THE CURSE OF BUSLA [BUSLUBRN]

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THE CURSE OF BUSLA
[BUSLUBRN]

THE MYSTERIOUS power of the word, whether for prayer, benediction or malediction, has been felt at all times. And at all times, both good wishes and imprecations have been apt to clothe themselves in some kind of metric-rhythmic form for greater expressiveness and impressiveness, for enhancing their magic power. And no sooner is the formula fixed than the need is felt to perpetuate the passing sound of words of such power and value by symbols through which their effect may be multiplied, and even conveyed to some distance in time and space. In the Germanic North the runesalphabetic signs which were adopted, it seems, from some Mediterranean alphabet, say, about the beginning of our era 1served this purpose, especially when verbal curses had failed.2 They were scratched (written) on stone and wood and bone and metal, on weapons, clothing, implements of all kinds to be used by him in whose favor, or against whom, the magic was to take effect.

Old High German and Anglo-Saxon literature offers us a wealth of examples of healing, or defensive, magic formulaesome of them of literary value, like the Merseburg Incantations; but for extended instances of offensive magic we must go to Old Norse literature. The Eddic poems abound with magic of all sorts. As illustrations of offensive magic we may point out the classic curses of Skírnir and of Sigrún, and the shorter malisons of Lokasenna, Fiólsvinnsmól, Atlamól.3 A monument wholly devoted to the purpose of wishing ill on some one, and perhaps the most instructive of its kind in literature, though admittedly on a lower plane in æsthetic value than those mentioned, p. 77 is the BuslubSn of the Bósa saga, a Romantic fornaldar saga (legendary tale) of the thirteenth century. Neither is the curse, as a whole, much older; witness certain phrases and views; which, however, does not preclude some portions breathing rank age-old heathendom. It will be noted, by the way, that the last stanza, containing the fiercest rune-magic, does not seem to belong here originally; for whereas all the others contain some proviso, the effectiveness of this curse is dependent, not on King Hring complying with Busla s demands, but on his not solving the runic riddle. Very likely, the monument is fragmentary, whether through the pretended squeamishness of the clerical scribe or, as seems more likely, through his not remembering more.

The saga tells how, impelled by untoward circumstances, young Herrauth and his companion at arms, Bósi, fight a pitched battle with Herrauth s father, King Hring. They are subdued and bound, to be put to death on the morrow; but old Busla, Bósi s fostermother, a hag most experienced in witchcraft, approaches the king at night and began that curse which is since called Busla s Curse. It has become famous. In it are many turns which are bad for Christians to have in their mouths. And this is the beginning of it:

1
Here liest thou, Hring,Lord of the Gauts,4
the most headstrongof human kind
minded, to-morrowto murther thy son:
will this foul deed betold far and wide.

2
Hear thou Busla s song 5 t will be sung full soon;
so that it be heardthe whole world about
harmful to himwho heareth it,
but fellest for himwhom fain I would curse.

3
May wights be wildered,and wonders happen,
may cliffs be shatteredand the world shaken,
may the weather worsen,and wonders happen,
p. 78 but thou, King Hring,forgive Herrauth,
and eke to Bósino ill threaten.

4
O er thy chest such charmsnow chant I shall 6
that evil aspsshall eat thy heart,
that thy ears henceforthshall hear no more,
and thy seeing eyesleave their sockets,
but thou with Bósiwilt bear, hereafter,
nor harbor hate against Herrauth, either.

5
If boat thou sailest,shall burst the ropes,
if boat thou steerest,shall break the tholepins 7
shall the sail-cloth be slitand sag downward,
and all the tacklebe torn asunder,
but thou harbor no hateagainst Herrauth,
and but thou with Bósiwill bear hereafter.

6
Shall the reins ravelwhen thou ridest forth,
shall horses go halt,and nags be hamstrung 8
shall both highwaysand bridle-paths
take thee where trollsmay tear thee straightway,
but thou with Bósiwilt bear hereafter,
nor harbor hateagainst Herrauth, either.

7
May thy bed be for theelike burning straw,
thy high-seat unsteadylike heaving sea-wave.
Yet woe awaits theemuch worse by far:
if with maid thou meanesta man s joy to have,
shalt lose thy way then:9doest wish to hear more?

(The king attempts to silence her and to rise, but finds himself charmed fast to his bed and unable to wake his attendants. As he is still unwilling to give in, Busla chants the second part of her curse:)

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8
Shall trolls and elvesand tricking witches,
shall dwarfs and etinsburn down thy mead-hall
shall thurses hate theeand horses ride thee,9
shall all straws stick thee,10all storms stun thee:
and woe worth theebut my will thou doest!

(Then the king is ready to pardon his son Herrauth, but to declare Bósi outlaw.) Then started she to chant what is called Syrpuvers (i.e., the Verses of Syrpa), in which is the strongest magic, so that it is not permitted to chant them after nightfall; and toward the end it goes like this:

9
Come here six fellows:say thou their names:
I shall show themto thee unshackled all.
But thou get them guessedas good meseemeth,
shall ravening houndsrive thee to pieces,
and thy soulsink to hell-fire!11

(Then, after the king s swearing an oath that he will do her bidding, she takes the curse off.)

Footnotes

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1 The theory long accepted, that they originated through some adaptation of a Greek or Latin alphabet by the Goths along the Black Sea has recently been challenged with some force, and an earlier origin from Etruscan or Thracian script suggested.

2 Cf. Skírnismól, 38, note.

3 Skírnismól, Helgakvitha Hundingsbana, II, 30-33; Lokasenna, 65; Fiolsvinnsmól, 45; Atlamól, 30. Cf. also Hervararkvitha, 12, 21.

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4 The inhabitants of Gautland, the present Swedish province of Gotland.

5 Literally, prayer; but the incantation is meant, of course.

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6 The translation of the line is doubtful.

7 In Germanic antiquity, vessels were steered, not with a rudder, but with an extra oar on the starboard, i.e., the steering side. Oars were held by thongs to the tholepins. Cf. Haraldskvæthi, 17; Atlamól, 34.

8 Literally, become weak.

9 To be understood in malam partem.

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10 Proverbial for all things going against one.

11 There follow these runic signs:
±ë¨ë¦ë´ë¢ë ì ÁÁÁÁÁ ì ÍÍÍÍÍ ì ÐÐÐÐÐ ì ÁÁÁÁÁ ì ÚÚÚÚÚ
As a solution, Uhland (Schriften, VI, 248) suggested that with the letters of the first group of runes successively placed before the five others, the six words (or fellows, as the text has it) resulting would be ristill plowshare, aistill testicle, thistill thistle, kistill box, mistill mistletoe, vistill ?words whose sense in malam partem is still partly discernible.

1	Here liest thou, Hring,Lord of the Gauts,4 the most headstrongof human kind minded, to-morrowto murther thy son: will this foul deed betold far and wide.
2	Hear thou Busla s song 5 t will be sung full soon; so that it be heardthe whole world about harmful to himwho heareth it, but fellest for himwhom fain I would curse.
3	May wights be wildered,and wonders happen, may cliffs be shatteredand the world shaken, may the weather worsen,and wonders happen, p. 78 but thou, King Hring,forgive Herrauth, and eke to Bósino ill threaten.
4	O er thy chest such charmsnow chant I shall 6 that evil aspsshall eat thy heart, that thy ears henceforthshall hear no more, and thy seeing eyesleave their sockets, but thou with Bósiwilt bear, hereafter, nor harbor hate against Herrauth, either.
5	If boat thou sailest,shall burst the ropes, if boat thou steerest,shall break the tholepins 7 shall the sail-cloth be slitand sag downward, and all the tacklebe torn asunder, but thou harbor no hateagainst Herrauth, and but thou with Bósiwill bear hereafter.
6	Shall the reins ravelwhen thou ridest forth, shall horses go halt,and nags be hamstrung 8 shall both highwaysand bridle-paths take thee where trollsmay tear thee straightway, but thou with Bósiwilt bear hereafter, nor harbor hateagainst Herrauth, either.
7	May thy bed be for theelike burning straw, thy high-seat unsteadylike heaving sea-wave. Yet woe awaits theemuch worse by far: if with maid thou meanesta man s joy to have, shalt lose thy way then:9doest wish to hear more?