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Stiff as a stick, cold as a marble. Light as a spirit, lift yourself. Light as a feather, stiff as a board.
— Levitation Spell

Levitation is the ability to propel oneself into the air and hover or move through the air slightly.

Description[]

Levitation is primarily a defensive power used to avoid attacks. Although it has not been displayed by every witch, it has been shown that this power can not only be accessed through a spell but also a witch can use the power consciously. Once the will is made manifest, a witch is able to overcome the force of gravity and move as she prefers, rising above the ground and committing inhumane and rapid movements, even to walk on walls or hanging from the ceiling. Levitation is also a consequence of some rituals, which leave the body at the mercy of mystical forces. When a witch is projected outside their physical body, for example, it is possible that the unconscious body float in mid-air instead of lying stretched out on the bed.

Notable Examples[]

  • Mercy Lewis demonstrated this power in "Children Be Afraid," and during her battle with Increase Mather in "Cat And Mouse". In the first case Mercy was the subject of witchcraft of her acolytes, who reciting to the bitter end the dell'incantation words have magically lifted the body of their leader, in an alleged attempt to empower her in order to accomplish an even more important task, that to manipulate at a distance Tituba's familiar against George Sibley. In the second example, Mercy has proven to be capable of lifting at will her body during a duel, rising above the ground with the power of the mind. Also in the same episode, Mercy has demonstrated to know how to move like a spider along the walls, by sneaking inside the House of Pain to visit her acolytes. In "The Vow," while she was possessed by a familiar, Mercy was able to jump up on the ceiling climbing the rafters.
  • Mary Sibley showed this power in "In Vain" and during the final battle with Increase Mather in "All Fall Down." Mary is a witch who has given evidence that this power can be induced either knowingly or unknowingly, but still is one of the witches that shown to be more skilled in using it, especially during the battle with Increase Mather, during which she moved from a place to another, covering large distances, resorting both to levitation or by combining it to teleportation. Mary Sibley also gave a display of her levitation skills in the final battle with Countess Von Marburg in "The Witching Hour."
  • Rose Browning showed this power in "The Red Rose and the Briar" when she levitated up in a tree to animate dead corpses in order to escape from her assailants, Cotton and John. In this case, it seemed like she was climbing rather than proper levitate, so maybe Rose had limits in this field or all she needed was to make her body lighter to hoist himself on the tree.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • "Light as a feather, stiff as a board" has become established in popular culture as a reference to a levitation trick, and has been referred to in various media accounts. In performing magic this effect is known as abnormal lift. The game could be seen playing in 17th century London during the plague outbreak. Samuel Pepys, a naval administrator noted this being performed as a sort of ward against the disease. In his conversation with his friend Mr Brisband on July 31, 1665, Pepys also reported the words used to perform it: << Voici un corps mort Raide comme un bâton, Froid comme le marbre. Léger comme un esprit, Lève-toi au nom de Jésus-Christ! >> (English translation: "Here is a dead body. Stiff as a stick, Cold as marble. Light as a spirit, Lift yourself, in the name of Jesus Christ!")[1]
  • Levitation is not to be confused with flying intended as the hovering at great distances above the sky, as Levitation only allows witches to perform supernatural leaps or propel into mid-air.
  • Levitation can also be understood as an internalised form of telekinesis. Certainly victims of a telekinetic attack suffer, willingly or not, a form of levitation.

References[]

See Also:[]

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