Water and Witchcraft

Disclaimer

This is NOT a page about Wiccans or neo-pagans, and I do not advocate the belief that Wiccans are Satan-worshippers and/or baby-killers. I am well aware that they are not. This is a starting point for historical research into the great witch craze of 1100-1700 AD. And please, don't ask me for spells.

Water

As a Ward

Since antiquity, water has had associations with all that is pure and holy. From the Middle Ages until the 19^th century, accused witches were bound and thrown into water to see if they would sink or float. Since water is the medium of holy baptism, it was believed that it would reject an agent of the Devil: witches would float. According to folklore, demons, vampires, and witches were unable to cross running water. The safest thing to do if you were being chased by one was to ford a stream.

One of the Catholic Church's most powerful weapons against the supernatural was holy water. Holy water is a mixture of salt and water that has been blessed by a priest. Witches, vampires, and other nasty evil creatures were considered violently allergic to holy water. During the Medieval and Renaissance periods, holy water was sprinkled on homes to drive away "pestilential vapours" and evil spirits, on farm animals to protect them from bewitchment, and on crops to promote fertility and protect them from witches. Like a sort of milkman, the holy-water carrier came by regularly, ensuring no one was caught short of divine protection. When storms hit, villagers would race to the local church for extra holy water to drive witches away and to protect against lightning (Guiley 1989 357, 358).

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Water and Witchcraft is copyright 1997-1998 to Shantell Powell.