Witches

facts about

By Laura Collins
October 20, 2020
elvis, halloween, mythology, sabrina the teenage witch, salem, witch

Double double, toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Witches (and wizards) wield magic with a wave of a wand, a wiggle of a nose and the snap of a finger. Whether they are from Oz, Camelot, the Discworld — or the most magical land of all, Scotland — witches and wizards have made us spell-bound.

Be like a black cat and make yourself familiar to these witch facts.

‎Legends and lore relating to witchcraft can be found all over the world. Depending on the culture, witchcraft might be feared, respected or a mixture of the two.
Hecate is the Greek goddess of witchcraft. She’s also the goddess of crossroads, ghosts and boundaries.
Baba Yaga is one of the most famous figures of Slavic folklore. Depending on the story, Baba Yaga can either be a fierce foe or a benevolent buddy. She’s portrayed as an old woman, who travels in a mortar wielding a pestle (tools for grinding herbs, spices and more). She also lives in a house deep in the forest that stands on chicken legs.
‎In Latin America, the practice of witchcraft is called brujería. A bruja is a female witch, while a brujo is a male witch.
‎During the witch trials, it wasn’t just women who were accused of being witches. Men were also accused of witchcraft.
Joan of Arc, the French teenage girl who led armies into battle, was burnt at the stake as an accused witch. However, most accused witches were not burnt at the stake.
‎It’s largely speculated that the standard black dress, pointed hats, cauldrons and broomsticks of witches are based off the wardrobe and tools of alewives. Alewives were women who brewed beer, and becoming an alewife was a way for non-married women to support themselves financially. For thousands of years, people of all ages drank beer, as it was safer to drink than regular water. This is because the fermentation of the yeast destroyed the harmful bacteria in water. Cauldrons were used for the brewing process, and alewives would hang brooms above their doors to advertise that she sold beer.
The enchantress Morgan le Fay is one of the most iconic and complicated witches of legend. Originating in Arthurian legend, Morgan is portrayed as having both the potential for good and evil. In some instances, such as in the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborn, Morgan le Fay is a kind and wise teacher. In other instances, such as in comics produced by Marvel and DC, Morgan le Fay is a magic-wielding supervillain.
‎One of the first ballets, the 1581 Ballet Comique de la Reine, was inspired by Circe, an enchantress from Greek mythology.
While Halloween is the witchy holiday in America, Easter is when you are most likely to see a witch in Sweden. In Swedish folklore, witches fly to the island of Blåkulla to feast with the devil on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter Sunday). On Maundy Thursday, Swedish children dress like witches and go door-to-door with copper kettles, asking for treats and spreading Easter greetings. Vintage Swedish Easter cards also depicted witches.
Black cats are often associated with witches. Some legends say that witches could turn into black cats, while others say that black cats are a witch’s familiar — an animal that is a supernatural being. Due to this association, black cats have been targeted and seen as unlucky. However, there is also folklore that says that if a single white hair can be found on a black cat, then that cat has no association with witches or magic.
In the live-action Sabrina the Teenage Witch show, four different cats portrayed Salem: Elvis, Lucy, Salem and Witch. The real cats were only used in scenes where Salem was seen moving. The scenes with Salem sitting still and talking used animatronic puppets that looked so realistic that the cast and crew often pet the puppets before realizing that they were not the real cats.