I had an encounter with the old Saxon Nine Herbs Charm yesterday. Not in a book, but in my yard. I was doing some landscaping and came across some stinging nettles. I wear leather gloves when pulling weeds because the yard is full of poison ivy and other less than friendly forms of flora, but in this case, the nettles went right through my gloves. I must have pulled up a dozen of them at least, enough to make all sorts of healing compounds, I’d imagine, and to give me shiny hair for a month.

I can understand now why Shakespeare used “nettle” to describe an annoyance. Fortunately, I am not as severely affected by poison ivy and other “itchy” plants so my reaction is rather mild, if annoying. Even so, I have learned something valuable and will always, in the future, recognize at least this particular plant! I am not well versed in herb lore, but as they say, we learn through experience

The charm:[1]

Remember, Wormwood, what thou didst reveal,
What thou didst prepare at the great proclamation.
‘ Una’ thou art named, the eldest of herbs;
Thou art strong against three and against thirty,
Thou art strong against venom and against infection,
Thou art strong against the Evil Thing that goes throughout the
land.

And thou, Plantain, mother of herbs,
Open from the east, mighty within.
Over thee carts creaked, queens rode over thee,

Over thee brides made cries, bulls gnashed over thee. 10

All those thou didst withstand, and dashed against them ;
So mayst thou withstand venom and infection
And the Evil Thing that goes throughout the land.

Water-cress is this herb named ; it grew on stone.
It stands against venom, it fights against pain.

Nettle is this called; it dashes against venom,
It drives away cruel things, it casts out venom.
This is the herb that fought with the snake ;
This is strong against venom, this is strong against infection,
This is strong against the Evil Thing that goes throughout the 20
land.

Fly now, Betonica, the less from the greater,
The greater from the less, till there be to them a cure for both.

Remember, Camomile, what thou didst make known,
What thou didst bring to pass at Alorford,
That for the flying ill he never yielded up his life
After one prepared Camomile for him to eat.

This is the herb that is called Wild-Apple.
The seal sent this over the back of the sea,
To heal the hurt of other venom.

These nine attacked nine venoms. 30

A serpent came sneaking; he slew a man.
Then took Woden nine glory-twigs,

Smote the serpent then so that it flew in nine pieces;
There the apple ended it and its venom,
So that it never would enter house again.

Thyme and Fennel, two exceeding mighty ones,
These herbs the wise Lord made,
Holy in the heavens; He let them down,
40 Placed them, and sent them into the seven worlds
As a cure for all, the poor and the rich.
It stands against pain, it dashes against venom,
It is strong against three and against thirty,

Against the hand of an enemy and against the hand of the cursed, . . . And against the bewitching of my creatures.

Now these nine herbs are strong against nine cursed things, against nine venoms and against nine infections : against the red venom, against the gray venom, against the white venom, against the blue venom, against the 5o yellow venom, against the green venom, against the black venom, against the brown venom, against the purple venom ; against snake-blister, against water-blister, against thorn-blister, against thistle-blister, against ice-blister, against poison-blister; if any venom come flying from the east, or if any come from the north, or any from the west over the people.

Christ stood over venom of every kind. I alone know running water, and the nine serpents behold it. All grasses may spring up with herbs, the sea vanish away, all the salt water, when I blow this venom from thee.[2]

Notes:

[1] Taken from Select Translations from Old English Poetry by Albert Stanburrough Cook, Chauncey Brewster Tinker (1902), 169-170.
[2] For the Nine Herbs Charm aloud, in beautiful, original Saxon, see http://fred.wheatonma.edu/wordpressmu/mdrout/category/nine-herbs-charm/