Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 17, 1906.djvu/478

 460 Collectanea.

irregularly disposed, were probably intended to avert fascination in the same manner as the bunches of multicoloured ribbons still worn in Italy and elsewhere for the protection of men and animals.

(21, V.) A "fig" hand of twisted clear, white, red, and blue glasses ; Granada. The same observations apply as to No. 20.

(22, V.) A "fig" hand of red coral; Seville. A fairly common type.

(23, V.) A "fig" hand of jet, mounted in silver; Madrid. Above the palm, in heavy openwork, are a heart, a lunar crescent (?), and scrollwork.

(24, V.) A "fig" hand of jet, in an apparently new silver mounting; Madrid. At the top of the wrist are four smaller "fig" hands terminating in the silver mounting, and within the curve of the index finger of the main hand is a human-faced lunar crescent. A similar hand, lacking the four supporting hands, and of rude workmanship, was obtained at Granada.

(25, V.) An unused pair of flat open hands, of white metal, with a six-pointed "Seal of Solomon," a crescent, and the Arabic word 7nabruk ( = blessed), on the back of each (see general remarks on Hands) ; Madrid.

Coral. Coral as a substance, and independently of its con- formation, is thought to be protective against the evil eye. At Madrid, in the windows of jewellers' shops in the better quarters, trays containing small pendants, mostly of purely ornamental shapes, and usually worn several together, of red, pink, or pink- and-white coral, are shown with the legend " La Buena Sombra" " The Good Shadow." Old single pendants of red coral, having the form of the viano fica, a "horn," or a branch at times rudely carved, are not infrequently to be met with. No mention of any virtue other than that of combatting the effect of the evil eye was made with respect to these.

(26, V.) A pendant of rough, slightly carved, red coral, mounted in silver; Seville. Compare Nos. 11 and 22.

Jet. Jet also was supposed to possess similar preservative qualities, and it was the favourite material for the construction