Sea magic from the world of antiques and folklore…
The ebb and flow where land meets sea seems to call to our most primal spirit. Both soothed and and afeared by this liminal landscape, we are drawn there, to linger, in the presence of a power that simply beguiles us…
To ride the galloping tides & winds, conjur-up or becalm a storm, whisper with the sand spirits or cry out full-blooded to Mother Ocean… where ever waves lap inhabited shores, women have made sea-magic.
We know this in our very bones.
Many of the old goddesses were deeply tied to the Oceans and seas, and women in coastal regions have worked with them for millennia.
It was often these women who would craft spells and charms to keep sailors safe from storms. In Cornwall where I live there is a rich history of sea witchery. Not just to keep the fishing boats safe but also to influence the weather, call in the catch, or harness the power of the tides to propel and empower spell work of all kinds.
In certain times and places women have openly sold amulets and talisman from the harbour wall. Protection charms for sailors have always been good trade after all. Amulets against drowning, charms for a fair wind, magic to keep storms at bay and ensure a safe passage home… Its impossible to talk about the history of sea magic & witchcraft without also talking about sailors.
So what might we find in the world of antiques that has echoes in the realms of the sea-witch?
If you wish to call the feeling of ocean into a home certain objects salvaged from the old masted ships or ancient harbours, such as antique floats & original ships timber have been steeped for years in the raw and powerful forces of the sea & her moon-pulled tides. The best still scented with salt and pitch. Other objects will be traditional charms from coastal regions that made use of what was at hand. Some pieces hark back to ancient goddess symbolism, others to the folk magic and superstitions of seafaring lore.
Here are few that I know can be found, and some tips on what to look out for;
Old Glass Net Floats
Hung in the window as a ‘witch-ball’, to hold focus on an altar, as simple décor, or maybe even for scrying, ( an example in the Pitt rivers Museum of Oxford, is labelled as having belonged to a Southcoast witch who used it for scrying over a hundred years ago).
These pleasing objects sing the sea to mind as you soon as you lay eyes on them.
Usually in a gorgeous shade of green, authentic old floats have a rough bump on the bottom called a pontil mark,– its the nub where the hot glass was cut or twisted off when hand-blown. Old glass is thicker and less uniform, often with tiny bubbles or pits in the surface, and often baring a makers mark or number.
Rarer colours include blue, amber, red, or clear glass. There are some wonderful pale blue floats from Japan but I mostly find the old bottle green type from the Atlantic coasts. Older floats my often be held in a newer replacement rope net so don’t be put off by that, – look instead at the quality of the glass and signs of hand blowing to establish age.
Cork floats also have their place in sea witchery, traditionally a silver coin could be pushed into a slit in the cork to ensure a good fishing season. But whatever the use may be an old float that’s spent years at sea will be far more potent than any modern reproduction.
Mermaids
Mermaid figures and images appear in all sorts of forms can date back to ancient history. Wherever there were sailors there were tales of mermaids and sirens. Woven into the folklore of the seven seas, they are an intrinsic part of seafaring cultures from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean.
Yemanja – a great sea diety of the Yoruba people is sometimes represented in mermaid form, and fables of human women who find themselves living under the sea as mystical beings abound in the folklore of the North.
Found on antique door knockers, furniture mounts, carvings, architectural pieces and paintings, you may even find an 18th century figurehead if you’re really committed… Also found on antique or vintage ornaments and paper weights, maps, prints, ceramics, and occasionally featured on early oak and walnut carved panels from the 16-1800s
Mermaid-like creatures appear in the art of almost every culture born to the seashores. Each has their own mystical tradition or story, a rich and magical seam for research and collecting.
We all know the image of the serpent haired Medusa, but less known is that she and her sister Gorgons were creatures of the sea. Offspring of the primordial sea god and goddess, Ceto & Phorcys, the three sister Gorgons were sea witch royalty.
They hark from a time even before the Greek gods of Olympus, and were strongly tied to sorcery, prophecy, and magic. The iconic head of Medusa became a protection symbol worn on shields, weapons and jewellery in ancient Greek, and later Roman culture. Incredibly this image has survived in all her terrifying glory until modern times.
Medusa can be found on many ancient artefacts as well as pieces from the renaissance and even the Victorian eras. She’s had some pretty bad PR over the centuries, but many women understand her as a fierce protectress and sister to those of us who must stand our ground in the face of male tyranny.
I’ve found several original Medusa images from the last 200 years on things like tiles, jewellery, and furniture mounts. I’ve also seen some genuine ancient images on ceramics, clay oil lamps, and lead plaques, but as with all ancient antiquities, the prices can be pretty spicy and you need to watch out for the numerous fakes.
Sea Treasures & Amulets
There are several gifts from the Oceans that have been treasured by generations of sea sorcerers and witches. Known for the power they bring when used in amulets or their ability to connect with spirits of coast and sea…
Jet, Amber, Coral, & Serpentine are four of the most beloved. Each has its own magical associations and forces which I will write about in detail elsewhere. For now we can just say that all of these are deeply connected to the sea and have been used in the sea witchery of the British Isles for many hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of years.
The traditional Wiccan witches necklace has borrowed from this history, being made of beads of Jet and amber, Serpentine is beloved to the witch-folk of Cornwall, and coral has been used in amulets across civilizations and millennia.
Antique Delft Tiles
From the 16 – 1900s thousands of hand-painted delft tiles were produced for export from the Netherlands, with the favourite motifs being those of the Oceans.
Tall masted ships cresting the waves, sea monsters, fishes & dolphins, mermaids, and even the occasional Kelpie can all be found. Mostly painted in blue or reddish-orange on a white tin-glaze background. Beautiful folk art images that evoke both the sea and its folklore, these tiles bring the atmosphere of a more mysterious age.
Prices vary enormously, with rarer images. finer painting, and older pieces fetching a premium, with damaged or more easily found designs being as little as £20.
Some pieces were also made in the British isles but the most often found are the Dutch as they were exported across Europe for two hundred years. There are many cheap reproductions about, but they lack that special magic of the hand painted originals, created at a time when the strange tales, mysteries, and dangers of the sea were very real to all who travelled or lived by her.
Pacific Ocean Artefacts and Souvenirs
The Original peoples of the Pacific Ocean were among the most skilled navigators and seamen of human history. They were and remain deeply bound to the Ocean and all her creatures. I know very little about Pacific Island cultures, (living as I do, quite literally on the other side of the planet, I’ve only spent time in the Pacific once, when I lived a year in Hawaii) – But anyone who comes into contact with the traditional art of Oceana can immediately feel its power.
Original early Pacific art is rare and due to this rarity, sacred nature, and the regions history, it really belongs in the Pacific. However; during the last two hundred or so years a small amount of artefacts and art has been made there by the original populations to be sold or traded to travellers and visitors.
I sometimes come across these pieces in the UK and despite being made for trade they still carry some of that power and beauty. I’m sure many a sea witch would feel honoured to have a keepsake from this part of the world, where people and Ocean keep such a strong bond.
Carved boxes and sculptures featuring ancestors and deity, often with mother of pearl eyes and a fierce countenance. Shell, bone, and hard-stone amulets, and impressive hand crafted fish hooks are among the older trade pieces you may find that honour the traditional styles and beliefs.
Old Sea Shells & Marine Fossils
A sea sorceress will always have a soft spot for a big & beautiful shell or two, but we know how how harmful commercial ‘shell-hunting’ can be for the creatures who live on the seabeds. Luckily there are many antique and vintage shells to be found in flea markets, which you can buy without harming living ecosystems.
Many marine fossils are literally fossilised shells, there is a whole litany of magical folklore attached to these (I feel another post waiting to be written…) – and fossilised sharks teeth also have been known as a charm against drowning.
Spell Boxes are frequently used in many traditions worldwide, a safe place to both protect and enhance a spell’s power. These boxes are usually decorated and embellished, – another reason why the working sea witch can always use a few more shells.
A Witches Mirror
There are many magical practices that involve the use of a small hand held mirror.
In her excellent book A Sea Witches Companion, Levannah Morgan – a life long Sea Witch of South west England describes using such a mirror to build direct connections to spirits, as well as scrying and techniques in achieving altered states of consciousness.
Although any small mirror can do this work – how nice it would be to choose a special one with it’s aged and misty mercury plate… There are many beautiful antique pieces to choose from although Levannah suggests that simple is probably best. I sometimes see lovely old purse-sized silver framed mirrors, as well as those in copper, pewter, brass, and wood.
(Mirrors are considered particularly potent in a lot of magical traditions, so if your planning on using or gifting one a careful cleansing ritual of any pre-owned mirror might be prudent).
Marine Compass / Captain’s Compass
Between the days of Star navigation and GPS most boats or ships would have at least one, and often more than one compass to help navigate their voyages. There are large Captains Compasses that were housed on a special tilting deck to keep them level on a stormy day, and smaller hand help ones that a sailor might keep in his pocket.
The four directions are, as we know, used in a numerous magical paths and practices, and these compasses, if older, may have guided adventures all over the world. Most marine compasses have on their face the symbol of the navigators ‘North Star’ with directions marked out in black or red and white. Practical, beautiful, and utterly romantic, – a poignant artefact that can often be found in antiques markets near the coast.
Charms & Offerings
For the Sea Witch with an interest in traditional charms and folklore here’s some more ideas inspired by real history and well recorded folk practices;
Horse shoe – historically nailed to a boats mast or the captains cabin door
Real gold & Silver Coins – gold was once wedged into a notch on the main mast as a sailors good luck charm, and a silver coin would be ‘paid’ to the sea spirits in return for retrieving a drowned body
Gold Earrings- a favourite of pirates the world over, to ensure that if things go wrong on your adventures you always have an emergency bribe, or worst -case-scenario, the price of a decent burial…
Flagon of Rum – many sailors would offer a drink to the sea in much the same way as many witches will offer one to the earth
Carved Wooden Boat – small hand-carved wooden vessels have been used in many traditions to ‘send’ petitions and wishes along with offerings out to sea for the attention of the sea deities.
Seaman’s Treasure Chest
I hope this list has inspired you to sing the sea into your own home, Antiques and flea markets are a treasure trove for objects from the worlds of magic and folklore, and if you need a place to house that growing collection – how about a beautiful antique seaman’s chest?
