A witch mark, also known as an apotropaicForm of magic with the power to avert evil influences. mark, is a symbol or pattern scratched on the walls, beams and thresholds of buildings to protect them from witchcraft, evil spirits or the “ever-present” evil eyeBelief that certain people can inflict disease or death simply by a glance.. They are commonly seen in the form of hexafoils, a six-lobed flower pattern, but also as pentagons, mazes, crosses and diagonal lines.[1][2]
Witch marks have been found in every type of building, most dating from the medieval period until the early 19th century. They have also been found on furniture, gravestones and even in caves, such as Reynard’s Kitchen Cave in Dovedale, in the English Peak District.[2]
The limestone gorge of Creswell Crags on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border contains what is probably the largest collection of witch marks in the UK, numbering several hundred.[3]
Other meanings
The term witch-mark has also been used to describe a mark or protuberance on the skin, once considered to be evidence that an accused person was a witch,[4] one of the many ways of identifying witchesMethods used to identify witches. .