Blasting Rod

From Traditional Witchcraft Wiki Project

The Blasting Rod is a staff, rod or switch made of Blackthorn and is used to blast and bane in Traditional Witchcraft.

The poet, Robert Graves, discovered in around 1940 that local people feared as Witches in the Devonshire villages of Galmpton and Dittisham still carried the fearsome Blackthorn walking stick, and if pointed at a pregnant woman, would cause a miscarriage. The accused Scottish Witch, Major Weir, was burnt in Edinburgh in 1670 along with his Blackthorn stick. The famous George Pickingill, said to be master of the Canewdon Witches was also said to carry his infamous Blackthorn walking stick which was believed to possess magical properties. One of these is on display at the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, Cornwall.

In some traditions, a Blackthorn stang is used for the act of cursing. Generally, the Blasting Rod or 'Black Rod' as it is sometimes referred to, is a cut piece of Blackthorn with the thorns still attached to the end. It's effects include causing infertility and the destruction of crops.

In some Cornish traditions the blasting rod is also made of a yew taken from a graveyard, which one source cites as being used "to Ban or Curse a place or individual i.e. drive away its/their Sprowl making them infertile, lifeless and desolate, and other dark magick" , And in Scottish traditions also, adopt this way of thinking regards to the Blasting rod being a Graveyard yew spig:

Discovering The Folklore of Plants by Margaret Baker---Pg.162-Yew:

"A Highland clansman would hold a Churchyard yew sprig in his hand when denouncing or threatening an enemy. This made his challenge inaudible: his victim could hear nothing, but the other witnesses could. The attacker would insist that he had made his intentions plain, there was no treachery, and still retain the advantage of surprised attack"

For in Brittany, it was believed that: A churchyard Yew spread a root to the mouth of every corpse buried there.