Hey Ya Hi Ya How...
Well, I've been asking for many moons, on many lists, about that
anecdote in Emile Grillot de Givry's "Illustrated Anthology of Sorcery,
Magic and Alchemy" about witches magically making milk come from axe
handles and things...
...and a little a while ago while I was putting together some dusty old
photocopied pages from Stith Thompson's "Type and Motif-Index of the
Folktales of England and North America", I found the following therein:
pp. 127-129.
D2083. Evil magic in the dairy. see Kittredge Witchcraft 163 ff., 480
ff., 1929.
D 2083. Cows magically made dry. SCOTLAND: Gregor FL Journal 7:285,
1889. SHROPSHIRE: Burne and Jackson 40, 1883. LINCOLN: Rudkin FL 45:
252, 1934. PENNSYLVANIA: Kittredge Witchcraft 163, 1929.
D2083.2(a). Witch causes cow to give thickened milk. NORTHUMBERLAND:
Denham Tracts 2:326, 1895. ONTARIO: (From Germany): WIntemberg JAF
12:50, 1899.
(snip a few more of the less useful...)
D2083.3 Milk transferred from another's cow by magic. (Cf.
D655.2,D1605.2) IRELAND MEATH: SIngleton FL 15: 458, 1904 ISLE OF SKYE:
MacCulloch FL 33: 212, 1922. SCOTLAND: Gregor FL Journal 7: 286, 1889.
ABERDEEN: 166, 1929. Petrie Border 149, 1950. CORNWALL: Hunt Romances
330, 1903. ONTARIO: Waugh JAF 31: 40, 1918. NEW YORK Gardner Schoharie
69, 70, 72, 1937. Thompson Boots 111, 1940. Webb NYFQ 1: 17, 1945. NORTH
CAROLINA: Brown Collection 1: 667, 1952
D2083.3.1 Milk transferred from another's cow by squeezing an axe-handle
(or the like). For continental references see Kittredge Witchcraft 163
ff., 482-(4)83, 1929.
D2083.3.1(a). Witch transfers milk by squeezing a fork handle. KENTUCKY:
Kittredge Witchcraft 164, 1929.
D2083.3.1(b) Witch transfers milk by squeezing legs of stool. YORK:
Gutch County No. 2: 167, 1901. Kittredge Witchcraft 164, 1929.
D2083.3.1(c) Witch transfers milk by use of spigot in post SCOTLAND:
Kittredge Witchcraft 164, 1929.
D2083..3.1(d) WItch transfers milk by use of wooden peg. HIGHLAND
SCOTLAND: Gregor FL Journal 7: 281-(2)82, 1889. LOWLAND SCOTLAND:
Henderson Notes 197-198, 1879.
D2083..3.1(da) Visitor in house watches witch use peg to obtain milk. He
does as she has done, cannot stop the flow of milk. The housewife
returns after he has filled all the containers in the house. She stops
the flow, tells him no cow in the neighborhood will give milk that
night. (see type 565 The Magic Mill, Motif G297 Sorcer's Apprentice.)
SCOTLAND: Henderson Notes 197-198, 1879.
D2083.3.1(e) Witch transfers milk from cow by holding up fingers in
presence of a cow. ONTARIO (from Germany): Wintemberg JAF 12: 50, 1899.
D2083.3.1(f). Wilk transfers milk by squeezing her apron. SCOTLAND:
Gregor FL Journal 7: 284, 1889.
D2082.3.3.1(g). Witch transfers milk by squeezing dishcloth. UNITED
STATES OZARK: Randolph Folk-Say 3:86-87
D2093.33.1(h) Witch transfers milk by squeezing ot drawing on towel.
CANADA (from Alsace): Wintemberg JAF 20: 213-215, 1917. NEW YORK
(German): Schillinger NYFQ: 9:36, 1953. PENNYSLVANIA: Starr JAF 4: 324,
1891. INDIANA: Harmeyer HFB 4: 15-16, 1945. ILLINOIS: Harris SFQ 10:
189, 1946 (three variants). OZARK: Randolph, Knapsack 23, 1958.
D2083.3.2 Witch transfers milk from another's cow by use of hair rope.
D2083.3.2(a) Witch pulls on hair rope as if milking. LANCASHIRE:
Kittredge Witchcraft 163-164, 1929.
D2083.3.2(aa) Witch pulls on hair rope and says charm:
Meer's (Mare's) milk and deer's milk
And every beast that bears milk
Atween St, Johnstown and Dundee
Come a' to me, come a' to me!
SCOTLAND: Chambers, Rhymes 278-279, 1826.
D2083.3.2(b) Witch transfers milk by swing hair rope around her neck.
Her cows give milk others would have given. SCOTLAND: Kittredge,
Witchcraft 164, 1929.
D2083.3.2(ba) Witch swinging hair rope around her head utters charm:
Hare's milke and mare's milk
An' all the beas' that bears milk
Come to me.
SCOTLAND FIFE: Fleming FL 9: 285, 1898.
D2083.3.2(c). Witches transer milk from another's cows to their own cows
by brushing dew from pasture with hair ropes. SCOTLAND: Henderson, Notes
199, 1879.
D2083.3.2(ca) Man takes hair rope dropped by witches caught brushing
dew, hangs it over his stable door. Milkmaids cannot find enough
containers for milk that night; cows continue to give milk until he
burns rope. (See D2083.3.1(da).)
SCOTLAND: Henderson, Notes 199, 1879.
D2083.3.3 Witch transfers milk from another's cows to a vessel.
D2083.3.3(a) Witch transfers milk to her pitcher. LANCASHIRE: FL Journal
7:61, 1889.
(proceeds to the list of magics involving butter and cream...)
(Notice how none of these witches were actually able to create any,
all they know how to do is steal (giggle), even if there's maybe a kind
of eerie consistency to some of these.)
Still looking for rituals to make cows jump over the moon...
Hey diddle diddle...
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