Historical Witchcraft 101: Witch Ladders
Okay so I’ve seen a fair amount of misinformation about witch ladders floating around and it’s time to set things straight!
[Image description: a long piece of rope, looped at one end, with many feathers woven into it] [Image source]
A witch ladder, or witches’ ladder, is a long piece of rope or yarn with feathers tied or woven into it. Thing is, no one knows that they are for.
The first witch ladder was discovered in Wellington, Somerset (UK) in the late 19th century. It was discovered in the late 19th century when an old house was due to be demolished. In the attic was found several brooms, a chair, and a witch ladder. The workmen declared that the witch ladder was used by witches to help them magically cross the roof.
Other folklorists claimed it might have been used as a rope to steal milk from neighbours’ cows, something that features heavily in historical and folkloric witchcraft.
Other theories are that the witch ladder is similar to an Italian form of cursing using a ‘ghirlanda’, or garland. The garland is a curse, with each of the feathers representing an illness that will be inflicted upon the victim. The witch ladder would be filled with ill intent and then hidden, either under the victim’s bed or in their attic. This would typically result in death of the victim.
However, no other old witch ladders have been found, and so its use in historical magic remains doubtful. Some scholars have compared the Wellington witch ladder to a ‘sewel’, used to turn back deer when hunting, so it may not be a magical object at all.
Despite the fact that witch ladders are unlikely to have been a part of historical witchcraft, they have been brought into modern witchcraft as a beautiful form of knot magic, and so are worth talking about. These modern witch ladders are commonly used as a house protection charm or blessing, and my favourite tutorials on how to make your own are here and here.
“Witches’ Ladder: the hidden history”, Chris Wingfield***
“A Witches’ Ladder”, Abraham Colles***
“A Witches’ Ladder”, J.G. Frazer and W.H. Ashby
“The Witches’ Ladder”, Charles G. Leland
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