Mysterious Items Wash Up On Gulf Of Mexico & Researchers Are Afraid To Open Them

By
Spencer Chase
-

Mysterious “witch bottles” discovered on a Corpus Christi, Texas beach have sparked intrigue and caution among researchers. Jace Tunnell found the bottles, known for their unknown senders and often containing unusual items, on November 15. Tunnell, who has found eight such bottles since 2017, is hesitant to open them due to the belief that they may contain spells. The recently discovered witch bottle had gooseneck barnacles attached, indicating it had been in the water for a considerable time.

Witch bottles are a common find in the UK, filled with items like hair, herbs, plants, nails, or bodily fluids. Historically, these bottles were believed to protect against spells cast by witches. The concept was rooted in the 16th and 17th centuries when there was a strong belief in the power of witches to cause illness through spells. Witch bottles were thought to reflect and counteract these spells, forcing the witch to remove the curse and allowing the victim to recover.

People create witch bottles for various reasons, including protection, health, or luck. Some bottles are thrown into the ocean intentionally, making their origin a mystery when found by researchers like Tunnell. While the bottles he discovered could be traced back to thin yellow vinegar bottles manufactured in Haiti, Tunnell suspects they may have come from the Caribbean or South America. The beachcomber has also found other items such as an abandoned drone, a lifepod, lost ship supplies, and messages in bottles during his explorations. Researchers at Harte, where Tunnell works, use weather and tide patterns to estimate the origin of washed-up objects. Despite the cautious fascination with the witch bottles, the reluctance to open them remains, preserving the mystique surrounding their potential contents.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR