The „Frais“ or „Fraisen“-Chain (ger. Fraiskette, Fraisenkette) is a type of amulet similar to the rosary. Until the 19th century it was common in the south of Germany, specifically in the region of Bayerischer Wald.
Wearing the Fraiskette around the neck was supposed to ward off evil, spirits, ghosts and protect from witches as well as the “Frais”, which is a historical Bavarian term for a type of epileptic fever or seizures in general. The chain was commonly given to small children – hung around the bedpost or placed beneath the pillow – and adults, who would wear them around the neck.
The chain was made from attaching a mostly uneven number of charms to any type of string, twine or chain to form a necklace. According to some sources this stems from the believe that there were 77or 99 different types of fevers one could suffer from.
Examples of charms used are animal bones, teeth, claws, antlers as well as fur, (semi-precious) stones, snail- and seashells, coral, coins or rosary beads, or metal charms like the mano-figa (ger. Neidfeige), saint-amulets and crosses. Each charm was used for their respective properties, that could vary from region to region. Oftentimes the strap used was of a red coloration, to enhance the warding power.
The Fraiskette was not the only type of charm against the Frais-Fever, other wards were Frais-Stones, -letters, -bonnets and -shirts (for small children), -keys, as well as the Fraisbett, where a necklace of snake vertebrae or (coix lachrima) seeds was placed beneath a pillow. This indicates that the Frais was common enough for people to fear it and find a variety of remedies.
The Fraiskette might also be related to the charivari, which is still used today as ornamentation on the bavarian Lederhose.
Image source: “Angebliche Fraiskette […]”, around 1750, South-Germany/Austria, Objekte zu Religion Frömmigkeit und Aberglaube from the collection of the historical society of Neuburg, via https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
