June 10, 2009: Witch Bottle

[ZenGum]

More here from New Scientist.

And more pictures too.

Here is, well not the actual bottle, but a very similar bottle, apparently.



Here are the contents:



Notice the pins and nails are almost all bent. Quoth the boffin in New Scientist:

"The urine and the bulb of the bottle represented the waterworks of the witch, and the theory was that the nails and the bent pins would aggravate the witch when she passed water and torment her so badly that she would take the spell back off you."

I recently mentioned the comments thread on a different NS article. This time, OMFG, don't waste your time. Nutjob city.