At first glance, the image left us completely puzzled. It looked like nothing more than an ordinary, Y-shaped tree branch—something you might find lying on the ground during a walk in the woods. Around the office, everyone had a different guess. Was it a tool? A decoration? A piece of firewood shaped in a curious way? For an entire day, we debated its purpose without reaching a clear answer.

The truth, when we finally discovered it, was far more fascinating than any of our guesses. This simple branch was once used in a centuries-old practice known as water dowsing. Dating back to the 1500s, water dowsing was believed to help people locate underground water sources, long before modern technology made such tasks easier.

The Y-shaped branch, often called a divining rod, doodlebug, well witch, or water-finder, was held with one end in each hand, palms facing upward. The bottom of the “Y” pointed forward and slightly downward. As the person walked slowly across the land, they would watch for the branch to dip or twist. According to tradition, this movement indicated the presence of water beneath the ground.

Although many now consider water dowsing more of a folk belief than a scientific method, it played an important role in rural communities. Drilling a well in the wrong location could be expensive and time-consuming, so people relied on dowsers in hopes of improving their chances of success.

Modern science later showed that groundwater is widespread beneath the Earth’s surface, reducing the need for such techniques. Still, the practice remains an intriguing part of history—and a reminder of how people once relied on intuition and tradition to solve everyday problems.