LACNUNGA CXXXIII 74 With fleogendan attre asleah. IIII. Scearpan on feower healfa mid aecenan brande geblodga thone brand weorf on weg sing this on III.
+ matheus me ducath+ marcus me conseruaeth + lucas me liberat + hannes me adiuvet semper o amen. Contriue deus omnem malum et nequitiam per uirtutem patris et: filii et spiritus sci sanctifica me emanuhel ihsxps libera me ab omnibus insitiis inimici benebictiodomini super caput meum potens deus in omni tempore. AMEN
TRANSLATION:Against flying venom, score on the four sides (to the four quarters) with an oaken torch, make bloody that torch, throw on the way, sing this on 3 (times):
Matthew guide me, Mark consecrate/protect me, Luke free me, John always help me, Amen. Destroy, O God all evil and wickedness, by the power of the Father and son and spirit, sanctify me, Emmanuel, Jesus? free me from all enemies resident, (the) benedictionof the Lord (be) on my head, of a powerful god in all my time, Amen.
INTERPRETATION:The charm is very clearly Christian. In the first line the caller asks for fourfold help reflecting the actions to the four quarters. Then a triple aspect god is asked to destroy evil and bestow blessings. Finally the caller asks to be freed from local spirits (elves?) and asks his powerful god for life long blessings.
QUESTIONCould this charm be based on a pre-Christian charm and can we attempt to reconstruct any of this? The first paragraph describing the actions needs no alteration to appear pagan. We could however produce many possible pagan variations on the second paragraph. Here is a possible outline reconstruction:
PAGAN RECONSTRUCTED CHARMFace the four quarters in turn and sing the name of a god/goddess asking for help, the four that both left their mark in the names of places on our landscape and in the days of the weeks are: Woden, Thunor, Tiw and Frig so these would seem appropriate.Then ask a powerful god - Woden was the most important of the gods - to banish the evil and for blessing.Finally ask Woden to banish the bad local spirit (elves in late Saxon times but perhaps scucca in pre-Christian times) and bestow blessings for all of my days.
Reference: masonsofheaven.blogspot.com
