The Bewitched Cows of Zichem

A farmer in Zichem was having serious trouble with his cows. The animals refused to eat and grew sicker each day. The farmer called in a veterinarian, but he could find nothing wrong and stood powerless. Every treatment failed, and the farmer feared losing his entire herd.

Then someone from the village whispered: «It looks like it has something to do with witchcraft.» The farmer, initially sceptical, decided to visit a wise man from the village who was known for his knowledge of the supernatural.

The wise man gave the farmer a special recipe. He was to set a tree stump ablaze inside the barn. Then the farmer and the wise man were to sit around the fire. They placed a third chair nearby, with a holy relic hidden beneath it.

It was not long before a neighbour woman entered and sat down on the third chair without hesitation. As the fire blazed, the barn grew hotter and hotter. The farmer threw on another tree stump to strengthen the ritual.

The heat became unbearable, yet the neighbour woman could no longer rise from her chair. She sat as if nailed down and began to groan in pain. The holy relic beneath the chair held her captive — the magical trap had worked.

Now the farmer and the wise man knew who had bewitched the cows. The neighbour woman begged to be released and solemnly promised to cease her wicked practices. As soon as she made that promise, she was able to stand. From that moment on, the cows recovered and the farmer was never troubled by enchantment again.