There are many widespread and popular ideas about what magical herbalism looked like in ancient times, but what do the historical traces of this magic actually look like? How were the plants used and in what ways were they believed to work magically? And is there really such a thing as "witch herbs"? Jens Heimdahl works as an archaeobotanist at the Archaeologists at the State Historical Museums. Reference list: Jens Heimdahl, The Archaeologists, The Norwegian State History Museum. [email protected] References Ankarloo, B. & Clark, S (eds.) 1998-2002: Witchcraft and Magic in Europe. Volume 1-6 Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd. Faraone, CA & Obbnik, D. (eds.) 1991: Magic Hiera. Ancient Greek Magic & Religion. Oxford University Press Ginsburg, C. 1966: (sv Övsersätting 1991) Benandanti. "The good witch masters". Brutus Östling's book publisher Symposion. Stenhag Heimdahl, J. 2009: Bolmörten's role in magic and medicine during Swedish prehistory and the Middle Ages. Fornvännen 104: 112-128 Heimdahl, J. 2012: Medicine of the classical world in 12th-century Nyköping. Roasted boletus seed from Åkroken. Fornvännen 107:56-58 Heimdahl, J: 2014: Archaeobotanical traces of medicinal plant cultivation and herbal medicinal practice in Sweden 1000-1700. In Andréasson, A., Gräslund Berg, E., Heimdahl, J., Jakobsson A., Larsson, I. & Persson, E. (eds): Sources for the history of horticulture: four interdisciplinary seminars 2010-2013 arranged by the Nordic Network for Garden Archeology and Archaeobotanics (NTAA) SLU Report 2014:25. 259-272 Heimdahl, J., 2016: Thu skalt føda tin barn medh sweda. Love Bohuslän. Bohusläns hembygdsförbunds & Bohusläns museum yearbook 2016: 34-44 Heimdahl, J. & Vretemark M. 2017: Oozing ulcer – Herbal Cure, Medical Cultures of Nya Lödöse Reflected in Bones and Plants. International Journal of Historical Archeology Hutton, R., 1999: The Triumph of the Moon. Oxford University Press. Oxford Håkansson, H., 2014: At the end of time: about the wonderful dream world of the great power era and a prophet at its extreme edge. Macadam publishing house. Janacek, B. 2011: Alchemical Belief. Occultism in the Religious Culture of Early Modern England. Magic in History. Penn State University Press. Lang, B. 2008: Unlocked Books. Manuscripts of Learned Magic in the Medieval Libraries of Central Europe. Magic in History. Penn State University Press. Lugt, van der M.: 2009: “Abominable Mixtures”: The Liber vaccae in the Medieval West, or The Dangers and Attractions of Natural Magic. Tradition. Vol 64: 229-277 Kieckhefer, R. 2000: Magic in the Middle Ages. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge Michelet, J., 1862: La sorcière. Paris. (Sv translation: Häxan, 1993: Symposion.) Murray, M., 1921: Which Cult in Western Europe. Oxford. Oja, L., 2000: Neither God nor nature. The view of magic in 17th- and 18th-century Sweden. Symposium. Stenhag Page, S. (ed.) 2013: Magic in the Cloister. Pious Motives, Illicit Interests, and Occult Approaches to the Medieval Universe. Magic in History. Penn State University Press. Skemer, DC 2006: Binding Words. Textual Amulets in the Middle Ages. Magic in History. Penn State University Press.