Conjure: Old Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm, or Nine Wort Charm

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>>The Lacnunga (Remedies), a 10th-century herbal, is a collection of nearly two hundred herbs used by the Anglo-Saxons and kept now at the British Library in London. Whoever compiled it, gathered material from a wide range of sources, mostly Anglo-Saxon, hence it is not a systematic account, but more of an anthology. One of its contents is the Nine Herb Charm. Anglo-Saxons believed disease was spread by toxins blowing in the winds. Songs, salt, water, and herbs were trusted means of protection from the flying venom. The Lacnunga names nine sacred plants and a chant in their praise. The nine herbs are: Mucgwyrt (Mugwort), Attorlaöe (identified as Cockspur Grass by R.K. Gordon; partially defined by others as Betony), Stune (Lamb's Cress), Wegbrade (Plantain), Mægöe (Mayweed or Matricaria (Chamomile), Stiöe (Nettle), Wergulu (Crab-apple), Fille (Thyme), en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NineHerbs and Finule (Fennel). At the end of the charm, prose instructions are given to take the above mentioned herbs, crush them to dust, and to mix them with old soap and apple juice. Further instructions are given to make a paste from water and ashes, boil fennel into the paste, bathe it with beaten egg — both before and after the prepared salve is applied.<<


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THE PENN STATE MEDIEVAL GARDEN
Commentarius
Plants in the Saxon World

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