 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 roots to which magical powers are ascribed in American folklore, especially among the hoodoo tradition of folk magic among African Americans. 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 supposed to be an African-American prince who was sold as a 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 acres (25 ha) of land in half a day, and then sow and reap the sixty acres with 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 Conqueroo is (supposed to be) the root of Ipomoea jalapa, am 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 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. It is likely that the root acquired its magical reputation because, when dried, it resembles the testicles of a dark skinned man. Because of this, when the root is used as an amulet, it is important that the root used be whole and unblemished. Dried pieces of the root are used in 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[1] (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_318.html); however, according to Catherine Yronwode, Cecil Adams is mistaken. St. John's wort root is much smaller than genuine John the Conqueroo, and the roots of that plant are unsuitable to be carried as amulets. 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.
Other herbs related to the legend
Other herbs are linked to the same body of legends. Low John is the root of the trillium or wake-robin, Trillium grandiflorum. It too is carried about on the person for assistance in family strife.
"Chewing John" is galangal, Alpinia galanga. This is chewed much as chewing tobacco is chewed, to sweeten the breath. 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.
Blues lyrics
The magic of John the Conqueroo has become known well beyond the circle of hoodoo practitioners by being mentioned in a number of well known blues lyrics. Willie Dixon wrote a song called My John the Conquer Root, whose 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
An even more widely recorded song by Muddy Waters, called Hoochie Coochie Man, also mentions John the Conqueroo. Its lyrics include:
- I got a black cat bone, i got a mojo too,
I got the John the Conqueroo, 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.
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