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p. 298

CHARM AGAINST SNAKE-BITE.1

THOU beneath the bridge, the smooth wood
Under juniper the rough wood,
Thou the arrow in the willows,
O thou challenged gold-adorned one,
Earthy-coloured, liver-coloured,
Rainy-hued and hazel-coloured,
Firebrand hued and cherry-coloured,
Do not thou in secret bite me,
Nor attack me unsuspecting,
Do not bite me when I heed not.

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Footnotes

p. 298

1 Kreutzwald and Neus, Mythische und magische Lieder, p. 7. Charms of this kind are very common in Finland and Esthonia, and a whole volume has been published by the Finnish Literary Society under the name of Loitsurunoja, selections from which have been recently published in “Folklore” by the Hon. John Abercromby.