M. Kounavine (contribution by Dr. A. Elysseeff, Gypsy-Lore

Journal, July, 1890), gives the following as a Russian gypsy spell against barrenness : —
" Laki, thou destroyest and dost make everything on earth ; thou canst see nothing ■old, for death lives in thee, thou givest birth to all upon the earth for thou thyself
art life. By thy might cause me to bear good fruit, I who am deprived of the
joy of motherhood, and barren as a rock."
According to Dr. Elysseeff, Laki is related to the Indian goddess Lakshmi, although differing from her in character. Another incantation •of the same nature is as follows : —
" Thou art the mother of every living creature and the distributor of good : thou doest according to thy wisdom in destroying what is useless or what has lived its ■destined time ; by thy wisdom thou makest the earth to regenerate all that is new. . . . Thou dost not seek the death of any one, for thou art the benefactress of mankind."
%1 ■