Witch Bottle
Dating back to at least the 1600’s these were used for protection by witches and non witches alike. The owner of the bottle would place a part of themselves inside the bottle; hair, fingernails or urine, along with sharp items such as nails, glass or thorns. The idea is, if a spell was cast against the owner, as the bottle contained part of them, it would be cast against that as well. The evil witch would then feel pain from the sharp objects and stop the spell. Once made they were hidden on a property at the entrance or hearth, burying the bottle also increased its power.
Hag Stone
Any stone with a naturally created hole is a hag stone. They are known by many other names including witch stone and fairy stone. Their anti-magic properties probably come from the fact the hole is made by water erosion and, as we all know, witches hate water because they can’t cast spells on it. So, if you wear a hag stone as an amulet any spell cast against you will just fizzle out. Also, looking through the hole will reveal ghosts and a glimpse into the land of the fairies, but that’s off topic.
Rowan Tree
“Rowan trees and red thread puts witches to speed.”
Well known for its red berries in autumn, what is unusual is that at the end of the berry there is a pentagram shape. Pentagrams are, of course, a symbol of protection used by witches when casting dangerous spells and conjurations. Red is also the colour of protection. So, grow rowan in your garden, or drape a few berry clusters around your door and you’ll be hex-proof in no time. The book The Golden Bough, mentions that rowan was hung in barns to protect livestock from witches. Travellers should always have a walking stick of rowan to help ward away fairies in the woods, and if you make a cross with rowan wood held together by a red thread no harm will befall you.
The old celtic name for rowan is, ‘Fid na ndruad,’ which means the druid tree.
Salt
‘The Devil loveth no salt in his meat.’
Salt is a preservative and an essential good food, therefore no self-respecting witch would go near it. Furthermore, a ring of salt will protect from evil spirits and demons. To discover if someone is a witch salt their food, if they spit it out then they must surely have taken the Devil’s kiss. If you need further proof of its abilities to protect, when was the last time you saw a witch eat a bag of salt and vinegar crisps; I rest my case.
Witch Balls
Nothing more than hollow balls of coloured glass, yet able to protect us from all kinds of evilness. There are several theories why this should be. Could it be that witches avoided them because they can’t stand to see their reflection or because they can’t cast a reflection. Maybe it’s because they are so shiny that the witch sees the victim’s reflection and casts the spell on the ball instead. Witch balls and the old floating glass balls used to keep fishing nets afloat are the same. Just as a witch that floated was found guilty and hung to remove her evil, so would the fishing floats -that floated – be hung around houses to remove evil.
For extra strength fill with holy water or salt. If all else fails, just throw them at the witch.
Jeremy Smith 