Intact witches bottle found and scanned.

Nevyn

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/06/04/witch-bottle.html

Urine, Fingernail-Filled 'Witch Bottle' Found
Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News


June 4, 2009 -- During the 17th century in England, someone urinated in a jar, added nail clippings, hair and pins, and buried it upside-down in Greenwich, where it was recently unearthed and identified by scientists as being the world's most complete known "witch bottle."

This spell device, often meant to attract and trap negative energy, was particularly common from the 16th to the 17th centuries, so the discovery provides a unique insight into witchcraft beliefs of that period, according to a report published in the latest British Archaeology.

Lead researcher Alan Massey, a former chemist and honorary fellow of Loughborough University, believes "the objects found in witch bottles verify the authenticity of contemporary recipes given for anti-witchcraft devices, which might otherwise have been dismissed by us as being too ridiculous and outrageous to believe."

An Old Bailey court record from 1682 documents that a husband, believing his wife to be afflicted by witchcraft, was advised by a Spitalfields apothecary to "take a quart of your Wive's urine, the paring of her Nails, some of her Hair, and such like, and boyl them well in a Pipkin."

The excavated bottle appears to have been made according to those, or similar, instructions.

CT scans and chemical analysis, along with gas chromatography conducted by Richard Cole of the Leicester Royal Infirmary, reveal the contents of the bottle to include human urine, brimstone, 12 iron nails, eight brass pins, hair, possible navel fluff, a piece of heart-shaped leather pierced by a bent nail, and 10 fingernail clippings.

Although some 200 early witch bottles have been identified, all were found opened, with their contents likely eroded or otherwise lost. This artifact, in contrast, had its cork closure still intact.

The urine contained nicotine, so a smoker produced it. Since the fingernails showed little wear, Massey believes the individual was "of some social standing."

Brimstone, the ancient name for sulfur, is associated with passages in several religious texts, including the Bible. In the Book of Revelations, for example, "false prophets" were cast into a volcano-like lake "burning with brimstone."

In terms of the heart object, Massey said other witch bottles were found to contain "a cloth heart pierced by brass pins," but "this is the first example where a nail was used for this function." The meaning remains unclear.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article6426318.ece

The bottle, which was found at a building site in Greenwich, southeast London, in 2004, was the first of more than 200 witch bottles discovered that still had its contents intact.
Related Links


It was sent to Alan Massey, a retired chemistry lecturer from Loughborough, who has examined half a dozen witch bottles. Dr Massey said: “We threw every test we could devise at it.”

The analysis took 12 months to complete. Before the salt glaze bottle was opened, it was X-rayed and put through a CT scanner, which showed that its contents included bent iron nails and an unidentified liquid, some of which was drawn off by inserting a syringe through the cork.

Tests determined that the liquid was 300-year-old urine and traces of nicotine indicated that it had come from a smoker. The ten nail parings were examined under a microscope and were found to be those of an adult.

Mike Pitts, editor of British Archaeology, which has published the results of Dr Massey’s analysis, said: “From their size, they probably came from a male and they were well manicured so he was from a higher social class. It is possible that we could one day identify him from DNA analysis and the location of the discovery.”

The small leather heart was pierced by one of the iron nails. There were traces of sulphur, then known as brimstone, and what is thought to be navel fluff. The other objects may have had ritual significance or been associated with the person who filled the jar.

Mr Pitts said: “This is a relic of early modern Britain. There is documentary evidence of how people were advised to make witch bottles but this is the first that has been subjected to rigorous scientific analysis.”

Other charms placed in houses to ward off evil spirits are occasionally discovered during renovations, including children’s shoes and dead cats. The practice continued into the early 20th century.

Witch bottles are much rarer. Dr Massey believes that the bottle he examined dates from the last quarter of the 17th century.

Lou.m

Oh my gosh that is so cool!

Nevyn

I know isnt' it.

Toots

Better hope my MIL doesn't hear of this. She might try burying one of those in my window box or something. :rolleyes:

Nevyn

Tbh for the most part any lore I know of about them has people making them for physic protection, I know a few witches who make them themselves against 'stuff' in general rather directed at a certain person.

OneArt

Thaedydal wrote: »

Tbh for the most part any lore I know of about them has people making them for physic protection, I know a few witches who make them themselves against 'stuff' in general rather directed at a certain person.

Psychic... Why are people NEVER able to spell "psychic" properly?

Nevyn

In my case it is due to my dyslexia, I can't answer for anyone else.
Now do you have anything else to contribute to the thread which may be on topic?

Toots

Thaedydal wrote: »

Tbh for the most part any lore I know of about them has people making them for physic protection, I know a few witches who make them themselves against 'stuff' in general rather directed at a certain person.

Ah, I seemed to have totally missed the point of that article so . I interpreted it as people making them to 'protect' themselves from witches. Actually now I think of it, I can't imagine a scenario where she'd be able to lay hands on a bottle of my urine among other things

Nevyn

It has to ber her urnine. as I understand it the witches bottle acts as a decoy.
The use of a persons hair, nails and bodily fuilds are to make the bottle magically or psychicly resonate as that person so that any magical working done with ill intent will target the bottle instead of the person.

So if she was to make one it would prevent witches/magical practioners from harming her.

Toots

Thaedydal wrote: »

It has to ber her urnine.

*shudder* I'm never helping her with the gardening again just in case Ah no, she's a very nice lady, just a little 'backwards' on the whole issue of paganism/witchcraft.

Lou.m

Toots* wrote: »

*shudder* I'm never helping her with the gardening again just in case Ah no, she's a very nice lady, just a little 'backwards' on the whole issue of paganism/witchcraft.

LOL TOOTS:-):p:p

Nevyn

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-21539-Pagan-Examiner~y2009m9d30-Witchs-Bottle-Spells

Maybe they should be called “wish bottles” because that’s the magic behind making a Witch Bottle.

The use of Witch Bottles predates the 1500’s, and gained popularity as a magical device to ward off evil during the burning times of the European witch trials. Specifically, those bottles were made to ward off evil witches, which is entertaining if you think about; using a witch’s spell to keep that same witch at bay. But that’s exactly what people did in a period between the 1600-1700’s.

During this period of time, the bottles were made of clay and often had a human face molded into one side of the bottle. As often happens, the faces changed from their pagan origins to those of Christian influence.

The German Christians created a witch bottle they call a “bartmann” or “bellermine” bottle, so named after a Roman Catholic Cardinal named Bellarmino. As time progressed the faces on the bottles changed from the quaint bearded Cardinal to that of the Devil; and side note here, pagans don’t believe in the devil.

The Witch Bottles were primarily used to ward off all forms of evil. Often, the contents of the Witch Bottle would be rusty, bent iron nails, human hair, sharp glass pieces, urine, etc. All of which were meant to provide great amounts of discomfort to any evil entity that might encounter that Witch Bottle.

The Witch Bottle was then placed in a safe and strategic place inside the house of the person who wished to be safeguarded. These bottles are often found upside down under the hearth stone of fireplaces, under floor boards or plastered into the wall of the house. All of which were meant to be kept secret from anyone who came to visit that house. If evil spirits came visiting on their own or with a human escort, the evil energies would encounter the wrath of the Witch Bottle’s protection. Once these Witch Bottles were placed into their protective hiding spot, there were not disturbed again.

Today, as people renovate these old homes, they make shocking discoveries when they unearth these centuries old Witch Bottle. The History Detectives produced a great episode on the Witch Bottle.

It’s important to point out that much of what we know about Witch Bottles comes from the discoveries of these banishing, protective curse lifting bottles embedded in these old homes, but not all Witch Bottles are for banishing or protection.

Today’s modern witches use Witch Bottle much the same as their pagan predecessors did. Many make a Witch Bottle to protect their own home from any evil energies. Using a wide mouth jar, we still add bits of rusty sharp objects, thorny plants, broken glass and mirror, hair, finger and toe nails, menstrual bloods and of course, urine. The jars are sealed and placed into the same protective locations under the house near the front door or buried outside on the property. Some modern witches just set their Witch Bottles by the front door for all to see.

Witch Bottles also have other uses. As pagans, we have reclaimed our ancestral heritage and we use the bottles for all sorts of spells. Any kind of spell can be cast and contained inside a Witch Bottle.

The one we’ve seen used most often is a Witch’s Bottle for healing and health. In those bottles you might find healing herbs, rocks, hair, pictures from healthier times, sea salts, etc. These types of Witch Bottles are often buried on the owner’s property and left to decay within the earth, thus carrying the prayers of the one who wishes to be healed into the other realms of existence.

We’ve just touched on a few uses for the Witch’s Bottle. Think you might like to try your hand at it? We have some simple Witch Bottle spells for you at http://dianic-wicca.com/witch-bottle-spells.html.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S_GJX1ejFg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmeww-J7SKc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucK4QauF30o