Las tijeras contra las brujas

Notas

The belief in the efficacy of a pair of scissors or sorne other sharp metal object in a child's bed as a protection against witches has been widely documented in Hispanic areas. Rodney Gallop notes its presence in the Iberian Peninsula: "In Portugal, children are protected from witchcraft by a steel nail on the ground or a pair of scissors under their pillow. Open scissors or a steel knife are also effective in preventing the witches from overhearing any harm which may be said of them." He surmises that the practice dates from an extremely remote period when newly discovered metals had helped to prevail over peoples with a less developed culture. Julio Caro Baroja notes the use of open scissors in getting rid of spells of witchcraft if these are not too serious. The same belief has been observed in Venezuela. For Mexico, Virginia Rodríguez Rivera de Mendoza observes concerning the practice in rural areas: "En la actualidad, en los ranchos y poblaciones pequeñas, se acostumbra poner las tijeras abiertas en cruz arriba de la puerta de entrada, o bien objetos de metal." The placing of scissors in the hammock underneath the sleeping child is to be expected in lowland coastal areas where this type of sleeping arrangement is used instead of a crib or bed, which does not permit air circulation. One other practice to keep witches away was noted during the field work, although it does not appear in the recordings. Sebastián Morales observed that to keep witches from entering one's house, flax seed should be sprinkled around it on all sides. This is the custom in the vicinity of Rinconada, located between Jalapa and the port of Veracruz. Virginia Rodríguez Rivera describes a similar practice involving the use of mustard seed: "También barren y riegan mostaza en el frente de las casas o colocan una planta de romero para que evite las malas influencias."