The Romanian witch is part of a living profession: in 2026, just as in 1906, people with suits and laptops climb familiar hills (the Teleajen Valley, near Vălenii de Munte; villages in Bărăgan; legendary Maramureș) for love, luck and «release». Reality is less Hollywood and more anthropology — and, unfortunately, increasingly often, fraud.
What clients ask for (and pay for)
- Love binding — the most requested «working» (see the dedicated article);
- Release — removing a charm or evil eye placed by someone else;
- Luck with money, lawsuits and exams;
- «Cutting away the evil eye» for children;
- Fortune-telling consultations — with coffee, cards or beans.
Prices rise from a few hundred lei to enormous sums — and current legislation treats them for tax purposes as a declared profession (yes, there are witches with limited liability companies who «issue invoices»).
How to recognise a fraudster
- they guarantee the result («they will definitely return within 30 days»);
- they ask for more and more money along the way («the working is stronger than I thought»);
- they frighten you with «spirits» and «everything will collapse if you do not continue»;
- they promise charms that go against someone else's will;
- they ask for intimate objects and complete discretion.
The healthy formula, also expressed by tradition: what is yours comes without a charm. What does not come was not meant for you.
Witch, incantation healer, «doftoroaie» — the differences
The incantation healer heals (the evil eye, fear and «shame»); the folk herbal healer knows plants; the witch «works» for desires (love, revenge and luck). The village distinguishes them morally: the first two are respected, while the third is regarded with fear and from a distance. Confusing them is a modern product of television.
What the law says and what the Church says
Romanian law punishes fraud, not «magic». The Orthodox Church firmly condemns charms and the summoning of spirits, and offers its alternative: prayer, fasting, forgiveness and Holy Unction. For anyone who feels that «harm has been done to them», the Church's answer is simple: not a counter-charm, but spiritual cleansing and Psalm 90.
Frequently asked questions
Does it really work? Psychologically, yes: suggestion, fear and hope genuinely move people. Beyond psychology, science is silent, while the Church says «evil exists, but Christ is stronger». What is certain: the money certainly goes.
I came back from a witch and I am afraid. Do not add anything to fear through prayer: read Psalm 90, go to confession and let the story fade away on its own.
