Folk Magick

Folklorist Belief

FOLKLORISTS BELIEVE THAT the first festivalsarose because of the anxieties of earlypeoples who did not understand theforces of nature and wished to placate them.The people noted the times and seasons ...

Folklore

The majority of people who are new to spellworking will acknowledge that for them commonsense backed up by practical action is normallymore productive than theoretical or mysticalthinking. In magical ...

FOLKLORE ON A Stopped Clock

Lets examine the curious and sometimes sinister superstitions that have grown up around clocks over the years, and related how a stopped clock was often related to a death in many folk beliefs. Now th...

The Verdanthrope

In the deep recesses of the forest, a tale whispered by ancient trees and dreaded even by the shadows unfolded. The Verdanthrope — a creature carved from moss, branches, and the dark secrets of the wo...

Spiders in Myth and Folklore

Nearly all cultures have some sort of spider mythology, and folktales about these crawly creatures abound! Hopi (Native American): In the Hopi creation story, Spider Woman is the goddess of the earth....

Wyrd Scrying Spell

You will need the following items for this spell: A wooden bowlA small knife or chiselIncenseCandle wax (optional)WaterBegin by placing the wooden bowl on a flat surface. Take the chisel or knife and ...

The Berkeley Witch

In English folklore, the Berkeley Witch was a wealthy woman who lived during the time of the Norman Conquest in the town of Berkeley in England’s heartland. She was wealthy and well liked, and lived l...

Yuxa, or Yuha (“Sly Snake”), the Queen of Serpents in Turkic folklore. 

 She manifests in every serpent that is at least 100 years old. She can become a beautiful maiden, and makes an excellent fairy wife. A human husband must never speak of what she really is, or th...

Faces of the Holly King

NamesJanicot, Woden, Odin, Gwyn ap Nudd, Arawn, Iuan, Krampus, Hod, Hob, Basajaun, Lucibello, Iu-Hu, Old Nick, Misrule, Pan, Baphomet, Scratch, Puck, Buccos Station of the WheelNorthwest, Yule, Decemb...

Horned Women

In Irish legend, 12 horned women,all witches, who take over the household of a rich womanand bewitch her and her sleeping family. No reason forthe bewitching is given in the story—perhaps, in timespas...

Goblins

In French folklore, wandering sprites whoattach themselves to households and both help andplague the residents. Goblins live in grottoes but areattracted to homes that have beautiful children and lots...

Bells

Bells Repellers of witches and evil spirits. Bells areassociated with the divine: their sound is symbolic ofcreative power, their shape a symbol of the female forceand the celestial vault. The sound v...

Folklorists, Thoughts & Festivals

Folklorists believe that the first festivals arose because of the anxieties of early peoples who did not understand the forces of nature and wished to placate them. The people noted the times and seas...

Herbal Folklore & Old Fashioned Tips

AniseRomans paid taxes with anise, and it was used in cough drops. BasilPrecious to lovers in Italy and considered sacred in India. Many years ago, Italian men wore a sprig of basil to indicate their ...

Jack-o’-Lantern

A phosphorescent light seen in marsh and swamp areas, which in folklore is either the manifestation of a malicious lost soul or a death omen. Jacko’-lantern is known by various names, including will-o...

Folklore & Spell Work

The majority of people who are new to spell working will acknowledge that for them common sense backed up by practical action is normally more productive than theoretical or mystical thinking. In magi...

Broom Folklore in Rural Cultures

The broom is one of those tools that most people have in their home – whether they’re a witch or not! In many rural cultures, the broom has become a source of legend and folklore. Here are just a few ...

Baba Yaga

In Russian folklore, a female witch who loved to roast and eat people, preferably children. She was as likely to pop a niece in the oven as she was a stranger. She lived in a little hut beyond a river...

The Meeting of Pagan and Christian

Ways of dealing with problems within the community, which used a blend of Christian and pagan rituals, was partly a product of the interaction between Christianity and paganism. Pagan belief demanded ...

Merlin

Archetypal wizard of Arthurian lore. Merlin is a Latinized version of the Welsh Myrddin. His exact origins are lost in myth; he may have been a god, perhaps a version of Mabon or Maponos, the British ...

Berkeley Witch

In English folklore, the BerkeleyWitch was a wealthy woman who lived during the timeof the Norman Conquest in the town of Berkeley in England’sheartland. She was wealthy and well liked, andlived luxur...

Making a Corn Dolly

You Will Need Two small handfuls of corn stalks Green and yellow wool or cotton Trailing greenery (ivy or grape vine are ideal) Appropriately colored ribbons for the ritual (red or orange for Lammas) ...

Lunar Folklore

If the Moon is feminine in nature, how did we ever come up with the “man in the Moon?” Even though this idea is often thought of as strictly an American invention, such is not the case. The Sanskrit w...

Befana

Befana  is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5). A popular belief is that her name derives from the Feast of Epiphany or in Italia...

Folk Magick And Ritual Magick

Whether you are casting a simple spell, using items from your kitchen cupboard, or performing acomplicated group ceremony, the source of the power behind it is the same. Every spell or ritualinvolves ...

Apples in Folklore

Apples, cultivated in Britain as early as 3000 b.c.e., have had a long association with magic, witches, and goddesses. Magic apple lands, whose fruit gave eternal life, were cultivated by various West...

Hag

An old, ugly woman believed to be a witch or sorceress;also, a supernatural, demonic being whose powersenable her to live an incredibly long time.The origin of the term “hag” is found in the ancientGo...

Mother Shipton

A 15th-century English witch and seer who supposedly prophesied scientific inventions, new technology, wars and politics through several centuries, all written in crude rhymes. The books of her “proph...

Girdle Measuring

An old technique of magical healingby wise women and men, wizards and witches involvingthe measuring of the patient’s girdle or belt. Changes ingirth revealed the presence of evil spirits or fairies w...

Banshee

It is the duty of the banshee or ‘woman of the fairies’ to foretell the death of an individual. Banshees are attached to particular families and their cry is only heard when a family member is about t...

Shape Shifting

Spells designed to bring about a difference in bodily appearance in order to dissolve mischievous enchantments by the fairy folk or frequenters of the lower world were legion in most cultures. In Celt...

Benandanti

Participants in the lingering remnants of an ancient agrarian cult in northern Italy, which came to the attention of the Inquisition in the late 16th century because of the cult’s nocturnal battles wi...

Mother Redcap

A name applied to English ale-wives, wise women and witches. It was also given to familiar animals. One Mother Redcap was an elderly woman who lived in a village about 14 miles from Cambridge, England...

Bellarmine Jugs and their Connection to Witchcraft

Bellarmine jugs, bottles, and drinking-mugs were produced by the potteries of the Rhineland area, from the sixteenth centuryonwards. They were exported in large numbers to this country, where they bec...

Lucius Apuleius

Lucius Apuleius is best known to us as the author of The Golden Ass, one of the most famous romances in the world, containing as it does the story of Cupid and Psyche. His importance to the study of w...