Curiosities of Indo-European Tradition and Folk-Lore

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1863 edition. Excerpt: ...was first adopted, but an excuse, and a very bad one, for its continuance. VIRTUES OF ASH SAP. 147 round their cows' tails previous to turning them out to grass for the first time in the spring. It secures their cattle, they say, from an evil eye, from being elfshot by fairies," &c The sap of the ash, tapped on certain days in spring, is drunk in Germany as a remedy for the bites of serpents; and the Czecks in Bohemia eat honey (of which ash-sap is the equivalent) fasting, on Holy Thursday, thinking that it will protect them throughout the year against the usual effects of such accidents, as well as against poisons in general. They also give their cattle pieces of bread and honey for the same purpose, and throw some before sunrise into the wells and fountains, in order that the water may remain pure and clear, and free from frogs and other vermin, -f-In Cornwall, venomous reptiles are never known to rest under the shadow of an ash, and a single blow from an ash stick is instant death to an adder. Struck by a bough of any other tree, the reptile is said to retain marks of life until the sun goes down, j According to Pliny, a serpent will rather leap into fire than into the shadow of an ash-tree. When it is "Choice Notes," p. 24. Red thread is typical of lightning, t Reinsberg-Dttringsfeld, p. 120. X "Choice Notes," p. 88. 148 VIRTUES OF THE ASH. touched with an ash rod, it lies as if dead; and out of a circle drawn round it while it sleeps, with such an instrument, the creature cannot escape This inherent virtue of the ash was known also to the Greeks, as appears from a fragment of Nicander. A contributor to Wolf's Journal states that the wood of the tree, cut at certain holy seasons, is reputed to be...