Girdle-measurers were practitioners of a specific type of curative English folk magic. They claimed to be able to tell whether
fairies
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...
had placed a person under a
spell
Spell(s) or The Spell(s) may refer to:
Processes
* Spell (paranormal), an incantation
* Spell (ritual), a magical ritual
* Spelling, the writing of words
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''The Spell'' (1977 film), an American t ...
, or otherwise caused trouble for them. They did this by measuring the changing length of the afflicted person's belt or girdle.
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References
English folklore
Magic (supernatural)
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