Blood Ties
The Concept of Blood in Irish Traditional Witchcraft
by
Socarie
Our modern concepts of blood in witchcraft are very far removed from those espoused by our ancestors, pagan or christian. The three fold meaning of blood in Irish Traditions have been hotly disputed over the years: the reasoning used to invoke blood ritual has changed as our sensibilities have changed: but the presence of blood ritual has never been missing. Why we do it, and its meaning for us may have changed but it remains an integral part of our traditional legacy.
This is a very wide subject, as blood is present in Irish witchcraft traditions in many diffferent ways and represents different things. It is necesssary to examine the motif of blood in its different guises; then the original virtues and significances attributed to it by earlier generations, before coming to an examination of modern blood ritual.
The following sections are an attempt to explore these concepts in the Irish tradition
The Original Use of Blood in Magic (inc sacrifice)
Modern Use of Blood in Magic (inc sacrifice)