The Apotropaic “Witch posts” of Early Modern Yorkshire: A Contextualization

B. Angus

DOI:10.1080/17432200.2017.1418477

Corpus ID: 192291132

The Apotropaic “Witch posts” of Early Modern Yorkshire: A Contextualization

@article{Angus2018TheA,
  title={The Apotropaic “Witch posts” of Early Modern Yorkshire: A Contextualization},
  author={B. Angus},
  journal={Material Religion},
  year={2018},
  volume={14},
  pages={55 - 82}
}

B. Angus
Published 2018
History
Material Religion

Abstract In houses in Yorkshire there remain carved posts of some antiquity, marked with a distinct X, whose provenance is unknown. These are known locally as “witch posts.” Understanding these as examples of apotropaic folk-belief is recommended by contemporary accounts of the necessity of protection against evil by charms, images, and objects. Such beliefs were not only not marginal but actively encouraged by both traditional church practices and a Neoplatonic conception of the potency of… Expand

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