Witch bottle

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/witch-bottle

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the classification?Apotropaic magical artifact
2. What is the primary geographical origin?England
3. Why did people make witch bottles?People made witch bottles to feel safe and in control when they feared witches. The bottle was a way to keep away harmful magic.
4. How does a witch bottle stop bad magic?The hair or urine in the bottle is thought to connect it to the person. Sharp pins or nails inside are believed to hurt the witch, breaking their spell.

Apotropaic: Relating to or denoting an action or device intended to protect against evil, bad luck, or a curse.
Folk Magic: A category of magical beliefs and practices developed by common people, often distinct from formal religious or ceremonial magic.
Sympathetic Magic: A type of magic based on the belief that like affects like, or that a resemblance between two things implies a connection between them.
Personal Effluvia: Substances or traces (like hair or nail clippings) shed by a person, believed to retain a connection to them.