Voodoo doll

For other uses, see Voodoo doll (disambiguation).
A humanoid figurine with pins stuck into it: this was one method by which cunning folk battled witches using magical means. Artifact at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Cornwall, England

The term voodoo doll commonly refers to an effigy that is typically used for the insertion of pins.[1] Such practices are found in various forms in the magical traditions of many cultures around the world.[1]

Despite its name, the voodoo doll is not prominent in the African diaspora religions of Haitian Vodou nor Louisiana Voodoo.[1][2] Members of the High Priesthood of Louisiana Voodoo have denounced the use of voodoo dolls as irrelevant to the religion.[3]

  1. ^ a b c Armitage 2015, p. 85.
  2. ^ QI: Quite Interesting, Series D, Episode 10: Divination, BBC, BBC Two
  3. ^ New Orleans Voodoo (A Virtual Tour), 13 October 2020, retrieved 2022-10-06