#magika

Luck and Protection

Holed stones are used as amulets for protection against Hags, witches, faeries, and other spirits, when they are used in this way they are referred to as hag or witch stones. People would hang a holed stone above the door of their home or barn, and sometimes passageways within the home. People would also keep a small holed stone in a pocket for luck and protection.

Holed stones have also been known for being lucky, being worn around the neck for luck or tossed over the shoulder after spitting through the stone's hole to grant a wish. It was also said that is a person tied a holed stone to their house keys, those who resided in the home would be prosperous.

In communities where fishing and/or sailing was common the use of holed stones for protection was common, tying them to the bows of boats or inside of smaller rowing boats for protection while at sea. Holed stones were also used to protect against drowning, Christopher Duffin (2011) writes, “The coxswain of the Ramsay lifeboat [during 1929], also a fisherman by trade, always wore a small discoidal [holed] stone around his neck, threaded with copper wire. The amulet, passed down through three generations of fishermen, was credited with preserving the life of the wearer through terrible maritime circumstances.”

Medicine

As these holed stones protected against hags, witches, faeries, and other spirits they would often be used in medicine, as magic was often thought to be the cause of illness.

One of the illnesses holed stones were used to treat is ‘hag-riding’, in the book A Dictionary of English Folklore it is defined as  “a frightening sensation of being held immobile in bed, often by a heavy weight pressing on one’s stomach or chest […] In folklore, it was thought of as a magical attack, though whether by demonic incubus, ghost, harmful fairy, or witch varied according to place and period.” (Simpson & Roud, 2003) Today hag-riding is understood to be sleep paralysis. To treat hag-riding a holed stone would be hung above the bed of the sufferer or, if the sufferer is an animal, placed in a stable.

This belief applied to both humans as well as other animals; hag stones were often used in the treatment of ill livestock. In Lancashire holed stones would be tied to the back of cows to protect them from all forms of harm, “self-holed stones, termed ‘lucky-stones,’ are still suspended over the backs of cows in order that they may be protected from every diabolical influence.” (Harland and Wilkinson 1873).

Sources:

 Thwaite, A.-S. (2020). Magic and the material culture of healing in early modern England [Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository]. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.63593

Vicky, King (2021, November 11). Hag Stones and Lucky Charms. https://www.horniman.ac.uk/story/hag-stones-and-lucky-charms/

Pitt Rivers Museum, Accession Number: 1985.51.987.1 https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/collections-online#/item/prm-object-239947 (c) Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Date Accessed: 21 January 2024

Adams, Thomas, fl. 1612-1653., 2013, A commentary or, exposition vpon the diuine second epistle generall, written by the blessed apostle St. Peter. By Thomas Adams, Oxford Text Archive, http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12024/A00665

Jacqueline Simpson & Steve Roud (2003). A Dictionary of English Folklore. Oxford University Press. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095941856

Christopher J. Duffin (2011) Herbert Toms (1874–1940), Witch Stones, and Porosphaera Beads, Folklore, 122:1, 84-101, DOI: 10.1080/0015587X.2011.537134

Harland, J., & Wilkinson, T. T. (1873). Lancashire Legends: Traditions, Pagents, Sports, & C. With an Appendix Containing a Rare Tract on the Lancashire Witches, & C., &c. G. Routledge. https://archive.org/details/cu31924028040057

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This year, we were lucky: the first songs and singles began to appear in early spring. It was still cold. But the sun was already shining. A bright day. And spring sunshine. While the ground still lay in ice. In that mood, the single began. And then came one after another.

Candice Night has talked in interviews about the origins of the songs. How she came up with them. Some of the songs are about relationships, others about life stories, events in life. Not always happy. Even sad and mournful. All of this formed the basis of the album.

For me, this album is important. It is very important. This is such a sea pearl. The same as Sarah Brightman's "Dive" (Diva, a play on words). The album is highly fantasy-like. For dreamers. And readers and writers, as they say. For music listeners who love this kind of immersion in music. It's here.

Fantasy is very beautiful and so vast. Like the ocean. And we're standing on the sand. And looking into the distance. And there's a whole world out there. Dreams. So many things, all sorts of events. Very diverse. Bright colors. Rain. Snow, sun, ice. Lots of water and sun. It's also early autumn. For me, as a music listener and dreamer, this album contains very artistic pieces.

The album is beautiful. Like the bright sun. The one you're waiting for. It doesn't warm hotly yet. It just shines. And there's water all around. And the ice gradually recedes. The snow disappears. Such is the mood of early spring. And these are slightly sad themes. Sadness. Tears. These types of water also have a place in the album. It's so aquatic. Autumn water, melting ice, tears. The ocean and sea with shells. Colored pebbles by the shore. Everything is washed by the waves. The ocean is endless, like life, a fantasy.

For me, this is a very dreamy album. Candice Night says it took 10 years to record. It's her life in this album. Like a book. With pictures drawn by I. There are video clips. And with songs. Which you can listen to for a long time. And get absorbed in the theme. The theme of fantasy, tears. Autumn. Spring. The ocean. Various events. Which are like in a fog. And then they come together in songs.

I wanted to separately note the degree of fantasy and themes like dreams. In this album. For me, this is the most important thing. I'm trapped in tears. A kind of fantasy. An element of sadness. And so figuratively put. A cold day in December.

For example, the song "Another Day." Piano. Slow. Day. Birds sing songs. Another moment, another day. Memories pass. And remain. Another day. Such a mix of fantasy and reality. I really like this. A surreal world, the real world. Fantasy, reality. Memories, today. It's no longer clear what and where.

Memories stay with me. Time cannot erase them. I know. This moment. The last. This is how I perceive it. True fantasy. Such characters from the pages of a fantasy saga. Or you, on a cold spring day. Or already December. A cold day.

On a cold day in December. I feel nothing. Time has stood still. The line between. The sky. Like tears in my eyes. Winter. Ice. Snow. Cold air. There must be sun somewhere. It happens in winter too. But not always. Or without the sun. So gloomy. A light, dark blue day. With the sun, a little brighter. Golden sun. It can beautifully illuminate everything. Walking between the graves. So many stories. Very touching songs. They're all a little sad. And very image-filled. And suitable as a source of fantasy. The word "TV series" or "drama." But through music and imagery.

Dreams and hopes. The line between them and memories. Sometimes I think you're here. Or where did you go? At night... During the day. Ghosts all around. It's even fantasy and a touch of gothic. With ghosts all around you. Memories all around you. And all the events of life. That you experience. Like tears. Sunlight in winter. And ghosts all around.

Lines and events. Everything we go through. Dark Carnival. Played on an old piano. As if a ghost lives there. This is suitable for a TV intro somewhere. A beautiful melody. A little sad. And a lot of piano. An instrumental piece. All the songs are here. Except for this mysterious theme - Dark Carnival. They say it was played on an old piano. And here too, there's a theme of ghosts.

Nature boy. It also has a similar intro. But it's a song. It's also a fantasy. As if. An old song from the pages of some ancient books. Sad, too. A beautiful song. For both dreams and fantasy. Magical days passed through me. The Frozen King. I perceive the album as a fantasy. And I really wanted to note this. In this listening.

Music listener. From time to time i like to listen to the music. And write about it. Dima Link is making retro videogames, apps, a little of music, write stories, and some retro more.