Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

296 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE part iii
from head to foot seven times in succession (with
the bunch of leaves) repeating at the same time the
following charm :
Exorcising Spell.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven !
All seven heads of you, begone now.
But let not go the soul i' the shadow ;
Let go the demons and the devils
That dwell within this flesh and sinews,
And let the Hot grow cold and frigid.
Descend ye now, all Venoms,
Ascend ye, Neutralisers.
Lo, thus I neutralise all Venoms,
Ascend ye, Neutralisers.
Another form of exorcism practised by the Blandas
consisted in casting out demons by means of a
ceremony called " berjin," which appears to be
analogous to the Malay ceremony which goes by the
same name.
The requisites (" kalangkapan ") for the ceremony
consist, they told me, of " serdang " leaves, for making
the so-called ear- studs or " subang " (which is the
name given to the pendent leaf- ornaments used by
these people in all their ceremonies) ; " bertam "-palm
leaves, for waving (Mai. " pelimbai ") ; and
lastly,
" legum " leaves to make the leaf-chamber (" salong ")
itself in which the performance takes place.
The charm runs as follows :
Spell for exorcising Diseases.
Spirit-guides, both all and sundry,
Both big and small, and old and young ones,
1 crave your help in healing sonie one
Who's sick i' the veins \or bones, joints, or soul, etc.].
By the Blandas charms and spells are employed
against the Langhui (birth-demon), the Polong, the
Pontianak,^ and the " Uri "- demon.
' Cp. supra, pp. 13-15. By many with the Langsuir, and not, as it
authorities the Pontianak is identilied should be, with the Matianuk.
^ Lit. "afterbirth."