Melting the fear - salivanje strahe

Stravarka Aiša from Sarajevo practices a form of ethno-medicine characteristic for

Middle East and the Balkans, a method called salivanje strahe or salivanje zrna
„melting the fear“ in Bosnia. This method consists of ritual behaviour and a
special text known as a „basma“ (or bosnian magic poetry), used together with the
aim of healing the patient.
Another part of the technique is the melting of lead (or 'melting the fear'), which
consists of the ritual melting of a small piece of lead, by means of which
stravarka Aiša ' sees' the cause of the illness. This piece of lead represents the
condensed illness and its cause as well. The shape the melted metal assumes is
interpreted by the conjurer (stravarka). At the end of the interpretation, the
conjurer gives this piece of lead to the patient and he must liberate himself from
it by throwing it ritually back over his shoulder without turning back his head,
while pronouncing a charm.
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 „stravarka“ or "stravaruša", and she is usually older
lady who has been passed through menopause. The illness which stravarka Aiša heals
and from which the term 'melting the fear' originates are defined in the folk
speech as straha or strava - a terror, a fear, a spell, or evil eyes. These are
different psychic crises, neurosis, states of stress and nervousness.
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 performs 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 Ikhlas 112.
chapter dominating.
When treating a frightened child, Aiša first 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:
„Euzubilahi mineš šejtanir radžim bismillahir rahmanir rahim“. While the lead is
melting in fire, Stravarka, over the bowl with water, quietly speaks prayers and
basma (magic words) that seek the salvation of God and the health for a patient.

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" -
"Draga moja hazreti Fatime, draga moja majko, reci svom ocu Muhamedu pejgamberu da
bude u pomoći i u danu i u noći". When she pronounces all the words and prayers due
to which she normally experiences some harmless sensations like uncontrolled
yawning or tearing eyes stravarka covers patient’s 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 patient’s head she takes a right handed spoon with melted lead and quickly
pours it into the water. On this occasion stravarka says; “lead to break and all
evil to bounce from (name of patient) Amen!, Amen!, Amen!” - "Olovo puca i sve zlo
razbija sa N Amin! Amin! Amin!" 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. 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 prayers’ chanting over
the bowl of water that she, after every prayer, rotates in clockwise circle.

After she throws dissolved lead in cold water, on which occasion leads form various
shapes, Stravarka Aiša 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 patient’s contact with the
spiritual world of Jinns, on which occasion spirits harmed the patient.

After Stravarka Aiša 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 patient’s stomach not
head. When stage two is completed the last time Stravarka melts lead over the
patient’s feet, what is the final/ending stage of the ritual.

srce or heart

The sign of successful treatment is sought in the lead itself. Namely, so-called
heart (srce) 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 patient’s pillow and then
thrown down the river stream.