“The soft white tailfeather of a domesticated fowl. ” - Level 10 Botanist Nodes - Spineless Basin, Central Thanalan

Bright Blessings, fearless flier! Why not perch a spell?

When it comes to common domesticated animals, few can outperform the potency of poultry. Chickens have long had a place in spell casting, with some of the earliest taking the form of divination. Alectryomancy typically employs a rooster, observing the patterns it makes when eating seeds scattered in an intended form.

Other methods of divination can be a bit more morbid. The removal of innards is a method used by some, while others may remove the head and interpret its last movements. Post mortem, bone reading is another method. Fortunately, for today, we will not have to harm our fine feathered friends.

Despite the kindness to chickens in using the feathers in spells, they can be used for powerful malevolent magic, so do take care. As always, when practicing witchcraft it is important to ensure you are keeping check of your intentions. That said, first let us look at some of the beneficial uses for feathers.

A bunch of several feathers can be hung over over an entryway to act as a ward. They can also act to negate negative forces. For example, as a broom, feathers can sweep away darker energies and cleanse a space both physically and spiritually. Feathers are powerful, and as mentioned, can even work to aid in more nefarious magics.

Some of you may have heard of the Witch’s Ladder. This device is made by knotting cock feathers into a line of hair or cord. The use of the Ladder can result in differing outcomes depending on the length of cord and number of knots used to create it.

In modern works, the Witch’s Ladder incorporates beads as well, but this additional flair does not make it a decoration. Ladders are most commonly used to invoke curses with some as benign as aiding in the theft as milk, while in more severe circumstances they can even be used to cause death in a target.

I consider myself a more responsible witch, so I will not reveal the ins and outs of how to enact such things. However, a good witch must be prepared to protect herself, so knowing how to break a Witch’s Ladder is something we should discuss.

Ladders are usually hidden, so the first step is to find where one is hidden. From there, the curse can be undone rather simply by untying each knot. If you suspect you are the victim of a Witch’s Ladder, be sure to use whatever wards you can until you are able to undo the afflicting object. Tread with caution, as if a witch is using such things against you, they may have additional tricks prepared as well.

Witch’s Ladders can be used for good, so they are worth more investigation for those interested. I encourage responsible magic use, so please do stick to the beneficial sides! And if you need to divine something, perhaps elect to use the more humane methods of alectryomancy.