These arrowhead shaped pieces of flint were used as weapons against animals and people. They were believed to be fatal to cattle. To save a cow that had been shot with an elf-arrow they had to be touched by the arrow, the arrow then needed to be dipped into water and the cow needed to drink the water afterwards.
Sick animals are still said to be elf-shot if they become ill.
If the person were shot with an elf-arrow, they get sick with a mysterious supernatural illness.
In 1560, a Scottish woman was accused of using of elf-arrows. Catherine Ross, Lady Fowllis, along with her son-in-law Hector Munro, and other nameless witches wanted to kill Ross’ husband and Marjorie Campbell, Lady Balnagown. Lady Fowllis wanted to marry Lord Balnagown. The plot was uncovered before anything happened to the victims. Elf-Arrows superstition is strong in Ireland, England, and parts of Scotland.
Whenever I hear charm, I think of a little figure on a bracelet.
This isn’t what I’m talking about today though.
In magic or witchcraft, a charm is/are magical words, phrases, chants, incantations, or prayers when verbal.
They’re also incantations or symbols drawn on paper, parchment, wood, or other materials including the body.
There are other charms that include phrases and actions like spitting.
They’ve been common since ancient times and can be used for any purpose: find love or riches, fertility and potency, or to make a man impotent, revenge, to keep a lover faithful, protection of self, property or animals, or to get rid of pests.
Folk witches, and cunning folk were often sought to create a charm to break or repel spells of other witches, ill-wishing, evil eye, etc.
The church promoted the use of holy charms like rosaries, and holy relics. In the 17th Century, the rosary was blessed as a charm/amulet against fire, tempest, and evil spirits.
Abracadabra was originally a charm from around the 2nd Century Rome, probably older, and was believed to cure fever.
Folk witches renowned for their healing abilities used many charms creating the name Charmers for themselves. I’m sure charmers became a nickname the townsfolk called them.
They used Christian prayers spoken or written in Latin. The church was okay with the use of these prayers and scripture quotes for protection and cures, but they didn’t like Charmers and witches prescribing them.
In the 17th Century a sorcerer from Nottingham began selling a charm against witchcraft, copies of St. John’s Gospel, and to break the spell he prescribed herbs and the recitation of five Our Fathers, five Hail Mary’s, and one Creed.
In the 19th Century, England poems similar to nursery rhymes were said to protect against witchcraft. Witches had their own good luck charms too. They were also used for other purposes like gathering medicinal herbs.
The belief in charms started to dwindle in the 17th Century. There are some we still use today though, Ladies –guys too- how many times did you pluck petals from a flower while saying, “He loves me…. He loves me not”? I know my friends and I plucked every flower and clover we could find one year.
Wiccans replaced the word charm with chant or incantation.
The Duke’s Bedeviled Bride is the second book in The Royal Pains series of novellas by Nina Mason. If you haven’t read the first novella of the series, The Devil in Dukes Clothing, I really really REALLY love this series, and recommend you get a copy for yourselves. You can get it here and read my review here
Go on I’ll wait for you to read the previous review so we’re all on the same page.
Reading and reviewing…
Lalalalalala
Scribble scribble, Oh you’re back great.
So Maggie and Robert are back from court. They’ve found out a few things about Maggie’s past like she’s the King of England’s niece. Their marriage has been blessed by the King and it should all be happy sailing from here on out. Nope, not for Maggie and Robert.
If you’ve read Devil in Duke’s Clothing you know that Robert had a bit of an affair, well he had an affair but he has reasons to not see it that way. I agree with Maggie, he needs to be punished. Maggie decides beating him would be best, not for Robert, he enjoys being beaten. They come to an agreement, of not agreeing but it looks like they’ll have a happy marriage.
Until….
Okay, so The Royal Pains takes place in England during the 17th century. The Catholics are being attacked by the Protestants, Robert is Catholic. He decides he needs to talk with the King. This need arrives at the worse time possible. Robert’s brother is coming home from being sent to France. Hugh has gotten married, blocking the feelings Maggie may have for him. When Robert arrives in London, he’s beaten brutally and left for dead. A doctor finds him and cares for his wounds, but he now has amnesia.
Meanwhile, at Balloch Castle, Hugh is taking the power of the Duke into his own hands. He’s made Maggie a house servant and beats her regularly.
Will Robert and Maggie be able to survive the trials that force them apart.
Warning: BDSM, and a Cliffhanger.
You can get a copy of The Duke’s Bedeviled Bride here
Today, we are featuring The Duke’s Bedeviled Bride, book two in the erotic historic Royal Pains series by Nina Mason. The series, set in Scotland and England during the Restoration period, is available in e-book or paperback.
The tawdry tale of the Duke and Duchess of Dunwoody continues? Maggie Armstrong, the long-lost illegitimate daughter of the heir
presumptive to the throne, is bedeviled by her husband’s limited
definition of fidelity. After observing him in a m?nage ? trois at the
court of King Charles II, she is determined to bring him around to her
way of thinking?by any means necessary.
Robert doesn?t mind being punished for his transgressions. Rather,
he enjoys being whipped, especially by his beloved bride. Unfortunately,
her heart might not belong to him alone. His younger brother, who he?d
sent abroad to clear the way for himself, is coming home sooner than
expected, and Maggie?s feelings for Hugh may not be as dead as her
husband had hoped.
Both duke and duchess soon learn, to their peril, Hugh Armstrong is
not the honorable man they?d been led to believe. Insanely jealous of
his brother?s situation, Hugh will stop at nothing to strip Robert of
all he holds dear?including his life.
But the real danger for Robert and Maggie is not the villainous
Marquess, but the growing friction betwixt Catholics and Protestants in
Restoration Era Great Britain.
Can their love survive the trials that await them?
Nina Mason is a hopeful romantic with strong affinities for history,
mythology, and the metaphysical. She strives to write the same kind of
books she loves to read: those that entertain, edify, educate, and
enlighten.
She is the author of The Queen of Swords, a darkly erotic Scottish paranormal
romance/urban fantasy; The Tin Man, a political thriller; Devil in
Duke’s Clothing, an erotic historical set in 1680 Scotland; The Duke’s
Bedeviled Bride, the follow-up to Devil in Duke’s Clothing; Starry
Knight, the first book in a new PNR/UF series; and Dark and Stormy
Knight, book two in The Knights of Avalon series.Born and raised in Orange County, California, Ms. Mason
currently lives in Woodstock, Georgia.
This tiny insect makes a tapping noise when boring into wood.
There are records from the 17th century England telling of the fear people felt for the beetle. In folklore from Britain, Europe, and the United States the sound of the death beetle tapping was a death omen. There are various beliefs depending on the region too some areas believe only three taps counted as a death omen.
Vanpir was made up by an unnamed German officer in 1776. He used the word to mean werewolf.
During that year there were thousands of reports that the plague that was running wild in the Slavic regions was started by revenants. These revenants were werewolves in life, but rose from the dead to be what was locally called Vrykolakan (a vampire).
The German officer changed the word vrykolakia to one it’s said he made up the word Vanpir. He never shared the reason for the change.
Newspapers started to use the word in their stories. They French stared using Vampyre. Those stories crossed the channel to England. The British changed the word again to fit their audience. And we know have the word Vampire.
Mari Wells 