Supernatural Intervention In Literature

In or throughout literature the definition of a witch changes vastly. It varies from meaning a woman displaying the devils power, with the sole intent to wreak havoc, as outlined in Malleus Maleficarum, to any being who practices magic for any purpose, as Meagan Bolds explains in Witches, Not What You’d Expect. Defining a witch is similar to assembling a mosaic, with pieces from many different sources all coming together to form one bigger picture. A witch is a combination of many different things, both with pre-modern, and modern roots. A witch is any person, male or female, who practices magic in any capacity, whether religious or not, and relies on supernatural intervention. In Status of Witchcraft in the Modern World, Hutton explains

Supernatural intervention has roots in religion, especially with prayer and the request for help of some kind from a deity. (Hutton 125) Witches on the other hand, differ slightly from the common practice of prayer. A witch is able to actively manipulate and control the supernatural in order to coerce a certain outcome. (Hutton 125) This is achieved by the use of spells and rituals. In Witches, Not What You’d Expect, Bolds explains that rituals can be conducted in many different forms. From robes, to casual clothing, rituals can be conducted in virtually anything. (Bolds Line 12) The reliance on supernatural intervention is a key part of my claim, as it specifies a characteristic that is a part of a broader definition of a

(Bolds Line 4) This is especially important when considering the pre-modern definition of a witch. In pre-modern times, a witch was defined as a woman that practiced dark magic in order to advance the agenda of the devil. A man was not ever considered to be a witch, as men were not seen to be easily manipulated by the devil. (Kramer and Sprenger 13) This offers validity to my claim that a male of female can both be witches in some capacity. While pre-modern texts seem to claim that witches are always evil, modern texts offer a different possibility. Modern texts such as The Status of Witchcraft in the Modern World, and Witches, Not What You’d Expect, claim that witches aren’t always in it for personal gain, or even for the wrong reasons. Some may choose witchcraft to form a deeper connection with the world around them, while others may practice it as a religion such as Wicca. This is important in relation to my definition due to the claim that not all witches are trying to carry out evil at the hands of the