Hagstone - The Discovery of Witches

"A witch my take many disguises to achieve her unholy deeds. They may walk amongst us undetected, infecting and cursing our brethren, for they have the power of the devil to shapeshift their form. But Mother Nature has blessed us with a device that even the witch's magic cannot fool, for to gaze through the hole of a Hag Stone is to see the witch stripped of magic. Her true sickening guise is revealed for all who possess such a stone, and the stone will protect for the witch's magic is rendered useless."

Extract from Pieter the Peddler's inventory of charms and talismans, 1615.

Hagstone is back with new props, a cleaner and more straightforward method but still the same fantastic routine. Hagstone is the ultimate demonstration of the discovery of witches and has been awarded the Matthew Hopkins wax seal of approval.

The Routine

Eleven random volunteers are asked to the stage, Ten to play the village's women and one to play the witch hunter. A small stack of envelopes sits on a table.

"May I ask each of you lovely maidens to take one envelope from the pile? One of these envelopes contains a card marked with the sign of the witch. During the witch hunts, scouts were sent ahead to the villages to seek out potential heretics. Before the witch hunter's arrival, the scouts would mark the suspected witches' doors with a white cross. For those who did not like their neighbours, this was an excellent opportunity to get rid of them, for a white cross was all it took to draw the cruel attention of the witch hunter."

The suspected witches are invited to each take an envelope.

"You may mix and swap the envelopes amongst yourselves all you wish, then once you are happy may I ask you to all stand in a line".

The ten suspects swap envelopes a few times and arrange themselves in a long line across the stage.

You then remove the hag stone from the box, unthread it from the leather thong and hand it to your trusty witch hunter.

"This stone is known as a hagstone, a stone impervious to magic and witchcraft. If one gazes through the hole of a hagstone, they may see a witch in her true form. Witches were known to shapeshift into the form of animals or innocent young girls to evade detection. Still, the power of the hagstone has the magical ability to see the true form."

In 1615 Pieter the Pedler wrote in his Inventory of Charms and Talismans –

"A witch my take many disguises to achieve her unholy deeds. They may walk amongst us undetected, infecting and cursing our brethren, for they have the power of the devil to shapeshift their form. But Mother Nature has blessed us with a device that even the witch's magic cannot fool, for to gaze through the hole of a Hag Stone is to see the witch stripped of magic. Her true sickening guise is revealed for all who possess such a stone, and the stone will protect for the witch's magic is rendered useless."

"Using the power of the hagstone I would like you to look through the hole and tell me where our witch hides".

You demonstrate by holding the stone to your eye and scanning the line of women.

"Please take your time and look at each of the women individually through the stone. You will find that you are drawn to one of the women more than the others. When you feel the hagstone has identified the witch please let me know".

The 'witch hunter' slowly scans the line of suspects with the hagstone held to their eye.

"That one!", they exclaim "I believe that person to be the witch".

The 'witch hunter' points to one of the women.

"May I ask the accused to step forward and the remaining nine villagers to open their envelopes."

The nine women open their envelopes to reveal that they are indeed innocent.

"Thank you, your cards do not bear the mark of the witch, so may return to your seats".

The remaining tenth woman stands nervously on the stage.

"So that just leaves us with you. You have been identified by the unwavering power of the hagstone as a witch; would you please open your envelope for all to see".

The villager opens her envelope, and amazingly, the card inside bears the mark of the witch! 

The witch is then dragged off screaming and burnt alive in the venue car park…

You will receive

• A genuine hag stone on a leather lanyard
• An aged woodcut style box 
• All the cards and envelopes required 
• A wooden card tray
• Full documentation
• *PDF of extra cards

*Hagstone can be performed with fewer volunteers, and a mix of men and women can be used as potential witches. The routine has a more significant impact with a larger number of people taking part. A PDF of the cards is also provided so that you can perform with even more than the recommended ten volunteers.  

About Hagstones

The Sussex coastline is one of the best places in the world for hagstones. Living a 30-minute drive from my nearest Sussex beach has enabled me to collect a large selection of genuine hag stones for this wonderfully mystifying yet straightforward effect. Each copy comes with a natural hag stone personally collected and selected. Produced by Mother Nature herself, I can not guarantee shape or colour, but I will ensure you get a good one!

These rare stones have a hole running through them and are mainly found in streams or rivers and at the seashore, where running water has created the hole. For this reason, they are considered so powerful, for it is a common belief that magick cannot work on running water. As these stones have been holed by running water, they retain the power of protection from magick. More importantly, they enabled the bearer to see through the magic of the witch. In some parts of Britain and Europe, the witch hunter would line up the village's women and look at them through the hole in the stone. A witch who had shapeshifted to the form of an innocent young girl could be seen in true form. They could then be taken away and tried for heresy. In Arthurian legend, Morgan Le Fay was able to shape-change; however, through the use of a mystical hag stone, Merlin could see her true form.

So as you can see, the stone you now hold is no ordinary stone, for it may grant you a wish, keep evil spirits at bay and enable you to see the witch…..