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 15 March 2014

An attempt at recreating an Anglo-Saxon Pagan charm against stomach sickness



The recreated Pagan charm against stomach sickness:
I swear to Wodan, our Drychten, who cured the horse of Baldr. The Scucca that causes such bad pain in thy stomach, that is the source of health of thine servants. In thy holy name, give healing to (Insert name).
So mote it be.
(See notes below)
Basis of the charm written in a margin of an Anglo-Saxon document:

With magan seocnesse. (MS. C.G.C. 41, p. 346, margin).

Adiurer (Adiuua) nos deus salutaris noster exclude angelum
lanielum malum qui stomachum dolorem stomachi facit
sed in dormielo sancto angelo tuo sanitatem serui tui
in tuo sancto nomine sanationem ad ad tribuere
per.

Translation
Against stomach sickness

I swear to God, our Saviour, who shut out the evil angel
Lanielum (the) wicked, stomach pain in his stomach that makes
but the health of thine servants. Thine holy angel Dormielo
in thy holy name, give healing to (Insert name).
so mote it be.
Likely original of the note, from a similar note, in the margin of Bede (volume given by Leofric to Exeter P326)

Adiuua nos deus salutaris noster exclude angelum sanielem (should read Lanielum) angelum malum qui stomachum dolorem stomachi facit sed in dormielo sancto angelo tuo sanitatem serui tui in tuo sancto nomine sanatione(m) ad ad tribuere. per”

Translation
Help us God, our Saviour, who shut out the evil angel Lanielum
(The) wicked angel, who makes the stomach pain in his stomach, but the Holy Angel Dormielo your health to give to your servant in your holy name of healing. by

Notes to the recreated charm
Drychten is the Old English (OE) for lord.
Baldr was a son of Wodan and a god of light. He is mentioned in one of the two Merseburg Incantations (C9/10) where he rode into a wood with Phol (Baldr). There Balder's horse was injured, and Wodan, with goddesses, cured the horse with charms.

Goblins or demons in OE these were known as scucca. The OE word scucca has lent itself to a number of fantastic beasts across our landscape the most famous of which is possibly Black Shuck, an East Anglian demon dog.

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