Brian Hoggard:
Evidence of unseen forces – apotropaic objects on the threshold of materiality

Apotropaic objects such as witch-bottles, shoes, dried cats, horse skulls and ritual marks were deployed in defence against malign forces of all kinds but primarily witchcraft. In order to be effective against the dark forces which were setting out to attack their intended victims these items had to be treated in such a way that they would be effective on an ethereal level. The original earthly purpose of these objects had ended and their new function was now concerned with diverting, absorbing or trapping the forces being directed at the occupants of the building in which they were placed. In this lecture Brian describes how these objects interacted with the supernatural powers of witchcraft. ​
​

Biography:

Picture
Brian Hoggard is an independent researcher who has been working on apotropaic objects since 1998 and has run this website since 1999. He has published numerous articles in magazines, journals and collections of essays. His work has been featured in several tv documentaries and other press. His book on Bredon Hill has been in print since 1999 and was commissioned to write another on Crusader Castles for an educational publisher in the USA in 2004. When he's not busy with his research he works as a rock guitar teacher in Worcestershire schools and colleges.