In folklore and mythology, the concept of the "witchcraft egg" has been mentioned in various traditions and cultures. The witchcraft egg, also known as the witch egg or the blood stone, is believed to possess magical powers and is associated with witchcraft and sorcery. According to legends, a witchcraft egg is an occult object created by witches or sorcerers through a dark and secret ritual. The egg is said to be crafted from various materials, such as stone, clay, or even glass, and is usually adorned with intricate symbols and markings. It is believed that the egg serves as a vessel for storing and channeling magical energies. The folklore surrounding the witchcraft egg often links it to the practice of black magic and witchcraft.
Unscrambling the Spooky Secrets of Eggs
Since ancient times, eggs have been instruments of divination. One popular ritual, especially around Halloween, was the practice of egg white divination. A young woman would break an egg into a glass of water, and the shape the egg white took was believed to foretell her future, from the nature of her future husband to the life she'd lead. This practice was particularly popular in places like Scotland and Ireland, where Halloween was seen as a time when the boundaries between the world of the living and the dead blurred, allowing for glimpses into the future.
Eggs and Witches
European folklore abounds with stories linking eggs to witches. Eggs laid on Good Friday were especially revered, believed to possess potent properties that ward off evil. These eggs were often kept as talismans in homes, protecting inhabitants from witches and malevolent spirits. However, witches were also believed to harness the power of eggs. Tales tell of them using eggs for various magical activities, including divination, crafting potions, and even flying on broomsticks on moonlit nights.
Eggs and the Dead: Rituals of the Afterlife
Across different cultures, the dead haven't been forgotten when it comes to egg-related rituals. Eggs were often placed on graves during particular festivals. This act was more than just an offering; it was a symbol of hope, representing the cycle of life and death and the belief in rebirth. The egg provided the dead with sustenance, aiding their journey into the afterlife, and ensuring they'd find peace.
The Cosmic Egg: Origins of the Universe
The concept of the cosmic egg, or the world egg, is a recurring theme in various ancient traditions. The ancient Egyptians held the belief that the world emanated from an egg laid upon primordial waters by a celestial bird. This idea parallels Hindu mythology, where the golden egg, or 'Hiranyagarbha', floated aimlessly in a void until it split, forming the heavens and the earth. These tales emphasize the egg's representation as the source of life and the mysteries of the universe.
The Terrifying Basilisk: A Halloween Nightmare
One of the more eerie tales linked to eggs is the legend of the basilisk. Stemming from European folklore, this creature, which is sometimes depicted as a rooster with a serpent’s tail, is said to hatch from an egg laid by a seven-year-old rooster. The circumstances of its birth are even more peculiar, requiring the egg to be incubated by a serpent or toad during a full moon. With the power to kill with just a gaze, the basilisk is a creature that perfectly captures the spine-chilling spirit of Halloween.
A Truly Spooky Egg Tale!
Perhaps scariest of all, is not knowing where your eggs come from! Who knows how far they’ve traveled? They’ve probably traveled thousands of miles, creating pollution and contributing to the climate crisis. That’s why you need to know your farmer! When you buy our eggs, you don’t have to worry about what mysterious farm produced your eggs thousands of miles away. You can rest easy knowing that all of our eggs were raised right down the road in Petaluma!
Sources:
Eggs and Witches: A Dual Association
European folklore concerning eggs and witches: “The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca” by Rosemary Ellen Guiley.
Egg Charms and Divination: Predicting the Unknown
Egg divination practices: “Scottish Charms and Amulets” by George F. Black.
The Terrifying Basilisk: A Halloween Nightmare
The Basilisk in European folklore: “The Book of Beasts: Being a Translation from a Latin Bestiary of the Twelfth Century” by T. H. White.
Eggs and the Dead: Rituals of the Afterlife
Eggs in burial rituals: “The Archaeology of Death and Burial” by Mike Parker Pearson.
The Cosmic Egg: Origins of the Universe
Egyptian Myth: “The Oxford Guide to Egyptian Mythology.” Edited by Donald B. Redford.
Hindu Myth: “The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India.” Translated by Stephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton.
Bury a raw egg in the garden.
A classic symbol of fertility and abundance, a buried egg in your spring garden blesses the harvest for fruitful yield. It helps that it also makes excellent fertilizer!
Craft some candles.
Believe it or not, eggshells make excellent candle vessels. Use natural beeswax and a cotton wick, and they are also 100% biodegradable. Makes a lovely addition to your Ostara altar or for a fertility ritual.
Try ovomancy.
This tradition method of divination takes several forms, the most common of which involves dropping an egg white into boiling water and then reading the shape it takes as an omen.
Among other famous examples, the accusers of those hung in the Salem Witch Trials claimed to divine using ovomancy.
Dye them naturally.
Choose a color appropriate to your spell (like green for abundance) and try dying eggs naturally with kitchen scraps like red onion peel, red cabbage, leftover tumeric, coffee or spinach.
Banish a dark mood.
Feeling a little under the weather emotionally? Try this liberating ritual. Write one word or symbol on a raw egg that represents your frustration, sadness or grief. Go to the edge of a moving water and throw the egg against a river rock. Watch the contents drain into the water. Walk away and don’t look back.
Cast a glamour spell.
Eggs symbolize renewal, rebirth and eternity. Whisk together an egg white, a splash of fresh lemon juice and a little honey, then apply it to the face ask you would a skin mask. Close your eyes and meditate on the manifestation of eternal beauty.
Make a wish.
My coven used to do this one every Ostara! Write a wish on a hard boiled egg, then leave it in the woods or natural setting as an offering. Fun for kids, too!
Leave eggs near a new grave.
The Greeks and Romans left eggs in tombs or near grave sites to symbolize the afterlife.
A number of other cultures include eggs in their funerary rites, including the Jewish tradition of eating hard-boiled eggs during the mourning period to affirm life and resilience.
Leave eggs at the graveside of a loved one to bless their eternal life and heal grieving souls.
Use egg yolks as a sun symbol.
Eggs embody an obvious sun symbol. Include them in solar magick or in spells that you want to infuse with cosmic light.
Include them in kitchen magick.
Include eggs in kitchen witch recipes for abundance, fertility or to celebrate the Spring Equinox. Get creative! Scramble them, boil them, devil them, or bake them in quiches. Eat eggs and have breakfast for dinner on the eve of the Spring Equinox for a traditional way to celebrate Ostara.
The Long, Extremely Witchy History of Telling the Future With Eggs
Shortly before his death in 1700, John Hale, a Puritan reverend from Beverly, Massachusetts, decided to document a dark historical moment. His posthumously published work, A Modest Inquiry Into the Nature of Witchcraft, is one of the few written records from someone present at the Salem Witch Trials.
Whether or not Hale is a reliable narrator, he certainly had the credentials to write such a text. At the age of 12, he saw his first execution of a convicted “witch.” As an adult, Hale was a pivotal figure in the Salem Witch Trials themselves. From 1692 to 1693 the accusations of witchcraft mounted to more than 200. Hale, as a reverend, was present to listen to confessions. In the process, he also testified against two of his parishioners: Sarah Bishop, often referred to as “Goody Bishop, wife of Edward Bishop,” and Dorcas Hoar, a fortune-teller.
Hale later came to regret much of the proceedings—conveniently, after someone accused his wife of witchcraft. Yet he still vehemently condemned the practice of witchcraft until his deathbed. “In the 1600s, the Puritan hierarchy was very opposed to magic of any form—particularly fortune-telling,” says Peter Muise, author of Witches and Warlocks of Massachusetts. But that didn’t stop people in New England from practicing it anyway.
Hale’s accounts described one particularly interesting form of divination: oomancy, or using eggs to interpret the future. Even by the 17th century, the idea of oomancy was already age-old. Ancient Greek soothsayers coined the term, which stems from the words for “egg” (oon) and “divination” (manteia). Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, a Roman historian who lived from 69 to 122 B.C., once described how the Empress Livia Drusilla kept a chicken egg in her cleavage believing that its sex would foretell the sex of her unborn child.
Cultures around the world, from Southeast Asia to Latin America, have relied on eggs to unscramble the mysteries of the future. One method, described by Hale as the “Venus glass,” may have its roots in Scotland. The concept is simple: take a glass of warm water, slowly pour in a raw egg white, and watch what shapes form as the proteins denature. Much like tea leaf-reading, or tasseomancy, the resulting shapes offer clues as to whom you might marry or how you might die.
“If you see that the egg whites kind of look like a plow or a horse, your husband might be a farmer,” Muise explains. “Or if it looks like a fortress, your husband might be a soldier, or if it looks like a boat, your husband might be a fisherman.”
Oomancy and other methods of fortune-telling were seen as signs of witchcraft in 17th-century New England. Keith Corrigan/Alamy
For the ancient Druids, oomancy was often an important part of the celebrations for Samhain, the pagan holiday from which most Halloween traditions originated. German pagans used a similar fortune-telling technique with egg whites in water, which they sometimes referred to as Eierorakel, or an “egg oracle.” In his 1878 book Deutschen Mythologie, Jakob Grimm describes tossing an egg in water to find out if a child was bewitched.
Part of its widespread appeal may lie in the egg’s inherent connection to birth and the cycle of life; a greater part has to do simply with its near-universal accessibility. “[Puritans] didn’t have a lot of material stuff,” Muise says. “You see magic with apples, eggs, cabbage, nuts, because that’s what people had around the house. They didn’t have tarot cards or crystals.”
Perhaps in part because making a “Venus Glass” was so easy, Puritan ministers railed against the practice. Yet human beings have always been curious about what lies in store, particularly in uncertain times. At the start of the Salem Witch Trials, New England was in a state of political and social unrest. Refugees were pouring in from other parts of the colonies, thanks to King William’s War with the French, and Salem Town, a prosperous harbor made wealthy from trade, was on the verge of separating from Salem Village, a relatively poor farming community.
People wanted answers in this unstable climate, and were willing to ignore the local reverend to get them. “If you’re a captain trying to figure out when to set sail for your next voyage, you might consult an astrologer,” Muise says. “And certainly for single people, particularly women, they would often do magic to find out who they would marry.”
In Hale’s account of witchcraft in Massachusetts, two women confessed to playing with the “Venus glass,” but instead of seeing a plow or a boat, saw a coffin. He claims both suffered from “diabolical molestations” and that one died shortly thereafter.
Ready to do some black magic. Tutatama/Alamy
It’s not a coincidence that food-centric magic features so prominently in the lore of the witch trials. Tales of witches from the 1600s often fixate on their culinary elements. “The butter won’t churn, because a witch has bewitched the cream itself,” Muise says. “They may make food spoil, they may make a cow give rotten milk out of its udders. So often the witch is very much imagined to be disrupting the domestic production of food.”
At the time, women were responsible for virtually all food production, from the beer that kept the Puritans hydrated in the absence of sanitary water, to the bread on their tables. Any woman who dared to disrupt her domestic lot in life, was a threat to the social hierarchy and stability of these small, fragile societies. It’s little wonder that many of the women accused of black magic in Salem were those who lived somewhat outside the social norms; or that their supposed transgressions often started in the kitchen.
As the mass hysteria around witches began to fade, so did the moral panic around fortune-telling. Food-centric methods of fortune-telling, from oomancy to dumb cakes, which the Puritans had regarded as dangerous entry points to Devil worship, were increasingly regarded as harmless party games. While the “Venus glass” may have fallen out of fashion, there’s nothing to stop modern-day Halloween celebrants from attempting to decipher their future in a swirling mass of egg whites.
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The folklore surrounding the witchcraft egg often links it to the practice of black magic and witchcraft. It is said that witches could use the egg in rituals to cast spells, curse their enemies, or even control supernatural forces. It is also believed that the egg has the ability to reveal hidden secrets, such as the identity of witches or the presence of evil spirits.
In some traditions, the witchcraft egg is associated with fertility and protection. It is believed that placing the egg in one's home or garden can bring blessings, ward off evil, and promote growth and abundance. Furthermore, the egg is often used in divination practices, where it is believed to provide insights into the future or hidden aspects of a person's life. Due to its association with witchcraft and the supernatural, the witchcraft egg remains a subject of fascination and intrigue in modern times. While some view it as a symbol of darkness and evil, others consider it a potent tool for magic and spiritual practices. However, it is important to note that the witchcraft egg is purely a product of folklore and mythology, and its existence in reality remains a matter of belief and interpretation..
Reviews for "The witchcraft egg as a gateway to the unknown"
1. Jennifer - 1 star - I really did not like "Witchcraft egg" at all. The storyline was confusing and all over the place. I could not understand what was going on half the time, and the characters were uninteresting and poorly developed. The special effects were also subpar, and the whole film felt cheaply made. I definitely would not recommend this movie to anyone.
2. Mark - 2 stars - "Witchcraft egg" had an interesting concept, but unfortunately, it failed to deliver. The acting was wooden and unconvincing, making it difficult to connect with any of the characters. The pacing was off, with long stretches of boredom followed by rushed and incoherent action sequences. Additionally, the dialogue was uninspiring and lacked depth. Overall, this movie left me feeling disappointed and unsatisfied.
3. Emma - 2 stars - I found "Witchcraft egg" to be quite underwhelming. The plot was predictable and lacked originality. The attempts at humor fell flat, and I found myself not engaged in the story. The visuals were also lackluster, with poorly executed CGI effects that took away from the overall experience. This movie was forgettable and did not leave a lasting impression. I wouldn't recommend wasting your time on it.
4. Michael - 1 star - "Witchcraft egg" was a disaster from start to finish. The acting was atrocious, with performances that felt forced and unnatural. The plot was convoluted and filled with unnecessary twists and turns that had me scratching my head. The movie relied too heavily on jump scares and cheap tactics to try and create tension, but it just ended up feeling cheesy and overdone. Skip this one if you're looking for a good horror film.
5. Sarah - 2 stars - "Witchcraft egg" was a disappointing film in terms of both storytelling and execution. The characters lacked depth and development, making it difficult to care about their fates. The pacing was inconsistent, with slow moments dragging on for far too long, while the action scenes felt rushed and poorly choreographed. The overall tone of the movie was also confusing, seemingly unsure of whether it wanted to be a horror or a comedy. I would not recommend this movie to anyone looking for a captivating and well-made film.