Zazor, začud and prostril

Arabs, Persians and other Muslims believe that there are two types or two directions from which spells come – the first one is from humans and the other from Jinn. In folk tradition there is a belief about three types of spells: zazor, začud or učud and prostril. Zazor is a spell created out of jealousy and envy, začud comes out of great wonderment and admiration towards someone or something and prostril is the most dangerous type of spell since a child can easily die from it, if one doesn't react on time. In Cazin and Velika Kladuša when people say that someone is ill due to „svitskog sepa“ or „svitske djece“ they actually want to say that he is a victim of evil eyes.

Among Bosnian people there is a belief that more people have gone underground (died) due to consequences of spells than due to all diseases combined. Similarly, a common belief is that spells are often child diseases. Because of this understanding it is customary among Bosnian people to place the money, given to child when you see it for the first time, on the forehead, on its “star” for “good luck”. The money is given with a purpose i.e. the parents will order and pay for an amulet with an Imam, so that the power of the amulet will protect the new member of society from evil and spells. The acquired sum should not be reduced nor increased not to disrupt the mystical power of the amulet.

Until the ordered protection arrives, the mother as well as other inhabitants noticeably strive, especially during the first 40 days but also first couple of years, to be cautious and to react to the smallest signs, despite the amulet. Special caution is cultivated towards the first child since it is believed that it is most susceptible to an attack of this evil.

Various taboos are being uphold among which the most important rule is that a tired or drowsy child should not be caressed “since it won’t have the strength to resist the spell!”. Another rule without which it was claimed the child couldn’t be nurtured is the necessary usage of one or more apotropaic props so called džidža. Their only purpose was to divert the real, newest and strongest, gaze which would pave the way with its destructive influence for other negative influences.

Džidže or miniature metallic ornaments in BiH possessed in the past great manipulative power towards the destructive power of spells. All children, whether Muslim or Christian, had in their vicinity, on the crib or a hat, an item made out of silver in the form of a rabbit, rooster, frog, small rifle, arrow, sabre, mace, a hand with five fingers or lead “heart” formed during the ritual of lead melting.


Amulet against spells

Apotropaic content which was used by the Bosnian people in defence against evil eyes is varied and imaginative: red velvet tied around a wolf’s, fox’s or rabbit’s tail, dried on a spindle and then encircled with silver and gold a rooster’s coccyx, golden money, small shells, a few grains of rye or a silver plate which was forged by a naked blacksmith in the middle of the night which has the child’s name etched, and the like. But, it would be wrong to conclude that only children wore such items, namely, it was once established to see on women, especially elderly women, an upside down a zipper or safety pin, for which they claimed averted evil eyes.

“On fez of Bosnian children – especially boys – you will often see a three-cornered, made out of red cloth or silk, amulet with a few sentences (verses) or an entire prayer (surat) from the Qur’an, which was written down by a skilled Imam. They often write down a few sentences from the third chapter i.e. surat Ali ‘Imran (Imran’s family), which is well known as “small hatma”, or even the entire surat. It is recommended that an Imam prepares an ink made out of rose water mixed with saffron and incense. Such an amulet, it is said, not only protects children from spells but also pregnant women which carry it around their necks".

In the continuation of his text “About spells”, Leopold Gluck describes, somewhat clumsily, the content of an amulet against spells, he came into possession of the amulet through a Bosnian friend. Like any amulet this too begins with the words “Bismilahir rahmanir rahim” – “In the name of the merciful Lord!”. Right after that follows a prayer dedicated to four angels, each of which rule with one part of the world, to the four holly men enumerating four holly books. The prayer ends with the names of the seven sleepers from Ephes and their dog Kitmir.

Transcription of the amulet text: “Allahumme ya Rabbi Džebraile ve Mikaile ve Israfile ve Azraile ve Ibrahime ve Ismaile ve Ishaka ve Jakube ve munzilel berakati vet Tevrati vez-Zeburi vel Indžili vel Furkan. Ve la havle ve la kuvvete illa billahil aliyyil azim. Jemliha, Mekseline, Mislina, Mernuš, Debernuš, Šazenuš, Kefetatayuš, Kitmir.„

Translated to English the text of the prayer would go as follows: “My God and Jibrail and Mikaile and Israfile and Azraile and Ibrahime and Ismaile and Jakube and you from which all good stems, who gave the Torah, Gospel and Psalms and the Honourable Qur’an, I cannot help you only mighty Allah can. Yemliha, Mekseline, Mislina, Mernush, Debernush, Shazenush, Kefetatayush, Kitmir.

Underneath this prayer a magic square stood or a vefk with numbers whose numerological value represented one of the 99 God’s Beautiful names.



Instead of an amulet among the Bosnian people one would wear “blue or a turquoise, egg shaped rock so called “uročnjak” which was attached to a fez. An upturned (seam on the outside) left sleeve of a shirt, stung the eyes less, but as they say gave no less protection against spells".

Traditional practice among the entire Bosnian population, regardless of faith, was that one would wear an item of clothing upside down in order to shield from spells – “for the spell to go back”. Among Ćifuti (Jews) a bag sown in three corners using golden thread or red cloth or silk was given to children, in it was a small piece of rue, a piece of garlic and some salt, blessed on the second day of Passover in the Synagogue.

Help was sought amongst herbs and roots of certain plants such as valerian, willow or elecampane, for which it is said in a folk song:

If it weren’t for willow and elecampane
I wouldn’t nurse my son Osman.

From the herbal pharmacy, traditionally certain plants were favoured more than others primarily because of their healing properties but also apotropaic properties. We are talking about garlic and rue.

-“Most of those regulations recommend garlic, since evil spirits run from it. – “It is good”, old people say, “to rub the diseased with garlic and give him a clove to eat.” “It is good”, they said, “to crush rue, drain the juice and give a few spoons of it for drinking, one can also give crushed rue mixed with honey for consumption in the duration of 40 days.”