A witch is a supernatural malignant being, usually female, who practices dark arts known as witchcraft and torments communities by casting spells and placing curses on anyone who is misfortunate enough to come into contact with them.
Some witches are thought to use their supernatural powers for good, but generally, throughout history, they are believed to be in league with the devil. They are usually not considered to be demons themselves but rather women who have forged a pact with Satan.
For thousands of years, malevolent women practicing dark magic have been a feature in societies across the globe. This article will focus on the folklore that emerged in Europe and then spread to the Americas.
The idea of a witch is likely incredibly old and dates to at least 800 years before Christianity. The Greek epic The Odyssey, written by Homer c. 800 BC, features a woman known as Circe, a witch who would turn men into pigs. The idea of witches turning people into animals is a common trope that survives today. The ancient Romans were very wary of witchcraft, and their law statutes heavily legislated against practicing sorcery. Many of these laws continued after the Empire adopted Christianity.
A witch featured in the Hebrew Bible (or the Christian Old Testament); in the First Book of Samuel, King Saul of Israel traveled to see the Witch of Endor. Saul consulted the witch and her familiar in the hope of finding aid in his battle with the Philistines. Here, we see the possible origin of a witch’s familiar, a small animal that aids the witch in her nefarious activities; in the West, this is usually a black cat, but it can be any kind of creature, even a house fly.
Traditional description of a haggard old witch
When most people think of a witch, they picture an ugly, haggard older woman with a hooked nose and grey or green skin covered in disgusting moles. She is dressed in a black cloak with a black pointed hat, flying on a broomstick or stirring up a potion in a large cauldron. This is the common image that was popularized globally by the representation of the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz.
However, this image of an old haggard crone as a witch wasn’t just an invention of Hollywood; it goes back, at least, to the Middle Ages. Medieval German painter and printmaker Albrecht Dürer is considered influential in spreading this image through an engraving he created around 1500 AD. The artwork, titled Witch Riding Backwards on a Goat, features a disheveled, hideous, and naked old woman clutching a broomstick as she rides a horned goat while casting evil spells.
Dürer, however, created a second engraving titled The Four Witches, which portrays a very different image of witches. In this piece, the four women are attractive, young, and nubile, which also establishes another image trope that witches can be seductive and sexy, tempting men into sin.
Professor Diane Purkiss, an English expert on witches, theorizes that a peculiar mythical figure from the western Alps may contributed to our image of a witch. A magical female known as Bertha or Perchta, or Befuna traveled this region, punishing social disobedience and rewarding goodness. This figure was always portrayed as an old haggard crone.
Fear of witchcraft led to witch hunts and trials
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Europe and the American colonies were convulsed with fear over a rise in witches and witchcraft. This period saw an increase in witch hunts and trials that led to the persecution of thousands. At this time, Europe had experienced the reformation and counter-reformation, which led to religious wars and the Thirty Years War. The continent was ravaged by poverty, deprivation, and famine and saw many social changes and upheaval.
These are thought to be reasons why many people sought out scapegoats for their problems and decided that witches were the problem. Artist and writer Deanna Petherbridge pointed out, “Even King James in his text Daemonologie [1597] was asking: why was there such a proliferation of witches? Everybody assumed it was because the world had got so foul that it was coming to an end.”
In America, the most famous example of a witch hunt is the Salem Witch trials of 1692. In 1692, the town of Salem, Massachusetts, was convulsed in a period of accusations, denunciations, and trials that led to 200 people charged with witchcraft and 20 executed.
The accusations began after two small children started having “fits,” and a doctor blamed their condition on witchcraft. A homeless beggar, a slave woman, and an impoverished elderly woman were accused of cursing the children. Soon, the accusations escalated out of control.
In modern times, experts suspect the witchhunt was driven by paranoia and tension caused by a strain on the area’s resources due to the arrival of refugees from upstate New York, Nova Scotia, and Quebec who were fleeing war between England and France. Xenophobia, prejudice, misogyny, and simply the wish to blame others for misfortune can often be blamed for accusations of witchcraft.
How to protect yourself from a witch
In the 12th to 14 centuries, the church authorities became particularly concerned about the prevalence of wet dreams amongst monks within Europe’s largest monasteries. After many monks reported the problem was caused by them being pressed or sat on by a mysterious human female figure at night, the church concluded that the brothers were being attacked by witches. The authorities feared that the witches were stealing the monks’s semen in order to create demonic offspring.
So, what is the best way to defend yourself from a sperm-stealing witch? According to Purkiss in HeritageEngland.com, it’s relatively simple to protect yourself. If you suspect anyone of being a witch, then don’t let them have the last word; anything they say to you must be thrown back at them. Do not accept gifts or anything from a witch especially food.
Finally, don’t let a witch into your house. Thankfully, you can keep them out using a witch mark, which Purkiss describes as ancient boundary spells. You can put an M on your door, which stands for the Virgin Mary, or you could draw a spiral that confuses the evil entity.
Witch portrayals on TV and in Movies are highly popular
Popular culture’s view of the witch seems to evolve and change with current fashions. The witches from Narnia, The Wizard of Oz, and Roald Dahl’s The Witches were hideous and evil old crones. However, from the late 20th century, that image began to change, portraying witches as good, confident, and attractive.
Shows like Charmed, Sabrina, The Vampire Diaries, and The Witches of Eastwick all focused on this latter more positive image of witches.
References
Britannica.com, “Witchcraft,” accessed November 13, 2024.
Blumberg, Jess. “A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials,” in Smithsonianmag.com, accessed November 16, 2024.
Merriam-Webster.com, “Witch,” accessed November 13, 2024.
Purkiss, Diane. “A Journey into Witchcraft Beliefs,” in English-Heritage.org.uk, accessed November 13, 2024.
Sooke, Alastair. “Where do witches come from?” in BBC.com, accessed November 13, 2024.
Vulture.com, “Why the Witch Is the Pop-Culture Heroine We Need Right Now,” accessed November 13, 2024.