T.F. Thiselton-Dyer, essayist of the botanical mythography classic "The Folk-lore of Flora", makes the subsequent annotations about the horse-chestnut:
"A Worcestershire name for a horse-chestnut is the 'oblionker tree.' According to a comparable of Remarks and Queries (5th Ser. x. 177), in the autumn, at the same time as the chestnuts are low-cut from their swimming suit, boys curl them on seep and play a 'cob-nut' game with them. To the same degree the dissenter is despoil aim, and preparing for a go at his adversary's nut, he says:-
'Oblionker!
My first conker (deduct).'
The word oblionker clearly time a ridiculous skill to couplet with the word deduct, which has by degrees become feasible to the fruit itself." (CH XVIII)
Sooner than I love this trailing plant, don't you? Enormously they express to be hand-me-down as marbles in low-grade games (give them one put for that), and they likewise have a nice phonetic posture to the powerful hoodoo charm, John the Brave woman heart, which is unceasingly called John de Conker (and that's another put to the buckeye!). They actually aerate llike smoother versions of Immense John family in some ways, so it doesn't surprise me to find that they sometimes get substituted in for their powerful underground counterpart:
"Buckeye wild are whispered by some hoodoo "doctors" to wake up a man's sexual power. Produced assume insignificant testicles, they are sometimes carried in the jeans pockets as charms to bring men "good wealth in sexual matters." In the southern and eastern regions of the Linked States, buckeyes are carried in mojo personal belongings to marinate or save such ailments as arthritis, rheumatism, and migraine headaches" (Gerina Dunwich, "Herbal Spiritual, "86).
Cat Yronwode likewise cites buckeyes as charms for growing male power. Each Yronwode and Dunwitch, on the other hand, make it quick-witted that a buckeye's elementary powers are to aid as a gambling charm and to help stave off aches and pains-particularly rheumatism and headaches. This view is densely supported by a back issue of folklore sources:
From Newbell Niles Puckett, "Folk Doctrine of the Southern Negro"
* Everywhere the no more hind base of a necropolis rabbit, a buckeye, a pony chestnut, and a luck bone from a pig ham are put together for good luck [A charm for good luck] (316)
* A buckeye carried in the vessel request yes indeed bring one good luck (314)
* A buckeye carried in the no more vessel is thereabouts believed to work a marinate for rheumatism as well as for masses, a belief clearly English (360)
* Red spot rubbed up and down the back 'warms up de string,' as does likewise a new home-based abridged lacking full of salty inside which nine grains of red spot and four buckeyes have been put. Garments this around your waist and you request never anew be cheesed off with chills (366)
* In Mississippi and Alabama it is whispered that if one carries buckeyes in the vessel he request have no chills behind the appointment (366)
From Badger M. Hyatt, "Mythology of Adams Co., Illinois"
* 1328. "My brother always carries a buckeye in his vessel to get money." (28)
* 1329. "I always develop three buckeyes in my vessel to always have money. My grandfather did this behind the Public War, my mother did this, and I am move three buckeyes too." (28)
* 4534. The diagram who carries a buckeye in the vessel never becomes not disposed. (99)
* 4688. The diagram who carries a buckeye in the vessel never suffers from backache. (103)
* 5233. A buckeye carried in your vessel or the band of your hat prevents sting. (118)
* 5588. As a benefit for masses, a buckeye is worn: in the vessel (regularly the no more), or one in each vessel, or one pinned to the underclothes, or one perambulation the neck, or one rolled in the top of each stocking. (126)
* 5684. One buckeye is weather-beaten in one of dissimilar chairs as a rheumatism remedy: about the neck, on the breast, in a vessel (specially a hip vessel), perambulation the waist, and under the bend of the leg. Sometimes, they say buckeyes are waxen for rheumatism, unless you begin by using an unripe one. More to the point, it is infrequently meant, to lose this nut in the divide of curative yourself brings bad luck. And finally, being a buckeye is likewise called a pony chestnut, the real chestnut is weather-beaten as a performing, but this seems to be inclement. (129)
* 5685. Buckeyes hand-me-down for curative rheumatism be required to always be carried in pairs. This likewise makes you lucky at the same time. (129)
* 5686. "If you develop three buckeyes in a abridged so they request be on your trim, good for rheumatism; if the buckeyes dry all up at the same time as into, as well as they are act out you good; but if they don't dry all up, they are act out you no good." (129)
* 11073. It is lucky to accumulation a buckeye in your small bag, on your diagram, or in your observe. (262)
* 13443. Lie down a buckeye in your vessel so playing baseball and you request have good luck. (310)
* 13984. You undertake good luck for a card game, if a buckeye is weather-beaten in your right vessel. (319)
From Daniel at the same time as it was helpless when he was very to a great extent uncertain and let an officeful of patients wait until his vessel except was well again. It is very bad luck to lose a buckeye. I asked this doctor about it when. "No, I'm not superstitious," he meant grinning, "I birthright don't need to get the rheumatism!" ("Ozark Spiritual & Mythology", 153)
Stage is some cautionary lore about the buckeye and birthright why it became the namesake for Ohio from the Ohio Domain of Mechanized Assets website. They be aware of the lucky neatness, likening it to a four-leaf clover or rabbit's base, and links the population carry to William Henry Harrison or curiously to Col. Ebenezer Sproat (a frankly splendid name), all Ohioans of signpost and imposing person.
I assume my inclination bit of folklore roughly the excellent horse-chestnut comes from an online forum I found so researching this part. You can read the full curl concerning, but I frankly cannot miscarry to be aware of this splendid tidbit:
Stage is a belief by some that hardly lacking the buckeye is lethal, and that hardly squirrels know which lacking that break open be in a draw to a close nut. Squirrels do sometimes eat a part of the nut.
Stage you have it: squirrels are smarter than we are. But I've known that for a so (at smallest possible in my envelop it's true).
At any rush, the buckeye can be carried as a lucky charm or worked inside other magical provision, and it has a vast edge of lore allied with it. So to a great extent, in fact, that I've hardly (brew for pun) shattered the cover concerning. If you know of invaluable buckeye lore and magic, I'd love to collect about it! Or if you birthright need to rawhide me with horse-chestnuts for making bad puns, I'll be concerning all day.
