pantheon of other gods nd goddesses such as Bindu, Bindu, Tur, Tur, Anzotik, Anzotik, o the divine serpent Boa, whose roles in the religious system were not negligible. But, as a starting point for further observation hen researching ways of healing by our forefathers the most important are Vidasus, Tana, Tur and Bind.
Raif Esmerović
Folk medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina healing with magical form ula
Tha a
What we need to stress at the beginning is the fact that thanks to these deities of our forefa forefathe thers, rs, toda todayy we ca can be proud that we have a durable cult of healing, which has a deep reach in the ancien ancient times. Docu Docume ment nted ed data data from from the National Museum in in Sarajevo present examples of continued ritual practice of visiting streams and and was washi hing ng the the dise diseas aseed, which ends in leavin leavingg a piece piece of cloth clothin ing or food next to the stream or even thro ing a coin inside of it, wh which is is without a do bt a preserved trad tradit itio ion n of of res respe pect ctin ingg a d seeking help from god Bind, Bind, which our forefathers the Illyrians worshiped as a eity of streams. In pagan Bosnia he was off red animal sacr sacrif ific icees, usua usuall llyy of of sma smaller animals such as goats, which was latter exchanged by symbolic gifts.
Illyrian religion
By its its natura naturall wealth wealth Bosn Bosniia and Herzegovina was always full of forests and numer numerous ous water water stream streams, s, whic which by itself, in a very logical manner, predete mined the religious system system of the Illyrians Illyrians, this system was entirely dedicated to wors hiping natural forces. This is wh why Tana and Vi asus became symb symbol ols, s, but but also also pers person onif ific icat atii ns of the huma human n env envir iron onme ment nt,, and and as su such they signified the strength of nature and everythin everythingg that that nature nature offers offers t mankind. With With them, them, of cour course, se, come comess a entire
1
Alta ltar of Vida Vidas sus and Th na from Topusko, Archaeological Museum in Z greb Altar with dedication to Bindus Neptune from Privilica, Territorial Museum in Sarajjevo
What was especially interesting to notice when gathering materials for this research are individual ays of initiation of certain persons into the world of magic and healing healing and and for which it is impossible not to find a direct link with Ta a, Vidasus or even a snak snake, e, holl hollyy tot totem em of our forefathers.
Cult of Bind 1 was especially dominant in the part of Bosnia, which was dominated by Japod' Japod's, s, as as well well as as board boarder er par s of the Croatia at that time, especially in Lika, where where it was was practic practiced ed until until th th middle of the previ previous ous centur century. y. Belief Belief th t spring water, especially especially the one one taken before sunrise, medicinal and suitable for healing is another segment of the menti ned cult.
Tana and Vidasus
Sculpt Sculpture uress which which depic depictt god Vidasus, some someti time mess acc accom ompa pani nied ed by Tana, show him encircled by girls dancing or in the form of nymphs, water faeries. Beside the data which confirm that the Bosnian folk were famili familiar ar with with faer faeries ies from from ancie ancient times, this info inforrmati mation on is extr xtremely ely imp important for further study about correlation with persons which came into direct contact with faeries and gained gained healin healingg powers powers as well as texts of spells. spells. From Bosnian Bosnian tradi traditio tion we know that faeri faeries es are skilled skilled in healin healing with medi medici cina nall her herbs bs and and spr sprin ingg wa wa er in which, accord according ing to lege legends nds,, they they would bathe.
The figure figure of the the godd goddess ess Thana (Diana of lead), Mošunj (the (the form former er Roma Roman n city city of Bistu Bistue e Nova) near Vitez, central Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnian folk believes that spells are a gift gift from from spirit spirits, s, especi especial ally faeries, which is evidenced by numerous testimonies about initiation. A large part of older women in the past past that that used sed to to wor workk with spells were illite illiterat ratee and and they they used used to live in villages. Their initiation into supernatural was always based based on on weird weird dream dreamss in which young and beautiful girls used to appear, usually three, they would teach the ch sen woman healing formulas in the dream. There are different examples. According to sayings of a well-known witch from Velika Kladuša called called Ćanka, Ćanka, an unkn unknow own man and woman appeared in her dream, lad in white
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See: http://magic.bosnianforum.com/t172-cultof-the-god-bindu
2
clothes. They pulled her by her large toe and "woke her". Then they told her that they chose her to heal and help people. Another woman received her initiation into the world of magic by a snake bite. Namely, at one time while she was out working in the field she got tired and she laid down to rest. Without realising she fell asleep and when she woke up she felt pain in her lips. As soon as she came home she saw that her lips were swollen and dark. She quickly went to a doctor who determined that she was bitten by a snake. It wouldn't have been a sensational event if she hadn't felt that she "knew" strange things and that suddenly she knew how to perform love magic and cure people of it.
Cult of god Tur
In folk religion of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is based on Illyrian traditional beliefs, some segments of the Bosnian god Tur were preserved thanks to the cult of spells (magical formulas); in Bosnian mythology it was believed that Tur was a gigantic black bull who held earth on his back. The name Tur itself probably comes from poturiti, onaj koji potura, drži nešto ili pridržava (plant, someone who places under, upholds or holds something) which fully corresponds to the function which is ascribed to this mythological being.Though according to the writings of ethnologists the belief about the gigantic bull who is holding up earth is only found among the Bosnian people, some segments of that cult are present in the magical practice of all three people in our country. We are talking about healing rituals of cattle where women or men who perform these rituals preform a spring ritual of transmission of divine power of Tur in order to gain his blessing or power of healing. Namely, in folk religion of Bosnia the snail is a miniature representation of the bull Tur since it possesses attributes which symbolise the bull: horns and house on his body which symbolises earth. It is no less interesting to mention that for the ritual of touching, a dark coloured coloured snail is often sought, since the bull Tur was described as being of a black skin or hair, therefore the Bosnian people in the northwest part of Bosnia call him Garonja (black). Significance of touching the snail is the magical connection with earth, in which Tur lives, otherwise in Bosnian mythology is the only culprit for causing earthquakes, and calming Tur, personification of the earth's strength, which is clearly visible in the formula which follows ritual touching of the snails horns: "Ustuk biče, moje biče jače!" (stand (stand down bull, my strength is bigger than the bull's).
Vidasus or Vidas
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As we we can can se see fr from the examples, touchi touching ng the the horn hornss of th th snail is nothing but a magical magical imitation imitation of touching horns of Tur, Tur, whose whose enti entire re stren strenggth rests in them, and using that force to heal, since that is the energy of earth or Grand Mother. It is believed that after such transfer of power from the snail onto a woman or man, a person can use their acquired powers to cure cure thro throug ugho hout ut the the enti entire year.
When a woman from the s rrounding area of Mostar would gain the power of healing healing livest livestock, ock, she would would use her index finger finger of her right right hand hand to touch the horns of a dar darkk sna snail il thre threee tim times es,, pul pullling her finger down his bo body, backwards, utt ring the following spell:
A diseased animal is brought to a rock which is firmly fixed into the ground, i.e. it never moved from that lace, which is alluding to a tombstone, then the woman which is performing the healing ritual uses her index finger to make three circles around around the diseased diseased par par of the body and utters: "stu natrag!" (an abbreviation of "com "come, e, tre tread ad,, move move") "). She then spits on her index index finger finger uttering uttering: "Ptuj, u živac, u kamen, stu natrag!" she repeats this three times.
Go back, go back, may your origin be unknown, go back! From God the cure
Right index finger in olk medicine is the finger of healing and is brought into conne connecti ction on with with the the fin fingger of Hazrat Alija, who is always depicted ith a raised index finger finger as a symbol symbol of god god's wisdom but also blessing. This is no coincidence since Hazrat Fatima and her husband Hazrat Ali in folk medi medici cine ne,, espe especi cial ally ly in in Iran and Turkey, are regard regarded ed as as a coup couple le wh who have ascribed myst mystic ic prop proper erti ties es to the the , among which are healing properties. In north-western part of Bosnia, in Velika Kladuša and Cazin, right inde indexx fin finge gerr is is repr repres esen entt d in the prayer to the new moon which is pointed towards the moon after uttering five short (smaller) surah, then a spell is utt red with which one aims aims to rene renew w vital vitality ity and beauty of the body.
and my labour recovery.
Bosnian:
Stu na se! Stu natrag, ne znalo ti se za trag. Stu na se. Od Boga derman a od mog iladž!
Acc Accordi ordin ng to tra traditi ditio onal belief for this magica magicall trans transmis missio sion n on would chose the peri period od from from the the beg begin inni ni g of May until the midd middle le of the the mon month th whi which is no coincidence, namely, it as a custom in the past to slaughter a bull ( nce people used to 4
say: "We'll slaughter a bull for the first of the May!"), which was a symbol in the former Yugoslav republic of labour day, however, that practice of slaughtering animals, i.e. sacrificing sacrificing a bull on our territory territory is an ancient practice and stems directly from Illyrians. All of this of course co urse has its roots on the cult of Tur and mother earth or goddess Grand Mother. Actually, today's holiday St. George's day, which is observed on May 6 th among the Bosnian orthodox Christians, is not a Christian holiday at all, nor any other, it has been taken over from paganism. In this data we can find an answer as to why Bosnian people, former members of the Church of Bosnia before the advent of Christianity, were pagans, therefore it is normal and logical to conclude that they, like other people, did not fully renounce their old religion. Instead they continued under the veil of Christianity and later Islam to celebrate the holidays of their pagan forefathers. That's why among the Bosnian folk some so called "Christian" holidays were marked (observed) but not in a religious but magical way i.e. the original pagan way, during which destiny was foretold, spells uttered and livestock protected from evil spirits and diseases2.
God Vidasus in Bosnian Stećak
Oral charms
In the culture of a people a lot of attention is devoted to linguistics and all forms of literary expression such as lyric and epic poetry and drama, where symbolism and meaning of words get their strongest expression. Not at all insignificant a part of that concept encompasses so called magical prose based on a rhetoric form, which we come across in all those segments which are tied to concepts of sorcery, spells, curses, blessing or invocations. To better fathom in the meaning of the poetic expression among the Bosnian folk we need to pay attention to a forgotten form of love expression between between loved loved ones - ašikovanj ašikovanje e (from the the Turkish Turkish word ašk - love). love). In a conver conversation sation between two lovers stress was placed on ingenuity, imagination when choosing words as well as their rhyme, rhyme, which has the effect to stimulate a certain dose of excitement and elation, for example, a boy utters to a girl:
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Of course, irony is that this argument was one of the main claims of the hegemonic and militant policy of Serbia against the Bosniaks, as if they were Serbs Serbs which converted to Islam?! The question, of how is it possible that Serbs during the 500 year rule of the Ottoman empire haven't converted to Islam, is interesting, and the alleged "Serbs" "Serbs" in BiH have converted?! Were the "Serbs" in BiH worst off than those in Serbia? And in the end there is the question how come did one and the same people chose two different historical paths and renounced their "holly orthodoxy" in favour of some wild Ottomans?! A criminal organisation such as SANU (The Serbian Academy of Science and Arts) will never give the right answers to these questions since they would seriously threaten the foundation of their carefully constructed Nazi policy with which the Serbian political structure structure has been inspired for decades decades and whose catastrophic consequences we felt during the nineties of the previous century, when the aggression on BiH started along with systematic ethnic cleansing. An
even greater irony of all of this is that those Serbs claim that Bosniaks have been islamicized which means that they have killed their own people and executed genocide. Actually, Bosniaks for the Serbian people are islamicized Serbs only when the Serbs want to perform some hegemonic plan, but this aggression actually showed and proved that they don't believe this claim about the Bosniaks. Since logically, if they thought it to be true they wouldn't kill "their own people".
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When a boy frequently goes under a girl's window, his friends usually tease him with that familiar utterance: "Have the bean's cracked?" With this joke they're trying to signal to him that it is not love that is drawing him near to her, but that the woman used a love spell. Boys, of course don't believe in this much and when someone mentions bajanje (oral charms) they reject it as a joke but it really exists.
When I see you in a tarboosh, I go swoosh, when I see you in a sleeveless coat, like a quad in a coat, when I see you you in a hijab, I go to an Imam in a mosque.
Bajanje is an old folk skill which is popular among women, especially girls. It has the purpose to acquire and realize those wishes which cannot be realized in a natural way. If a girl is interested in a boy, and he doesn't reciprocate or even if she is being avoided by a boy she is in a relationship with, she then practices bajanje in order to stimulate feelings of love and desire. Even married women abandoned by their husbands or disregarded by them are looking for help in bajanje. If a woman or a girl is skilled in this type type of magic, then success will follow. A boy, pushed by an unknown force will start feeling sudden desire towards the girl and will be ready to marry her, and a husband will return to his wife which he previously abandoned or will change his behaviour to become more caring and gentle, firmly believing that he is doing it on his own o wn accord.
Bosnian:
Kad te vidim u fesiću, čini mi se poletiću, kad te vidim u ječermi, k'o kadija u mešćemi (sudu), kad te vidim u šamiji, šamiji, kajno hodžu u džamiji.
This modus operandi is recognisable in the domain of love magic, to which girls were inclined to for ages in Bosnia in order to achieve a marriage covenant, through repetition of magical formulas which usually followed some simple actions. Namely, with the help of love formulas the girls girls (love basma) tried to "call" their beloved to come under their window so they can lead long conversations i.e. in order to ašikovati. Besides, Besides, by the the repetition repetition of the formula formulass they wanted to make themselves even prettier, more attractive and desirable and in that manner influence the success of the relationship, with the emphasis on getting married. An interesting article published in Novi Behar, from 1939 speaks about this.
Before there was a much larger number of girls or women which were skilled in bajanje. For a girl, which was versed in this knowledge, this was a winning combination, since she could utter magical formulas and stay completely discrete. All other girls, which were not aware of this magical knowledge needed to seek help from those women which they thought would be discrete. And moreover, they needed to entrust them with their most intimate desires, which was probably not pleasant. Therefore these girls were helped by cousins, as the most reliable persons, and there were cases when mothers themselves performed bajanje for their daughters. 6
As in the past so too too today today, though to a lesser extent, there are women that believe in bajanje bajanje and who who still still practic practic it. They are most mostly ly provo ovocati cativve wom womeen spo spoiled and capricious, or single daughters which want men to to please please them and fulfil fulfil all their wishes wishes.. Ther Theree are are those those to whom this is the only only way way to win win over over a man man an get married. It is said among the the people people tha that they never rest and always always practice practice bajanj bajanje even when they go to sleep and when the wake up, when they perform perform house house wor and when they they rest rest,, it is even even believ believed ed that they repeat repeat magical magical formulas formulas in thei their sleep.
two dominant types of agical expression based on the usage of basma in love magic and basma for exorcism i.e. healing.
Wome Women n are are extr extrem emel elyy pro pro e to beli believ evin ingg in the the pow power er of baja bajan nje, while men are suspicious, though they are wary not to become become victims victims of such magica magical practice. You Young men men th though ough see see a pot poteential tial witch witch in every every girl. girl. Theref Therefore, ore, if a woma n offers a cake to a man as customary, c ustomary, as a sing of love, he will accept it out of co rtesy, but he will not eat it. Such cakes are usually given to children or to a friend, since it is believed that bajanje bajanje has has an effect effect on the person whose name was mentioned d ring the incantation of the formula.
Basma
In oral ma magic ac accord ording to classic division there are two forms of formula formula basm basmaa and and bajal ajalic icaa. Bas a is a shorter form, usually with one or two erses, which has to be rep repea eate ted d seve severa rall tim tim s while bajalica is a long onger textual form. Though more rare there are are baj bajal alic icee wit with h mor moree th than twenty verses. Though some anthropol gists are prone of connecting basma with asna, I wouldn't agree with such a claim. It is obvious that the id idea ffo or th this co comparison was based on the the sim simil ilar arit ityy of of the the wor s, we are literally talking about the change of letter M into N or vice versa, but when e analyse the mean meanin ingg of of bas basna na i.e. i.e. th t it is in its form formul ulat atio ion n "a "a shor shortt sto sto y in prose or verse whose whose main main char charac acte ters rs are animals", then we come to a conclusion that basna has no connection to basma.
Qur'an strictly condemns bajanje. That's why god god fear fearing ing and and wholes wholesom ome girls take care not to practice practice that sin, sin, an and those that perform bajanje hide it as the reatest secr secret et.. If it it is fou found nd out out,, name namell , that a girl invokes spells, a heavy taint willl fall on her and and she she will will be cons consid ider ered ed faul faulty, this stig stigma ma cann cannot ot be cur cured ove over ti e, no matter if she uses spells on her own or with the help of another woman. Therefore it is understan understandable dable that it is is diffic difficu ult to find even the smallest discoveries regarding this skill. Secrets of bajanje are told and entrusted entrusted only to those those that are closest and most reliable. Others can only ind out about about it ifif an old old lady lady decid decides es to mention it before she dies. (Novi Behar, 1 939) Probably because of that traditional norm norm amon amongg the the Bosnia Bosnian n peop people there are 7
"someone is telling lies about you!" 4. Women that use magical formulas (baju) are not called bajarke instead they are called stravarke, stravaruše or even just "baba" ("idi kod te babe pa neka ti nauči"), which is a Bogomil heritage about the function which was performed by Baba, wife of the priest Did. During the middle ages up until the advent of the Ottomans, when the Bogomil faith was the dominant religion in BiH, cult of healing with medicinal herbs and water was emphatically present both in the domain of the Bogomil priests which were called Didovi and their wives Babe. While Didovi were in charge of transmission of religious ideas and solving everyday disputes, Babe dealt with healing using herbs, water and magical words. It is known that they they used used bajanje bajanje from nežita nežita,, a disease which is manifested through pain in the body and that the name nežit itself is actually of Bogomil origin. Similarly, in certain parts of BiH bajalice are called bogomolje or shortened mole which certainly comes from the name bogumil.
But, there is a very interesting Persian word which mentioned in certain love formulas and it is baht or luck, luck, destiny. Namely, in any form, love or exorcist, with the purpose of healing, basma has a task to influence on the present state or destiny and change i.e. allow luck in love (marriage) to a boy or girl or recovery to a diseased. All these actions are actually a desire to magically try and influence the future, in order for it to be positive, therefore it is logical to connect the origin of o f the word basma with the word bahat and not bring it in connection with basna. Similarly, we shouldn't forget to mention the folk name for a fortune fortune teller teller or witch witch - bahornica bahornica or bahorica, whose root comes from the word baht. In the end doesn't surprise if we recall that even the concept of magic practice i.e. čaranje čaranje (from čare čare - mesmeriz mesmerize, e, fascinate), fascinate), come from the Persian language.
Magical whisper
On the other hand, bajalica, in English language the term magical whisper would most closely be associated with the meaning of the word bajalica, which is uttered by whispering like a basma, as a word this doesn't exist among the Bosnian people and instead of bajati we say "naučiti" i.e. utter ("ona uči ono svoje"(she utters her things) uttering secret magical words, or when one advises a diseased to go to a woman which hears magical formula: "idi kod nje neka ti nauči, ona zna dobro učiti na vodu" ("go to her so she can utter her words, she can utter well with water") 3. Probably that's why the term bajati among the people is not interpreted as an act of uttering magical formulas but gossip, lying, which is confirmed by the statement "neko o tebi baje! (someone is throwing spells at you) -
Bajanje is an extremely interesting form of oral magic, connection of poetry and magical symbolism, whose genesis dates from the period of paganism. As ancient invocations and celebrations of god's were exchanged for prayers from the Bible and Qur'an in monotheism, magical formulas intended for for chasing away away evil spirits suffered a similar faith, i.e. their content remained pretty much the same with small additions of some Christian elements such as mention of saints by name, Jesus Christ, Virgin Marry, cross or even the ending of the most appreciated verse from the Qur'an, surah El-Fatiha "Veledalin amin", invitation to "božiji emer" i.e. God's command, "božija 4
In the north-western part of Bosnia it is believed that when someone's tongue itches that he is the target of someone's bad mouthing, then that person, in order to stop the negative propaganda, spits into fire three times and and utters: "Ko baje u guzicu staje!" - "May the one that badmouths me go up the ass!" after which it is believed that the badmouthing will stop.
3
Today we come across an interesting statement which describes someone's success in some sphere of their their life: -"ide mu k'o k'o da mu je naučeno naučeno na vodu!" "he's successful as if someone threw a spell on him!"
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hazma", beginning of certain chapters of the Qur'an such as Elif lam mim, which received its shortened form such as Elzalif, etc. In certain formulas formulas the daughter daughter of god's messenger Muhammad is asked for help, Hazrat Fatima. This practice was taken over from the Ottomans, in whose cult a dominant place was taken by Hazrat Fatima with the emphasis on the power of her hands i.e. her hand:
monotheism. Namely, before uttering any basma, as the old and wise Bosnian women suggest, one must initially utter surah Ihlas a few times, in order to summon god's strength, and only then one can utter a magical formula. In parts of south-western Bosnia, still today one can hear how allegedly, there is a mysterious magical formula of extreme power, which if discovered and uttered by a man would allow him to rule over the world. This belief entails the question: isn't Tur (who holds earth on his back) in Bosnian mythology also the ruler of o f earth? Legends say that when Tur shakes his ears an earthquake takes place, and on the day when he shakes his head it will be the end of days. Such a mythological concept is not formed by accident it is based on the belief that a man can rule over Tur, the one that symbolises the strength of the earth but also destiny of the human race; only if man can comprehend the greatest magical formula formula of all all - magical magical words words which are the the keys of destiny and also rulers of the underworld forces.
This is not my hand, this is the hand of Hazrat Hazrat Fatima! Fatima!
Bosnian:
Ovo nije moja ruka, ovo je ruka naše majke hazreti Fatime! The word bajanje itself, usually present in the Balkans, probably comes from the area of south Caucasus primarily because of the word bayati which which in Azerbaijan Azerbaijan signifies an ancient form of folk poetry or better say folk wisdom represented through verses.
Connection of magical words and Tur can perhaps best be surmised by this example. Namely, according to folk belief from Cazin and Velika Kladuša earth is connected by human speech, which can be confirmed by this example; when a person stutters and cannot pronounce a certain word his interlocutor should stomp his foot on the ground and "free his speech" so he can end the sentence or word. Or a girl at the end of a magical formula places her palms on the surface of the earth and talks t alks to her with these words: "Dark earth, by god mother, help me..." Analysing such a beginning of the formula, which follows physical contact with the earth, it is easy to conclude that behind the term "dark earth" none other than Tur is hidden or Garonja (black) and in the rest of the formula the goddess of earth i.e. Grand Mother.
Words - keys of of de destiny
Bosnian folk firmly believe in the power of magical formulas (basme), which is perhaps best witnessed by the belief which claims claims that the the entire entire earth earth rests rests on a basma, which is a direct connection between Tur and magical formula, and the "dark earth", i.e. surface of the earth rests on the words from surah Ihlas. This is why these two segments are inseparable and as such a perfect connection of paganism and 9
All in all, this magical representation is not an isolated case but one of many examples from our tradition which perfectly testifies about the segments of a very important cult of earth, primarily agriculture and animal husbandry, whose strength is personified in the form of the gigantic bull Tur. With his horns he is undoubtedly the symbol of pagan Bosnia, and one could conclude the male principle of the Grand Mother. Besides, analysing the indigenous beliefs we can conclude and understand religious-magical concept of our forefathers which, as we see it, believed that one could appease heavenly forces by mystical formulas and in the end rule over them. Such a fact makes this investigative work, which constructively reveals the importance of magical formulas and their mythological background in folk medicine, even more exciting and informative.
dissolving the disease. In folk medicine of BiH there are a lot of such examples, like the one that a person can have the ritual of o f lead melting repeated nine times, where during every individual ritual the lead will be molten and poured into the water nine times. Of course, every time a magical formula for chasing away evil will be repeated. Nine is the final number, after that the diseased will be either cured or the disease will be considered to be chronic. It is interesting to mention that number nine often appears as a symbol of the demon of disease, which which is demonstrated through various examples of belief that there are nine types of stomach illnesses ("from nine hands"), nine spells and diseases, nine son's of the demon mother Sijerma, nine winds, etc. In accordance with this it is necessary to perform a detailed study of the symbology of the number nine, in order to understand its meaning and role in magical rituals of healing.
Nine demons of disease
In mythological tradition on life, i.e. tree of life, nine demons keep assaulting it; they're sometimes sometimes leaders of large armies armies of evil beings. As nine is the number of the Grand Mother, giver of life, it is very evident that these demons represent a type of a divine opposition which has the function of endangering order of life at all times. What is interesting is that these demons are always female and as such can represent an alter ego of the Grand Mother herself. In modern psychoanalysis demons which attack pregnant women and their children could be placed under the concept of postnatal depression or, better to say, psychosis. Let's not forget forget to point point out that among the Bosnian folk there is a belief that there are "nine types of mothers" but only one of them them is good good - the one one that is taking taking care of her child.
Usage of exorcist formulas (Greek exorki exorkiza za - beseec beseech, h, exork exorkism ismos os incantation), in folk rituals of healing it is very old has its source in paganism. Namely, in ancient times it was firmly believed that diseases of the body are caused by evil demons with their activity, through spellbound eyes, aggression or entering the human body, therefore the idea that magical formulas can force a demon to leave the human human body and return physical and mental balance to a person, was created. In the beginning only shamans and wizards practiced these rituals, and later the practice was taken over by priests and certain persons from the people, which claimed that they were contacted by higher forces with a certain task. For a large part of magical formulas, especially exorcist ones, it is suggested that they be repeated nine times, especially if one is looking for a stronger s tronger effort in
All those traditional prophylactic beliefs and rituals about pregnant women and her newborn among the Bosnian folk are an inheritance of ancient pagan beliefs based 10
on an epic conflict of dark and light forces. From the ancient Babylonian myths, Mesopotamia or Egypt the story of the creation of the world was always mentioned, when from the allegorical conflict of Good and Evil and ensuing chaos, law and order are created, and with that the necessary conditions appear for life on earth. Evil was always presented in the form of a woman or a hermaphrodite hermaphrodite and that mythological idea will dominate all stages of human history and it will receive its culmination with the advent of monotheism, which will spark unheard of killing of women under the ludicrous accusation that they are - witc witche hess5.
In a worse position were women which didn't give birth, they were usually considered to be evil beings or witches. Namely, one can notice hatred of the community towards women which were infertile or old, which didn't have reproductive powers, and as such they were, allegedly, filled with hatred towards children, which is best illustrated by numerous stories where the evil witch eats children. Bosnian traditions were no exception in which witches were portrayed in a similar fashion6. In Bosnian mythology witches have eight forms; as Otrovnica she poisons people's blood, in the form of Krvopilica she would rink people's blood at night, Strava causes cramps cramps in children, children, Kuga - spreads, spreads, while clad in white, the disease pestilence from one place place to the the other, other, Činilica Činilica - causes causes mental diseases, when she is in the form of More she attacks people at night, sitting on their chest, stopping their breathing, when a diseased gets a high fever and starts hallucinating, then he was probably attacked by Tvora, and if he is unlucky in
But, through observation of the role of female demons in folklore and mythological beliefs we can see that such a socially acceptable concept of their role is the result of a certain historical aversion. It is, primarily, based on an unchangeable attitude that a woman is the master of life, which in a patriarchal society directly endangers the superiority of men, and that the decision of child birth will depend on her decision and behaviour. That's why monotheism wants to gain complete control over the woman and her body, in order to ensure its survival, and women are traditionally encouraged to give birth, and they are constantly suggested that they are created to serve men. That forced submission of the woman towards man is actually the result of fear and feeling of inferiority which men have towards women women because of their natural ability for creation and control of life, which men don't have.
6
In mythological stories two female demons are mentioned, Sijerma and Resma, for which legends claim that they are "king's wives and the biggest witches", which have certain similarities with Umm al Sibyan and El Hamma, female Jinn from Islamic mythology, which are also considered princesses of the Jinn world but witches as well. well. Their role is to attack attack pregnant women and small children, especially boys. It is believed that Sijermi is actually the daughter of the Bosnian king Herceg Stjepan, a Bogomil, which was a witch and which knew lycanthropy, which she used to slaughter sheep to local inhabitants inhabitants in the form of a wolf. "When Pope Pius II took the seat of St. Peter in the Vatican, he to tried to uproot the Bogomil, to destroy their sanctuary, which they found in the land of king Herceg Stjepan. In 1460 he sent his cardinal legate to Herceg Stjepan, to forbid him from receiving receiving the followers of the heretic Bogomil church in his land, but he didn't succeed with his plan. Political events in Bosnia and Herzegovina diverted attention from religious questions because of the increasing danger which threatened Christianity in the form of the Ottomans, and Herceg Stjepan die as a Bogomil" (Epigraphic hyphens from Bosnia and Herzegovina, GZM, nr. 1889/01, pp. 65, 01/01/1889)
5
Although Kron was represented in Greek mythology as the father who eats his own children, it never had any serious influence in creating a mythological representation about an evil male demon which kills children, such case would always be considered to be an isolated case, and often, was brought into connection with the animalistic disposition in humans, comparing such act with the killing of the cubs by some male animals.
11
love and is always fighting with others, he became the victim of Mraza.
Bosnia about the demons of disease. Namely, the Bulgarian folk believed in a type of dangerous witches, or better to say, female demons which attack humans in various ways. They were called Tresavice. According to the writing of Jeremiah they were daughters of Irud and they were seven in number. Among the Russians, which latter took this belief, those demons were 12 in total.
Bogomil demon of disease
One of the grand authorities of Bogomil religion is a priest called Jeremiah Jeremiah (Jeremija), for which many historians presumed that he could have been the famed Bogomil preiest, founder of Bogomilsm. But, what is certain is that Jeremiah was indeed a Bogomil, and this was confirmed to us by Atanasij, a Jerusalem monk. Without a doubt, we are talking about a very interesting historical person, an extraordinary mind and the biggest religious authority in this part of Europe and we could easily call him the Balkan Zarathustra. Jeremiah is credited credited with authorship over a number of popular, but forbidden works, but today it is obvious that many of those books had other Bogomil authors. In Russia all those books were called by a collective name "Bulgarian "Bulgarian basma (spell)" and they were extremely popular among the folk, which can also be discerned from the inscriptions of the Belarus translation by Iohannes Iohannes Damascenus Damascenus from the 16th century, in which the translator complains: "We haven't even translated the tenth honourable book of our teachers, because of the laziness and neglect of our nobility; and additionally the so called teachers of our century are entertained by Bulgarian basma, Bulgarian magical formulas, or better to say, old wives foolery, they read these things and laud them".
In the Russian version of Jeremiah's exorcist formula (basma) this text is mentioned: "There is a stone pillar in the red sea (in the original basma: Mount Sinai), apostle Sisinij sits on the pillar and observes how the sea has been agitated and how it rises up to the sky and twelve long haired women are coming out of it (in the original: seven). Those women said: We are Tresavice, daughters of the king Irod". Holly Sisinij asked them: "cursed devils, why did you come here?" They replied: "We came to torture the human kind; whomever interests us we will follow and torture him: who oversleeps the morning prayer, doesn't pray to God, doesn't respect holidays and eats and drinks early in the morning, he is our favourite! Holly Sisinij prayed to god: God, God! Save the human race from these damned devils. Christ sent him two angels, Sihail and Anos and four evangelists. They started beating the Tresavice with four iron rods, causing them three thousand wounds a day." In the rest of the basma the tortured demons revealed their names and ways in which they torture people: people: Treseja, Ognjeja, Ognjeja, Ledeja, Gnjeteja, Ginuša, Gluheja, Lomeja, Puhnjeja, Žuteja, Krkuša, Gledeja and Neveja. But, in contrast to Russian, Bosnian folk medicine mentions a total of seven female demons: Mraza, Tvora, Tvora, Otrovnica, Otrovnica, Činilica, Krvopilica, Strava and Mora, of which, each in their own way tortures a man. However, only a few exorcist formulas were kept about a few demons such as the ones
That the Bogomil religion left a deep trace in Bosnian tradition is evident from numerous examples, and some can be found through through this analysis. By investigating available data about Jeremiah and his books I discovered another Bogomil belief in 12
agai agains nstt Mora Mora or Stra Strava va,, whil whilee f r others, for now, I didn't didn't manage manage to find find any valid data.
unti untill all all the the neg negat ativ ivee eeff ffeects of this demon has disappeared. As we an see from the above text text of the basma, basma, the meeting between Jesus and Nežit is described described,, where where the the demon demon reveal reveals ways in which he will will tor tortu ture re huma humans ns,, whi while Jesus discourages him him an and te tells lls him him to inh inhabit a deer's head, etc. In Bosnia and Herze ovina, and in all places wh where Bogumils lilived, the belief in Nežit has been preserve , over over time time Neži Nežitt was beginning to be call d poganica, poganica, we will discuss this later.
Nežit or poganica
Nežit is also another type f dangerous demon demon of disea disease se again against st whic whic the Bogomil pries priestt Jeremi Jeremiah ah rev reveal ealed ed exor exorci ciist formulas through which he emphasizes he dualistic battle of good and evil, with the goal goal of releasing the human body i.e. ealing. One of those formulas reads:
Nežit or Poganica - demon disease
Neži Nežitt went went fro from m the the dry dry se , while Jesus went went from from the the sky sky,, the theyy met met a d Jesus told him: "where "where are you you going, Ne it? Neži Nežitt replied: "Sir, I'm going into a h man's head, to dri drink nk his his brai brain, n, bra brake ke his his ja , bite his teeth, teeth, bend bend his his neck neck and and deafe deafen his ears, blin blind d his his eyes eyes,, stu stuff ff his his nos nose, e, s ill his blood. Jesus told him: him: "go back, Nežit, Nežit, into a desolate valley and desert, find a deer head and move into it, etc."
According to etymology the name nežit and poganica have an in eresting origin. Nežit is a term which co es from the term "neither "neither alive nor dead", dead", because of the stat statee the the per person son is is iin n wh which is afflicted by this this dise diseas ase, e, whil whilee poga pogan nica comes from the term pogan(sordid) or u clean, or even pagan, i.e. we could look for the origin of poganica in the demons function from the ancient times, which the demon actually repr repres esen ents ts,, nam namel elyy an an e il spirit which in some ancient time in the religious history of our region, represented one of the numerous dieties. Undeniably Undeniably the belie belief in nežit was present in each territory where at some period during the middle ages Bogomils lived or even if th their reli ion was present in that area. Therefore, for example, in Herzegovina and a part f Dalmatia, it was believ believed ed that that this this disea diseass appears mostly throug through h unexp unexpect ected ed pai pai in human limbs, while there is no visible ound. If the
This is is an origi origina nall text text of of exorc exorcist formulas (This against Nežit as written by Bogomil Jeremiah).
After the basma has been ttered one woul would d cont contin inue ue wit with h the the rel relig igio ious prayers7 7
It is easy to dis discern from the name "Bulgarian basma" why itit was was regarde regarded d in Bosni Bosniaa and Herzegov Herzegoviina i as a very powerf powerful ul formu formula, la, for for whic which h it was was clai claimed med that it "travelled throughout the entire world" and that even planet Earth is stand standing ing on top top of of it. it. All these these belief beliefss aare re act actually inheritance from from all all tho those se thin things gs whic which h Jer Jerem emia iah h pre preac ach hed and wrote wrote about. Similarly, the practice of healing with basma is an integral part of folk medicine which is based on the teachings of Bogomi gomils ls,, whi which ch is in a way way testif stifie ied d by by the complete lack of the
usage of the the term term bajalic bajalicaa or bajanj bajanje. This is why the term basma itself could be translated as a Bogomil prayer or Bogomil formula. And in the end, no less im ortant to mention that Bogo Bogomi mill prie priest stss utte uttere red d reli religi giou ouss pr prayers in the healing rituals, which comple completely tely coincid coincides es with the traditional traditiona l practice of healing formulas in BiH as well as in the terms "uči", "učiti", whic which h are are used used to utte utterr for formu mula lass (p (prouči basmu/utter a basma), but also prayers (prouči sure/utter a surah).
13
diseased feels weakness and dizziness, the diagnosis is, without a doubt, poganica.
Bosnia when the belief that wounds on human bodies, especially ones that have blood oozing out of them, attract evil spirits of disease and stimulate them to attack the diseased through them.
Folk belief from all parts of BiH coincide in the belief that poganica manifests in a mysterious and secret way, usually as a manifestation of spellbound eyes, evil gaze, black magic or by a person accidentally "stepping" on it. During one of the enumerated extreme cases an evil spirit of disease enters into a human and "through blood" attacks the person, or better to say, "travels" through the body, which which is identical to folk description of how poganica can appear on any place on the body. That's why, similarly, it is believed that poganica originates from a hematoma, place where "blood has gathered".
Nine Ni ne st stra rava vark rke e - ni nine ne po poga gani nice ce
What is interesting to mention is the pronounced dualistic of this disease expressed through sexual infection, namely, in the original interpretation nežit is the name of the male sex while poganica is female, like its two other forms: Sijerma and Metalja. However, in middle Bosnia we come across a specifically male name for the disease disease - udarac, udarac, which which brings brings us to its its origin. From all this we get an impression of confusion but probably we are seeing a mixture of beliefs into two diseases i.e. Tresavica, female demon and Nežit a male demon, because of insufficient information about Bogomil beliefs of those generations that lived during the time of Ottoman occupation of Bosnia.
According to some specific symptoms, poganica can even even be characterized characterized as an imaginary illness, since it is demonstrated by a weird, even phantom pain, which suddenly and unexpectedly appears. But, in order to remove the veil of mysticism, we need to studiously fathom in all it represents in folk medicine, how it is detected and cured. According to the symptoms which follow poganica has the most congruence with rheumatism (Rheumatismus) and gout (Greek, ostealgia), since it is manifested in acute pain, usually in the bones of the arms and legs, neck but also the head.
Besides a few terms the specificity of this disease is that it manifest differently which caused a divide in the curing itself and is therefore entailed that it doesn't belong to the line of work of every stravarka. Therefore one of the most important rules suggests that the diseased needs to come into contact with nine persons which practice healing8, in order to satisfy the
What is interesting to mention is the fact that poganica is sometimes used to name diseases for which people cannot find an obvious and visible cause. In Bosnia, since the old days, it is claimed that one disease, if treated on time, carries with it another, often more dangerous, disease. A classic example can be found, in the traditional fear that individual wounds on the child's body won't become inflamed and result in two inflammations, or more often, that a hematoma (uboj) doesn't transform into a poganica. This archaic belief is the product of mythological belief of pagan
8
According to traditional belief in BiH it is recommended that a diseased passes through "numerous hands" i.e. a few healers, in order to find a person which can help him. Simultaneously, Simultaneously, by visiting a few doctors one is aiming at weakening the disease. disease. A ritual in which a diseased suffering from fear or magical influence is still practiced today, namely the person needs to visit three stravarke while each of them must belong to a different different religion - Muslim, Catholic, Catholic, Orthodox Orthodox . Though it is a paradox since Orthodox Christians and Catholic Christians belong to Christianity, constant antagonism between these two religious directions has brought to discursive term that we are talking about two religions?! An even greater paradox is the traditional Christian appropriation of Judaism, which actually doesn't doesn't recognise Jesus and doesn't want want to have anything to do with that religion. It is interesting to mention
14
classic belief in existence of nine types 9 of poganica which is why it is said: "poganice is of nine hands". Since the person doesn't know which of the nine grandmas or nine stravarke10 can successfully exorcise that specific poganica which afflicts the person, he must visit all of them, until he reaches the one which has power over that specific poganica. This means, each of them rules over a specific kind of poganica and all the while each of them has their specific healing method If, even after the ninth grandma, a person doesn't find a cure for his disease, then it is concluded that we're not dealing with a poganica but another type of affliction.
into the heights of the sky, into the red rocks! Bosnian:
Bježi, bježi, poganice, u morske dubine, u nebeske širine, u crvene stijene!
Because of this stravarka initially tests if the poganica is hers, and she does does this by isolating herself from others in order to perform a ritual with a piece of clothing from the diseased, most often a sock, and while forming a line using tongs 11 over them in an upward and downward fashion she repeats one of the short exorcist formulas such as this:
If she starts to yawn uncontrollably during this process, or if she feels that her blood pressure has increased, has been struck by some lethargy or if she starts breathing heavily, then she concludes that poganica is hers. Usually then she says to the diseased person or the person that came in her stead: "By god, we're talking about a poganica. She is mine! 12" With that she is certain that she will manage to cure the disease. If the poganica is extremely strong and if stravarka cannot fight it herself, although although poganica is hers, she then advises the diseased to visit another stravarka so she too can perform exorcism, so that they can join forces and weaken the disease, this will enable the first stravarka to exorcise the disease.
Away, away, poganice, into the depths of the sea, s ea, that even in Bulgarian magic it was a tradition to ask for help from a three three religious religious priest priest (rabbin, (rabbin, Imam, Orthodo Orthodoxx priest) priest) during the rituals of healing. 9
There is a belief among the folk that there are 60 types of rheumatism. 10
According to the analogy nine demons of disease, nine doctors (hećim). In the folk tradition of Bosnia they are often represented by nine widows which symbolise nine ancient priests of the Grand Mother. Mother. But, the emphasis is not on the gender but exclusively exclusively on the meaning of the number 9 which is certainly demonstrated by the example from Romanian magical tradition, tradition, (which is similar to Bosnian one in many elements) in which there exists a belief that a person suffering from a strong influence of black magic must visit nine priests which need to read prayers to the person.
This supernatural connection that stravarka can mechanically achieve over an item is interesting, primarily through the clothes of the diseased, which in this case exchanges the presence of the diseased, using a metal item (tongs) which she moves
11
Mašice (tongs) are a very important prop of every stravarka and they are a substitute for a magical cane which was carried by Didovi, Bogomil priests. They were used used to take embers from the fire and the embers were thrown into the water with which they have a very important exorcist function. Before placing a piece of lead onto a spoon for melting, stravarka uses it to circle around the tongs three times. To a scared child "through tongs" is give a glass of water which contains lead.
12
In this narrative we see another ancient rule according to which it is believed that every folk healer (stravarka or grandma), has power over certain demons of disease. That monopoly is gained according to the claims of stravarka Safije Alagić, for example curing fear, right of priority. Namely, that stravarka which performs a ritual of lead melting to the child for the first time, she always be more successful in healing that person than any other stravarka.
15
up and down whispering rhythmically a magical formula. Every time she passes the tongs down a piece of clothing she touches a cabbage leaf and as soon as she touches the clothes again with the tongs she will be struck by uncontrolled yawning. A similar demonstration of a mediums engagement followed by certain mechanical moves is evident in the ritual of melting lead. Rhythmic movement of the body of stravarka left-right, while at the same time she covers her forehead (with her left hand), i.e. her "star" by which she is protecting herself from attacks by evil spirits or energy, she is actually practicing ancient elements of Bosnian shamanism, preserved only in fragments. Repeating rhymed magical verses she slowly brings her consciousness into a hypnotic state similar to a trance, whereby drowsiness occurs occurs followed followed by frequent yawning and sometimes by appearance of tears.
Exorcist rituals Before starting any type of engagement stravarka wants to get an answer to the question how long the disease was present. If the diseased answers that it has been present for a longer time she will conclude that the poganica is outdated and that it will be more difficult to cure 14. For the the practic practicee of healing most stravarke choose leaves of danewort (Sumbuccus ebulus), probably because in Bosnian mythology it is claimed that it is one of the oldest plants in the world and is as such dedicated to the Grand Mother, protector of all those who perform healing with magical formulas and herbs15. Besides danewort, black nightshade (Solanum nigrum L) is also used, whose folk name itself (the one that helps) reveals its magical healing ability. If stravarka cannot acquire these herbs, she will then use cabbage leaves. In any case during the healing process nine leaves of these plants are always used.
One of the main characteristics of folk medicine was always its practicality, the tendency to always use those items which are easily accessible and are usually located in the vicinity of the person that performs healing. Magical ritual of calming down Tur through touching of the black snail, usage of metal items, usually a knife, tongs, scissors, dog's skull, stem of nettle, cabbage leaves, etc. are the main features of ritual practice closely tied to nature and its elements, elements, especially water and fire, on which the entire cult of healing is based on. Holding the tongs in her hand, i.e. a metal item, the stravarka is chasing away away evil spirits which according to traditional beliefs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, are extremely afraid of any metal and they run hysterically from it. Evil spirits have a special aversion towards tongs13 which are used to touch fire and take out coal lumps.
With the leaves of the chosen plant stravarka performs the following: keeps when children are not nursing their mothers bosom regularly, because of the excess milk the breasts can become inflamed and then nursing is not recommended, since the milk gets sour because of inflammation inflammation i.e. it can contain inflammatory inflammatory cells, so the women practiced nursing over tongs believing that their stomachs won't get upset. Similarly, Similarly, it could well be that mašice because of the metal they could have been used for cooling breasts, which were painful, hard and tense, and by placing metal on them they became relaxed. According to folk belief their sound chased evil spirits away from home. It is necessary to differentiate maša from mašice. Maša is a big metal spoon, while mašice are actually a metal pincers. See picture. 14 According to the belief from Velika Kladuša, every disease which is cured with magic is out dated if six months pass since it first appeared. 15
Among the Bosnian stravarke the Grand Mother has been replaced by Hazrat Fatimah, sometimes even even Hazrat Hava (Eve) which is regarded as the spiritual mother of those that use magic for healing purposes. This is why a stravarka will utter a familiar formula before commencing her work: "My dear Hazrat Fatimah, my dear mother.".
13
Mašice are also present in numerous folk beliefs and rituals in BiH. Once women in boarder parts in Cazin worked so hard in the field that they didn't manage to breast feed their children and the milk in their bosom became "fried". Namely, Namely,
16
them in a bouquet, and using all of them she pulls them down her leg, from the hip to the foot. During this process she repeats a prayer from the Qur'an or a magical formula, and usually both. It is considered that the most ideal result is achieved by combining prayers Ihlas and exorcist formulas. If the patient is not present then the stravarka performs a blessing of the leaves of the chosen plant by repeating the formula, with this she transfers a part of her healing powers, and she gives them to the person which visited her to deliver them to the diseased. Leaves processed in this manner are placed on the diseased place all together at the same time or three times, three leaves. In the first instance the compress of leaves stays on the body for 24 hours and in the second case for 36 3 6 hours. It is fastened to the body from evening until morning, from morning until evening, and the third time, with the last three leaves, from evening until morning. The leaves are exchanged each time and new leaves are placed in their stead.
the secret of successful healing is based on the ability of the stravarka to fully focus on the work, which brings her concentration to the max, and creates suitable conditions for the transfer of consciousness into another reality, in the state of trance. Physical reactions such as deep breathing, yawning, appearance of tears, headaches, feeling of anxiety and restlessness, are manifestations of this unusual state16. In that that state state her her power achieves culmination and then the stravarka is capable of imposing her will over the evil spirit. While in such a transcendental state a very important role in healing is played by metal items (knife, scissors, needles) through which the power of stravarka is channelled. If the diseased feels metastatic pain, from the hip to the feet, then the stravarka moves mašice over those body parts, always in the direction of the toes17. As soon as she reaches the patients toes with the prop, she never makes a return move of the prop along the body, instead she moves it away from the body and starts moving it along the leg from the starting position position - from above above towar towards ds the toes. toes. Mašice are, without a doubt a magical tool with which the stravarka performs manipulation over the disease demon, chasing it always towards the feet, so that poganica can exit the body of the diseased from under the fingernails on the toes. A sure sign that the demon of disease is exiting the body, is the one when it starts knocking, crawling under the nails. But, if the diseased feels pain which most resembles a pricking pain, then the disease can return. The exorcist ritual is considered
In magical healing it is very important to follow precise rules which are based on the symbolic and mystic meaning, therefore the cabbage leaf needs to be turned upside down so that the steam stands on top and the tip of the leaf downward, "since it shouldn't grow" because of the allusion that in a similar manner the pain pain will go down from the diseased place down to the toes. Similarly, healing is always consist of three séances in which one uses nine leaves of plants (3x9 = 27), which corresponds to the day in the months cycle, i.e. Grand Mother. Though at first glance one can get an impression that the process of neutralisation of the disease demon depends solely on the exorcist formula and the props which are present, in essence they don't have any real power without the engagement of the person performing the ritual. According According to the accounts of individual stravarke from Zenica and Travnik
16
An informant which participated in one of the exorcist séances, later claimed that she would never perform such rituals and bare such torture. Stravarke themselves admit that exorcism damages and bothers them, both physically and mentally. 17 Because of the belief that poganica runs from the human body beneath the nails on the toes, one would always bring a sock of the diseased if he is personally not capable of arriving.
17
to be successful if the poganica is not returning upwards i.e. into the body part from which it has been exorcised. If the pain returns for some reason, then the patient must change his healer.
down the patient's body uttering this exorcist formula: If it is in N nine udara udaraca ca - nine brothe brothers, rs, let there be eight from nine,
During the entire treatment the attention is focused towards the direction of exorcism, from above to bellow, in the direction of earth (Tur, Grand Mother). But, it is not the only form of transmission, there is also a possibility that the stravarka, if she is skilled or perhaps asked to (paid) from a third party, can direct the disease demon to a specific person, in order to cause aggression and magical attack.
from eight let there be seven, from seven let there be six, from six let there be five, from five let there be four, from four let there be three,
If the treatment is performed above a patients piece of clothing instead of his body, then the stravarka suggests that his underpants be brought, so that she could "utter" on that "substitute" during the entire length of the leg. This rule confirms the belief that men in a higher percentage fall ill from poganica, compared to women. It is possible to presume that the poganica, female demon, attacks men more often and nežit or udarac, male demon, attacks females more frequently.
from three let there be two, from two let there be one, from one let there be none! Exit, udarče, from 88 joints, from 77 nerves, from the head,
According to a standard procedure the exorcist treatment lasts between 10 and 15 minutes. If after the first ritual the diseased feels a relief i.e. that the pain has moved further down the leg, and is no longer returning to the old place, in the next few days he will visit stravarka two more times in order to repeat the treatment, despite feeling better.
from the neck, from the arms, from the heart and legs!
Bosnian:
Udarac Ako je u N devet devet udaraca udaraca - devet devet braće, braće, According to another description of healing by stravarka, she uses a knife in order to scare the demons of disease by touching the diseased place and moving
neka bude od devet osam, od osam sedam, od sedam šest, 18
od šest pet, od pet četiri, od četiri tri, od tri dva,
Bosnian:
od jedan jedan - nijeda nijedan! n!
Izađi u zemaljske širine,
Izađi, Izađi, udarče, udarče, iz 88 zglobova, zglobova,
u nebeske visine,
iz 77 živaca, iz glave, iz vrata,
u morske dubine,
iz ruku, iz srca i iz nogu!
preko sto polja, preko sto šuma, za devet brda, u pustu zemlju,
She then starts lightly hitting the patient with the knife on the head, neck, arms and legs following these moves with the following words of the formula:
u neznanu među; gdje pas ne laje, gdje svijeća ne gori,
Exit into the earths depths,
gdje se bešika ne ljulja,
into the heights of the sky,
gdje sjekira ne sječe.
into the depths of the sea, s ea,
Izađi u mjesto koje nije spomenuto,
over hundred fields,
na Kavdag i u Jablan-planinu!
over hundred forests,
In the mentioned formula the exorcist is talking to the male disease demons, which are nine in number, calling them brothers, brothers, with which we are explicitly returning to the original term of the disease, i.e. nežit 18. And of course the realization that not only women were included in the healing of this disease but also men, though in a smaller number. Though according to some folk tales, like the one about the Shaitan, melon, woman and man, women are considered to be more skilled in verbal communication with the supernatural world, men are perceived as stronger in withstanding more
behind nine hills, into a desolate land, in an unknown landmark; where the dog doesn't bark, where the candle doesn't burn, where the cradle is not rocking, where the axe is not cutting.
18
Another folk name for poganica is very interesting and it is - bogavica, which which undoubtedly stems from the name Bogomil. Bogomil.
Exit into a place which is not mentioned, on Kavdag and onto Jablan-mountain! 19
difficult engagements, especially in exorcism. It is possible that for this reason this disease is named after male and female names, so that both sexes can cure it successfully, chasing it away with magical formulas. We should add to that that nežit as a hermaphrodite reveals reveals its extremely large strength and power of transformation but also hiding, since literally, according to folk descriptions it travels or runs through the body, therefore the only method to cure it is by using exorcism19.
from four let there be three, from three let there be two, from two let there be one, from one let there be none!
Bosnian:
U Sijerme devetero djece, od deve deveter tero o - osmero osmero,, Sijerma
od osmer osmero o - sedme sedmero, ro, When one is curing poganica in the neck, shoulders or hand, then it is called exorcism of Sijerma. Praying in Bosnian and not Arabic, the stravarka uses a knife blade turned downward, she moves it from the shoulders to the fingers using the following formula against it, whose significance in counting backwards is to achieve an effect of distancing and weakening the power of the demon:
od sedm sedmero ero - šester šestero, o, od šester šestero o - petero petero,, od peter petero o - četvor četvoro, o, od četvoro četvoro -troje, -troje, od tro troje je - dvoj dvoje, e,
Sijerma has nine children,
od dvo dvoje je - jedn jedno, o,
let there be eight from nine,
od jedno jedno - nijedn nijedno! o!
from eight let there be seven,
She repeats the procedure three times. The patient visits stravarka three days in total for the treatment. treatment. If his hand goes numb after one of the séances, which means that the poganica has left the body.
from seven let there be six, from six let there be five, from five let there be four,
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Among the Bosnian folk it was once believed that nežit can be summoned in an unusual way. Namely, if a comb from the house would be loaned to the neighbour or someone else who doesn't live in that house, it could happen that nežit comes into the house with the comb. In this belief an idea is pronounced in which nežit lives in the human hair and through it, it can cross over onto other people.
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until tears appear, since it is believed that all impu impuri riti ties es wil willl exi exitt thro throu ugh the tears (met (metal alja ja). ). Whil Whilee doi doing ng this, this exorcist formula is repeated: Here comes a hen with nine chicks, chicks, with yellow feet. They jump on metalja, they seize her with t eir claws. It was was dawn dawn - they they sa say. maša
mašice
Aftern Afternoon oon - let it be, be, they say. Dusk Dusk - she she is gon gone. e. When in the grove - hree girls combing, combing black wool, combing white wool, combing red wool, from my eyes metalja and clots they remo e!
Metalja
Catar Cataract act but but also also other other ey related diseases (Conjunctivitis) were c alled poganica i.e. her special name metalja. It is believed believed that that it it returns returns the wa wa it came. In the the hea healiling ng ritu ritual al a pro prop p is is mov moved three times over the eye - garlic or s all worm which are found in cow dung ( anure), three times during three days. With clean hand handss one one cle clean anss a clo clove ve of gar garlic, and with the the sha sharp rper er part part of the the clo clove ve o e moves it over the cataract from the left to the right, and from from the right right to the left. left. I we are talking talking about another another disease, the clove is used near the inside boarders f the eyelid
Bosnian:
Otud ide kokoš sa devetero pilića, žutijeh nogu. Skočiše na metalju, svu je razgrabiše, na noktima i na nogama. Sabah Sabah - kažu kažu bila bila je. 21
Podne Podne - kažu kažu neka neka je. Ićindi Ićindija ja - nema nema je. Kad u gaju gaju – tri cure cure vlač vlače, e, mrku vunu vlače, bijelu vunu vlače, crvenu vunu vlače, sa mojijeh očiju metalju i krvavicu svlače!
Stravarka can cure metalja in other ways such as using red silk and a mirror. With these props she carefully touches metalja and "removes it" making the above described movements20.
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Another representative segment of Bosnian shamanism is discovered in the use of individual parts of the animal which constitute a specific prop, as well as an animal totem of the stravarka. stravarka. Dog's skull, according to folk belief, can exchange its presence with which it is pretended that the stravarka is capable of transferring a part of her power into the skull and later act through it as a medium. In the past numerous Bosnian homes owned one or more dog skulls "for healing" and this is why they were stored inside houses. It was unquestionably believed that they possess secretly accumulated power of healing once the stravarka has uttered exorcist formulas, from her magical pool, a few times. The skull was usually used by being placed on the diseased place or it was moved down the body, imitating rhythmical moves which the stravarka makes. NOTE A frequent eye disease (herpes corneae) is well known among the folk. It comes to the cornea in the form of white bubbles, which decompose quickly in herpes ulcers, and if not treated frequently, they form into a white speckle (leukoma) or even causes inflammation of the entire eye (panophtilmitis). Since the same bubbles appear without any cause, people denote them as poganica, since they believe as a mysterious evil force. GZM (Sarajevo, 1900, p.p. 143)
an old wound or black magic (which is more probable, they say) therefore magical healing healing is undertaken" undertaken" - "Prikružnici" GZM GZM !! (Sarajevo, (Sarajevo, 1890, p.p. 317).
According to the writings of Ivan Zovko "poganica or sijerma is hard to define. Since the diagnosis for sudden appearance of puncture like pain, which can reappear, is usually identified with gout (Arthritis deformans). That's why an initial step is to cure it as a cold. If the pain doesn't subside from such a therapy, it is considered that it is poganica, which is caused by
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