The Witch-cult in Western Europe: A Study in AnthropologyMurray, Margaret Alice
Religion
The Witch-cult in Western Europe: A Study in Anthropology
Murray, Margaret Alice
Ethnology; Witchcraft -- Great Britain
The words used before starting to a meeting are rarely recorded; only a few
remain. The earliest example is from Guernsey in 1563, when Martin Tulouff
heard an old witch cry as she bestrode a broomstick, 'Va au nom du diable
et luciffer [p=] dess[~q=] roches et espyñes.' He then lost sight of her,
with the inference that she flew through the air, though he acknowledged
that he himself was not so successful.[648] The witches of the
Basses-Pyrénées, 1609, anointed themselves before starting, and repeated
the words 'Emen hetan, emen hetan', which de Lancre translates 'Ici et là,
ici et là'. 'Quelquefois plus furieuses elles se batent entre elles mesmes,
en disant, Ie suis le Diable, ie n'ay rien qui ne soit à toy, en ton nom
Seigneur cette tienne seruante s'oingt, & dois estre quelque iour Diable &
maling Esprit comme toy.' When, crossing water they cried, 'Haut la coude,
Quillet,' upon which they could cross without getting wet; and when going a
long distance they said, 'Pic suber hoeilhe, en ta la lane de bouc bien
m'arrecoueille.'[649] Isobel Gowdie, 1662, gives two variants of the magic
words used on these occasions: the first, 'Horse and hattock, in the
Divellis name' is not unlike the form given by Martin Tulouff; the second
is longer, 'Horse and hattock, horse and goe, Horse and pellattis, ho!
ho!'[650] The Somerset witches, 1664, when starting to the meeting, said,
'Thout, tout a tout, tout, throughout and about'; and when returning,
'Rentum tormentum'. At parting they cried, 'A Boy! merry meet, merry
part.'[651] They also had a long form of words which were used when
applying the flying ointment, but these are not recorded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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