Once upon a time, in the mystical land of Enchantia, a secret and ancient magic spell existed. This spell had been passed down through generations and was said to hold the power to enchant anything it touched. It was known as the Magic Spell of Enchantia. The spell was said to possess the ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, to turn sadness into joy, and to awaken the dreams and desires hidden within the hearts of those who encountered it. Many sought after this spell, hoping to harness its power for their own desires and ambitions. Legend had it that the Magic Spell of Enchantia could only be unlocked by those who possessed a pure heart and a genuine desire to bring light and happiness into the world.
Henbane (on the right) in BL MS Egerton 747; Patrick Symons, Still Life with Henbane, 1960, Royal Academy.
the face expresses deep entrancement represented by the saintly halo , not suffering the figure, as a whole, suggests life in suspension, but life and not death. More than simply retelling these stories, The Lore of Scotland explores their origins, showing how and when they arose and investigating what basis - if any - they have in historical fact.
Legend had it that the Magic Spell of Enchantia could only be unlocked by those who possessed a pure heart and a genuine desire to bring light and happiness into the world. It required a deep understanding of oneself, a willingness to let go of one's own ego, and a connection with the natural energies that surrounded Enchantia. Those who had successfully unlocked the spell reported experiencing a profound sense of peace and harmony.
Tag Archives: Magic
Well, October is upon us here in Salem, so that means I’m going to spend all my time inside or on the road. I’m just not a fan of Haunted Happenings, the City’s Halloween festival that starts earlier with each passing year: crowds are converging from at least mid-September now. On September 22, when eight convicted “witches” were hung at Proctor’s Ledge in 1692, you can see people dancing in the streets in Salem. Haunted Happenings is now in its 50th year and this is an anniversary worth celebrating for many, but for me, it’s just fifty years of turning tragedy into treasure. While I do not see or celebrate the connection between the tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials and Halloween, I still find the customs and traditions associated with the latter holiday very interesting, and as I’m teaching my “Magic and Witchcraft in early Modern Europe” course this semester, I find myself subsumed in the source and secondary literature of these complex topics. I haven’t taught this course in 5 years so it definitely needs a refresh! I have learned so much teaching this course over my career at Salem State: at the beginning I offered it simply as a corrective to what I saw (and still see) as a simplistic understanding of witch trials here in Salem, but every time I taught it I learned more about Christian theology and European folklore: after about a decade of teaching it I felt that I needed to undertake more serious study of the former and and contemplated going to Divinity School and now I feel like I need an advanced degree in folklore! It’s all so interwoven, and the focus on both magic and witchcraft over the medieval and early modern eras enables one to see how and why pre-Christian beliefs were assimilated into Christianity—and/or demonized. This coming week we are going to look at some important high and later-medieval herbals and the “magic” that was contained therein, so I decided to make a list of the top ten magical plants. This was a more difficult task than I though it would be as so many plants have protective/proactive virtues associated with them, but this is my list. I’m leaving out Mandrake because we all know that’s the most magical plant of them all, and as many plants were seen to be powerful in both facilitating and dispelling magic I’m going with the most efficacious, by reputation.
Vervain: actually might be more powerful than mandrake. It was known as both an “enchanter’s plant” and an antidote against witchcraft. Gathering vervain seems to have been somewhat of a sacred ritual and there doesn’t seem to be anything that this plant could not do: protect, predict, heal, preserve chasteness and procure love. Snakes are often included in illustrations of vervain: both slithering varieties in the marginalia and more threatening serpents at center stage. Clearly it was percieved as an effective weapon against both.
British Library MSS Sloane 1975 and Egerton 747.
St. John’s Wort: a powerful demon-repellent as you can see by this retreating demon in the fifteenth-century Italian Tractatus de Herbis (British Library Codex Sloane 4016). Referred to as a “devil-chaser” on the Continent, St. John’s Wort was also worn as a protective amulet and used as decoration for doorways and windows on St. John’s Eve at midsummer, when its yellow flowers bloom. Its association with St. John the Baptist also bequeathed it medical virtues, and it was used to staunch bleeding, especially from the thrusts of poisoned weapons, and treat wounds.
British Library Codex Sloane 4016 and MS Egerton 747.
Rue: one of my very favorite herbs, and the sole survivor of my garden of plague cures from twenty years ago! The “herb of grace” was prized for its potency against the plague, infections, and also poison, signalled by its bitterness. It was also believed to be a preserver of eyesight, but it’s best to focus on the general rather than the particulars with this very efficacious herb, which could ward off witchcraft and was used in masses and exorcisms as well as an abortifacient. I just think its gray-green leaves are beautiful, and it adds structure to the garden all season long.
Plantae Utiliores; or Illustrations of useful plants, employed in the Arts and Medicine, M.A.Burnett,1842.
Scabiosa: was far more interesting in the medieval period than its profile as a perfect cottage garden plant now. It was known as “Devil’s Bit” because of the appearance of its root, which looks like someone took a bite out of it. According to John Gerard, who was known to “borrow” information rather indiscriminately, “the great part of the root seems to be bitten away; old fantastic charmers do report that the Devil did bite it for envy, because it is an herb that has so many good virtues, and is so beneficial to mankind.” It was perceived as particularly beneficial to the skin, hence its name, a far cry from “pincushion flower.”
British Library MS Egerton 747; William Catto, 1915, Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums.
Garlic: also has a devilish nickname, the “Devil’s Posy,” and cure-all connotations, so that it was also known as the “Poor Man’s Treacle.” (Treacle is an English sweet now, but in the late medieval and early modern eras it was an anglicization for “theriac,” the universal panacea.) There’s an interesting old tale that when Satan stepped out of the Garden of Eden after his great triumph, garlic sprang from the spot where his left foot lay, and onions from where he had placed his right foot. Like so much folklore, I’m not entirely sure what to do with this information. The key attribute of garlic was its pungent odor: like the bitter taste of rue, this signalled strength: enough to ward off witches, plague, and I guess vampires (though medieval people do not mention the latter).
Garlic (right) and a coiled snake, British Library MS Egerton 747.
Foxglove: a plant with more folkloric pseudonyms than any other! Foxglove: gloves for foxes or fairies or witches? Fairy fingers, ladies’ thimbles, rabbit flowers, throatwort, flapdock, cow-flop, lusmore, lionsmouth, Scotch mercury, dead man’s bells, witches’ gloves, witches’ bells: these are just some of its variant nicknames. Dead man’s bells indicates some knowledge of its potentially poisonous effects, but its cardiac attributes were not known until the eighteenth century. What a tangle with all these names! It’s so interesting to me that a plant can be associated with both witches and the Virgin Mary, as digitalis apparently was. Some of its names also testify to belief in the “doctrine of signatures” by which the appearance of herbs signals their use: foxglove flowers were said to look like an open mouth, and their freckles symbolic of inflamation of the throat: hence, throatwort.
Woodblock trial proof for textiles, 1790-1810, Cooper Hewitt Museum.
Holly: was perceived as very holy, of course. Very little nuance or contradiction with this plant, which Pliny, who seems very accepted by the medievals even though he was a Pagan, credited with the powers to protect and defend against withcraft, lightening, and poison. Its red berries became associated with the blood of Christ over the medieval era, along with its thorny leaves, which made it even more potent. Plant it close to the house, all the traditional authorities say (I feel fortunate that someone did that for my house long ago).
Elizabeth Blackwell’s Curious Herbal, 1737-39.
Moonwort: a little lesser known, but worthy of inclusion if only because it supposedly possesses the ability to open locks and guard silver, as well as unshoe any horses that happen to tread upon it or even near. Ben Jonson referred to it as one of the ingredients of “witches’ broth,” but by his time I think they were throwing everything into that brew. It’s a tiny, tight-fisted, flowering fern (Botrychium lunaria) that just looks like it must have magical qualities, but was also used to heal wounds.
George William Johnson, The British ferns popularly described, and illus. by engravings of every species (1857).
Henbane: is perhaps the most powerful of the bane plants, indicating death by poison, and another plant with both harming and healing virtues, demanding skillful use. It is always mentioned in reference to witchcraft in the late medieval and early modern eras, specifically as an ingredient in ointments (and salves which enabled witches to stick to their brooms!) This might be why it was referred to as the “Devil’s eye” in some regions. But it was also a powerful sedative, known to take away pain, and a hallucinogenic which could take away sense.
Henbane (on the right) in BL MS Egerton 747; Patrick Symons, Still Life with Henbane, 1960, Royal Academy.
Deadly Nightshade: related to henbane, but even more potent. Every bit of this plant was known to be poisonous, and early modern botanical authors urged their readers to banish it from their gardens. With knowledge and caution, henbane was a plant one could work with, but hands off deadly nightshade! Only the Devil tended it; in fact it was difficult to lure him away from this menacing crop of “devil’s berries” and of course it was yet another ingredient in the strange brews of witches. Its botanical name, Atropa belladonna, indicates its use: The eldest of the Three Fates of classical Greek mythology, the “inflexible” Atropos cut off the thread of life, and the “beautiful ladies” of Renaissance Venice used it in tincture form for wide-open, sparkling eyes. The English adopted the term belladonna in the later sixteenth century, but they also referred to deadly nightshade simply as “dwale,” a stupefying or soporific drink.
William Catto, Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museum.
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Like Loading.They noticed that the world around them seemed to come alive with vibrant colors, and that even the smallest of actions held a deeper meaning and purpose. As news of the spell spread throughout Enchantia, many embarked on a quest to find it. Some ventured into the deepest forests, others explored the highest mountains, and a few even journeyed to the bottom of the enchanted sea. While some stumbled upon clues and fragments of the spell, it seemed that the true power of the Magic Spell of Enchantia could not be found through sheer determination or relentless searching. It required a certain level of surrender, a willingness to trust in the journey and believe that the magic would reveal itself at the right time. As time passed, stories of the spell became more fabled, and fewer believed in its existence. People grew skeptical and began to dismiss it as a mere fairy tale. But there were a select few who continued to hold onto the hope that the Magic Spell of Enchantia was real and that it held the power to transform their lives and the world around them. And then, one day, in the most unexpected of places, the spell was unlocked. It was not by someone who had been searching for it, but by an ordinary person who had stumbled upon it by accident. This person had no special powers or abilities, but they possessed a heart full of love and a spirit of pure kindness. With the utterance of the ancient words, a wave of enchantment washed over Enchantia. The trees began to whisper ancient secrets, the animals danced and sang with joy, and the flowers bloomed into the most exquisite colors imaginable. In that moment, it became clear that the Magic Spell of Enchantia was not something that could be possessed or controlled, but rather, it was a force that existed within each and every one of us. It was a reminder that true magic lies in the simple acts of kindness, love, and selflessness. And so, the people of Enchantia learned to embrace the magic within themselves and to share it with the world around them. They realized that the spell was not simply a tool to achieve personal gain or fulfill desires, but rather, it was a reminder of the power that lies within us all to create a more enchanted and beautiful world..
Reviews for "The Magic of Enchantia's Artifacts: Harnessing Ancient Spells"
- Sarah - 2 out of 5 stars - I was really excited to read "Magic Spell of Enchantia" because I love fantasy books, but I was so disappointed. The characters felt one-dimensional and their actions were predictable. The plot was also very cliché and lacked originality. I found myself skimming through the pages just to get to the end. Overall, it was a letdown.
- Mark - 2 out of 5 stars - I couldn't connect with the protagonist in "Magic Spell of Enchantia". She was just not relatable or interesting to me. The world-building was also lacking, leaving me feeling confused about the different magical elements. The pacing was slow, and the writing style did not engage me. I wish I had enjoyed this book more, but unfortunately, it fell short for me.
- Emily - 3 out of 5 stars - While "Magic Spell of Enchantia" had an intriguing premise, I found the execution to be underwhelming. The pacing was inconsistent, with some parts dragging on while others felt rushed. The dialogue was clunky and unnatural, making it hard to immerse myself in the story. Additionally, some plot twists were predictable, and the resolution felt too tidy. It had potential, but it didn't quite deliver for me.