The Wax Child by Olga Ravn uses a concept which is not new. Literature was written on dolls (Chucky, Annabelle) and all manner of toys (The Toy Story) which have come alive.
Who is the Wax Child?
A woman named Christenze Kruckow made the wax child from beeswax. Its height is of Christenze’s forearm. The story is written from the Wax Child’s viewpoint. It has personification and its opinions are similar to a human’s. However, it reminds us that it is a doll. It tells that although it is molded in the fashion of a child, it has lips which cannot speak because it lacks vocal chords.
Christenze is a spinster as she has no family money and is not wooed by male suitors.
She tried to help Anne Billie keep her infant, by feeding her a spoon of milk laced with a live spider. After the baby was born, it survived to Day Two, which was a rare occurrence. The baby only died after the spider came out of it and its frightened mother dropped her to the floor.
Anne did not appreciate the fact that Christenze tried to help her keep her baby alive. Instead, she became bitter and blamed her. The accused had to flee to a new place, where she was accepted by a woman, and sheltered until her captors caught up with her whereabouts.
Christenze suffered the usual fate of accused witches. She tried to hold her head high, and claim her special status, hence she proclaimed with her dying breath, “Farewell from the Beheaded Virgin.”
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If you’re inspired to make your own wax doll, or wax painting, buy a block of wax. However, make it for artistic purposes and not for witchcraft. Never dabble in witchcraft. Although the author Ravn has written some ancient spells, there are doubts about them.
Buy wax block here.
If you buy from this weblink, I may earn a small commission.
Witchcraft in The Wax Child
Women were accused of being witches, in the manner people are now being accused of telling lies, and doing bad offences, without evidence. Frightened and suspicious people did gaslighting to blame some women of doing witchcraft, just because some bad events happened.
Misfortune, disaster and calamity can occur through no fault of humans. Bad events may happen independent of human interference.
For example, a baby can be born disabled, due to genetic inheritance, gene mutation, fetal malnutrition and etc.
Even if spells are chanted, it does not imply they will work to wreck disorder.
Here is one example from the book – “One night, someone tried to draw a ring of salt around the castle of Aalborghus, but when morning arrived nothing had happened. The magic failed.”
The author made the wax doll survive destruction when its owner didn’t. The doll tells that its owner said to it, “Farewell from the Beheaded Virgin”.
Another big argument is that if witches were real, why couldn’t they save themselves? I feel that the writer included this message to tell readers that superstitions need to be taken with a pinch of salt.
It is more likely that psychological disturbances affect people. Gaslighting can affect more than any implied influence from magic. Today’s accusations of witchcraft maybe gaslighting.
Here are some related stories about gaslighting:
- https://artmater.com/meditation-on-evils-from-shaming/
- https://artmater.com/failed-meditation-reflection/
- https://artmater.com/?s=gaslighting
Recommendation:
This book is interesting for people who desire to read from the viewpoint of an object. Stories are invented to sell books. The topic is a vehicle to sell books.
This is my copy of The Wax Child by Olga Ravn. I bought the book after reading its review in The Financial Times Weekend Edition’s Life and Arts section. The newspaper is international.
This is Amazon’s copy:
If you buy from this weblink, I may earn a small commission.
I wrote another book review which has a character perform a kind of inter-religious ritual resuscitation, to revive a dead man. It is about Fra Armando lying on top of Monsieur Monsu, and doing a ritual to revive him.
The post is in the link. The book is Blinding The Left Wing, authored by Mircea Cartarescu.
Updated on Feb 27, 2026
Olga Ravn’s The Wax Child is in 2026’s International Booker Prize Award’s longlist, among the 13 books named. At the end of March or beginning of April, we shall read of the 6 finalists in the running. By mid-May, the sole winner will be announced.
Related Posts:
- https://booksreviewsandmore.com/is-a-skin-girdle-witchcraft/
- https://booksreviewsandmore.com/why-didnt-insects-and-worms-destroy-the-wax-child/
- https://booksreviewsandmore.com/how-long-did-christenze-carry-her-wax-child/
- https://booksreviewsandmore.com/where-did-christenze-escape-to-in-1616/
- https://booksreviewsandmore.com/did-the-wax-child-get-lost-during-christenzes-escape-from-nakkebolle/
- https://booksreviewsandmore.com/who-did-anne-bille-blame-for-the-death-of-her-15-babies/
- https://booksreviewsandmore.com/what-happened-to-ousse-lauritzens-who-was-accused-of-witchcraft/
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