witch ladder

English

Alternative forms

• witch's ladder

Noun

witch ladder (plural witch ladders)

1. (folk magic) A charm or talisman in the form of knotted or plaited cord, twine, hair, etc.
   • 1892, Charles Godfrey Leland, Etruscan Roman Remains in Popular Tradition, page 353:

     The next day I showed the woman the engraving of the witch-ladder in the Folk-Lore Journal. She was astonished, and said, "Why that is la guirlanda delle strege which I described yesterday."

   • 1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, published 1984, page xi. 144:

     Next he tied nine knots in a short length of string, and sprinkled some dead flies into the fire. "Take thou a mandrake [...] Bind the root, with a witch ladder," he held up the knotted string.