On Sunday, we talked about witches, or more specifically, beliefs about witches across thousands of years. This was one of those sermons where the information far outpaced the limited time of a service. Since I received so many interesting comments and questions afterwards, I thought I’d share more for those who are intrigued with this topic.

It’s a fascinating subject, and frustrating, as witch scares often served as a way of stripping rights from women, as written about by Matilda Joslyn Gage, a first-wave feminist. (She was also the mother-in-law and influencer of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard Oz, who is widely credited as being the first author to imagine a “good witch.”)

In his book The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present, historian Ronald Hutton writes that the word “witch” generally falls into four different definitions: one who does harm to others through magic, anyone who uses magic for either beneficial or negative outcomes, those who practice a form of nature-based pagan spirituality, and “or as a symbol of independent female authority and resistance to male domination.” I gave examples of each but because of tech issues, couldn’t share about the latter. There are many examples (heck, I get called it regularly on social media) but women politicians seem to especially attract this label, as was the case with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel of whom a political operative said “… Our job now is to soften up those three witches and make sure that when we have good candidates to run against them, that they are ready for the — for the burning at the stake.”

Our own images of “the witch” have been influenced in so many ways, and often, through incorrect information. Sunday morning before the service, I had a conversation with Rabbi Reice about the famous line from the Hebrew Bible, “suffer not a witch to live.” Turns out, the word interpreted as witch, mekhashepa, does not have a clear definition, other than to imply someone female who does magic.

The reasons for the witch scares are many, but when looked at worldwide and across the thousands of years, one pattern shows up repeatedly. As Hutton writes,

“Suspicion of witchcraft has generally been one consequence of unmet social obligations. The circumstances under which that suspicion arises tend everywhere to be those of regular, close and informal relationships, especially those in confined and intense environments where it is difficult to express animosities in open quarrelling and fighting.”

Another great reason to work on healthy community and conflict practices!

If you’re interested in learning more about witches, here are some sources you may be interested in reading:

The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present, Ronald Hutton
The Witches: Salem, 1692 Stacy Schiff
TAMUC History Professor Busts Myths About The Salem Witch Trials
King James I and the Macbeth Witches

Happy Halloween!