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DEVCHAR (Evil Spirit) and the VOIJINN MAIM Part II!
Besides mid-wife's role, the voijinn maim also played a vital role as far as
peoples' general health was concerned; she prescribed them local medicines and
cured them.
A voijinn is the one who helped the villagers when they caught cold. She
simply handed in a mixture of bark chips from several trees like fatorfodd,
zamboll, jeel, etc., and asked mothers/grandmothers to prepare a "cuzument"
(decoction) in a "chaecho buddkulo" (tea kettle) and give it to the
child/children thrice a day; a little sugar was added for taste, and voilà,
within two or three days the cold would be gone!
If anyone was down with fever, the voijinn maim asked to collect
enough "addoxeachim panam" (leaves of a plant known as "addoso" which was
mostly found at an "addo/goddgo" [mud fence]) which had to be boiled until the
water turned reddish. The patient was then given hot bath of the water; he/she
was also made to drink a glass of the water before meals. After that, he/she
was not supposed to leave the house but sleep wrapped in a bed sheet or
blanket. The next morning, the person was up and going about as if nothing had
happened. While the hot water bath treats the body and relieves the pain, a
glass of water treats the inner system and makes the tongue palatable.
Another way to treat fever is to extract juice of "losunn" (garlic), "khavchim
panam" (betel leaves) and "alem" (ginger) by grinding these together and then
applying the juice all over the body - the result? Fever drops almost
immediately.
If a person had high fever "ani madon uloilear" (and if he was delirious), the
voijinn maim suggested "udkacheo goddieo" (wet cloth fold application) on the
forehead until fever dropped. Parents sometimes spent the whole night placing
the goddieo but it was worth it because by next morning the fever would drop
and the child/adult was able to sleep.
When we sprained our joints while playing, we rushed to voijinn maim who
meticulously examined the sprained part, found the damaged nerve, massaged it
with oil and set right a twisted ankle, knee, wrist, fingers, etc. The process
was called "xir kaddop." She also took care of minor fractures. She
ground "kombi holdichim jitim pallam" (fresh turmeric plant roots) along
with "asnnanchi sal", made a paste, applied it to the area, covered it with a
cloth and secured the fractured arm/leg with flat bamboo pieces wrapped with
cloth bandages.
If we woke up with a stiff neck, we went to the voijinn maim who again
massaged and set it right. Actually, stiff neck cases were referred to and
treated by "mottvem Jakin" (short Jakin) from Gaumvaddy who was gifted with
the power because she was born with legs out first' instead of the normal
birth in which the head comes out first.
Whenever we received deep cut, we approached voijinn maim who cleaned the
wound with maddanchi fenni, went to a "kavoto" (small coconut tree),
collected "maddache suvecho ghusso" (fine powder found around the shoot of a
coconut tree), applied it to the wound - if applied in time when the wound is
fresh, it is as good as suturing; firmly holds the wound together - and then
tied it with a tir (strip of cloth). If she didn't find one around, she cut
off a tir from her "kapddacho pallov" (top end of a woman's sari). Will any
nurse do that for you today?
If a wound was infected, the voijinn maim took a piece of "kattakunvor" (Aloe
Vera) leaf and buried it in embers for a while. When it was done, she broke
open the leaf and placed it on top of the infected area while it was hot and
tied it tightly with a "tir." The aloe plant is classified as succulent. The
sap from Aloe Vera sucks the "vikar" (poison), reduces inflammation,
alleviates the pain and swelling and helps heal it quickly. The process was
repeated a couple of times or more as needed. Aloe Vera was also prescribed
for treatment of abrasions and burns or scald, blisters, insect bites,
athlete's foot, fungus, etc. Each house then had at least one vase containing
Aloe Vera plants which was kept on the "argol" (border) of a water-well.
If a person looked pale and yellowish, the voijinn maim immediately diagnosed
it as "kaikoi" (jaundice) and asked the person to stop eating poultry
products, oily food, pork and liquor. She then prepared a mixture in a bottle
which had to be taken thrice a day and here again voilà, within a week the
kaikoi was gone; hers was a guaranteed medicine!
It is easy for an adult to express himself/herself to a doctor or a voijinn
and seek treatment but very difficult to understand a child's medical
problems the only thing that he/she does is cry bitterly. If a small child
caught fever, the voijinn maim fetched a piece of "kattakunvor" from the
compound and buried it in "murmurean" (embers) and while it was still soft,
placed it on a piece of clean cloth, pressed it and removed the jel. She
collected the jel in a "vattli" (brass plate), added sugar and boiled it. When
cooled, she made the child drink the juice and, voilà, the child was relieved
of fever!
One of the most common children's diseases was "dontanchem vo ghonxeachem
duens" (maw-worm disease). When a child suffered from this disease, they used
to say: "Bhurgeak ghonxe choddleat!" (The child is suffering from maw-worm
disease.) Actually, Gripe Water keeps maw-worms away from children but not
everyone could afford it. So, when a child was attacked by maw-worms, the
voijinn maim applied kerosene oil all over his/her stomach followed
by "viddiecho dunvor" (hand made cigar's/pamparo's smoke). She lit the
pamparo, smoked it for a while until it was well lit and then placed the
burning end in the mouth and blew out smoke through the thin smoking end which
looked as though it was coming from a goldsmith's tiny pipe. Every time
pamparo's burning faded inside the mouth, she brought it out and refreshed it
by smoking for a while and continued the process. The smoke from the "viddi"
was also blown all over a child's head - with the smoke emerging from hair, it
looked as though the child's head was on fire - all over the stomach, etc.,
but it was particularly focused on the navel so as to have direct impact on
the inner system.
If a child did not have appetite it would not drink milk or eat food. In this
case the voijinn maim would be called in and she would brush the child's
tongue with some roots. She then passed on to the mother some "kiraitem vo
koddu vokot" (bitter medicine) and asked her to boil it and give to the child
early in the morning. Since the medicine was very bitter, parents always had a
tough time feeding it to their children; the only way was to place the
medicine in the mouth and press the nose thus closing the nostrils so the
child would automatically gulp down the contents placed in the mouth.
"Eka bhurgeachi jib zodd aslear vo to/tem luddbelear" (If a child's tongue was
heavy or if he/she stammered) and if he/she could not pronounce the words
properly, the voijinn maim asked for a "zaifoll" (nutmeg), rubbed it on a
fatorn, collected the thick ground "lep" (application) from the fatorn into a
cup with the help of a "kobiechem pak" (chicken feather) and rubbed it on the
tongue. She asked the parents to repeat the process every day until the child
was able to pronounce the words properly. The treatment really worked and the
child was able to speak without any difficulty!
If anyone suffered from splitting headache, the voijinn maim made use of
a "zaifoll" to get rid of it and help the nervous system. It was rubbed on a
fatorn with maddanchi fenni and the "lep" was applied all over the forehead,
especially on both sides of the temples. By the next morning, the headache
would reduce and the nervous system would gradually improve. Suntt (dry
ginger) was also rubbed on a fatorn and the "lep" applied on the forehead in
case of a headache.
Next, a "zaifoll" was prescribed for illnesses related to digestive system, as
it combats minor gastric problems. The voijinn maim asked mothers to add a
little grated nutmeg in a glass of milk and give it to children at night; this
would set the stomach right.
In the olden days, there was no Viagra to help a man overcome his deficiency.
Men confided in voijinn maim and discussed their problems with her. She simply
suggested a spoonful of freshly grated nutmeg on an empty stomach in the
morning which gave a person a 24 to 36 hour "high". Of course, there were side
effects like muscle twitches, sensitivity to light, nasal discharge and
diarrhea. In this part of the world where I am employed, the import of nutmeg
is banned and that's because it is considered an aphrodisiac.
If the voijinn maim smelt bad breath while she spoke to a person, she
immediately remarked: "Ar're tujea tonddachi ghann marta; irloso zaifollacho
tonddan ghal ani to chinvot rav." (You have a foul breath; place a piece of
nutmeg in your mouth and keep chewing it.)
If anyone had loose motions or stomachache, people rushed to a voijinn maim
who advised them either to pluck some "pericheo komreo" (tender leaves of a
guava tree) and munch them together with a spoonful of whole cumin, or simply
take a spoonful of "mettieo" (fenugreek) and swallow them with a glass of
water. Eating a pomegranate or chewing its skin also helps stop loose motions.
During the summer season, especially when children ate too many mangoes, they
got kensoi vo kensolli (furuncle, boil) on their bodies. Sometimes, it would
swell and turn septic. The voijinn maim would suggest grinding "sonnbiam"
(linseeds) on a fatorn until a paste was formed which was then applied to the
boil. The paste softens the boil and breaks open. The voijinn maim or parents
would then forcibly squeeze the "kensolli" making sure that the seed came out
or else the boil would resurface after some days.
If boys/men complained of pain in the groin, voijinn maim diagnosed it
as "nosanchem" (hernia), prescribed "ganvtti vokot" (local medicine) and put
it back in place. She rubbed medicinal roots including "gozre" on a granite
stone until about six spoonful "lep" was produced. She then mixed half a
bottle of water to half bottle of maddanchi (palm) fenni, placed the "lep" in
a bottle, mixed it well and asked the patient to take one copinha (small cup)
thrice daily. In addition, she asked him to place half a tobacco leaf on a
kashtti (loin cloth) and wear it for ten days, and bingo that would be the end
of the problem with the least cost! Underwear was not good enough to hold the
panancho (piece of tobacco leaf) in place; only a kashtti did the job. So, the
kashtti, which many despise today, was not only our ancestors' wear but it
also served as an instrument' in medicine until the middle of the last
century. Today, we have to undergo a surgery to repair a hernia.
In the olden days, the cashew fenni was used as a treatment for colds.
Whenever one had a bad chest cold, the voijinn maim suggested "Ulpailolo
Cajuncho Soro" (burnt cashew fenni) as per the following process:
Pour a kals (cup) or two of cashew fenni in a "vattli" or any stainless steel
container, add a tablespoon or two of sugar and stir until it is dissolved.
Crush a few pepper seeds on a "fatorn" and spill the powder in
the "vattli"/container; you can also add a couple of "lovongam" (cloves.)
Light a matchstick and apply it to the fenni in the "vattli"/container; it
immediately catches fire. Leave the mixture to burn until it is reduced to
half the original quantity. Extinguish the fire and immediately place your
face close to the "attli"and inhale the hot vapor, making sure you don't touch
the "vattli" and get the jolt! Then take a teaspoon and enjoy every bit of the
processed fenni medicine. Repeat the process for a couple of nights and,
believe me, the cold in the chest will have disappeared by then. I still use
this formula whenever I have a bad chest cold when home on vacation.
The voijinn maim also suggested a "tantiachem massad" (beaten egg) mixed with
caju fenni for bad cold. Break an egg and separate the albumen from the yolk.
Place the yolk in a bowl, add a tablespoon sugar and beat until it turns thin.
Then add half or a full peg of cashew fenni (during Portuguese rule in Goa,
people added Maceira' brandy), mix it well and drink it just as you would
have a drink. Continue the "massad" for three days, and your cold is bound to
disappear. The "massad" is to be taken early in the morning before you brush
your teeth.
If the voijinn maim noticed someone sitting quietly on a sopò holding his/her
face in his/her hand, she immediately guessed it must be a bad toothache. She
prescribed placing a clove into the cavity. The use of clove in toothache
decreases pain. It also helps to decrease infection due to its antiseptic
properties. Clove oil, applied to a cavity in a decayed tooth also relieves
toothache.
In the past, if anyone coughed continuously, the voijinn maim asked him/her to
chew cloves. Chewing of clove with a crystal of common salt eases
expectoration, relieves the irritation in the throat and stops cough in the
pharynges i.e., inflammation of the pharynx. Chewing a burnt clove is also an
effective medicine for coughs caused by congested throat and pharyngitis.
A retired voijinn was the one who was usually hired for 40 days to look after
a "ballont" (a woman who gives birth to a child) and to massage her and the
child! The voijinn was required to cook a variety of nutritious dishes for the
mother every day. She spent those 40 days at the ballont's house and enforced
her rule on the ballont. During this period, the mother and child were totally
governed by the voijinn. She forcibly fed the mother so she remained in good
health and produced good amount of milk which in turn kept the baby healthy
and fit. Now we know why olden time mothers were so strong despite giving
birth to several children as compared to today's mothers who lose strength and
collapse soon after the birth of the first child! They become so weak that
they can't produce even an ounce of milk! The main reason why in those days
they hired a voijinn to look after a "ballont" was because she was well-versed
with medicines both for an adult and child; she was as good as a family doctor.
The above are some of the local medicines which our ancestors practiced. The
voijinn maim inherited them from her ancestors and she in turn passed them on
to our grandparents and parents some of whom still practice them.
Sundays and Wednesdays were quite busy days for the voizinn maim, as people
reserved her in advance for "dixtt kaddunk" (to drive away evil eye)
ani "vokot marunk" (to splash medicine) on a family, especially children.
These activities were mostly undertaken after the sunset. Before I get to the
process of "vokot marop", let me talk a little on the concept of fear.
What is fear? Fear is a feeling that danger or evil is near; state of being
afraid. Everyone fears death but none actually thinks about it until it knocks
at our door because it is something that we can't predict. However, common
fear is born in us during our day-to-day life. For example, children are
taught discipline through fear, sometimes with a loud shout or a light slap or
sometimes even with the help of a stick but that fear is then neutralized
through a loving explanation followed by shower of love, but the fear still
remains in a child's mind and the next time a slightly raised voice does the
trick of putting off the mischief or whatever it is. This is not the case with
the fear I am talking about. Here fear comes from the surroundings and remains
in the mind.
Most of the roads then had trees on either side. We looked to the skies for
the direction of the road when we walked in the dark; even a "saikolkar"
(bicycle rider) had to look up to the skies in the absence of a dynamo. Some
roads were totally covered by trees forming a kind of canopy above. There was
one such canopy in "Guntteran" in Gaumvaddy and the other one was
in "Zambllinim" in Chinvar. It is on this type of roads that people got scared
of any movement because they were like dark tunnels. Imagine, you are walking
in such a tunnel in the dark and suddenly a "natuk" (an owl) which was sitting
in the middle of the road flies off in your face. This sudden flight (owls
have soft feathers that enable them to fly noiselessly) out of nowhere sends a
shriek down your spine and creates a fear in your heart and it remains there
until someone removes it. The bats also scare people at night when they
suddenly fly close to your body like a flying jet and sometimes even brush
parts of your body, including ears!
Next, imagine suddenly an empty tin or an aluminum vessel falls down in the
dead of night and disturbs the tranquility of the house. In such a situation,
one is surely bound to get scared. Our mother would immediately
say "bhienakat; mazor kallukan kiteak tori adoll'llam ani taka lagon kitem
tori sokol poddlam astelem" (don't get scared: the cat must have dashed
something in the dark and the thing must have fallen down). We then had to
wait until power resumed, kerosene lamp light that is, to find out what
exactly had happened. My sister mostly caught hold of mother's kapodd and
moved about until lamplight was back.
Sometimes, while we were concentrated on our studies at night, suddenly we
would hear a loud noise like the collapse and fall of a tree branch which
would not only disturb our studies but also create a fearful situation.
Obviously, anyone who was engrossed at the time would be taken by surprise and
get scared at any noise that breaks the silence of the night. Keep in mind, in
those days the nights were so silent that drop of a pin could clearly be heard.
My house is located at the foot of the hill; it was built by cutting the
slope. One night, there was a landslide at the back of our house. A part of
the hill close to our kitchen gave way and landed almost on the old kitchen
wall which was made of mud; luckily it did not hit the wall but only touched
it slightly. The landslide noise was so loud gosoiiiiiiiiiins - that it woke
us up. We didn't know what had happened and where. Finally, we exited the back
side of the kitchen and saw the mud resting against the wall. The fear was a
total suspense until we established the cause; we didn't know what actually
had happened and our hearts were still beating at a fast pace.
Sometimes, even silly action like hiding in a corner and then suddenly jumping
out with a loud shout, something we often did as children, creates fear which
does not only double the heart's palpitation rate but also drenches you with
fear and sweat. Here again the fear remains in a person until something is
done about it.
Speaking of fear, in those days, everyone feared the "khavttekar" (the guys
who kidnapped children to sacrifice them at a "khavttem" [crack of a bridge],
or construction of a bridge). These men roamed about with a "sak" (gunny bag)
on their shoulders and nobody could make out what the bag contained unless it
was opened and checked. As soon as children saw a man with a gunny bag on his
shoulder, they got scared and ran away. The children also mistook the "vollar"
(a person who goes about in villages selling glass bangles) for a "khavttekar"
because he also balanced a large case containing bangles on his back; even
a "telkar" (oilman) who went about in villages selling "tillanchem tel"
(sesame oil) and who also balanced a large tin of oil on his back by tying it
to a cloth which was fixed to his forehead, was mistaken for a "khavttekar."
The fear of "khavttekar" was so great that when a child did not go to sleep,
his/her mother would say: "Baba/Baie, nidonk voch nam zalear khavttekar ievn
tuka vortolo" (Son/Daughter, go to sleep or else the khavttekar will come and
get you). They used similar dialogue in the Hindi movie "Sholay": "Beta so ja,
nahi to Gabbar Singh ayega!" (Son, go to sleep or else Gabbar Singh will come
and get you)!
Many times children had bad dreams. Sometimes a large bird or a winged-monster
picked them up with its claws and flew away to a high altitude from where
everything looked so tiny. Suddenly the claws would open and the child would
fall to the ground. This sudden fall would result in children's waking and
standing up followed by loud screams. Naturally, parents woke up with them,
held them in their arms, patted them and enquired with them what had happened.
The children then narrated the frightful story and the next day they were
surely taken to the voijinn maim for treatment.
Even the fall of rainwater drops "tapak-tapak; tapak-tapak; tapak-tapak" from
the "panvlleo" (eaves) in the dead silence of the night when the rain had just
stopped, followed by the croaking of frogs, made children frightened and they
couldn't fall asleep; they just kept rolling in their bedding until mother or
father joined them and slept next to them. Add to that the cries of a "natuk"
(owl) or "balgem" (female hyena,) which the elders always referred to as evil
spirits. Sometimes, when parents heard these creatures cry and children
wouldn't go to sleep, they scared them by saying: "Bhailean natuk/balgem
roddta aikolaim mure/mungo, vegim nid nam zalear tem ievn tuka vortelem." (You
heard the owl/hyena cry outside, didn't you? So, you better go to sleep or
else it will come and get you.) And that would do the trick!
The saga of Anjuna lays claim to great antiquity. It goes back to remote times
when Bhumika Devi, primitive earth-goddess reigned supreme in her temple by
the sacred "tollem" (pond) the place is known as "Tolleachea Bandar" where
Anjuna-Kaisua Panchayat and the Police Station are now stationed. In those
days, the water from this tollem was used for "vaingonn" (after crop or second
crop) irrigation. It is believed that the "Devi" was transferred from this
place to a "divul" (temple) in Morjim from where every year its statue is
brought in a "palki" (palanquin) to Kainsua or Xapora (formerly known as
Shahpura) and from there it is taken to the Anjuna "divul" at Voilo Vaddo also
known as Foger Vaddo or Sonar Vaddo via Tolleachea Bandar. Every year they
have a small zatra at Tolleachea Bandar and "nattkam" (theatrical plays in
Marathi) are held for three consecutive nights. Tolleachea Bandar is one of
many places in Anjuna which was renowned for "azneri", especially after the
dusk despite a cross which stands on the ruins of the temple. Anyone who
passed by this place at night, was bound to experiment harassment by evil
spirits in the form of a person or animal. Some even lost their minds and
became "pixe" (fools) and landed in fools' paradise!
This is where the old technique "nodor kaddop" or "vokot marop" came in handy
and people thoroughly believed in it because a person was rendered normal
after such treatment. In all the above examples, the voijinn maim was called
in to remove that fear from the mind. In those days, no matter what the
disease was, the first thought that crossed the mind was a visit to a voijinn
maim; the doctor came to mind only lastly!
If children did not sleep properly at night, or if they talked loudly in their
sleep, or "niden ang kaddlear" (shrieked their bodies in sleep), parents
believed they were affected by an evil eye. In villages, parents took their
children to a local voijinn who was well-versed in the field, or called her at
home to do the job. The voijinn made use of "motteo sukeo mirsango" (large
dried chilies), "mitt" (salt) and "khoddi sakor" (crystal-shaped pieces of
sugar). Holding these three items in hand, she passed her hand all over an
affected person's body and called out each and every family member's names,
including parents', followed by neighbors' and "ietea-veteachem" (passers' by)
after which an "unvalli" (circles made around the head with the three items
held in hand) was performed and lastly the left hand with contents would be
exited from the left leg. Finally, the three items were thrown in "chulichea
ujean" (fire place) where khoddi sakor burst making "tto-tto-tto-tto" sound
and turned into different shapes. If the shape looked like an eye, the voijinn
maim convinced the child's parents that it definitely was an evil eye which
was already driven out from the child's body, placed in the fire and burnt and
destroyed; hence, they did not have to worry about it at all.
Speaking of "dixtt", I remember an incident which took place when I was around
five years old. We had four coconut trees inside the compound wall by the road
side which yielded coconuts throughout the year. One of these coconut trees
was fully covered with "narlancheo ani addsorancheo penddieo" (bunches of
coconuts and tender coconuts). One fine summer afternoon while all of us were
resting on the sopò (bench of stones) in our gallery after lunch, we noticed a
passer by look at the top of the coconut tree and walk without removing his
sight. When the man had crossed about 200 meters and was out of sight,
suddenly one of the penddi (bunch) of coconuts fell to the ground. We found it
strange, as a full "penddi" had never fallen to the ground occasionally
a "bonddo" (tender coconut in its early stage) yes. Within a week, we noticed
the leaves of the tree had faded. Finally, within less than a month the
coconut tree died. We lost the best coconut tree to the evil eye of a passer
by! Believe it or not!
When voijinn maim left on a "vokot marunk" mission trip, she carried under her
armpit a small bag with a cover made of bamboo which contained roots, one of
them was called "pall-merde" - pall = root; merde = s..t; no wonder the vokot
always smelt s..tty), pieces of bones, including human bones from a
dead "ballont" (a woman who died at delivery) collected from the cemetery
through a "pedo" (grave digger), "zodd'ddea kansovachea kott'tteache kuddke"
(pieces of wild tortoise shell), an owl's bones and nails, etc.
Per voijinn maim's request, I hunted owls for her on Sundays and passed them
on to her. Since an owl is a nocturnal bird, it's really a tedious task to
locate an owl in the thick branches of trees during day time, as it does not
hop around but sits quietly in the thickest of branches; it's like looking for
a needle in a haystack! Although I was a sharp shooter, I was never able to
shoot down an owl at the first shot; as such, I had to wait for another
opportunity, as the owl would have flown away to another bush. I then had to
tell the voijinn maim that I was unsuccessful in bringing her an owl. She
perfectly understood and said: "That's what happens; the best of shooters miss
to shoot an owl and this is why I can't get an owl when I want". They say it
is bad luck to see an owl in daylight. They also say if you kill an owl,
revenge will be visited upon your family, and there I was looking for owls
like a fool, but nothing happened to my family that can be attributed to the
killing of an owl.
The voijinn maim removed owl's main feathers and then buried the hunted owl in
the ground and extracted the bones after some days. Once, although the stone
kept on the top of the buried owl was there, the dead owl had disappeared. I
found it strange and couldn't believe it, but the voijinn maim told me that
that had happened before but she had not told me about it.
In the past, an owl played an important role in our lives. Since it was
directly or indirectly related to the sorcery, I think it would not be out of
place for me to provide some information on the bird here.
Owls have been associated with death and misfortune, likely due to their
nocturnal activity and common screeching call. The owl is a bird of ill omen,
too evil to name, the embodiment of evil spirits. Many people believe the owl
brings illness to children because they are believed to be the sorcerer's
birds.
The cries of an owl were interpreted by the number:
One hoot was an omen of impending death. When elderly heard such cries, they
questioned each other: "Saiba bhogos! Aiz konn mornank lagim pavla tor?"
(Lord; forgive us! Who has reached the end of his/her life today?) They would
then shortlist sick people in the ward. Surprisingly, very often, the next
morning one of those people would have conked off! The same was believed when
a "balgem" cried at night.
Two hoots meant success in anything that would be started soon thereafter;
three represented a woman being married into family; four indicated a
disturbance; five denoted coming travel; six meant guests were on their way;
seven was a sign of mental distress; eight foretold sudden death; and nine
symbolized good fortune. If an owl hoots as a child is born, the infant will
have an unhappy life.
Seizures in children were treated with a broth made from owl eyes. Rheumatism
pain was treated with a gel made from owl meat. Owl meat was also eaten as a
natural aphrodisiac. If one ate the eyes of an owl, it was believed they would
be able to see in the dark.
In the olden days, if an owl entered a house it had to be killed at once for
if it flew away it was believed it would take the luck of the house with it.
However, owls have also been associated with wisdom and prosperity as a result
of frequently being companion animals for goddesses. In Indian culture, a
white owl is considered a companion of the goddess of wealth, and therefore a
harbinger of prosperity. An owl seen on the way to the harvest is the sign of
a good yield.
The sight of an owl makes childbirth easier.
If a woman is pregnant and she alone hears an owl hoot outside her house at
night then her child will be blessed.
Owl amulets protect women during childbirth. The voijinn maim often handed in
such amulets to pregnant women.
When a pregnant woman hears an owl it is an omen that her child will be a girl.
The owl makes two different sounds; the first means it is safe to go, and the
second means it's better to say at home.
Before we get on to voijinn maim's next schedule of driving away an "evil
eye", I shall talk a little on the word "nodor" (sight):
A person's eyes are one of the most precious parts of the body; they are also
one of the most dangerous weapons! Some people are born with an attractive
pair of eyes so much so that when a boy or a girl looks into each other's
eyes, he/she gets kind of hypnotized and falls for the person without even an
introduction; that's what is called power of eyes!' Their eyes are so
powerful that they can melt people like ice and make them their subordinates.
These are the type of people who became a pest to the society because whatever
they looked at was destroyed, including human beings, especially children.
Those who grew up in Goa in the 1950's/1960's surely remember children wearing
a multicolored-beads-necklace around their necks and also around their waist
line. This was to ward off an evil eye. Early in the morning, as soon as
parents finished combing a child's hair and dressed him/her up, they put a
small black "tikli" (dot) in the center of the forehead and also sometimes in
the center of both the cheeks. If they were in a hurry and forgot to do this,
they returned home, placed the "tikli" and then only proceeded on their
journey. This also was done to ward off an evil eye. No parents were ready to
take the risk and then spend the whole night trying to calm down a crying baby
who ultimately would fall sick the next morning. A small "pottli" (bundle)
containing an owl's nail or an eye or a piece of bone was also tied to beads
necklace. This served as an effective talisman to avert the evil eye'.
Sometimes, a small "pottli" containing fresh garlic was also tied to the
necklace which helped keep the evil spirit away and protected the child.
Here is how the voijinn maim drove away evil spirit from a person's body:
Continued .....
Moi-mogan,
Domnic Fernandes
Anjuna/Dhahran, KSA
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