White Swan Thoughts on Knots by Janet Tierney Wall
Ever since the first knot was tied in the world people have placed meaning behind the act of knotting.In religious ceremonies, healing practices,and magic they are still widely used today. To make a knot is to bind together, strengthen or hold. To untie a knot is to let go or set free. The knot without beginning and without end was one of the symbols of Vishu and of life without beginning and without end. It was adopted in this meaning by the Buddhists and is one of the eight sacred symbols of Buddha.It was the theme of the sacred art of the ancient Druids. Because of the secrecy of that order of priests we may never know the significance they placed on these symbols but it is the educated guess of Celtic scholars that they held a similar belief.
During marriage ceremonies throughout India knots are tied in the clothes of the bride and groom. Sometimes they are tied to each other to symbolize their union.In southern India a knot is tied in saffron-colored thread during the marriage ceremony for luck and worn around the wifes neck for life. In other parts of India bracelets made of kusa grass are tied around the wrist or wrists of the bride and groom are tied together with it.In Russia a net is thrown over the bride and groom and it is thought that no evil could get to them without untying all the knots first.
Tibetan Buddhists recieve colored string necklaces called "blessing cords". A mantra is said by an initiate as they tie a knot in the cord. It is then placed around the neck of a person for protection and worn until it falls off. This is practiced today throughout the world in Buddhist communities.
The sacred thread of the high caste Brahman is tied with the special Brahma knot at his initiation. In Zoroastrian initiations lso the sacred girdle (kusti) was symbolically knotted. Among certain Moslems Birthdays are marked by the tying of the "year-knot"(salgirah).It is first tied on the wrist of a one-year-old child and renewed every birthday. In Roman ceremonies the priest of Jupiter could have no knots in his garment. The Biblical "bindings" are refering to ceremonies similar to other religious knottings.
Part of the funeral rites performed by Chinese Buddhist and Taoist priests is to release the souls of the dead from pain. This is done by the untying of 24 knots in a cord that has 24 coins in it.In Assyria knots were tied to prevent the dead from haunting the living.European belief was that knots could keep the soul from leaving the body.In this respect knots were a protection against death but also a curse that could cause a slow painful death. Sort of a double-edged sword.
In medieval Europe if a knot was tied during a wedding it was thought to prevent the couple from having children.To prevent the consummation of a marriage a knot or a certain number or knots were tied in a cord and thrown in water.The only way to undo such a spell was to find the cord and untie the knots. Anyone found guilty of tying such knots was punished by law and excommunicated from the Church. In Scotland as late as the 18th century this was the principal popular belief in regard to knots; the obstruction of the consummation of a marriage. Hence every knot on bride or bridegroom was untied for the duration of the marriage ceremony. Couples stood at the altar with their shoes untied and clothes falling off.
Tying knots to prevent conception is a common theme throughout Europe and Africa. Untying knots is thought to help during childbirth. This was the ancient practice of Persians, and Semitic peoples and is still common in Europe and the Pacific Island people today. Every knot is untied in the house and all caged or fenced animals are set free.
Knots have long been used for the causing and curing of illness. Seven knots and twice seven knots are especially potent. Nine knots are the worst of evil spells. Mohammed was once bewitched by a sorcerer who tied nine knots in a string and threw it down a well. Mohammed fell acutely ill and would have died had not the archangel Gabriel revealed where the string was hidden. The old teutonic Salic Law from the 5th century on put a heavy fine on anyone guilty of tying nine knots.
Tying up the wind in a knot is part of the old custom of northern fishing communities, especially in Lapland, Finland the Shetlands, Isle of Man, etc. Untying the knot raises enough wind to fill the sails. Tying the wind in three knots is also common; more and stronger winds arise as they are untied one by one. Fishermen have been known to "buy the wind"- in a knotted handerchief from a wise elder with knowledge of the wind. A knot of rememberance is often tied in the fringe of a shawl or scarf in Ireland when lovers or friends must separate. Knotting or otherwise tying cord or string has, in West African belief,has strong magical implication. Charms with knots retain their power and considered valuable.
About Macrame: One of earliest recorded use of knots as decoration appeared in the carvings of the Babalonians and Assyrians. Fringe-like plaiting and braiding adorned the costumes of the time and were captured in their stone statuary. About 1200 A.D., Arabian weavers are thought to have developed macrame in the form we know it today. They finished off woven pieces of fabric by using knotting to make elaborate fringes. The word "macrame" was first used in the 1400's in Arabic literature as a word for a "shawl that protects the head" and in the Turkish language a word for a "towel or napkin." Spreading to Italy and Spain in the 1500's, "macrame" was used as a word for a "towel" or the "material from which towels were made." By the 1600's the word macrame became the word for the fringe on a towel. About that time macrame knotting developed as a form of lace, alongside bobbin lace and needle lace.
Macrame is present in every culture in one form or another. Some of the best examples of the beauty and function of macrame is aboard ships. Responsible for the spread of the craft to seaports around the world, seagoing vessels use macrame for many things. As mats on slippery decks, grips for hand holds, coverings for glass bottles to protect them from shattering and many other useful and decorative purposes. Fishermen's wives make nets of macrame and the Nuns in Genoa are still knotting the trimmings for religious garments and linens for the Church.
On a more personal note- I was first introduced to knotting by my grandmother who made beautiful hand made lace. Many forms of refined knot tying were passed down to her by her mother from Jersey Island, one of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. Sailmakers and craftspeople they lived close to the earth and sea going back to ancient times. As a young child I was in awe of the intricate handwork she did. When macrame made a comeback in the 1970's I saw an opportunity to create with macrame the feeling of the lace that my grandmother had created. I taught myself to make everything from lampshades to sandals and made macrame my business.
I can't leave the subject of knotting without mentioning the Chinese decorative knotting used on clothing, jewelry, baskets and furniture, etc. I'll try to have more available on this subject in the near future.