Apotropaic magic

Home protection now involves tech, but in earlier times, people resorted to magical means. Click here to learn more about their methods...

Medieval apotropaic mark on the inside of a church in Worlington, Suffolk, England.

New efforts to collect evil-averting marks show they were used well into the 19th century.

I've blogged about apotropaic marks before, and mentioned the ones at the Tithe Barn in Bradford-on-Avon. Here are some pictures of them; they are daisy-wheels inscribed with a pair of compasses or dividers, probably by one of the masons who built the barn. Exactly what symbolism he may have intended is unclear (the daisy-wheel is a symbol in Heathenry, but it is very unlikely that he was a Heathen). The Tithe Barn was built in the early 14th century as part of the medieval farmstead…

Witch bottles (known also as ‘spell bottles’) are apotropaic devices (things believed to have the power to avert evil influences). These objects are believed to protect their owners from the negative effects of witchcraft. The belief in evil and malevolent forces went hand in hand with the efforts to counter these threats. In Early Modern Europe and North America, the centuries old belief in the powers of witchcraft was very real.

Enseigne with Apotropaic Eye A Representation of Wisdom Hamburg 1520

Apotropaic: (adj) supposedly having the ability to ward off evil influences or bad luck (OED)

The carving is of an apotropaic, magical subject (as is common on stone amulets from this period): the Hecataion, a statue of Hecate, composed of three figures: the first, facing forward, is the only...