The Devil’s Ointment: A History of Unguents in European Magic and Witchcraft

In the historical records of European Witchcraft, one of the most notorious allegations against the accused was the use of a magical salve to gain the power of nocturnal flight. Rubbed on the body, it was said to be compounded of toxic herbs, animals, and noxious constituents such as human fat, and could effect ’travel’ by the witch over great distances. According to legend, the ointment, or the instructions for its manufacture were given to the witch directly by the Devil himself in the midst of their frenzied Sabbats. Despite the persistence of these features of the witches’ ointment in lore, actual recipes for it were rare and often speculative.

Initially the obsession of clerical and legal authorities, then of writers on Natural Magic, the ointment continued to perplex researchers well into the Age of Enlightenment. In more recent times, it has become the fascination of pharmacological speculation, psychology, entheogenic theory, and occult experiment. Despite the curiosity it has generated over the centuries, the mystery of the witches’ ointment abides.

Bringing a much-needed approach of plant lore and folk magic to the subject, The Devil’s Ointment examines the witches’ salve against the broader historical use of magical unguents and greases, considering supernatural contexts in addition to witchcraft. This is complimented by the additional investigational viewpoint of folk medicine, which made therapeutic use of many of the toxic plants ascribed to the ointment. Rationales for use, source materials, and symbolical ingredients of the european pharmacopoeia are also examined, revealing the witches’ ointments as but one small part of the essential and timeless accoutrements of European occult practices.