Symbols hold power. They hold magic. And they are versatile. Some are ancient, some mysterious, but all are sacred to the witch. Here are our top 20+ witchcraft symbols including Elder futhark runes, modern Wiccan symbols, and ancient symbols and how to use them in your practice.
20 POWERFUL Witchcraft Symbols
What witchcraft symbol(s) you choose is up to you. What symbol calls to you? Makes you feel protected, loved, powerful? Sometimes we have a past life connection with a symbol, and sometimes the symbol represents an energy we need in our lives.
1. Triple Moon Witchcraft Symbol
The Triple Moon is a popular modern witchcraft symbol, also known as the Goddess symbol. It essentially depicts the three major moon phases which corresponds to the concept of the Triple Goddess of Wicca: maiden, mother and crone. But whether you are Wiccan or not, this symbol holds feminine power and increases intuition, psychic abilities and aids our magic (pictured at the beginning).
2. The Triquetra
The Triquetra is a Celtic symbol with three loops knotted together. Trefoil knot is another name. The ancient Celts used used knots as symbols to show the connection between human, nature, and the universe. Between life, death and rebirth. The Triquetra is a popular witchcraft symbol for those who walk a Celtic path and represents the power of land, sea and sky. It is protective and some use it as a symbol of the goddess.
3. Triskele
The Triskele is an ancient Celtic symbol used in modern witchcraft and neo-paganism. It is a triple spiral symbol found on Neolithic and Iron Age tombs and artifacts in Ireland and elsewhere throughout Europe. The ancient people of Europe favored the number three, and so the triskele is another illustration of this. The Triskele as a witchcraft symbol represents the cycle of life, death and rebirth. It represents movement, action, and completion. It is protective, acts as a guide to the otherworlds, and brings great power.
4. Eye of Horus
The Eye of Horus is a symbol used by modern witches who feel a connection to Ancient Egypt. This symbol is also called Wadjet. It represents the watchful eye of the gods and was used in ancient Egypt for protection, healing, and renewal. It wards off the evil eye and protects the wearer from negative energy and bad luck.
5. Cimaruta
The cimaruta is an old school Italian folk charm used to ward off the evil eye. It is a favorite witchcraft symbol in stregheria and protects its wearer from dark magic. Hang it above a baby’s bed for protection from evil. The charm is a combination of symbols attached to a sprig of rue. The primary symbols are the key, serpent and moon. Wear this witchcraft symbol if you are of Italian descent or need strong protection against dark witches.
6. Algiz: Protective Rune Witchcraft Symbol
Algiz (pictured) is one of the Elder futhark runes, an ancient Germanic alphabet system also used for divination purposes. This symbol represents the elk and the English letter Z. Modern witches often use Algiz as a protective symbol, as the elk was a powerful creature. It also represents life and death.
7. Lilith Witchcraft Symbols
The ancient deity Lilith has had a bad rap for many years. Fortunately, modern witches are re-claiming Lilith as a goddess, elevating her from demonic status. For witches who work with Lilith, her symbol becomes a potent charm: a waxing moon sits atop an inverted cross. In addition to Lilith’s symbol, there’s also an ancient Lilith sigil. It connects the witch to Lilith, invoking her fierce protection and empowerment.
8. Helm of Awe
The Helm of Awe or the Helm of Terror is a magical stave of Icelandic origin. The Poetic Edda mentions the Helm of Awe as a protective amulet and when used as such strikes fear into the enemy’s heart. The symbol itself looks like a wheel of eight trident arms. It just looks bad ass. This witchcraft symbol is great when you need a victory or for fierce protection from enemies.
9. Pentacle
The Pentacle is a modern Wiccan symbol popular among witches. It’s an encircled five pointed star. It’s a pentagram when there’s no circle. The pentacle represents all five elements: earth, air, fire, water and spirit. Wiccans wear and use the pentacle as a protective amulet and to show their devotion.
10. Tree of Life
The Tree of Life also called the World Tree is a popular witchcraft symbol for many reasons. Nearly every ancient culture believed in a Tree of Life or World Tree concept: the roots stretched into the world of the dead, the trunk is the land of the living, and the branches reach into the gods’ realm. Yggdrasil is the World Tree in Norse mythology. It is shamanic in nature.
11. Ankh
Witches favor the ankh symbol from Ancient Egypt. One of the oldest recorded symbols, the ankh means everlasting life. It’s called the Key of Life and is often depicted in the hands of a deity or pharaoh on temple and tomb walls. Interestingly, when used as a heiroglyphic, the ankh represented three sounds (there’s that number 3 again!) The ankh is protective and connects us to all of our past and future lives.
12. Fairy Star as a Witchcraft Symbol
The Fairy Star, also called the Elven Star, is a 7 pointed star and a witchcraft symbol. It has many meanings. Depending on the tradition and individual, the seven points could mean entrances to the faery-land, seven rays of self-manifestation, or the elements as follows: sun, forest, sea, magic, moon, wind and spirit. You’ll see it in Celtic, Thelemic, Wiccan, and Kabbalist Judaism. Heptagram and Septagram are other names for it.(Photo to the left: creator unknown.)
13. Moon Glyphs
Witches are connected to the moon. And therefore, any symbol that represents or originates because of the moon is a powerful symbol to use. There’s an entire system of symbols called moon glyphs that witches enjoy writing in their grimoires, carving into wood, and sewing onto clothing. You can combine the symbols to write an incantation, even. Or use specific moon glyphs to correspond with specifically timed moon spells. Check them out below:
14. The Viking Compass
One of my favorite witchcraft symbols is called the Vegvesir. Technically it’s not a witchcraft symbol but a religious Icelandic symbol that’s also called the Viking Compass. The symbol is particularly used for “finding one’s way” in the dark or in stormy conditions. While you could take this literally, as the Vikings were seafaring people, you could also use this symbol’s energy to help guide you in your everyday life. Even through treacherous waters, so to speak.
15. The Key
Many witches and deities find the key to be a powerful symbol that represents access to other worlds and realms. Having a key gives you the ability to open doors, whether in real life or in the ethereal. Deities like Hecate and Berchta both hold the key as a sacred symbol and tool of which links them to the life-death-rebirth cycle. You can harness the key’s energy by using it in your witchcraft practice.
16. The Hamsa
The belief in the evil eye permeates nearly every ancient culture worldwide. As witches, we believe in a whole other world – the spirit world. And we also believe we can be affected by it, which includes negative energy through spirit contact and through the evil eye being thrown our way. To deflect the evil eye, there are symbols that have been used for centuries including the hamsa. The hamsa is a hand with an eye in the middle of it. It sort of tells the evil eye that it’s being blocked and may not affect the person behind the hand.
17. The Valknut
A symbol that’s been misunderstood for decades as a white supremacist symbol is the Valknut. Let me clear things up – this is an ancient symbol that predates white supremacists and represents sacred trinity: life, death and rebirth. And is a sacred symbol to the god Odin. Who is Allfather to all and not just one. Witches who have devoted themselves to Odin as a patron deity wear this symbol with pride.
18. Sun and Moon
I absolutely love any symbol that combines the sun and moon. It is seriously the essence of who we are as witches: both the day and night. Masculine and feminine. Sun and moon. And everything in between. The great thing about this witchy symbol is you can find it almost everywhere on clothing and in home decorations. It’s a symbol used by the general public but with a witchy twist.
19. Spiral Goddess
Since the rise of Wicca and goddess-based religions in the early twentieth century, we’ve seen one particular symbol grow in popularity. The spiral goddess. It’s basically the image of a faceless woman with hands raised high, seemingly pregnant and with a spiral on her belly. She represents the Earth Mother, full of life, and bearer of all that is. It’s one of my favorites.
20. Hecate’s Wheel
Children of Hecate will know Hecate’s Wheel well. And if you’re just getting to know the goddess of witchcraft, consider using this symbol in your practice alongside her. Hecate’s Wheel is a symbol that shows three distinct spirals that meet in the center. At first glance, it seriously looks like a labyrinth. This symbol is ancient and is used to invoke and please Hecate. Her devotees wear it as an amulet or and sometimes choose to tattoo it on their bodies.
21. Horned God
Originally a “Wiccan” symbol, the symbol for the Horned God is a circle with a crescent moon on top. It looks like a head with horns and therefore symbolizes the Horned Lord, sometimes known as Cernunnos or Dionysus or Pan. Witches use this symbol to harness the power of wild masculine energy, primal instinct, and virility. And to honor the Horned God, of course.
22. Wheel of the Year
We already talked about Hecate’s wheel, now we’ll keep rolling with the Wheel of the Year (see what I did there? Rolling?) The Wheel of the year is technically a Wiccan invention and is a symbol that represents the 8 major sabbats that occur annually including: Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon, and Samhain. It’s an eight-spoked wheel or circle with 8 crossing lines.
Ways to Use Witchcraft Symbols
These powerful witchcraft symbols can be used in so many ways in your practice, including:
- Worn as charms on jewelry: amulets to ward off evil or as talismans to draw magic to yourself
- Tattooed on the body for those of lifelong dedication
- As decor on walls, altars, etc.
- Hung as a charm in your vehicle for protection on the road
- Embroidered into clothing or drawn on the bottom of shoes
- Drawn on grimoire pages to protect the content within
- Drawn on windowsills and doorframes for protection
- Carved into the wax of a candle for a spell or ritual
- Charms added to spell bottles, jars, and bags
- Create your own powerful sigils based on your intentions
there are people out there that can help you with it , and could lift that curse from you , what ever it is . you can go online and there are alot of people out there who can help you , you might even have someone close to where you live to help you out . i know how you feel , we all have been there and some of us are still there dealing with it . good luck to you ,
Someone has a curse on me that I can not have good friends, I can not have a good man in my life, my sister and brother we are not close. my brothers wife hates me.
Keep researching, sister. There are spells out there for breaking black magic put on you.
I know the feeling. I have things happen to me, that just can not be explained. People just seem hate me right off the bat. I have researched curses many times with no luck, I have had people who claimed to be witches tell me I am not cursed, but I can not find any logical or rational explanation for the strange and bizarre things that happen to me. Many of which are beyond my control.
Maybe you are not so good of a person? Maybe you are sensitive and you react different and it sets people off? Maybe you just need to be nicer or hide your empathy a little better. I had to do that.