A KNOTTY TALE

By Psychic-Magic contributor Janet Ashe

Knots have been used for centuries to “bind” things and to remember things. We knot a corner of a handkerchief to remember something. The idea is that, the more intricate the knot, the less likely evil forces will be able to distract you. Gamblers frequently tie knots in their clothing to bring luck. Similar to breaking a wishbone, a knot is tied in a piece of thread and two people make a wish and tug on the ends until the thread breaks. The person with the piece of thread containing the knot will have his/her wish come true.

Sailors also tie knots in their clothing to bring good fortune. Village witches in the Northern lands provided “wind knots” that bound the winds. The knots could be loosened to release the wind in mild intensity rather than gale force. The cords typically had three knots. The first brought a mild breeze, the second a strong gust, and the third a tempest. In Homer’s Odyssey, the King of the Winds (Aeolus) gives Ulysses something called a zephyr bag, in which the west wind was bound with silver cord.

Intricate rituals involving tying many knots will draw your desires to you. Cords of varying colors are used depending on the desire. White, for example, for healing and protection; green for prosperity. Knots are tied to ward off evil. For protection against evil, black cords are knotted in the Hebrides, and red and white cords are used in Macedonia.

In China, a pregnant woman was surrounded by fishnets to protect her and her child. The nets were constructed numerically, using a specified number of knots. Fishnets were also used in marriage ceremonies in Russia and were tossed over the couple to protect them. The net evolved into veils that many modern brides wear.

In some marriage ceremonies, the couple’s wrists are bound together with a cloth or ribbon; thus, “tying the knot.” A variation on the wedding ring is a “love knot” or “betrothal knot” tied of string or ribbon around a wrist or ankle.

Medicine men of many cultures have used slip knots. The evil spirit causing an illness is trapped in the knot, and when the shaman pulls the string, both the knot and the evil spirit disappear.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a very interesting example of knots. A mummy from around 1000 BCE has seven strings tied around her throat, 14 around her wrists, and 21 around her ankles. The multiples of the number seven should not be dismissed here, as that may have great significance. Seven knot charms were used to treat fever, so the mummy may have suffered from a serious illness.

Ancient Assyrians also used series of seven knots to treat illness. To cure headaches, three cords were hung from a piece of cedar and seven knots were tied while an incantation was recited.

The term “Notary” comes from the Middle Age custom of witnesses to legally binding contracts tying knots. The modern Notary witnesses signatures on legally binding documents. And note the term “legally binding”.

Not all knots are lucky. Before a woman gives birth, any knots in the bedclothes must be untied so there will be no complications.

The shoe laces of the dead should not be tied, because the knots will tie them to the Earth and the soul will not be able to move on and will become a ghost.

The term “discord” may come from the fact that separation (divorce) rituals often involved severing both a cord and the relationship.