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
Other magical words were used at the religious services of the witches in
the Basses-Pyrénées (1609). At the elevation of the host the congregation
cried, '"Aquerra goity, Aquerra beyty, Aquerra goity, Aquerra beyty," qui
veut dire _Cabron arriba, Cabron abaro (sic)_'; at the elevation of the
chalice at a Christian service they said, 'Corbeau noir, corbeau noir.'
There were two forms of words to be used when making the sign of the cross;
the first was, 'In nomine Patrica, Aragueaco Petrica, Agora, Agora
Valentia, Iouanda, goure gaitz goustia,' translated as 'Au nom de Patrique,
Petrique, d'Arragon, à cette heure à cette heure Valence, tout nostre mal
est passé'. The second roused de Lancre's horror as peculiarly blasphemous:
'In nomine patrica, Aragueaco Petrica, Gastellaco Ianicot, Equidae ipordian
pot,' 'au nom de Patrique, petrique d'Arragon. Iannicot de Castille faictes
moy vn baiser au derriere.'[652] The mention of the ancient Basque god
Janicot makes this spell unusually interesting. As the dances were also a
religious rite the words used then must be recorded here. Bodin gives the
formula, 'Har, har, diable, diable, saute icy, saute là, iouë icy, iouë là:
Et les autres disoyent sabath sabath.'[653] The word _diable_ is clearly
Bodin's own interpellation for the name of the God, for the Guernsey
version, which is currently reported to be used at the present day, runs
'Har, har, Hou, Hou, danse ici', etc.; Hou being the name of an ancient
Breton god.[654] Jean Weir (1670) stated that at the instigation of some
woman unnamed she put her foot on a cloth on the floor with her hand upon
the crown of her head, and repeated thrice, 'All my cross and troubles go
to the door with thee.'[655] This seems to have been an admission ceremony,
but the words are of the same sentiment as the one recorded by de Lancre,
'tout notre mal est passé.'
There were also certain magical effects supposed to be brought about by the
use of certain words. Martin Tulouff (1563) claimed that he could bewitch
cows so that they gave blood instead of milk, by saying 'Butyrum de
armento', but he admitted that he also used powders to accomplish his
purpose.[656] Isobel Gowdie (1662) described how the witches laid a broom
or a stool in their beds to represent themselves during their absence at a
meeting. By the time that this record was made the witches evidently
believed that the object took on the exact appearance of the woman, having
forgotten its original meaning as a signal to show where she had gone. The
words used on these occasions show no belief in the change of appearance of
the object:
'I lay down this besom [or stool] in the Devil's name,
Let it not stir till I come again.'
Her statements regarding the change of witches into animals I have examined
in the section on Familiars (p. 234). The words used to effect these
changes are given in full. When a witch wished to take on the form of a
hare she said:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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