Witches/Magic

A number of magical powers and abilities have been showcased in Coven.

Some abilities are inherent or reflexive to certain witches, that is to say that they do not need to focus or concentrate. Other magics are achieved through the reading of incantations and performance of rituals inscribed on ancient tomes. This is a partial list of those powers and spells associated with the witches of American Horror Story. It is not rare for a witch to manifest more than three powers, though a Supreme is required to have at least the seven prescribed by the Seven Wonders, though not necessarily all possible powers. It is said that the reason that a Supreme is so powerful is that she is the physical embodiment of many and or all powers.

Witches are shown to be able to use their powers collectively (Misty, Cordelia, Queenie, Zoe, and Madison all telekinetically sent the Axeman back several yards when he attacked as well as Zoe and Madison's resurrection to bring back Kyle, etc.).

Some abilities may also be triggered by certain events and substances. The ability to negate magic was instinctively activated by Zoe with no prior knowledge of the skill, and Fiona had an uncontrolled clairvoyant event while undergoing chemotherapy in a hospital, remarking that she never possessed the ability before. During times of crisis, witches may experience a spike in their power, which manifest in the form of newly-developed abilities. ^[1]

Voodoo and Witchcraft users share certain powers.

The Seven Wonders

All Supremes are assumed to have demonstrated these abilities during their ascension to the Supremacy, despite not necessarily being depicted. Only explicit depictions are listed here.

Telekinesis

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The ability to manipulate objects with the power of the mind. This is the most commonly seen power, displayed by many witches. This is a very versatile power that witches use in many offensive and defensive ways.

Concilium

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The ability to impose one's will onto another, allowing it to control many parts of the mind (such as actions, thoughts, memories, and etc). It can be resisted, though doing so causes increasing intracranial pressure to the point of explosion. If exercised, it can bend the strongest of wills.  It's more commonly known as Coercion and Mind Control.

Pyrokinesis

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The ability to create, control, and manipulate fire with the power of the mind.

Divination

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The ability to obtain direct knowledge of an object, person, location, or physical event through means other than the user's physical senses. This can be activated by just being around a person^[2], focusing on specific tasks^[1], searching for information ^[11], and touching objects.^[4]

Transmutation

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The ability to move instantaneously from one location to another without physically occupying the space in between, also known as Teleportation.

Vitalum Vitalis

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The ability to balance the scales between one life force and another. Witches can transfer their own life force to nearly dead living things in order to heal them and can even resurrect the dead. Commonly seen side-effects are fainting and dizziness due to the strain. Can also be used to drain life force as well.^[2]

Descensum

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The ability to descend into the netherworlds of the afterlife. Witches are able to project themselves directly into hell, which takes the form of their worst fears. If a witch is stuck for a certain amount of time, they will never be able to leave and their body disintegrates into dust. To use this power, they commonly chant an incantation.

“	Spiritu duce, in me est. Deduc me in tenebris vita ad extremum, ut salutaret inferi. Descensum!	”
	— Incantation

A counter-spell was used by Cordelia Foxx in an attempt to guide Misty Day back from the netherworld.

“	Venite ad me, sequere lucem.	”
	— Incantation

Uncommon Powers

Immortality

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The ability to live forever and never age, allowing those afflicted by it an immunity to all aging, disease, and death.

• Scáthach

Resurgence

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The ability to return oneself or others from the dead to full life. It is powerful enough to heal the skin of burnt corpses and even fuse limbs not previously attached to the body. The power is useless if the body is in too many pieces. The power is considered more powerful than any of the Seven Wonders, it's a power that is inaccessible even to some Supremes at times. Not to be confused with the Resurrection Spell which can be done by any witch that performs the ritual and incantation, often with undesirable results in accordance with the witch's power and adherence to the spell. Nor is it the same as the Voodoo power of Necromancy which creates mindless zombies. It is also often confused with Vitalum Vitalis. However, the difference is that Vitalum Vitalis involves balancing life and death between the witch and whomever she is using her magic on (Life force can also be drained from someone else and into the witch). The witch will feel dizziness from the strain of transferring some of her life force to another using Vitalum Vitalis, while they will feel no such strain if using Resurgence.

Illusion Manipulation

For more details on this topic, see Illusion Manipulation.

The ability to create and manipulate illusions, causing others to see, hear, touch, smell, and/or taste things which do not actually exist, or cause them to perceive things differently from what they truly are.

• Myrtle Snow
• Scáthach

Injury Transference

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The ability to sympathetically transmute physical injuries sustained to the body of another, chosen by the caster, along with the pain and bodily damage of the injury. Ghosts and zombies are immune to the effects of this power, which could prove fatal to a witch wounded by a ghost. Also referred to as "Human Voodoo Doll"

• Queenie^{[2][13][6][12]}

Black Widow

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The ability to cause fatal hemorrhage by coitus. Also referred to as "killer vagina". More like a congenital curse than a power.

• Zoe Benson^[2]
• Zoe's great-grandmother

Power Negation

The ability to cancel out someone else's magic or voodoo curse. Zoe was able to use this power when Marie Laveau sent evil undead creatures (zombies) to Miss Robichaux's Academy, although she had no prior knowledge that she possessed the ability before-hand and it was activated out of sheer panic and alarm.

• Zoe Benson ^[13]

The Sight

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The ability to see significant visions of the past, future, and present ^[1] through touch, applies to people and objects in a series of visions or premonitions. Described as the greatest ability to have and the most painful to live with. Cordelia Foxx describes the visions as vibrating with light.

• Cordelia Foxx^{[13][4][1][11]}

Clairvoyance

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The ability that can manifest as the power to read the minds of others and project one's thoughts into others, commonly known as Telepathy.^[2] Differs from Concilium as no mind control is involved.

Eternal Servitude

The ability to control others by stealing their souls, performed via a ceremony.

• Scáthach

Enhanced Agility

The ability to perform motions, or movements, at a speed and effortlessness that surpasses that of a normal member of the user's species, possessed of enhanced speed, balance, endurance, flexibility, and reflexes.

• Scáthach

Instrumental Crafts

Potioncraft

Affinity for an extensive knowledge of "Green Magic," including conventional herbalism as well as more sophisticated botanical science and potion brewing. While Cordelia usually uses her knowledge in this field for protection and healing, Myrtle uses her knowledge to brew a poisonous potion to take down her enemies by putting the poison on foods.

• Cordelia Foxx^[2]
• Myrtle Snow^[12]

Spellcraft

Affinity for casting spells and performing rituals.

Zoe Benson^[8][11][14]

Spirit Board

The spirit board is an object used to communicate with the spirits of the dead. It is a rectangular-shaped board inscribed with letters of the English alphabet and the numbers 1-9.

Zoe Benson found a spirit board hidden away in a closet while going through Madison Montgomery's things. Enlisting the help of Queenie and Nan, Zoe attempts to contact Madison, whom she believes to be dead. Queenie recounts an event when her grandmother played around with a spirit board and had half of her face burnt off by a bad spirit she accidentally released. Zoe assures Queenie that three witches are more than capable to face any malicious ghosts. Using a glass as a makeshift planchette, the girls make contact with the spirit world. However, instead of Madison, the spirit of the Axeman communicates with the witches, revealing his identity to them. Queenie quickly puts an end to the communication, warning Zoe to find out who she is talking to if survival is important to her.

Later by herself, Zoe once again reaches out to the Axeman, promising him release should he reveal Madison's whereabouts. In response, the Axeman directs Zoe to the attic through the spirit board. ^[11]

Rituals and Spells

In addition to the inherent (sometimes reflexive) abilities, there are some rituals or spells featured that require more preparation. A spell may require ritual actions, an incantation, material components, or any combination of these.

Lock Enchantment Spell

A spell to enchant locks on doors and prevent anyone from entering. While it was never used on screen, Cordelia threatened to enchant the locks while Fiona was gone.^[2]

Fertility Ritual

A boost to female fertility. Performed in a candle-lined circle by Cordelia Foxx, and involving coitus with

Hank Foxx inside the circle. Unfortunately, the ritual did not work for her. ^[8]

“	Jam tibi impero et praencipio maligne spiritus! Ut confestim allata et circulo discedas, absque omni laesione cujuscunque creaturae vel rei et ad locum a justissimo, Deo tibi deputatum in momento et ictu oculi abeas. Krec Kreteo Mas Mav Kaetan!	”
	— Incantation

Resurrection Spell

A reanimation of once-living things. The ritual was performed on Kyle Spencer, with anatomical contributions from other cadavers, by Madison Montgomery and Zoe Benson. Ritual components involved inhalation of burning sage ("salvia officinalis"), the blood of a dove ("colomba sanguinem"), a circle of salt formed around the corpse, a lock of the deceased’s hair ("litus de pilis dilecti"), and a reversed pentacle drawn with spellcaster's blood on the corpse's chest, as a sacrament.^[8]

“	Calpriziana Offina Alta nestra fuero menut. Azazel we submit to you body and soul. Lord of the Underworld we offer you our obedience and everlasting devotion until death sanctifies this unholy union. Berald Beroald Gab Gabor Agaba! Return to the mortal coil! Arise!	”
	— Incantation

Truth Enchantment

An enchantment on the tongue to only speak the truth when questioned. Cast by Myrtle Snow on Spalding, which led him to cut off his tongue to thwart it. ^[5]

“	Veritas, Honorum, Justitia, Sapientia, Scientia. I conjure and command thee, dark lords to the vernacular, summon truth from lying tongues. Fie upon the wicked who dare to throw sand in our eyes.With force I command thee, let truth be spoken!	”
	— Incantation

Banishing Spell

An exorcism of evil spirits. Performed by Nan, Queenie and Zoe to banish the Axeman's ghost from the

Academy.^[11]

“	Salvo Liberatsum Spirito Malus Nequam pessimus petor Cantum sufficare non levsusne milte illuc ubi mal spiritus sunt mortem cadaver putridum repraesent infur imperator requiru a choro.	”
	— Incantation

Preservation Spell

An enchantment that allows an object or thing to be preserved. Myrtle Snow has achieved such a spell, enchanting the tongue of Spalding for safe-keeping. ^[9]

Restoration Spell

The magical grafting of a body part back onto a living host. This ritual was performed by Zoe Benson to restore Spalding's tongue to his mouth^[9] and was presumably used by either Myrtle or Cordelia in the latter's transplantation of the eyes "donated" by Cecily and Quentin.

“	Infernales, curare hominem. Restitue eum ad naturam. Infernales, curare hominem. Restitue eum ad naturam.	”
	— Incantation

The Sacred Taking

A ritual that allows the ascension of a new Supreme, requiring the selfless suicide of the current Supreme. A ritual requires the witches to wear red robes and black lace veils.^[6]

Protective Berries

A ritual used by Cordelia Foxx and Misty Day to make the plants from the greenhouse come to life and grow berries used to protect the people that eat them. It is used in conjunction with a potion.^[12]

Plant Revival

A spell to revive plants. It was used by Misty Day and Cordelia Foxx. It required a potion made of asafoetida herb, various other herbs and mud.^{[citation needed]}

“	Bazabi lacha Bachabe, Lamac cahi achabahi, Karrelyos. Lamac Lamac Bachalys, Cabahagy sabalyos Barylos.	”
	— Incantation

Bankruptcy Ritual

Ritual used by Fiona to make Delphi Trust go bankrupt. Ritual components were a maze, candles, mice, and bills. Once the maze is surrounded by candles and bills, the mice (previously enchanted with an unidentified mixture of herbs) are left free to run in the maze until they are captured by traps, thus causing bankruptcy as the mice represent the inspectors dismantling a business corporation represented by the maze. ^[10]

“	Come to me, Hecate. Mother of Angels Cosmic World Soul. Comminuet, infirmabitur, submergetur. Praecipita, strangulare percusserite in corde suo proposito. Comminuet infirmabitur submergetur. Praecipita strangulare percusserite in corde suo proposito. Bring them to me in a weakened state. Make me strong and cunning, so that I may destroy them.	”
	— Incantation

Scrying Spell

A spell used by Zoe Benson to know what happened to Nan. Light a few white candles around a bathroom and hold a lighted silver candle above a bathtub full of water and say the incantation while touching the water. The images will then appear in the water.^[14]

“	Elementum recolligo huic locus. Commodo mihi vestri vox".	”
	— Incantation

Winning Enchantment

An enchantment on a ticket to win lots of money. Cordelia enchanted Queenie's ticket for the Price is Right to ensure she will win big.

Trivia

• Several of the chants used in the TV series are reinterpretations of actual rituals and spells drawn from Medieval, Renaissance or Modern Age grimoires, or magic handbooks.
  • The Fertility Ritual used by Cordelia is actually an exorcism called Dimissio Jesuitarum ("Jesuit's Discharge") taken from the Verus Jesuitarum Libellus (also known as The True Petition of the Jesuits), and it's used to force a given spirit or demon to bring wealth to the conjurer.
  • The Resurrection Spell used by Madison and Zoe to bring Kyle back to life is known as Ritual of Infernal Necromancy found in several grimoires, but present in its complete form in the Book of Ceremonial Magic, by renowned occultist A.E. Waite.
  • The Plant Revival Spell used by Misty Day is an invocation to the Devil from a 13th-century French miracle play called "Le Miracle de Théophile." The chant is also part of a ritual known as Eko Eko Azarak, a Wiccan canticle that appeared in High Magic's Aid, a novel by G. Gardner inspired by a ritual of Basque origins.

References