Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-03-22
The Salagrama.
III a IJalaud in the Asfatir Oual

IL. u. LHlauQ III lDc AkiAIC
AS an illustration of folk lore which
strangely connects Indian and European
traditions, 1 call your attention 10 the Sal
agrams. There are found, according to
number Of learned authorities, by the
river Gundsk, in Nepaul, certain stones
bsaring this name. They are regarded as
very sacred. Once when Vishnu the Pre-
server was followed by SILVA the Destroy
er he implored the aid of Msia-Illusion
or glsmour-who turned him to stone.
Through this stone SILVA, in the form Of
worm, bored his way. But Vishnu es-
capped, and when he had resumed his form
he commanded that this stone of delusion
Tor salsmsys) should be worshipped. As
such stones are found by Salipura or Sals-
grs, they recsivs their name from the
latter. They are generally about the
size of an orange, snd are really kind
of smmonits."
/ was somewhat astonishsd to learn
that In Tuscany there is peculiar kind Of
stone which IL, / may say, in a sense,
worshipped. go great Is the reverence paid
to it; and its Italian name Is SalsgrAns,
the same a. the Indian, with the differ
ence of q single letter. 1t is nothing
more nor less than ordinary stalagmite,
or stslagam-the carbonate of lime de-
posted by water. But as this looks ex
aotly like an earth-worm's mound, IL is
believed to be such pe.rihed, or earth
shaped by worms passing through II,
which identifies 1t with the Indian ira
dition. There are, In the mountain couu-
try of La Toscans RomRgns, men and wo-
msn who cultivate sorcsry, keeping 1t q
secret. From ons of thsee ! received as
New Years present Sslsgrsns, which,
was assured, had been worshipped for
many generations. 1t was adorned with
little wax like flowers, such IS are usually
| placed about small images of Christ or the
saints. The Salagrsns stone lie, In Tuscs-
ny, also carried in the pocket, In a red
| wooden bag, as were all such amulsts
/ among the old Romans. O1ce / found a
small one In the streets of Florence. !
took 1t to professional sorceress, who de-
cidsd that II was really a sscred Salsgrana,
which had been worn and lost, but that,
all things considered, 1t had better be re-
consecIated or conjured. This wss done
as follows: An incantstion Was pronounced
over the stone, and 1t was put into o rsd
/ wooden bag, with bit of gold and silver.
and some of the herb concordis; ''Aud the
| whole must be kept q secret from every
body" The allusion in this incantsfioa
| to veins, grains and holes which the witch
cannot count refers to the bslief ihAf
when the evil eye rests on anything com.
plicated or interlsoed, be 1t q number Of
grains or braid, IL must psrforce count
or trace them; and. while doing this, the
evil power IL exhsusted. It IL not from
mere conjecture, but from much sound ev-
idence, that l believe that all the inter
lacss of Gothic traesry, AID especially
those which occur in Celtic and Scsndtna-
Wan art, were based on this belief.
And here 1t may be truly raid That the
SAlssrama stone opens vast fe'd of not
merely curious, but of extremely valuable
material for the history of art recsnt
traveller In Persia was told tha. the pat
terms on carpets were, in that country,
made complicated in order to arrest, be
wilder and exhaust the evil eye 1t Is the
same thing today in Italy; and the infor
nation which / obtained on this subjsc!
was complete and satisfactory. The Sala-
grans puzzles witches with Its grains. II