Nygon Wyrta Galdor - Nine Herbs Charm

Old English, Cockayne’s Transcription Cockayne’s Translation
Gemyne ðu mucgƿyrt Have a mind, mugwort,
hƿæt þu ameldodest What thou mentionedst
hƿæt þu renadest What thou prepareds
æt regen melde at the prime telling.
Una þu hattest Una thou hightest
yldost ƿyrta Eldest of worts:
þu miht ƿið . III . Thou hast might for three
⁊ ƿið . XXX . And against thirty;
þu miht ƿiþ attre For venom availest,
⁊ ƿið onflyge For vile flying things;1
þu miht ƿiþ þa laþan Mighty gainst loathed ones
ðe geond lond færð. That throu the land rove.

✠ Ond þu ƿegbrade ✠ And thou, waybread,
ƿyrta modor Mother of worts,
eastan opone Open from eastward,
innan mihtigu Mighty within;
ofer ðy cræte curran Over thee carts creaked,2
ofer ðy cƿene reodan Over thee queens rode,
ofer ðy bryde bryodedon Over thee brides bridalled,
ofer ðy fearras fnærdon. Over thee bulls breathed,
Eallum þu þon ƿiðstode All these thou withstoodst,
⁊ ƿiðstunedest And with stound3 stayedst
swa ðu ƿiðstonde As thou withstoodst,
attre and onflyge Venom and vile things
and þæm laðan þe And all the loathly ones,
geond lond fereð: That through the land rove.

Stune hætte þeos ƿyrt, Steem4 hight this wort,
heo on stane geƿeox. On stone she grew,
stond heo ƿið attre, Standeth she gainst venom,
stunað heo ƿærce Stoundeth she head wark;
Stiðe heo hatte, Stiff hight she also,
ƿiðstunað heo attre Stoundeth she venom,
ƿreceð heo ƿraðan, Wreaketh on the wrath one,
ƿeorpeð ut attor Whirleth out poison.

✠ Þis is seo ƿyrt ✠ This5 is the wort which
seo ƿiþ ƿyrm gefeaht Fought against worm,
þeos mæg ƿið attre This avails for venom,
heo mæg ƿið onflyge For flying vile things.
heo mæg ƿið ða laþan 'Tis good gainst loathly ones
ðe geond lond fereþ. That through the land rove.

Fleoh þu nu attorlaðe, Flee now, attorlothe,
seo læsse ða maran The less from the greater,6
seo mare þa læssan, The greater the less,
oððæt him beigra bot sy Till boot from them both be.

Gemyne þu, mægðe, Have in mind, thou maythen,
hƿæt þu ameldodest What thou mentionedst,
hƿæt ðu geændadest What thou accomplishedst
æt Alorforda At Alderford.7
þæt næfre for gefloge That never for flying ill
feorh ne gesealde Fatally fell man,
syþðan him mon mægðan Since we to him maythen
to mete gegyrede For medicine mixed up.

Þis is seo ƿyrt ðe This is the wort which
wergulu hatte Wergule8 hight;
ðas onsænde seolh This sent the seal
ofer sæs hrygc Over seas ridge
ondan attres Of other mischief
oþres to bote The malice to mend.
Ðas VIIII ongan These nine can march on
ƿið nygon attrum. Gainst nine ugly poisons.
✠ Ƿyrm com snican, ✠ A worm sneaking came
to slat he nan To slay and to slaughter;
ða genam Ƿoden Then took up Woden
. VIIII . ƿuldortanas Nine winderous twigs,
sloh ða þa næddran He smote then the nadder
þæt heo on . VIIII . tofleah Till it flew in nine bits.
Þær geændade æppel There ended it the crab apple
⁊ attor þæt heo næfre And its venom, that never it
ne ƿolde on hus bugan Should more in house come.

✠ Fille ⁊ finule, ✠ Chervil and fennel
fela mihtigu twa Two fair and mighty ones,
þa ƿyrte gesceop These worts the Lord formed,
ƿitig drihten Wise he and witty is,
halig on heofonum, Holy in heaven,
þa he hongode sette Them he suspended
⁊ sænde on VII ƿorulde And sent to the seven9 worlds,
earmum ⁊ eadigum For the poor and the rich,
eallum to bote Panacea for all.
Stond heo ƿið ƿærce, It standeth against pain
stunað heo ƿið attre It stoundeth at venom,
seo mæg ƿið . III . Strong it is gainst three
⁊ wið . XXX . And against thirty;
ƿið feondes hond Gainst the hand of the fiend,
⁊ ƿið frea begde To the Lord low it louted
ƿið malscrunge Gainst foul fascination
manra wihta Of farm stock of mine.

✠ Nu magon þas . VIIII . ƿyrta ƿið nygon ƿuldor geflogenum ƿið . VIIII . attrum and ƿið nygon onflygnum. ƿið ðy readan attre, ƿið ðy runlan attre. ƿið ðy hƿitan attre, ƿið ðy ƿedenan attre. ƿið ðy geolwan attre, ƿið ðy grenan attre. ƿið ðy ƿonnan attre, ƿið ðy ƿedenan attre. ƿið ðy brunan attre, ƿið ðy baseƿan attre. ƿið ƿyrm geblæd, ƿið ƿæter geblæd, ƿið þorn geblæd, ƿið þystel geblæd ƿið ys geblæd, ƿið attor geblæd. Gif ænig attor cume eastan fleogan oððe ænig norðan cume eastan oððe ænig ƿestan ofer ƿerðeode.✠ Crist stod ofer alde ængancundes. Ic ana ƿat ea rinnende þær þa nygon nædran behealdað motan ealle weoda nu ƿyrtum aspringan sæs toslupan, eal sealt ƿæter ðonne ic þis attor of ðe geblaƿe. ✠ Now these inne worts avail gainst nine exiles from glory,10 gainst nine venoms, and nine flying vile things, gainst hte red venom, gainst the stinking venom, gainst the white venom, gainst the watchet venom, gainst the yellow venom, gainst the green venom, gainst wan livid venom, gainst watchet venom, gainst the brown venom, gainst the purple venom, gainst worm blister, gainst water blister, gainst thorn blister, gainst thistle blister, gainst ice blister, gainst poison blister, if any ill come flying from east, or any come from north, or from any west, over the human race. ✠ Christ stood over men opposingly. I alone know Him beaming and the nine adders behold Him. All weeds now may give way to worts. Seas may dissolve, all salt water, when I this venom from thee blow.

Mucgƿyrt, ƿegbrade þe eastan open sy, lombescyrse, attorlaðan, mageðan, netelan, ƿudusuræppel, fille ⁊ finul, ealde sapan. Geƿyrc ða ƿyrta to duste, mængc ƿiþ þa sapan ⁊ ƿiþ þæs æpples gor. Ƿyrc slypan of ƿætere ⁊ of axsan, genim finol, ƿyl on þære slyppan ⁊ beþe mid æggemongc, þonne he þa sealfe on do, ge ær ge æfter. Sing þæt galdor on æcre þara ƿyrta, . III . ær he hy ƿyrce and on þone æppel ealsƿa; ond singe þon men in þone muð and in þa earan buta and on ða ƿunde þæt ilce gealdor, ær he þa sealfe onde:— Mugwort, waybread which spreadeth open towards the east, lambscress, attorlothe, maythen, nettle, crab apple, chervil, fennel, and old soap; work the worts to a dust, mingle with the soap and with the verjuice of the apple; form a slop of water and of ashes, take fennel, boil it in the slop, and foment with egg mixture, when the man puts on the salve, either before or after. Sing the charm upon each of the worts; thrice before “he” works them up, and over the apple in like manner; and sing into the man’s mouth and into both his ears the same magic song, and into the wound, before he applies the salve.

Extracted from Thomas Cockayne’s Leechdoms, wortcunning, and starcraft of early England : Being a collection of documents, for the most part never before printed, illustrating the history of science in this country before the Norman conquest, 1866.

  1. 1.Epidemic Disorders. ↩
  2. 2.The waybread takes half its name from growing by waysides. ↩
  3. 3.stound, (a stunning noise; gestun,) is used by Drayton. ↩
  4. 4.Watercress; the fiery pungency of its flavour is, perhaps, the origin of the name; for Stiem is conflagration. ↩
  5. 5.Attorlothe. ↩
  6. 6.The blind nettle. ↩
  7. 7.The allusion is dark. There is a place of the name in Norfolk. ↩
  8. 8.The crab apple. ↩
  9. 9.The seven spheres in which the seven planets revolve, the earth being the center of observation. ↩
  10. 10.Glory banished ones; devils. The alliterative measure continues, which some error at North. ↩