Fire Witch Lore
Lightning
Lightning is a manifestation of fire in the air. Wielded by the gods as both a weapon and a messenger. lightning is nature’s fireworks. It is our basis for electricity.
Folklore relates that lightning never strikes in the same place twice. However, this is simply untrue. The Empire State Building was struck no less than sixty-eight times in a three-year span. Park rangers Roy Sullivan from Waynesboro, Virginia, holds the world record for being struck by lightning more than any person in history. Between 1942 and 1983 he was struck an astrounding seven times.
The ancient Romans thought that a lighning bolt striking from left to right was a sign of good fortune. If the bolt passed from right to left, it meant the gods were unhappy with current events.
It was believed that examining sites where lightning had struck would reveal lightning stones. Lightning stones are the small ax-shaped stones also called thunderstones and are thought to hold the magical properties of lightning. Temples were often erected on these sites, as they were considered sacred.
In various parts of the world, lightning is thought to take on the physical form of a bird. In some places this lightning bird is called the “bird of heaven.” It is described as iridescent.
If you see a flash of lightning, it is because the lightning bird has just darted across the sky. It is thought that if you destroy the nest of this bird, there will be a great storm. In general, taking any negative action against this bird is inviting misfortune. It is said that no person has ever succeeded in harming this bird, as it moves too quickly.
Lightning is predominantly thought to be born only from the sky, but in actuality it is the combination of a positive charge from the ground surging upward and the negative charge of the lightning surging downward that creates the electrical charge of lightning. Lightning strikes both ways.
Often, when lightning strikes the ground, it will fuse the minerals underneath into a rock formation. So the eggs of the lightning bird and Chango’s stones do indeed exist. The minerals present in the soil vary from region to region and determine the rock produced. When lightning strikes sand, it fuses the grains together to create natural glass.
–Tammy Sullivan, Elemental Witch: Fire, Air, Water, Earth; Discover Your Natural Affinity
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