Agatha All Along Uses Real Magic, And You Didn't Even Notice It

Maiden, Mother, Crone? The sigil? We break down the real magic in the Disney+ series!

By Nicole Drum

Agatha All Along has arrived on Disney+ and already the Marvel series is casting its spell on viewers with its follow up to the events of WandaVision. Just two episodes in, the series has not only brought the fan-favorite Agatha Harkness (played by Kathryn Hahn) back, freeing her from Wanda's spell, but also given viewers new witches as Agatha assembled her coven and started off on the Witches' Road. But while Agatha All Along is a mere two episodes into the journey, the new series is not only answering some major MCU questions (and creating some new ones, too) but it's also weaving elements of real-world magic and witchcraft lore into the mix as well. That's right, the premiere of Agatha All Along had some interesting references to magic outside of the comic books that you might have missed — and we're breaking them down as well as their general meanings.

Warning: spoilers for the first two episodes of Agatha All Along beyond this point. Read on only if you want to know.

In the first two episodes of Agatha All Along, quite a few things happen. First, the spell that Agatha has been under that kept her clueless to her true identity is broken thanks to Wanda Maximoff presumably being dead and then, encouraged by Teen, she decides to walk the Witches' Road to regain her powers and has to assemble a coven in order to do so — though assembling that coven is easier said than done as Agatha doesn't have the best of reputations. Across these actions, however, there are some elements that are both important to the story being told but also references to real world witchcraft and lore. The first of these is the locket that Agatha picks up when reporting to the discovery of a dead woman in the first episode. Fans may have recognized the piece of jewelry as something that Agatha wore in WandaVision, but there is more to it than just that. The locket actually is a representation of the Triple Goddess, also known as the Maiden, Mother, and Crone. Historically, the concept goes back to numerous ancient civilizations — deities appearing in groups of three are not uncommon in ancient religion, think the Graces, the Horae, or the Fates in Greek mythology —but the specific idea of the Triple Goddess as presented here is more contemporary and part of larger Neopaganism with the Triple Goddess aligning to different phases of the moon and different phases of womanhood.

Another witchcraft reference in the Agatha All Along premiere is the thing keeping Joe Locke's character from revealing his real name. When Agatha asks Teen who he is he answers, but Agatha can't hear him because his mouth is closed by what appears to be some sort of script across his mouth. His lips are, literally (at least in magical terms) sealed. What that is a sigil which is explained as a spell meant to conceal, but that's a little bit of oversimplification, at least in terms of real-world magic. While the word sigil is derived from the Latin term meaning seal, in their most basic form sigils are merely magical symbols that represent a specific idea or intention of the person using them. Their creation and uses in magic can vary by practitioner's tradition, but some common ones are things like protection sigils on doors, prosperity sigils on candles lit for various purposes, etc. Ultimately, they are about intention — which, of course, in the case of Agatha All Along really makes one question the intention of whoever used this one on Teen.

The third most obvious — and perhaps most ominous — reference to magic and lore in the Agatha All Along premiere involves the appearance of a crow or a raven that Agatha sees and is visibly unsettled by. This is another one of those "your mileage may vary" type of things as many who follow magic practices see birds from the Corvus family — aka ravens and crows — as good symbols, they can also be associated with darker elements — including death, transformation, and the unknown. For some, it comes down to the number of crows or ravens sighted — and a single bird can be considered bad luck. Clearly, Agatha thinks so.

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As with any belief system or symbols of those beliefs, elements of magic and witchcraft can vary based on tradition. The three highlighted here may have deeper meanings based on practice, practitioner, and tradition. What is interesting, however, is how Agatha All Along is incorporating these aspects of real-world belief into the series and using it to enrich the story and deepen the mystery — and it will be even more interesting to see how much deeper things will go the further we get down the Witches' Road.

Agatha All Along is now streaming on Disney+. New episodes arrive on Wednesdays.

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