#hagstone

So a primitive rendering, but that’s what I was going for. I really wanted to carve it, but the stone was just too hard without special tools

Anyway, after finding this hagstone in the gravel at the base of a Marian statue—I could just see Mary in the stone immediately. I felt that the hole was her face, like how motanka dolls have a blank face. I am not an artist, so I had to find something to give me an idea of how to draw the lines. Finally after endless searches I found a line drawing I could use for guidance.

I think to most people she would just appear as an abstract design, and that’s fine. I know what she is.

A hag stone, also known as a witch stone, adder stone, holey stone, or eye stone, is a naturally occurring stone with a hole running through it, usually created by water erosion. These stones have been revered in folklore and magickal traditions for centuries due to their unusual appearance and the belief that they hold protective and mystical properties.

History and Lore

• Ancient Origins: Hag stones have been found across many cultures and continents. In Celtic regions, they were often associated with Druids and used in rites and protection rituals. The Welsh called them glain neidr or “adder stones,” believing they were created by serpents.

• Medieval Europe: During the Middle Ages, hag stones were believed to ward off witches, curses, and evil spirits. Farmers would hang them in stables and barns to protect livestock from being “hag-ridden” or attacked by malicious spirits.

• Maritime Tradition: Sailors used hag stones as protective talismans against storms and sea monsters. They would tie them to the rigging of ships or carry them as personal charms.

Uses

• Protection: Traditionally, hag stones are hung above doorways, tied to keys or bedposts, or carried as amulets to ward off negative energies, curses, or the “evil eye.”

• Seeing the Unseen: A common belief is that looking through the hole of a hag stone allows one to see into other realms—such as the fae world—or to spot spirits and magical beings otherwise invisible.

• Dream and Sleep Protection: Tied above beds, they are believed to prevent nightmares and protect against sleep paralysis or spirit visitation.

• Fertility and Health: In some folk traditions, hag stones were believed to cure illness or enhance fertility when worn close to the body.

In Magick and Witchcraft

• Tool of the Craft: In modern witchcraft and neopagan practices, hag stones are used in spells and rituals for protection, clairvoyance, and elemental magick, especially water and earth-based workings.

• Fae Magick: Hag stones are particularly potent in faerie lore, believed to be keys to fae sight or gateways to the otherworld.

• Charging and Consecration: Many practitioners cleanse and charge hag stones under moonlight, particularly during the full moon, to enhance their magickal properties.

• Divination: Some witches use them in scrying or as focus objects in meditative practices.

The hole in the hag stone represents a gateway or portal—a liminal space that bridges the physical and spiritual worlds. It symbolizes perception beyond the veil, spiritual insight, and protection through awareness.

Altar Cache #2: Saining Water

Eeeeee!!! My favorite river spirit gave me a Hagstone!!!!! I feel so honored and so blessed. And it's such a beautiful one too!!! (Which, yes, this is a photo I used from the hagstone itself; please don't come at me for posting my bed sheets as a background.)

For those who don't know, Hagstones (or Adderstanes) are magical tools and talismans given by water spirits/entities. You are supposed to be lucky to have found one, especially one like this with so many holes. Which honestly, it couldn't have come soon enough because I have really been feeling unlucky lately and have been looking for a decent Hagstone for a while.

In Scotland or Ireland, I can't remember which, or if it's both, but Hagstones have been used for centuries as talismans of many different things. They're primarily tools of truth and protection, with the main use being that you are supposed to be able to see spirits, fae, witches, and trolls through their disguises when you look through the holes. Apparently, due to recent investigation of their abilities, they are also used as tools for revealing things that hide behind illusions, such as lies.

Now, in a traditional sense, Hagstones were often nailed to doorways to protect homes, barns, and ships from Evile Witches and Fae that were going to harm the household, the livestock, or those that were on the voyage themselves. In traditional folk remedies, Hagstones were used as snake repellents, snakebite remedies, and nightmare repellents, as the modern word "Hagstone" was derived from the fact that the stone was placed under a pillow to prevent a hag from giving nightmares.

Back to the hanging near or above a doorway thing: Hagstones were often hung there as a way to protect against curses, negative energy, disease, and negative spirits, as bad intentions were often too big to fit through the hole. In addition, it was also often viewed that since Hagstones are related to water magic, they were capable of having abundance and luck magic as well. They were often posted in front of houses, either as gigantic decorations, as doorstops, as windchimes, or just a simple stone hanging or nailed onto the doorway, as these would often bring abundance and luck into the home.

Now, how Hagstones are created is through the natural erosion of water into the rock, but they are often viewed as creations of river, lake, or ocean spirits, and supposedly signs of high respect. A Hagstone has to come from water to be considered a Hagstone. Trust me, I once had a friend who tried to say that lava rock would work as the same.

Honestly, after all that I have said, I wonder if one could use a Hagstone as a truth-telling and negativity-revealing instrument by submerging it in water when someone performs a matchstick hex test. I'll post about this experiment later.

Anyways, I'm just so happy and in love with how beautiful this stone is. I really need to give an offering back to the river on a day that's not so hot. (I live in Kansas, and it's a scorching summer of 2026 here). Remember to stay safe in this summer heat, my friends!

As Always,

Have a Blessed Day, Blessed Morrow, and Blessed Be,