Curing from black magic and evil

If a man had pain all over his body, or only in one place, it was called udarac (blow), and it was believed that this disease was caused by demons or black magic, and that's why an exorcist was called, i.e. a person which cured others with magical formulas. The exorcist would take a thin branch, usually hazel tree, and he would lightly hit on the painful body parts, repeating the following formula rhythmically: 


Exit namet, exit nagaz; 
from bone into flesh, 
from flesh into skin, 
from skin into hair, 
from hair into earth! 
Earth is the mother, 
she received many things, 
she will receive you too! 
Go namet, go nagaz 
into the depths of the sea, 
into the mountain;
where the rooster doesn't sing, 
where the ox doesn't roar, 
where the chicken doesn't crow, 
nor the axe cuts!



*namet - spell, *nagaz or nagaza - direct contact with the demon over a certain item (spell) or as a result of accidentally passing by a place where demons dwell, or disturbing them, after which they attack the person.

Water is placed into an earthen pot, and a head of an eel is placed inside it, then the water is used to pour it on the person affected by black magic. When she performs this, the earthen pot is brought to an intersection and is smashed there. Then the person returns home without looking back.

If the child is under the influence of black magic one finds a plant Hypericum perforatum, fringe of alder (Alnus glutinosa) and spider web from the hallway, all of this is placed on some hot coals and the child stands next to the vessel so that the smoke goes along its body to the head. This is repeated for seven days. It is believed that black magic will return after that period to the person that created it.

A mother with a child which constantly cries, takes him in her hands as soon as the sun rises, and observes from the house where she will see the first lit fire (light) down the street, as soon as she spots it, she directs the child towards the direction and utters: 


Where the fire burns, 
there is the weeding of the fairy, 
and she is calling my N to the weeding, 
I'm not sending my N but his crying!


It is believed that after that the crying will pass onto the person which is close to the fire, and it is usually a child from that house.

As soon as the sun sets, when the cattle returns from the meadow home, the mother exits carrying the child in her arms and stands into cattle dung and utters:


I stepped on all grasses and looked on all sides, 
when the cattle go home making noise my N will be quiet! (or won't be crying)"

Ritual against spellbound eyes in the past was usually practiced on small children, when they would sleep restlessly and would cry a lot, but also for young girls and boys, which were often targets because of their beauty and youth i.e. target of envy and jealousy, but also amazement.

For that occasion one would use water taken from a spring and it would be poured into a dish over which one would perform the ritual. The person performing it would sit next to the hearth and taking out one coal at a time would throw it into the fire and would enumerate the names of the persons for which she suspected were the potential culprits i.e. that they caused evil with their gaze to the child or the girl. If a coal would submerge after it has been thrown and the name was uttered, then, that person was considered to be the culprit. Or, instead of enumerating the names one would utter the following when the stones were thrown: 


Black eyes, 
blue eyes, 
green eyes, 
yellow eyes..


 The coal that submerged detected the colour of the eyes which caused the disease of the person for which the ritual was performed.


When the name was established or at leat the colour of the eyes of the culprit then this or some other exorcist formula was uttered: 


Urok sitting on the doorstep 
and the uročica underneath it; 
whatever the urok did 
uročica should renounce it. 
There are two eyes in urok; 
one eye from the fire, 
another from water - jump fiery eye 
into the water one 
and extinguish!


Then the water is used to wash the child "onto a star" i.e. in the form of a pentagram: first the face, then right hand and left leg, left arm and right leg. After that the person performing the ritual dips all five fingers into the water and sprinkles the child across its stomach after that she dips her fingers again and sprinkles the child on the head uttering: 


Star above the head of N is walking, 
asking for his name,
 to carry away all fear, 
spell or crying 
from him and bring health and peace!


The rest of the water is poured on the dog, so that the disease can go onto him.