PRACTICES TO OBTAIN CHILDREN 67 



of one of their women who being pregnant was left 

 behind on the Little Colorado during their wander- 

 ings. Under the house where she dwelt is a spring, 

 and any sterile woman who drinks of it will bear 

 children. 1 



Other water than that of sacred springs is also 

 capable of fecundating women. In Thuringia and 

 Transylvania women who wished to be healed of 

 unfruitfulness drank consecrated water from the bap- 

 tismal font. 2 But woe to the husband at Stettin who 

 dared to do so! At her next delivery his wife would 

 present him with twins. The water of baptism poured 

 before the door of a childless couple in the island 

 of Rugen would bring them children. 3 In a certain 

 district of Hungary a barren woman seeks a spring 

 which she has never before seen and drinks of it. 4 

 Among the Palestinian Jews childless women drink 

 water wherein moss plucked from the ruins of the 

 temple-wall has been boiled, in order to get children. 5 

 On the other hand unmarried girls in Br.unswick 

 refrain from drink after eating sour kraut, lest they 

 become pregnant. 6 At Nuoro in Sardinia the wise 

 women advise poultices on the spine ; they also advise 

 drinking, and especially bathing, in the sea. 7 A 

 Malagasy woman whose marriage has not been blessed 

 with issue is made to drink litres and litres of water 



1 Rep. Bur. Ethn. viii. 32. The Crow Indians have also a 

 sacred spring whither barren women go to pray ; but it does not 

 appear whether or not they drink or bathe (Field Columb. Mus, 

 Anthrop. ii. 316). 



2 Witzschel, ii. 244; von Wlislocki, Volksgl. Sieb. Sachs. 152 

 Hillner, 38. 3 Am Urquell, vi. 146. 



4 Temesvary, 8. 5 Am Urquell, v. 225. 



* Andree, Braunsch. 291. 7 Rivista, ii. 423. 



