Chapter 35

By AS. accounts, the Northmen had a wonderful standard borne before their army, from whose indications they inferred victory or defeat. In Asser's Vita Alfredi p. 33 ad an. 878: '.......vexillum quod reafan (for raefan, hræfen, ON. hrafn) vocant. Dicunt enim quod tres sorores Hungari et Habbae, filiae videlicet Lodebrochi illud vexillum texuerunt, et totum paraverunt illud uno meridiano tempore. (10) Dicunt etiam quod in omni bello, ubi praecederet idem signum, si victoriam adepturi essent, appareret in medio signi quasi corvus vivus volitans; sin vero vincendi in futuro fuissent, penderet directe nihil movens: et hoc saepe probatum est.'---- The Encomium Emmae (Duchesne's Script. Norm. 169) says, the flag was of plain white silk, but in war-time there became visible in it a raven, with open beak and fluttering wings whenever victory smiled on them, but sitting still with drooping feathers when it eluded their grasp. Ailredus Rievallensis p. 353 declares this raven to have been the devil himself, who does at times assume the shape of that bird (p. 997); we more naturally see in it the bird of the heathen god of victory (p. 671): Oðinn might give the victorious host this sign that he was sending down his messenger. Yet no Scand. story alludes to such a flag of victory.

Prophesying from the auspicious neighing of horses has been dealt with, p. 658. Dempster in Antiq. Rom. 3, 9 says: 'equos hinnitu alacriore et ferociore fremitu victoriam ominari etiamnunc militibus persuasum est.' At twelve o'clock on Christmas night the superstitious listen at crossroads, at boundary-stones: if they can hear swords rattle and horses neigh, there will be war the coming spring (so war is foretold by the neighing in the Furious Host, p. 938). At the same season maids listen at the stable door for the neighing of stallions, and if they hear it, make sure of a suitor presenting himself by Midsummer (Liebusch's Skythika p. 143). Others lie down in the horse-manager at Christmas, to learn future events (Denis Lesefrüchte 1, 128). Misfortune is near when the steed stumbles, e.g. the Servian Sharats (Vuk 1, 240).

Spatulamancia in Hartlieb (Sup. H, cap. 115) is a corruption of scapulimantia, an art that seems not solely derived from Romans or Byzantines. Lambeck 7, 224 says the Vienna library has a treatise by Michael Psellus (I know not which one) peri wmoplatoskopiaj. Vintler too (Sup. G, 1. 126) mentions the inspection of shoulder-bones. 'Divinationes sculterren-blat,' Altd. bl. 1, 365. Jornandes cap. 37: 'Attila diffidens suis copiis, metuens inire conflictum, statuit per aruspices futura inquirere. Qui more solito nunc pecorum fibras, nunc quasdam venas in abrasis ossibus intuentes, Hunnis infausta denuntiant.' (11) Among the Kalmuks are sorcerers called dalatchi, because they predict from the shoulderblade (dala) of sheep, swans and stags. They let these bones burn in the fire for a time, then report the aspect of the streaks and lines that have arisen on them. If the fire have left many black marks on the blades, the dalatchi holds out hopes of a mild winter; many white marks indicate snow (Bergm. Nomad. streifer. 3, 184). The Cherkesses too have soothsaying from shoulderblades, conf. Erman's Archiv 1842. 1, 123 (see Suppl.).

This comes very near the forecasting by the goose-bone (ex anserino sterno), Sup. H, cap. 121, which appears among the people in later times, probably even now, conf. Sup. I, 341; K, 163; Meckl. Jahrb. 9, 219 no. 46. I have marked a few passages for extraction. Ettner's Ungew. apoth. p. 1144: 'And what prognostica must not the breastbones of capon, goose and duck yield! If the same be red, they ordain an abiding coldness; or if white, clear and transparent, then shall the winter's weather be endurable.' Martinsgans by Joh. Olorinus variscus (Magdeb. 1609. 8), p. 145: 'Good old ladies, I present to you the breastbone, that ye learn thereby to foretell true as the almanack, and become weather-prophets. The fore part by the throat signifies the fore-winter, the hinder part the after-winter, white is for snow and mild weather, the other for great cold.' Ganskönig by Lycosthenes Psellionoros (Wolfg. Spangenberg) Strasb. 1607, ciii: 'The breastbone which they call the steed (made into a prancing horse for children); and well can many an ancient dame, prognosticating by the same, tell by the hue infallibly, how keen the winter's cold shall be.' Rhythmi de ansere (in Dornau 1, 403): 'Then in my breast the merrythought, I trow it lies not there for nought, for men therein may plainly see what winter weather it shall be, and many a man holds fast thereto, accounting me a prophet true.'

Those who thus looked after the weather were called wetersorgœre, Er. 8127 (weter-wîser man 7510), or weter-kiesœre, -chooser, whence the surname Kiesewetter, Gramm. 4, 848; in Rauch's Script. 1, 430 I find a place 'bei der weterkiesen,' as if certain spots were favourable to weather-choosing.

The Esthonians foretold weather and fruitfulness from bownets. Gutslaff says in his book on Wöhhanda p. 209: 'I am told that on this beck the husbandmen of old had their augurium respecting weather, which they managed thus. They set in the beck three baskets in a row, and not heeding the two outer, gave their mind wholly to the midmost, what kind of fish would come into the same. For if into this basket were gotten a scaleless fish, as crab, quab or the like, they had ill weather and unfruitful year to dread, and were fain to sacrifice an ox for to obtain good weather. Whereupon they set the baskets in as before, and if again a scaleless fish were found therein, then a second time did they sacrifice an ox, and set the baskets in for the third time. If once more they found a scaleless fish, then this third time they sacrificed a child, in hope to get good weather and a plenteous season. And if yet again fishes not scaly were come into the middle basket, they rested therewith content, and with patience abided it. But when scaly fish were found therein, they cast them to have fair weather and fruitful year, whereat they rejoiced greatly.' ---- A different thing altogether was the Greek icquomanteia from fish's entrails (Potter's Archäol. 1, 703).

As horses' neighing was watched for (p. 1113), so there was listening at night in the growing cornfields: going into the winter-crop on Christmas night to overhear the future, or on May-night into the green corn, Sup. I, 420. 854. The cereals were a sacred thing, 'der heilego ezesg,' N. ps. 140, 7 (Goth. atisks), 'das liebe korn,' Gramm. 3, 665. So then, sitting in the corn, one might hear the sound of voices, hear spirits conversing on coming events. They listened also at cross-ways, Sup. I, 854. 962, where boundaries touched: the partings of roads (12) were accounted meeting-places of sprites and witches (p. 1074 and Sup. I, 647), conf. the ON. 'þar sem götur (roads) mœtast,' Forn. sög. 3, 22. Did images of heathen gods stand where the roads forked? We are told of people praying, sacrificing and lightning candles ad bivia, Sup. C, p. 193d; and just before that, p. 193c, we hear of them sitting at the cross-way, (13) without the corn being mentioned: 'in bivio sedisti supra taurinam cutem, ut ibi futura tibi intelligeres?' To me the bull's hide, like the bearskin (p. 1010, conf. Reinh. p. lvi), indicates heathen sacrifice. And here a Gaelic rite described by Armstrong seems to furnish a valuable clue: A man is wrapt in the warm skin of an animal just killed, he is then laid down beside a waterfall in the forest, and left alone; by the roar of the waves, it is thought, the future is revealed to him, and this kind of divination is called taghairn. The 'forse' too was a sacred spot, as well as the forking of roads: this last is mentioned in the Edda, 'opt bölwîsar konar sitja brauto nœr, þær er deyfa sverð ok sefa,' Sæm. 197b. Some people on the New-year's day would sit on the house-roof, girt with a sword, and explore the future, Sup. C. p. 193c. This again must have been a holy place, for children were also set on the roof to be cured, Sup. C, 10, 14; p. 195c. Does this explain why, when a person cannot die, some shingles in the roof are turned, or taken right out (I, 439. 721)? Also when a child has convulsions, a plank is turned, J. Schmidt 121. A peculiar practice is, to listen while you dangle out of window a ball of thread fastened to a hereditary key, Sup. I, 954.

Sneezing (ptairein, sternuere) has from the earliest times been fraught with meaning. Some take it for a mild form of apoplexy, a momentary palsy, during which one loses the free use of his limbs, Sup. H, c. 74. The Greeks saluted the sneezer with zhqi, Zeu swson! conf. Anthol. Gr. ii. 13, 11. 'Cur sternumentis salutamus? quod etiam Tiberium Caesarem, tristissimum (ut constat) hominum, in vehiculo exegisse tradunt,' Plin. 28, 2. 'Giton ter continuo ita sternutavit, ut grabatum concuteret, ad quem motum Eumolpus salvere Gitona jubet,' Petron. sat. 98 (14) The Arabs too salute at sneezing (Rückert's Hariri i, 543). In our Mid. Age poets I find: 'die Heiden nicht endorften niesen, dâ man doch sprichet, Nu helfiu Got!' durst not sneeze, though etc. Turl. Wh. 35. 'Christ iu helfe! sô sie niesen,' Ms. 2, 169b. 'durch daz solte ein schilt gesellen kiesen, daz im ein ander heiles wunschte, ob dirre schilt kunde niesen,' Tit. 80. 'sô wünsch ich dir ein niesen,' Ms. 2, 217b. 'wir sprechen, swer niuset, Got helfe dir!' Renn. 15190. 'Deus te adjuvet' (A.D. 1307), Pistor. script. 1, 1024; conf. Königshoven p. 302. Enchanted sprites sneeze under a bridge, that some one may call out God help! and undo the spell, DS. no. 224-5-6. Mone's Anz. 4, 308. 'dir hât diu katze niht genorn,' Helbl. 1, 1393. To the Greeks there seemed something divine in sneezing: ton ptarmon qeon hgoumeqa, Arist. probl. 33, 7; conf. 11, 33. Xen. Anab. iii. 2, 9. Theocr. 7, 96. 18, 16. Words confirmed by sneezing come true, Od. 17, 541-5. 'sternulationes nolite observare,' Sup. A. Whoever sneezes during a narrative is bound to prove its truth. In the Christmas nights do not sneeze, and the cattle will not die. The passage in Hartlieb, Sup. H, c. 73, is curious; conf. Sup. I, 186. 266. 437 and M (Esthon.) 23 (see Suppl.).

Ringing in the ears, garrula auris, bomboj, is lucky when in the right ear. 'Absentes tinnitu aurium praesentire sermones de se receptum est,' Plin. 28, 2, conf. Sup. I, 82. 802; booming in the ear, F, 27. ---Quivering of the eye: alletai ofqalmoj moi o dexioj, Theocr. 3, 37. Itching of brows and cheeks, Sup. I, 141. D, 38 r. 140 v. 'si vibrata salitione insuetum alter oculorum, dexter vel sinister palpitaret, si concuterentur ac veluti exsilirent aut trepidarent musculi, humeri aut femora etc., mali erant ominis,' Dempster's Antiq. Rom. 3, 9; conf. Suidas sub v. oiwnistikh. The Indians thought twitching of the right eye a bad omen (Hirzel's Sakuntala p. 65). Itching in the right eye has a good meaning, in the left a bad, says Tobler 30. ---- Bleeding of the nose: unlucky if on the left side, Sup. I, 825. If in going out you catch against the door, or stumble on the threshold, you are warned to turn back (248. 895). If your right hand itches, you will part with money, if your left, you will take money. Itching of the right eye betokens crying, of the left, laughing. If your soles itch, you are going to dance, if your nose, to hear news. Whoever gets a yellow finger has lost a relation (see Suppl.).

The many ways of finding out one's lover or suitor that is to be are, so far as I see, unconnected with Roman or Greek superstition. The girl hearkens to the cackling of the cock (Sup. I, 101), or she throws her wreath of flowers (848. 1093; conf. 867), or some particular night in the year she pulls a billet of wood out of the stack or a stick out of the hedge (I, 109. 958; F, 7. 49), walking to it back foremost; or on a dark night she clutches at the flock in hopes of pulling out a ram (I, 952). Walking backwards or standing naked is a usual requisite in this, as in other cases (I, 506-7. 928; G, 1. 207). Another way is, being naked, to throw one's shift out through the door (I, 955), or to grasp backwards through the door at the lover's hair (I, 102), or to spread the table for him (as for norns), and then he is bound to appear and eat his supper off it. Harrys in Volkss. 2, 28 describes the so-called nappel-pfang: in a vessel full of clean water you set afloat little pots of thin silver plate marked with the names of those whose fate is in question; if a young man's pot comes up to a girl's, it will be a match. The same is done in some parts with simple nutshells. (15)

Like the discovery of one's future husband, it was an important matter to ascertain the sex of a child before it was born. This could be gathered from the persons one met in going to church, Sup. I, 483, from previous children (677. 747), from sneezing (M, 23). That a woman would have none but daughters, was to be learnt by other signs (I, 678. M, 22). An O. Fr. poem in Méon 3, 34 has the following:

voire est que je sui de vous grosse,

si m'enseigna l'on à aler

entor le mostier sans parler

trois tors, dire trois patenostres

en l'onor Dieu et ses apostres,

une fosse au talon féisse,

et par trois jors i revenisse:

s'au tiers jorz overt le trovoie,

c'etoit un fils qu'avoir devoie,

et s'il ctoit clos, c'etoit fille.

Throwing shoes over one's head, and seeing which way the points look, reveals the place where one is destined to stay longest, Sup. I, 101; G, 1. 220. The Sermones disc. de tempore mention, among superstitious Christmas customs, that of calceos super caput jactare, Sermo xi.

They also speak of some 'qui cumulos salis ponunt, et per hoc futura pronosticant.' Sup. I, 1081: 'on Christmas eve put a little heap of salt on the table; if it melts overnight, you die next year; if not, not.' Again, in a house where one lies dead, they make three heaps of salt (I, 846). This has to do with the sacred nature of salt (pp. 1046. 1076). Apparently of Greek origin is the widely received custom of pouring out lead (I, 97; H, cap. 96); even Ihre (de superst. p. 55) mentions it, conf. 'molybdomantia ex plumbi liquefacti diversis motibus,' Potter's Arch. 1, 339 (see Suppl.).




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