The Witch

The Wanderer Anglo Saxon History, mythology, Folklore and religion

The history of witchcraft is complex, and often raises more questions than it answers. Where did witches come from? And did they always arrive on broomsticks?

Among the most common uses for magic was for healing. Lacking any kind of organized medical care system, they pieced together charms and poultices to take care of the common health problems. But they also used charms to protect, both themselves and their belongings. Chief amongst their property was cattle. The Anglo-Saxon word for "cattle" (feoh) is the same as the word for "wealth" which shows how important cattle were. Charms also came in handy to enhance good luck and increase one's bounty.

By far, the largest group of charms are those which deal with healing. There were several steps involved in conjuring a successful charm. First it was necessary to figure out who the culprit was behind the illness or injury. One of the best ways to determine the creature causing the harm was to catalogue the symptoms that the patient suffered. Once the cause was identified, one would have to go out and gather the necessary materials, which could take anywhere from hours to days (and even months!). Once everything was prepared, the conjuror had to carefully recite the charm—pronunciation counts.