Besom
A broom of twigs, the household tool that became the witch's emblem of flight.
Also: witch's broom, broomstick, jumping the broom, besom broom
A besom is a traditional broom made of twigs, usually birch, bound to a pole. In English and European custom, sweeping a house at certain times kept luck in and ill luck out, and a broom laid across a threshold was said to bar witches. The idea that witches ride brooms appears in the 1400s: an illustration in Martin Le Franc's poem Le Champion des Dames, from 1440, is among the earliest. Witch trial accounts describe flight on sticks and animals. Jumping the broom is a wedding custom with roots in Welsh and Romani communities, and it was taken up by African American couples as a mark of marriage. In modern witchcraft, the broom is used to sweep a ritual space.