Witches remain one of the go-to costumes for Halloween. Pop culture superstars like this year’s favorite Barbie occasionally rule the roost, but they lack the staying power of vampires, ghosts, ghouls, and witches. While these enduring costumes have also enjoyed brief fad status through movies, books, and TV shows, they also have deep roots in many cultures.
Brief History
Stories of witches as practitioners of witchcraft reach back thousands of years. For most of that time witchcraft was defined as using supernatural powers or magic to hurt others. By casting spells and incantations, brewing potions, or creating images of their victims, witches cursed and hexed them with bad luck, bodily harm, or even death. Many believed that the witches inherited their powers. Other sources included initiation rituals and communing with evil spirits or powers.
Laws & Penalties
Laws against witchcraft date back to ancient Egypt. The Code of Hammurabi (18th Century BC) includes a method to determine if a spell was wrongly cast on someone and sets the death penalty for doing so. The process involved dunking the victim in holy water, which is surprisingly familiar to Monty Python fans. The Old Testament lists prohibitions and penalties. Deuteronomy describes the forbidden acts. Exodus 22:18 states “thou shall not suffer the witch to live.” Both sections appear in versions of the Christian Bible as part of the Old Testament.
Witch-hunts
Witches were certainly persecuted throughout history. The last intense period in Europe and Colonial America occurred from the mid-15th century to the mid-18th century. In addition to the Renaissance explosion of art and science, this period also included religious persecution and warfare. One aspect of those upheavals was the proliferation of witch hunts. Thousands of people, mostly women, were charged with religious heresy for using witchcraft. The initial witch-hunts may have focused on religious heresy, but they evolved into convenient ways to scapegoat troubles, e.g., failed crops, or to eliminate political and economic adversaries.
Trials
Regardless of the basis for the charges, trials were held. Most of the evidence presented focused on spectral events. The famous Salem witch trials included witch cakes, a mixture of rye and urine from the afflicted girls. Those found guilty were put to death. The most common method was burning at the stake, but other methods included stoning and hanging. Giles Corey refused to enter a plea. The attempt to extract his guilty plea by stacking heavy stones on his chest failed. So technically, he wasn’t a convicted of witchcraft, but he still died.
The persecution of witches in the late middle ages brings us to our map courtesy of MapPorn via Reddit. It provides an estimate of witch executions using modern national boundaries.
As always thanks for reading.
Armen
Note to Pay the Bills: The Celtic origins of Halloween, costumes, and witchcraft play important roles in Penny Preston & the Raven’s Talisman. If you’ve ever wondered how to mix theoretical physics and Welsh mythology in a YA fantasty story, you can learn more here or find links to purchase books here.
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