- How you doing? I'm Kallen
and this is Slammed Ham.
Today we're looking at some
weird and scary rituals
that are being performed around the world.
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A witch bottle is a unique ritual.
Average people typically create them
to find protection against
unknown energies and spirits.
They're usually filled
with vile ingredients.
Historically, these bottles
have either been made
by folk healers or a trusted witch.
If one believed that they knew someone
possessed by a spirit,
the person's urine, nail clippings or hair
were a pivotal ingredient of the bottle.
These bottles were also
filled with needles, pins,
rosemary and red wine.
The belief is that the
spirits will be attracted
to the victim's ingredients,
trapped by the pins and needles,
forced to drown in the red wine
and banished by the rosemary.
These bottles were typically hidden away
in the furthest corners of one's property.
The first mention of a witch
bottle appears in a 1681 book
by Joseph Glanvill,
"Saducismus Triumphatus"
or "Evidence concerning
witches and apparitions."
These bottles were constructed
to bring peace to a household
and to drive away malicious spirits.
They're quite complex to study
since they were sometimes made by witches
and other times to drive witches away.
A more recent example of witches bottles
being used in the United States
dates back to the Civil War.
It's said that union soldiers
may have buried witch bottles
in order to keep themselves
safe from Confederate troops.
This is only a theory
as it's highly possible
troops would have had no other way
to dispose of common witch
bottle ingredients such as urine
without creating a historical misnomer.
Frog coffins are a form of folk
magic performed in Finland.
Just as the name implies,
frogs were put into tiny coffins
and often buried in secret locations.
Dating back to the early 20th century,
these weird rituals are
actually meant to work
as a type of counter-magic,
just like witch bottles.
Generally frogs are chosen to represent
amphibian and aquatic life.
The initial lore of the frog coffin
involved taking the luck
of a successful fishermen
and harnessing it for the
folk magic of the frog coffin.
That luck is then diffused into magic
and reflected back at malicious spirits.
The recorded uses of frog coffins
range from benevolent
attempts to cure epilepsy
to malevolent intent to kill.
It was thought that the magic
generated by such coffins
was powerful enough to accomplish
a wide range of effects.
Folklore archives from all over Finland,
document the many
instances of these coffins
having been being buried
for multiple purposes.
The consistent factor between them
is the importance of the coffin itself.
Some similar coffins have
been found in the area
containing other animals and objects.
However, because their method and intents
seem to be the same,
these objects are often grouped
together with frog coffins.
It is worth noting that
many of these coffins
have been found in
churches all over Finland,
due to the structural
integrity and longevity
of such buildings over the years.
Have you ever heard of a frog coffin?
Let me know in the comments section below.
The practice of offering
food and libations
to the dead is widespread.
The form and method may have
changed throughout history
but it is a common pastime.
It's noted that the practice of pouring
a small amount of wine on a grave
has long been popular
between Egypt and Greece.
In ancient Rome, this process was taken
to an entirely new level.
Libation tubes were made to flow directly
into the inside of graves.
This meant the dead could
partake in food and drink
in a purer form.
These offerings typically first came
during a feast known as cena novemdialis.
This marked the end of the
nine day Roman grieving period
after a loved one's death.
The family would share a meal
at the loved one's grave,
pouring food and drink
down the libation tube.
These and other Roman celebrations
were later put to an end
by Christian leadership.
These rituals were considered
pagan and offensive.
A tradition of pouring vodka
onto the graves of loved ones
lives on in Russia today.
Some Chinese cultures offer wine or tea
at the tombstones of the deceased.
Japanese culture puts particular emphasis
on making careful offerings
at the shrines of the dead.
The Mexican holiday of Dia de Muertos
is well known for its offerings.
The graves of loved ones are populated
with large amounts of their
favorite food and drink.
These are later enjoyed by the living.
While these practices are so widespread,
the slight cultural differences
in how they're carried out
is worth noting.
These practices typically
involve sharing food or drink
between the living and the dead.
The idea is to replicate the
feeling of sharing a meal
with a loved one, even in death.
Some of you may not realize
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If you have scary photos or videos
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It's also an awesome place to
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and wonderful things
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Those who have joined already
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Like many of the weird rituals
mentioned on this list,
the tradition of hiding shoes and boots
was carried out for different reasons.
Shoes were often hidden
in order to protect a
home against spirits.
For some, it was a chance
to perform benevolent magic
working as a fertility charm.
The practice dates back
to the 14th century
and was widespread in Britain.
These shoes and boots would
typically hidden in homes
often inside of walls.
But they were also hidden
in businesses or factories
in order to bring them good luck
or to ward away any accidents.
Whether or not they
worked, we can't be sure.
Though these shoes have
provided historians
with an accurate picture of
shoes throughout the ages.
The hidden shoes were typically worn out
and in need of repair,
discarded because they're of no more use.
There are differing theories
as to the true purpose of the ritual.
Some believed the scent
attached to the shoes and boots
was thought to draw in friendly spirits
who would then bring
a household good luck.
Others see the scent of
the shoes as a sort of trap
that would lure in evil spirits
that could then be banished for good.
Either way, the ritual was so widespread
that thousands of such shoes
have been discovered all over Britain.
(creepy music continues)
Before we take a look at
a truly strange ritual
that was performed throughout Britain,
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Perhaps the weirdest of
weirdest rituals on this list
is the historical practice of
hiding dead or mummified cats
in the walls of buildings.
Oddly enough, these cats
seem to be widely found
in the same buildings as
boots and witch bottles.
This suggests superstitious
people at the time
often found themselves
doubling or tripling down
on protective charms for their home.
It's thought that the
idea of mummifying cats
was lifted from the
ancient Egyptian practice.
Cats were deified in Egypt,
so some of that reverence
made its way over to Britain.
Associated with fertility,
justice and power,
it's thought that this reverence
was reflected in these slightly
weird and scary rituals.
What is interesting about this ritual
is that there's often
debate among scholars
in regard to the particular instances.
In many cases, it appears highly
likely that a household cat
had simply got stuck in
a crawlspace and died,
making it seem as though
a ritual had taken place.
However, in the hundreds
of other cases in question,
these cats appear to have
been posed on purpose.
They've been made to appear
as though they're on the hunt
or in a defensive position.
In these instances, it seems
clear that the cat's been posed
to take on the role of the
protective deity of one's home.
Perhaps even more apropos is
the thought that in addition
to driving away witches,
these cats were meant to ward
off the familiars of witches,
who are often said to
take the form of cats.
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And that's it for me, I'll
see you all next time.
(Kallen vocalizing)
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