The Metaphysical Haberdashery
Old Ways & Wyrd Things
Garlic
Allium sativum
meet the plant
Few plants have inspired as much folklore as humble Garlic. Native to Central Asia, this hardy member of the onion family has traveled the world for thousands of years, finding its way into kitchens, gardens, medicine cupboards, and protective charms. Beneath its papery white skin, each bulb holds a cluster of pungent cloves, while above the ground, slender green leaves and tall flower stalks reveal its botanical beauty. Revered by ancient civilizations for its culinary and medicinal uses, garlic also developed a remarkable reputation for warding off evil, strengthening courage, and protecting the home. From ancient Egyptian tombs to European vampire legends, Garlic has never been an ordinary kitchen ingredient.
magical correspondences
Protection, Banishing Negativity, Warding Off Evil, Purification, Cleansing, Courage, Strength, Vitality, Healing, Breaking Hexes, Spiritual Defense, Boundary Setting, Protection of the Home, Repelling Unwanted Influences, Endurance, Resilience, Good Fortune
element
Fire
planet
Mars
energy
Masculine / Projective
folklore & old ways
Garlic has guarded humanity's doorways for thousands of years. In ancient Egypt, garlic was valued as both food and medicine, and actual garlic bulbs were discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Greek and Roman traditions also associated garlic with strength, endurance, and protection.
But Garlic's most famous supernatural reputation developed in European folklore, particularly in the Balkans, where it was believed to repel vampires, witches, and troublesome spirits. Garlic bulbs were hung near doors and windows, while cloves were sometimes carried as protective charms. In some regional traditions, garlic was even placed near the deceased to prevent their return as restless spirits.
Garlic also appeared in folk practices intended to guard against the evil eye, illness, and malicious influences. Its powerful scent and pungent flavor helped establish its reputation as a plant capable of driving away anything unwelcome.
From Egyptian tombs to village doorways, Garlic became a humble but formidable guardian, standing watch wherever people wished to feel safe.
practical magic
The Garlic Threshold Charm
For centuries, Garlic has been associated with protection, courage, and keeping unwelcome influences away from the home. In European folk traditions, garlic was hung near doorways and windows as a symbolic guardian against harmful spirits and misfortune.
For a simple household charm, choose a fresh, unpeeled garlic bulb and tie a length of natural cotton string or twine around its dried stem. Hang it near your front door, somewhere sheltered from rain and direct sunlight.
As you hang the garlic, speak these words:
Garlic strong, beside my door,
Guard the peace from roof to floor.
Let no harm come wandering in,
Let warmth and welcome here begin.
Each time you pass through the doorway, let the garlic remind you of the peace and security you wish to cultivate within your home.
Replace the bulb when it begins to deteriorate, and compost it if appropriate.
Sometimes the simplest protective charms are made from things already waiting in the kitchen cupboard.
oddments & curiosities
Garlic, Magnets, and a Very Peculiar Belief
In the ancient world, garlic was credited with some extraordinary powers, including one that had nothing to do with vampires.
The Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder recorded a curious belief that rubbing a magnet with garlic would cause it to lose its ability to attract iron!
Centuries later, this peculiar claim continued to appear in writings about natural philosophy and the mysterious properties of plants and stones.
Of course, garlic has no such effect on magnets, but the belief offers a fascinating glimpse into a time when the boundaries between natural science, medicine, and magic were far less clearly defined.
Apparently, garlic was considered so formidable that even a magnet couldn't resist its influence!