A Witch's World of Magick (3 page)

After the old prayers had passed into spells, their magical properties were often supposed to be automatic, no longer depending on the aid of the divinities they invoked, but acting, for good or for evil, by the force of their own inherent attributes. Zagovórui of this nature generally end with the phrase, “My word is firm!” or “My word will not pass away for ever!” or,—

“May my words be sticky and tough, firmer than stone, stickier than glue or resin, salter than salt, sharper than a self-cutting sword, tougher than steel. What is meant, that shall be fulfilled!”
⁹

The operating force behind the
zagovórui
is in the “inherent attributes” of the chosen words, and in the firm expression of will that is also employed. How similar is the Slavic exertion of will, “What is meant, that shall be fulfilled,” to the modern Wiccan “So mote it be!”

In Slavic lands, it was well understood that the power of words indeed runs deep. An old proverb warns of the unstoppable force of the spoken word:

Among the old Slavonians, as among all other peoples, spoken words were supposed to possess certain magical powers. In their figurative language the lips and the teeth are often spoken of as locks, of which the key is the tongue. When that has once unloosened them, out shoots the word, like an arrow from a bow, and it is capable of flying straight to, and acting directly upon, the object at which it is aimed by its utterer. “A word is not a sparrow,” says a Russian proverb; “once you let it fly out, you will never catch it again.”
¹⁰

We can see here how the power of words is linked to their use as symbols for what those words represent: the lips and teeth are the locks, the key is the tongue, and the unleashed words themselves possess “certain magical powers” that can hit a target as sure as an arrow. There is magickal power in such figurative language, as it forges a link between object-at-hand and all that it symbolizes, connecting the magician to additional sources of energy that can help along the spellcasting.

In Italy also was the symbolic strength of a word enough to unlock its magick. It was believed that a certain animal horn offered a cure from the evil eye, and over time the mere saying of the word for horn came to suffice to ward off the malady. So too does uttering the word for “garlic” in Greece do the trick, as garlic is a remedy for envious types of speech and other breaches that can inflict others with the evil eye. In Arabic lands, shouting the word for iron was enough to repel the evil jinn, a class of mythical, malicious demons.
¹¹
We might surmise that one easy way to craft a word charm is to simply choose a word that symbolizes the power you want to invoke. For example, a simple spell for protection might be the name of a protective goddess, or the single word “safety.”

Word charms are used around the world for every purpose from breaking a curse to healing a wound. One North-Germanic spoken spell for healing is powerful enough to take the “heat” out of scalds and burns. Though originating in Germany, the charm has been a part of American folk magick traditions for quite some time. I first learned it from my mom, who learned it from her grandmother. Though Christianized, the charm shows its Pagan roots in the mention of the “three angels,” thought to refer to the early Germanic belief in the “three maidens” who dwell in green places gathering healing herbs and flowers:

There were three angels came from East and West—
One brought fire and another brought frost,
And the third it was the Holy Ghost,
Out fire, in frost, in the Name
of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
¹²

We find here a harmonious blending of beliefs, and an excellent example of how word charms can be personalized to suit our own perspectives and understanding. While folk magick is widely practiced, many who do so, living in Christian communities where magick is considered the Devil’s work, don’t choose to think of it that way. This example illustrates how easily a spell can be disguised as a Christian prayer, though the expression of magickal intention and the application of magickal method remains quite clear.

Although the words used for making magick and the methods of saying those words differs from place to place around the world, one commonality seems to be the belief in the necessity of intention. Merely uttering a magick word or words is not enough to make magick; it’s the spellcaster’s
intention
, their awareness of the word being a power word that forges the connection that makes the magick possible. Whether it’s an Arabic spell for protection or a North-Germanic healing charm, the words are spoken with the conscious knowledge that those words will have a magickal effect.

Another point common to much magick expressed through the voice is that the word charms tend to be repetitive, with certain words or phrases being uttered more than once, or in the case of single-word charms, repeating the charm a certain number of times. Alliteration, or staff-rhyme, is also common. Not all word charms contain these examples, of course, but enough of them do that the similarities are worth noting. Let’s take a look at a few more specific examples of word charms from around the world to illustrate these commonalities:

Malay Jampis

Malaysian magickal practitioners use many spoken charms, called “
jampis
” or “
do’as
.” Although rituals often accompany the charms, they are also sometimes used on their own without any extra tools or ceremony. In
Shaman, Saiva, and Sufi: A Study of the Evolution of Malay Magic
by R. O. Winstedt, the author offers an example of a Malay spoken charm used to thwart one’s enemies:

Om! King of genies!
The rock-splitting lightning is my voice!
Michael is with me!
In virtue of my use of this charm
To make heavy and lock,
I lock the hearts of all my adversaries,
I make dumb their tongues,
I lock their mouths,
I tie their hands,
I fetter their feet.
Not till rock moves
Shall their hearts be moved;
Not till earth my mother moves
Shall their hearts be moved.
¹³

In the line, “The rock-splitting lightning is my voice,” we see the clear intention and consciousness of the Malay magician. By equating the voice to “rock-splitting lightning,” the Malay expresses the necessary belief that the words will indeed have power and effect. Further, we see the repetition so often present in spoken charms: the word for “lock” is used three times, while the phrase for “shall their hearts be moved” is included twice. We see also repetition in the lines:

I lock the hearts of all my adversaries,
I make dumb their tongues,
I lock their mouths,
I tie their hands,
I fetter their feet.

Here, we have the personal pronoun repeated several times, coupled with similar, somewhat repetitive intentions. The repetition creates a rising, building power throughout the course of the word charm, and also ensures a thorough binding of the adversaries in question.

Hindu Hymns and Mantras

In the hymns and mantras of Hindu culture, we also find repetition as well as the application of intention. The
Atharvaveda
, an important Hindu sacred text, contains many word charms. One charm meant to work instantly in the moment to stop the flow of blood from an open wound is rather similar to the North-Germanic word charm to take away the immediate pain of a burn:

The maidens that go yonder, the veins, clothed in red garments, like sisters without a brother, bereft of strength, they shall stand still!

Stand still, thou lower one, stand still, thou higher one; do thou in the middle also stand still! The most tiny (vein) stands still: may then the great artery also stand still! Of the hundred arteries, and
the thousand veins, those in the middle here have indeed stood still. At the same time the ends have ceased (to flow).

Around you has passed a great sandy dike: stand ye still, pray take your case!
¹⁴

In the lines “bereft of strength,” “they shall stand still” (and variations), “the ends have ceased to flow,” and “Around you has passed a great sandy dike: stand ye still, pray take your case!” is revealed the necessary intention and belief in the charm’s power. By saying it’s so, it becomes so. Like other word charms, this formula operates primarily through the conscious use of the will projected through the utterance of words. We also see in this example repetition, with variations on the words, “stand still” repeated no less than eight times!

Scottish Folk Charms

In the
Carmina Gadelica
, a compilation of charms, hymns, and incantations collected from the oral folk traditions of Scotland originally published in 1900, we find a word charm for counteracting the evil eye, translated from the Gaelic into English by Alexander Carmicheal:

THE fair spell that lovely Mary sent,
Over stream, over sea, over land,
Against incantations, against withering glance,
Against inimical power,
Against the teeth of wolf,
Against the testicles of wolf,
Against the three crooked cranes,
Against the three crooked bones,
…
Whoso made to thee the eye,
May it lie upon himself,
May it lie upon his house,
May it lie upon his flocks,
May it lie upon his substance,
May it lie upon his fatness,
May it lie upon his means,
May it lie upon his children,
May it lie upon his wife,
May it lie upon his descendants.
I will subdue the eye,
I will suppress the eye,
And I will banish the eye,
…
Three lovely little maidens,
Born the same night with Christ,
If alive be these three to-night,
Life be a near thee, poor beast.
¹⁵

Here again is the repetition common to so many of our spoken magickal charms. First, we have repetition in the stating of the ills this charm can prevent: “Against incantations,” “against withering glance,”
etc.
Then, we have further repetition as the curse is reversed: “May it lie upon himself,” “May it lie upon his house,” “May it lie upon his flocks,” and so on.

Another interesting element to note is the mention here of the “three lovely little maidens” juxtaposed with the mentions of Mary and Christ. Much like our example of the Christianized but still overtly Pagan North-Germanic word charm for counteracting burns, this present sample reflects the blending of Christianity into the Pagan folk magick and customs of the Scottish people. We can guess that the charm has probably changed somewhat from its original form, and from this likelihood we might assume that the elements essential to the proper construction of a word charm were carefully left intact as alterations and additions were made.

Slavic Zagovors

In the Slavic
zagovors
already mentioned, we frequently see the same commonalities of repetition and intention. Here’s another example from Ralston’s
Songs of the Russian People
that does well to highlight these features:

I, the servant of God ————, stand still, uttering a blessing.
I, crossing myself, go from the room to the door, from the courtyard to the gates.

I go out into the open field, to the eastern side. On the eastern side stands an izbá [cottage or room], in the middle of the izbá lies a plank, under the plank is the LONGING.

The Longing weeps, the Longing sobs, waiting to get at the white light. The white light, the fair sun, waits, enjoys itself, and rejoices.

So may He wait longing to get to me, and [having done so] may he enjoy himself and rejoice! And without me let it not be possible for him to live, nor to be, nor to eat, nor to drink; neither by the morning dawn, nor by the evening glow.