270 – Snail shells
- Physical description:
- Snail shells strung on red ribbon.
- Museum classification:
- Spells & Charms
- Size:
- 430mm
- Information:
Original text by Cecil Williamson: 'The sexy snail - a charm to give to shy young maidens. Explain their message and their meaning, then eyes will open wide as they recognise the young man's feelings.'
Mentioned in Doreen Valiente's description of the exhibits at Cecil Williamson's 'House of Spells' at Polperro (Transcripts from Doreen Valiente's Diaries 1959-1966, in the museum library (133.43 VAL), pp.29-34).
One type of Halloween love divination involved shutting a snail inside a dish over night, and then studying the snail's trail in the belief that it would form the initial of your future husband or wife (E. and M.A. Radford, 'Encyclopaedia of Supersitions).
Scarborough Museum has a very similar charm - a necklace of snail shells strung on red wool - collected in Jersey in 1912, which was used to cure seizures and croup in children (information supplied by Tabitha Cadbury - see her report 'The Clarke Collection of Charms and Amulets' in the museum library).- Resource:
- Object
- Materials:
- Shell, fabric
- Copyright ownership:
- Copyright to The Museum of Witchcraft Ltd.
Original text by Cecil Williamson: 'The sexy snail - a charm to give to shy young maidens. Explain their message and their meaning, then eyes will open wide as they recognise the young man's feelings.'
Mentioned in Doreen Valiente's description of the exhibits at Cecil Williamson's 'House of Spells' at Polperro (Transcripts from Doreen Valiente's Diaries 1959-1966, in the museum library (133.43 VAL), pp.29-34).
One type of Halloween love divination involved shutting a snail inside a dish over night, and then studying the snail's trail in the belief that it would form the initial of your future husband or wife (E. and M.A. Radford, 'Encyclopaedia of Supersitions).
Scarborough Museum has a very similar charm - a necklace of snail shells strung on red wool - collected in Jersey in 1912, which was used to cure seizures and croup in children (information supplied by Tabitha Cadbury - see her report 'The Clarke Collection of Charms and Amulets' in the museum library).