|
Snake Lore in
Conjure and Hoodoo
by Denise Alvarado
Snakes are
a common subject in the realm of hoodoo and folk magic.
Their uses range the gamut from good luck to retribution,
and the omens assigned to them as equally as varied. For example, to produce rain in times of
drought, a snake that has been killed is hung on a fence
belly up. This practice is believed to bring rain within 24
hours. To stop rain, a snake is killed and not turned over.
Catching a snake at the end of a
fishing line is said to indicate enemies are attempting to
ensnare and kill you.
Snake sheds have multiple
uses in Louisiana hoodoo and folk magic. For example,
rubbing a snake shed in your hand will prevent a person from
dropping and breaking dishes in the kitchen.
Adding snake sheds to a mojo hand will bring a person good
luck.
 In
addition to snake sheds, other parts of the snake are also
used in conjure. Many of these beliefs concern the black
snake, a term which describes several common species of
snakes found in Louisiana. An old belief to cause a
person to gain courage entails swallowing the heart of a
black snake. The fresh blood of a black snake combined with
whiskey will enable a person to have great endurance
and perseverance. The skin of a black snake worn about the
waist, leg, or body is said to make a person strong and
supple.
Lore tells
us that a black snake can be killed by simply making a
crossmark (this results in someone else killing the snake).
The snake's back can be broken by making a crossmark across
his trail in the dust and spitting in it. When a snake is
killed around the home, it should be burned so there will be
no further problems.
In Africa, bones from the
spinal column of a snake were strung and worn like a belt to
cure a backache. This is a great example of the concept of
image magick or "like produces like." To gain real knowledge
and skill in conjuring, a person should eat the brains
of a snake. One old gris gris formula consists of dried
Jimson weed and a dried head of a snake powdered and blended
well. It is said that this will produce blindness.
Snake parts were often used in
bottle spells. A dried snake, either whole or just the head
that is put into a bottle with nine nails and vinegar makes
for a potent crossing spell. Multiple snakes placed in a
bottle or jar and buried under the front step of an enemy is
another crossing bottle spell. A dried snake, 9 dried
spiders, and 9 roaches, a personal effect of an enemy, along
with their foot track placed in a jar or bottle and the put
under their front step is a powerful conjure.
Dreaming of
snakes is a sign of enemies nearby.
According to
Byron Ballard,
the Village Witch of Asheville, North Carolina,
"Black
snakes are incredibly wonderful and you should always
welcome them into your territory. That's number one. Up here
in the southern (Appalachian) mountains,
the snake is an omen (usually) of coming change that will be
beneficial and is often a sign of the direct blessing of a
Goddess."
Finally, an
initiatory rite for being a powerful conjuror involves going
out into the woods and laying on the ground, allowing snakes
to crawl all over you, and looking at the snakes directly in
the eyes. If one can do this without flinching, it is said
the person is empowered with the power of the snake and is
fit to be a conjuror.
The Sacred Serpent of New Orleans
Voodoo
The
snake's role in hoodoo and conjure is likely related
to the important role of the serpent deity in African Voodoo
and New Orleans Voodoo.
Li Grande Zombi is the most important loa in
the New Orleans Voodoo pantheon. The name of this loa
is most commonly linked to the name of Marie Laveau's
pet snake, a huge boa constrictor or royal python (ball
python) who was worshipped at her New Orleans Voodoo rituals
on Bayou St. John. Saint John’s Eve, which falls on June 23,
is the day when the biggest Voodoo gatherings were held.
Li Grande
Zombi is the major serpent
spirit of worship among New Orleans Voodooists. In New
Orleans Voodoo, snakes are not seen as symbols of evil as in
the story of Adam and Eve. Snakes are considered to be the
holders of intuitive knowledge—knowing that which cannot be
spoken. Women often dance with serpents to represent the
spiritual balance between the genders. Voodoo rituals in New
Orleans almost always include a snake dance to celebrate the
link to the ancient knowledge. The origin of Li Grande Zombi
can be traced to the serpent deity Nzambi from Whydah in
Africa.
Another description of Li
Grande Zombi is provided by Louis Martiné, priest, spiritual
doctor and elder of the New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple:
"The Grande
Zombie is the Temple Snake, a defining element of New
Orleans Voodoo and a loa of great stature. The Grande Zombie
of New Orleans Voodoo is best not confused with the Zombie
of Haitian Voodoo which has been described as a ritually
animated corpse. The Temple Snake bears little physical or
spiritual resemblance to such a being. The Grande Zombie can
fill many roles and perform many ritual functions. In the
context of this Order of Service the Temple Snake is the
umbilical cord, the connection between the Mother and the
child."
References
Alvarado,
D. (in press). The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook. Weiser
Books
Oral tradition, as told by
Mama Rose of New Orleans, Sam Brown of Algiers, and my
mother. Puckett, N.
N. (1926). Folk Beliefs of the Southern Negro. Chapel
Hill: University of Carolina Press.
_____________________________________________
Find
snake sheds and snake skin on our
animal materia
medica page.
 |
