Agriculture

Before the First World War, most people living in England were peasants. They depended upon agriculture to survive. They tended the crop, the land, and the livestock to earn a living, eat and pay rent.

In order to control the uncontrollable, villagers often came up with certain rituals, spells and charms to protect their crops and livestock.

The importance of livestock is shown in the Anglo-Saxon Charm Book, as there is not only one spell for the ‘Loss of Cattle,’ but three! This spell, in particular, focuses on cattle theft!

“Garmund, servant of God,
find the cattle and move the cattle
and take possession of the cattle
and bring the cattle home!
See that he never have any land, he who took them
away,
nor fields, him that snatched them,
nor house, him that withheld them.
And if he do have any, never let it work out for him!
Within three days I will know of his powers,
his strength and his powers and his protections.
He shall wear them all out like dust-dry wood crumbles;
Let him be as limp as a thistle,
he that hopes to get away with this cattle
or hopes to drive away this livestock!” – Griffiths, p.198

Whilst this spell might seem extreme for those who stole the cattle, it ultimately displays how important cattle were, not just to the farmer, who would sell their meat, but also to the community who would eat the meat. The loss of cattle could potentially mean the loss of lives.

Other charms were sung to keep livestock healthy. This highland woman’s charm from 1773 was sung when she milked her cows:

“Cushy cow, bonny, let down thy milk,
And I will give thee a gown of silk;
A gown of silk and silver tee.
If thou wilt let down thy milk to me.”

Another Scottish remedy for cattle, in particular, was the animal’s urine. Whilst it may seem gross, it was seen as one of the most “complete protection against disease and evil spirits.” I’m not surprised; I don’t think I would like to go near a urine-soaked cow either!

Some days were exclusively set aside to perform such rituals. In Wales, on St Stephen’s Day, blood would be taken from the cattle to feed the community’s poorest people. This ritual also happened in Scotland, but the blood was mixed with oatmeal and made into cakes for families to eat. Whilst cow blood does not seem very appealing; I know which of the two I would prefer!

The Scots seemed to like their ritual of cake giving, as they would feed special cakes to wolves, foxes, eagles and ravens. In return, they prayed these animals would not eat their sheep, goats or chickens.