Folk Magick
Bellarmine Jugs and their Connection to Witchcraft1
Bellarmine jugs, bottles, and drinking mugs were produced by the potteries of the Rhineland area, from the sixteenth century onwards. They were exported in large numbers to this country, where they be...
Bellarmine Jugs and their Connection to Witchcraft2
When used as a witch-bottle, these vessels have been found with highly unpleasant contents, such as human hair entangled with sharp nails, cuttings of human finger-nails, a piece of cloth in the shape...
Bellarmine Jugs and their Connection to Witchcraft3
Believing that a magical link existed between the witch and themselves, they tried to put the magic into reverse, and turn it back upon the sender. They used their own hair, nail-clippings, urine, etc...
Bellarmine Jugs and their Connection to Witchcraft4
In Christian times, sculptors tried to work it into Church decorations by calling it a symbol of the Holy Trinity; but in the sixteenth century, it was banned by the Council of Trent, who declared it ...
Benandanti 1
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...
Benandanti 2 The Unknown Origans
The origins of the benandanti cult are unknown; the roots are probably ancient. The leaving of the body and doing battle in spirit, in the guise of animals, is shamanic in nature. The benandanti may b...
Benandanti 3 The Church
The benandanti came to the attention of the church in 1575, when a priest in Brazzano heard rumors of a man in Civdale, Paolo Gasparutto, who could cure bewitched persons and who “roamed about at nigh...
Lucius Apuleius1
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...
Lucius Apuleius2 The Golden Ass
His book The Golden Ass was translated into English by William Adlington in 1 566 (Simpkin Marshall, London, 1 930 and AMS Press, New York, 1 893), and in our own day by Robert Graves in 1 950. It pre...
Lucius Apuleius3 The witches in The Golden Ass
The witches in The Golden Ass have many of the characteristics attributed to those of the Middle Ages. They can change their shape by means of magic unguents; they steal parts from corpses to use in t...
Herbal Folklore & Old Fashioned Tips, Thyme.
Herbal Folklore & Old Fashioned Tips, Thyme. Burning thyme gets rid of insects in your house. A bed of thyme was thought to be a home for fairies.
Herbal Folklore & Old Fashioned Tips, Tarragon.
Herbal Folklore & Old Fashioned Tips, Tarragon. Put in shoes before long walking trips to give strength. It has been used to relieve toothache and as an antifungal.
Herbal Folklore & Old Fashioned Tips, Summer Savory.
Herbal Folklore & Old Fashioned Tips, Summer Savory. It was believed to be an aphrodisiac. Some thought it was a cure for deafness.
Herbal Folklore & Old Fashioned Tips, Sage.
Herbal Folklore & Old Fashioned Tips, Sage. Thought to promote strength and longevity and believed to cure warts. American Indians used it as a toothbrush.
Herbal Folklore & Old Fashioned Tips, Rosemary
Herbal Folklore & Old Fashioned Tips, Rosemary. Rosemary in your hair will improve your memory. It will protect you from evil spirits if you put a sprig under your pillow.
Herbal Folklore & Old Fashioned Tips, Mint.
Herbal Folklore & Old Fashioned Tips, Mint. It was believed to cure hiccups and counteract sea-serpent stings. The Romans wore peppermint wreaths on their heads. It was added to bathwater for its ...