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Sympathetic Magic in Medieval Europe ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
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items Medieval Europe is packed with sympathetic magic, because its right at the crossroads where ancient pagan practices blended with Christian ritual and fear of witches. I did a deep dive on Sympathetic Magic in Medieval Europe circa 500-1500 CE. Enjoy....
♡ The Nine Herbs Charm was a healing spell from Anglo-Saxon England, written down about 1,000 years ago in a book called the Lacnunga.
♡ was commonly used to treat snake bites, infections, poison
THE NINE HERBS AND THEIR VIRTUES
♥ Mugwort (Mucgwyrt)
Virtue: protects against poison, disease, and evil spirits
♥ Plantain (Wegbrade)
Virtue: heals wounds and stops bleeding
♥ Lamb's Cress (Lombes Cærse)
Virtue: purges poison and sickness from the body
♥ Nettle (Stiðe)
Virtue: fiery sting drives out poison and infection
♥ Betony (Attorlaðe) (literally translates to poison hater)
Virtue: fights venom and poison / heals wounds and stops bleeding
♥ Chamomile (Mayweed)
Virtue: soothes pain, reduces swelling, calms the body
♥ Crab-apple (Wyrmwyrt)
Virtue: cleanses poison and restores health
♥ Chervil (Fille)
Virtue: digestive / cleansing powers
♥ Fennel (Finule)
Virtue: chases away evil spirits, strengthens sight
WODEN'S VICTORY
- after gathering the 9 herbs and calling out their virtues, speak the tale of Woden.
♥ translation from the Old English in the Lacnunga:
“A serpent came crawling, and it brought poison. Then Woden took nine glory-twigs and struck the serpent so that it split into nine pieces. There apple and poison ended, so that it would never again bring sickness into the house.”
♥ the healer reenacts Woden’s triumph: just as the serpent was shattered, so too will poison, sickness, and disease be broken inside the patient’s body
THE RITUAL
♥ crush the 9 herbs into a paste
♥ mix with old soap and apple juice
note: old soap typically referred to lye-based soap made of animal fat and wood ash
♥ chant the entire charm three times over herbs, three times over the salve, and three times over the patient
♥ spread the salve onto the infected area
♥ seal the ritual with a blessing
- the prayer at the end of the charm was enough to Christianize the charm, disguising the ancient pagan spell
♡ was commonly used to treat snake bites, infections, poison
THE NINE HERBS AND THEIR VIRTUES
♥ Mugwort (Mucgwyrt)
Virtue: protects against poison, disease, and evil spirits
♥ Plantain (Wegbrade)
Virtue: heals wounds and stops bleeding
♥ Lamb's Cress (Lombes Cærse)
Virtue: purges poison and sickness from the body
♥ Nettle (Stiðe)
Virtue: fiery sting drives out poison and infection
♥ Betony (Attorlaðe) (literally translates to poison hater)
Virtue: fights venom and poison / heals wounds and stops bleeding
♥ Chamomile (Mayweed)
Virtue: soothes pain, reduces swelling, calms the body
♥ Crab-apple (Wyrmwyrt)
Virtue: cleanses poison and restores health
♥ Chervil (Fille)
Virtue: digestive / cleansing powers
♥ Fennel (Finule)
Virtue: chases away evil spirits, strengthens sight
WODEN'S VICTORY
- after gathering the 9 herbs and calling out their virtues, speak the tale of Woden.
♥ translation from the Old English in the Lacnunga:
“A serpent came crawling, and it brought poison. Then Woden took nine glory-twigs and struck the serpent so that it split into nine pieces. There apple and poison ended, so that it would never again bring sickness into the house.”
♥ the healer reenacts Woden’s triumph: just as the serpent was shattered, so too will poison, sickness, and disease be broken inside the patient’s body
THE RITUAL
♥ crush the 9 herbs into a paste
♥ mix with old soap and apple juice
note: old soap typically referred to lye-based soap made of animal fat and wood ash
♥ chant the entire charm three times over herbs, three times over the salve, and three times over the patient
♥ spread the salve onto the infected area
♥ seal the ritual with a blessing
- the prayer at the end of the charm was enough to Christianize the charm, disguising the ancient pagan spell
The Nine Herbs Charm
♡ once upon a time, girls looked to apple peels to reveal their sweethearts initial
♡ this charm was often done on All Hallows Eve, because they veil between worlds was thought to be thinnest this night
THE RITUAL
♡ peel an apple in one continuous l...
Sweetheart's Apple ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗
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☾ in Medieval Europe, a spirit called the mære would sneak into the cracks and keyholes, and shadow people's dreams
☾⭒.˚ she was responsible for bad dreams and sleep paralysis symptoms (bad dreams were not considered a cause of stress, nor other ...
The Mære: A Nightmare Rider ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Purpose: encourage crops to grow | make the entire field more fertile
✩ RITUAL ✩
- four small turfs are cut from the field to use as symbols to represent the entire field of crops
♡ these turfs are treated with rituals and herb mixtures to mag...
Field Fertility Charm . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖
ㅤ♡ purpose: to encourage affection, romantic interest
RITUAL
ㅤ♡ gather a small piece of chord/string/ribbon (red or white if available)
ㅤ♡ optional: add vervain/rose petals (herbs associated with love in medieval Europe)
ㅤ♡ hold the chord in...
Heart-Binding Knot ♡‧₊˚
the purpose of this charm is to encourage favorable weather for crops (sun for growth, rain to water the fields, protection from storms)
RITUALS 𖤓°⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
⋆ for rain: bury seeds or a small pebble with a bit of soil from your field
⋆ for su...
Charm of Sun and Rain 𖤓
The purpose of the Safe Journey Charm is pretty self explanatory; ensure safe passage on roads, rivers, seas
RITUAL ☾⭒.˚
- choose a safe spot to bury a protective token at home (i.e, under the doorstep, in the garden)
common protective tokens: coin...
Safe Journey Charm
ㅤ♡ bread was sacred and became part of the body once ingested; therefor, bread was often enchanted by women to gift to men. Upon eating said bread, love would take root.
RITUAL
ㅤ♡ while you knead the ingredients for the bread, speak your beloveds n...
Enchanted Bread For Love