The major guiding theme of Spells for Forgetting is the various family legacies that each of the central characters manages throughout the story, both as a source of strength and as a burden. This duality of legacy reflects the characters’ internal struggles between embracing and resisting their inherited roles. One example of ancestral heritage presented in a positive light is the magic passed through the Saoirse Island women. Emery is introduced to her family’s magic from an early age, studying spell craft with her grandmother and Lily. The magic is both sacred and mundane, deeply woven into everyday life, illustrating how traditions can be cherished and normalized simultaneously. The heart of this ancestral heritage is embodied in the Blackwood book of spells, a physical manifestation of the voices of all the Blackwood women who have gone before, emphasizing the continuity of their power across generations. Albertine’s commitment to protecting her ancestral legacy is evident when she binds Leoda’s power, ensuring that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Albertine’s act of binding demonstrates how heritage can be preserved through sacrifice and protection.

August’s connection to his ancestral heritage is more complex, as it is forced upon him, highlighting the tension between inheritance and autonomy.