Lightning and witch bottles

To those of us who watched Children of the Stones many years ago, how satisfying that some stone circles were assembled where lightning struck [FT390:16]. The motivation of ancient cultures can only be guessed at, so here’s a speculation: the stones were put there as an attempt to control and channel lightning, the most powerful destructive force known in this part of the world. Fire from the skies, lightning and meteorites have left worldwide legends, among them Prometheus bringing fire to humans, the fallen angel Lucifer and some Chinese dragons. In England we built churches on high hills named after Saints Michael (Glastonbury; subduer of the dragon) and Catherine (Abbotsbury; controller of fire). It seems likely that long before Christianity people were invoking other supernatural beings to subdue and control lightning in these places.

I believe the role of the “witch bottle” may be similar; the fact that the bottles have often been found in chimneys and contain iron shows they were intended as a prophylactic against fire, which was the prime danger in houses where the heating and cooking was by fire, the lighting by rushlight or candle, and the roof and walls might be made of thatch and daub. The inclusion of “personal” ingredients such as urine and fingernails indicates a desire to show possession of the house, rather than some form of curse, as does the immuring of worn shoes. Most of our ancestors did not own their houses, so there was always the possibility of being moved on. And the cats? Perhaps they were there to deter jackdaws from dropping branches down the chimney, blocking it and causing a chimney fire.

Georgina Skipper Weymouth, Dorset