Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 14, 1903.djvu/158

 142 Folklore of the Azores.

man answered that he did not know if the tide were right, but that he would shut up his black cat and watch her eyes, and if they showed the tide to be favourable he would begin the churning.

Thunderbolts. In Fayal there is a belief that wherever lightning strikes the thunderbolt buries itself in the earth, to rise again after seven years ; and that anyone who happens to be standing over the spot at that time will be struck dead.

The Seventh Son. A seventh son, if no girls have come between him and the others, is gifted with second sight, and can assume the appearance of a dog or wolf, becoming a ' Lobis-homem ' or werwolf. He can also predict the future, cure the sick, and do many other wonders.

Sedan Chairs. In Fayal, while sedan chairs were in use, there was a strong prejudice against their bearers, who were considered almost accursed, and were said never to rest quietly after death but to turn in their graves.

St. John's Eve.

On the night of June 23rd, St. John's Eve, St. John appears and blesses all the seas and waters, driving out the devils and evil spirits ; and therefore up to that date the people are unwilling to bathe either in the sea or in the hot springs. Bathing ceases on November 2nd, when the devil enters the sea again. It is possible to see the devil on St. John's Eve by going alone at midnight into a garden. He is always found standing near a mustard- plant.

The fern only blooms at midnight on St. John's Eve, and no one ever sees the flower because the fairies instantly carry it off. But if anyone, watching tills it opens, throws a cloth over it, and then, after the magic hour has passed, burns the blossom carefully, the ashes will serve as a mirror