casting my magics~
For my complete monster of an angstshipping entry for the YGO fanfic contest, I decided to do a whole lot of procrastination research into exorcisms and spells and charms for getting rid of evil spirits and whatnot. Luckily, I'm a nerd and I have a few books on the subject :D So...yeah, pretty much all the stuff Ryou was getting up to in the story was, at one time, at least, considered a real defence against demons and malevolent forces. I couldn't go into too much detail in the story itself without sounding like a complete know-it-all, so I'll be a complete know-it-all here instead. Just in case anyone's interested xD;
Vervain
"...Vervain," Ishizu informed him softly, clearly trying to keep her voice low enough that Malik wouldn't hear and, inevitably, mock. "It was in one of mother's old books. It's a protector plant."
Vervain has many uses in magical practice, but is often used in love mixtures and protective spells. It can be carried as a personal amulet and is considered a powerful and vigilant protector. It is also added to exorcism incenses.
However, placing the plant itself in the home is reputed to protect it from lightning and storms. If chasing off evil spirits is the desired outcome, an infusion of vervain should be sprinkled around the home.
Vervain is associated with many deities, but in Egyptian mythology it is scared to the goddess Isis and is said to have sprung from her tears. That little snippet gave it twenty extra awesome points for me xD
Wind-chimes
'...stooping to pick up something at her feet. Two sets of wind-chimes, Rishid realised.'
Pretty straight-forward. The sound of wind-chimes is reputed to frighten off evil spirits. At the very least, they don't like them.
Rowan
"Replace the flowers with this." The second thing to emerge from the mysterious bag of juju was, quite simply, a pair of twigs. They were tied together with red thread in the shape of a cross. “Rowan. Planting a tree near the house is better, but...well, that’d take a while, right?”
Rowan trees were traditionally planted near homes to provide spiritual protection, and planting a rowan tree on a grave was said to stop the deceased returning to haunt the living.
Two rowan twigs tied together with red thread in the shape of a cross has long since been considered a protective amulet. (In the story, Ryou instructs Ishizu to hang the twigs above the front door of the house, but such amulets were more commonly carried in a pocket or inserted into the lining of clothing.)
Rue
'...several small pouches, which he claimed contained something called 'rue' ('roo'? Whatever) and insisted that she hang over all the door-handles in the house...'
Rue is used to ward off malicious magic and, like vervain, is often added to exorcism incenses. It is considered protective when hung up at a door or placed in sachets.
It is also the primary plant in Italian magical traditions, and is reputed to break the power of the 'Evil Eye'. Wearing a sprig of rue on one's clothing or wearing a cimaruta amulet (an amulet, usually made from silver, in the shape of a sprig of rue) is said to prevent the Evil Eye.
Nettle
'...a plastic zip-lock bag of dried nettle which, like the vervain infusion/bottle of urine, was to be sprinkled all around the place...'
Nettle is a protective guardian plant, whose prickly, stinging nature is indicative of the protection it offers. It is used to remove curses and break spells, and is held in the hand to ward off ghosts. Sprinkling nettle around the home is said to send evil away and keep it out.
Saint John's Wort
'...a jar containing yellow flowers, which he told her to hang at a window...'
Since Ryou didn't feel like explaining anything to non-believer-Malik in the story, the name of this plant was never actually mentioned xD; My bad.
Saint John's Wort is supposed to bring light and cheer to places filled with darkness and despair. It is burned to banish spirits and demons. When placed in a jar and hung by a window, it is said to protect against thunderbolts, fire and evil spirits.
Also, in Greek tradition, it was hung over portraits of the dead to relieve any sufferings the deceased had gone through. The purpose of this was to prevent this suffering from infecting the living.
Exorcism Powder
'...he produced a jar of greenish powder, which he began to sprinkle around the room...'
Despite its name, this stuff isn't used to perform actual exorcisms. Rather, it is sprinkled around to eliminate negative emotions, vibrations and low-level spirit emanations. It is made from a powdered blend of dried basil, frankincense, rosemary, rue, yarrow and arrowroot.
Casting a Circle
"This circle is a protective shield," he recited rapidly, clearly eager to get this stage out of the way. "This circle keeps me safe within, no harm can enter in..."
Casting a circle is a very simple protective spell, generally used in witchcraft as a precursor to any other spell or ritual. Quite simply, the area within the circle is made 'safe'. No malevolent spirits or dark forces can come near or harm you while you are within the circle.
(Of course, if you cast the circle around the spirit, you have to kick them out before it'll work. According to Ryou.)
Oil of Frankincense
'...the demon was screeching too, it didn't like the oil one bit...'
Demons are said to hate the scent of frankincense. A DIY exorcism spell involved applying essential oil of frankincense to certain areas of the afflicted person's body, namely the crown of the head, the forehead, the back of the neck, the throat, chest, palms and soles of their feet. (And then adding more essential oil of frankincense to freshly drawn water and using this solution to bathe all of the above body parts. And the genital area. Goodness, the story would have lost its 'T' rating if I'd followed this one to the letter.)
Jet
'He...picked out a shallow dish containing a black powder. He set it on the floor and promptly dropped a lit match into it.'
Burning powdered jet is reputed to exorcise malevolent spirits. It is also said that only true jet will burn.
Banishing Spell
'Ryou reached out one more time and snatched up a large glass bottle, half-filled with clear liquid and what appeared to be thorns and rose-petals.'
The most famous spirits to be trapped inside a bottle are djinn, the original genies. However, other evil spirits can also be trapped inside a bottle or jar.
The actual banishing spell is much more long-winded and less dramatic than the version I used in the story, but the basic elements are the same. It begins with dropping thirteen rose-thorns into the chosen bottle or jar, murmuring something like 'Evil presence, I banish you!' as you add each thorn. Next come the petals from one rose, and then the jar or bottle is two-thirds filled with salted water, Holy Water, Rose of Jericho Water or Notre Dame Water. The bottle or jar is left open overnight, but should be closed tight before sunrise. The evil spirit should be trapped within. It should then be wrapped in dark fabric and buried far away.
I wonder if it's weird that I found all of this so interesting xD;
My reference books were The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells by Judika Illes, The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, also by Judika Illes, and Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham. Some stuff also came from the internet. Don't judge me xD