Halloween run-up: "Witch bottle" found, Newark-on-Trent UK

[wfgodot]

Daily Fail....er, Mail:

'Witch bottle' unearthed in Newark: 330-year-old vessel was filled with hair and urine to ward off evil spirits

‣ Witch bottle was found during restoration of Old Magnus Building, Newark
‣ It is 6-inches tall (15cm), and experts have dated it to around 1680
‣ It was found placed carefully in the ground and is perfectly preserved
‣ Green vessel is believed to have been used to ward off evil spirits
‣ Archaeologists said such bottles were filled with hair, fingernails and urine
‣ British folklore tradition dates back to the 15th century
‣ Suspicious people believed that by placing items that linked a homeowner
...to the property it would successfully stop evil forces penetrating the walls

with pictures, sidebar; quite interesting

Witch bottle (Wiki)

How to make a witch bottle (paganwiccan.about.com)

 

[badhorsie]

I have a "witch's ball" hanging in the window at the top of the stairs. It doesn't contain urine/fingernails etc...

 

[wfgodot]

Another recent UK story, found whilst using the search term "witch bottle":

'We don't sacrifice animals and dance around naked': A real life witches' coven (Essex Chronicle)

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The spells the group cast vary from sending out positive energy to someone who might need it, to spells to aid weight loss.

"We used to have a woman in the coven who wanted to lose weight, so she made herself a witch's bottle, and put in a piece of her hair, some chocolate, things like that. Then she buried it in her back garden.

"She lost the weight, but it's also a case of mind over matter."
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Ah -- ain't it the case always.