SLFK 215, October 30, 2003
The Bunny-Man web site
Last lecture &endash; more on healers and the egg ceremony
But recall that their book is not about these healers, but about possession
Book is written by a historian
Historian uses written records, rather than talking to people the way a folklorist does
Why would there be more written records of possession than written records about healing?
Legends and beliefs are our topic today &endash; before we do more egg ceremonies
Legends and beliefs about are quite different from the real people themselves
Witches are of two types
Born and learned
Learned is more like what we think of when we think of witchcraft
Make a pact with the devil
Stomp on icon
Take cross off and stomp on it or wear it in shoe
Can be apprenticed to a master witch
Beliefs in witch needing to pass on knowledge to die quietly
One of traits of a witch, esp. a learned one is a prolonged and difficult death
Hole in roof
Burial at crossroads &endash; so people can pray for
Burial at edge of cemetery
Born
7th daughter of 7 daughters
Child born with a caul
Child born with tail
Child born with teeth
Very hairy infant
Child with 2 crowns &endash; sight and insight, like minstrel
Woman with one child
Not very pretty woman who is nonetheless irresistibly attractive to men
Special bond with animals
Person whose household and esp. farm animals prosper
Please note that with evil eye and jealous eye, virtually anyone can act like a witch and cast a spell, cast a curse, bewitch you
Because witches are so much like everyone else, various tricks for telling who is a witch
Cheese, egg shells from Easter in mouth
Cheese inside shirt
Backwards behavior, backwards clothes
Witches don't like disorder
And identifying a witch is all you need
In legends &endash; actions stops there
Presumably, once you know, you know not to anger or offend
In tales &endash; identifying witch kills her
Actions attributed to the witch &endash; the malefice
Usually have nothing to do with causing illness
Most common are the milk stories
Attacking courting couples &endash; wheel
Tumbleweed, ball of dust
Some about seducing men
Acting generally unpleasant and threatening
Male parallel is a vampire
7th son of 7 sons, etc.
But such a male steals blood, not milk
And only after he dies
Blood/milk link
Both are considered vital essences
Both are part of the body
Milk mother like blood mother &endash; same taboos
Suckling and evil eye
Witch who has and has not suckled
Witches go to church, esp. the born ones
Telling who and who is not a witch is something that virtually anyone can do
Counteracting theft of milk &endash; again, fairly easy, simple, straightforward
Witches are NOT these powerful beings
The accusation process &endash; allows you (usually males) to excuse bad behavior
Allows disposing of disliked and unpleasant people on the basis that they are witches &endash; not really human and so okay.
Not so much the idea of powerful individuals as of a spirit world that is close at hand
Accessible to all
Proper interaction with the spirit world &endash; all okay
Improper interaction > illness
Pregnancy beliefs and what happens if pregnant woman steals fruit
Is frightened
If dad of child chops wood on wrong day
If mom sews on Friday
After child is born &endash; they know about weaning
Many more &endash; like leaving diapers out on the line drying after dusk
This may be an extreme statement, but more and more recognition that a body is not just a physical thing that can be treated with chemicals
Well-being is a state that involves mental wellness
Good interaction with community, environment
As in their Healing Logics book
One more unit on witches &endash; then Healing Logics