Poppet Magic History

Ramses and the Poppets:
When most people think of a poppet, they automatically think

her young lover, George didn't object. The royal couple
remained married but lived separately until Caroline’s

of the Voodoo doll, thanks to this item's negative portrayal
in movies and on television. However, the use of dolls in

death in 1821, according to Witchcraft and Evidence in Early
Modern England by Malcolm Gaskill.

sympathetic magic goes back several millennia. Back in the
days of ancient Egypt, the enemies of Ramses III (who were

numerous, and included some of his harem women and at least
one high-ranking official) used wax images of the Pharoah,

West African slaves brought with them a doll called a fetish
when they were forced to leave their homes and come to the

to bring about his death.
Greek Kolossi:

American colonies. In this case, the doll is not so much
representative of an individual, but is in fact possessed by

It wasn't uncommon for the Greeks to use sympathetic magic

spirits connected to the doll’s owner. A fetish contains
significant power and is typically worn or carried by its

in workings related to love or war. Christopher Faraone,
Professor of Classical Languages and Literatures at the

owner as a talisman. During America's Colonial period, slave
owners were allowed to kill any slave found with a fetish in

University of Chicago, is one of the foremost authorities on
Greek magic today, and says that Greek poppets called

his possession.
American Hoodoo and Folk Magic:

Kolossoi were sometimes used to restrain a ghost or even a
dangerous deity, or to bind two lovers together. In Idyll 2,

In American Hoodoo and folk magic, the use of poppets as a

The Witch (Pharmakeutria), written about 200 b.c.e., the
tragedian Theocritus refers to melting and burning wax

magical tool became popular following the Civil War. There
is some dispute as to whether the dolls are used at all in

dolls. He relates the tale of Simaetha, rejected by Delphis,
attempts to get her lover back with magic.

Haiti, which is the home of Vodoun religion, and a few
sources disagree on whether the use of poppets is truly a

The Princess Who Played with Dolls:

Vodoun practice or not. However, the Voodoo Museum of New
Orleans does stock a variety of dolls in their gift shop.

Wax dolls certainly weren't limited to the ancient classical
world. The one-time Princess of Wales, Caroline of

Regardless of how you make your poppet -- out of cloth, a

Brunswick, was married to the man who later became King
George IV, and evidently couldn't stand him. She spent many

chunk of meat, or a glob of wax, remember that poppets have
a long tradition behind them, and that tradition is

hours forming wax dolls of her husband and jabbing them with
pins. Although there's no concrete evidence as to what this

influences by the magical practices of a wide range of
cultures. Treat your poppets well, and they will do the same