"Sophisticated visitors sometimes regard the 'hillbilly' as a simple child of nature, whose inmost thoughts and motivations may be read at a glance. Nothing could be farther from the truth."
- Vance Randolph, Ozark Magic and Folklore
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Granny Thornapple's Book of Charms
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Little Ann was born in Nelson's Holler during a thunderstorm on the same day her grandmother died. She was also born with the gift. Follow Ann's story as she grows up learning the folkways, embraces her natural cunning, and eventually becomes her town's charmer, earning the nickname "Granny Thornapple."
Brandon Weston begins each chapter with a compelling snippet from the life of this fictional practitioner who is based on the many healers he has interviewed. In addition to these vignettes, Weston shares authentic teachings and workings from the Ozark charming tradition that have been passed down orally for generations. He introduces dozens of charms for practical purposes, such as preventing thievery, building a fire, and alleviating a toothache. Become part of this mountain magic that utilizes familiar poems and verses, including some featured in nursery rhymes and fairy tales. These intuitive folkways can help you seize your inborn power and enhance your own charming abilities. Pre-Order Through Llewellyn Worldwide |
Praise for Granny Thornapple's Book of Charms
"Every bit as entertaining as it is informative, Granny Thornapple's Book of Charms brings the time-honored traditions of Ozark charming to life. Following the story of the titular character, readers are presented with dozens of useful, and at times quite whimsical, charms for everything from health to hexing. Brandon Weston has once again provided an invaluable collection of folk magic and readers of this volume are sure to be both delighted and charmed by the fabulous Granny Thornapple."
—Kelden, author of The Crooked Path and The Witches' Sabbath
"This book offers a unique exploration of Ozark charming traditions through examination of regional storytelling tropes, tales, and narratives....Brandon's careful analysis grounds these witch tales in the craft-logics and operative techniques of Ozark magical practices, offering supplemental advice, spell-craft, and formulary for working these storied charms in one's own work. In so doing, the author traces (amongst many other things) the oft-crossed hedge-lines between healer, charmer, granny, and witch and the uneasy folkloric tensions between communal fears of harmful witchcraft and the fondness for telling of the exploits of this larger-than-life granny/witch figure."
—Dr. Alexander Cummins, author of The Starry Rubric, An Excellent Booke of the Arte of Magicke (with Phil Legard), and A Book of the Magi
"Brandon Weston masterfully takes us into the world of Granny Thornapple, where we learn about her life and the spells she casts to help her community. Storytelling in magick is a long-lost art that not only teaches us enchantments but also helps us understand the person who is conjuring the magick. Step into the world of Granny Thornapple, pull up a chair, and ask her to teach you the magick of the Ozarks."
—Chris Allaun, author of The Black Book of Johnathan Knotbristle
"Weston weaves the reader into the flow of Ozark folk charming practices, showing how they move and change over time to meet the needs of those using them. Charms for healing and harm, charms for love and beauty, charms for knowing what others don't and speaking to the spirits others won't all fill this hearty compendium....The research we expect from Weston is still here but tempered by modern twists on old charms, linking the lore of the past to the world of the present."
—Cory T. Hutcheson, author of New World Witchery
"A rare volume, not merely a collection of tales or raw folkloric data, but a whole landscape populated by characters you will come to love by the end. Weston's teachers, neighbours, and friends all find their voice in this deeply personal work, their stories supporting the magical practices outlined. So often in magical books we get the practices divorced from culture, but in this book we have all of it right in front of us. Weston gives us rituals, charms, prayers, and all manner of magical practices...and supports almost every single one with a story....This book will appeal not only to those interested in the Ozarks, but to all who want to connect to their own landscape as deeply as Weston has."
—Ben Stimpson, author of Ancestral Whispers
"As a lifelong Ozarker as well, I was immediately drawn into the story of Granny Thornapple. She is the Granny woman we all wished we'd had in our life. Brandon Weston has given us a connection to those healers, teachers, and workers that many of us missed in our youth. He demystifies the charm practice, allowing us to give ourselves permission to explore this path. He shows us that anyone who is willing to do the work can fold this practice into their own."
—Debra L. Burris PhD, professor, farmer, and author of Weather Magic
—Kelden, author of The Crooked Path and The Witches' Sabbath
"This book offers a unique exploration of Ozark charming traditions through examination of regional storytelling tropes, tales, and narratives....Brandon's careful analysis grounds these witch tales in the craft-logics and operative techniques of Ozark magical practices, offering supplemental advice, spell-craft, and formulary for working these storied charms in one's own work. In so doing, the author traces (amongst many other things) the oft-crossed hedge-lines between healer, charmer, granny, and witch and the uneasy folkloric tensions between communal fears of harmful witchcraft and the fondness for telling of the exploits of this larger-than-life granny/witch figure."
—Dr. Alexander Cummins, author of The Starry Rubric, An Excellent Booke of the Arte of Magicke (with Phil Legard), and A Book of the Magi
"Brandon Weston masterfully takes us into the world of Granny Thornapple, where we learn about her life and the spells she casts to help her community. Storytelling in magick is a long-lost art that not only teaches us enchantments but also helps us understand the person who is conjuring the magick. Step into the world of Granny Thornapple, pull up a chair, and ask her to teach you the magick of the Ozarks."
—Chris Allaun, author of The Black Book of Johnathan Knotbristle
"Weston weaves the reader into the flow of Ozark folk charming practices, showing how they move and change over time to meet the needs of those using them. Charms for healing and harm, charms for love and beauty, charms for knowing what others don't and speaking to the spirits others won't all fill this hearty compendium....The research we expect from Weston is still here but tempered by modern twists on old charms, linking the lore of the past to the world of the present."
—Cory T. Hutcheson, author of New World Witchery
"A rare volume, not merely a collection of tales or raw folkloric data, but a whole landscape populated by characters you will come to love by the end. Weston's teachers, neighbours, and friends all find their voice in this deeply personal work, their stories supporting the magical practices outlined. So often in magical books we get the practices divorced from culture, but in this book we have all of it right in front of us. Weston gives us rituals, charms, prayers, and all manner of magical practices...and supports almost every single one with a story....This book will appeal not only to those interested in the Ozarks, but to all who want to connect to their own landscape as deeply as Weston has."
—Ben Stimpson, author of Ancestral Whispers
"As a lifelong Ozarker as well, I was immediately drawn into the story of Granny Thornapple. She is the Granny woman we all wished we'd had in our life. Brandon Weston has given us a connection to those healers, teachers, and workers that many of us missed in our youth. He demystifies the charm practice, allowing us to give ourselves permission to explore this path. He shows us that anyone who is willing to do the work can fold this practice into their own."
—Debra L. Burris PhD, professor, farmer, and author of Weather Magic
Ozark Mountain Spell Book: Folk Magic & Healing
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Discover traditional folk magic of the Ozark Mountains and how to incorporate it into your own practice with Brandon Weston's follow-up book to Ozark Folk Magic. This unique grimoire weaves fascinating historical details and thrilling stories from Weston's life alongside step-by-step instructions for authentic remedies, rituals, and spell work.
Ozark Mountain Spell Book includes numerous regional recipes using ingredients commonly found in the household or in nature. This book covers good luck amulets, love potions, magical cleansing rituals, protection spells, divination tools, and more. Weston also shares advice on updating Ozark traditions for the modern practitioner and folk secrets from his own craft. A perfect launching point for your own magical path, this collection of spells includes everything from unlocking the truth behind your dreams to reversing a hex. Llewellyn Worldwide Bookshop Barnes and Noble Amazon |
Praise for Ozark Mountain Spell Book
"Brandon's Ozark Mountain Spell Book is full of amulets, charms, and workings and you will be delighted from first to last."
—H. Byron Ballard, witch, farmer, author of Roots, Branches and Spirits
"Weston considers these magical operations and folkloric customs and understandings as both a respectful researcher and a dedicated practitioner. Technical analyses of the various components and combinations of spellwork and talisman-craft are accompanied by appreciations and explications of hillfolk cosmology, spiritual ecologies, and magical ethics; artfully drawing attention to shifting historical influences upon Ozarks folk magic even as it collects and curates these rites and amulets."
—Dr. Alexander Cummins, author of A Book of the Magi and editor of Revelore Press' Folk Necromancy In Transmission series
"Weston's latest book opens up the world of Ozark folk magic to anyone interested, while still preserving the heart and flavor of this distinctive branch of North American folk practice. The spells themselves all have clear roots within tradition and history, but importantly provide variations that help them fit a modern worker's world. Weston explores depths seldom plumbed, such as the use of dream-based magical instruction, and connects the work to the words and actions of Ozarkers he’s interviewed or found in existing folkloric accounts. This is a thorough course in mountain folk magic that invites a deeper understanding of a frequently overlooked region and demonstrates how fully integrated magic is within the Ozark worldview."
—Cory Thomas Hutcheson, author and co-host of New World Witchery
"Brandon invites you into his home, where he serves up history, folklore, and magic. A wonderful and enchanting read."
—Katrink Karpetz, Witch of TheWitchery.ca
"Not since the sainted Ozark folklorist, Vance Randolph, has there been such an important publication on Ozark folk magic. The fact that Brandon is also a gifted healer, from and of this tradition, offers us a curated collection of tried and true knowledge that is a benefit to us now and will be of benefit to future generations of practitioners and scholars."
—Rachel Reynolds, Ozark folklorist, head project steward at Meadowcreek Community
"The herbal knowledge...that you will find within this book will give readers a fresh look at how a deeply entrenched bioregional practice works magically with the local flora...We believe this information to be vitally important to share with others and find Brandon’s perspective to be well researched, combining healing traditions from his elders, as well as his own praxis. This volume adds a new layer to this rich tapestry of Ozark magic."
—Catamara Rosarium, convenor of the Viridis Genii Symposium and proprietor of Rosarium Blends
"This book is timely and important in that it helps give readers a broader grasp of the subject of American folk magic with the clarity and authority of an author who has dived headfirst into the subject of Ozark traditions."
—Marcus McCoy, editor and co-organizer of the Viridis Genii Symposium and book series
—H. Byron Ballard, witch, farmer, author of Roots, Branches and Spirits
"Weston considers these magical operations and folkloric customs and understandings as both a respectful researcher and a dedicated practitioner. Technical analyses of the various components and combinations of spellwork and talisman-craft are accompanied by appreciations and explications of hillfolk cosmology, spiritual ecologies, and magical ethics; artfully drawing attention to shifting historical influences upon Ozarks folk magic even as it collects and curates these rites and amulets."
—Dr. Alexander Cummins, author of A Book of the Magi and editor of Revelore Press' Folk Necromancy In Transmission series
"Weston's latest book opens up the world of Ozark folk magic to anyone interested, while still preserving the heart and flavor of this distinctive branch of North American folk practice. The spells themselves all have clear roots within tradition and history, but importantly provide variations that help them fit a modern worker's world. Weston explores depths seldom plumbed, such as the use of dream-based magical instruction, and connects the work to the words and actions of Ozarkers he’s interviewed or found in existing folkloric accounts. This is a thorough course in mountain folk magic that invites a deeper understanding of a frequently overlooked region and demonstrates how fully integrated magic is within the Ozark worldview."
—Cory Thomas Hutcheson, author and co-host of New World Witchery
"Brandon invites you into his home, where he serves up history, folklore, and magic. A wonderful and enchanting read."
—Katrink Karpetz, Witch of TheWitchery.ca
"Not since the sainted Ozark folklorist, Vance Randolph, has there been such an important publication on Ozark folk magic. The fact that Brandon is also a gifted healer, from and of this tradition, offers us a curated collection of tried and true knowledge that is a benefit to us now and will be of benefit to future generations of practitioners and scholars."
—Rachel Reynolds, Ozark folklorist, head project steward at Meadowcreek Community
"The herbal knowledge...that you will find within this book will give readers a fresh look at how a deeply entrenched bioregional practice works magically with the local flora...We believe this information to be vitally important to share with others and find Brandon’s perspective to be well researched, combining healing traditions from his elders, as well as his own praxis. This volume adds a new layer to this rich tapestry of Ozark magic."
—Catamara Rosarium, convenor of the Viridis Genii Symposium and proprietor of Rosarium Blends
"This book is timely and important in that it helps give readers a broader grasp of the subject of American folk magic with the clarity and authority of an author who has dived headfirst into the subject of Ozark traditions."
—Marcus McCoy, editor and co-organizer of the Viridis Genii Symposium and book series
Ozark Folk Magic: Plants, Prayers, and Healing
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Bring ancient methods of healing and magic into the modern world with this impressive book on Ozark folk magic. Providing lore, herbs, magical alignments, verbal charms, and more, folk healer Brandon Weston sheds light on the region's secretive culture and shows you how to heal both yourself and others.
Ozark Folk Magic invites you to experience the hillfolk's traditional magic through the eyes of an authentic practitioner. Discover how to optimize your healing work and spells according to the moon cycles, zodiac signs, and numerology. Explore medicinal uses for native Ozark plants and instructions for healing magical illnesses. Combining personal stories and practical advice, this grounded book makes it easy to incorporate Ozark folk magic into your practice. Llewellyn Books Bookshop Barnes and Noble Amazon |
Praise for Ozark Folk Magic
"This is an honest, clear look at American witchcraft and folk magic, veering far away from the fantasy realm magic, which is sadly entwined within the modern imagination."
—Marcus McCoy, blacksmith at Troll Cunning Forge and editor of the Verdant Gnosis book series
"Brandon takes you on a remarkable journey into the Ozarks, giving a well documented and unique vision into the mysteries of Ozark medicine, myth, and magic. Brandon, a healer from this bio region, is able to interpret the stories he's collected, giving cultural context...The information gleaned from this process is invaluable and a real treasure to ensuring these traditions will not be forgotten and are understood. He provides a strong foundation and thorough overview of the magical considerations that formulate this system and how the modern practitioner can incorporate it into their praxis today."
—Catamara Rosarium, convenor of The Viridis Genii Symposium and proprietor of Rosarium Blends
"Weston's piece is both reference book, recipe book and working book all in one. Insightful and personal, his insider perspective and lived experience as an Ozark person combined with his astute academic mind make for a useful and pleasurable guide to the folk magical ways of the Ozark region...This work not only provides the reader with the ability to see how people made do with what they had in the past, it provides the valuable service of preserving this cultural knowledge in such a way that it is still useful, practical and most importantly, connective for the people interested this region today."
—Rebecca Beyer, founder of Blood and Spicebush
"Those of us who practice these old and peculiar traditions always welcome new and experienced voices writing about folkways that are little known but cherished still. Brandon Weston's book is one of those—a gem of discovery for historians, folklorists and humble healing folks. This is a solid addition to any library."
—H. Byron Ballard, teacher and author of Staubs and Ditchwater
"Brandon Weston is a true folklorist and brings valuable firsthand experiential knowledge to his presentation of Ozark folk traditions. A valuable read for both its preservation of American folklore and its intimate insights on a vibrant, living folk tradition of magic and healing. This work stands as an important modern contribution to the study of American folk traditions and is a must have."
—Matthew Venus, artist, folk magician, owner of SpiritusArcanum.com
—Marcus McCoy, blacksmith at Troll Cunning Forge and editor of the Verdant Gnosis book series
"Brandon takes you on a remarkable journey into the Ozarks, giving a well documented and unique vision into the mysteries of Ozark medicine, myth, and magic. Brandon, a healer from this bio region, is able to interpret the stories he's collected, giving cultural context...The information gleaned from this process is invaluable and a real treasure to ensuring these traditions will not be forgotten and are understood. He provides a strong foundation and thorough overview of the magical considerations that formulate this system and how the modern practitioner can incorporate it into their praxis today."
—Catamara Rosarium, convenor of The Viridis Genii Symposium and proprietor of Rosarium Blends
"Weston's piece is both reference book, recipe book and working book all in one. Insightful and personal, his insider perspective and lived experience as an Ozark person combined with his astute academic mind make for a useful and pleasurable guide to the folk magical ways of the Ozark region...This work not only provides the reader with the ability to see how people made do with what they had in the past, it provides the valuable service of preserving this cultural knowledge in such a way that it is still useful, practical and most importantly, connective for the people interested this region today."
—Rebecca Beyer, founder of Blood and Spicebush
"Those of us who practice these old and peculiar traditions always welcome new and experienced voices writing about folkways that are little known but cherished still. Brandon Weston's book is one of those—a gem of discovery for historians, folklorists and humble healing folks. This is a solid addition to any library."
—H. Byron Ballard, teacher and author of Staubs and Ditchwater
"Brandon Weston is a true folklorist and brings valuable firsthand experiential knowledge to his presentation of Ozark folk traditions. A valuable read for both its preservation of American folklore and its intimate insights on a vibrant, living folk tradition of magic and healing. This work stands as an important modern contribution to the study of American folk traditions and is a must have."
—Matthew Venus, artist, folk magician, owner of SpiritusArcanum.com