"There was once in the country a lady who had a small baby. It was a pretty child, but day by day it began to weaken–diminuire–nor did the mother know what to do. Then she was advised to go to Carradora, who could explain it all, because she was a witch who did good as well as harm (il male).

"Then the lady went to the witch, who said: 'Go to thy home and put the babe to bed, and put a knife in the window, and then return to me.' So thelady did, and returned to Carradora, who said : 'Witches come by night to suck the blood of thy child, and it must be prevented.'

"Then the witch took corbezzole, and thorns, and put them in red bags and bound them to the door-posts and windows, and then took the entrails of a very small pig (un maialino), and said:–

"Then Carradora took the child and made a skein of thread (ne ficé un gomitolo) and threw it in the air, and so it was cured."

The story was imperfectly told, because it was mentioned in connection with it, that thorns in the form of a cross were either laid in the window or should be put in a window to keep witches from entering.

Carna or Cardæa was a very ancient Roman minor goddess. "Some writers," says PRELLER, "describe her as a goddess who strengthened the heart and entrails. Others call her Cardea, a goddess of the door-hinges, and class her with Forculus and Limentius." Of her he relates the following, which has certainly an extraordinary resemblance to what I have related:–

"There was by the Tiber an ancient grove of Helernus, to which the Pontifices brought offerings. Hence came the nymph who was really calledCranæ, but who, by means of Janus, became Carna, or goddess of allhinges of doors (doors?) and entrances or exits. As a nymph she was chaste as Diana, and by speedy flight avoided the glance of every man. But she could not escape the double sight of Janus who won her love and gave her for reward the jus cardinis, or sway over all hinges, and the white thorn (spina alba) in order to keep evil from all doors, and especially to exclude the witches who come in the night to suck the bloodof children.

"Proca was the daughter of a Latin prince. When the child was only five days old the witches began to suck its blood. The nurse came and saw the marks of the witches' claws on the baby's cheeks–the child was pale as a faded leaf. So they went to Carna–or Cardea–who first touched the door-posts and threshold thrice with arbutus (Italian, corbezzole), and sprinkled the entrance with water, and took the entrails ofa sucking-pig in her hand. Then she said:–

Then she laid the entrails in the open air, and no one dared to look at them." (This, I am sure, means that they went away without looking back atthem.) "After that no witch could enter, and the child soon recovered."

This is essentially the same story with the one previously narrated. Butquite independently of it, I was informed long before that the white thorn laid in a window kept witches from entering, and that the entrails of a pig were a most potent means of exorcising them. That the LatinCardea should have become Carradora is natural enough.

Carnea-Cardea seems to have been interested in pigs. It is remarkable that the dish of pork and beans (which, as Sir THOMAS BROWNE remarks, the Jews and Pythagoreans contrived to spoil between them) was sacred to her; it was eaten in her honour on the 1st of June. This fact alone would convince any native of Boston that she must have been the most genial, humane, and æsthetic spirit in existence–cui pitlte fabacia et larido sacrficatur r~and I am not sure that, if a copy of this work should ever find its way to the Hub, the modern Athenians will not erect a church or temple to her, unless indeed they have one already, for there are few things which they do not know, and nothing which they have not tried in the way of religion. In any case it is a remarkable historical fact that pork and beans-probably baked-was an Athenian dish, associated with the deepest mythological mysteries.

Of this spirit I have the following account and story:–

"Vira is a fairy who, from a fairy (fate) in her life, became a spirit who by day and night is always in the forests. And when she sees any handsome young man busy in cutting wood, or making charcoal, if he pleases her she appears to him in the form of a very beautiful girl–da farne a bagliare–such as to dazzle him–and then he finds his work all done to his hand, or else she shows him a treasure.

"One day she found a handsome youth who was in great sorrow because he was so poor. He began to cut wood, yet wept while so doing because he could bring nothing home to his mother. Then Vira appeared to him and said:–

---

¹ MACROBIUS, i., 12, 33.

" 'And he who will do this may wed the princess. Now this ogre has been slain by the Signore Slaniani, who will now carry the heads to the king and claim the hand of his daughter, but that is reserved for thee and not for him. For when the heads were put on a waggon to be carried to the king I took from them their seven tongues, and thou shalt carry these tongues to the king and say that thou didst slay the ogre and that thou dost wish for his daughter. Then the king will say that it was another who gained the victory, the proof being that he has the heads. To which thou wilt reply, "Who should be the conqueror–the one who has the heads or thetongues?". And it will be admitted that the victor would have secured the tongues although he might have neglected the heads, but that it would be most unlikely that he would have cut out and thrown away the tongues.'

"But the Signore Slaniani maintained that these were not the tongues of the ogre, because no one could have taken them from the heads, which had never been out of his sight. Then the king said:–

"But as he had no witnesses Signore Slaniani depended on the heads, and what was his amazement to find when they were brought that the tongues were gone.

This is, as regards the incident of the dragon's or maga's heads and tongues, a very common fairy tale. We have the last echo of it in Quentin Durward, where the hero appears with the head of William de Ia Mark,the Wild Boar of Ardennes. But it is very peculiar that in this version the whole principle of the story is reversed. In the others it is the true slayer of the dragon who gets the tongues, and the impostor who has the heads but in this story.

This indicates an extremely archaic form of the tale. Among rude races it is the crafty man who is most admired. The Algonkin Indians call theirgreat god Glooskap or Glusgabe, which means "the Liar," asDr. J. G. Brinton declares, because they thought it the most distinguishing attribute of wisdom to be able to deceive. Highly civilised people are ashamed to boldly admire such a mean trick as that which was played bythe protégé of Vira. It cannot have escaped the reader that, taking these tales and myths as a whole, they indicate a really primæval antiquity. Their morality is antique and they are all based on the idea that human beings or fairies who are a kind of human beings (a belief which Prætorius and many more defended only two hundred years ago), became

spirits or deities. This is the very oldest form of supernaturalism, or animism. And in accordance with it is this naïf admiration of deceit.

But what is most interesting in this tale is the name VIRA, that of the heroine who is described distinctly as a fairy "who is always in the forests." In ancient times the Vira was strictly a sylvan spirit, and is thus mentioned by FRELLER (Rom. Myth., p.89): "But the women of ancient times whom we call scias (wise women or witches) … were also called in early times Viræ or Vires, for thisform also occurs, and they were indeed chiefly known as Baumnymphen (tree-nymphs) the word virere and viridis being clearly connectcd with this name." But the name being very old Italian, seems to be peculiarly appropriate to a very old story of the Toscana Romagna. "The race of wood women," says PRELLER, "is generally indicated by the Greek names of Nymphs and Dryads, while in the very earliest Italian antiquity, and in hoary popular tradition, they are called Viræ, Vires, Virgines and Viragines." In the story which we have given, Vira acts more like a witch than a fairy.


Taking the name Vira into consideration, with other characteristics, it is there fore possible that we have here perhaps the most ancient form of the legend.

Bergoia is a spirit sempre perfido, always treacherous, who was inher lifetime a very mischievous witch. Yet when young she was really good, and she was in a great and wealthy family by whom she was loved like adaughter. And there was a young girl, a daughter of the family, who also loved her very dearly. But little by little, no one knew how or why itwas, Bergoia began to change her nature and became as evil as she had before been amiable.

"Now the change was so great that the young lady was certain that some strange cause lay behind it, and being a very shrewd girl she resolved to watch Bergoia closely, and find out what it meant. And one evening when Bergoia bade her go to bed early, she did so, but kept awake to watch. And when midnight came, she heard the voice of a man without, singing:–

"Then the young lady, terrified at what she had so nearly escaped, ran screaming to her parents, and told them what she heard. Then he who had called, and who stood without, in a rage changed himself into a black dog,¹ and disappeared in a terrible flash of lightning with Bergoia, who was never seen on earth as a true woman again.

"After her death, Bergoia became a spirit of thunder and lightning, and was seen darting in the fire–si converte molte volte in saietta. She, however, often took human form, and would go to a house and ask for food and shelter; if she obtained it she would content herself with making thunder and lightning roar and flash, and if her hosts showed fear thenthere would come hail to devastate their crops. But woe to those who utterly refused her shelter, for then there would come a flash (saietta) which would destroy or burn the house, or set fire to the trees.

"Sometimes it comes to pass that Bergoia fancies a youth, and passes the night with him. He is bewitched and makes love, but never sees her, for she comes and goes in darkness, and suddenly departs in a flash oflightning which kills her paramour.

The Tusci, as OTTFRIED MÜLLER observes, had in their mythology an extraordinary number of spirits of thunder and lightning, furies and infernal witches,

¹ "Any voodoo is supposed to change himself into a black dog, black wolf, black cat, owl or bat at night. The way to stop the metamorphosis is to find either the human or the animal skin and salt it. These black animals spit fire at you if you have their human skin; but you must not fear, but hold it fast until you have salted it well."–MARY A. OWEN.

and, as I have observed, there are a great many in the Romagnolo mythology.¹ The Etruscan, like the Turanian everywhere–and the Mexican so far as we know it–seems to have been a religion or cult which was, especially in a certain stage, one of blood and of the grotesque horrors which always appeal to primitive man. In such religions thunder and storms, death, bloody sacrifices and evil spirits take precedence of more refined conceptions. The god is always a human sorcerer who continues to haunt mankind and exercise the same functions which he practised while living. No one can fail to recognise very distinct traces of this in these Romagnolo traditions.

This account speaks of "the deadly odour which lightning spreads around."The Hungarian gypsies say that it has a smell like garlic.

It may be observed that these Tuscan legends deal, not indirectly, but very evidently and closely, with their original myths. Many of the names of Etrusco-Italian deities are preserved in them almost unchanged. Now inno part of the Roman empire was the worship of Ceres so zealously maintained as in the Tuscan land; hence the idea of a wandering goddess, going about in disguise, soliciting shelter and food, and cruelly punishing those who treat her unkindly, appears more than once in these traditions. And it cannot be denied that by considering them as a whole, comparing oneincident with another, or all the special characteristics of the legends, no one can fail to see that all agree marvellously with what we know ofEtrurian or Old Latin origins, and manifest little admixture from other sources.

This being true, it is curious that there was an Etruscan minor goddess named Bergoe who appears to have communicated to mortals the whole theory and system of thunder, or an ars fulguritorum, which was preserved with other writings, after the time of Augustus, in the temple ofthe Palatine Apollo. Fulguritus really means id quod est fulmine ictum–that which is thunderstruck. Begoe was at least one whowas concerned with thunder, storms, and the spoiling of harvests. But here–as in all such cases–I only make a mere suggestion, to be corrected or set aside by those who are better qualified to decide.

Bergoia in this Tuscan myth kills animals and men at a flash or in an instant.

¹ The Tuscans (Tusker) who devoted much attention to investigating thunder and lightning recognised three kinds–that which gave counsel or advice, that which confirmed events and indicated how somethingwhich had happened would turn out, and the third which came unexpectedlyand predicted according to circumstances. It would weary the reader should I relate more of this greatly spun-out lightning-lore. For further details he may consult: SENECA, Naturæ Quest., ii., 32, &c.; PLINY, Hist Nat., ii., 53; VALERIAN, De fulminum significationobus in Grævii Thesaur., v., p. 600; MÜLLER, Die Etrusker; CREUZER, Symbolik, 3rd ed., vol. iii., p. 650; NORK, Real Worterbuch, vol. i., p. 160; DÖLLINGER Heidenthum, p.461; FRIEDRICH, Symbolik der Natur.

"Begoe," as we are told (History of Etruria, by Mrs. Hamilton Gray) "slew an ox simply by whispering in its ear the fearful name of the Highest." This I think refers to lightning. "The highest and most irresistible of all the powers dwells in the divine and mysterious name–"the supreme name," with which Hea alone is acquainted. Before this name everything bows in heaven and in earth and in Hades, and it alone can conquer the Maskin (evil spirits), and stop their ravages. "Awe her(Ninkigal) with the names of the great gods" (Fox Talbot, cited in Lenormant, Magie Chaldaienne). Thus nomen est numen, according to Varro, to which we may here appropriately add et numen est lumen–the divinity being lightning.

Of this spirit I have the following account:–

"Bughin is a spirit who does both good and evil. About harvest time he causes the carbonchiato¹ in the grain, or makes it become black, whence the bread made from it is also dark, having such a vile smell and taste that it cannot be eaten, which is a sad loss for the poor peasants–e cosi i poveri contadini se avessero la disgrazia. And when they have suffered much from this, say for three or four years, then they take two or three ears of wheat or of the grain (spighe di grano). These the peasant must husk or shell (sfarlo), clean, and put them on the hearth where it is very hot, and throw the refuse out-of-doors, and when putting the grain on the hearth say:–

"Should the heated grains burst and jump well, it is a sign that the rustor mildew will not attack the grain. But the peasant must be on the look-out to secure two grains of wheat of the very first which ripen before the smut, or carbonchiato, manifests itself,"

The Romans had a god or rural deity who presided over the rust in wheat.

¹ Carbonchio, a disease in grain by which it appears black and scorched. The smut or mildew. Carbonchioso, affected with the smut, burnt or scorched (BARETTI'S Italian Dictionary).

His name was Robigo, and there is much about him in the lore of the Latin harvest gods, of whom I would say incidentally that they seem to have been the prototypes of the same "Corn gods" in Germany, or sprung from the same source. The Latins had indeed quite a minor mythology of these. Seia, or Segetia, guarded the seed while in the ground. She was alsocalled Fructiseia and Semonia. Segesta attended to it when sprouting. The Deus Nodotus aided the development of the joints–dicitur deus qui ad nodos perducit res satas (ARNOBIUS, iv. 7; ap. PRELLER). Volutina formed the husk, Patelena opened the ear (vide Patelana). With these were twelve male gods who presided over all the separate processes of sowing and harvesting, besides the Deus Spinensis who was invoked tokeep the crop free from thorns and weeds. In Bolognese, Robigo would easily and naturally be changed to Bughin–big, the root, becoming bug or bugh by many analogies. In is a common termination for proper names.

The contadino when in difficulty on any subject has always his choice between appealing to a Christian saint or an ancient heathen god: "One good if the other fails." So if his horse be ill, he may begin with a prayer to Saint Antony of whom I was told that:–

"He is a saint who protects all animals, especially horses. And when onehas a horse in bad condition he goes to Saint Antonio and says:–

But should Saint Antony turn a deaf ear to this humble petition, the suppliant appeals to a much older, and therefore probably more experienced

deity, that is Ganzio, who is "of the horse, horsey," as he dwellsin stables, and who, though not devoid of trick or vice, is always willing to give his aid as an experienced "vet." when politely requested. Of him I have the following account:–

"Ganzio is the spirit who is over horses. Now it is not with evilintent but for fun that it often happens when a coachman goes into the stables Ganzio makes the horses misbehave, and throws impediments in the way, especially if the master be waiting without, and very impatient, begins to scold.

"However, if the master do not become too angry, or treat the coachman badly, Ganzio contents himself with making the horse rear and curvet a little (fa fare qualche capriciola). But if the master is unreasonablyangry, then the horse will take the wrong road if it he possible, or getinto a dangerous place, or leap or bolt, hut still without hurting his rider.

"Now if it he thought that Ganzio is playing these tricks the rider should say:–

I must remark that my informant did not very well recall this incantation, and "pieced it up," so to speak, as well as she could. But who was this Ganzio originally? Consus was a very old Roman minor deity, who was closely connected with animals, and especially with horses and races. "The Greeks," says PRELLER, "declared that on account of the chariot-races at his festival, and his altar buried in the earth that he was the same as their Poseidon Hippios." It is to be remarked that he was regardedas being very kind and considerate to animals,

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