My Real Life Kitchen Witch and Her Legend

My Protective Witch

In the mid-eighties I lived in Spartanburg, South Carolina, while I was Assistant Special Events Manager at The Carolina County Club. I rented one of four apartments that had been divided out of an old house. The stove was gas, and I often made a pot of hot tea to enjoy as I would read in my small living room. The first time I put the tea kettle on the stove to heat the water I became aware of something odd. I had been sitting on the couch for good while, certainly long enough for the water to heat up enough to make the kettle whistle. I got up to investigate. Upon entering the kitchen, I noticed that the gas flame was not burning. I must have failed to turn the burner on? The knob was turned off. I relit the burner and went back to reading.

Enough time passed to produce hot water, but I still did not hear the kettle whistle. I got up to investigate. Upon entering the kitchen, I noticed that once again the gas flame was not burning. I must have failed to turn the burner on, a second time? The knob was turned off. I touched the tea kettle and found it was warm. So, the burner had been on. For a while. I decided to repeat my tea and reading routine each afternoon. But to test my theory I would alternate days where I would stay in the kitchen and read at the kitchen table as the water heated.

A pattern emerged. When I remained in the kitchen the water heated fully as expected. When I would leave the kitchen, the burner would be turned off. I had two friends witness this in the following days. I could only conclude that in the past there must have been a kitchen fire that resulted in injury or death and some force or spirit (for some reason I always called it a witch, guess due to the symbolic Kitchen Witch that is said to watch over the kitchen) wanted to protect me from the same fate.

I never experienced any other type of phenomena in any other area of my apartment. I never felt threatened or fearful, but rather safe and protected. I never had a Kitchen Witch hanging in any of my kitchens, but you cannot convince me that I did not have the real thing living in my South Carolina kitchen.

The Legend of the Kitchen Witch

The first time I was ever exposed to a Kitchen Witch was when in the early 80’s saw a low budget cooking show originating from Roanoke, Virginia. “Cookin Cheap” was low budget and starred two very campy middle-aged men as hosts, they would appear midway during each episode in drag as the Cook sisters rocking on the front porch explaining the history of old kitchen implements. But back to how the Kitchen Which ties in. At the end of each episode a Kitchen Witch would fly onto the set, by hanging from a fishing rod, with a reader suggesting for the following week’s episode. I have tried for years to find recording of these shows, but it appears there was a nasty parting of ways between the hosts and footage of them together was destroyed.

So, what is a Kitchen Witch? The kitchen is traditionally the spiritual center of the home, the original location of the hearth and the place in which the family communes and is sustained. It’s a powerful, almost alchemical place, where raw elements are brought together and transformed into something new and life-giving. Kitchen Witches are said to be a Norwegian custom, inherited from early settlers. A Kitchen Witch, sometimes called a cottage witch or a “Scandinavian” Kitchen Witch doll, is a puppet or homemade doll resembling a stereotypical witch or crone displayed in residential kitchens as a good luck charm and to ward off bad spirits. There is some debate over the exact country in which the Kitchen Witch originated, some claiming Norway and others Germany, but we are going to go with the Norway origin.

The traditional form of the Kitchen Witch: a long dress, usually a kerchief tied around its head rather than a witch hat, often a characteristic long nose on a friendly face, riding upon a miniature broom (or a wooden spoon!) Over time, craftspeople have branched away from this traditional form, creating kitchen witches that reflect the various interests and needs of contemporary cooks. This is typical for folk traditions: to remain relevant, they transform over time, taking on new elements and meanings.

One thing has remained the same, however: they are always friendly, always helpful, always good luck. This good witch is said to make the kitchen a spot of warmth and happiness. Gentle, whimsical and loving, she created such magic that the mischief of the bad witch, who curdled milk and would not allow cakes or bread to rise, had no power. It is considered good luck for both the giver and the receiver of a Kitchen Witch Doll when it is given away as a gift. Her presence in the kitchen is said to bring good luck and to prevent kitchen disasters, such as burnt food and pots boiling over as well as to inspire creativity in the cook. She also protects the household from negative energies that may be directed at them by other people.

The Kitchen Witch is a good witch who inspires productivity and safety in a kitchen, but also counteracts any ill-will directed to the home.

So that those unfamiliar with the Kitchen Witch can understand its meaning, sometimes a note will be hung around the witch’s neck stating something similar to “The Legendary Secret of Goof-Proof Cooking: The Famous Kitchen Witch.” For centuries, Norwegians have hung this good witch in their kitchen. When you hang a Kitchen Witch, legend indicates that cakes and breads will rise, rice, beans and toast will not burn, pots never boil dry and there will never be too much salt when baking, boiling or stewing. The spices you mix will be perfect, as well as the tea and coffee you serve.

The oldest record we (may) have of a Kitchen Witch is from the last will and testament of an English yeoman, John Crogington, written in October 1597 in Shropshire. In his will, he bequeathed to his son John “one witche ?? in the kytchyn.” However, given the lack of standardization in English spelling at the time, it’s hard to say for certain that Crogington was in fact referring to what we know as a kitchen witch. Wych or witch can also indicate a tree or bush with flexible branches (as in the wych elm or witch hazel). The question marks in the transcript suggest that there is a word missing – perhaps an object that the adjective “witche” was describing. So we remain in the realm of uncertainty.