Lacnunga XXV (The Wyrm Chant)

A bit of fun with the Lacnunga manuscript circa 1020:

In case a man or a beast drink an insect, if it be of male kind sing this lay in the right ear, which lay is hereinafter written; if it be of female kind, sing it in the left ear.

Sing this charm nine times in the ear, and a Paternoster once. This same charm a man may sing against a penetrating worm, sing it frequently upon the wound and smear with thy spittle, and take green centaury, pound and lay it on the wound and bathe with hot cow stale. In case a man drink venom, take seed of marrubium, mingle it with wine, administer to be drunk.

The charm

Tigath Tigath Tigath Calicet. Aclu cluel sedes adclocles acre earcre arnem. Nonabaiuth aer aernem nithren arcum cunath arcum arctua fligara uflen binchi cuterii. Nicuparam raf afth egal uflen arta. Arta. Arta. Trauncula.

Trauncula Patrem &filium & spn scm non amplius. Crescas sed arescas super aspidem & basilliscum ambulabir & conculcabir leonem & draconem crux matheus crux Marcus crux lucas crux iohannes.

Translation

The first paragraph of the charm refuses to be translated it is not Latin or OE. There is some evidence that it may be written, at least in part, in Old Irish.

The second paragraph translates from Latin: Seek and ye shall find. I charge thee by the Father and the son and (the holy spirit). Increase not any more but shrink.

Over the asp and the basilisk and to be trodden underfoot the lion and the dragon. Cross Mark cross Lucas cross John.

Conclusion

The charm is in two parts the most interesting of which is the first paragraph which I have not managed to translate, but is clearly written with some use of Old Irish and other elements which appear to have been used because of their inherent potency.

The second paragraph is very Christian and made up of a biblical abstract and part of a psalm (XCI – 13) together with a charge to ‘Increase not any more but shrink’.

A possible pagan reconstruction of the charm (to be chanted):

Tigath Tigath Tigath Calicet. Aclu cluel sedes adclocles acre earcre arnem. Nonabaiuth aer aernem nithren arcum cunath arcum arctua fligara uflen binchi cuterii. Nicuparam raf afth egal uflen arta. Arta. Arta. Trauncula.

I charge thee by the power of Wodan increase no more but shrink, just as Drychten (our lord) may crush the wyrms (dragons) of the earth and fiery drakes of the air.

Lacnunga CXXXIII 74

This is a bit of fun at translating, interpreting and playing with a late Saxon charm.

Lacnunga CXXXIII 74 

With fleogendan attre asleah . IIII. Scearpan on feower healfa mid aecenan brande geblodga thone brand weorf on weg sing this on III.

+ matheus me ducath+ marcus me conseruaeth + lucas me liberat  + hannes me adiuvet  semper • amen. Contriue  deus omnem malum et nequitiam per uirtutem patris et: filii et spiritus sci sanctifica me emanuhel ihsxps libera me ab omnibus insitiis inimici benebictio

domini super caput meum potens deus in omni tempore. AMEN

Translation:

Against flying venom, score on the four sides (to the four quarters) with an oaken torch, make bloody that torch, throw on the way, sing this on 3 (times):

Matthew guide me, Mark consecrate/protect me, Luke free me, John always help me, Amen. Destroy, O God all evil and wickedness, by the power of the Father and son and spirit, sanctify me, Emmanuel, Jesus? free me from all enemies resident, (the) benediction

of the Lord (be) on my head, of a powerful god in all my time, Amen.

Interpretation:

The charm is very clearly Christian. In the first line the caller asks for fourfold help reflecting the actions to the four quarters. Then a triple aspect god is asked to destroy evil and bestow blessings. Finally the caller asks to be freed from local spirits (elves?) and asks his powerful god for life long blessings.

Question

Could this charm be based on a pre-Christian charm and can we attempt to reconstruct any of this? The first paragraph describing the actions needs no alteration to appear pagan. We could however produce many possible pagan variations on the second paragraph. Here is a possible outline reconstruction:

Pagan reconstructed charm

Face the four quarters in turn and sing the name of a god/goddess asking for help, the four that both left their mark in the names of places on our landscape and in the days of the weeks are: Woden, Thunor, Tiw and Frig so these would seem appropriate.

Then ask a powerful god – Woden was the most important of the gods – to banish the evil and for blessing.

Finally ask Woden to banish the bad local spirit (elves in late Saxon times but perhaps scucca in pre-Christian times) and bestow blessings for all of my days.

Border Morris

Introduction
Border Morris is the more dynamic style of Morris dancing that was originally practiced along the English side of the Welsh boarders. Men would dance for fun and money with blackened faces, perhaps to avoid recognition. This later has tended to be replaced by the wearing of masks. The dances are performed with short sticks which are knocked either together or on the ground. The dancers wear dark jackets now mostly of tatters, the colours of which will denote their side (team). The movements of the dancers is often quite boisterous with some modern sides going for a dark style of presentation.

Here is a link to a video of me with Bacchus Border Morris, the dance is called Tipsy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm3I2gS1d4c

Border Morris

We dance in winter, to have some money,

There be twelve of us, when it be sunny.

In hard winters, we dance for our dinners,

In our last lives, we must have been sinners.

Once our little gang, only had one dance,

But it could differ, quite a lot by chance.

After a few pints, masks come in handy,

But all I had, was a glass of shandy.

We be rather proud, of our short hard sticks,

We bang them and knock them, and do high kicks.

Some still insist, on fertility myth,

But only our short sticks, do end up stiff.

Spare a few pennies, for our Morris dance,

Before we collapse, in a shamanic trance.

Empty thine pockets, for a little beer,

If thee fancy, to stop me feeling queer.

Copyright Andrew Rea Summer 2010

‘Grimston a message from the past’

Introduction

This poem focuses on a hamlet and old peoples home just outside of York on the road to Stamford Bridge. The landscape around contains many towns and features called through their many Saxon names after significant constructs. For reasons of clarity all the Saxon words on the modern map are translated into modern English within the poem.

Grimston (ghost settlement) – a message from the past?

Were Yorkshire village, Grimston it was named,

Ghost wood to west dial, hast not yet been tamed.

Reduced so only, does hamlet remain,

The ghost farm hamlet, on elf friendly lane.

Lying south east dial, village of elf friends,

Where elf friendly lane, cunningly extends.

Witch friendly village, it lays to the west,

To south dial village, is death ditch possessed.

North dial witches wood, south dial witches wood,

But here thirteen hearth, ghost hall it once stood.

Death ditch to south dial, or is drake a beast?

But thirteen hearth hall, is long since deceased.

Grew ghost manor where, there once stood ghost hall,

Then ghost court arose, and manor did fall.

Now ghost court awaits, the angel of death,

And folk take their last, shallow ghostly breath.

Saxon messages, through time they have passed,

Death ditch or dragon, warning from the past?

Elves witches and ghosts, in landscape around,

Still angle of death, is to the land bound.

Copyright Andrew Rea March 2012

Badger the brave

With the cull having just started without any science or consent of opinion (see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23845851) I offer this poem penned last year


Badger the brave

Warm sleepy hollow, pups about to eat,
Sacred soul to claim, Saint Francis to greet.

Slain on battlefield, now inside his grave,
Good Saint Francis came, spirit soul to save.

Family without sin, slain on battlefield,
Their fate not yet sealed, wilt ministry yield?

Souls gone to heaven, are cattle now healed?
Saint Francis he weeps, genocide on Weald. 


Copyright Andrew Rea October 2012

A Saxon charm for a difficult journey

I have found the following text in Leech Book I, LXXXVI, 

For mickle travelling over land, lest he tire, let him

take mugwort a to him in hand, or put it into his shoe,

lest he should weary, and when he will pluck it, before

the upgoing of the sun, let him say first these

words, "I will take thee, artemisia, lest I be weary on the way," etc.

I have replaced 'etc.' with the following text from HERBARIVM, CLXXIX (Periwinkle);

"that thou cometh to me glad, blossoming with thy usefulness; that thou outfit

me so that I be shielded, and ever well, and undamaged by poisons and by wrath”

Back to Leech Book I, LXXXVI,;

Sign it with the sign of the cross,

when thou pullest it up.

Both of these manuscripts are from the late Saxon period.

Here be Giants

Introduction

Many features on the landscape were named after giants by the Anglo-Saxons. Those remaining include: 1 Valley, I cave, 1 hole, 1 ford, 2 ravines and 2 lakes.

However some were recorded in antiquity but their locations have become lost. These include: 1 mound, 1 thicket, 1hill, 1 glade, 2 pits, 3 pools.

Many other places named after giants have also been recorded in the centuries following the Saxon era.

The Saxons had three names for giant: Troll, Thyrs and Ent.

Trollers Gill in Yorkshire, is associated with a monstrous black spectral dog named Barguest, who is thought to have inspired Arthur Conan Doyle in writing ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’.

Here be Giants

Once many giants, lay down in our land,

And ten or so did, against time withstand.

The valley cave hole, and ford doth endure,

Two ravines two Lakes, art also secure.

But mounds the thicket, the hill, and the glade,

All three giant pools, their memories fade.

Seven giant pits, long time hast betrayed,

Those secrete places, art all now mislaid.

Legends of giants, the Troll Thyrs and Ent,

What was their purpose, what was their intent.

Oddly disturbing, those monstrous wights,

Silent sentinels, secured sacred sites?

Thursford in Norfolk, had Great Snoring lord,

In Doomsday village, he wielded his sword.

Largest Yuletide show, in all of our land,

This small village has, a huge helping hand.

Oxfordshire Tusmore, hamlet of Doomsday,

Destroyed by Black Death, was doomed to decay.

Merely giant’s Lake, through time did remain,

A massive wyrm bed, rebuilt it again.

                                                                          

Yorkshire Trollers Gill, the troll’s arse ravine,

Beastly hound Barguest, black sinister scene.

Chilling excursion, beware falling stone,

Hell hole shiver quiver, spine tingle alone.

Copyright Andrew Rea June 2012

Saxon spell of protection

Introduction

This poem is written in the style of an Anglo-Saxon spell of protection employing the use of listing the possible threats and also the used of the cardinal directions.

Glossary:
Drychten is the Old English for lord.

Aelfadle is any sickness caused by elves, compare addled.

Haegtesse are wild, armed supernatural women riding out in a group and causing    harm havoc and mayhem! Haegtesse was used as a scan for wælcyrige.

Aelfsiden is the magic of elves.

Svartalheim is the world where the dark elves dwell.

Nihtgenga refers to night walkers; demons of the night.

Incubus/succubus is synonymous with mere/mera and often used as a scan for the same. Mare/mara gave rise to the term ‘nightmare’.

Cockatrice and wyrm are types of dragon.

Smithas are mythical beings that forge arrows (elf shot) for the elves to fire.

Nidavellir is the world where the dwarfs dwell.

Saxon spell of protection

Guard us lord Wodan, oh magical lord,

Leader of Wild Hunt, loaf drychten ward.

Elf shot aelfadle, against thine bombard,

Against hægtessan, this be thine guard.

This guard against aelfsiden, magic of elves,

Svartalheim’s dark elves, this against themselves.

Night walker succubus, dark elfin mare,

Nihtgenga incubus, be gone to thine lair.

Cockatrice and wyrm, iron darts of smithas,

Sleep in thine wyrm bed, stay in thine quivers.

Nidavellir dwarfs, advance if thee dare,

This guard against, fiery drakes of air.

Under linden shield, protect from the east,

Malice from the south, thee shalt never feast.

Sword against malignancy, from the west,

With spear guarding north, thee art now suppressed.

Copyright Andrew Rea Aug 2013

Dragon's Quarters

A bit of summer fun with dragons:

Flying cockatrice guard the east,

Air dragon we doth bid thee hail.

Guard our circle with thine power,

Be with us here in our wassail.

Firedrake guard the gate to the south,

Oh great beast fortify the door.

Shield us here with thine fiery breath,

Bide with us, we doth thee implore.

Sea serpent guard the western gate,

We doth water dragon call thee.

From thine watery depths arise,

We bid thee our rite oversee.

Crouching basilisk guard the north,

Earth dragon without wings arise.

Serpent king we doth bid thee forth,

From long mists of time now arise.

Copyright Andrew Rea Eostre 2013

A recreated Heathern charm based on a late Saxon charm

Introduction:

As the basis of the reconstruction I used 'An exorcism of fever' from Leech Book I, LXII.3.

I added in a popular method of blessing the herbs at the point of picking and also again under an altar. All references to the new religion were replaced with equivalent non Christian texts from other Saxon documents. Where none could be found a simple appropriate text was made up or borrowed from none medical sources, eg when singing to the herbs under the altar the Lords Prayer was replaced with an abridged Anglo-Saxon version of the same prayer but using the word 'Wodan' in place of god.

All references also include reference to the 1865 publication by parliament of a collected corpus of Anglo-Saxon medical documents (for a free download of these refer to links on this blog).

The final galdor that is sung at the end: 'May this leaf cause to cure......' I was unable to find a translation. I managed with the help of a friend and various online resources to produce the translation of the text that you see.

The healing herbs used were taken from various Anglo-Saxon healing texts and leaned towards that which we could find growing locally during a rather cold spring.

An exorcism of fever (heathen recreation)

Before picking a wort say:

"I pray thee, insert name, thee that art to be had for thy

many useful qualities, that thou cometh to me glad,

blossoming with thy usefulness; that thou outfit

me so that I be shielded, and ever well, and

undamaged by poisons and by wrath”

(HERBARIVM, CLXXIX (Periwinkle); 1865 doc, P313)

To make herbal ink:

Place worts under the hearg (altar) and sing nine times:

(Leech book II LXV 4, 1865 doc P295 = 3masses x 3 days

Leech book II Against elf disease P62, 1865 doc P305

Leech book II XLI, 1865 doc P335 = 9 masses

Leech book II LXI, 1865 doc P345 = 9 masses

Leech book II LXII, 1865 doc P345 = 9 masses)

Galdor (spell/charm) to be sung, based on Anglo-Saxon Lord's Prayer:

'Wodan ure þu þe eart on heofonum;

Si þin nama gehalgod

gewurþe ðin willa

urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg

and gelæd þu us. soþlice'

Then grind with some holy water and strain through a clean cloth.

Application:

Galdorcraftica (spellcrafter) brings sacred spring water, and herbal ink, writes charm with a wand:

'Wodan make this wifeman/weaponman well', on a plate and washes it off with the water into a bowl or cup, then sings a charm three times over it:

'I taketh thee worts, that thou beest a comfort to this wifeman/weaponman so mote it be'

Galdorcraftica takes three sips, passes to patient, they take three sips, he then sings a galdor. (Leech Book I, LXII.3 (An exorcism of fever); 1865 doc, P137)

The Galdor:

May this leaf cause to cure all who are,

In cities, towns, fields, houses, in villages and forts or wandering,

Cast out all diseases of the body and be healed.

The three worts:

Fennel or Pennyroyal

Celandine

Feverfew or camomile

Translation of the prayer:

Wodan our thou that art in heavens

be thy name hallowed

be done thy will

our daily bread give us today

and lead thou us. truly

Basis of the exorcism:

Leech Book I, LXII.3 (An exorcism of fever) P137 in 1865 doc

A man shall write this upon the sacramental.

paten, and wash it off into the drink with holy water,

and sing over it ... . In the beginning, etc. (John i.1) 

Then wash the writing with holy water off the

dish into the drink, then sing the Credo, and the

Paternoster, and this lay, Beati immaculati, the psalm; (Psalm, cxix.)

with the twelve prayer psalms, I adjure you, etc. And

let each of the two men (the leech and the sick) then sip thrice of the water

so prepared.

Inde salutiferis incedens gressibus urbes,

Oppida, rura, casas, vicos, castella peragrans

Omnia depulsis sanabat corpora morbis.

SEDVLIVS 5C

Translation:

(May) this leaf cause (to cure) (all who are)

In cities, towns, fields, houses, in villages and forts or wandering

Cast out all diseases of the body and be healed.

Here be Elves

Introduction

Here we look at some of the places named after elves.

We start with Alphington (swallowed up by Exeter) Devon, it has a 17C rectory, was recorded in the Domesday Book and retains a12C font. The Saxons settled on Alphin Brook at a crossing point.

From 1100 it was ruled by a series of lords, the last lord, Henry Courtenay, was greedy and cared not for the people, he built a weir on the river which stopped fish and outlawed the taking of sand. Henry executed him for treason in 1538. In 1550 the weir was removed, but too late as the river had silted up (the elves were not pleased with him)!

In 1563 a metre deep canal was built as a bypass but it too silted up.

Charles Babbage (1791–1871), "father of computing" was educated in Alphington.

Charles Dickens's parents (1839) moved to Alphington.

There is, as often, some scholarly debate as to whether these places are actually named after elves or after people that mealy have elven names, eg Alvingham could, elf friendly farming settlement or the Homestead of the tribe of Ælf  where‘Ælf’ is a person’s name. It all become very pedantic for a thesis on this aspect see: ‘The Meanings of Elf and Elves in Medieval England’ by Alaric Timothy Peter Hall, Department of English Language, University of Glasgow, October, 2004.

Here be elves

Elfin villages, did elves once live there?

Tall slender people, long flowing blond hair.

But where art they now, those fabulous Wights,

Disappeared vanished, into darkest nights.

Alvingham village, of elves Lincolnshire,

Two churches built in, one yard out of fear?

Gilbertine Priory, Black Death monks did kill,

But elves still protect, oldest watermill.

Within Doomsday Book, Alveston is found,

An elfin village, with old Roman mound.

Elfin enclosure, in South Gloucestershire,

Saxon church ruined, did elves interfere?

Elf friend Alvington, a Gloustershire town,

Thousand year manor, has been taken down.

Smithas’ iron ingots, for bright elfin spear,

Light elves still protect, there’s nothing to fear.

Alvington Devon, an elf friendly town,

Saxon hill village, on garlic wood down.

Still Danes and Vikings, did not stay away,

Blue bells and wood elves, in shadows do play.

Alphington Devon, on old elfin brook,

Had it a priory, till dark elves they took.

Its sacred river, abused and destroyed,

Its lord beheaded, dark elves were annoyed.

Ilfracombe Devon, with Iron age hill fort,

Old working beacon, light for elfin port.

Elf wisdom valley, light elves tend the flame,

Many fires in town, art dark elves to blame?

Light Elves of our land, field water and wood,

Since late Saxon times, art misunderstood.

Yon devil did come, and make evil thee,

Thee were demonised, with sacred oak tree.

Copyright Andrew Rea Spring 2012