Charm of the Sprain

The Lord rade (rode)
And the foal slade (slipped)
He lighted
And she righted;
Set joint to joint
Bone to bone
And sinue to sinue.
Heal in the Holy Ghost's name.
--"casting the wrested thread"

This particular English version for the Charm of the Sprain was also called "casting the wrested thread." This charm was cast using a piece of yarn spun from natural black wool in which nine knots had been tied. This yarn was then wrapped around the injured limb and held there while the above charm was recited. I read about this type of healing magic in 1990 when I purchased a copy of C. J. S. Thompson's Magic and Healing (1989).

Apparently different versions of this verbal healing charm or Charm of the Sprain were found all over the British Isles. The words in the versions of the charm are very similar, but the names change.

Possibly the oldest version of the Charm of the Sprain is one of two incantations known as the Merseburg Incantations. These incantations were found on a 9th or 10th century manuscript by Georg Waitz in 1841. The theological manuscript containing the two charms had been stored in the library of the cathedral chapter of Merzeberg in Saxony. These two incancations are the only known examples of Germanic Pagan belief preserved in the Old High German language. There is no agreement about how old the Merzeberg Incantations actually are.

Phol and Wodan rode into the woods,
There Balder's foal sprained its foot.
It was charmed by Sinthgunt, her sister Sunna;
It was charmed by Frija, her sister Volla;
It was charmed by Wodan, as he well knew how:
Bone-sprain, like blood-sprain,
Like limb-sprain:
Bone to bone; blood to blood;
Limb to limb -- like they were glued.
--translated from Old High German by D. L. Ashliman, one of the Merseburg Incantations.

C. J. S. Thompson also provided a loose translation of this Merseberg Incantation, which I used in 1991 on my injured wrist. I recited the version in Thompson's book as I rewrapped my wrist in an Ace bandage each night after bathing. (See Folk Magic: Verbal Healing Charms.)

To illustrate how sundry versions of the Charm of the Sprain were used in different areas by different healers, I have recorded some versions below.

Our Savior rade,
His fore-foot slade;
Our Savior lichtit down.
Sinew to sinew, vein to vein,
Joint to joint, and bane to bane,
Mend thou in Geud's name!
--Orkney Islands
The Lord rade,
And the foal slade;
He lighted.
And he righted.
Set joint to joint,
Bone to bone,
And sinew to sinew.
Heal in the Holy Ghost's Name!
--Shetland Islands
Our Lord forth raide,
His foal’s foot slade:
Our Lord down lighted,
His foal’s foot righted;
Saying: Flesh to flesh, blood to blood, and bane to bane,
In our Lord his name.
--Scotland 17th century
Christ [Chaidh Criosd] went out
In the morning early,
He found the legs of the horses
In fragments soft;
He put marrow to marrow,
He put pith to pith,
He put bone to bone,
He put membrane to membrane,
He put tendon to tendon,
He put blood to blood,
He put tallow to tallow,
He put flesh to flesh,
He put fat to fat,
He put skin to skin,
He put hair to hair,
He put warm to warm,
He put cool to cool,
As the King of power healed that
It is in His nature to heal this,
If it be His own will to do it.
Through the bosom of the Being of life,
And of the Three of the Trinity.
--Carmina Gadelica Vol. 2: IV. Uibe. Incantations: 132. Charm of the sprain
Bride went out
In the morning early,
With a pair of horses;
One broke his leg,
With much ado,
That was apart,
She put bone to bone,
She put flesh to flesh,
She put sinew to sinew,
She put vein to vein;
As she healed that--
May I heal this.
--Carmina Gadelica Vol. 2: IV. Uibe. Incantations: 131. Charm of the sprain
Calum Cille rose early,
He found his horse’s bones
Leg crosswise;
He set bone to bone,
Flesh to flesh
Sinews to sinews,
Hide to hide,
Marrow to marrow;
O Christ, as you healed that
May you heal this.
--Scottish Highlands (Calum Chille is the Gàidhlig version of Saint Columba.)
Jesus and St Peter,
Were crossing a footbridge;
when Peter broke his leg.
Jesus spoke these words:
Blood to blood
Vein to vein
Sinew to sinew
Bone to bone,
Set joint to joint,
Flesh to flesh,
Skin to skin.
Help us Father, help us Son, help us Holy Ghost.
(say the Lord's prayer)

Back in 1981, I even found a version of this charm mentioning St. Agnes in Kathryn Paulsen's The Complete Book of Magic and Witchcraft, 1970, 1980. p111. I suspect, because of the spelling of "sinue" this version may also be from the British Isles. However, the author does not state from what specific area or source it was collected.

As St. Agnes went over the moon to the mountain of Moses, she fell and her foot turned. But sinue to sinue, and bone to bone, God makes all right to him who has faith; and be thou healed, O man, in Jesus' name. Amen.

In 2016, I found another version of this charm invoking the aid of St. Agnes.

Charm for a Sprain:
As St Agnes went over the moor to the mountain of Moses, she fell with her foot turned. But sinew to sinew, and bone to bone, God makes all right to him who has faith; and be thou healed, in Jesus name. Amen.
--Phyllis Doyle Burns, Charms, Cures, Herbal Remedies from Ancestors of Granny Women, February 22, 2016, accessed 3/172016.

This version is Irish and St. Agnes is apparently not traveling with a horse, mule, or donkey. St. Agnes, in this version, is traveling by foot over the moor, not flying over the moon. One could speculate that the word, "moon," is an error in the charm collecged by Paulsen. However, I've learned that charms and spells exist often in numerous forms with only slightly different wording.

My personal speculation in 2016 is that Paulsen did put into The Complete Book of Magic and Witchcraft a different version--possibly from Scotland or Ireland.

I have another speculation about the "mountain of Moses." This phrase is a biblical reference to the holy mountain at which God spoke to Moses and gave the Ten Commandments. According to the Book of Exodus, Mount Sinai is the mountain where this happened--athough this mountian seems rather far from the moors in the British Isles.

Most of these charms do not have any directions recorded with them.

The Charm of the Sprain is an example of faith healing involving a verbal charm used in and around the British Isles. Doubtless there are numerous versions which I have not recorded above.

In 2021, I found a similar version titled a “Charm for aches” which Frank Klaassen collected from a 17 th century manuscript:

In nomine patris et fillii et spiritus sancti. Iseu on ye earth roode vpon an asse, as his sweet will was his asses bloude, & Christ abode his asse looke downe right, & c hrist did saue light. He set fleshe to the fleshe & bloude to boude & bone to bone. h e blest him & bad him rise & gone in the name of ye father & of ye sonne & of ye holy ghost o god in persones three that this ach shall never more deare thee, by ye vertu of gods fleshe & His bloude in trinitye
d ic 9 pr nr & 9 aiues & 3 creeds & bene convalleescit
Frank Klaassen (editor), Making Magic in Elizabethan England, Two Early Modern Vernacular Books of Magic, 2019, p 43. The note at the bottom means 9 pater nosters (Our Father), 9 aves (Hail Mary), 3 creedos (Apostle's Creed).
According to the editor's notes, “convalleescit” literally means “s/he rightly gets better”; perhaps “convalescet,” was meant, as that meant: “he will get better”.