Watch out for wizards!

Magical Attack

When a person is beset by misfortune, it sometimes happens that, in their own mind or in the minds of those around them, these “blows of fate” are interpreted as symptoms of magical attack. Witchcraft then seems all the more plausible as an explanation if the person believes they are the target of jealousy or is in a situation of conflict within their social, professional, or family circle. It then becomes necessary to identify the person responsible for these supernatural misfortunes—the sorcerer accused of casting the spells.

Find the Witch

In our imagination and in folklore, the figure of the sorcerer is most often portrayed as a character with an unsettling appearance, much like the fairy-tale witch with her wart and hooked nose. Shepherds, who live in solitude in the heart of nature, or any other somewhat eccentric outsiders, are often identified by passing ethnologists as the local sorcerer.

In reality, spellcasters do not openly identify as such and are more discreet than these folkloric sorcerers, both in rural areas and in cities, even though their powers are often partially known within the community. These men and women, moreover, possess ambiguous powers and status, and are also called upon as seers, magnetizers, healers, and spellbreakers. A statue preserved at the Mucem bears witness to this ambiguity. Acquired from a healer in the Nivernais region, it depicts a man with goat’s hooves—suggesting a wild and malevolent creature—whose particularly well-manicured hands suggest that he is a being endowed with powers. However, the statue’s head, beneath its unscrewable hat, is hollow and contained a packet of resin and a nail: this hidden “charge” is characteristic of objects used in rituals of protection and healing. So, is it a statue of a sorcerer or a spellbreaker? An object of enchantment or of protection? The line is often very fine, and depends on our own perspective.

Objects of Misfortune!

The exorcist’s identification of the spell and the sorcerer is accompanied by a search for the physical objects believed to have been used in the spell. Once located, these objects are generally ritually destroyed to nullify their effects. The Mucem is fortunate to have in its collection such objects used in spells, gathered in France throughout the 20th century, notably from an exorcist priest in the Bordeaux region.

These objects allow the spellcaster to discreetly interfere from a distance with the daily life of the person being targeted. They often contain a physical “trace” collected from the intended victim (a strand of hair, a nail clipping, a scrap of clothing) that ensures a targeted and effective action. For example, a small heart molded from raw clay containing horsehair, found on the edge of a meadow in the Vienne region, was likely intended to harm the animals on a neighboring farm. More generally, they often draw on a traditional repertoire combining materials, forms, and tools that have been used since time immemorial.

Misfortune Lies in the Pillow

Unlike an amulet, which is believed to bring good fortune when kept close, malevolent objects hidden in the victim’s surroundings are thought to bring misfortune upon them. The Mucem thus houses several feather-based charms discovered in the pillows of people who believed themselves to be victims of a curse. Some balls of feathers interpreted as malevolent objects—such as the one found in a hospice in Valence—may form naturally in feather pillows. But others are undeniably man-made objects, such as small cords or a sock stuffed with feathers. Thus, in many cases, the supposed victim and those around them manage to establish a link between the shape of these objects and recent misfortunes. For example, a feather glove was found in the pillow of a craftsman who, after a long series of misfortunes, had his hand cut off. It was discovered by his wife, who suspected that witchcraft was behind all these misfortunes. Another fabric object covered in feathers came from the pillow of a man whose wife no longer wanted to sleep with him. Because of her refusal, its shape was interpreted as a spermatozoon, and he was accused of being the cause of this situation—a vicious cycle of interpreting causes and consequences…

Witchcraft for Dummies

However, good spell-casting materials alone are not enough: the spell is generally activated by ritual words and gestures, performed under specific conditions (significant dates and times of night, optimal positions of the stars). These instructions and magical formulas are known to the spellcaster through oral tradition, but also through disreputable grimoires that can be obtained from peddlers, in town, or—these days—online.

These books are feared not only because of the information they contain, but also as living objects endowed with a malevolence of their own: their mere presence in a house is said to be a source of misfortune. Likewise, the mere possession of them multiplies the powers of a person with malicious intent, whether or not that person knows how to read them. Their authorship is often attributed to great scholars of Antiquity or the Middle Ages, whose legendary wisdom is a guarantee of their effectiveness: King Solomon, the supposed author of the “Clavicula” or “Little Key” that bears his name, Pope Leo III, or the Dominican Albert the Great, to whom the “Great Albert” and the “Little Albert” are attributed—two bestsellers of magical literature that continue to be reprinted to this day. Sometimes the devil himself is suspected of having contributed to the writing of certain works. Faced with such authors, is there no hope of salvation for the victims?

Fighting Evil with Evil

One of the most widespread magical principles is the use of a malevolent object or an image of something harmful to protect oneself from it. This practice certainly amounts to acknowledging the power of one’s enemy. But at the same time, it amounts to turning one’s own strength against the enemy, and thus no longer fearing him. Thus, in the Arab-Muslim world, the blue eye is both an image of the “Evil Eye” (a reminder of the clear, cold gaze of the ancient Norman and Byzantine enemies) and a widespread amulet used to protect against it. The Turkish “nazar bonçuk” is thus hung above entrance doors, on the walls of houses, on babies’ clothing, on the interior rearview mirrors of vehicles, on horses, or on keychains. Traces of it can also be found in many amulets from the Balkan regions, which were long part of the Ottoman Empire.

Similarly, in the Christian world—and particularly in Italy—it is horns that, paradoxically, protect against witches and the most dangerous of all horned creatures: the devil. In Christian folk traditions, the devil is indeed often depicted with attributes borrowed from a goat. Surrounding oneself with horn-shaped amulets or even displaying a real pair of horns in one’s home is believed to ward off spells and misfortune. On the facade of the house or near the doors, a small mask of a grimacing devil—much like the image of Medusa on the pediments of ancient temples—is also meant to ward off evil from the home. Finally, Italians, clenching their fists while leaving the index and little fingers extended, make the gesture called iettatura—mimicking horns—to cast a curse as well as to block it and ward off misfortune. This symbol is found on all kinds of amulets—pendants, keychains, or ceramic tiles—used to protect homes.

Clean House

To repair the damage caused by the sorcerer or to erect a magical barrier against his attacks, spellbreakers recommend certain materials with absorbent, drying, or cleansing properties. The purifying qualities of salt have been known since ancient times. It is highly advisable to always carry a few grains of coarse salt on your person to touch with your fingers in case you encounter someone you suspect of being able to cast a spell. Similarly, a few pinches of salt are scattered on door thresholds to prevent the person from entering a home, as well as in places where objects believed to be evil have been found. As a precaution, in Brittany, newborns—even before their baptism—were made to wear a small pouch containing an odd number of grains of sea salt, which was believed to guarantee them happiness and prosperity for the rest of their lives.

Charcoal is also a good form of protection: its porosity is said to allow it to absorb and trap all negative energy, while its dark color is ideal for fighting evil with evil. That is why a mirror, sent to the museum as a talisman, was stored for a long time in a box filled with charcoal, in order to reassure certain staff members who feared its evil powers.

Similarly, in the Catholic tradition, holy water is used as a preventive measure to ward off evil and even ensure the prosperity of whatever it touches: houses, gardens, plows, crops… But it is also used to purify what has been defiled by a curse, and exorcists may use large quantities of it in their fight against sorcerers. Water is, in fact, a nearly universal symbol of purity, and it is even more so when it carries a fragment of divine power.

But regardless of the religions in Europe and the Mediterranean, the most widespread and widely regarded as the most reliable “protection” is prayer or a written invocation, sometimes accompanied by a devotional image. In addition to oral or mental pleas for protection addressed to a deity or saint, it is recommended to carry the text with you in a durable form, such as on jewelry, or on a piece of paper or parchment that has been folded or rolled up. These talismans, sometimes called “phylacteries” (from the Greek for “leaf”), are generally stored, protected, and concealed inside a fabric pouch carried on one’s person or a metal case integrated into a piece of jewelry.

When it comes to protective magic, such pouches or other containers are often used. The fact that these containers remain closed—a symbol of protection but also a source of mystery—can become just as important as their contents. People are therefore careful not to open them, for fear of nullifying their power—such as these “childbirth pouches” containing devotional images and protective prayers, carried from one childbirth to the next by women in labor, soiled and worn down to the very fabric, yet which are doubled up again and again rather than opened.

So, there is no shortage of defenses against attacks by witches, and the Mucem’s collections are well-stocked with both offensive and defensive magical weapons. And if you’re still worried, you can always use this spell to ward off witches, recorded in Ariège in 1972.