The superstition of piercing or breaking empty eggshells, particularly after consuming the egg, is a practice rooted in ancient fears of witchcraft and malevolent magic. This seemingly simple act was believed to prevent witches from using the discarded shells for harmful purposes, reflecting a long-standing cultural anxiety surrounding the potential for everyday objects to be manipulated for nefarious ends.

The earliest documented reference to this superstition appears in Pliny the Elder’s Natural History, written in the first century AD. Pliny notes the common practice of breaking or piercing egg and snail shells immediately after consumption to avoid being ‘spell-bound by means of evil imprecations.’ This suggests that the fear of magical manipulation through discarded shells was already prevalent in Roman society.

While the height of witch trials occurred during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, accusations of witchcraft and the persecution of individuals for practicing magic predate this period significantly. In Roman times, the suppression of magic was not necessarily linked to the Devil, as it would later become during the witch hunts of the Middle Ages. Instead, the Roman government often outlawed magical practices that operated outside its strict control, viewing them as a threat to its authority. This created an environment where everyday practices, like disposing of eggshells, could become associated with fear and suspicion.

The belief that witches could use eggshells for malicious purposes became further codified in the late 15th century. Heinrich Kramer, a Catholic inquisitor, documented this suspicion in his infamous witch-hunt manual, the Malleus Maleficarum (1486). Kramer wrote of cases where individuals were believed to have contracted epilepsy or other illnesses through eggs buried with corpses, particularly the corpses of witches. These contaminated eggs, when ingested, were thought to transmit the illness.

Another variation of the superstition held that eggshells could be used in a manner similar to voodoo dolls. By piercing the shell with pins, witches were thought to be able to inflict pain on the person who had eaten the egg. However, by the late sixteenth century, voices began to emerge challenging the torture and execution of women accused of witchcraft. One such voice was that of English MP Reginald Scot, who aimed to debunk the existence of witchcraft in his 1584 book, Discoverie of Witchcraft. Scot documented various methods claimed to be used by witches, demonstrating how they were often mere illusions or tricks of the mind. He specifically mentioned the belief that witches would use eggshells as boats, simulating stormy seas to cause shipwrecks. The prevailing belief was that witches were also using eggshells to literally carry them out to sea to create havoc in the waves.

The enduring belief that eggshells could be manipulated for malicious purposes solidified the practice of puncturing or crushing them after use. Piercing a hole or destroying the shell was considered the only reliable defense against potential witchcraft, preventing witches from harnessing their power.