The Witches' Ladder

A 'witch's ladder' is a form of knot magic that originates from several years ago. The first known witch's ladder to record was located and found in an old house in Somerset, England, among six brooms. This was in the year 1878.

The ladder is composed out of three pieces of string, yarn, wool or rope, however when used in cursing especially, some like to weave hair into the ladder. Trinkets such as charms, feathers, beads, bones are braided into the ladder.

Nowadays, the witch's ladder is primarily used for binding, healing, cursing, protection, wish spells and healing. It was believed that witches of old cast a death spell over a person by tying the knots and then hiding the cord, and the only way to undo the spell was to find the hidden cord and untie each knot.

Of course, the witch's ladder is not limited to those uses. It is said variation in the colour of the string/yarn/etc used represents a different use for the ladder. Some common ones are:

Green for money
Red for passion
White for creativity
Black to stop bad habits
Brown for balance
Yellow for happiness
Orange for health
Blue for peace
Purple for wisdom.

Frequently when I am travelling, I carry my own ladder with me as they are said to encourage safe travel.

Although ladders are often created for as part of a particular spell, in other cases, the knots or beads are used to attain track of repetition in a spell or incantation, somewhat alike to Rosary beads.

Incantations are spoken during the creation process to empower the talisman to do its creator's bidding. According to an article, The Witches' Ladder, an example of a witch's ladder chant and knot placement is as follows:

According to the article, "At the tying of the last knot, all the energy is directed into the cord and its knots, with a final visualization of the object of the work. The power has been raised and is now 'stored' in these knots in the cord."

Often the number of knots represent a specific intent. For example, seven is said to represent safety and security. If one wanted to have a witch's ladder specifically for the intention of such, seven knots would be tied into the ladder.

Here is an example of an incantation used when creating a typical 9 knot ladder:

''By knot of one, my spell has begun.
By knot of two, it will come true.
By knot of three, so mote it be.
By knot of four, this power I store.
By knot of five, my spell is alive.
By knot of six, the spell I fix.
By knot of seven, events I'll leaven.
By knot of eight, it will be fate.
By knot of nine, what is done is mine.''

The power has been raised and is now 'stored' in these knots, beads, feathers, etc and in the cord.

You can tie the ends of the ladder together and use it as a necklace for protection on your person or hang it somewhere close to where it is needed such as your bed head or chair.

If you want to use it for healing you untie and release the items in the knots like this:

You must release the knots one at a time, one a day, for nine consecutive days. Release them in the same order in which they were tied. As the knots are released the energy that was put into them releases and is used for the purpose that the ladder was made for. You can either bury the beads etc or keep them in a safe place.

The Niding Pole

The 'Niding Pole' (often called Nidstang or Nidhstong) is an ancient Scandinavian method of cursing another being. 

A niding pole is most often made out of wood, traditionally hazel, with a horse's head placed upon the top and relevant runes carved into the pole.  The pole size can range depending on the person. The grander, larger ones are used if you are cursing a group or several individuals. The larger ones are also used as some feel it makes the nid more powerful. However, smaller ones (sometimes as small as wands) tend to be more convenient.

I was discussing the pole with a friend, Personified from SoM, and Person informed me that a goat's skull can be used as a substitute, although it is not as effective as the traditional horse's head. In addition, Person also gave me the information that you can carve a horse head out of wood and rub your blood on the teeth to ''wake'' it. 

(The horse's head is now more normally replaced with a horse skull or the pole itself is carved with the image of a horse head.) 

Why the horse head? On the Niding Pole, the horse skull invokes the horse rune Ehwaz, using the linking and transmissive power of the rune for the magical working. The horse is sacred to Odin, a major deity in Norse mythology and cosmology that represents war/battle, victory and death, however in addition: wisdom, magic, poetry, prophecy, runes and hunting. 

To cast the curse, the pole was traditionally erected, facing the direction to which the curse is to be sent. An incantation is spoken, pronouncing the target of the curse. 

With that done the horse head is turned to face the direction of the chosen quarry. Such a curse is intended also to cajole the land wights into working against the victim/s. 

The pole channeled the destructive forces of Hel, goddess of death. These forces were carried up the pole and projected through the horse skull. The runes carved on the pole defined the character and target of the destructive forces. 

Among others, triple Thorn [Thurisaz] runes and triple Is [Isa] runes, were used to 'smite' the enemy. When used maliciously, these had the effect of disempowering the accursed's will and delivering him or her to the forces of destruction. Here, the Thorn rune invokes the power of Thurs, the demonic earth-giant sometimes called Moldthurs. 

An example of this comes from Skirnismal, where the spell used by Skirnir against Freyr's reluctant lover, Gerdhr invokes harm using the Thorn rune. This provides the power for three other runestaves: 'I shall inscribe Thurs for you, and three runestaves: lewdness, and rage and impotence.' 

The Niding Pole was intended to disrupt and anger the earth sprites (Landvaettir, Land-Wights or earth spirits) inhabiting the ground where the accursed's house was. These sprites would then vent their anger upon the person, whose livelihood and life would be destroyed. 

Niding Poles were also used to desecrate areas of ground. This technique is called alfreka, literally the 'driving away of the elves', by which the earth sprites of a place were banished, said to leave the ground spiritually dead. 


However, Niding poles are not just used for cursing. Frequently, I have used them for protective purposes, guarding land and banishing negative spirits.


After carving the name of the person into the pole, an incantation of a nid is spoken, the verbal part of the curse. These can often involve using the name of deities, calling them to ask for assistance or awareness of this nid. A common one used in Norse mythology is the goddess Hel, however any deity you choose can be used. The verbal part of the nid is extremely important, a fundamental when casting a nid using the niding pole.


Another thing to look into is a 'virtual nid'. This tends to be more common as we now have modern technology such as computers/laptops and what not. A virtual nid is when somebody sends a picture of a horse's head with perhaps a message of a nid to another person. I am skeptic on the effectiveness of this.

-- 

Grimner's Nidstang: 

''I curse! 
I curse all of them 
who soil our glorious land 
with unworthy actions. 

I curse all of them 
who borrow sacred symbols 
Gungnir, Mjolnir and Sacred Staves - 
Odin's spear, Thor's hammer 
and runes, given by Odin's hand 
and soil them 
with unholy deeds. 

I curse all of them 
who in ugly costumes 
and shaven heads 
as well as suits 
and ties 
abuse the wisdom of our ancestors 
our ancient ways 
and our present faith. 

I curse all of them 
who want to silent 
the mouths of others 
for themselves to be heard 
with their stupid bellowing. 
I curse all of them 
who put themselves above others 
because of their paleness, 
who trample on others 
because of the color of their skin, 
foreign language, 
or a different faith. 

Upon the heads of these miscreants 
I call all powers! 
I call upon the gnomes, and the little people 
to scratch their bodies 
and disturb their sleep. 

I call upon the elf-smiths 
to lay an iron ring 
around their chests 
giving little room for their spirit 
little room for breath 
to speak of evil. 

I call upon the "rimthurses" (frost-giants) 
from the depth of Niflheim 
That they may freeze to their death 
before they get a chance 
to freeze others out. 

I call Surt and his "fire-thurses" 
That they may burn to their death 
before others may burn 
by their hands. 

I call upon Loki 
That he may twist their vision 
so that they strike each other down 
before they strike anyone else down. 

I call upon Freya 
So that these young men 
never may share a woman's bed 
and never have sons 
or daughters of their own 
as long as they want to hinder 
others to do just that. 

And I call upon Frey 
That these young men 
have their manhood gelded, 
never being able to create anything good 
for themselves, 
never getting peace 
or harvest, 
as long as they want to hinder 
others to do just that. 

I call upon Thor 
that he may protect us 
from demonic evil 
and I call upon his wrath 
against the miscreants 
who wants to cause pain to others. 

I call upon Odin, 
Allfather. 
He who gave spirit 
to man and woman. 
He who together with his brothers 
Hoenir and Lodur 
Gave life to man, 
Body and Soul, 
Ask and Embla, 
Man and Woman. 

I call upon Odin 
and the "Norns". 
Goddesses of destiny, 
Urdh, Verdhandi and Skuld, 
who together judge 
everyone after death 
that they may judge 
these miscreants hard, 
so that they 
not even after their deaths 
may escape their deeds of evil 
against other sons and daughters 
of Ask and Embla. 

I set this "nid" 
until these drooling servants 
of evil and ignorance 
do penance 
and let each and one 
stay by their land, their people 
and their faith 
wherever in our world 
they may choose to live.'' 

Nid by Grimner Bjornklo ("Bearclaw")