Temporal Convection

People of the 18th century had some strange beliefs, some of which have passed down to our generation with only limited modification. It is important to note that these beliefs were not the product of an esoteric group of monks or ignorant frontiersmen, but were considered on par with religious truth. To doubt them was only slightly less offensive than atheism.

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A rusty sword standing by the bedside is a remedy against the cramp. A ring made out of the hinge of a coffin is said to prevent cramps from occurring. (I suspect these are menstrual cramps.)

A halter [noose] with which anybody has been hanged, if tied around the head, will cure headaches. Moss growing on a human skull, if powdered and snorted, apparently has the same effect.

Hands of dead men allegedly had the ability to dispel tumors, which, at the time, were believed to include everything from actual cancers to swollen glands. Apparently, the hand of a person dying a violent death was particularly efficacious. It was common for nurses to bring children to be stroked with the hands of recently executed criminals, even while they were still hanging on the gallows.

Speaking of bodies, touching dead bodies prevents dreaming of them. Dreaming of a dead body, of course, bodes misfortune and should be avoided at all costs.

To cure warts, steal (?) a piece of beef from a butcher's shop, and rub your warts with it. Then, throw it down the necessary-house [toilet], or bury it. As the beef rots, your warts will decay.

Chips or slices of wood from a gallows, on which several people have been recently executed, if worn next to the skin, or around the neck in a bag, will cure or prevent fevers.

A stone with a hole in it, called a hag-stone, will prevent nightmares if hung over the bed's head. The name is derived from the belief that a hag or witch sits on the stomach of a person afflicted by sleep paralysis. Apparently, these stones also prevent witches from riding horses, so they are often tied to stable keys.

Is your child weak, rickety, or ruptured? If so, you're in luck. All you need to do is cut a large hole in the trunk of a tree, pull the two sides apart, and pass the child through the middle. Then, sew the tree up tight and, as the wood heals, your child's infirmity will pass. Certain trees were kept with permanent large holes, through with people regularly crawled for healing.

Need protection from a witch? Plant an elder or rowan tree in your backyard. These trees are said to ward off witches and wizards.

It is customary for women to sit cross-legged to procure luck at cards for their friends. Sitting cross-legged, with the fingers interlaced, was anciently considered a magical posture.

A couple of familiar ones: Breaking a mirror is unlucky. The man who breaks a mirror will lose his best friend. Walking under a ladder is similarly unlucky, although the consequences are dire only for grooms-to-be. This wretched behavior might prevent a person from marrying in the next year.

If, in a family, the youngest daughter should be married before her elder sisters, they must all dance at her wedding without shoes. This will counteract their ill luck and procure them husbands.

To make your hand a healing hand, hold a mole (the critter) until it dies.

If you miss your mouth while eating, and the food falls to the ground, you will soon be sick.

It is lucky to put on your socks inside out. Changing them around reverses any luck you may have acquired.

If your husband goes out on important business, his venture will be more successful if you throw a shoe after him as he goes. Don't hit his car.

It is unlucky to present a knife, scissors, razor, or any sharp or cutting instrument to one's mistress or friend, as they are apt to cut love and friendship. To avoid the ill effects of this, a pin, a farthing (a small amount of money), or some small compensation must be taken. To find a knife or razor denotes ill luck to the finder.

Whistling at sea is supposed to cause an increase of wind, if not a storm, and therefore is much disliked by seamen. Sometimes, though, they try this method when the wind is calm and sailing ships cannot move. But they'd never kill a cat at sea - that's extremely unlucky! If all else fails, the wind will change favorably if your passenger of honor shaves himself.

Whistling after dark, though, is a horrible crime. Those who catch themselves whistling after sundown or during a dark storm must walk around their home three times in penance.

Toads have stones in their heads, which are very effective in curing numerous diseases. However, this stone must be removed while the animal is still alive.

Age sixty-three is dreaded by most people, being composed of the mystical nine and the godly seven. This age is alleged to be fatal to most who experience it. Those who survive the year feel like a modern person who survived a horrific car accident might feel.

Most people break the shells of eggs after consuming the meat. This was originally done to prevent them from being used as boats by witches.

When a candle sparks, the person opposite it will soon receive a letter. If the fire sparks, and the coal happens to look like a purse, the person nearest whom it lands will acquire massive wealth.

It is impossible for a person to die, no matter how much they suffer, while resting on a pillow stuffed with dove feathers. Therefore, it is good to take away the pillow of a dying man when he appears to be suffering the throes of death.

If a fire in a glass factory or any other building is left to burn for seven years without being extinguished, a salamander (of the fire dragon variety) will be produced.

Between the British towns of Aten and Newton, there is a well dedicated to St. Oswald. The people there believe that a shirt or cloak, taken off a sick person, and thrown into the well, will show whether that person will live or die. If the shirt floats, the person will inevitably recover; if not, he will die. To reward Oswald for his intelligent judgment, seekers of truth would leave a scrap of the sick man's shirt hanging on the briars around the well.

The Hand of Glory, a device allegedly used by thieves to paralyze their victims, was a common fear in those days. Produced with a complicated magical ritual from the hand of a hanged man, a Hand of Glory can render its victims immobile while its owner ransacks their possessions. Those who use such devices have said that there is only one defense against their power. The door of the house, and other openings through which a thief might enter, should be anointed with a certain potion. This mixture could be produced using the gall of a black cat, the fat of a white hen, and the blood of a screech owl. Obviously, the mixture must be produced during the dog days (mid-summer).

The screech owl will flap against a sick man's window to announce his impending death. (This might be a good time to capture it to make that Hand of Glory defense!)

On Midsummer eve, a person fasting and sitting on a church porch will see at midnight the spirits of the parishioners who are to die that year. They will come and knock on the church door in the order in which they will perish. While the spirits are travelling, the people to whom they belong fall into a deep sleep from which they cannot be wakened until the spirit returns.

Witches are most apt to confess on Fridays. Witches always weigh less than the church Bible.

One woman named Sarah Williams contained the following evil spirits, who named themselves upon questioning by an exorcist: Killico, Hob, Coronell Portorichio, Frateretto, Fliberdiggibbet, Horberdidance, Tocobatto, Lusty Jolly Jenkin, Pusse, Purre, Lustie Dickie Cornered Cappe, Nurre, Molken, Wilken, Helemodion, Kellicocum. The higher-ranking demon captains Pippen, Philpot, Maho, and Soforce were also present.

Another woman was possessed by seven demons. The seven were Pluck, Hardname, Catch, Blew, and three cousins called Smack. The demons, particularly the three Smacks, used to converse regularly with the woman's children.