An Ancient Transylvanian Spell against Revenants

A Spell Against the Undead

We now turn to a spell once used to rid the world of revenants—an incantation collected over a century ago in western Transylvania by the folklorist E. Hodos. In the introduction to the book he published in 1905, Hodos described the distinction between charms and spells.

What Are Spells or Charms?

According to Hodos: "They consist of a ceremony performed by a person who, in the eyes of the people, can do whatever he wishes—someone typically in contact with unclean spirits, but who knows how to control and command them. The power of a spell is expressed in the gestures of this being and in the objects he uses when casting. If words are spoken during the ritual, and they follow a particular rhythm or cadence, then the ceremony is accompanied by magic."

One can cast a spell without speaking a charm—but true enchantment requires bewitchment. An example of a spell without a charm can be found in this rite collected in Banat. In this ritual, two sorcerers conduct the entire ceremony to deliver a villager from an undead tormentor while uttering only a few clumsy, half-formed verses.

In rural communities, the wizard was both feared and revered—not so much for his malice as for his mysterious power. People fear him, yes, but they also admire him, seek his aid, and avoid him only when they can afford to. Because witchcraft has long been persecuted by the authorities, practitioners often deny their true role. They say they do not “charm,” only “enchant” in order to “untie” or “unbind”—a practice permitted even by the Church, which has its own “unbinding prayers.”

So, this is it: A Transylvanian Revenant-Binding Spell.

When a man is tormented by a revenant—one who rises nightly from the grave to haunt the living—he calls upon two wizards. After nightfall, the sorcerers begin by searching the house, checking barrels, pots, and other containers for any sign of the creature. If they find nothing, they proceed to the revenant’s grave.

As they leave the afflicted household, they exchange the following chant:

First Sorcerer: "Chaka, maka!"

Second Sorcerer: "Barikaka!"

They repeat this call three times, then head to the cemetery, carrying with them a sleeve from a shirt once worn by the revenant while alive.

At the grave, one of the sorcerers knocks three times on the cross and chants:

"Let’s go, [Name].

Let’s eat! Let's get you fish

Carp and pike,

And sturgeon,

Of every kind. Eat your fill!"

While these words are spoken, the second sorcerer fills the shirt sleeve with soil taken from beneath the cross on the grave. Upon completing this task, the wizards do not return the way they came, but follow a different path.

As they walk, the sorcerer periodically tosses handfuls of the grave soil along the way. According to local belief, this scattered earth will later transform into the same kinds of fish that were invoked in the chant.

Eventually, the sorcerers reach a sandbar along the river. There, one of them hurls the sleeve—now filled with grave soil—into the river, declaring:

"Here be your place!"

The revenant, drawn to the soil taken from its grave, is compelled to leap into the water. Since the undead cannot swim, it drowns. Even if it does not drown, it remains trapped beneath the surface, bound by the wizard’s command: “Here be your place!” Every revenant is said to fear a sorcerer’s authority.

As a final safeguard, when the wizards return, they take yet another path. Just before reentering the village, one of them speaks:

"Here be your border!"

This last phrase ensures the undead—if it somehow retains any power—cannot cross back into the village.

The spell is always performed at night, and that same night, the sorcerers return to the household that summoned them to collect their payment—for delivering it from the grip of the undead.