"Great Fire, my defender and protector, son of the celestial fire, equal of
the sun who cleanses the earth of foulness, deliver this man from the evil
sickness that torments him night and day!"
The fire is also invoked to punish, or as an ordeal, e.g.:--
"Fire, who punishest the evil-doer, who hatest falsehood, who scorchest
the impure, thou destroyest offenders; thy flame devoureth the earth.
Devour ------ if he says what is not true, if he thinks a lie, and if he acts
deceitfully."
These are pronounced by the gypsy sorcerer facing the burning hearth.
There is another in which fire is addressed as Jandra, and also invoked to
punish an offender:--
"Jandra, bearer of thunderbolts, great Periani (compare Parjana, an
epithet of Indra, Slavonic Perun), bearer of lightning, slay with thy
thunderbolt and burn with thy celestial fire him who dares to violate his
oath."
CHILDBIRTH
When a mother begins to suffer the pangs of childbirth, a fire is made
before her tent, which is kept up till the infant is baptized, in order to drive
away evil spirits. Certain women feed this fire, and while fanning it (fans
being used for bellows) murmur the following rhyme:--
"Oh yakh, oh yakh pçabuva,
Pçabuva,
Te čavéstár tu trada,
Tu trada,
Pçávushen te Nivashen
Tire tçuva the traden!
Lače Urmen ávená,
Čaves báçtáles dena,
Káthe hin yov báçtáles,
Andre lime báçtáles!
Motura te ráná,
Te átunci but' ráná,
Matura te ráná,
Te átunci, but' rana,
Me dav' andre yákherá!
Oh yákh, oh yákh pçabuva,
Rovel čavo: áshuna!"