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| A contemporary woodcut of The Great Thunderstorm, Widecombe, Dartmoor, Devon, England which occurred in 1638. Any lightning defense attempted here obviously didn't work very well! |
"IN ancient times church bells were anointed with holy oil, exorcised, and blessed by the bishop, from a belief that when these ceremonies had been performed, they had the power to drive the devil out of the air, to calm tempests, protect from lightning, and keep away the plague.
The passing bell was anciently rung to bespeak the prayers of all Christian people for a soul just departing, and to drive away the evil spirit who stood at the bed's foot to hinder its passage to the other world.
The passing bell was anciently rung to bespeak the prayers of all Christian people for a soul just departing, and to drive away the evil spirit who stood at the bed's foot to hinder its passage to the other world.
Men's death I tell by doleful knell,
Lightning and thunder I break asunder,
The winds so fierce I do disperse,
Men's cruel rage I do assuage.
Lightning and thunder I break asunder,
The winds so fierce I do disperse,
Men's cruel rage I do assuage.
A very frequent inscription on church bells in the fifteenth century, was voce mea viva depells cunta nociva.
This is a proof of the belief that demons were frightened away by the sound of bells."
Hewett 1900
[Again - Caution should be taken with Sarah Hewetts work - while it is ostensibly to do with Devon, and has many uniquely Devon stories in it, it is sometimes hard to ascertain when she is referring to a Devon tradition, and when it is simply a general British or European thing. In this case I am giving her the benefit of the doubt, and including it because of the inscription. I have no idea whether this was ever written on any Devon bell though!]
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