The besom is the traditional witch’s broom. It’s associated with all kinds of legend and folklore, including the popular notion that witches fly around in the night on a broomstick.
In addition to being good for playing Quidditch, the besom is a great addition to your collection of magical tools.
The besom is used for sweeping a ceremonial area out before ritual.
A light sweeping not only cleans the physical space, but it also clears out negative energies that may have accumulated in the area since the last cleaning.
The broom is a purifier, so it is connected to the element of Water.
It is not uncommon to meet witches who have broom collections, and it is fairly easy to make your own besom if you don’t wish to buy one.
The traditional magical formula includes a bundle of birch twigs, a staff of ash or oak, and a binding made from willow wands.
Along with the popularity of handfasting ceremonies, there has been a resurgence in interest among Pagans and Witches in the idea of a “besom wedding”.
This is a ceremony also referred to as “jumping the broom.”
Although typically this is seen as a ceremony derived from the slave culture of the American south, there is also evidence that besom weddings took place in some parts of the British Isles.
“The first official documentation that records a person flying on a broomstick is from 1453, from a confession by witch Guillaume Edelin.
There were earlier recordings of witches flying on different sticks – walking sticks, tree limbs, etc.
This probably came from agrarian fertility rites when pagans were riding their besoms (hobby horse style) and jumping with them, to show how high the crops would grow.
Ancient besoms have been discovered with hidden compartments in the handle, to hold herbs, oils, and feathers (items for rituals/spells).
Some people say the handles of the besoms were coated with flying ointment.”
