Folk Magick
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...
Merlin
Merlin was as 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...
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...
Making a Corn Dolly
To Make 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 o...
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 Italian La F...
Folk Magick And Ritual Magick
Whether you are casting a simple spell, using items from your kitchen cupboard, or performing a complicated group ceremony, the source of the power behind it is the same. Every spell or ritual involve...
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
A Hag is an old, ugly woman believed to be a witch or sorceress; also, a supernatural, demonic being whose powers enable her to live an incredibly long time. The origin of the term “hag” is found in t...
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 healing by wise women and men, wizards, and witches involving the measuring of the patient’s girdle or belt. Changes in girth revealed the presence of evil spirits or fairi...
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...
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...