Pocket Charm Against Lightning and the Devil

Jan 12

Kilcatherine, Ireland photo by Susanne Iles

When I lived in Ireland I journeyed up and down the old roads, deep in hills of the Ring of Beara. The land is steeped in stories, rites, rituals and magical thought. Mysterious shapes and whispers move past and through you, elusive and fleeting.

One bright day, while hiking in the Caha Mountains, I noticed a tiny flutter of white caught on the thorns of a gorse bush. At first, it looked like a rose petal or a leaf but upon closer inspection, it was a tiny half-moon carefully stitched with blue thread.

The material felt like lamb or calfskin and was folded over like a little pocket. A small, rectangular outline proved that there was something inside. I debated whether or not to open it as I thought it might be some kind of charm or talisman and was nervous about disrupting it. Curiosity got the better of me and I delicately tugged open one of the stitches to see what was inside.

Such a tiny piece of paper, so carefully folded! What could it be? I definitely needed a magnifying glass to read it. The paper turned out to contain prayers and a charm against lightning and the snares of the devil. How was this carried? I imagined it sewn carefully into a pocket, hidden in a hat, or perhaps worn in a locket.

Look how small it is compared to the little coins!

The introduction was in Latin:

In illo tempore: Postquam consummati sunt dies octo, ut circumcideretur Puer; vocatum est nomen ejus Jesus, quod vocatum est ab Angelo priusquam in utero conciperetur.

(Translation: At that time, after eight days had passed, that the child; he was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived.)

It was followed by The Lord’s Prayer, Glory Be and Hail Mary, and then the reparatory prayer known as "The Golden Arrow or Act of Praise."

"Be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored, glorified the most holy, most sacred, most adored, most unknown, most inexpressible Name of God in Heaven, on earth and in hell, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, Amen.”

Prayers and Charms, so unbelieveably tiny!

The prayers ended with this little charm:

“In honour of the five letters which form His Name and by the Virtue of His Five Wounds, Jesus promises to grant to persons who will wear this little Gospel five special favours.

1st To be preserved from lightning.

2nd To be saved from the snares of the devil.

3rd Not to die a sudden or unforeseen death.

4th He will facilitate their walk in the path of virtue

5th He will give final perseverance.”

The little pocket was gently restitched and is currently tucked into my altar. It is my hope the charm served the original carrier well and that some of its charm and good luck will rub off on anyone who enters my home. Such a delicate little secret. I wonder what other stories it could tell?