Traditional witchcraft is a comprehensive book that delves into the ways of the witches. It explores the history, rituals, and folklore that surround this ancient practice. The book serves as a guide for those who are interested in learning more about traditional witchcraft. The book begins with an introduction that sets the stage for understanding the origins of witchcraft. It highlights the different cultures and time periods in which witchcraft has played a significant role. The author delves into the connections between witchcraft and nature, discussing the importance of the natural world in this practice.
And this is a shorter cartoon version of the same story:
One other variation I encountered is this the protagonist receives the magic tablecloth as a reward for setting either a magical man, or a leshii, who was being held prisoner, free. One other variation I encountered is this the protagonist receives the magic tablecloth as a reward for setting either a magical man, or a leshii, who was being held prisoner, free.
The author delves into the connections between witchcraft and nature, discussing the importance of the natural world in this practice. Next, the book moves into the practical aspects of traditional witchcraft. It provides step-by-step instructions for various rituals and spells, accompanied by explanations of their purpose and meaning.
The Magic Tablecloth
Today I’d like to talk a bit about the skatert’ samobranka (Скатерть-самобранка), a magical object found in Russian Wondertales. In English, it is usually called “magic tablecloth” or “self-spreading tablecloth”.
Basically, it is a special tablecloth that you spread out, either on a table or on the ground, and it sets itself with a multitude of food and drink. When you’re finished eating, you simply fold it back up again, and all the food and drink vanishes until the next time.
In some tales, the tablecloth automatically sets itself with a wide variety of food and drink as soon as you open it. In others, you have to say certain words, like “Spread!”, to make the food appear, and “Finish!” to make it disappear. In other tales, you can ask the tablecloth for the specific foods that you want at the time, and it will give them to you.
In one tale, called “The Magic Tablecloth”, an old elderly couple is starving. The old woman sets out to find food. She comes upon a little table on the steppe, and decides it must be there for a reason, so she hides under it to see what will happen. A little later, three doves fly up, spread a white cloth on the table, and say in succession: “Wettit!”, “Thicken!”, “Sufficient!”. A meal of shchi (cabbage soup) and kasha (buckwheat porridge) appears, and the doves fly away. The old woman takes the tablecloth home, and all is well for a while, until one day her husband decides to try to use the tablecloth. He says “Wettit!” not once, but many times, because he can’t remember the other words. So, the soup and porridge never stop flowing! The old woman comes in and sees the ever growing mess and shouts out “Thicken!”, but she cannot remember the last word either, so it keeps growing! In the end, they finally get it to stop, but it takes them three years to eat through all of it so that they can get to each other again. Among the tales I read while researching the magic tablecloth, this one was quite unique.
Another tale in which the hero receives the tablecloth from an animal is “The Horse, the Tablecloth, and the Horn”. In this story a fool, the son of an old (and presumably widowed) woman, plants some peas. He discovers a crane eating the peas, becomes very angry, and wants to kill her. But the crane pleads for her life, and offers him the magic tablecloth in exchange.
This Soviet diafilm (filmstrip) from 1967 tells another story of an old man who frees a crane from his fishing net. She invites him to her home in the swamp and gifts him with magical objects, including a skatert‘ samobranka, which he, rather unwisely, shows off to some me friends on his way home. Of course, they steal these objects from him, but in the end he gets them back – with the help of one last magical object from the crane….
And this is a shorter cartoon version of the same story:
In “The Stolen Turnips, the Magic Tablecloth, the Sneezing Goat, and the Wooden Whistle”, an old man ventures into the forest to find out who was stealing his wife’s turnips. He comes upon a little hut in the forest, and meets the strange children who dwell there. They are the culprits, but they give him the magic tablecloth in exchange for the turnips they stole. To use the tablecloth in this story, you spread it out on the table and tell it to turn inside out. It will jump into the air and twist itself around, and when it resettles on the table, it will be full of food and drink. To clean up afterwards, you tell it to turn inside out again. The process will be repeated, but all the food and dishes will disappear. You can read this story in its entirety on Sur La Lune.
I noticed two other variations that occurred multiple times in the stories I read. One is that the magic tablecloth appears with other magical objects, most often the flying carpet and self-walking boots, or the cap of invisibility. When this occurs, it seems that the protagonist obtains the tablecloth, and the other objects in a similar manner as well, which brings us to the second variation. In this case, the protagonist generally comes upon two or three men, or two leshii (forest spirits), in the forest. They are in possession of the magical objects, and are arguing over who gets them. They ask the protagonist to help settle the matter. He sends them off to compete at something, generally making them run in opposite directions, and while they are gone, he steals the objects and escapes – either by riding off on the flying carpet, or by putting on the cap of invisibility.
One other variation I encountered is this: the protagonist receives the magic tablecloth as a reward for setting either a magical man, or a leshii, who was being held prisoner, free. In the case of the magical man, the protagonist is rewarded with the tablecloth, as well as other gifts, such as super strength. In the leshii version, the leshii’s daughter actually chooses the tablecloth as a gift.
There is another aspect of the magic tablecloth that I would like to bring up. I have seen it mentioned several times during my research, mostly on various websites, but I didn’t run across it any of the stories I read. Many people say that the tablecloth must be respected and well cared for. If it is not treated well, it will serve rotten food. If it is torn and not mended, it can lose its magic. I also read of one instance where the tablecloth serves the food on dishes made of silver. If all the pieces are not returned to the tablecloth when you’re done eating (if, for instance, you get a bit greedy, and decide to keep that silver goblet for yourself!), it will serve you rotten food until you give the missing pieces back. As I said, I cannot find any mention of these aspects in any of the stories I read. So, if you know of a story, or a reliable resource that mentions any of these things, please do let me know, I’d love to be able to verify this information!
So, that is what I’ve learned about the magic tablecloth from folktales. But we can learn a little more about it by turning to etymology, history and folk culture. Let’s look at the etymology first.
The word skatert’ (скатерть) simply means “tablecloth”. The word samobranka (самобранка) is made up of two words, sam (сам), which means “self”, and bran (бран) from the verb brat’ (брать) which means “to take”. Samobranka can be translated literally as “self-gather”, and probably refers to the fact that the tablecloth cleans up after itself when you’re finished eating – it literally gathers all the food and dishes back to itself. But, bran could also have another meaning. In olden times, it was used to refer to a type of patterned fabric, and the method with which it was made. There are even old writings which refer to “tables of oak” with “tablecloths of bran” upon them. So, this term could also refer to a particular type of decorative tablecloth that was handwoven and embroidered in a specific way. It was probably very expensive and labor-intensive to produce. Given that, I would imagine that it would’ve been used for special occasions, and likely would only have been owned by someone who was rather well to do. This also fits in with the historical notion that a tablecloth of any kind was a symbol of prosperity, but a bare table was a symbol of poverty.
Many scholars believe that the magic tablecloth motif (and that of other magical objects as well) originated in Slavic pagan folklore. These motifs probably stuck around for so long because, let’s face it, life is hard, and it was even harder for our ancestors in many ways. These objects would’ve made life infinitely easier, and who wouldn’t want that?
There is one side of the magic tablecloth, though, that might not be seen as quite so wonderful. Many believe that it is somehow connected to the realm of the dead. In Russia, particularly for peasants, life was full of many hardships, and very little rest. In fact, they used to say that they couldn’t rest or escape hardships until they were dead. In the afterlife, it was believed that they could finally rest, and never be in need of anything, including food. It’s easy to see, then, how a tablecloth that can give you anything you want to eat, any time you want it, and as much as you want, could be construed as something from the afterlife. In light of these beliefs, one has to wonder if the protagonists of the folktales who found/received/took the skatert‘ samobranka hadn’t somehow passed into the realm of the dead…
There is one more reference to the skatert’ samobranka that I would like to bring to your attention, this time a literary one. Nikolai Nekrasov wrote a four part epic poem called “Who is Happy in Russia?” (Кому на Руси жить хорошо?). It was published from 1869 to 1877, but remains unfinished due to the author’s death from cancer in 1878. The poem follows seven peasants who go on a journey across all the Russian lands to find just one truly happy person. Ultimately, they are disappointed. This poem is heavily influenced by Russian folklore, however, and one episode in particular features the self-spreading tablecloth. One of the peasants found a baby bird, and was lamenting how the bird is more free than they are. They were saddened by their lack of freedom and food. The mother bird is flying above, and hears all of this. She tells them that if they will release her baby, she knows where they can find a magic casket, and inside is a magical white napkin that will serve them. Not only will this napkin give them food and drink, it will mend, wash and dry their clothes too! The peasants release the baby bird, follow the mother bird’s directions, and really do find the casket with the magical napkin inside. The magic tablecloth is found in the prologue, and you can read or download the entire poem for free on Archive.org.
And finally, I’ll leave you with a clip from the 1956 film “Ilya Muromets”, in which Ilya’s love, Vasilisa (played by Ninel Myshkova), weaves a skatert’ samobranka:
In “The Stolen Turnips, the Magic Tablecloth, the Sneezing Goat, and the Wooden Whistle”, an old man ventures into the forest to find out who was stealing his wife’s turnips. He comes upon a little hut in the forest, and meets the strange children who dwell there. They are the culprits, but they give him the magic tablecloth in exchange for the turnips they stole. To use the tablecloth in this story, you spread it out on the table and tell it to turn inside out. It will jump into the air and twist itself around, and when it resettles on the table, it will be full of food and drink. To clean up afterwards, you tell it to turn inside out again. The process will be repeated, but all the food and dishes will disappear. You can read this story in its entirety on Sur La Lune.
This section also includes guidance on creating and using tools, such as wands, cauldrons, and athames. The book then delves into the belief system of traditional witchcraft. It explores the concept of the witch as a mediator between the spiritual and physical realms. The author discusses the importance of developing a personal connection with the divine and discusses various deities and spirits that are commonly worshipped or worked with in traditional witchcraft. In addition to rituals and spells, the book also covers divination practices commonly used by witches. It explores methods such as tarot reading, scrying, and pendulum dowsing. The author provides guidance on how to develop these skills and how to interpret the messages received. Furthermore, the book explores the importance of ethical considerations in traditional witchcraft. It emphasizes the responsibility of the witch to use their powers wisely and for the greater good. The author discusses the concept of karma and the importance of not causing harm to others. Lastly, the book concludes with a section on incorporating traditional witchcraft into daily life. It offers suggestions for rituals and practices that can be easily integrated into a modern lifestyle. The author encourages readers to make witchcraft a personal and meaningful part of their everyday lives. In summary, "Traditional Witchcraft: A Compendium of Ways" is a comprehensive guide to the practice of traditional witchcraft. It covers the history, rituals, and beliefs associated with this ancient craft, while also providing practical guidance for those interested in incorporating it into their lives. Whether a beginner or experienced practitioner, this book serves as a valuable resource for those looking to explore the rich world of traditional witchcraft..
Reviews for "Traditional Witchcraft: Exploring the Sacred Feminine and Goddess Worship"
1. Jane - 2/5 - I was really excited to delve into the world of traditional witchcraft, but I was sorely disappointed by this comic book. The illustrations were decent, but the content was lacking. The information provided felt superficial and did not provide a comprehensive understanding of traditional witchcraft. I was expecting a more in-depth exploration of the subject, but instead, it felt like a mere introduction. Overall, I found it to be a bit underwhelming and would not recommend it for those seeking a thorough exploration of traditional witchcraft.
2. Mike - 1/5 - This comic book on traditional witchcraft was a complete letdown. I was hoping for a visually appealing and informative read, but I found it to be lacking in both aspects. The artwork was amateurish and unappealing, and the content itself was scattered and poorly organized. It felt like the author was simply trying to capitalize on the current popularity of witchcraft without putting in the necessary effort to create something valuable. I regret spending my money on this book and would caution others against doing the same.
3. Sarah - 2/5 - As someone who has been practicing traditional witchcraft for several years, I was disappointed by this comic book's portrayal of the subject. It seemed to trivialize and simplify a rich and complex spiritual practice, reducing it to cliches and stereotypes. The information provided was shallow and lacked depth, leaving me wanting more. I was hoping for a resource that would delve into the intricacies of traditional witchcraft, but instead, I found myself left with a superficial interpretation. This comic book may be suitable for beginners or those looking for a light introduction, but it falls short for those seeking a more authentic understanding of traditional witchcraft.