This document is a translation of an Old English charm called "The Nine Herbs Charm" from the Old English Poetry Project. The charm lists nine herbs and their powers to protect against various illnesses and poisons. It describes how the herbs can protect against things like poison, disease, and evil spirits. It provides instructions for making a salve from the nine herbs to protect against illness and injury.
This document is a translation of an Old English charm called "The Nine Herbs Charm" from the Old English Poetry Project. The charm lists nine herbs and their powers to protect against various illnesses and poisons. It describes how the herbs can protect against things like poison, disease, and evil spirits. It provides instructions for making a salve from the nine herbs to protect against illness and injury.
Original Description:
Extract from an Old English book of spells showing interesting herbs etc.
This document is a translation of an Old English charm called "The Nine Herbs Charm" from the Old English Poetry Project. The charm lists nine herbs and their powers to protect against various illnesses and poisons. It describes how the herbs can protect against things like poison, disease, and evil spirits. It provides instructions for making a salve from the nine herbs to protect against illness and injury.
This document is a translation of an Old English charm called "The Nine Herbs Charm" from the Old English Poetry Project. The charm lists nine herbs and their powers to protect against various illnesses and poisons. It describes how the herbs can protect against things like poison, disease, and evil spirits. It provides instructions for making a salve from the nine herbs to protect against illness and injury.
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The Nine Herbs Charm - https://oepoetryfacsimile.
org/
Note: this translation is from Aaron K. Hostetter’s Old English Poetry Project, and used with permission. This translation may differ in places from translations found in editorial notes for the facsimile edition. About the Old English Poetry Project: https://oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/an-important- disclaimer/.Principles of translation: https://oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/translation- principles/.
Translation:
Remember, mugwort—what you revealwhat you set to order in solemn pronouncement.Singular you are called, oldest of the herbs.You could avail against three and against thirty,you could avail against poison and against contagion,you could avail against the hated things that fare throughout the land. (1-6)
And you, waybread, mother of herbs,open to the east, mighty within—over the carter’s creaking, over the woman’s reddening,over the bride marrying, over the bulls’ snorting.You stood against all things and you dashed against them—as you withstood poison and contagionand those hateful things that flew throughout the country. (7-13)
The herb is called nettle, it grows upon the stone—standing against poison, crashing against pain.It is called stiff, dashing against poison,avenging cruelty, casting out venom.This is the herb that fought against the worm—this can avail against poison, this can avail against contagion,this can avail against hated things that fare throughout the land. (14-20)
Now fly, cock’s-spur, the less is more,the more is less, until they both be cures.Remember, kindred— what you reveal,what you finish off at Alorford—so that it never gave up the spirit to diseaseafter one prepared one of this tribe for his food. (21-26)
This is the herb that is called the crab apple—which sends the seal across the spine of the sea,an enemy of another poison, its remedy. (27-29) These nine herbs can avail against nine poisons.The worm comes creeping, tearing into the man—then Woden took up nine glorious boughs,striking then the serpent—it flew into nine pieces.There the apple and the venom were destroyed,so that it never wished to bring down your house. (30-35)
Thyme and fennel, a mighty powerful pair,the wise Lord shaped these herbs,holy in heaven, those he hung up—set up and sent down into the seven worldsfor the wretched and the blessed, as cure for all. (36-40)
It stands against pain, dashing against poison,it can avail against three and against thirty,against the fiend’s hand and against destruction,against the bewitchment of wicked creatures. (41-44)
Now can these nine herbs avail against evil spirits,against nine poisons and against nine diseases,against the scarlet poison, against the stinking poison,against the white poison, against the purple poison,against the yellow poison, against the green poison,against the black poison, against the blue poison,against the brown poison, against the crimson poison,against the snake-blister, against the water- blister,against the thorn-blister, against the thistle-blister,against ice-blister, against poison-blister— (45- 54)
if any poison come flying from the eastor any should come from the north,or any from the west over the nations of men.Christ stood over the plague of any kind. (55-58)
I alone know the running waterwhere the nine serpents occupy nearby—they might spring forth now in all forests with herbs,slipping away to the sea, all the salt water,when I blow this poison away from you. (59-64)
Mugwort, way-bread, nettle, crab-apple, thyme and fennel, the elder soap-plant. Pound these herbs into dust, mix with soap and with apple-dirt. Make into a paste with water and ashes, take fennel and wool into the paste and bathe it with beaten eggs, then make it into a salve, either before or after. Sing this spell upon all of the herbs—three times before one makes it and also upon the apples—and sing for the men by mouth and into their ear both and into the wound that same spell, before one applies that salve. (65-73)
