The Influence of Witchcraft on Feminism
The witch-hunt that blazed a trail across Europe (and indeed the world) over the 15th to 18th centuries stripped women of much of the power they had historically held. Not 100% of all accused Witches were female but 75% to 90% of accused witches in Europe were in fact women (Levack, 1987, p.124).
Prior to the 15th century, rural European women were highly revered and respected pillars of rural community life. Women were not only considered as mothers and wives, but also as community leaders, physicians, and sources of strength and wisdom. They worked side by side with men toward the common goal of community growth and improvement. Though they were not seen as identical to men in the roles they played, they were considered men's equals. The roles of women were different but equally important and respected as those of men.
Women had a special and imperative role in rural life. In this era, women who grew old or were unmarried were not considered marginal members of society who had outlived, or thrown away there childbearing years. Many of these old unmarried women were well respected as the village healers and wise women. The word "hag" comes from these wise and ancient women. The word "hag" in our language today implies a derogatory term directed toward older women. The original meaning of the word was "women with sacred knowledge". These old women would possess the wisdom of the ages and pass it on to others (Armstrong & Pettigrew, 1990)
One may almost say that these women lived in a naturally occurring social feminist utopia. These women were not strictly speaking feminists, because there was no bias for or against men or women within the rural community and with out repr...
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Although witch trials were not uncommon in Puritanical New England, none had reached such epidemic proportions as Salem. In 1691 the mass hysteria began when several young girls dabbled in witchcraft and began acting strange. When villagers took notice the girls were seriously questioned and so they began naming people, mainly woman, who had supposedly bewitched them (Boyer, p66). Several other who had been accused were woman displayed ‘unfeminine’ behavior and those who
Understanding the scope and context of witchcraft is key to deciphering the subject. Margaret Alice Murray’s understanding of witchcraft, evident through her books The Witch-Cult in Western Europe, and The God of the Witches, increased public interest in witchcraft. However, it was almost immediately denounced by professionals in the field, and has been discredited many times since. Cathrine Noble completely dissects Margret Murray’s hypothesis in her article “From Fact to Fallacy: The Evolution of Margaret Alice Murray’s Witch-Cult,” however she does not completely discredit her work. Noble gives credit to Murray in that she increased the awareness and popularity of witchcraft. Nonetheless, most of Murray’s ideals are flawed on the basic principle of her generalization. Noble is able to pinpoint Murray’s inconsistencies through other
10. Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Spenger, “The Malleus Maleficarum,” in Witchcraft in Europe 1100-1700, Alan Kors and Edward Peters (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1972), 132.
The Malleus Maleficarum, Latin for “The Hammer of Witches”, is one of the most famous medieval treatises on witches. It was written and first published in Germany 1486, by writers Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Springer. Its purpose was to counteract all arguments of witchcraft and to tell people how to identify, interrogate and convict witches (The Malleus Maleficarum). The change of view the Malleus Maleficarum gave led to an aggressive and gruesome acts, that ended in the deaths of hundreds of people assumed of the religion of witchcraft, which was illegal in that time (Malleus Maleficarum).
During this time period, German territories were divided between (relatively new) Protestants and the Roman Catholic Church. Each one vied for eagerly for the souls of the populace and each one had its own perceptions of witchcraft. Despite their differences, there overall stance towards witchcraft was similar, both taking cues from Kramer’s work, (Roper, 2004, p.
The book begins with a brief history of the colonial witchcraft. Each Chapter is structured with an orientation, presentation of evidence, and her conclusion. A good example of her structure is in chapter two on the demographics of witchcraft; here she summarizes the importance of age and marital status in witchcraft accusations. Following this she provides a good transition into chapter three in the final sentence of chapter two, “A closer look of the material conditions and behavior of acc...
What do you think when someone calls someone a witch? What comes to mind? Do you think of the movie, ‘Hocus Pocus’ or do you think of the black pointed hats and the long black, slit ended dresses? What about witchcraft? Does the term “Devil worshiper” ever cross your mind? Do you think of potions and spells? For many, many generations, we have underestimated what the true meaning of a witch and what witchcraft really is. What is the history that hides behind it? Witches and witchcraft have been in our history since the ancient times. There is a little bit more than the ghost stories told on Halloween, the movies shown on TV and dressing up on Halloween.
Lehmann A. C. & Myers J. E. Magic, Witchcraft and Religion – An anthropological Study of the Supernatural (Fourth Edition) (Mayfield Publishing Company, 1997)
In early modern Europe, “witch” could be used to describe anyone who the community or church deemed to be “deviant.” Accusations of witchcraft often resulted from attempts to explain economic, political, and religious upheavals in addition to conflicting expectations between neighbors regarding how their community should function (Anderson 175, DeWindt 433). Although there are some regions and trials where men played a more predominate role, in Europe and North America during the 16th and 17th centuries, women constituted an overwhelming 80% of those who were tried for witchcraft (Crawford 181). Women were more likely to be labeled “witch” than men because they were considered more susceptible to malevolent forces and because the deviant