Wishing well

Fleetwood Round Table wishing well, The Esplanade, Fleetwood, Lancashire, England
Wooden wishing well
Video of a person making a wish at a wishing well
A small ornamental garden wishing well, with coins to wish for

A wishing well is a term from European folklore to describe wells where it was thought that any spoken wish would be granted. The idea that a wish would be granted came from the notion that water housed deities or had been placed there as a gift from the gods. This practice is thought to have arisen because water is a source of life, and was often a scarce commodity.