- Jace Tunnell, Director of Community Engagement at Harte Research Institute
- Witch bottles washing up in the Coastal Bend
- Most recent was found on Nov. 15
People can find all kinds of random items washed up on the beaches in the Coastal Bend, but what about an item that can cast a 16th century witches spell on you?
Jace Tunnell, the Director of Community Engagement at Harte Research Institute searches the beaches of the Coastal Bend for unique artifacts.
On Nov. 15, he came across the most recent siting of a witch bottle in the Coastal Bend. He isn't new to discovering one of these.
“We found about eight of them over the past six or so years. And they have sticks and leaves in them, different types of vegetation," Tunnell said. "Some of them have goose neck barnacles growing on them so we know they’ve been out in the Gulf of Mexico for awhile. Apparently they’re supposed to have spells in them."
In the 16th and 17th centuries, people believed that witches can cast spells of bad fortune and health into these bottles. It is also believed that whoever opens the bottle, will experience the bad luck. That's why Tunnell did not open the witch bottles that he found. His wife doesn't even let him bring them inside the house.
"The theory is that if you open it you could let the spell out, whatever the reason the person had put the spell in there," Tunnell said.
It is still unknown where exactly the bottles are washing up from. Tunnell said they could be coming from anywhere in the world, based on the currents of the Gulf of Mexico.
"The witch bottles don’t have any date on them. They don’t have any kind of writing, so we don’t know exactly where they came from," Tunnell said.
Tunnell has come across so many different objects throughout his studies of the beach. The witch bottles might just be the spookiest.
He advises that is anyone finds one washed up, don't open it unless you want to unleash what's inside. He also recommended taking a picture of it and sharing with the Harte Research Institute.
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