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Metrical Charm: For Loss of Cattle

As soon as anyone tells you that your goods are lost, you must first of all, before you say anything else, say: Bethlehem is the name of the town where Christ was born
it is well known over the entire world,
So this deed may be known among men. Through the holy cross of Christ! Amen. Then bow three times to the east and say three times: ‘Crux Christi ab oriente reducath.’ Then bow three times to the west and say three times: ‘Crux Christi ab occidente reducat.’ Then bow three times to the south and say three times: ‘Crux Christi ab aquilone reducath, crux abscondita est et inuenta est.’ The Jews hanged Christ, did the worst of deeds to him, and hid what they might not keep hidden. So this deed may not be concealed in any way, through holy cross of Christ. Amen. (1)


The charms that we have as an example of the Anglo-Saxon charms are found in a section of the eleventh century manuscript Harley 585, and they are known as the "Lacnunga," which means "leech knowing." Charms were usually used for healing, but were sometimes used for prosperity (to improve land, to find a swarm of bees in order to make mead, et cetera). This charm is to be used against a dwarf.

"Against a dwarf one should take seven little wafers, like those used in Holy Communion, and write these names on each one: Maximianus, Malchus, Iohannes, Martimianus, Dionisius, Constantinus, Serafion. Then sing the charm that is written below, first in the left ear, then in the right ear, then above the man's head. Then a maiden should go to him and hang it on his neck and let him do so for three days; he will soon improve.

"A spider-wight came stalking in here
With his coat in his hand, saying you were his horse,
He laid his fetters on your neck. He started sailing from the land;
As soon as he came way from land, his limbs started cooling.
"Then the dwarf's sister came stalking in.
Then she ended it and swore oaths
That this must never hurt the sick,
Nor he who could gain this charm,
Nor he who could chant this charm
Amen. Fiat."(2)

Metrical Charm: For a Sudden Stitch
Against a sudden stitch, feverfew and the red nettle, that grows through a house, and plantain; boil in butter. They were loud, lo! loud, when over the hill they rode,
They were fierce when over the land they rode.
Shield yourself now, to survive this violence.

Out, little spear, if you are in here!
I stood under linden, under a light shield,
Where the mighty women gathered their main strength,
And sent their yelling spears;
I will send another after them
An arrow flying in their faces.
Out little spear, if you are in here!
A smith sat, wrought a small knife,
???? iron, wondrously smitten.
Six smiths sat, working war-spears. Out spear, not in, spear!
If there is anything in here of iron,
Made by hags, it shall melt. Or were shot in the blood,
Or were shot in a limb, may your life never be harmed;
If it was the shot of Aesir, or if it was the shot of elves,
Or it was the shot of hags, I will help you now.
This to cure you of Aesir-shot, this to cure you of elf-shot,
This to cure you of hag-shot; I will help you.
Hurry then to the head of the mountain.
Be you whole, may the Lord help you. Take then the knife; plunge it into the liquid. [3]

"Metrical Charm 6: For Delayed Birth
The woman who cannot bring her child to term must go to a dead man’s grave, step three times over the grave and say these words three times: This as my help against the evil late birth,
This as my help against the grievous dismal birth,
This as my help against the evil lame birth. And when that woman is with child and she goes to bed with her lord, then she must say: Up I go, I step over you
With a live child, not with a dying one,
With a full-born child, not with a doomed one. And when the mother feels that the child is alive, she must go to church, and when shecomes in front of the altar, then she must say: Christ, I said, make this known! The woman who cannot bring her child to term must take part of the grave of her own child, wrap it up in black wool and sell it to merchants. And then she must say: I sell it,
you must sell it,
This black wool and the seeds of this grief. The woman who cannot bring her child to term must take the milk of a cow of one colour in her hand, sip a little, and then go to running water and spit the milk in it. And then with the same hand she must take a mouthful of water and swallow it. Let her thensay these words: I carried this strong one with me everywhere,
Strong because of this great food;
Such a one I want to have and go home with. When she goes to the stream she must not look round, nor again when she goes away from there, and let her go into a house other than the one from which she started, and there take food."

Metrical Charm 12: Against a Wen

Wen, wen, little wen,
Here you shall not build, nor have your abode,
But you shall go north to the hill nearby
Where, benighted one, you have a brother.
He shall lay a leaf at your head.
Under the wolf’s foot, under the eagle’s wing,
Under the eagle’s claw, may you wane forever.
Shrivel like a coal on the hearth,
Shrink like slime on the wall,
Waste away like water in a bucket.
Become as little as a grain of linseed,
and much smaller than a hand-worm’s hip-bone, and so very small that you become nothing.(5)

Metrical Charm 3: Against a Dwarf
Metrical Charm 3: Against a DwarfAgainst a dwarf one should take seven little wafers, like those used in Holy Communion, and write these names on each one: Maximianus, Malchus, Iohannes, Martimianus, Dionisius, Constantinus, Serafion. Then sing the charm that is written below, first in the left ear, then in the right ear, then above the man's head. Then a maiden should go to him and hang it on his neck and let him do so for three days; he will soon improve. A spider-wight came stalking in here
With his coat in his hand, saying you were his horse,
He laid his fetters on your neck. He started sailing from the land;
As soon as he came way from land, his limbs started cooling.Then the dwarf's sister came stalking in.
Then she ended it and swore oaths
That this must never hurt the sick,
Nor he who could gain this charm,
Nor he who could chant this charm. (6)

Metrical Charm 11: A Journey Charm
I circle myself with this rod trust to God's grace,
Against the sore stitch, against the sore bite,
Against the grim dread,
Against the great horror that is hateful to all,
And all evil that enters this land.
A victory charm I sing, a victory rod I bear,
Victory of words, victory of works. May they assist me;
So no lake hinder me, nor loathed foe oppress me,
Nor my life be fraught with fear,
But keep me hale, Almighty, Son and Holy Ghost,
Worthy Lord of all wonder,
So I have heard, heaven's creator.
Abraham and Isaac
And such men, Moses and Jacob,
And David and Joseph,
And Eve and Anna and Elizabeth,
Sarah and also Mary, mother of Christ,
And also the brothers, Peter and Paul,
And also thousands of your angels,
I call on to defend me against all foes.
May they guide me and guard me and safeguard my path,
Maintain me entirely and administer me,
Directing my works; may the host of holy ones
Be the hope of glory, the hand over head,
The host of triumphant, true-hearted angels.
I bid them all, in blithe mood,
That Matthew be my helmet; Mark my byrnie,
Light, life's strength, Luke my sword,
Sharp and sheer-edged; John my shield,
Gloriously adorned, angel of the track-way.
I fare forth; I shall meet friends,
All glory of angels, the lore of the good.
I pray now to the God of victory, for God's mercy,
For a good passage, a peaceful and light
Wind from these shores. Of storms I have heard
That wake swirling waters. Always secure
Against all foes. May I meet with friends,
So I may dwell in the Almighty's peace,
Protected from the loathed one seeking my life,
Established in the majesty of angels,
And in the holy hand of heaven's ruler,
For the span that I stay in this life.
Amen. (7)

Metrical Charm 2: The Nine Herbs Charm Remember, Mugwort, what you revealed,
What you arranged at Regenmeld.
You were called Una, oldest of herbs,
Power against three and against thirty,
Power against poison and against venom,
Power against the enemy who travels over the earth.And you, Plantain, mother of herbs,
Opening from eastward, inwardly mighty;
Over you carts creaked, over you queens rode,
Over you brides bridalled, over you bulls bellowed.
All these you weathered and withstood;
So may you withstand poison and venom,
And the enemy who travels over the earth.This herb is called Stune; it grew on stone,
It withstands poison, withstands pain.
It is named 'Harsh', it withstands venom,
It exiles the enemy, works against venom.
This is the herb that fought with the serpent;
This power against poison, power against infection,
Power against the enemy who travels over the earth.Cock's-spur grass, though minor, overcome mighty poisons,
Mighty poisons conquer minor, till he is remedied of both.Remember, Camomile, what you made known,
What you accomplished at Alorford;
That he never let up his life for infection,
After Camomile was cooked with his food.This is the herb that is called crab-apple;
The seal sent this over the back of the sea
As a nostrum for other noxious poisons.
These nine have power against nine poisonsA worm came sneaking, it struck a man;
Then Woden took nine wondrous staves,
smote the snake so it split into nine.
And there ended apple and poison
so never again would she go in her house.Chervil and fennel, fearsome pair,
These herbs were wrought by the wise lord,
holy in heaven, there did he hang;
He set and sent them in seven worlds
To remedy all, the rich and the needy.It stands against pain, stands against poison,
has might against three and against thirty,
Against devil's hand and against deception,
Against the witchcraft of the wicked ones.These nine herbs have power against nine horrors,
Against nine venoms and against nine poisons:
Against the red venom, against the running venom,
Against the white venom, against the purple venom,
Against the yellow venom, against the green venom,
Against the black venom, against the blue venom,
Against the brown venom, against the bay venom;
Against worm-blister, against water-blister,
Against thorn-blister, against thistle blister,
Against ice-blister, against poison-blister.
If any venom comes flying from the east,
Or any from the north, .... comes,
Or any from the west upon the tribe of men.Christ stood over sickness of every sort.
Only I know the Running River
Where the nine snakes behold it near.
May all weeds now spring up worts,
The seas dissolve, all salt water,
When I blow this bane from you.Mugwort, plantain that is open from the east, lamb's cress, cock's-spur grass, camomile, nettle, crab-apple, chervil and fennel, old soap. Grind the herbs into powder, mix them with soap and apple juice. Make a paste of water and ashes, take the fennel, boil it in the paste and bathe it with a beaten egg, when he applies the salve, both before and after. Sing this spell over each herb, three times before he prepares them and also on the apple; and sing it in the mouth and both ears of the man and the same spell on the wound, before he applies the salve.

Metrical Charm 7: For the Water-Elf Disease (9)If anyone has the water-elf disease, then his nails will be wan and his eyes will water and he will wish to look down. Give him this medicine: Carline thistle, hassock, the lower part of iris, yewberry, lupine, elecampne, marshmallow head, fen-mint, dill, lily, cock's-spur grass, pennyroyal, horehound, dock, elder, earthgall, wormwood, strawberry leaves, comfrey; mix with ale, add holy water to it, then sing this charm three times: I have bound the injuries with the best battle-bonds,
So the injuries neither burn nor burst,
Nor spread, nor go septic,
Nor itch; nor the wounds grow,
Nor the abcess inflame; but he holds his health himself,
Nor ache more than earth aches your ear.Sing this many times: Earth forbear you with all her might and main.These charms can be sung on a wound.

Metrical Charm 1: For Unfruitful Land (10)
Here is the solution, how you may improve your fields if the are not fertile, or if anything unwholesome has been done to them through sorcery or witchcraft. At night, before dawn, take four turfs from the four quarters of your lands, and note how they previously stood. Then take oil and honey and yeast and milk from every cow that is in the land, and part of every kind of tree grown on the land, except hard beams, and part of every identifiable herb except the buckbean only, and add to them holy water.

Then drip it three times on the base of the turfs, and say these words: Crescite, grow, et multiplicamini, and multiply, et replete, and fill, terre, this earth. In nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti sit benedicti. And say the Lord’s Prayer as often as the other. And then take the turfs to church and let a priest sing four masses over them, and let the green surface be turned towards the altar, and then, before sunset, let the turfs be
rought to the places where they were previously. And let the man have four crosses of quickbeam made for him, and write upon each end: Matthew and Mark, Luke and John.
Lay the crucifix on the bottom of the pit, then say: Crux Matheus, crux Marcus, crux Lucas, crux sanctus Iohannes. Then take the turfs and set them down there, and say these words nine times, ‘Crescite’ as before, and the Lord's Prayer as often, and then turn eastward, and humbly bow down nine times, and then say these words: Eastward I stand, entreating favours,
I pray the glorious Lord, I pray the great Lord,
I pray the holy warden of heaven,
Earth I pray and heaven above
And the steadfast, saintly Mary
And heaven’s might and highest hall
That by grace of God I might this glamour
Disclose with teeth. Through trueness of thought
Awaken these plants for our worldly profit,
Fill these fields through firm belief,
Make these fields pleasing, as the prophet said
That honour on earth has he who dutifully
deals out alms, doing God’s will. Then turn yourself three times awiddershins, then stretch out flat and there intone the litanies. Then say; Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus to the end: then sing the Benedicte with arms extended, and the Magnificat, and the Lord's Prayer three times, and commend it to Christ and Saint Mary and the Holy Cross, for love and for reverence, and for the grace of him who owns the land, and all those who are under him. When all that is done, then take unfamiliar seeds from beggars and give them twice as much as you took from them, and let him gather all his plough apparatus together; then let him bore a hole in the plough beam and put in there styrax and fennel and hallowed soap and hallowed salt.Then take the seed, set it on the plough's body, then say: Erce, Erce, Erce, Mother of Earth,
May the Almighty grant you, the Eternal Lord,
Fields sprouting and springing up,
Fertile and fruitful,
Bright shafts of shining millet,
And broad crops of barley
And white wheaten crops
And all the crops of earth.
May God Almighty grant the owner,
(And his hallows who are in heaven),
That his land be fortified against all foes,
And embattled against all evil,
From sorceries sown throughout the land.
Now I pray the Wielder who made this world
That no cunning woman, nor crafty man,
May weaken the words that are uttered here. Then drive forward the plough and cut the first furrow, then say: Hail, Earth, mother of all;
Be abundant in God’s embrace,
Filled with food for our folk’s need. Then take all kinds of flour and bake a loaf as broad as a man's palm, and knead it with milk and holy water, and lay it under the first furrow. Then say: Field filled with food, to feed mankind,
Blooming brightly, be you blessed,
In the holy name of He who made heaven, and earth on which we live,
May the God who made these grounds grant to us his growing gifts
That each kind of seed may come to good. Then say three times, Crescite in nomine patris, sit benedicti. Amen and the Lord’s
Prayer three times.

Metrical Charm 8: For a Swarm of Bees
Take some earth, throw it with your right hand under your right foot and say: I take under foot, I have found it
Lo, earth avails against every spirit
Against malice and mindlessness,
And against the mighty tongues of man. Throw over them some gravel where they swarm, and say - Sit you, women of victory, sink to earth!
You shall never fly wild to the wood.
Be you so considerate of my case
As each man is of meat and homeland.

Metrical Charm 11: A Journey Charm (12)

I circle myself with this rod trust to God's grace,
Against the sore stitch, against the sore bite,
Against the grim dread,
Against the great horror that is hateful to all,
And all evil that enters this land.
A victory charm I sing, a victory rod I bear,
Victory of words, victory of works. May they assist me;
So no lake hinder me, nor loathed foe oppress me,
Nor my life be fraught with fear,
But keep me hale, Almighty, Son and Holy Ghost,
Worthy Lord of all wonder,
So I have heard, heaven's creator.
Abraham and Isaac
And such men, Moses and Jacob,
And David and Joseph,
And Eve and Anna and Elizabeth,
Sarah and also Mary, mother of Christ,
And also the brothers, Peter and Paul,
And also thousands of your angels,
I call on to defend me against all foes.
May they guide me and guard me and safeguard my path,
Maintain me entirely and administer me,
Directing my works; may the host of holy ones
Be the hope of glory, the hand over head,
The host of triumphant, true-hearted angels.
I bid them all, in blithe mood,
That Matthew be my helmet; Mark my byrnie,
Light, life's strength, Luke my sword,
Sharp and sheer-edged; John my shield,
Gloriously adorned, angel of the track-way.
I fare forth; I shall meet friends,
All glory of angels, the lore of the good.
I pray now to the God of victory, for God's mercy,
For a good passage, a peaceful and light
Wind from these shores. Of storms I have heard
That wake swirling waters. Always secure
Against all foes. May I meet with friends,
So I may dwell in the Almighty's peace,
Protected from the loathed one seeking my life,
Established in the majesty of angels,
And in the holy hand of heaven's ruler,
For the span that I stay in this life.
Amen.





Source:
1. http://www.ealdriht.org/charm5.html
2. http://www.ealdriht.org/charms.html
3. http://www.ealdriht.org/charm4.html
4. http://www.ealdriht.org/charm6.html
5. http://www.ealdriht.org/charm12.html
6. http://www.ealdriht.org/charm3.html
7. http://www.ealdriht.org/charm11.html
8. http://www.ealdriht.org/charm2.html
9. http://www.ealdriht.org/charm7.html
10. http://www.ealdriht.org/charm1.html
11. http://www.ealdriht.org/charm8.html
12. http://www.ealdriht.org/charm8.html


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