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 religious 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 Zuni, Navajo, 
Tusayan, and Rio Grande Pueblos. But magic knots were by no means 
unknown to Jews, Assyrians, or other, nations of Syria and Mesopo- 
tamia. 
“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.”! 
Gainsford, in his Glory of England, speaking of the Irish, p. 150, 
says: “They use incantations and spells, wearing girdles of womans 
haire, and locks of their lover's.” 
Camden, in his Ancient and Modern Manners of the Irish, says that 
“they are observed to present their lovers with bracelets of women’s 
hair, whether in reference to Venus’ cestus or not, I know not.”? 
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.® 
“Chaque habit quwils [the Jews] portent doit avoir quatre pands, & a 
ehacun un cordon pendant en forme de houppe, qwils nomment Zizit. 
Ce cordon est ordinairement de huit fils de laine filée exprés pour cela, 
avee cing neuds chacun, qui occupent la moitié de la longueur, Ce qui 
mest pas noué étant éfilé acheve de faire une espece de houppe, qu’ils 
se fassent, dit la Loi, des cordons aux pands de leurs habits.”4 
The following is from Black :° 
When Marduk [Assyrian god] wishes to comfort a dying man his father Hea 
says: ‘‘Go— 
Take a woman’s linen kerchief ! 
Bind 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 bis hands and feet, like manacles and fettevs. 
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.” 
1 Brand, Pop. Ant., vol. 2, p. 78. 1 Picart, Cerémonies et Cofitumes, ete., vol. 1, p. 41. 
2 Tbid., p. 91. 5 Folk-Medicine, London, 1883, pp. 185, 186. 
2 Ibid., p. 93. 
