#witch ride

[mysterious-secret-garden]

Carl Spitzweg - Witch Ride (Hexenritt), 1875.

[mysterious-secret-garden]

William Holbrook Beard - The Witches' Ride, 1870.

[mysterious-secret-garden]

Unknown artist - Death Leading Hell’s Army, 1800.

[stormbornwitch]

Witch Ride

The first thing Hannah does after graduating Year 12 is drag her dad’s old bike out from its home at the back of the shed. She’s been planning this ride for the past few years and now she can finally go. Her pack is secured to the back of the bike and she’s gone as soon as the sun begins to rise.

Every evening she pulls over to the side of the road, and rolls the bike into the trees. Unclipping her pack she sets to work setting up a basic perimeter ward. No humans will stumble upon this witch and that’s just the way she likes it. After lighting a small fire and eating a quick meal she’s quick to hop in her bedroll. Come morning she’ll be up with the sun.

She wakes to the sound of cars driving past and birds singing. Her hair is a mess of tangles and the fire is slow to take in the morning dew. With a warm breakfast in her belly and a cup of coffee in hand she pulls out her rune-pouch. She will go where they guide her. 

With the fire extinguished and her camp packed up, she rolls her bike back through the trees to the road. The sun begins to rise above the horizon and she starts the engine. This is her witch ride, not on a broomstick but on a bike.

- Marci

[the-dark-arts-and-crafts]

WITCH RIDE STAVE

"He who wishes to ride through the air like a witch shall inscribe this stave on a bleached horse’s skull with two types of blood: from the man himself as well as from a horse, combining it in thirds, two parts being the horse’s blood, from beneath the frog of the hoof of the right foreleg, and the third part from beneath the big toe of the man’s left foot. The stave is to be drawn with a chicken feather, and he who has a witch-ride bridle will then be able to ride through air and water, wherever he feels like going. A witch-ride bridle is created by digging up a newly buried man and cutting a strip of skin from the length of his spine. This will be used for reins. Next, the dead man must be scalped, and the scalp will be used for the bridle. The dead man’s lingual bone is to be used for the bit and his hip bones for cheekpieces. A spell also needs to be recited over it, and then the bridle is finished. All that needs to be done is place the witch-ride bridle over a horse’s head. It will then fly into the air with whomever is riding it, and fly faster than lightning wherever its rider wishes, creating a great whistling sound."

Text courtesy of Lesstofan. Graphics by Arnar Fells Gunnarsson