How the blog works

The poems on this blog are mostly written on the basis of my historical reading and are intended to be both educational and entertaining.
Recently I have also begun posting some of my work with Anglo-Saxon charms. This work is somewhat speculative and is conducted as an amateur researcher and keen Pagan historian.

Please feel free to use anything on this site as a resource if you think that it may be relevant to your needs.

Saturday 24 August 2013

A Saxon charm for a difficult journey


I have found the following text in Leech Book I, LXXXVI, 

For mickle travelling over land, lest he tire, let him
take mugwort a to him in hand, or put it into his shoe,
lest he should weary, and when he will pluck it, before
the upgoing of the sun, let him say first these
words, "I will take thee, artemisia, lest I be weary on the way," etc.

I have replaced 'etc.' with the following text from HERBARIVM, CLXXIX (Periwinkle);

"that thou cometh to me glad, blossoming with thy usefulness; that thou outfit
me so that I be shielded, and ever well, and undamaged by poisons and by wrath

Back to Leech Book I, LXXXVI,;

Sign it with the sign of the cross,

when thou pullest it up.

Both of these manuscripts are from the late Saxon period.

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