I always wanted to do a Nine Herbs Charm and this autumn i finally did it!!
The Nigon Wyrta Galdor (NWG) or, popularly, the Nine Herbs Charm, is an Old English healing spell—a galdor—intended to remedy a wound of some kind. The charm is recorded in a single manuscript, Harley MS 585 (ff 160r—163r), commonly known today as the Lacnunga (Old English ‘remedies’), which the British Museum dates to the 9th or early 10th century. The topics, themes, and entities the charm touches upon, such as animism, emphasis on the numbers nine and other multipliers of three, and the invocation of the Germanic deity Odin (Old English Wōden) stem from the pre-Christianization beliefs of the Old English.
These are the nine herbs that i used in my nine herbs charm. I changed some of the herbs for related varieties that i found in the forest behind my home (cause i really wanted this charm to have a really personal note).
Mugwort -> i used "artemisia vulgaris"
Plantain -> i chose to use both "plantago major" and "plantago lanceolata"
Lamb's cress -> i chose to use "cardamine flexuosa" from the forest behind my home and "cardamine hirsuta" that grows along our lawn
Betony -> i chose to use "stachys sylvatica" instead of "stachys officinalis" because that's the only variety i found in our woods
Chamomile -> i found some chamomile along the fields in our town
Nettle -> i chose to use 'normal' stinging nettles
Crab apple -> we have "malus sylvestris" in our garden so i used its leaves (i didn't use the apples cause i started collecting in November)
Chervil -> i used "anthriscus sylvestris"
Fennel -> i bought some fresh regional fennel from a local farmer's market, cut it into small pieces and slowly dried it in the oven
Mugwort | plantain | lamb's cress
Betony | chamomile | nettle
Crab apple | chervil | fennel
And here's an excerpt of a translated version of the Nine Herbs Charm:
what you brought to pass,
You’re called Una, that most ancient plant.
You defeat three, you defeat thirty,
you defeat venom, you defeat air-illness;
you defeat the horror who stalks the land.
And you, Waybread, plant-mother!
You’re open to the east, yet mighty within:
Carts creaked over you, women rode over you,
over you brides bellowed, over you bulls snorted!
You withstood it all—and you pushed back:
You withstood venom, you withstood air-illness,
you withstood the horror who travels over land.
Now, this plant is called Stune, she who grows on stone:
She defeats venom, she grinds away pain.
She’s called Stithe, she who withstands venom;
she chases away malice, casts out pain.
This is the plant that fought against the wyrm.
She is mighty against venom, she is mighty against air-illness;
she is mighty against the horror who travels over land.
You, Venom-loathe, go now!
until for both he receives a remedy.
what you brought to pass,
that no one should lose their life to disease,
since for him Chamomile was prepared.
Finally, this plant is known as Wergulu,
who a seal sent over sea-ridges,
These nine plants defeat nine venoms!
A wyrm came slithering, and yet he killed no one,
for wise Wōden took nine glory-twigs
who flew into nine parts!
She stands against pain, she stands against venom,
she is potent against three and against thirty,
against a foe’s hand, against great guile,
against malice and bewitchment
Now! May the nine plants do battle against nine glory-fleers,
against nine venoms and against nine air-diseases,
against the red venom, against the running venom,
against the white venom, against the blue venom,
against the yellow venom, against the green venom,
against the black venom, against the blue venom,
against the brown venom, against the purple venom,
against wyrm-blister, against water-blister,
against thorn-blister, against thistle-blister,
against ice-blister, against venom-blister.
If any venom comes flying from the east,
or any comes from the north,
or any from the west over folk!