Over 300,000 members in this subreddit, and yet…not a single Leech

[AlexandriaJane]

Greetings.

I know this is a bit much, but humor me for a moment. It’s important. ^(also, the good stuff’s at the end)

Type in “leechcraft” into the search bar. Please and thank you. Ok, good. Did you find anything? No? What about “leechdom”? I’ll wait. Ughhh, ok, still nothing. Hmmm…perhaps we can go with the original spelling of *læce*? No, of course that doesn’t pull up anything.

Maybe we’ll have better luck shifting gears to a different practice, then. What about *seiðr*? It’s that mysterious type of trance magic specific to witches in Scandinavia during the Viking Age. Occult enthusiasts have inquired about it here, before. Surely they have come to know of Neil Price, then? He’s the British archaeologist who produced the single best piece of academic analysis on the topic of *seiðr* to date. Hmm, hold on…nothing is pulling up. Is my search bar malfunctioning?

Nope, it seems to be working fine. It appears that, despite there being literal *hundreds of thousands* of users subscribed to this most witchy of subreddits, not a **single** post has been submitted which provides for a comprehensive detailing of these practices.

I want to change that.

A quick background of myself: I am reconstructionist hǣþen whose studies have greatly informed my own ritual practices. I am fairly close to finishing my bachelor’s degree in History and Religious Studies, so naturally, I have familiarized myself with a variety of primary and secondary sources regarding the magic-minded societies of old. There are several key books in my personal library which I have come to value as absolutely essential in developing an understanding of not only what magic *is* and *was*, but how one might go about practicing in a way which is respectful of diverse cultures and folk traditions in which you might not be familiar.

It is these sources which I want to share with you. Not because I believe that every part of your practice must have historical precedent, but because I believe that it is invaluable to be informed.

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**\*\*\*\*DISCLAIMER\*\*\***

My specialty is historical northern European witchcraft, as will be evidenced by the sources listed below. However, I am certain that much is to be desired regarding knowledge about the various magic and spiritual beliefs, observances, rituals, and wisdoms of diverse communities across the world, at least as far as this sub is concerned. As I cannot speak for these communities, I will let them do the talking, should they choose to do so. Otherwise, I implore you to educate yourselves to the best of your ability so that you aren’t stepping on the toes of any marginalized groups, especially those whose practices are “closed”.

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Now without further ado…onto the Reading List:

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* For information specific to leechdom:
* **Title**: *Leechcraft: Early English Charms, Plantlore, and Healing*
* **Author**: Stephen Pollington
* **About**: Pollington is an English researcher who focuses his writings on Anglo-Saxon England. His books come with extensive bibliographies and citations, all which I would encourage you to explore as you engage with this particular book. It provides a thorough breakdown of historical English ideas and methods for healing and leechdom. The text includes information on charms, herbs, curses, medical manuscripts, amulets, and oral spells. It also includes a section on the *vocabulary* of witchcraft, a topic I found of particular interest considering the value of linguistics to historical study.

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* For information specific to *seiðr* and Norse magic:
* **Title**: *The Viking Way: Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia*, second edition
* **Author**: Neil Price
* **About**: This is probably my most prized from the list. Neil Price is a British archaeologist and professor at Uppsala University, Sweden. His revised edition of *The Viking Way* in invaluable to those who wish to educate themselves on old Norse religion, magic, and belief. While information on the art of *seiðr* is more than sparse, Price manages to produce a work of wonder by serving us nearly four hundred pages of comparative research. He sources various ethnographies, medieval Icelandic texts, archeological finds (amulets, wands, staves, ships, burial mounds), and more. He also includes a substantial amount comparative research on neighboring cultures and traditions, such as those of the indigenous Sámi people.

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* For information on the relationship between magic in medieval Europe and the interventions and influence of the Roman Church:
* **Title**: *The Rise of Magic in Early Medieval Europe*
* **Author**: Valerie I.J. Flint
* **About**: Flint was a British historian who wrote on the topic of magic in medieval Europe and its persistence in daily life in spite of the efforts of ecclesiastical leaders and governing bodies. Her book discusses divination, astrology, demons, angels, dreams, love magic, medical magic, and condemned magical activities. As with the previous two entries, she provides an extensive bibliography and heavy citations for the ready to explore.

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* For even more information on witchcraft in medieval Europe:
* **Title**: *Witchcraft and Magic in the Nordic Middle Ages*
* **Author**: Stephen A. Mitchell
* **About**: Mitchell is a scholar and professor at Harvard University. His research pertains to Scandinavian culture and literature. In his book, he analyzes medieval law codes, Icelandic sagas, runic spells, Roman Church records, various other sources to piece together the scene for witchcraft in northern Europe. Mitchell pays special attention to the role of *gender* in magic, and takes care to examine the social attitudes about female-ness and systems of power throughout his study.

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* For those interested in the broader study of entities in the home and hearth:
* **Title**: *The Tradition of Household Spirits: Ancestral Lore and Practices*
* **Author**: Claude Lecouteux
* **About**: Lecouteux is a French scholar and philologist with his PhD in Germanic studies. His book on household spirits is a relatively easy read in comparison to the previous entries on this list. His book contains information on historical attitudes and beliefs surrounding spirits who reside within the household. He examination focuses primarily on Scandinavia, France, Germany, Russia/Siberia, and Romania, though he does touch on practices from other locations such as China and Africa. His book analyzes housing layouts, anthropomorphism, imps, elves, hearths, offerings, marriage ceremonies, appeasement magic, and more.
* For those interested in the broader study of entities *outside* of the home, see Lecouteux’s *Demons and Spirits of the Land*. It is similar in nature to his previous book, only now with a focus on the more dangerous spirits who reside within rivers, forests, mountains, lakes, and springs.

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Thank you for the read. I hope this list is able to assist you in your practices and studies 🙂

Discussion

[Mr3cto]

Thank you

[Zeteon]

Hello friend. I’m a hedge witch who practices galdr and seidr.

[kalizoid313]

Thank you for the annotated book list.

Maybe you will find this book interesting:

Svartkonst-Bocker: A Compendium of the Swedish Black Art Book Tradition

by Dr. Thomas K. Johnson

[lilbunnikins]

I cannot begin to describe how wonderful is your post. Informative and enlightening! 💜

[ashckeys]

This is a great resource! Thank you

[wankawaythespanky]

Looks like a great reading list!

[Foxlady12]

This…. This is awsome, thank you!

[wilsathethief]

still never told us wtf leechdom is… i appreciate historical knowledge a ton but you just sound holier than thou and didn’t give me any actual idea what these sources can actually do for me….

[chan_jkv]

Have you been to r/seidr?

[[deleted]]

Neil Price is awesome. Helped me find the first glimmer of connection to the beliefs Christofascists stole from my ancestors 1000 yrs ago.

[Non-binary_mushroom]

I am thinking about studying religion and history, what jobs can you get with that degree?

[Homo_Rebus]

for those discusing levels of witchery, this is what master looks like

[Project_MAW]

Thank you for sharing! Ima definitely look into these books!

[ShinaS]

This leechcraft stuff actually seems really interesting and kinda my jam. Definitely looking into it more! Thank you so much for this post. I wanted to get more into healing type magic besides just occasional protection charms. This is very helpful!

[Existing-Cherry4948]

Man, those books are expensive lol