Usually, when you think about a bottle with handwritten note washing up onto a beach, you think it's from someone stranded on some deserted island somewhere.
When The Police sang about a message in a bottle, we did not think they had witchcraft in mind.
But that's exactly what's happening along the Texas coast, as mysterious "witch bottles" have begun washing up on Texas shores, many of which contain pretty disturbing contents including human urine, hair, fingernail clippings, and rusty nails and pins.
According to the McGill University Office for Science and Society, "Folks in certain cultures around the world put vegetation or other objects in a bottle. They are counter magical devices [whose] purpose is to draw in and trap harmful intentions directed at their owners."
Jace Tunnell, director of community engagement for the Harte Research Institute, says he's found eight of these bottles.
He told the Houston Chronicle, "The story goes that people put items in a bottle such as sticks, leaves, metal, or other objects around their house and throw them into the ocean in the hopes of casting out bad luck in their lives.
"Folks do this for wishing for good fortune or casting spells on others."
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow 100.3 JACK-FM
