The witch is one of the most popular characters of Halloween. She lives alone, practicing dark magic in the middle of the woods. Maybe she’s in a coven, chanting incantations with her sisters to curse the men who have wronged them. She snatches children up in the middle of the night, naked on her broomstick. She’s old, ugly, and green-skinned, but most importantly, she’s powerful.Â
Witches seem like a fun crowd to me. I’m an abrasive, cat-loving woman who generally avoids male company. I spend most of my time with my female friends. We sit together in our apartments, cursing the men who have wronged us. We don’t snatch any children up in the middle of the night, but we do drive my 2018 Acura MDX to Insomnia Cookies in the middle of the night, cackling all the way.Â
That’s the point: there’s a witch in every woman.Â
The witch has a long history, one indisputably intertwined with misogyny and religious persecution. She was once a symbol of feminine, communal power and reverence for nature, but was turned into a monster.
The earliest representations of witches primarily date back to Medieval Europe. There was a widespread fear of them, believed to have sexual relations with the devil and the ability to seduce and trick men. She was the embodiment of temptation.
Much of the behavior of stereotypical witches is derived from the “wise women” of early Europe. Midwives and healers were accused of being witches as Europe shifted from traditional folk medicine to professional medicine, which only men were permitted to practice. These women were often unmarried or widows, easily targeted by the government and Church.Â
The witch trials spanned roughly from the 15th to 18th centuries. Those accused of being witches were tortured until they “confessed,” after which they were subsequently executed for their perceived crimes. Around 30,000 to 60,000 people were executed during the main period of witch persecution. About 85 to 90% of those killed were women.Â
Even today, the character of the witch persists. In “The Wizard of Oz” and later “Wicked,” the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, matches the exact description of the traditional witch: green, in her conical hat and gown. She’s the perfect opposite to the sweet, beautiful, and blonde Glinda. “Wicked” is, of course, a sympathetic retelling of her character, perhaps an indication of how our culture has come to respect these women — at least a bit more.Â
“Hocus Pocus” features three evil witches as they torment a town and suck the life force out of children. “The Craft” follows four high school girls as they are corrupted by dark magic. In “Practical Magic,” a curse dooms every man that an Owens woman loves. While society is beginning to trend towards a positive representation of witches, there’s certainly still an undertone of fear and resentment.
The witch is a threat to the patriarchy. She has power and knows it, both in her literal magic as well as the strength she finds in her community of fellow women. She’s independent and happy about it.Â
Maybe it’s good to cultivate a little bit of magic in your everyday life. So this year, I’ll be brewing tea and whispering affirmations in the mirror. In the great words of Sally Owens from “Practical Magic,” “always throw spilt salt over your left shoulder, keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant lavender for luck, and fall in love whenever you can.”