Merseburg Echoes:

Danish language items

This is the Merseburg Echoes entry for Danish language Merseburg Spell II-type items. Merseburg Echoes is an ongoing project that compiles and makes accessible as many Merseburg Spell II-type items from the historical record as possible.

This entry was created in 2025 and this project is ongoing. This entry is not a holistic representation of the historical record and it will be expanded.

Quick attribution:

  • Mimisbrunnr.info. 2025-ongoing. “Danish Language Items”. Merseburg Echoes, Mimisbrunnr.info. URL: https://www.mimisbrunnr.info/merseburg-echoes-danish

Contributors to these entries:

Please note that all external URLs were last accessed August 2025.

For historical Danish collections in publication, see for example:

  • Ohrt, Ferdinand Christian Peter. 1922. De danske besværgelser mod vrid og blod, tolkning og forhistorie. View it online here.

Viborg, Denmark, 1618

  1. Location: Viborg, Central Jutland, Denmark

  2. Year: 1618

  3. Informant:

    Maren Lyrings

  4. Item:

    Vor here hand paa biergett red,

    hans fouell foed sig vred.

    Da segen Christ,

    da segen Kors,

    da segen sielff S. Maria.

    Blod till blod, are till are,

    hieltt och holden som det til forn var.

    I vor heris naffn Amenn.

    English translation (Andreas Oxnæs Damgaard for Mimisbrunnr.info, 2025)

    Our Lord he rode upon the hill,

    his foal sprained its foot.

    Then Christ blessed,

    then Cross blessed,

    then even Saint Mary blessed.

    Blood to blood, vein to vein,

    wholly and entirely as it once was.

    In the name of our Lord, amen.

  5. Source:

    Viborg Landstings Dombog, Aar 161 8 B bl. 183.

  6. Observations:

    None at this time.

Bara, Skåne, 1670

  1. Location: Bara, Skåne, 1670

  2. Year: 1670

  3. Informant:

    No data

  4. Item:

    994. »For sænebrödet.»

    Wor Herre Jessu
    hand redh öf[ue]r biergit,
    hans folle foedh skredh,
    sit been hand wre[d].
    Wor Herre satte sig wed jorden nedh.
    Hand satte behn i mod ben
    och lædh i mod lædh
    och sæne i mod sæne.
    I lædh och i laug
    som du har för warit!
    I nafn: Guds Faders och Sons och den hellig Andts. Amen.
    Der epter giör hun kaars 3 gange derof[ue]r med haandn och haf[u]e huide lög derudj

    English translation (Konrad Rosenberg for Mimisbrunnr.info, 2025)

    994. Against a twist.

    “For a broken sinew.”
    Our Lord Jesus
    he rode over the hill,
    his foal sprained its foot,
    his leg he twisted.
    Our Lord sat down on the ground.
    He laid bone against bone,
    and joint against joint,
    and sinew against sinew.
    In place and in order,
    as you previously were!
    In the name of God the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

    Thereafter she makes the sign of the cross three times over it with her hand, and has white liquid thereby.

  5. Source:

    Bara, Skåne, 1670. GHRA. Criminalia, Skåne, 1671, n:r 7. Meddel. vid rannsakning på Torup.

  6. Observations:

    Konrad Rosenberg: The white liquid is perhaps synovial fluid, whether taken from another animal or a ritual substitute like milk.

Kærbølling, Denmark, 1864

  1. Location: Kærbølling, Southern Jutland, Denmark

  2. Year: 1864

  3. Informant:

    Rasmus Holgersen, recorded by Evald Tang Kristensen

  4. Item:

    [Rasmus recounts how he had read part of a grimoire owned by the beggar "Old" Gjertrud]

    A kan huske, der stod noget om, hvordan en skulde sige, naar et Ben paa en Hest var forstoppet. Der skulde da siges:

    Da Jesus opad Bjærget red,

    da han sin Asens Fod forvred,

    han sagde: Kjød i Kjød

    og Sen' i Sen' og Aar' i Aar'. I Navn . . .

    English translation (Andreas Oxnæs Damgaard for Mimisbrunnr.info, 2025)

    I remember it said something about what you should say when a leg on a horse was sprained. Then it should be said:

    When Jesus rode up the hill,

    his nag sprained its foot,

    he said: flesh to flesh,

    and sinew to sinew, and vein to vein. In the name…

  5. Source:

    Evald Tang Kristensen, Danske Sagn som de har lydt i Folkemunde. Ny Række. 6. Afdeling : Djævelkunster; Kloge Mænd og Koner; Hekseri; Sygdomme, 1936.

  6. Observations:

    None at this time.

Mors, Denmark, 1918

  1. Location: Mors, Denmark

  2. Year: 1918

  3. Informant:

    “Farm owner Jens Lundby, recorded by Marius Dahlsgaard”

  4. Item:

    1019. Mot ledvrickning.

    Vorherre ned ad Bjerget red,

    sin Følhors Fod han san dervred.

    Læg Led i Led, læg Lag i Lag,

    kom Aarer og Sener i rette Lag.

    English translation (Andreas Oxnæs Damgaard for Mimisbrunnr.info, 2025)

    1019. Against sprain.

    Our Lord rode down the hill,

    his foal-horse's foot he there sprained.

    Set joint to joint, set connection to connection,

    put veins and sinews in [their] right place.

  5. Source:

    Ferdinand Ohrt, Danmarks Trylleformler. II. Efterhøst og Lønformler, 1921.

  6. Observations:

    Andreas Oxnæs Damgaard: The word følhors refers to female horses used for breeding, regardless of whether they are currently in foal or not. The word lag is difficult to translate: it can denote “connections” of many kinds, from tangible joins to conceptual associations, as well as the proper place or condition for things.