Dede-Spall
The dede-spall was thought to be another omen of death. The following description is by J Maxwell Wood*. A dede-spall is ‘the semi-molten part of the grease of a candle (so called from its resemblance to wood-shaving) when it falls over the edge in semi-circular form, and which, if pronounced, and turning with an appearance of persistence toward some person in particular, was supposed to indicate the approaching hand of death.
* Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland (1911)
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