A Nasty And Fascinating Surprise Found In 200-Year-Old Bottle Presumed To Be Rum

IFL Science ^ | January 24, 2025 | Tom Hale

[Red Badger]

PeePee PinGGG!.....................

[Red Badger]

“The most likely explanation is that the bottle was a witch bottle inspired by the traditions of nearby East Anglia.”

The source of the Globull Warming hoax............

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Alternatively, it may reflect a different practice common among sailors, where a bottle filled with urine was buried at their home as a superstitious measure to ensure a safe return from their voyages.”

Well, who doesn’t do this? On the rare times I leave the compound to, ‘go out among the English’ I leave a Witch Bottle behind. Better Safe than Sorry! ;)

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Or someone thought it would be funny to pee in the bottle and then seal it back up in the hopes someone would open it and take a swig.

[Scrambler Bob]

I go out behind the barn, just don’t leave a bottle.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Wouldn’t it be awesome if if they could perform DNA analysis on the urine and find living descendants? Imagine the student contacting them! “Good day, sir. We have something that once belonged to your gr-gr-gr-grandfather.”

[Sirius Lee]

The mystery of a 200-year-old bottle has been solved. It turns out, it wasn’t a vessel for booze, but a “witch bottle” filled with pee and a bunch of botanicals to ward off malevolent spirits.

Yeah, but how did it taste? They didn't say in the article.

[Pontiac]

Alternatively, it may reflect a different practice common among sailors, where a bottle filled with urine was buried at their home as a superstitious measure to ensure a safe return from their voyages.

This could be researched further.

There maybe records of the owners and/or tenets of the house where the bottle was found including the professions of those people.

After being further conserved by Yeates, the artifact will be on display at the University of Lincoln’s Conservation of Cultural Heritage final-year degree show in June 2025, before being returned to its owner (still filled with its historical pee).

Yeates maybe able to make an educated guess as to the identity of man who filled the bottle. There may even be photo of the man out there.

[Hegemony Cricket]

I see some of these witch bottles along the highways, and especially at exit ramps. I’m guessing based on this analysis that they are carefully placed there to ward off wrecks and ensure safe travels...

[Delta 21]

This is the entire deal, right here! The afterlife is rolling right now.

[Red Badger]

Voodoo in The South has been around for 350 years..............

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks for the pings.

This could be categorized as an unrequited prank. :^)

[Red Badger]

They could run a series of tests on the liquid to determine if the person had a disease................

[9YearLurker]

That’ll put some hair on your chest!

[DannyTN]

[bgill]

Good thing he didn’t open it.

[lowbridge]

“The mystery of a 200-year-old bottle has been solved. It turns out, it wasn’t a vessel for booze, but a “witch bottle” filled with pee”

I didn’t know they had truck drivers back then.

[dfwgator]

[Ezekiel]

Wouldn’t it be awesome if if they could perform DNA analysis on the urine and find living descendants?

As the old man's friend, some whizz kid had suggested a PNA test. Even though it was his No. 1 priority, the pool of experts decided to aim in another direction entirely.