Footprints are important in the supernatural world.
Footprints prints are believed to have some essence of who ever created the print. In Africa, people make sure their footprints are destroyed so witches cannot use the dirt from the print for evil magic against them.
More so for people who want to be a werewolf.
Drinking water collected in the footprints of wolf’s -extra power for footprints left in Clay- gave people the power to shape shift into a werewolf.
An Imp is a small demon that a witch keeps in a bottle. Imps are used for magical purposes like carrying out tasks and spells. Imps could shape-shift into rodents, toads or frogs, and insects like flies and spiders. In return for their work, they suck the blood from the witch.
Witches were checked for Witch Marks, this was a strange lump, warts, discolored skin, from which the witch would feed her Imp.
When nothing was found, it was agreed that she used her finger.
I bet they never thought of a witch spoon feeding her imp.
Prison cells were filled with rats and insects during the witch trials finding any animals in a suspected witch’s cell was suspicious. Guards tried to kill the animal, if it was killed, it was a normal animal, if it escaped that meant it was the witch’s Imp.
Imp and familiar were used interchangeably.
During the witch hunts the Inquisition, demonologists of the time believed and probably convince others that witches and sorcerers that ate a queen bee could withstand torture and trials without confessing. They condemned the accused to death with this explanation.
Can you see the bee?
Image from Google Search
Whenever I hear charm, I think of a little figure on a bracelet.
This isn’t what I’m talking about today though.
In magic or witchcraft, a charm is/are magical words, phrases, chants, incantations, or prayers when verbal.
They’re also incantations or symbols drawn on paper, parchment, wood, or other materials including the body.
There are other charms that include phrases and actions like spitting.
They’ve been common since ancient times and can be used for any purpose: find love or riches, fertility and potency, or to make a man impotent, revenge, to keep a lover faithful, protection of self, property or animals, or to get rid of pests.
Folk witches, and cunning folk were often sought to create a charm to break or repel spells of other witches, ill-wishing, evil eye, etc.
The church promoted the use of holy charms like rosaries, and holy relics. In the 17th Century, the rosary was blessed as a charm/amulet against fire, tempest, and evil spirits.
Abracadabra was originally a charm from around the 2nd Century Rome, probably older, and was believed to cure fever.
Folk witches renowned for their healing abilities used many charms creating the name Charmers for themselves. I’m sure charmers became a nickname the townsfolk called them.
They used Christian prayers spoken or written in Latin. The church was okay with the use of these prayers and scripture quotes for protection and cures, but they didn’t like Charmers and witches prescribing them.
In the 17th Century a sorcerer from Nottingham began selling a charm against witchcraft, copies of St. John’s Gospel, and to break the spell he prescribed herbs and the recitation of five Our Fathers, five Hail Mary’s, and one Creed.
In the 19th Century, England poems similar to nursery rhymes were said to protect against witchcraft. Witches had their own good luck charms too. They were also used for other purposes like gathering medicinal herbs.
The belief in charms started to dwindle in the 17th Century. There are some we still use today though, Ladies –guys too- how many times did you pluck petals from a flower while saying, “He loves me…. He loves me not”? I know my friends and I plucked every flower and clover we could find one year.
Wiccans replaced the word charm with chant or incantation.
Images found on Google search
Pointing in many cultures it was believed that a witch or sorcerers had the power to kill someone by pointing at them.
If the Pawang from Malaysia pointed his magical dagger at someone it would trip with blood. Various Native American tribes have legends of pointing at animals in order to kill them.
The thought behind these legends is magicians have the power to use their will like a weapon and directed at others. If the witch wishes that the injury flowing from her fingers attracts the dark forces needed to complete her wish.
**Food for thought does that which truly hex her victim or is the victim’s belief of the witch’s power bringing about their own curse?
Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Finger_pointing.jpg Public Domain
Ill Wishing
Long ago people often blamed bad luck on ill wishing. If two people argued and later one got sick, had an accident, or some other stroke of bad luck the other person was suspected of ill wishing.
More so, if one said, “You’ll be sorry”. Those three words were taken seriously and anyone who uttered them was immediately suspected of witchcraft.
Sometimes arguments weren’t the cause of suspected ill wishing. If someone had a good deal of good fortune but it suddenly went away, they believed their neighbors had secretly ill wished them.
Ill wishing could be cured by finding a witch or cunning folk. Often the cunning man or women or witch would break or neutralize the ill wishing with a charm. If the ill-wisher wasn’t known divination could be used to reveal their identity.
Have you ever thought this kid must be bewitched? It was a common concern long ago, that and being struck with evil eye.
To determine whether a child had been inflicted with either three Oak apples were cut from the oak. Oak apples were galls created by the larva of a particular wasp.
After cutting the Oak apples from the tree, they were dropped into a large bucket or pail full of water and placed under the child’s cradle. If they floated, all was good, but if they sank, the child was bewitched.
This had to be done in absolute silence to get accurate results.
You can read more about Oak Apples I got images here too.
Are you superstitious? I am…well sometimes, I am.
I didn’t walk under ladders, then I did for a few years and then I didn’t again. I was always told walking under a ladder was bad luck is that what you were told?
Turns out the superstition has a macabre background. Superstitions, witches, macabre…. come on you knew I’d be all over this one.
It seems this originates from colonial America during the witch-hunts. It’s widely believed witches were burned during the witch trials but in England and America, more were hung.
When they dropped, they’d fall below the ladder that led up to the gallows. Common belief said anyone who was touched by a witch especially if she or he was taking their last breath would soon die.
The belief in which is dying curse was so strong townsfolk would stay away from the ladder long after the death to prevent being cursed to death.
Also, witches’ heads were covered before being hung to prevent them from cursing anyone before death.
Images:
http://philosophy-religion.blurtit.com/1377679/what-is-the-origin-of-the-walking-under-a-ladder-superstition
http://rfox52.tripod.com/LydiaGilbert.htm
Phi-Phi
The Shan tribe of Thailand has a powerful spirit that permanently lives within the person, transforming them into witch.
The witch has many powers including shape-shifting into animals.
Phi Phu is passed down through family. Its also contagious, if you share too many meals with a phi-phi, you can be infected. Marrying outside the tribe will bring a Phi Phu into the family.
Phi Phi can send human doubles away. As long as a phi-phi obeys social expectations and laws, it will be accepted. The phi phy is unfortuanate, but not malevolent. The only way to exorcise a phi-phi from a person is that person becoming an ordained Buddhist monk.
Blue
The Greeks believed blue repels vampires and other spirits.
They painted blue around doorways and windows to prevent vampires from entering their house.
Blue is also the most common color of the evil eye protection amulet.
Use this to protect against evil eye.
Mari Wells 
