I remember my grandmother whispering words over a glass of water when I was restless as a child. She would hold three spoons, let water trickle down each handle, and murmur something I could never quite catch. Only years later, when I stumbled upon a collection of old Slavic folk spells, did I understand: she was performing a traditional ritual against the evil eye.
Across Eastern Europe, folk magic for children was common until the early 20th century. These practices blend pre-Christian beliefs with later Orthodox Christian elements. The spells I found in a 2019 Russian esoteric magazine, compiled by a seer named Taisiya, reflect a world where a baby's sleep or a child's sudden fear was seen as a sign of supernatural interference. Let me share some of these traditions, not as instructions, but as cultural artifacts.
The Water and Three Spoons Ritual
One of the most detailed charms involves a glass of water and three clean spoons. The practitioner fills the glass three-quarters full, then dips each spoon in turn, stirring the water. They lift the spoon with the broad end facing up, letting the water run back down the handle while reciting: "As the spoon does not become bewitched, so may (child's name) not become bewitched." After repeating this three times, they take the glass in the left hand, pour water into the right palm, and wash the child's face. The child may also drink three sips.
This ritual appears in various 19th-century ethnographic records from Ukraine and Belarus. The number three is significant in Slavic folklore, representing the Trinity or the three realms of heaven, earth, and the underworld. The spoon, an everyday object, becomes a conduit for transferring bad energy into the water. Ordinary household items were repurposed for protection.
Bedtime Charms for Restless Children
Two incantations target children who struggle to sleep. The first is addressed to "Sonya-sonyatko," a personified sleep spirit: "Sonya-sonyatko, put the child to sleep, wrap them in slumber in sleepy chambers. Close their eyes, I whisper three times: sleep-oversleep, sonya-sonyatko." The second calls on a "Cryer, grandfather stomper" to take the crying under a capon's wing.
Another charm is recited at sunset while holding the child and looking westward: "You, insomnia, do not buzz, do not wake the baby. If you want to wander, go to the owl, the nightingale, or the drunken head. Play with them, do not spoil the child's sleep." This ritual is repeated for three days, traditionally by the mother or grandmother. Historical sources note that such verses were often sung or chanted in a rhythmic, soothing manner.
The personification of sleep problems as external beings that can be negotiated with or redirected reflects a worldview where every ailment has a conscious source.
Protective Charms Against Danger and Fear
A more elaborate spell is meant to make a child "charmed" or invulnerable. During a thunderstorm, when thunder crashes, one says: "Power of heaven, protect me. Power of heaven, protect my children. Lie down, amulet, on my threshold, on my trail – from vain tears and all troubles. From enemies known and unknown, from lies, water, fire, wounds, from word and bullet and sword, from young and old, from first and last. As the power of heaven, so the help from God. Amen."
Another ritual addresses fright, a common folk diagnosis for sudden crying or startles. Melted wax is poured into cold water held over the child's head while whispering: "Pour out the frights, the alarms beyond the thresholds, from the bones, from the relics, from the veins, from the lively heart, from the scarlet blood, from the violent head of (child's name). Amen." This is done for three mornings.
A protective charm tied to the period between the Feast of the Intercession and the Saturday of the Dead involves tying forty knots on a red ribbon while invoking saints like Nikita the Stylite, Archangels Gabriel and Michael, and John the Baptist. The ribbon is then kept as a talisman.
These spells belong to a rich tradition of folk belief that survived into modern times. While I don't practice them, I respect the cultural memory they carry. They remind us that caring for a child has always involved not just physical but spiritual protection.
For entertainment purposes only.
