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A witch's ladder (also known as rope and feathers, witches' ladder, witches ladder, or witch ladder) is a fetish, in folk magic or witchcraft that is made from knotted cord or hair, that normally constitutes a spell. Charms are knotted or braided with specific magical intention into the cords. The number of knots and nature of charms varies with the intended effect (or "spell").[1]
Contents [hide]
1 The Wellington Witch Ladder 2 Charles Godfrey Leland 3 Sabine Baring-Gould's "Curgenven" 4 Witch's ladder types 5 Witch's ladder uses 6 References 7 External links
The first recorded witch ladder found was in an old house in Wellington, Somerset which was demolished in 1878.[2] Six brooms, an old armchair and a rope with feathers woven into it were found in the space that separated the roof from the upper room and was inaccessible from the interior of the house. The brooms had handles so decayed they snapped under pressure, but these had been replaced so they could be used. The chair and rope were stored in a ware- house. Due to the investigations of local antiquarians, (Abraham Colles & E.B. Tylor) the find was published in the Folk-Lore Journal.[3] This article detailed the responses to local enquiries, but was followed by a number of letters to the journal which expressed a range of opinions as to the function of the rope.[4][5][6]
The witch's ladder can be created a section at a time or all at once. Either way, special chants are spoken during the creation process to empower the talisman to do its creator's bidding. According to an article, The Witches' Ladder [1], an example of a witch's ladder chant and knot placement is as follows: According to the article, "At the tying of the last knot, all the energy is directed into the cord and its knots, with a final visualization of the object of the work. The power has been raised and is now 'stored' in these knots in the cord." This is often referred to as cord magick, knot magick or string magic. Once finished, the beads or knots of the witch's ladder enable a witch to concentrate on repetitive chants or incantation without having to keep count. This enables the witch to focus will and energy on the desired goal.