The ''Book of Shadows'', or simply ''the Book'', is a

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

from the TV series ''

Charmed ''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadcast ...

''. In the beginning, the book was created by

Melinda Warren ''Charmed'' is an American television series that was originally broadcast by The WB for eight seasons from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006. The series narrative follows a trio of sisters, known as the Charmed Ones, the most powerful good w ...

and was passed down the family to the

Charmed Ones ''Charmed'' is an American fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The serie ...

. This book contains spells, incantations, potions and information of the evil beings that their ancestors have once faced. They first find out that they were

witches Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have use ...

when Phoebe finds the ''Book of Shadows'' in their attic, at midnight on a full moon, and reads an incantation aloud. The ''Book of Shadows'' is enchanted. It can protect itself from any evil being who dares to touch it. Outside of the television series, a ''

Book of Shadows A Book of Shadows is a book containing religious text and instructions for magical rituals found within the Neopagan religion of Wicca. Since its conception in the 1970s, it has made its way into many pagan practices and paths. The most famous ...

'' is considered to be a collection of magical and religious texts of

Wicca Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was ...

and other

Neopagan Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Afric ...

and witchcraft traditions, containing the core

rituals A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, ...

, magical practices, ethics and philosophy of a practitioner. The ''Book of Shadows'' is a compendium of information on magical creatures/objects/forces of every variety, especially those that members of the Warren line had encountered, or believed would be useful to future generations. Within the realm of magical beings, it is considered to be the most complete book of magical information in existence. In the television series ''

'', the Halliwell Sisters or The Charmed Ones own a powerful and coveted ''Book of Shadows'' that has been passed down through their family line. It contains

spells 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 ...

potion A potion () is a liquid "that contains medicine, poison, or something that is supposed to have magic powers.” It derives from the Latin word ''potus'' which referred to a drink or drinking. The term philtre is also used, often specifically ...

s, and information on evil beings their ancestors have faced. The book has been enchanted to protect itself, causing it to move away from any

evil Evil, in a general sense, is defined as the opposite or absence of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage it is often more narrowly used to talk about profound wickedness and against common good. It is general ...

being that attempts to touch it. It has a large

triquetra The triquetra ( ; from the Latin adjective ''triquetrus'' "three-cornered") is a triangular figure composed of three interlaced arcs, or (equivalently) three overlapping '' vesicae piscis'' lens shapes. It is used as an ornamental design in ar ...

set into its front cover, symbolizing the Power of Three.

In-universe description

Background

The Charmed Ones' ancestor

began the ''Book of Shadows'' in the late 17th century. The year 1693 is inscribed on the book's first page, below the title, presumably to indicate when the book was created. When Melinda was burned at the stake in the

Salem Witch Trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom w ...

, she claimed that the magical powers of each successive generation of witches in the family would grow in strength, until the book reached three sisters known as ''The Charmed Ones'', who would be "the most powerful witches the world has ever known". Melinda passed the book on to her daughter, Prudence, and it continued to be handed down from mother to daughter until it came to the Halliwell sisters in 1998. The book has grown over the years with each witch who has possessed it, and by the late 1960s, it had about 100 pages. It continued to grow as The Charmed Ones added more information to it.

Penny Halliwell ''Charmed'' is an American television series that was originally broadcast by The WB for eight seasons from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006. The series narrative follows a trio of sisters, known as the Charmed Ones, the most powerful good w ...

brags in the season five episode, " Happily Ever After", that she created most of the good

recipes in it.

Patty Halliwell ''Charmed'' is an American television series that was originally broadcast by The WB for eight seasons from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006. The series narrative follows a trio of sisters, known as the Charmed Ones, the most powerful good w ...

added text on

Barbas In demonology, Marbas or Barbas is a demon described in the Ars Goetia. He is described as the Great President of Hell governing thirty-six legions of demons. He answers truly on hidden or secret things, causes and heals diseases, gives wisdom ...

, the Demon of Fear. For many years, the ''Book'' was kept in the Manor's attic. Normally, all witches are supposed to keep their ''Book of Shadows'' in a specially protected altar room. The book has a different protection mechanism against evil. In several episodes, various effects resulted from an evil magical being tried to take the book for themselves, including: jumping off the stand in '' "Once Upon a Time"'' and ''" The Seven Year Witch"'', repelling the being away from the book in ''" Death Becomes Them"'', projecting a spherical shield around the Book in ''Death Becomes Them'', burning the user's hands in ''" Imaginary Fiends"'', and so on. When the sisters' powers were unbound, evil beings could touch it, but they couldn't get it out of the Manor. However, by 2000, the sisters had become powerful enough that evil beings couldn't even touch it. The Halliwell sisters occasionally wrote down their experiences after vanquishing a demon, which Billie mentions this when she studied the ''Book of Shadows'' in ''"Run Piper Run"''. The first, added by Phoebe, was a spell to banish the Woogyman. Phoebe added a detailed entry on

Cole Turner Cole may refer to: Plants * Cole crops of the genus ''Brassica'', especially cabbage, kale, or rape (rapeseed). People * Cole (given name), people with the given name Cole * Cole (surname), people with the surname Cole Companies *Cole Motor ...

, Belthazor's human form, and Prue added a spell to summon him in his demon form, as well as an animal conjuring spell. Later, at the end of the series, the sisters write in the book about their adventures and what become of their lives.

Leo Wyatt Leo Wyatt is a fictional character from The WB television series ''Charmed'', portrayed by Brian Krause. A possible breakout character included in the writing initially as a love interest beginning in the first season that initially set Phoeb ...

, Piper's husband, also added an entry titled "Tips for Future Whitelighters", fearing he may not live to see his sons grow up. The entry included information on

whitelighter ''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadcast b ...

powers and advice on using them. In the final episode, Piper tells her granddaughter that the book will one day be hers.

Appearances

In the ''Charmed'' series, the ''Book of Shadows'' is a large, green leather-bound book with an embossed red

on the cover. The triquetra symbol has been known to change, usually according to some change in the sisters' powers or emotional state. The book is somewhat worn due to its three centuries of use, but it is almost completely intact, with the exception of the page on how to relinquish one's own powers, which The Charmed Ones tore out and burned after they nearly lost their powers to a

warlock A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft. Etymology and terminology The most commonly accepted etymology derives ''warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver" and was given special applicatio ...

in the season one episode " Wicca Envy".

Powers, abilities and uses

* Can be used as a means of communicating with Grams, their grandmother, and other ancestors. * Identifies and protects itself from evil in the form of a magical barrier. * Can keep itself within the Manor, unless otherwise removed by one of The Charmed Ones or their family. * Can have its spells reversed if they are read backwards. * Cannot be photocopied. Due to its link with the Halliwells: * It can lose its entire content if all the Halliwells' powers are stripped. * Its spells will become their evil counterparts if the sisters turn evil. * If the sisters are under emotional distress, its power to protect itself from evil is diminished. * If the sisters use their powers against one another, the sisters will lose their powers and the triquetra on the front of the book will separate.

Related Books

The ''Grimoire''

The ''Book of Shadows'' has an evil counterpart known as the''

Grimoire A grimoire ( ) (also known as a "book of spells" or a "spellbook") is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination, and ...

.'' The'' Grimoire'' is a large brown book with an unknown demonic symbol of an upside down

pentagram A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha, pentangle, or star pentagon) is a regular five-pointed star polygon, formed from the diagonal line segments of a convex (or simple, or non-self-intersecting) regular pentagon. Drawing a circle aroun ...

and skull on the cover. The ''Grimoire''s pages are said to be blackened by its evil. Much like the ''Book of Shadows,'' the ''Grimoire'' possesses the power to protect itself from its enemies or anything good. The ''Grimoire''s spells and incantations are written in Latin. It makes only a few appearances in the television series and Leo later orbs it, to rest under a mountain of rock in the West Andes, to prevent the coronation of another Source. Bianca and her family of assassin witches possess a grimoire which contains their family's spells, although this is simply ''a'' grimoire and not ''the'' Grimoire. The book's cover in that episode had a symbol depicting two intertwined snakes. That book was sold on

eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...

in late 2007 and reached a final bid of $405.00. In the episode '' Bride and Gloom'', the Charmed Ones' ''Book of Shadows'' began to change itself into a grimoire when the girls were turned into warlocks under the influence of evil magic. For instance, good spells were replaced with evil spells.

Gypsy books

In the series,

Gypsies The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

and witches are sister traditions. Though never specifically stated to be so, Gypsy families also have their own versions of the ''Book of Shadows'' that is passed down to immediate family members. This was shown in the season five episode, " The Eyes Have It", wherein the Gypsy Eva finds her family spell book previously owned by her mother after her mother's death. Like traditional Books of Shadows, Gypsies' books contain spells and magical recipes.

Critical reception

Pagan author Raymond Buckland said in his 2002 book, ''The Witch Book'', that the ''Charmed Book of Shadows'' gave the show an air of authenticity and showed that the producers of the show seemed to at least know a little of what they were talking about when depicting

wicca Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was ...

n practices.

Judika Illes Judika Illes is an American author of esoteric non-fiction books, aromatherapist and tarot reader. Early life Her background is Hungarian and she attributes a childhood spent in the culturally diverse Queens borough of New York City as a signif ...

adds that the ''Charmed Book of Shadows'' describes the show's witches much in the same way as the real world Italian ''

Benandanti The ("Good Walkers") were members of an agrarian visionary tradition in the Friuli district of Northeastern Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries. The claimed to travel out of their bodies while asleep to struggle against malevolent witches () ...

'' traditions. She claims the show draws deeply on wiccan terminology and ritual (such as the witches' adding information to their ''Book of Shadows''), but asserts that it is still a fantasy show. In ''The Book of Shadows: The Unofficial Charmed Companion'', Ngaire E. Genge talks about the ''Charmed Book of Shadows'' in relationship to a modern wiccan Book of Shadows and the ancient

grimoire A grimoire ( ) (also known as a "book of spells" or a "spellbook") is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination, and ...

s of such notables as ''Abra-Melen the Mage'' and

King Solomon King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

. The author is more critical of ''Charmeds use of the book compared to real-world wiccans but adds, as Buckland did, that it is still a fantasy show. While not specifically mentioning the ''Charmed Book of Shadows'' by name, ''The Craft: A Witch’s Book of Shadows'', by Dorothy Morrison, appears to have been highly influenced by the series and features the same

symbol on its cover as does the Halliwells' ''Book of Shadows''. Criticism has also been garnered for ''Charmed''s ''Book of Shadows''. Author Peg Aoli, a noted Wiccan and media critic at ''The Witches Voice'', has been critical of mixing real world Wiccan ritual items, such as

athame An athame or athamé (, or ) is a ceremonial blade, generally with a black handle. It is the main ritual implement or magical tool among several used in ceremonial magic traditions, and by other neopagans, witchcraft, as well as satanic traditi ...

s and the ''Book of Shadows, ''with ''Charmed''’s "

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

" witchcraft. Aoli critically slammed the series' representation of witchcraft in an

essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

in ''Totally Charmed: Demons, Whitelighters and the Power of Three''. Furthermore, other critics at ''The Witches Voice'' argue that ''Charmeds representation of witchcraft, including their ''Book of Shadows'', creates "so many misconceptions" about Wicca in the modern world.Witchvox Article
/ref>

Fandom and replica ''Books of Shadows''

Following

The Charmed Ones ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

' suit, fans worldwide began creating replicas of the ''Charmed Book of Shadows'', when the series began in the 1990s. Like the famed book of the series, the replica versions continued to grow as fans created more and more pages. The most extensive replica source has 2,500 pages to date and is distributed digitally (see source list). Fan-made ''Book of Shadows'' have become an art form in itself, and many different people create these. Every artisan owns the rights to their own work, so many differences appear in each artist's re-creation of the pages. There is no one-copyright holder to this collective work, which has become a hobby, like

scrapbooking Scrapbooking is a method of preserving, presenting and arranging personal and family history in the form of a book, box or card. Typical memorabilia include photographs, printed media, and artwork. Scrapbook albums are often decorated and frequ ...

The ''Book of Shadows'' post-''Charmed''

After ''

'' ended its run, the one prop from the series that everyone wanted was the ''Book of Shadows.'' There was good-natured discussion over several years concerning which of the long-time crew and cast members had the best claim to the book. The candidates finally narrowed down to

Brad Kern Brad Kern is an American television producer and writer. He was the executive producer/showrunner of CBS TV procedural '' NCIS: New Orleans'' since midway through season two until the end of season four. Previously, he served as executive produce ...

, the series'

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...

for its entire run; and

Holly Marie Combs Holly Marie Combs Ryan (born December 3, 1973) is an American actress and producer. She is known for her roles as Kimberly Brock in the CBS series ''Picket Fences'' (1992–1996), Piper Halliwell in The WB series ''Charmed'' (1998–2006) and El ...

, who played Piper Halliwell and was the only cast member to appear in every episode, including the unaired pilot. Kern and Combs were supposed to share custody of the book, and agreed to alternate possession between the two of them, each getting the book for a year at a time. Most recently Combs, appearing on a Comic Con Panel, confirmed that although Kern and her did agree to share custody, Kern has not shared the book.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Book Of Shadows (Charmed) Charmed (TV series) Fictional grimoires Memorabilia