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Author
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Comment
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aka Greensleeves
Registered User
(11/18/04 6:02 pm)
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Hex Signs (or other decorative wardings)
Does anyone know of any credible source for the idea of hex signs as more than simple decoration?
Or evidence of the use of similar symbols in folk magic/superstition anywhere else (like the Mediterranean "Evil Eye")?
Every reference I've found to the hex sign being any sort of warding or having *any* mystical/magical connotation has been in material with a witchcraft/occult/pagan focus. Nothing I've seen dealing with the hex signs themselves has indicated that they are more than pretty images, peculiarly Pennsylvania Dutch.
I suppose I'm really looking for accounts of decorative wardings in folk tradition.
Ideas?
Thanks!
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Terri Windling
Registered User
(11/19/04 2:45 am)
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Re: Hex Signs (or other decorative wardings)
I'm afraid I don't know any text references for you, but I can give you anecdotal evidence. My family is Pennsylvania Dutch (which is really German, "Pennsylvania Deutsch"), and my grandmother and her sisters always talked of hex signs as having magical properties -- some for warding off evil, some for blessings and good luck. My grandmother was particularly attached to the "disselfink" hex sign (I'm sure that's not how it's properly spelled -- I've never seen it written down so I'm spelling it how it sounded) -- which insured good luck and harmony in a household. Considering that our household was not exactly harmonious, I can't say that it worked (unless it would have been, gads, even worse without it...) Sorry I can't tell you more -- I didn't pay nearly enough attention to this when I was a kid, and I regret it now. One of these days I want to research Pennsylvania Dutch folklore. If you come across any good books on this, could you let us know on this board?
You might be interested in a lovely novel based on Pennsylvania Dutch lore: The Hex Witch of Seldom by Nancy Springer. It's quite good.
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aka Greensleeves
Registered User
(11/19/04 1:21 pm)
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Re: Hex Signs (or other decorative wardings)
Terri, your anecdotal evidence is *plenty* good enough for me!
My 'research' in this matter is slight, but the title that keeps cropping up is Don Yoder/Thomas Graves: HEX SIGNS, which was recently reprinted:
Yoder
& Graves: Hex Signs
This
site gives a very brief overview of the tradition.
The spelling I have seen is "distlefink" or "distelfink."
Thanks, too, for the Springer recommendation; sounds right up my alley (loved her books growing up).
I wasn't planning on looking that deeply into this subject (only wanted a brief mention of a hex-sign-like symbol for a scene), but my husband (the family genealogist) reminded me that my own ancestry is German-via-Pennsylvania... so now I must learn if we're *that* Pennsylvania Deutsch....
Great. A new obsession.....
Edited by: aka Greensleeves at: 11/19/04 1:27 pm
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AlisonPegg
Registered User
(11/19/04 2:00 pm)
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Re: Hex Signs (or other decorative wardings)
You might find "Legendary Hex Signs" by Jacob Zook helpful. It has lots of hex stories and explains the colours and hidden meanings.
By the way... I think the spelling is "Distelfink". It's the good luck and happiness bird. One we're all in need of, I think.
Alison
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redtriskell
Registered User
(11/21/04 12:05 am)
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Re: Hex Signs (or other decorative wardings)
Not sure if this is relevent, but I have a wonderful book about superstitions that discusses hexing as an activity rather than a charm. Which seems to be what you're describing. Anyway, my book states: "...hexing to ward off unflattering or undesired attention could be accomplished in numerous ways. The primary method seems to have involved incantations along with spitting. [refers to previous chapter on the evil eye] When properly utilized, hexing could be a powerful tool in any dispute." I left out some of the paragraph, but I'm sure you get the idea. Just thought it was an interesting angle.
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