Malay Magic _ Being an introduction to the - Walter William Skeat

(Perpustakaan Sri Jauhari) #1

  1. The leaves of the sapĕnoh (unidentified), a plant with big round leaves, which
    is always placed outside the rest of the leaves in the bunch.

  2. To the above list may be perhaps added the satawar, sitawar or tawar-tawar
    (Costus speciosus, L., Scitamineæ, and Forrestia, spp. Commelinaceæ); and

  3. The satĕbal (Fagræa racemosa, Jack., Loganiaceæ).


Leaves of the foregoing plants and shrubs are made up, as has been said, in small
sets or combinations of five, seven, or even perhaps of nine leaves a piece. These
combinations are said to differ according to the object to which the rice-water is
to be applied. It is extremely unlikely, however, that all magicians should make
the same selections even for the same objects—rather would they be likely to
make use of such leaves on the list as happen to be most readily available. Still,
however, as the only example of such differentiation which I have yet been able
to obtain, I will give the details of three separate and distinctive combinations,
which were described to me by a Selangor magician:—


(1) For a   wedding ceremony

sambau
dara

tied    round   with    a   string  of
shredded tree-bark.

sĕlaguri
pulut-
pulut
sapanggil
sapĕnoh

(2) For blessing    fishing-stakes

gandarusa

tied    with    the creeper ribu-
ribu.

sĕlaguri
sapanggil
lĕnjuang
merah
sapĕnoh

(3) For the ceremony    of  taking
the rice-soul

lĕnjuang
merah

tied    with    ribu-ribu.
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