Mouse - incarnation of a demon
According to a legend in a Bosnian city lived an old Imam known for his magical prudence. It was said about him that at every moment he even knew what the emperor had for dinner. His talismans were especially popular in whose powers no one doubted since whosoever used them ensured their health and success. Not far away from that town lived a judge whose wife suddenly fell ill, but her disease was mental not physical. The judge was very worried about his wife and in the search for the drug he took her to many doctors, priests of all denominations but no one could help her. In the end he went to seek help from the old Imam. As soon as he told him what type of problem he had, the Imam made him a talisman and directed him how to use it: "-take this talisman, put it in your pocket and go to the bridge. Come to the middle of the bridge stop there and wait. A large procession of Jinn will cross the bridge with their king, when he sees you he will ask you why you are standing there, under no circumstances answer any of his questions. Not a single word can leave your mouth! The king will take the talisman from you, he will read it, once all the Jinn disappear you go home".
The judge took the talisman and went home and when night came he went to the bridge and stopped in the middle. Soon he heard a lot of racket from the dark, drums and sounds of numerous instruments and a large army appeared with infantry and cavalry. In front of them all went their king with a large golden crown, dressed in a golden dress. It was king Madhab, ruler of Sunday, one of the seven large kings. When he saw the judge he asked him what he was doing there, the judge opened his mouth to reply but then he remembered the Imam's words as well as his warning and he said nothing. The king asked him the same question twice and then took the talisman out of his pocket, opened it and read it. Immediately he turned to his army and with a deep voice asked: "Which one of you has hurt this man's wife?" One by one the Jinn replied "it wasn't me", "it wasn't me".-And is there a Jinn that's missing? the king asked. -There is one, the limping on, he is not with us now", the Jinn replied. -Fetch him quickly! The king demanded.
As soon as the king gave out the order the limping Jinn appeared in front of him.
Did you hurt this man's wife?
I did, the Jinn replied.
And why did you do it?
Her neighbour came to loan some butter and she told her "I don't have any, sister, the Jinn took it!
When I heard that I took the butter. I thought that it would be good if I had some honey and flour so I can make myself some halva (sweet treat). At that moment her neighbour asked if she could at least loan some honey in a cup to which she replied that a Jinn took it, so I took that as well. The same day an old beggar knocked at her door asking for some flour and she replied "-I don't have that Jinn dust, I sent all my wheat to be ground in a mill!" then I took her flour and stole a pot and started to make halva in her house. When the mixture started to boil in the pot she came and urinated in the pot, and to punish her I slapped her, the limping Jinn gave his account.
You acted accordingly, but you shouldn't have stolen the pot and for stealing I condemn you to the gallows!
The Jinn caught him and hung him immediately. King Madhab wrote something in the talisman and returned it to the judge in his pocket. Instantly the king turned to his army and they disappeared. When he came to himself from the shock and horror the judge looked around him and saw that it was already dawn so he hurried back home. In his bedroom he found his wife sleeping so he woke her up and by her behaviour he realised that she has gotten better. The judge returned to the bridge the same day to see if there are any signs of the large army from the night before but all he saw there was a dead mouse hanging and moving slowly in the breeze.
Signs of magic
A dead mouse on the bridge was always a sign of a successfully performed daire - spiritualistic ritual of Bosnian dervishes and Imam's, for which it was written that sometimes they can cause large storms above the place where the ritual has been performed and that the wind was of such an intensity that it raised the roofs from the nearby houses. The goal of daire was a contact with one of the rulers of the Jinn to which it was suggested to find and punish the Jinn that possessed the body of the deceased. The penalty of the Jinn attacker was always death, which in the material world manifested itself with a dead mouse on the bridge.
According the tales of stravarka Fatima Dizdarević a spell that fails to hit its target (person) would turn into a white mouse. While she would perform a ritual of neutralising the effects of black magic from a person stravarka Fatima would divine using a cup of coffee with the intention to detect the origin of a spell, its purpose but also effect that it had on the targeted person. Among the figures in the coffee residue, the following symbols were very important: black cat - sign of black magic, bat - symbol of love magic, a lot of dots in one place - spell was created using dirt from a grave, pyramid or triangle - talisman magic, etc. If she notices among the residue a figure of a white mouse she would reveal to her client that the magic attack was unsuccessful. Reasons for the lack of success could be in the amulet the client had on him for some time or he was protected by a good deed such as charity which he gave to someone prior to that event or something else.
The judge took the talisman and went home and when night came he went to the bridge and stopped in the middle. Soon he heard a lot of racket from the dark, drums and sounds of numerous instruments and a large army appeared with infantry and cavalry. In front of them all went their king with a large golden crown, dressed in a golden dress. It was king Madhab, ruler of Sunday, one of the seven large kings. When he saw the judge he asked him what he was doing there, the judge opened his mouth to reply but then he remembered the Imam's words as well as his warning and he said nothing. The king asked him the same question twice and then took the talisman out of his pocket, opened it and read it. Immediately he turned to his army and with a deep voice asked: "Which one of you has hurt this man's wife?" One by one the Jinn replied "it wasn't me", "it wasn't me".-And is there a Jinn that's missing? the king asked. -There is one, the limping on, he is not with us now", the Jinn replied. -Fetch him quickly! The king demanded.
As soon as the king gave out the order the limping Jinn appeared in front of him.
Did you hurt this man's wife?
I did, the Jinn replied.
And why did you do it?
Her neighbour came to loan some butter and she told her "I don't have any, sister, the Jinn took it!
When I heard that I took the butter. I thought that it would be good if I had some honey and flour so I can make myself some halva (sweet treat). At that moment her neighbour asked if she could at least loan some honey in a cup to which she replied that a Jinn took it, so I took that as well. The same day an old beggar knocked at her door asking for some flour and she replied "-I don't have that Jinn dust, I sent all my wheat to be ground in a mill!" then I took her flour and stole a pot and started to make halva in her house. When the mixture started to boil in the pot she came and urinated in the pot, and to punish her I slapped her, the limping Jinn gave his account.
You acted accordingly, but you shouldn't have stolen the pot and for stealing I condemn you to the gallows!
The Jinn caught him and hung him immediately. King Madhab wrote something in the talisman and returned it to the judge in his pocket. Instantly the king turned to his army and they disappeared. When he came to himself from the shock and horror the judge looked around him and saw that it was already dawn so he hurried back home. In his bedroom he found his wife sleeping so he woke her up and by her behaviour he realised that she has gotten better. The judge returned to the bridge the same day to see if there are any signs of the large army from the night before but all he saw there was a dead mouse hanging and moving slowly in the breeze.
Signs of magic
A dead mouse on the bridge was always a sign of a successfully performed daire - spiritualistic ritual of Bosnian dervishes and Imam's, for which it was written that sometimes they can cause large storms above the place where the ritual has been performed and that the wind was of such an intensity that it raised the roofs from the nearby houses. The goal of daire was a contact with one of the rulers of the Jinn to which it was suggested to find and punish the Jinn that possessed the body of the deceased. The penalty of the Jinn attacker was always death, which in the material world manifested itself with a dead mouse on the bridge.
According the tales of stravarka Fatima Dizdarević a spell that fails to hit its target (person) would turn into a white mouse. While she would perform a ritual of neutralising the effects of black magic from a person stravarka Fatima would divine using a cup of coffee with the intention to detect the origin of a spell, its purpose but also effect that it had on the targeted person. Among the figures in the coffee residue, the following symbols were very important: black cat - sign of black magic, bat - symbol of love magic, a lot of dots in one place - spell was created using dirt from a grave, pyramid or triangle - talisman magic, etc. If she notices among the residue a figure of a white mouse she would reveal to her client that the magic attack was unsuccessful. Reasons for the lack of success could be in the amulet the client had on him for some time or he was protected by a good deed such as charity which he gave to someone prior to that event or something else.
