in old wives tales and things of that nature, what were the ways of getting rid of a gremlin or other such nusiance?
Gremlins don’t appear to be old enough an invention for there to be wives’ tales.
then what would a prior mischevious whatnot be? and how to get rid of that?
Iron was said to be good at warding off all manner of fae, bowls of milk and/or bread left outside the door was said to be a way of placating them.
Salt and herbs* sprinkled on the ground and then swept out of the space is a common method of common current western occultism folks of the Wiccan and many neopagan persuasions. Thelemites or other Ceremonial Magick trads would be more likely to go with the L.B.R.P. (Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.)
*common herbs used for exorcism, purification and banishing include: Angelica, Arbutus, Asafoetida, Avens, Basil, Birch, Boneset, Buckthorn, Cedar, Clove, Clover, Cumin, Devil’s Bit, Dragon’s Blood Resin, Elder, Fern, Fleabane, Frankincense, Funitory, Garlic, Heliotrope, Horehound, Horseradish, Juniper, Leek, Lilac, Mallow, Mint, Mistletoe, Mullein, Myrrh, Nettles, Onion, Peach, Peony, Pepper (Black or White), Pine, Rosemark, Rue, Sagebrush, Sandalwood, Sloe, Snapdragon, Sweetgrass, Tamarisk, Thistle, Tobacco, Witch Grass, Wormwood and Yarrow
Regular preventative maintainence?
Failing that, you could try baiting them with Gingerbread—that’s what the British PM wanted to try in Whoops! Apocalypse.
And…didn’t water kill them in the movie Gremlins? No, wait a minute—that was sunlight. Water made them split into more of 'em. Nevermind. (Hopefully, you read that part first before splashing anything.)
Place a largish piece of iron over all the doors & lintels.
Like a horseshoe.
Or, have the house blessed.
If the cold iron is not effective, spill some birdseed. The sprite will spend too much time trying to pick it up to be able to cause nischief.
Sacrifice a toaster to Murphy every month. (Murphy likes it when you use a ten pound sledge hammer for this sacrifice.) This will scare off all the gremlins, which are His minions in this world. It will also extend the life of your electronics.
For that matter, no one I’ve known who has followed the proper schedule for toaster sacrifices has ever had a harddrive failure. Coincidence? I think not.
Make sure the horsehoes has the ends pointing up. (Some of the older buildings where I grew up still had horseshoes over the door. You have to have the ends pointing up or the luck runs out.)
