576 MEDICINE-MEN OF THE APACHE. 



Irish of hair cords as we have already seen has been made by the 

 Australians. 



The Jewish garment with knots at the corners would appear to have 

 been a prehistoric garment preserved in religions ceremonial; it would 

 seem to be very much like the short blanket cloak, with tufts or knots 

 at the four corners, still made by and in use among the Zufii, Navajo, 

 Tusayan, and Eio Grande Pueblos. But magic knots were by no means 

 unknown to Jews, Assyrians, or other nations of Syria and Mesopo 

 tamia. 



&quot;In Memorable Things noted in the Description of the World, we 

 read : About children s necks the wild Irish hung the beginning of St. 

 John s Gospel, a crooked nail of a horseshoe, or a piece of a wolve s 

 skin, and both the sucking child and nurse were girt with girdles finely 

 plaited with woman s hair.&quot; 1 



Gainsford, in his Glory of England, speaking of the Irish, p. 150, 

 says: &quot;They use incantations and spells, wearing girdles of woman s 

 haire, and locks of their lover s.&quot; 



Camden, in his Ancient and Modern Manners of the Irish, says that 

 &quot; they are observed to present their lovers with bracelets of women s 

 hair, whether in reference to Venus cestus or not, I know not.&quot; 2 

 This idea of a resemblance between the girdle of Venus and the use of 

 the maiden s hair may be worth consideration; on the same page Brand 

 quotes from Beaumont and Fletcher: 



Bracelets of our lovers hair, 

 Which they on our arms shall twist, 



and garters of the women were generally worn by lovers. 3 



&quot;Chaque habit qu ils [the Jews] portent doit avoir quatre pands, & a 

 chacun un cordon pendant en forme de houppe, qu ils uommeut Zizit. 

 Ce cordon est ordinairement de huit fils de laine fll&amp;lt;5e expres pour cela, 

 avec cinquuMids chacun, qui occupent la moitie de la longueur. Cequi 

 n est pas noue etant efile acheve de faire uue espece de houppe, qu ils 

 se fassent, dit la Loi, des cordons aux pands de leurs habits.&quot; 4 

 The following is from Black: 5 

 When Marduk [Assyrian god] wishes to comfort a dying man his father Hea 



says: &quot;Go 



Take a woman s linen kerchief! 



Hind it round thy left hand; loose it from the left hand ! 



Knot it with seven knots: do so twice: 



Sprinkle it with bright wine: 



Bind it round the head of the sick man : 



Bind it round his hands and feet, like manacles and tetters. 



Sit round on his bed: 



Sprinkle holy water over him. 



He shall hear the voice of Hea. 



Davkina shall protect him ! 



And Marduk, Eldest Son of heaven, shall find him a happy habitation.&quot; 



1 Brand, Pop. Ant., vol. 2, p. 78. Picart, Ceremonies et Continues, etc., vol. 1, p. 41. 



* Ibid., p. 91. 6 Folk -Medicine, Londou. 18811, pp. 185, 186. 



3 Ibid., p. 93. 



