The Common Stinkhorn

On my morning walk through the woods, I was suddenly stopped in my tracks by an awful stench, like death, rotting flesh, and excrement all at once. At first, I assumed it was the remains of some unlucky creature, perhaps a fox’s leftover meal. But as I searched the undergrowth, I discovered around eight stinkhorns in different stages of decay. Suddenly, the terrible smell made perfect sense. Despite their grotesque odor, I couldn’t help but let out a little squeal of excitement at the sight of them. For all their foulness, stinkhorns are a wonderful find, steeped in folklore and brimming with fascinating magical correspondences.

The common stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus) is a striking and somewhat infamous fungus, known for its bizarre appearance and powerful odor. Here are the key details about it:

Identification

Shape: When mature, it looks like a tall, white stalk (10–25 cm high) topped with a slimy, olive-green cap. The cap is covered in a spore-bearing slime called gleba.

Egg stage: Before the stalk emerges, it starts as a whitish, gelatinous “egg” underground or at the surface, about the size of a chicken egg. Odor: It gives off a foul smell, often compared to rotting flesh or sewage.

Habitat: Found across Europe and North America, usually in woodlands, gardens, or hedgerows, especially in rich soil with leaf litter or rotting wood.

Ecology

The odour attracts flies and other insects, which feed on the sticky slime and then disperse the spores, helping the fungus reproduce. Despite its stench, it plays an important role in woodland ecosystems, breaking down organic matter.

Edibility

Egg stage: Some foragers eat the immature “eggs,” describing them as radish-like or crunchy. In parts of Europe (e.g., Germany), they have been traditionally pickled or fried.

Mature stage: Once it erupts and develops its foul smell, it’s considered inedible by most due to taste and odour.

Magical Correspondences of Stinkhorn

Element: Earth (decay, fertility, grounding)

Planetary ties: Pluto (transformation, death-rebirth cycles), Venus/Mars (sexual energy, desire)

Associations: Fertility, virility, lust, sexuality Transformation, endings, and beginnings Shadow work, taboo-breaking, embracing the grotesque Spirit and fae communication (its smell draws liminal, trickster energies much like it draws flies)

Magical Uses

1. Fertility & Sexual Magic

The phallic form makes it a powerful charm for fertility rites. Dried pieces of the egg stage could be carried as an amulet for potency and sexual confidence. Some witches would bury its egg near crops or gardens as a fertility charm for the land.

2. Transformation & Death Work

Because it emerges from a hidden “egg” and bursts forth in a dramatic, short-lived display, it symbolizes rebirth through decay. It can be used in ancestor veneration, Samhain rituals, or death magic, as a reminder that life and death are entwined.

3. Shadow & Taboo Magic

Its grotesque smell and appearance make it ideal for working with taboos, fears, and shadow aspects of the self. Can be incorporated into spells for banishing shame or reclaiming sexuality.

4. Spirit & Trickster Work

Flies and carrion insects are drawn to it—creatures often associated with death, spirit messengers, and liminal spaces. A piece of stinkhorn (dried or symbolically represented) could be placed on an altar to attract fae, trickster spirits, or psychopomp allies.

Spell Ideas

Fertility Talisman: Carry the dried egg stage in a pouch with rose petals, nettle, and garnet.

Shadow Work Jar: Place a fragment with obsidian, ashes, and mugwort in a jar; meditate on what must decay in your life to allow rebirth.

Banishing Shame Ritual: Write what you feel shame about on paper, burn it, then scatter the ashes near where stinkhorn grows—offering it to decay and transmute.

Spirit Communication: Place near your ancestor altar with offerings of honey or wine to encourage “otherworldly messengers” to visit.

The white version is the same as the darker version, it’s just all the smelly slime that carries the spores has been washed away,

Even though this mushroom has some brilliant magickal correspondence I would still hesitate to use it unless absolutely necessary, the smell is enough to make even the hardiest stomach turn, I cannot imagine the car drive home with one of these in the boot!