Evil power of the sun

 
Spells are supernatural and mysterious phenomena which attacks all living and dead things. It is claimed among the folk that people, animals, plants, items and even some celestial bodies such as the moon can fall under the influence of the evil eye. Old Bosnian women have a custom of saying, when they first see the new moon: “Mašanla, look at the new moon!” because of the comparison of the new moon, just “born”, to a small child, innocent and helpless, especially when faced with something as powerful and destructive as a spell. In opposition to the gentle and unprotected new moon is the sun, which although known as a classic symbol of light and life, in Bosnian tradition it was always considered evil “until the winter passes”.

Namely, according to folk (agrarian) calendar in BiH, the year was once divided in only two parts, summer and winter, each lasting 6 months, which is residue of druidic beliefs since the time when Celts mixed with the Illyrians in the Balkans. Old Bosnian women used to hide fresh milk from the sun, covering the vessel with a cloth or lid “since if the sun sees it, it will no longer be!”.



In the north-western part of BiH, from which I draw most of my beliefs about fear and spells, in the past it was said about cows “that it feeds half of the home”, from there stems the folk name for cattle – treasure, therefore there was a great fear that an evil neighbour might hurt the treasure in the stall with black magic and spells. For defence and protection various prophylactic rituals for preservation of cattle were performed by farmers. Most endangered were milk cows with big udders, also cows after giving birth, they would have a red cloth tied to their tail, in order to neutralise any attempt of evil eye. In certain places a wooden spoon was placed around the cows neck or her horn was spun around and a small amulet with a piece of yew tree was placed around it.

Besides cattle spells can affect wild animals. Among the Arabs it is believed that a wolf, tiger and lion can be stopped in the middle of an attack on a human if the human possess evil eye. Allegedly, only donkeys are immune to evil eye as well as a peacock whose tail with its unique mark served the Turks to come up with their nations most famous amulet nazar boncuk or as it is called in Bosnia – blue eye.





Axe on the roof of a house

Traditional fear from spells gave birth to a nice custom of magical ornamentation i.e. decorating doors of farmsteads such as barn, stables, kruzane (houses for storage of corn), corral for sheep and houses. Namely, with a short text in Arabic, holly letter of the Qur’an, people etched tested prophylactic terms such as “Mašallah” or one of Allah’s names.



“On the front side of one, bigger, older house in Sarajevo it is written “Ya Hafiz” (God protector), for protection. This sentence can be found in numerous homes among Bosniaks, especially in beautifully decorated rooms (šikli odaja) of rich people with golden letters on a black basis (background), written and framed.”

Our forefathers the Bogomils placed a wooden axe on the roof of a house for prophylactic reasons, it served as a weapon whose blade will cut all evil which threatens the home.

However, an even more interesting segment of this belief hides in it the fact that the Illyrian Bosnian people dedicated the axe to the Grand Mother, the one which creates life and protects it, whose shape of a half moon or pregnant woman’s stomach perfectly matches the profile of the ancient goddess (1). That’s why it was said until the middle of the twentieth century that one should bring an axe with him wherever he goes, “since you can defend yourself with it but also cut fire wood, cut what you need, etc.” (2)

Another Illyrian belief, the one about stars, has a direct correlation with the evil eye. It is known, namely that the Illyrians believed fatalistically that every human has his own star in the sky which is the symbol of his life. The moment the star “falls” the life of its owner “shuts down”. This is why the Illyrians avoided looking at the starry sky out of fear of seeing their own star, or worse, to cast a spell on it with their gaze and so summon doom in their life.



Note

(1) The position of the axe itself on the roof alludes to its celestial connection to the lunar cycle.

(2) Motif of an axe as the symbol the Grand Mother can be identified in the following legend, whose origin dates from the time of matriarchy in our region. In Velika Kladuša, there is a legend that during the night of Uštap (Full Moon) on the moon’s surface one can see a gigantic figure of a man with a raised axe. As the legend further reveals that man is a son of one mother which he out of anger tried to kill by raising an axe on her, for punishment God killed him and teleported him on the surface of the moon as a warning to all that one should not raise their hand against their mothers.
 

Jinn cause fear and blockades

Utilization of amulets and talismans in curing traumatic conditions is perhaps one of the most fascinating segments in folk medicine in BiH. Since the old days, the amulets were brought to the level of almost universal panacea in curing all forms of mental but also certain physical ailments. Beneficial power of one or more prayers mixed into the content of the amulet or talisman, which replaced pagan bajalice (spell) and oaths, is based on the same principle of directing wishes or pleas for freeing the body from the negative influence of some entity, which found a home in the host due to a transgression of a certain taboo.

Namely, according to Islamic mythology when Allah created Adam and Eve, he had to place an invisible curtain between them and the Jinn (demons), so that the monstrous appearance of the Jinn wouldn’t frighten them and awaken shudders every day. Similarly, he made it so that people will be more or less protected from evil spirits, and he ordained them to sleep and rest during the night, so that the Jinn may have the freedom to move. That myth created a lot of taboo with which literally all contact with Jinn was avoided, because of their detrimental influence on the human body and psyche.

From the most familiar taboos among the Bosnian folk the ones tied to sunset are mentioned, when demons exit from their hideouts and gain power, which will last until sunrise i.e. dawn. That’s why people avoided to go outside in the evening, to pass by walnut trees, places where wood is being chopped, where dirty water is being thrown, etc.

If it happens that an individual accidentally or on purpose disregards some of the numerous taboos, he can become a target of the demons and risk possession i.e. entrance of the Jinn in the human body. The most obvious symptom of presence of an evil spirit inside a man is the appearance of inexplicable fear. Namely, suddenly the person starts feeling a more intensive restlessness and fright from night, closed space, certain animals, food, etc.


Talisman’s used against fear

With the development and spread of writing, the cognition that vows and curses, if written down on paper, take on their material form and exist longer, and with that last longer as well, unlike uttered formulas whose effect is immediate but disperses quickly. Although it has been recorded that our Bogomil forefathers used certain holly texts when creating amulets used for curing and protection, only with the beginning of the Ottoman occupation and advent of Islam did this practice see an expansion in BiH.

As far as we can comprehend from pretty modest literature and data, the Ottomans were under direct influence of Persian-Arabic magical beliefs, combined with certain Islamic teachings. But, what is especially interesting is that the Ottomans are as a Mongolian people known for shamanistic practices and retention of numerous animalistic beliefs. This is why Turkish magic abounds in various syncretic elements and this peculiarity is especially visible in the form of the talismans. While Arabic-Persian talismans follow a standard form of construction, according to which the amulet possesses a holly text and magical square (vefk), with Turkish talismans the form is based on what I would call “shamanistic diagrams” i.e. they abound with graphical representations of spiritual beings through one or more lines.

According to magical principles the Jinn, main culprits of all mental diseases, can succumb to the will of an individual with the help of ancient seals and invocations. Controlling those negative spiritual strengths the wizard can consciously inflict great evil on an individual or even a group of people. When he wants to block a person i.e. make him unsuccessful in certain or all segments of life, the magi ritually directs one or more Jinn towards him, they will possess him and with their destructive influence they will awaken inside of him various phobias from which he will be completely blocked: unsure of himself, scared, prone to jitters, lack confidence and hysterical.

Allegedly, with very decisive magical gestures fear can be “awoken” in any human. Individual Bosnian stravarke, such as deceased Fatima Dizdarević, explain how one can cause phobia from graves and the dead, namely, it is enough to discretely throw some dirt from a grave onto someone, without them noticing it. But, similarly if someone is scared of the above mentioned then it is recommended for them to look at their own reflection in the water which was used to bathe the deceased person.

All spiritual authorities in BiH are of the opinion that fear can be placed on someone with the help of various forms of divinations, among which the most famous techniques are those of directing an evil spirit through spells. Specifically, we’re talking about numerous phobias and the most frequent of all is the sudden fear of the dark – achluophobia – and this issue is usually solved by writing the following talisman (1) which the diseased carries with him at all times, until the uneasy feeling subsides.



With the help of magical rituals one can, allegedly, influence a person in such a way that he/she will start to feel an inexplicable fear towards a certain individual or it can happen that a man is scared of a woman or vice versa – sexophobia. In that case a Bosnian Imam creates the following talisman, which the diseased will, like in the first example, carry with him at all times.



It is evident that the craze for amulets from Imam’s did not stop in the 21st century and every so often we can read in the printed media or internet portals that some famous persons, especially from the show business, visited one of numerous Imam’s, seeking help for their issues. Besides the mentioned famous persons, regular people also visit these spiritual healers, trying to get a positive resolution to an unpleasant situation in which they find themselves in. When we’re talking about curing fear then the inscriptions for passing exams are most sought after, when one wants to neutralise jitters and blockages.


(1) (Babilonsko oko, H.M.Čajlaković)

see more: http://magic.bosnianforum.com/t1772-fear-and-evil-eyes-in-bosnian-folk-medicine#20049