#pa german

[42-clocks]

🥨🩵 a really messy sketch of Pennsylvania Dutch Miku 🩵🥨

a more finished piece is to come! (eventually!)

[woodlanddreams]

i’m so busy rn but i HAD to draw pennsylvania dutch miku or i’d explode (i want to make her better later)

[poisonappleprintshop]

‘Death Dawns Not on Hearts Aflame’ screen print by Adrienne Rozzi // Poison Apple Printshop

3rd printing. Limited edition of 50, hand signed and numbered by the artist.

Available exclusively at PoisonApplePrintshop.com

[the-accidental-urglaawer]

Es Elbedritch

[talesoftheimaginary]

[poisonappleprintshop]

I am excited to share that my original artwork ‘Witches’ Night on Hexenkopf Rock’ is featured in the third edition of Ned D. Heindel’s ‘Hexenkopf: History, Healing, & Hexeri’! You can grab a copy for yourself from The Sigal Museum. It is an honor to be included in such a wonderful book that preserves a part of Pennsylvanian history and the history of Pennsylvanian folk magic!

In 2016, I unearthed a rare copy of the first edition of this book (published under a slightly different title in 1974, seen in the third photo) at my grandmother’s house and it is what inspired me to create ‘Witches’ Night on Hexenkopf Rock.’

The rock itself is a stony summit in Williams Township, PA that has long been associated with magic, ritual, and witchcraft. ‘Hexenkopf: History, Healing, and Hexeri’ takes an in-depth view at the history and folklore surrounding Hexenkopf Rock and examines how Braucherei, or PA German folk magic, first developed in the area and contributed to the rock’s legends. Also discussed are stories of Native American magic, witch gatherings, ominous omens, and apparitions that have helped bolster Hexenkopf rock’s mysterious reputation. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in American folk magic and Pennsylvanian lore!

[pennsylvaniaparanormal]

Pow-wowwing in the Pennsylvania German Tradition

Pow-wowwing is a Christian form of folklore magic and faith healing used by the Pennsylvania Deitsch. It is called Braucherei in Deitsch, and those who practice are called braucher or hexenmeisters. Pow-wowwing comes from a mixture of traditional Christian folk magic brought over by Germans seeking religious freedom in Pennsylvania. The term comes from the word for a gathering of Algonquin medicine men. Spells consist of simple medieval Christian prayers and rituals to heal or fix troubles. Pow-wowwing has fallen out of common practice in recent years, but many people of Pennsylvania Deitsch heritage still have a few “family recipes.” 

Books

The Bible

Romanus-Buchlein

Egyptian Secrets of Albertus Magnus

Pow-wows, or, The Long Lost Friend by John George Hohman

Secrets of Sympathy by William Wilson Beissel

The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses (considered “black magic,” very dark, usually avoided by most pow-wowwers and is not recommended)

(It should also be noted that popular neo-pagan author Silver Ravenwolf considers herself a “pow-wowwer.” Avoid her. Not only does she spread misinformation in her texts, she also publishes racist content and is anti-Christian. Which makes no sense because pow-wowwing is an exclusively Christian practice. So, just avoid her at all costs)

Hex Signs and Symbols

Hex signs are circular collections of PA Dutch symbols usually found on barns and farmhouses (or in my case, above my garage). Some believe they are simply decorative works of fraktur art, but others believe their origins lie in pow-wow. The symbols on hex signs are believed to be talismans. Here are a few common hex sign symbols ad what they represent:

Distelfink-good luck

Pineapple-hospitality

Acorn and oak leaves-strength

Rosettes-protection from famine

Heart-love

Tulip-faith

Pomegranate-fertility

4/5 point star-good luck

8 point star-abundance

16 point star-prosperity

Blue-protection

Green-abundance

White-purity

Red-strong emotion

Christianity in Magic

Magic and witchcraft is a secular practice, meaning anyone of any religion can use it. However, pow-wowwing as practiced by the Pennsylvania Germans is exclusively Christian. The spells often involve invoking the Christian God, Jesus, or some sort of angelic power. The magic is deeply rooted in strong Christian beliefs. However, there are a few basic remedies and spells from PA Dutch folk magic that involve no religious requirement.

Cultural Appropriation

Pow-wowwing is obviously not a PA Dutch word. It is the Algonquin word for a gathering of medicine men. The term rose to popular use since the publishing of Hohman’s book. The term has been used now for centuries to discuss this type of folk magic, and there has never been a discussion as to whether this is really considered cultural appropriation. However, you should never use the term ‘pow-wow’ to define any type of magic other than that traditionally practiced by the Pennsylvania Germans. Other than the term, nothing about pow-wowwing is taken from any culture other than German. 

Spells and Recipes!!!

Here are some examples of simple pow-wows from PA Deitsch tradition. 

To Remove Bruises and Pains

“Bruise, thou shalt not heat

Bruise, thou shalt not sweat;

Bruise, thou shalt not run,

No more than Virgin Mary shall bring forth another son.” (x3)

To Pull the Heat from Burns

“Two angels came down from the north;

one named Fire, the other Frost;

Frost said to Fire go away, go away;

in the name of Jesus go away.” 

Cure For The Toothache

“Hohman, the author of this book, has cured the severest toothache more than sixty times, with this remedy, and, out of the sixty times he applied it, it failed but once in affecting a cure. Take blue vitriol and put a piece of it in the hollow tooth, yet not too much; spit out the water that collects in the mouth, and be careful to swallow none. I do not know whether it is good for teeth that are not hollow, but I should judge it would cure any kind of toothache.”

A Well-Tried Plaster To Remove Mortification

“Take six hen's eggs and boil them in hot ashes until they are right hard; then take the yellow of the eggs and fry them in a gill of lard until they are quite black; then put a handful of rue with it, and afterward filter it through a cloth. When this is done add a gill of sweet oil to it. It will take most effect where the plaster for a female is prepared by a male, and the plaster for a male prepared by a female.”  

Another Way To Still-Bind Thieves.

“Ye thieves, I conjure you, to be obedient like Jesus Christ, who obeyed his Heavenly Father unto the cross, and to stand without moving out of my sight, in the name of the Trinity. I command you by the power of God and the incarnation of Jesus Christ, not to move out of my sight, + + + like Jesus Christ was standing on Jordan's stormy banks to be baptized by John. And furthermore, I conjure you, horse and rider, to stand still and not to move out of my sight, like Jesus Christ did stand when he was about to be nailed to the cross to release the fathers of the church from the bonds of hell.. Ye thieves, I bind you with the same bonds with which Jesus our Lord has bound hell; and thus ye shall be bound; + + + and the same words that bind you shall also release you.”

A Good Remedy To Stop Bleeding.

“This is the day on which the injury happened. Blood, thou must stop, until the Virgin Mary bring forth another son. Repeat these words three times.”

(Spells taken from Pow-wows by Hohman. The book contains spells and remedies to do pretty much anything. Here’s a link to read it all online: Pow-wows It’s also available to buy on Amazon.)

[rgr-pop]

wann der Kaffi all iss, trinke mir der Grauns!