Folk-Lore of West and Mid-WalesDavies, Jonathan Ceredig
History
Folk-Lore of West and Mid-Wales
Davies, Jonathan Ceredig
Folklore -- Wales; Wales -- Social life and customs
The Bible and Key Divination, or how to find out the two first letters
of a future Wife's or Husband's name is very commonly practised,
even now, by both young men and young women. A small Bible is taken,
and having opened it, the key of the front door is placed on the
16th verse of the 1st Chapter of Ruth:--"And Ruth said, intreat
me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee; for
whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest I will lodge;
thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." Some take Solomon's
Songs, Chapter viii., verses 6 and 7 instead of the above verse from
the Book of Ruth. Then the Bible is closed, and tied round with the
garter taken off the left leg of him or her who wishes to know his or
her future wife or husband's initials. A person cannot perform this
ceremony himself; he must get a friend with him to assist him. The
young man must put the middle finger of his right hand on the key
underneath the loop, and take care to keep the Bible steady. Then
the man, who does not consult the future, repeats the above verse or
verses, and when he comes to the appointed letter, that is the first
letter of the future wife's name, the Bible will turn round under the
finger. I was told at Ystrad Meurig, that a few years ago, a young
woman, a farmer's daughter, tried this Bible and key divination;
and whilst the ceremony was going on, and her sister assisting her
to hold the key under the Bible and repeating the words, instead
of the book turning round as she expected, she saw a coffin moving
along the room, which was a sign that she was doomed to die single;
and so it came to pass! The farmhouse where this young woman lived is
situated in the neighbourhood of Strata Florida, Cardiganshire; but I
do not wish to name the house. I have myself once or twice witnessed
this divination practised, but I never heard of a coffin appearing,
except in the case of the young woman just mentioned.
DIVINATION BY THE TEA-CUP.
Tea-cup divination is also very much practised by young girls in
Wales in order to find out some future events concerning love affairs,
future husbands, etc. There was a woman, who only died a few years ago,
in the parish of Llandyssul, near a small village called Pontshan in
Cardiganshire, who was considered an expert in the art of fortune
telling by a tea cup, at least young women and young men thought
so, and many of them resorted to her, especially those who were in
love or intending to marry. There was another one near Llandovery
in Carmarthenshire, and there are a few even at present to whom the
maidens go for consultation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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