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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.

Thursday 19 November 2015

An untranslated charm from the XI century

LEECHDOMS, WORTCUNNING AND STARCRAFT OF EARLY ENGLAND
Charms

Vol3 P294, A charm, xi. century

Here is another untranslated incantation from a healing charm in an Anglo-Saxon medical manuscript:

Ðis man sceal singan nigon syþon wiþ utsiht on an
hrerenbræden æg • þry dagas. + Ecce dol gola ne dit
dudum bethe cunba bræthe cunda • elecunda ele uahge
macte me eienum • ortha fuetha la ta uis leti unda
noeuis terræ dulgedoþ. Pater noster oþ ende; & cweþ
symle æt þam drore huic • ð if.

Translation of the first line and a half from Anglo-Saxon:
This man sceal singan nigon syþon wiþ utsiht on an
hrerenbræden æg • þry dagas

Translation
This you shall sing nine times against diarrhoea continually
(or) to move a forest egg (old stool) of three days.

That was easy! However the next section is not written in an actual language but in a way to resemble Latin and in part Old Irish. This was sometimes done to add extra power to a charm. Many of the words are clearly used for their tonal qualities. The intent was to evoke a sense of magic. This Anglo-Saxon charm, like many, contains both rhythm and alliteration. The charm was therefore written in a pseudo language without obvious meaning but played on relevant words of power and healing and was not intended to be translated, however we can find some hidden meaning:

+ Ecce dol gola ne dit dudum bethe cunba bræthe cunda •
 elecunda ele uahge macte me eienum • ortha fuetha
la ta uis leti unda noeuis terræ dulgedoth.

First compare with a similar charm in Lacnunga CV:

Ecce dolgula medit dudum beðegunda breðegunda
elecunda eleuacha mottem mee renum orþa fueþa
letaues noeues terre dolge drore uhic alleluia

Ignoring the spelling and breaks in the words the text is essentially the same, save for the addition of a cross at the start and the omission of alleluia at the end.

An accumulation of errors coming from many copyings of the text have added to the difficulty of translation.
One can imagine a læce (healer) or galdre (wizard) chanting this galdor (charm/spell) rhythmically nine times over the sick to induce a healing state and increase the effect of any medication being given.
We notice again the use of the number nine which was to the Anglo-Saxons the most sacred number.

Fortunately I had some assistance with the previous charm last year and managed a translation which we can now build on, so:

Translation
Make the sign of the cross, See (here)! Banish (this) little injury, eats? salve abounding, abounding, healing-abounding, mote of my kidneys, formulate a charm,
against the harmful wave of death and violence, let sorrowful suffering fail.

The last line:
Pater noster oþ ende; & cweþ symle æt þam drore huic • ð if.

Translates mainly from Anglo-Saxon:
(Say) the lords prayer to the end; and sing the little sin to those (who need ?) this • ð if

These last characters seem to be an abbreviation but as of yet I am still unsure. The ð at the end of a charm has been used to represent oð meaning to but would be followed by ende meaning end so ‘to the end’ the ‘if’ I cannot offer any translation for yet.


The whole translation
This you (shall) sing nine times against diarrhoea continually
(or) to move a forest egg (old stool) for/of? three days.

Make the sign of the cross, See (here)! Banish (this) little injury, eats? salve abounding, abounding, healing-abounding, mote of my kidneys, formulate a charm,
against the harmful wave of death and violence, let sorrowful suffering fail.

(Say) the lords prayer to the end; and sing ‘the little sin’ to those (who need ?) this (to the end?)

Notes
Ecce . . . Alleluia: note the charm is flanked by correct Latin, as if to imply everything contained inside is fully valid too.
dolg: injury;
dol gola seems to be semi-Latinised, 'little injury'
ne dit (pseudo-Latin) suggests 'get rid of' i.e. the poison or whatever
beðe: fomentation, salve
bred: either 'deceit' or 'broad', probably play on both
ele- is first element of elemosyne, 'alms', i.e. mercy, i.e. healing
-cunda is more like a Latin ending, meaning 'abounding in' something.
mot: a mote, a speck (something causing the problem, reduce the problem into something so small it is harmless); or 'word' (late Latin)
ortha (Irish) charm; ortha fue
þa, perhaps 'formulate a charm'
uis leti unda: the wave of death and violence
terrae: maybe 'teore', fail
drore: . dreorig 'sorrowful', so 'let sorrowful suffering fail' or the like might perhaps come to mind.
Symle: little sin


Copyright Andrew Rea Nov 2015

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