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Bullaun Stones in Irish Folk Magic. [1]
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Date: 2025-05-06
This week I'll talk about the very old Irish tradition of bullaun stones. Bullaun (also spelled bullan or bullain) is an Irish word meaning bowl.
An old grindstone found on my property, with a large round volcanic rock picked up on a hike nearby.
A bullaun is a stone with a bowl-like hollow in it. Some bullauns are natural, the depression in the stone created by constant dripping of water on the stone's surface. Others are clearly the work of human hands, long ago. They're found in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, and other parts of Europe.
Bullaun associated with St Patrick in County Tipperary, Ireland. A number of bullauns in Ireland are said to be St Patrick's kneeprints.
Many of those found in Ireland and Northern Ireland are located in or near the sites of early Christian churches. Some historians theorize that they may have been used as holy water fonts or baptismal fonts. The rainwater that collects in such stones has long been believed to have special healing and blessing properties.
A bullaun at Maulinward Burial Ground, County Cork, Ireland. This one's filled and surrounded by small offerings including coins and rosaries.
From pre-Christian times and for centuries after bullauns were used by communities and individual households for grinding food for humans and livestock, medicinal plants, and metal ores in the smelting process. Very large bullauns often have several "bowls", making them ideal for communal use by groups. Rounded stones fitting inside the bowls were used for the grinding, some of which can still be seen today.
Large bullaun with multiple "bowls" in Kilmalkedar, County Kerry, Ireland.
The presence of so many bullauns inside or close to the sites of early Christian churches suggests that they may have also been used in native pagan rituals, given the early Church's habit of appropriating indigenous people's shrines and holy places, replacing them with their own.
A bullaun at St John's Point Church, County Down, Northern Ireland.
Bullauns are used in Irish folk magic for blessing and cursing. The same bullaun used to grind grain and herbs could easily be used for this purpose as well. Practices known as folk magic make use of objects and materials that are ready to hand, and are performed by people who may or may not identify as witches. The use of bullauns in Irish folk magic persisted long after the coming of Christianity.
Sketch from 1875 showing a bullaun and the rounded stones used with it.
This concerned Church authorities enough that in 567 CE the Council of Tours ordered it's ministers “...to expel from the Church all those whom they may see performing before certain stones things which have no relation with the ceremonies of the Church... ”
The order doesn't appear to have had the desired effect; the use of bullauns for blessing and cursing continued into the present day.
What has changed is the kinds of bowls used. While old grindstones are still used by those with access to them, others use a mortar and pestle, or a stone or ceramic cup or bowl with a round stone which fits easily inside.
I've used this Japanese teacup for decades. The Moqui marble is more recent.
The method is very old and very simple. A small amount of water is added to the cup, bowl, or mortar; the pestle or rounded stone is placed inside. To confer a blessing, the pestle or stone is turned clockwise while saying the words of the blessing. When pronouncing a curse, the pestle or stone is turned counterclockwise while speaking the words.
Tradition holds that for a curse to be effective it must be just, or it can come back upon the sender. The curses of beggars, widows, and women who have been wronged are said to be especially effective. Irish saints are said to have issued both blessings and curses; explicitly Christian language occurs in both blessings and curses.
Many people are familiar with the beauty of Irish blessings-
"ar dheis De go raibh a anam"
"may their soul be on God's right hand"
Irish curses, too, tend to be eloquent-
"bothar na h-ifreann a bheidh a phoca go deo"
"the hearthstone of hell be his pillow forever"
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Thank you for reading. This is an open thread, all topics are welcome.
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