“What’s at the bottom of wishing wells?” This is the thought that has been circling around in my head since last weekend. I’m not sure why, but I know enough to pay attention to those things that keep finding you. So today’s post is about wishing wells.
Have you ever wondered what’s at the bottom of a wishing well? Is it the entrance to a magical world? A water filled tunnel to certain death? Are there spirits there that seek to help? To harm? Or is it just rock and dirt and water?
Wishing wells are everywhere in our culture. Back before filters and indoor plumbing they were a reliable source of clean water. Towns were built around the wells. It was believed that spirits dwelled in and around them to protect the clean water. Wells, and water sources like the head of a river, were believed to be entrances to the underworld. People would offer coins, trinkets like buttons or beads, or bits of pottery as they passed with the hope that the spirit attached to the well would be pleased and grant them their wish.
Wishing wells are in music. Five For Fighting wrote a song called “Devil in the Wishing Well.” It’s a song about a man who struggles with depression or addiction, and is told that the devil’s at the bottom of the hole he’s in (the wishing well) and he’s going to have to give him something good in order to get out. He cuts out part of his heart and offers that to the devil as a form of payment. Although pretty gruesome, it is another example of the belief and hope people put in wishing wells.
Wishing wells are in movies. One of my favorite movies from the 80’s is The Goonies. (You can find it on Amazon here) If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend you do so. It’s about a group of kids trying to save their town from developers who want to tear it down and build a golf course. In order to save it they have to find a lost pirate ship and its treasure. On their journey they end up trapped in an underground tunnel and eventually find the bottom of the local wishing well. They can ride the bucket up to the top, but then they give up on their dream. Well, that wouldn’t make a very good movie, so of course they continue on.
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This is “Dream Lake.” At its deepest point it’s only about 18″ deep. Photo credit, A.D. Wheeler, “The Explorographer.”
Wishing wells really exist and are still visited today. Luray Caverns in Verginia is an amazing set of mirror smooth pools, breathtaking stalactites and stalagmites, and a beautiful reflecting pool where people stop to toss in a coin and make a wish. The water is so still, and the air so pure that they actually used to pipe in the air into a local tuberculosis hospital,L imair Sanatorium, believing that the purity of the air and it’s “perfect bacteriologic purity” would benefit their patients. The sanatorium is long gone, but the caverns and the wishing well remain.
“Luray Caverns, Luray, Virginia” Photo credit, A.D. Wheeler, “The Explorographer.”
So what’s at the bottom of a wishing well? Whether it’s a spirit you want to please so they grant your wish, or a misunderstood devil demanding payment, other people’s dreams, or a magical cure for tuberculosis, I think the answer is obvious – it’s hope. Hope is at the bottom of every wishing well.
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This really spoke to me. Hope is what keeps us going. It enhances our daily lives. We hope for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren. It’s the essence of our lives.