Hinkeldreck

This post is about a well known (and often jokingly cited) charm for bruising (Schrunn) or for a "boo-boo" (Weh). 

Heili Heili Hinkeldreck
Bis mariyefrieh iss alles weck

Most translations set "Heili" as “Holy," but there are some reasons that lead me to disagree with that translation. For starters, the word for "holy" as an adjective is "heilich." 

Additionally, there is a grammatical issue with that translation because "Hinkeldreck is a masculine noun. Thus, the phrase would have to be "Heilicher Heilicher Hinkeldreck" in order for it to be translated as "Holy Holy Chicken Dirt."

Third, the way that most folks pronounce "Heili" actually produces a different word: "Heele" or "Heeli," which means "hail" or "hails." 

Thus, instead of the chicken dirt being described as being holy, it is instead being hailed to bring about the healing. As bizarre as that sounds to the modern ear, chicken dirt was considered to have healing properties (and that may actually have some truth to it), and people originally did rub it on bruise site while saying the chant three times. 

Farmers were not quite as skittish in those days.  :)

Thus, the translation we end up with is as follows:  

Hail, Hail, Chicken Dirt
By tomorrow morning everything is gone.

The Deitsch chant is normally said three times while drawing a circle with the application hand (right hand for most people) clockwise over (or on) the bruise site. After doing so, the site is sealed by drawing the Naudhiz rune over it with the application hand with the thumb extended ("thumbs up" sign).