places than he can accomplish in the time required, many respectable farmers will suspend for days the operation of sowing, although the land should be fully prepared, and even in the most precarious weather, rather than run the risk of committing the seed to the soil without his accustomed benediction. Seer Teare had power over the birds of the air as well as over the beasts of the field. In July, 1883, the great Fairy Doctor had just entered the house of Mr. Fargher, innkeeper, of Laxey, and seated himself in an old arm-chair, when he was greeted by the landlord, “Well, Ballawhane, I am glad to see you; my little field of wheat is nearer ripe than any grain in the glen, and the sparrows feed on it in such flocks, notwithstanding all I can do to prevent them, that they will have all the grain carried away before the straw is fit for the sickle.” “I am quite aware of that”, replied Mr. Teare, “and I am just come to try if I can put them away for you.” After returning from the cornfield, where he had performed some ceremonious rites, he remarked to the innkeeper “these sparrows know well to take advantage of corn that has not been seen by me before it was sown, but I have sent them all away now, and I think they will not again venture into your field this season.” This singular exorcism of the sparrows soon became known throughout Laxey; the paper-makers and the miners in the neigbourhood were the only persons who had any doubt as to the doctor’s power in such matters, and, for the purpose of satisfying themselves, they narrowly watched the field during the remaining part of the season. To their great surprise, however, though the sparrows flocked round Mr. Fargher’s field in greater numbers than before, casting many a wistful eye to the waving grain, yet not one of them dared to enter the charmed precincts.—Train.
Another of these Charmers, who lived in Ballaugh, was specially noted for his skill in bringing luck in fishing to those who applied to him. One of these was told by the old fellow that he could not put the fish in their nets; but he could remove anything that might cause him to be unsuccessful. He then gave him a lot of herbs, which he was to pound and boil, and mix with a pint of whisky. Of this compound, a glass was first to be taken by the captain of the boat, and then by each man in it, and the rest was to be sprinkled over the boat and nets. On one occasion he was sent by his fellows, after a spell of ill-luck in the fishing, to see the old charmer; but, being somewhat sceptical, he spent the charmer’s fee in drink, and compounded the nostrum himself, though quite ignorant of the proper herbs, the result was a magnificent haul that night; but he never dared tell his comrades of the trick he had played on them.—Rhys.
But these powers may be taken away for having been made use of when unnecessary, as witness the following story:—A man near Laxey had the power of being able to stop any effusion of blood by a charm he possessed. On one occasion he was taunted by an unbeliever with being unable to stop the bleeding of a pig which he was about to kill. The moment the creature’s throat was cut, the incantation was pronounced; but the power of the charmer was gone from henceforth.—Oral.
We now append a list of such of the charms as we have been able to discover.
Farraneagh yn uill ghoo, myr doo naght jiarg; goym’s eh, as bee eh aym, as cha derrym geill da ny smoo.
“The black blood running, as black as red; I will take it, and it shall be mine, and I will take no further heed of it.”
Phillip va Ree ny Shee, as Bahee yn ven echey; yinnagh ee Brearey gys Jee, nagh beagh dy bragh lackal er aeg ny shenn. Goym’s spyrryd firrinagh, as jiooldym voym yn doo spyrryd; as goym’s eh, as bee eh aym, as cha beem dy bragh yn drogh spyrryd.
“Philip was the king of peace, and Bahee his wife; she would vow to God, that there never would be want to young or old. I will take the true spirit, and cast from me the black spirit; and I will take it, and it shall be mine, and I shall never be the evil spirit.”
Three Moirraghyn hie dyn Raue, ny Ke imee as ny Cughtee, Peddyr as Paul, dooyrt Moirrey jeu, shass, dooyrt Moirrey jeu, shooyl, dooyrt Moirrey elley, Dy gast yn uill shoh, myr chast yne uill haink as lottyn Chreest: mish dy ghra eh, as mac Voirrey dy chooilleeney eh.
“Three Maries went to Rome, the Spirits of the Church stiles and the Spirits of the houghs,[56] Peter and Paul, a Mary of them said, stand; a Mary of them said, walk; the other Mary said, may this blood stop[57] as the blood stopped which came out of the wounds of Christ: me to say it and the son of Mary to fulfil it.”
The following is a printed form having blank spaces for the insertion of names by the Charmer:—
Three deiney chranee haink voish y Raue—Chreest, Peddyr, as Paul. Va Creest y Chrosh, yn uill echey shilley, as Moirrey er ny glioonyn yn ec liorish. Ghow for jeu yn er-obbee ayns e lau yesh, as hayrn Creest crosh † harrish eh. Three mraane aegey haink harrish yn ushtey, dooyrt unnane jeu, seose, dooyrt, nane elley, fuirree—dooyrt yn trass-unnane sthappyms fuill dooinney ny ben. Mish dy ghra eh, as Chreest dy yannoo eh, ayns ennym yn Ayr, as y Vac as y spyrryd Noo.
N.B.—On repeating “crosh”, you are to draw a cross with the thumb of your right hand over the bleeding part.
“Three godly men came from Rome—Christ, Peter, and Paul. Christ was on the cross, his blood flowing, and Mary on her knees close by. One took the enchanted one in his right hand, and Christ drew a cross † over him. Three young women came over the water, one of them said, ‘up,’ another one said, ‘stay,’ and the third one said, ‘I will stop the blood of man or woman.’ Me to say it, and Christ to do it, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”
Ta mee dy rheynn eh ayns ennym yn Ayr as y Vac as yn spyrryd Noo, eddyr eh ve roig shee, ny roig Ree, dy jean yn chrou rheynnit shoh skeayley’n dourin shoh er geinnagh ny marrey.
“I am to divide it in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; whether it be a sprite’s evil, or a King’s evil, may this divided blemish banish this distemper to the sand of the sea.”
The following charm, written on a scrap of paper or parchment, and stitched securely into the inner garments, is a certain means of prevention as well as cure:—
The consequence of interpreting this would be that its efficacy would be lost for ever! The same charm was in use in the West of England, and is to be found in Pepys’s Memoirs.
(This is called in Manx, Cadley-Jiargan.)
A translation of this would spoil the effect.
Another charm to stop blood is as follows:—O Hiarn eaisht rish my phadjer! Ayns dty ynrickys cur geill da my aghyn! As ayns dty ynrickys jean hoilshaghey mieys; son cha vel dooiney bio oddys ayns dty hilley’s ve ynrick as er ny heyrey gys yn jerrey.* Ta mee credjal dy ren Adaue as Eve chur er hoshiaght yn cheid peccah. Ayns ennym Adaue ta mish eisht cur fo harey dagh giarey as bine jeh fuill yn, {dooiney/ben} shoh dy scuirr. Amen. Amen.
“O Lord hear my prayer! In Thy faithfulness give heed to my petitions! And in thy faithfulness manifest goodness; for no man living in Thy sight can be perfect and justified to the end. I believe Adam and Eve did begin the first sin. In Adam’s name I then do charge each gash and drop of this {man’s/woman’s} blood to stop. Amen. Amen.”
It will be observed that in this charm the name of the famous St. Columba, Columcille or Columb-Killey, is mentioned. There are two Keeills dedicated to him in the Island.
One of the most efficacious charms to prevent milk being bewitched, was to place a branch of the cuirn, or Mountain-Ash, in the cow-house on May-eve. Written charms were believed to prevent people from taking diseases if they were carried about sewn in the clothes. Great virtue was supposed to attach to red flannel for curing coughs. The virtue lay in the colour, not in the flannel.
The following charms are for curing warts:—Take a halfpenny and smear it over with fat bacon; then rub the wart with the halfpenny; after doing this, bury both the bacon and the halfpenny, and by the time the bacon has decayed the wart will have passed away.
Procure a piece of woollen thread and tie as many knots upon it as there are warts. Throw it away, or bury it in some place that the patient is ignorant of, and as the thread rots, the warts will die away. It is essential that no tie of blood exist between the operator and the patient.
Steal (the stealing is necessary) a piece of raw beef, and rubbing it nine times backwards over the warts, secretly bury it in a dry sandy place, when, as the beef decays, the warts will disappear; but perfect secrecy must be preserved, not even the patient’s wife is to receive a hint of it, if a successful result is desired.
The following case of a successful “charming” operation was reported in the Mona’s Herald newspaper, in 1853:—A man named John Kaighan, employed at the landing pier works, was hammering an iron rod, when he missed his stroke, and the iron rod pierced one of the arteries in his left arm. The blood flowed freely from the wound, and he was taken to the hospital; but all efforts to stop the flow of blood were fruitless, and it was feared the man would bleed to death. In this state of affairs, his relatives had recourse to a certain person who bears the reputation of being a blood charmer; and when this person had repeated his incantation over the wound, strange to say the flow of blood shortly afterwards ceased.
The following extraordinary charm emanated from a woman who was much better educated than such practitioners usually are. She lived at Ballasalla, fifty years ago, and produced a number of religious pamphlets, which for the most part consisted of wild prognostications, and of invocations to the Deity. Her mind seems to have been affected, and she was at times subject to hallucinations. She was called the Prophetess of Ballasalla, and was much respected and feared by her neighbours:—
“WHERE is the Jehovah ElShaddai, the Lord God of Elijah?” See 2d. Kings, 2d. Chapter, 14th Verse.
“Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”—See Saint Luke, 10th Chapter, 19th Verse.
“And, Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world. Amen.” See Saint Matthew, 28th Chapter, 20th Verse.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, In the Name of God the Father, and of God the Son, and of God the Holy Ghost, the most High God Helion Elshaddai, Whose Name alone is Jehovah, and through the Grace, and by the Power of our Lord Jesus Christ, I, a Baptised Papist, and a poor unworthy Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, do now command all devils, and all damned spirits, and all evil, wicked and bad spirits, and all Fairies, and all Wizards, and all Witches, and every evil eye, and each, all and every evil bad devilish satanick power and powers of evil whatsoever, Not to hurt, Not to harm, Not to injure, Nor do any devilish evil bad wicked mischief in anywise whatsoever unto thee [Margaret C——alias C——, Nor unto thy Husband, Nor unto any one of all your Children.] Nor unto any thing that ever did, or that now doth, or that hereafter shall and may both Justly and Lawfully belong in anywise whatsoever unto thee [Margaret, or unto Thy Husband, or unto your Children, (And now especially) as unto Thy Child Elizabeth Anna C——] so long as the Almighty Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Son of God with Power, Liveth and Reigneth God over all, God blessed for evermore. Amen. Even so Lord Jesus, Amen; if it be Thy Holy Godly Blessed Will; for the alone sake of Thy most Holy Atoneing, Redeeming Propitious Blood, and justifying Righteousness, and Holy Sanctifying saving Grace of God the Holy Ghost, the Blessed gift of God the Father Jehovah, To them that believe through saving Grace.—Wherefore, none of all the powers of evil, shall not again be able to hurt thee Margaret, in anywise whatsoever, so long as thou believeth in the Lord Jesus Christ, to be the Son of God, with Power. Amen. Lord Jesus, Amen. For thy great Almighty Name’s sake.
May Jesus Help thee [Margaret, and Help all of Them.] May Jesus Save thee, [and Save all of Them;] and, O, May Christ the Lord Jesus, both Bless, Prosper, and Keep thee, both now and forever more, even forever. Amen. Lord Jesus Christ, our God and only Saviour. Let it be so, according to Thy Promise, and our Faith in Thee; and give us Faith alone in Thee. Amen, Almighty Lord Jesus Christ.
Footnotes
[45] Poem of Snorro Sturlson (Johnstone’s Translation.)
[46] Polychronicon, A.D. 1487. Rolls Series.
[47] The genitive of this word, droata, has been deciphered by Professor Rhys in the Ogam character on a stone at Ballaqueeney, near Port St. Mary.
[48] Specimens of these are given at the end of this chapter.
[49] Even now it is no uncommon thing for any one who has a cut, or a burn, to seek the nearest Charmer and have a charm ‘put on it.’
[50] During the perambulations of the parishes on Ascension Day.
[51] Leviticus ii., 13.
[52] There seems to be practically no distinction between Sorcery, when deprived of the prophetic element, and Witchcraft.
[53] Witch.
[54] If the like exist.
[55] Harrows.
[56] Or, cliffs by the sea.
[57] Or, heal.
[58] These words are almost identical with those of the first two verses of the 143rd Psalm.