Moon - stories from ancient folklore

Moon IV

In Ireland, at the new moon, it is not an uncommon practice for people to point with a knife, and after invoking the Holy Trinity, to say :—

The knife is then placed under the pillow, and silence strictly observed, lest the charm should be broken.

In Berkshire, England at the first appearance of a new moon, young women go into the fields, and shout out at the moon while they look at it, they then return home, firmly believing that before morning their future husbands will appear to them in their dreams...

A very singular divination practised at the period of the harvest moon: when you go to bed, place under your pillow a Prayer-book open at the part of the matrimonial service where it says 'with this ring i thee wed', place on it a key, a ring, a flower, and a sprig of willow, a small heart-cake, a crust of bread, and the following cards :—a ten of clubs, nine of hearts, ace of spades, and the ace of diamonds. Wrap all these in a thin handkerchief of gauze or muslin, and on getting into bed, cross your hands, and say:—

If you dream of storms, trouble will betide you ; if the storms end in a fine calm, so will your fate; if of a ring or the ace of diamonds, marriage; bread, an industrious life; cake, a prosperous life; flowers, joy; willow, treachery in love; spades, death; diamonds, money; clubs, a foreign land; keys, that you will rise to great trust and power, and never know want; birds, that you will have many children; and geese, that you will marry more than once.

The hunter's moon occurs just after the harvest moon, and is perhaps so called because about the time of this moon hunting begins. As the harvest moon is probably so called from occurring about harvest time, and being valuable to harvesters, so too it may be said with regard to the moon that succeeds it.

In many parts it is believed that the moon has a magic influence in healing certain maladies. Thus, in Staffordshire, it is commonly said if you want to cure chin-cough, take out the child, and let it look at the new moon ; lift up its clothes, and rub your right hand up and down its stomach, and repeat the following lines (looking steadfastly at the moon, and rubbing at the same time):—

In Devonshire it is said that the hair and nails should always be cut during the waning of the moon, as many beneficial consequences are supposed to result in consequence. Some say that if persons troubled with corns cut them after the moon has been at its full, they will gradually disappear.

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