Black Earth
(See Philosopher's Stone.) Black Hen, Fast of The: In Hungary and the adjacent countries it is believed that whoever has been robbed and wishes to discover the thief must take a black hen and along with it fast strictly for nine Fridays. The thief will then either return the plunder or die. This is called "taking up a black fast" against anyone. A great deal of lore concerning black hens may be found in the works of Gubernatis and Friedrich.