Love Talisman

 

In the past the young men in Bosnia carried this talisman close to their hearts wishing that a certain young lady falls in love with them. The power of the talisman was to stimulate feelings and to awaken love.

 

 

 

 

 

A love talisman with a modest content was written on a piece of paper which was then folded to make it smaller in order to fit under the tongue while the young man or the young woman were talking to the person of their desire.

 

 

 

In order for a man to love a woman, she would steal a piece of his clothing, usually a handkerchief or a sock, and then she would write the following numbers and letters onto them. After that she would place the clothes under a large and heavy stone.

 

 

 

 

 

The most common form of usage of love talismans was placing two talismans on two sides of the road or doorstep in order that the person that one fancies passes between them. This was usually done during the first Friday after a new moon.

 

"When a young man falls in love with a girl who doesn't have the same feeling for him, then he seeks help with the local Imam with a request for love talismans. By the Imam's advice the lad places the talisman on two sides of the doorstep and waits for the girl to pass between them. When that happens the young man quickly picks up the talismans just in order that no one else passes by or that the girl returns, the talisman on the right side is submerged in water. As soon as the ink on the talisman starts to melt the young man washes his face with that water and the remaining water is used to knead a cake with a hole in the middle through which he needs to look at the girl. After that, it is believed, that she will fall in love with him and that they will marry.    

 

Love charm with thorn apple

When the sun sets the girl takes a few stems of thorn apple (Datura stramonium) and throws it into the fire uttering:

 

Thorn apple divides thorn apple,

šendeli bendeli,

ni šendeli ni bendeli,

NN will go crazy after me!

 

then she turns the palms of her hands towards the fire and utters:

 

"Fire, by God a sister,

this spell hasn't been tied either to me nor you

but to my loved NN and his 77 veins and 88 joints.

 

After that the girl goes to bed.

 

 

Ritual with a frog

To make a man come visit her, a woman would perform a ritual with a frog. The woman places a live frog inside the ash where there is a fire burning and covers the frog with a metal dish uttering:

As the frog is croaking my N is crying.
If he doesn't come to me while the frog is alive
he should die with his next step.   

 

 

Love oath

When a girl or a wife wants to make a love potion for her lover or husband she takes a glass of water and an empty bowl in which she will perform ritual washing of the body. This ritual is done after the woman has taken a shower, since according to folk belief love oaths (basme) have power only when they are uttered by a person with a clean body. Before she commences ritual cleansing the woman repeats the verse Ihlas five times.

 

N. me elif, you elif,

you were muti

whatever I'm doing you are doing

look with my eyes (wash eye lids three times)

hear with my ears (wash ears three times)

speak with my mouth (wash mouth three times)

operate with my hands (wash hands three times)

walk with my feet (wash feet three times)

veledalin amin from God amin.

 

The water which was used to wash the mentioned body parts is stored in a small bottle and is kept until a suitable moment when it can be poured in the lovers/husbands coffee or juice. When she completes this she then blows three times in the direction of the juice or coffee and swallows the spit in her mouth.