THE EVIL EYE.

Southland Times, Issue 3559, 17 November 1879, Page 3

THE EVIL EYE.

- I haye quite a vivid remembrance^ of being injself bejievtd to be the .unhappy victim, of an evil eye-.I- JiadLtaken, what fwTM called a divining which baffled all ordinary experience; end, therefore , itwas > • surmised that'l had got 'a blink df an 411 c' To remove this evil influence, IwasSubjec- *' "t-dtb'the^follb^ng'ijp^ration, which : was prescribed, and superintended by a^ neighbour'skilly 'in such matters:- Asixepenc Tyas y borroAved from a neighbour, a good fire- , kept burning in the grate, the door was locked, and I was placed upon a chairin front of tlie fire. The operator, an old woman, took a tablespoon and filled it with water. With the sixpence she then lifted as much salt as it would carry, and both , were put into the water into the spoon. The water was then stirred with the forefinger till the salt was disolved. Then the soles of my feet and the palms of my hands were bathed with this solution thrice, , and after these bathings I was made to tastethe solution tl.ree times. 'The opei ator then drew her wet forefinger across my bro\v — , called 'scoring aboon the breath.' The remaining contents of the spoon she then cast, over the fire,into the hinder part of the firesaying as she did so, 'Guid preserveJErae a', skaith.' These where the first words permitted to be spoken during the operation. , lwas then put in bed, and in attestation of the efficacy of the charm, recovered'fTo my knowledg this operation bas been performed within these forty years, and probablyin many country places it is still practised. ( The f origin of this superstition is probably • to'be found in 'ancient 'fire- worshiped The great blazing fire was evidently an "important element in the transaction; nor was this a solitary instance in which regard was paid to fire. I remember being taught that it ,was unlucky to spit into the fire,- some evil being .likely shortly . after to befall those > who did so. Crumbs left upon the < table after a meal where carefully gathered and ' . put.- into the fire: The cuttings ' from the - nails and hair where also put into the fire. - These freaks certainly look like survivals of , ''fire worship." The customs connected -with marriage are less interesting than we - might have expected.' • It is dangerous to many a person whose name .begins with the A game initial letter as your own. Mr.Napier /thinks that the,. "best man," is evidently ■_ , just the bridegroom's friend, .who; in the . ...absence of the bridegroom, undertakes to ■ protect the- bride against araid' until £ she b reaches the church', when he hands her over '■ to his friend the bridegroom: Bat 'to pro- *" teict the bride On her way to, church would : be^jn 'any modern society, the duty of her : * kinsmen. — Folklor. By James Napier- ' F.B.S.E &c. ,'