The Witches’ Salve and Magic Spells of Tongeren

A young man from Vreren, a village of Tongeren, visited his sweetheart one evening. When he arrived, he pretended to fall asleep and secretly watched what the young women did. Suddenly he saw all the girls in the room go to a jar on the windowsill. They anointed themselves with a strange substance—witches’ salve.

Then they said in mysterious tones: “Over hedges and fences,” and immediately they vanished. They flew to a place overseas where they danced and jumped throughout the night.

The young man could not contain his curiosity. When everyone had left, he too anointed himself with the witches’ salve. But when he tried to speak the magic formula, he made a terrible mistake. Instead of “Over hedges and fences,” he said “Through hedges and fences.”

Immediately he was drawn into the spirit realm. When he arrived where the witches were dancing and jumping, he was severely wounded. Every hedge and fence had torn at him. His sweetheart was horrified at his terrible condition.

“How will you get home now?” his sweetheart asked anxiously. “You no longer have the strength to fly!” But fortunately, one of the witches still had a small jar of witches’ salve with her. She gave it to the young man.

The young man anointed himself again and spoke very carefully: “Over witches and fences.” Wait—he said “witches” instead of “hedges.” Yet it still brought him safely home. But from that moment on, the young man never wanted to see his sweetheart again.