#apotropaic marks

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Apotropaic Marks in Norwich Cathedral (source: @norfolkfolkloresociety on instagram)

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Apotropaic marks

Daisy-wheels carved into a headboard at Abernodwydd farmhouse. It also bears the inscriptions 'Death' and 'James Price May 4 1658'. 

Atropaic marks (from the Greek word for ‘to ward off’ or ‘turn away’) can take many forms – burn marks on wooden beams, or engravings such as hashed lines and crosses on masonry, flowers drawn with a compass, serpentine lines, squares of alternating colours, or double ‘V’s. They were typically added to homes and agricultural buildings between 1600 and 1950. They were most commonly applied at ‘weak points’ where bad influences could enter homes with ease – doorways, windows and fireplaces.

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If you missed it, earlier this week, I spoke to Tracey Dimech Medium, Mentor, Author from the podcast Turns Out She’s Psychic. We had an excellent chat about psychic's, witchcraft, apotropaic marks (magic is a type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences), ghosts, Tasmania and all kinds of paranormal subjects - we went so long it had to be cut into two parts! Part two has now dropped on Spotify

Please give it a listen, and if you like it, please follow Tracey and Laura and the Turns out She's psychic pages.

Thanks

📷Episode one is here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5r4GaPdDc0uLVjMKiumRmE

📷Episode Two is here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/15tpKsykjKoE43NltKAScf

#Psychic #turnsoutshespsychic #haunted #australia #traceydimech #allentiller #ghosts #history #paranormal

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Ronald Hutton, ed., Physical Evidence for Ritual Acts, Sorcery and Witchcraft in Christian Britain: A Feeling for Magic (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016). https://www.ebay.com/itm/254486821423

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Witches' marks at Cresswell Crags (England).

These witches' marks date back to the medieval and early modern periods.  They are also called apotropaic marks, from the Greek apotrepein, which means “to turn away”.

The marks are protective marks against evil, and are most often found near the entrances of churches and houses, particularly doorways, windows and fireplaces.  These marks include diagonal lines, boxes and mazes, which were probably believed to capture or trap evil. Also common are “VV” marks, probably representing Mary, “Virgin of Virgins”; and “PM” marks, probably short for “Pace Maria”.

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Ronald Hutton, ed., Physical Evidence for Ritual Acts, Sorcery and Witchcraft in Christian Britain: A Feeling for Magic (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016). https://www.ebay.com/itm/254446601850

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What Are Witches’ Marks? | Historic England

Marks usually scribed onto stone or woodwork to protect inhabitants and visitors from witches and evil spirits.

The word 'apotropaic' comes from the Greek word for averting evil. The marks were usually scribed onto stone or woodwork near a building’s entrance points, particularly doorways, windows and fireplaces, to protect inhabitants and visitors from witches and evil spirits.

They date back to times when belief in witchcraft and the supernatural was widespread. Magical symbols and ritual objects were a common part of life from around the 16th to the early 19th century.

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"Heritage experts have revealed what is thought to be the biggest concentration of apotropaic marks, or symbols to ward off evil or misfortune, ever found in the UK.

The markings, at Creswell Crags, a limestone gorge on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border, include hundreds of letters, symbols and patterns carved, at a time when belief in witchcraft was widespread. The scale and variety of the marks made on the limestone walls and ceiling of a cave which has at its centre a deep, dark, hole, is unprecedented.

Believed to protect against witches and curses, the marks were discovered by chance at the site, which is also home to the only ice age art ever discovered in the UK.

Paul Baker, the director of Creswell Heritage Trust, said the marks had been in plain sight. They had known they were there. “But we told people it was Victorian graffiti,” he said. “We had no idea. Can you imagine how stupid we felt?”

The trust was alerted to the marks last year by Hayley Clark and Ed Waters. The two keen-eyed cavers thought there were perhaps two or three markings; it soon became clear there were dozens and then on further investigation up to a thousand. And counting. “They are everywhere,” said Baker. “How scared were they?” [...]

From the 16th century to the early 19th century, when people made witches marks, there may have been a lack of association with religion, such as today when people might cross fingers or say “oh god”. She said: “It just becomes a protective symbol. It was a mark you always made to protect yourself.”

- Mark Brown, “The gateway to hell? Hundreds of anti-witch marks found in Midlands cave.” The Guardian, February 15, 2019.