Witch's Stairs

Witch’s Ladder (English: Witch’s Ladder) is an object created by tying feathers or other items at regular intervals along a cord, commonly associated with folk magic and witchcraft. The best-known example is a feathered cord discovered in Somerset, England, and currently on display at the Pitt Rivers Museum. Although various theories exist regarding its function and origin, scholarly and folkloric debates on the object have continued since the late 19th century.

The Witch’s Ladder is typically made by tying or attaching bird feathers at regular intervals along a three-stranded cord. The most concrete known example is approximately 1.5 metres long with 66 feathers fixed at intervals of about 2 cm. The feathers were inserted between the cord’s fibres during its manufacture and were not added later. One end of the object may feature a loop for hanging.

Literature also mentions a similar object originating in Italy, called a “guirlanda” (wreath), which is made by attaching feathers in a crisscross pattern to a cotton cord.

Witch’s Ladder (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)

Historical Development

Discovery and Initial Descriptions

The object known as the Witch’s Ladder was discovered around 1878 in the town of Wellington, Somerset, England. It was found in an inaccessible space between the attic and upper room of a dilapidated farmhouse, alongside six brooms, an old chair, and a cord adorned with feathers. The workers who discovered it immediately referred to it as a “witch’s ladder,” claiming that witches used it to pass over rooftops.

Beginning of Academic Debate

The object was examined by Dr. Abraham Colles, whose findings were published in 1887 in The Folk-Lore Journal under the title “A Witches’ Ladder.” In his article, Colles included interviews with elderly women in the region who mentioned the feathered cord alongside other magical practices such as “thorned onions” and “thorned candles,” though they did not explain its purpose. Colles’s article initiated academic discussion on the object, which was subsequently passed to the prominent anthropologist Edward Burnett (E.B.) Tylor.

Emergence of Alternative Interpretations

Following Colles’s publication, anthropologist James George Frazer responded in the same journal with a theory suggesting the object was used to steal milk from neighboring cows from a distance. Frazer supported this theory with examples from Scottish and German folklore. He also cited similar magical practices in Australia and India to propose that the object might have been used to cause death at a distance.

During the same period, folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland described a similar object he encountered in Florence, known as “ghirlanda delle streghe” (witches’ wreath). According to Leland, this object had been placed on a child’s bed to cause its death.

Alternative Theory: “Sewel”

In 1887, E.B. Tylor presented the object at a meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in Manchester. After the presentation, two audience members argued that the object was not a witch’s ladder but a “sewel,” a device used in deer hunting to drive animals in a desired direction. Such tools were known to be used to frighten game animals and prevent them from passing through certain areas. Tylor, intrigued by this claim, acquired a second similar object for comparative study, which is believed to have been a sewel.

Admission to the Museum and Aftermath

E.B. Tylor, finding insufficient evidence to confirm the folkloric claims surrounding the object, adopted a skeptical stance. In 1911, he donated both the Witch’s Ladder and the suspected sewel to the Pitt Rivers Museum. Since then, the object has been displayed in the museum’s exhibit titled “Magic and Witchcraft.”

Theoretical Approaches and Interpretations

There are three primary interpretations of the Witch’s Ladder’s function:

Folk Magic Instrument: According to this view, the object was used for various magical purposes. The workers’ initial interpretation of it as a “roof-crossing ladder,” Frazer’s theory of milk-stealing and causing harm, and Leland’s Italian “ghirlanda” example all support this interpretation. The local population’s association of the object with other magical tools further strengthens this view.

Hunting Tool: This approach argues that the object was a “sewel” used in deer hunting. The proximity of Wellington to areas such as Exmoor, known for their deer populations, and the prevalence of hunting activity in the region during the 19th century provide context for this theory. The object may have been stored in the farmhouse during a period of declining hunting activity, leading to the eventual loss of its original function.

Fictional and Modern Reinterpretations: Since its discovery, the object has appeared in popular culture and fictional works. Novels such as Sabine Baring-Gould’s Mrs. Curgenven of Curgenven (1893) and Edward Sydney Tylee’s The Witch Ladder (1911) invented new functions and details for the object. Baring-Gould himself noted that the idea of submerging the ladder in a well to release evil wishes was entirely his own invention. Such literary works, along with the adoption of the object by modern pagan and Wiccan movements, have generated a new folklore surrounding the object, independent of its original discovery narrative.

Attributed Uses

The purported uses of the object are largely based on folkloric accounts and theoretical interpretations:

Harm: Stealing milk from neighboring cows, causing illness or death at a distance.

Access: Enabling witches or malevolent entities to enter buildings otherwise inaccessible.

Animal Management: As a “sewel,” frightening deer or other game animals to drive them in a specific direction.

Key Individuals, Institutions, and Documents

Individuals

• Dr. Abraham Colles: Author of the first academic article introducing the object to scholarly circles.
• Edward Burnett (E.B.) Tylor: Anthropologist who received the object, investigated alternative theories with skepticism, and ultimately donated it to the museum.
• James George Frazer: Anthropologist who proposed the theory that the object was used for stealing milk and causing harm.
• Charles Godfrey Leland: Folklorist who provided information on the Italian counterpart known as “ghirlanda.”

Institutions and Documents

• Pitt Rivers Museum: The ethnographic museum affiliated with the University of Oxford where the object is currently displayed.
• The Folk-Lore Journal: The journal in which the earliest academic articles and debates on the object were published.
• Fictional Works: The novels by Sabine Baring-Gould and Edward Sydney Tylee are regarded as key documents that shaped the object’s perception in popular culture.

Relevant Legal or Social Regulations

No historical, modern, legal, or social regulations concerning the production, possession, or use of the Witch’s Ladder have been documented. Discussions have remained confined to its folkloric and anthropological context.