MediaWiki default at 13:06, 17 October 2007

2007-10-17T13:06:06Z

New page

[[Image:Ipomaea-Jalapa.png|thumb|250px|The roots of ''[[Ipomoea]] jalapa'', when dried, are carried as the John the Conquer root [[amulet]].]]
'''John the Conqueroo''', also known as '''High John the Conqueroo''', '''John the Conqueror''', or '''John the Conquer root''', refers to a number of [[root]]s to which [[magic (paranormal)|magical]] powers are ascribed in [[American folklore]], especially among the [[hoodoo]] tradition of folk magic among [[African American]]s. The root, in turn, is named after a [[folk hero]] called '''High John the Conqueror'''.

The root and its magical uses are mentioned in a number of [[blues]] [[lyrics]]. Regardless of which name is used, in all of these contexts "conqueror" is invariably pronounced "conker".

== Who is John the Conqueror? ==

John the Conqueror was an African [[prince]] who was sold as a [[slavery|slave]] in the Americas. Despite his enslavement, his spirit was never broken and he survived in [[folklore]] as a sort of a [[trickster]] figure, because of the tricks he played to evade his masters. [[Zora Neale Hurston]] wrote of his adventures ("High John de Conquer") in her collection of folklore, ''The Sanctified Church''.

In one traditional John the Conqueror story told by [[Virginia Hamilton]], John falls in love with the [[Devil]]'s daughter. The Devil sets John a number of impossible tasks: he must clear sixty [[acre]]s (25 [[hectare|ha]]) of land in half a day, and then sow and reap the sixty acres with [[maize|corn]] in the other half a day. The Devil's daughter furnishes John with a magical [[axe]] and [[plow]] that get these impossible tasks done, but warns John that her father the Devil means to kill him even if he performs them. John and the Devil's daughter steal the Devil's own horses; the Devil pursues them, but they escape his clutches by [[shape-shifting]].

== What is John the Conquer root? ==

The root known as High John the Conqueror is (supposed to be) the root of ''[[Ipomoea jalapa]]'', an ''[[Ipomoea]]'' species related to the [[morning glory]] and the [[sweet potato]]. The plant is known in some areas as [[bindweed]] or [[jalap]] root. It has a pleasant, earthy odour, but it is a strong [[laxative]] if taken internally. It is not used for this purpose in folk magic; it is instead used as one of the parts of a [[mojo]] bag. It is typically used in sexual spells of various sorts and it is also considered lucky for [[gambling]]. It is likely that the root acquired its sexual magical reputation because, when dried, it resembles the [[testicle]]s of a dark-skinned man. Because of this, when it is employed as an [[amulet]], it is important that the root used be whole and unblemished. Dried pieces and chips of the root are used in formulating oils and washes that are used in other sorts of spells.

[[Cecil Adams]] has claimed that John the Conquer root is the root of [[St. John's wort]][http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_318.html]; however, according to [[Catherine yronwode|cat yronwode]], Cecil Adams is mistaken. St. John's wort root is thin and thread-like root, while John the Conquer root is a tuber. As the blues lyrics below make clear, John the Conquer root is carried by the user, and the spell is cast by rubbing the root, which could not be done with fine root-hairs.

== Other herbs related to the legend ==

Other roots are linked to the same body of legends.

Low John is the root of the [[trillium]] or [[wake-robin]], ''[[Trillium grandiflorum]]''. It is carried on the person for assistance in family matters. It is also known as [[Dixie]] John or Southern John, and additionally is the basis for a [[hoodoo]] formula called Dixie Love Oil.

"Chewing John" is [[galangal]], ''[[Alpinia galanga]]'' -- a member of the [[ginger]] family. This is chewed much as [[chewing tobacco]] is chewed, to sweeten the breath and to calm the stomach. It is said that if you spit the juice from chewing this root onto the floor of a courtroom before the [[judge]] enters, you will win your case. Other names for this root are Little John and Little John to Chew. (This is called "Low John" in the Deep South.)

== Blues lyrics ==

The magic of John the Conqueroo became known beyond the circle of [[African American]] hoodoo practitioners by being mentioned in a number of well known blues lyrics.

In 1961 [[Willie Dixon]] wrote a song called "Rub My Root" and in 1964 it was recorded by [[Muddy Waters]] under the title "My John the Conquer Root." The first verse goes:

:''My pistol may snap, my mojo is frail But I rub my root, my luck will never fail When I rub my root, my John the Conquer root Aww, you know there ain't nothin' she can do, Lord, I rub my John the Conquer root''

In [[1954]], [[Muddy Waters]] recorded a very popular version of [[Willie Dixon]]'s "[[(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man]]" song with an additional verse mentioning John the Conquer root:

:''I got a black cat bone, I got a mojo too, I got a John the Conquer root, I'm gonna mess with you, I'm gonna make you girls lead me by my hand, Then the world will know the hoochie coochie man.''

In [[1955]], [[Bo Diddley]] wrote and released "[[I'm A Man]]" with the following verse:

:''I goin' back down, To Kansas to Bring back the second cousin, Little John the conqueroo.''

In [[1971]], [[Dr John]] (Mac Rebennack) recorded a song called 'Black John the Conqueror' on his '[[Sun Moon & Herbs]]' album which describes some of the legends surrounding the folk hero and as well as the powers of the herb.

== References ==
* ''Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic'' by [[catherine yronwode]]. ISBN 0-9719612-0-4
* ''The Sanctified Church'' by [[Zora Neale Hurston]]. ISBN 0-913666-44-0
* ''Mules and Men'' by [[Zora Neale Hurston]]. ISBN 0-06-091648-6
* Spiritual Merchants: Religion, Magic, and Commerce by [[Carolyn Morrow Long]]. ISBN 1-57233-110-0

==Films==
*''Deep Blues'' (1991). Directed by [[Robert Mugge]].
*[[Angel Heart]] (1987). Directed by [[Alan Parker]].

== External links ==

[[Category:American folklore]]
[[Category:Herbs]]
[[Category:Hoodoo]]
[[Category:Occult]]
[[Category:Blues]]

John the Conqueror - Revision history

MediaWiki default at 13:06, 17 October 2007