Vađenje ognja

A lot of interesting examples have survived regarding Bosnian folk medicine, through ethnological documentation as well as practice of individual stravarke, about the belief of the origin of a disease and cures for it. They’re all based on a traditional belief that there are around 3000 diseases in the world of which only 1000 belong to the domain of official medicine. From that number 700 of them are curable and for the other 300 people are still searching for a cure. 2000 diseases are being cured with religious and magical methods, prayers, herbal medicine, etc.

How do you cure a disease called oganj (ingle)

The word oganj is of an Illyrian origin and signifies fire; among the Bosnian people this word was used to denote a disease which was manifested as acne on a face, usually in small children. Those acne would become small wounds over time and they would leave deep scars on the skin. Among the people, oganj was usually cured by a blacksmith which would perform a ritual called “vađenje ognja”.

In ethnological documents GZM from Sarajevo a similar case was described. A small boy of a village woman got sick, even two official doctors couldn’t help him, she then after being talked into it sought help from Avdo the blacksmith. Suspecting what type of disease it was asked her to bring him some bracket fungi (Polyporaceae), a fungi which grows on beech wood, it is also called fire fungi, a piece of green wool cloth, nine branches of blackberry, peal of rose hip, a few branches of linden and fresh butterfat. When the mother gathered all of it she brought it to Avdo, he took a hammer and a piece of “cold iron” and to his daughter he ordered to hold a piece of fire fungi close to the iron. He placed the iron on the anvil, he whispered something, and when he struck the iron a second time a few sparks flew from it and they set the fungi on fire. Everyone that was present was overjoyed and the blacksmith’s  daughter said: “It’s Oganj, oganj! The child will be cured!” Avod commanded loudly: “Quickly, give me a rag!” and as soon as Zlatka brought it he used it to wrap the head, he started blowing into it until it ignited as well. He placed it then into a metal bowl, branches of linden and peal of rose hip, nine branches of blackberry and finally the green wool cloth.



When it all burned down he gathered the remains into one heap, chopped it up and placed into a glass with the butterfat and mixed it well. He then addressed the lady whose child was sick: -“Take this glass, call an elderly woman, at dusk under an eave, she should use a chicken’s feather to rub this mixture onto your son. Let her wipe it down his face, always from top to bottom, never the other way around. Let her perform this for three nights in a row and I trust in God that he will be cured!”. They rubbed the child with the mixture for a few days as Avdo told them and allegedly after only a few days the wounds healed.

Among the Bosnian people it was believed that there are two versions of oganj, the first one is the “wooden” one and the second an “iron” one. Wooden, it was said is a more complicated ritual, but allegedly better, since it is the real oganj and wounds heal faster when it is being used.

Wooden oganj was performed on a soft wood, usually linden. A small rod was taken and was sharpened on both ends. The tips are then placed into a hard wood and the rod is then fixed. The rod is wrapped in something, usually a leather belt, then from both sides two men stand and with quick movements pull the belt towards themselves, to and fro, so that the rod, i.e. its tips move quickly and due to friction they would catch fire. It was believed if the diseased fell ill from oganj, the tips of the rod would catch fire, otherwise they wouldn’t. If they would catch fire then the coal from the rod would be taken, it would be crushed into dust and mixed with fresh butterfat. The treatment would be undertaken in a similar manner as in the first example.

But, in some areas of BiH people believed and claimed otherwise that the ritual with iron is better and more difficult to perform than the wooden one. However, people who seriously performed these rituals claimed that for the efficiency of the ritual the only relevant thing is the type of oganj that the child has. It was also claimed that the ritual was a real magical skill since if the diseased was not afflicted by oganj the fire will not be lit no matter how hard you would try.

When fear attacks the stomach

In folk medicine in BiH women often heal issues with the stomach, they're called želudarice, and as with fear, like stravarke, they claim that one can „die due to dislocated stomach!“.

Most of them resonate that the stomach should be positioned inside the body in line with the bellybutton. Due to some unfavourable occurrences, such as lifting a heavy load, falling from heights, undertaking long dietary trends, sleeping on one’s hands or holding the hands above the head, in women after birth or similar things, there can be some negative implications on the work and position of the stomach. Sometimes the cause can be a stronger cold, when due to aggressive coughing, the stomach “jumps out” of its place. Symptoms are heartburn, vomiting and loss of body mass.

Influence of shock, stress and generally fear is also a frequent cause for stomach dislocation. When one confirms, through observation, that “fear has attacked the stomach”, one should have a mellow and soft approach towards the diseased. It contains three or more stages which could be divided in the following categories:

Prophylactic approach
Natural healing
Exercising magic
Massage


Prophylactic approach

It is believed among the folk that the psyche influences the stomach, i.e. tendency towards nervousness, worrying especially panic. Actually, as we could have concluded by now, any form of mental tension or fear has a direct influence on the human health. For a person which loses its appetite suddenly, eats less or is “yellow in the face” it is believed that it has issues with fear. It is known, also, that irascible and frightened people –“someone who gets scares (strunjiva) easily” – they have the most issues with the stomach. It is discretely suggested to such persons to search for a stone “ustavljak” and to place the stone in a glass which they use for drinking water.

Namely, as Antun Hangi writes, Bosnian mothers are prone to calming down hysterical children, which cry a lot and refuse to go to sleep, by using the stone ustavljak. They would obtain it easily: they would throw small stones onto a tree outside until one of them, or more, would get stuck on a branch. Such a stone would be taken and placed under the child’s pillow. Stone ustavljak in folk medicine in BiH has calming and relaxing properties, thereby curing (1). For issues with fear, which affect the stomach, hawthorn tree would be chosen.


Natural healing

All stomach diseases created by constant exposure to stress and shock, were treated by folk healers (stravarke/želudarice) during the first phase with traditional medicine such as the one when nine nacre leaves are crushed and mixed with one kilogram of honey; the medicine is taken for 40 days (2). Tea out of quince branches was shown to be effective, it has a very pleasant taste and nice read colour, which according to homeopathic beliefs “stimulates the psyche” just like chamomile tea, whose yellow colour ideally affects those which are “yellow in the face due to stomach aches”.


Exercising magic

In collective consciousness of Bosnian folk fear is inseparable from heart and stomach issues, which is presented through an identical way of healing. Namely, ritual under the name “uvarivanje strahe” based on the use of boiled water and upturning the empty pot, so that the vacuum sucks in the hot water inside the pot, was used to cure both the stomach and fear. The only difference in rituals is that in case of curing a dislocated stomach the water in the end is spilt and doesn’t come into contact with the diseased, while during neutralisation of fear the diseased uses it to wash his face and wash his hands and legs.


Massage

Light massage with oiled up hands, starting from the left hand going towards the shoulders and descending down the back, between lower ribs and the pelvis, from the back side, a massage of the entire body is performed with the goal of putting the stomach back in its place. We should note that the massage is performed with worst cases, when neither of the previous techniques had any effect. Some folk healers use stronger pressure to massage only the lower part of the hand up to the elbow, and then they tie it with a rag and leave it for half an hour.





(1) Magical role of stones in various segments of magical activity is known to us from the Neolithic period and is based on the cult of the Grand Mother, the oldest deity in human history. From that period date the first stone statues and sculptures of all forms of the Grand Mother “one which gives life and protects it”. Even most of the rituals and solemnity which were performed in her honour were held in caves, in order to have a closer contact with this ancient deity, without whom the beginning of human civilization would be unimaginable, in the womb of the earth.

(2) According to stravarke the dirty water in which lead was molten and then used for washing, should be thrown into a stream or river and “as soon as it crosses nine rocks the evil and disease should break!”. A verse of an exorcist curse is known to us “on nine rocks it should fall and break”. Nine is also, along the number 40, symbol of the Grand Mother (nine months of pregnancy/40 weeks), and its influence is literally omnipresent in Bosnian, but also all other magical practice in the world.