Mistletoe is my first thought there.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
I think you would be better of googling. Found witchipedia herbs
a list of 119 magical herbs with a quick search. There's also a list of 48 Stones, Minerals and Crystals. there's plenty of sites about this sort of stuff.
edited 15th Jun '14 2:20:18 AM by m8e
Well, there's the classic eye of newt and toe of frog. Then, there's stuff like tears of a virgin and grave dirt. Also, just about any and all herbs would do - from vervain and wormwood to holly and rosemary.
edited 15th Jun '14 2:19:06 AM by peasant
Crystals are also widely used, especially amethyst or quartz. Fortune telling can be done with damn near anything that seems random and something can ready into it; a common one is throwing objects down and reading into their pattern. Can be sticks and stones or animal parts.
Phases of the moon can also play a part.
Also as said, pretty much any herb/plant will do. Each one has their own meaning.
A nice butterfly
It also depends a bit on thecontect the witchcraft is being played in.
If it resembles a medieval catholic world, then Black Hens, Black goats, their blood, eyes, sex and something like that will be more in order.
If it is more focused on a "pagan" bit, you will have to put it on location: Egyptian alchemy definitely used the Apothecary Alligator, spices to make it smell good. Whereas more western european paganism would use branches, fire, certain leaves...and it could definitely get more esoteric.
African traditions will involve straw figures, mayhaps.
The links above will help a lot but all I wanna do is point out the context is important too
It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
Definitely going to agree with the above: It depends on the cultural "flavor" you're going for.
If you're thinking in terms of "classic" medieval European witchcraft, here are some suggestions that I don't think have been mentioned:
- Mandrake root—used to make "poppets" (think voodoo dolls, but not exclusively used to curse) and as a panacea
- Belladonna, aconite (aka wolfsbane), hellebore—ingredients in "flying ointments."
- Various toadstools and fungi
- Apples
- Oak, ash, and thorn—the three most magical trees in Celtic folklore
Also, some of the "animal parts" listed in old formulae were actually nicknames for plants. Lamb's ear? A fuzzy leaf. Tongue of deer? Deerstongue, an aromatic herb.
Pretty self-explanatory. I just need as examples of plants, stones, and whatever else that you can think of that are common ingredients in witchcraft. Mythology and folklore only please, I don't really like aping off of someone else's stuff.
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