Christmas tradition loves the idea of a jolly Santa coming down the chimney. But long before this jovial figure were witches. Odd connection, I know. But European witchcraft lore had a common theme of witches flying in the sky and entering or exiting through chimneys. But how precisely had witches been able to perform such a feat according to the folklore? Flying ointment.
This ointment could have a rather odd or downright gross origin. Some tales say this comes from human fat. That’s already quite bad, but even further, some say it must be from murdered or unbaptized children.
This ointment could have a rather odd or downright gross origin. Some tales say this comes from human fat. That’s already quite bad, but even further, some say it must be from murdered or unbaptized children.
Less disturbing stories say the Devil taught witches how to make the ointment, or he would give it to them.
If the idea is revolting, well, that’s because it was meant to be. As far as the greater mythology goes, witches were downright cruel in European folklore. They would kill and kidnap children, form pacts with demons, destroy farms, fly about the night and cause storms, and so on.
Witch hunts in the early modern period saw all sorts of different stories developing. Magical salves and ointments were part of a broader mythological tradition that found their way into witches.
Did Witches Use this Ointment?
It’s kind of hard to say. There is some possible truth people tried to make such an ointment.
There are a few possibilities that can explain things.
For one, some historical recipes of the supposed ointment include various highly poisonous ingredients, such as hemlock, mandrake, nightshade, belladonna, and/or wolfsbane. Under no circumstance should you try to recreate such an ointment with these ingredients. They have been noted to cause delirium, confusion, hallucinations, and disturb a person’s perception of reality. So, it’s possible that this would give one the impression of flight, but it could have been in a severe delirious state.
It’s possible that hysteria, dreams, trances, or another altered state could be an explanation where the person under such an influence would believe it’s “supernatural” in that cultural framework.
Some accounts came from accused witches who were under immense pressure to confess. So, their statements are not really reliable.
It’s also worth noting that many just come from stories. It’s not unlikely that some were just that — tales. Others may have had a more mischievous intent. Some could have been warnings or moral tales from parents to children. It’s hard to say, since it’s not like a lot of this had been written down so extensively at the time.
So, we can’t really say what the exact answer is. It wasn’t a totally fabricated myth, as people tried to create something. But it’s also not entirely the case that they were hallucinogenic salves.