Imagine being accused of theft in 15th-century Denmark and forced to eat a piece of enchanted cheese to prove your innocence. Would you succeed—or would the bitter taste betray you? Such peculiar rituals weren’t uncommon in the Middle Ages, where magic intertwined with daily life, offering unusual solutions to everyday problems like theft.
From enchanted inscriptions to rituals involving pebbles, medieval people turned to the supernatural in their quest to protect their belongings. A fascinating study by Chiara Benati explores dozens of these magical spells and charms, revealing just how deeply these practices were embedded in medieval culture.
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A Medieval Obsession with Theft
Theft was a widespread problem in the medieval world, and securing one’s property often required more than physical barriers. If chests and locks weren’t sufficient, people believed magical rituals could safeguard their possessions or help recover stolen items. These practices drew on both Christian and pagan traditions, blending spiritual and mystical elements.
Chiara Benati’s article, “Painted Eyes, Magical Sieges and Carved Runes: Charms for Catching and Punishing Thieves in the Medieval and Early Modern Germanic Tradition,” categorises these rituals into three main purposes:
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Preventing theft from taking place.
Recovering stolen property.
Catching the thieves.
The rituals ranged from simple charms to elaborate rites involving special objects or secret formulas. Let’s explore some of these fascinating methods.
Protect Your Livestock
Inscribing protective formulas was a common way to guard animals against thieves and predators. One 14th-century Old Danish and Latin charm demonstrates this:
If you do not want thieves or wolves to take your cattle, then write this formula onto the doorpost through which they go out: Lord, you have created horses, pigs, oxen, cows and sheep in order to help men, may your creatures grow. And defend your animals from the teeth of wolves and from the hands of enemies. May Christ drive + them and bring them + back and, for the intercession of St. Eustachius, protect them from wolves and thieves. Amen.
This spell reflects both a reliance on faith and the belief that written words could create a protective barrier for livestock.
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A Diagram to Find Stolen Goods
If preventive measures failed, medieval people turned to rituals designed to locate stolen items. An 11th-century English text offers this advice:
When somebody steals anything from you, write this in silence and put it in your left shoe under your heel, then you will soon find out about it.
This method suggests a connection between the written word and the physical world, where secret writings could influence reality.
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The Shinbone Method
One of the more macabre practices involved using a dead person’s shinbone to recover stolen goods:
Take the tibia of a dead [person] in the darkness of the night and consider the right time and the right place, from where something is missing, and place it on the threshold of the door and cut a candle of the same length as the tibia and say: ‘I have lost my goods, I will find them again. The holy five wounds of Christ will help me.’ Then recite five Pater noster and one Credo on your knees. And then say: ‘As the Jews wanted to hide you, Lord Jesus Christ, and it could not happen, so my goods will not be hidden in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.’
This ritual highlights the lengths to which people would go to seek justice, even venturing into the realm of the dead.
In Your Dreams
Sometimes, the key to solving a theft was believed to lie in dreams. A manuscript explains how to see a thief in your sleep:
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When you have been robbed, then write these characters on virgin parchment, put them under the head at night, and you will see the thief while sleeping. A. m. k. m. y. e. v. S. l. ag. h. r. v. 11. a. a. bp.
This reflects the belief that the supernatural world could provide direct insight into human affairs.
In this 12th century image, eight thieves are miraculously paralyzed when they attempt to break into the Church of St. Edmund. From Morgan Library & Museum MS M.736 (fol. 18v)
Hot Pebbles
For those with multiple suspects, a fiery ritual involving pebbles could help identify the culprit. A German text from 1449 explains:
Write down the names of all those whom you suspect and go to a place where water flows and take as many pebbles as the names of the suspects. Put them onto the fire until they become red hot, then bury them beneath a threshold where people mostly pass at night, when the sun sets, and let them [remain] there for three days and three nights. Then take up again the pebbles from the earth and take a bowl with fresh water from a clear source, lay the stones under the bowl and pronounce these words: ‘I enchant you by the martyrdom of Our Lord. I look for you by the death of Our Lord. I find you by the resurrection of Our Lord.’ Then call each stone by name and throw it into the water until you reach the guilty one, that is when the pebble seethes as a piece of red-hot iron does when thrown into cold water.
This dramatic method relied on the idea that objects could carry guilt or truth, revealing the thief through a physical reaction.
A Christmas Eve Anti-Theft Ritual
You could create an anti-theft system for your home by drawing three crosses on the boards of an upper floor. However, there was a catch: the ritual had to be performed specifically on Christmas Eve for it to be effective.
Christian and Pagan Influences
Many of these rituals reflect a mix of Christian and pagan traditions. Prayers and holy symbols, such as crosses and references to Christ’s wounds, were often intertwined with older, nature-based practices like rune carvings or symbolic gestures. This blending of influences reveals how deeply embedded magic was in medieval life, even in societies dominated by Christian beliefs.
While these spells might seem strange or ineffective to modern readers, they offer valuable insights into the medieval mindset. Theft was a significant concern, and people sought every possible means to protect themselves and their communities. These rituals provide a fascinating glimpse into how medieval societies sought to control their world through supernatural means.
Chiara Benati’s article, “Painted Eyes, Magical Sieges and Carved Runes: Charms for Catching and Punishing Thieves in the Medieval and Early Modern Germanic Tradition,” appears in Magic and Magicians in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Time. Edited by Albrecht Classen, this volume explores a wide range of magical practices, from Merlin to blacksmiths. To learn more, visit the publisher’s website or purchase the book on Amazon.com.
Imagine being accused of theft in 15th-century Denmark and forced to eat a piece of enchanted cheese to prove your innocence. Would you succeed—or would the bitter taste betray you? Such peculiar rituals weren’t uncommon in the Middle Ages, where magic intertwined with daily life, offering unusual solutions to everyday problems like theft.
From enchanted inscriptions to rituals involving pebbles, medieval people turned to the supernatural in their quest to protect their belongings. A fascinating study by Chiara Benati explores dozens of these magical spells and charms, revealing just how deeply these practices were embedded in medieval culture.
A Medieval Obsession with Theft
Theft was a widespread problem in the medieval world, and securing one’s property often required more than physical barriers. If chests and locks weren’t sufficient, people believed magical rituals could safeguard their possessions or help recover stolen items. These practices drew on both Christian and pagan traditions, blending spiritual and mystical elements.
Chiara Benati’s article, “Painted Eyes, Magical Sieges and Carved Runes: Charms for Catching and Punishing Thieves in the Medieval and Early Modern Germanic Tradition,” categorises these rituals into three main purposes:
The rituals ranged from simple charms to elaborate rites involving special objects or secret formulas. Let’s explore some of these fascinating methods.
Protect Your Livestock
Inscribing protective formulas was a common way to guard animals against thieves and predators. One 14th-century Old Danish and Latin charm demonstrates this:
If you do not want thieves or wolves to take your cattle, then write this formula onto the doorpost through which they go out: Lord, you have created horses, pigs, oxen, cows and sheep in order to help men, may your creatures grow. And defend your animals from the teeth of wolves and from the hands of enemies. May Christ drive + them and bring them + back and, for the intercession of St. Eustachius, protect them from wolves and thieves. Amen.
This spell reflects both a reliance on faith and the belief that written words could create a protective barrier for livestock.
A Diagram to Find Stolen Goods
If preventive measures failed, medieval people turned to rituals designed to locate stolen items. An 11th-century English text offers this advice:
When somebody steals anything from you, write this in silence and put it in your left shoe under your heel, then you will soon find out about it.
This method suggests a connection between the written word and the physical world, where secret writings could influence reality.
The Shinbone Method
One of the more macabre practices involved using a dead person’s shinbone to recover stolen goods:
Take the tibia of a dead [person] in the darkness of the night and consider the right time and the right place, from where something is missing, and place it on the threshold of the door and cut a candle of the same length as the tibia and say: ‘I have lost my goods, I will find them again. The holy five wounds of Christ will help me.’ Then recite five Pater noster and one Credo on your knees. And then say: ‘As the Jews wanted to hide you, Lord Jesus Christ, and it could not happen, so my goods will not be hidden in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.’
This ritual highlights the lengths to which people would go to seek justice, even venturing into the realm of the dead.
In Your Dreams
Sometimes, the key to solving a theft was believed to lie in dreams. A manuscript explains how to see a thief in your sleep:
When you have been robbed, then write these characters on virgin parchment, put them under the head at night, and you will see the thief while sleeping. A. m. k. m. y. e. v. S. l. ag. h. r. v. 11. a. a. bp.
This reflects the belief that the supernatural world could provide direct insight into human affairs.
Hot Pebbles
For those with multiple suspects, a fiery ritual involving pebbles could help identify the culprit. A German text from 1449 explains:
Write down the names of all those whom you suspect and go to a place where water flows and take as many pebbles as the names of the suspects. Put them onto the fire until they become red hot, then bury them beneath a threshold where people mostly pass at night, when the sun sets, and let them [remain] there for three days and three nights. Then take up again the pebbles from the earth and take a bowl with fresh water from a clear source, lay the stones under the bowl and pronounce these words: ‘I enchant you by the martyrdom of Our Lord. I look for you by the death of Our Lord. I find you by the resurrection of Our Lord.’ Then call each stone by name and throw it into the water until you reach the guilty one, that is when the pebble seethes as a piece of red-hot iron does when thrown into cold water.
This dramatic method relied on the idea that objects could carry guilt or truth, revealing the thief through a physical reaction.
A Christmas Eve Anti-Theft Ritual
You could create an anti-theft system for your home by drawing three crosses on the boards of an upper floor. However, there was a catch: the ritual had to be performed specifically on Christmas Eve for it to be effective.
Christian and Pagan Influences
Many of these rituals reflect a mix of Christian and pagan traditions. Prayers and holy symbols, such as crosses and references to Christ’s wounds, were often intertwined with older, nature-based practices like rune carvings or symbolic gestures. This blending of influences reveals how deeply embedded magic was in medieval life, even in societies dominated by Christian beliefs.
While these spells might seem strange or ineffective to modern readers, they offer valuable insights into the medieval mindset. Theft was a significant concern, and people sought every possible means to protect themselves and their communities. These rituals provide a fascinating glimpse into how medieval societies sought to control their world through supernatural means.
Chiara Benati’s article, “Painted Eyes, Magical Sieges and Carved Runes: Charms for Catching and Punishing Thieves in the Medieval and Early Modern Germanic Tradition,” appears in Magic and Magicians in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Time. Edited by Albrecht Classen, this volume explores a wide range of magical practices, from Merlin to blacksmiths. To learn more, visit the publisher’s website or purchase the book on Amazon.com.
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