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Lead's melting has been a very much spread practice of treating fear and other negative
impact; in the past of BIH. The original method was brought by Turkish people who
brought it over, amongst other magic beliefs, after they conquered Balkan countries.
That ritual can be performed by man or woman, but women perform it more often, as
they used to, traditionally, care about their family's health. Women who does that ritual
in Bosnia is called ƢstravarkaƠ (in turkish ocakli kadin), and she is usually older lady who
has been passed through menopause. Stravarka, in the process, uses a few props; metal
spoon, bowl for water, 3 or 4 pieces of lead and red towel or scarf. Ritual follows the
strict religious pattern and therefore Stravarka, before she starts perfo rms abdest
(muslim religious washing). Stravarka, over the lead and bowl filled with water,
pronounces some individual Quranic prayers, with El -Fatiha first Quranic chapter and El -
ihlas 111 chapter dominating. c

When treating a frightened child, Stravarka fi rst put little pieces of led through the gun
barrel and then puts them in a spoon and melt in the fire. However, when treating her
adult patients she holds a larger or several small pieces of lead in her hand and rotates
them 3 times clockwise round around the patients head saying: Euzubilahir rahmanir
rahim. While the lead is melting in fire, Stravarka, over the bowl with water, quietly
speaks prayers and basmas magic words that seek the salvation of God and the health
for a patient. c

Between the prayers she repeats the following words:"Dear Hazart Fatima, my dear
mother tell your father Mohammed that the patient needs help day and night. When she
pronounces all the words and prayers due to which she normally experiences some
harmless sensations like uncontr olled yawning or tearing eyes stravarka covers patientƞs
head with a cloth or red scarf (patient sits on a chair). Then, while holding the bowl of
water in her left hand over the patientƞs head she takes a right handed spoon with
melted lead and quickly po urs it into the water. On this occasion stravarka says; Ơlead to
break and all evil to bounce from (name of patient)ơ. When pronouncing the magic
words she looks out into a high mountain intending, in such a way, to positively affect
the recovery of a patient.

Namely, in BIH high landscapes such as mountains, are considers as symbols of

happiness and good health; this is originating from the old Bosnian Sun -worshiping Cult.
We, during this ritual, several times encounter the segments of those beliefs when
stravarka 3 times moves in clockwise direction; following the path of the sun, when
circling lead around the patients head or during her prayersƞ chanting over the bowl of
water that she, after every prayer, rotates in clockwise circle. After she throws dis solved
lead in cold water, on which occasion leads form various shapes, Stravarka commences
analyses of the obtained shapes what leads her to the cause of problem/disorder. If lead
forms in a shape of a needle or number of them Stravarka is convinced that the patient
was a victim of an enormous shock of fright. Lead formed in a circle is a sign of a direct
patientƞs contact with the spiritual world of Jinns, on which occasion spirits harmed the
patient. After Stravarka performed the analyses of the obtained forms of lead, she
collects all the lead by the spoon and brings it back to fire in order to re -melt it. Then,
she repeats the same ritual that has already been described above, with a difference in
lead being melted in water this time over the patientƞs stomach not head. When stage
two is completed the last time Stravarka melts lead over the patientƞs feet, what is the
final/ending stage of the ritual.
The sign of successful treatment is sought in the lead itself. Namely, so -called heart
appears in the very lead (shape of tear), what is a sign of all the evil being neutralized in
the patient. The patient washes his face 3 times with the water lead was melted in 3
times, drinks a bit of it too, washes his/her hands up to his/her elbows and washes
his/her legs up to his/her knees. The rest of the water is spilled under bush of rose.
Heart or tears of lead is kept for a month time under the patientƞs pillow and then
thrown down the river stream.