Witch woman hide in shadows. Man in robes say witch bad. No question wise men.
Think of witches. They are evil. They steal life away, mix up potions made of bones and toads. They fly on their wicked broomsticks and have big noses.
They will stalk you at night. They will haunt your dreams. They dress all black and never like to be seen.
There were thousands upon thousands, an epidemic of witches swarmed the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
To neutralize these allies of the devil, many witch hunts once took place, estimating the total number of witches killed in the millions.
With all these witches, they must have been very frightening times to live in… or were they?
Who exactly were all these wicked witches?
To understand this question, let’s see what it took to become a witch according to The Malleus Maleficarum, the go-to witch hunter guide.
- “Including the minds of men to inordinate passion” Witches were believed to influence men’s thoughts, leading them into uncontrollable or sinful desires, usually sexual in nature.
- “Obstructing their generative force” Witches could magically cause impotence or infertility, preventing men from procreating.
- “Removing the members of accommodated to that act” Witches were believed to have the power to harm or magically remove the sexual organs, again impairing sexual function and reproduction.
- “Changing men into beasts by their magic act” This refers to the belief that witches could transform men into animals and bring out the wild in them.
- “Destroying the generative force in women” Witches were also believed to be able to cause infertility in women, preventing them from being able to conceive.
- “Producing abortion” This reflects the fear that witches could cause miscarriages or induce abortion through magical means, which was considered one of their most sinister acts.
- “Offering children to the devils” Witches were thought to sacrifice children to demons or the devil, often using these rituals for their own dark powers.
And if those statements weren’t enough to make us reflect on who these women actually were, surely this paragraph in the book is.
“…by witches we understand not only those which kill and torment, but all Diviners, Charmers, Jugglers and Wizards, commonly called wise men and wise women…and in the same number we reckon all good witches, which do no hurt but good, which do not spoil and destroy, but save and deliver…It were a thousand times better for the land if all witches, but especially the blessing witch, might suffer death…“
Yeah, sure, let’s blame the lady with the herbs. Because, you know, fixing headaches is obviously witchcraft… Makes total sense.
Nothing screams ‘evil’ like helping someone cure the flu with a cup of tea and a few weird leaves.
Women were witches for healing (saving, delivering) and turning men bad. But how on Earth can a woman turn a man bad?
It’s the perfect excuse for the people from those centuries to refuge their actions with the argument of being “forced” by these saving and healing wise women…
But why did these women heal? Compassion. These women helped minister the poor. Peasants in those days couldn’t afford to pay a doctor. Doctors charged a lot of money.
Sick peasants used to cry for help during Mass. To this, the clergy would explain that God had punished them for their sins, insisting the peasants thank God for they would suffer much less in the next life to come.
Even middle and upper-class individuals turned to witches for healing when the doctors failed to.
People fear witches but then turn to them when sickness comes. Maybe witches weren’t so bad after all.
Where did the witch powers come from?
Depending on who you ask you might find one answer or another.
As the beloved sons of Pope Innocent VIII put it in the Malleus Maleficarum,
“…All witchcraft comes from carnal lust, which in women is insatiable… Wherefore for the sake of fulfilling their lusts they consort with devils… it is sufficiently clear that it is no matter for wonder that there are more women than men found infected with the heresy of witchcraft… And blessed be the Highest Who has so far preserved the male sex from so great a crime…“
Their healing knowledge really came from trial and error in treating sick peasants. Witches eventually perfected their skills and became healers who would advocate for the poor.
This did not satisfy all the power-hungry clergy and upper class of the time. So what did witches get in exchange for their healing? A witch hunt. Death by fire.
Ah, yes, classic strategy: ‘Hey, thanks for saving my life, now please enjoy your complimentary stake burning!
I love witches and you should too!
Paracelsus is sometimes considered to be the father of modern pharmacology. He once said, after burning all his textbooks, that he had learned everything he knew from the Sorceress.
Throughout history, people have believed in the atrocities witches did while some have also been skeptical.
Many important figures later recognized the ignorance of the people believing witches were evil. Francisco de Goya depicted many witches in his art as a form of criticism and satire towards society’s ignorance and superstitions. Two of them I have included in this post.
The sad irony for me is that even though witches were such good healers, passing on knowledge from generation to generation, they were persecuted instead of appraised. Never to be recognized.
I recently searched my medicine history textbooks and found no information at all on witches.
It makes sense because, after all, degrees in medicine throughout history have been funded by religion. The Inquisition was not ready to let anyone interfere with their power and control over the poor.
In my opinion, it’s about time we start recognizing the real roles witches had and be thankful for the advances in medicine that were to come because of them.
I would certainly be happy to think I might have some of their magical healing powers in me.
If you’re interested in reading more, I recommend the book Witches Midwives & Nurses: A History of Women Healers by Barbara Ehrenreich & Deirdre English