Bag witch

A bag witch is a kind of folk healer typically found today in Lathadu in southern Ordrey but historically across East Alutra. Those who style themselves to bag witches claim that their traditions are rooted in the folk magic customs of their ancestors, going back millenia. Passed down from one generation to the next, folk of the lowlands and marshes of the region use a combination of religious texts, traditional herbal medicine, and homemade remedies to treat their neighbors and loved ones for a variety of complaints and to provide various other services.

History
The history of the bag witch tradition is that of the Sedic peoples themselves, or so say its adherents. Although the name is believed to have originated sometime in the 19th century, the customs surrounding it go back considerably farther. A mixture of folk magic, faith healing, and superstitions, bag magic was often the only source of aid or medical care for those in remote, isolated regions. As Ordron and Salian settlers arrived in the region in the Middle Ages, they brought with them their traditional folk magic and healing modalities of their homelands. Primarily women, these healers used their own techniques and mixed with their native Gundiagh neighbors, who taught them about their own plants, roots, and leaves from their practices. There are many examples of well-known bag witches in regional folklore, who commonly feature in myths as guide or helper figures.

Societal role
Traditional bag magic includes many different practices. Practitioners often tend to the needs of women, working as midwives and assisting in the birth of new babies, but can also be counted upon to provide herbal remedies if a young woman doesn't wish to become pregnant. Dowsing, the practice of looking for water to dig wells, is a skill historically attributed to bag witches. In areas that rarely had access to professional medical care, bag witches worked and continue to work as healers, crafting poultices, salves, and teas with curative properties. Healing of livestock and even crops is another duty historically attributed to bag witches. Divination is commonly done in the remains of tea in the bottom of a cup. Because of the religious environment of the region, in which nearly all are staunchly Ayekist, most practitioners incorporate charms, spells, psalms, prayers, and verses borrowing heavily from Ayekist tradition. Many spells or rituals require the individual to call upon the aid of various Ayekist deities or saints for aid.

Bag witches were commonly employed historically to locate missing or stolen property and uncover the perpetrator. Many tales include a thief promptly returning that which they had taken, sometimes out of their own fear of being cursed by the witch. At times, bag witches were also known to locate missing persons. The methods used to perform this service differed amongst different bag witches, although astrology was among the primary means. In some cases, the bag witch would instead get their client to give them a list of names of people whom they suspected of having stolen their property, and from which they would use various forms of divination to discover who was the guilty party.This facet of the bag witch's domain waned with the 17th and 18th centuries, with law enforcement taking their place.

Bag witches are commonly said to be involved in love magic, offering services pertaining to sex and relationships. One form of this was a kind of fortune telling where they would divine the name or appearance of someone's future lover, often using scrying or astrology. Another popular practice was the casting of spells or creation of charms to ensure a spouse's fidelity, preventing them from committing adultery. Historically some bag witches have claimed to have the power to bewitch or even curse others, although these were less common due to their unsavory natures.

Spellcasting and charms
The different services provided by bag witches formed part of an overall system of "magic" recognized by most peoples of East Alutra throughout history. Primarily folk magic in content, certain practitioners supplemented this knowledge with additional, "ceremonial magic" based on what they may have read in grimoires. The namesake tool of the bag witches, their bags, have been associated with the craft for as long as they have been recognized. They are commonly depicted as carrying small brown leather bags, typically containing various herbs. However, these were not always the only contents. Nails, bells, carved charms, and various other items have historically been common components, used for spells and other rituals. Bag witches often produce written charms to protect from bad luck or help individuals find love. These typically contain a series of words believed to have magical powers, commonly drawn either from tradition of Ayekist texts. These words would be produced on paper, wood, or bone (depending on their nature). Such charms are typically sewn into a bag, placed within a bottle and buried in front of one's front door, placed within the home, or carried about by the individual.

Legacy
Once a nearly ubiquitous practice in the region, numbers of bag witches in East Alutra began to decline starting in the 18th century due to industrialization and increasing literacy rates, as well as growing access to conventional medical care. Despite this, however, some of the magical practices and charms employed by the bag witches were passed down and continue to be used by laypeople in rural areas. There are some who profess themselves to be bag witches who can be found in Lathadu and southern Ordrey, most commonly in rural, marshy regions still largely cut off from the outside world. Academic articles analyzing the history and practices of bag witches have been published as far back as the late 1970s in Ordrey, with many following afterwards in Lathadu, Salia, Gladomyr, Ecoralia, and Edury.