Asturian-American Migration Forum

Hi, friends:

The “mal del filu” (= disease of the thread) was a typical disease that suffered children many years ago not due to bacteria or viruses but to evil eyes……

According to my mother, when a child became ill, lacking in appetite, lethargic, etc it was very probably that the child was “agüeyado” (some person with evil eyes saw him/her). To remove such disease, a woman (usually is a woman…I don’t know why) that knows special techniques, took a thread and measured the child.

Two data were taken: the child, with the open arms, was measured from the middle finger of one hand to the middle finger of the other hand using the thread. The second measure was from the head to the feet, using also the thread.
If the two measures were different, then the child was “agüeyado” and needed to be cleaned.

For doing this, the thread was “passed” around the child nine times; then the thread was cutted into nine pieces and burned, one by one. When the last piece was burned the lady prayed a magic spell:

El mal del filu te corto, (the disease of the threat I cut you)
el mal del filu te paso (the disease of the threat I pass you)
En el nombre del Padre (in the name of the Father,)
y del Hijo, (and of the Son,)
y del Espíritu Santo. (and the Holy Spirit.)
El qu´el mal de filu t´echó (That who the disease of the thread set on you)
seque como el filu secó (gets dry as the thread dried).

The last paragraph is not precisely a prayer, but a curse, the same disease is wished for that with evil eyes.

In Asturias “tener a alguien enfiláu” means to have dislike for a person, to be ill disposed against or to have animosity towards that person. So, I believe that the origin of the phrase may be related with the “mal del filu”.

Marta.

A very interesting post, Marta, and one that relates a set of Christian relationships. The measurements of the child are made in the form of a cross, outstretched arms and head to toe measurements intersect in a cruciform shape. The thread is cut into nine pieces, three for each member of the Trinity. The power of the triune God is invoked in the curse/prayer that wishes the same disease on the person who caused it. The wish is that the thread (of life?) dries up and withers.

Is drying up and withering away what is wished for in "tener a alguien enfiláu"?

Bob

Hola, Bob. El rito de quitar el mal de ojo, yo creo que mas bien se encuentra al margen del cristianismo. Son mas bien una adaptación de creencias animistas precristianas, perseguidas y prohibidas por la Iglesia Romana por herejías y brujería. Esta misma Iglesia adaptó a sus rituales lugares, fechas y creencias anteriores a ella. Se construyeron capillas en lugares de culto antiguo cerca de robles o tejos, se utilizaron fechas de solsticios y equinoccios para sus festividades, todo con el fin de conseguir mas adeptos. La cruz, el res, el nueve y otros muchos símbolos, también son anteriores y adoptados por el cristianismo. Tan solo en quedaron pequeños trozos en lugares rurales, en cuentos para niños o en personajes mitológicos, que posiblemente, antes eran los verdaderos dioses adorados, espíritus del bosque, del agua o del fuego.
http://www.telecable.es/personales/mabe ... njuros.htm
http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/f ... itosas.htm
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitolog%C3%ADa_asturiana
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmolog%C ... C3%B3rdica
http://lapomar.es/asturias/tag/mitologia/
http://usuarios.arsystel.com/juanvicent ... rico1.html
http://www.asturiasnatural.com/mitologia/
http://www.arrakis.es/~joserm/a_maxica/cnueche2.htm

Hola Indalecio,

I think your are quite right about the Catholic Church having suppressed Christian and pre-christian practices and beliefs on grounds of heresy and witchcraft, while at the same time incorporating some of them into the Church calendar, feast days and even dogma. Thanks for an informative post.

By the way, my grandmother's family was originally Fernandez from San Martín de Podes. We may be distant relatives.

Bob

Hi, Bob:

It is a feeling and it is not easy for me to explain, particularly in English, but I'll try.

The locution means to bear ill will against somebody, to feel hostility or to have a grudge against somebody.

For example, in the relationship between the mother-in-law and the son-in-law: both may “tener enfilau” one to the other . The same for relationships between workmates or neighbors.

In other sense, we also use the word "enfilau" to refer somebody is a bit drunk: "Pepe ta' enfilau" means that Pepe is not fully drunk, but he is tipsy.

Marta

Hi Marta,

My Wela used to measure me that way when we were sewing, then cross herself. I never knew why. My Mother would roll her eyes and ignore my questions.

Thanks for the information. Interesting how beliefs and traditions crossed the ocean.

Joni

Hola Bob, sí, posiblemente seamos parientes lejanos. Todo es muy complicado, en San Martín de Podes, puede que hubiese mas de una casa con apellidos Fernández. Si lees mis mensajes verás que Fernández Quevedo Heres se quedó en solo Fernández y que todos se emparentaban mezclándose con otros más apellidos. A mi se me hace muy difícil seguir todas esos emparejamientos. De todas maneras, me alegro mucho de pertenecer a esta comunidad que traspasa fronteras y océanos.