Wishing Well History

Water is the most primal and fundamental symbol in human consciousness. In religions, folklore, and mythologies worldwide, rivers and wells were occupied by spirits, ghosts, saints, and deities that controlled the essence of life itself. Wishing wells are the whimsical remnant of this powerful and enduring belief.

Creation

Numerous creation myths give water a place of fundamental importance. In Genesis, which contains the commonest Western creation myth, the world began as the spirit of God was moving or hovering over the surface of the water. In Egypt, Ra, or the sun, came out of an egg that appeared on the surface of the ocean.

The role of water in creation continued on through later legends, such as the Lady of the Lake, who presented King Arthur with his sword Excalibur, and was seen as possessing tremendous skills in magic.

Sacred Wells

The origin of wishing wells has a direct link to the tradition of sacred wells or rivers. As Christianity took hold in the Middle Ages, the church transformed wells from places of pagan worship to sites of sacred veneration. Particular saints came to be attached to each well, either through stories of miracles performed there or a mystical appearance or vision.

Wishing Wells

Wishing wells are a modern demystified form of traditional sacred wells. The petitioner speaks or thinks of a wish, and drops a coin in the wishing well to make it come true.

In ancient times, this coin would be known as a votive offering, from the Latin word votum, meaning to vow. Wishing wells are now no longer host to a particular deity, but instead an abstract force such as luck or good will is believed to make requests at wishing wells come true.

Garden Wishing Wells

Garden wishing wells are ideal additions to a home garden. Their links with the great creation stories of the past make wedding wishing wells symbolically appropriate for a place dedicated to growth and renewal. A wishing well is also a great complement to statuesque guardians such as griffins, gargoyles, or gnomes. Whether a beneficent force or decorative flourish, garden wishing wells are guaranteed to make any garden magical.