The Witch's Ladder

The witch's ladder is a fetish which is made from a piece of cord or hair, and feathers, and it is supposed to be used for magic or dark witchcraft. The cord is knotted and an individual feather is tied up by each knot, and the end result takes on the shape of a ladder.  Various charms can also be knotted with the piece of cord, and the number of charms and the number of feathers are also supposed to have specific effects which can be specifically tailored to a person's individual requirement. There are various different types of witch's ladders ranging from different number of knots, different colors of feathers and cord, and also their different purposes.

In the past, the ladder was thought to cause a person to die by tying the knots while chanting a spell then hiding the ladder somewhere.  A way to undo the spell is to find the hidden ladder then untie each of the knots.  Nowadays, they have a wider range of uses, including beneficial things such as good luck, and to help you fulfill a goal that you set yourself.

The first witch's ladder which was found and recorded was in Wellington, Somerset, in the attic of a house where an old woman had died. The ladder was also found with around 6 brooms, therefore it was then believed that it was used against the neighbours to cause them death and also to get milk from their cows.  Do you think that milk must have been a lot tastier back in the day in order to go to these lengths to get your hands on it? The 1.5 meter long ladder was eventually handed into the Pitt River museum, where it remains in the "Magic and Witchcraft" court.  Eventually, other witch's ladders were found in Italy, and they were slightly different in appearance than the one in Wellington, but their purpose was to cause someone bad luck and to become ill, by placing it under their bed.

Nowadays the ladders are good for both good and bad, but if I ever own a farm one day, I don't want someone to use it on me to get away with my cow's milk!