What do witches have that makes them so appealing? Is it their wicked and devilish nature? Fear? Their wits and powers? Actually, all of the above. Just as it happens with vampires, werewolves, and many other folkloric creatures, the history of witches and their evolution from legend to pop culture is tainted with social fear of the unknown and power.
We love them in each of their different versions, from their evil nature in fairy tales, their classic, witchy looks and conniving schemes, like the Wicked Witch of the West, to their counterparts, good and powerful witches like Glinda. We love to see them immersed in our world and how they adapt their nature in real life. I mean Sabrina and Samantha; do I have to say more? And Hermione is for many of us our inspiration.
The thing with witches is that they project both fear and infatuation, and this obsession comes from censorship and moralistic beliefs. Yes, witches have been around in our collective imagination for centuries and centuries, but actually, this fervor and obsession are linked to American history, and yes, you guessed right, to the Salem trials. According to Michelle Dean in her article for The Guardian, with the first British expeditions to America, the prejudices and strict religious beliefs were multiplied. In Britain, King James I was extremely obsessed with witchcraft and had studied every single available text about them, but it was in 1692 (the year when the Salem trials began) that the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, William Phips, officially banned everything related to witches. Of course, the move was to hide what they were doing with young women, but this ban actually became the flame that kindled the obsession with these beings that still permeates today.
Unlike vampires, who have always been present in the collective imagination, the fervor for witches disappeared for a while, and it was until the early twentieth century that they reappeared with a completely new vision. With the first waves of feminism, a new conception of witches was added to the catalog. Now we could talk about good witches to which strong, powerful women could relate to without being persecuted. Of course, the image of the wicked and devilish witch was still around, but now their characters were way deeper than before. As Alex Miller explains, it was a humanization of women in fiction and in culture. So, if you want to explore more of their universe in literature, here are 6 books focused on witches and their different representations.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller (1953)
Of course, the list had to start with a story about the Salem trials, and who better than Arthur Miller, the ultimate American playwright, to tell that story? Miller uses real characters and real historical events to show the horrors provoked by mass hysteria. But beyond that, he uses the persecution theme to explore what America was living through at the moment: the persecution of Communists during the Cold War. You know what historians and culture experts say: each product reflects the reality of the moment when it was created.
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The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (2009)
A Harvard student is asked by her mother to take care of a sale at her grandmother’s house near Salem. Soon she’ll discover that her heritage can be traced back to the seventeenth century. Moreover, she soon will experience visions of what was like to be a woman at that time, all thanks to an old magical book.
–Burn Mark by Laura Powell (2012)
Forget about the Salem trials. This book shows us a new modern wave of witch persecution where women are again burned at the stake. Glory, the protagonist, comes from a family of witches and befriends the son of the Chief Prosecutor of the Inquisition. Not a great idea, right?
–Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough (2009)
Tamsin Green was born to be the most powerful witch of all her family. However, her magic and powers never appeared… until now. Together with her professor at the New York University, she sets up to find an old family heirloom that has been lost for about a century. This quest will show her true identity and will unleash the power that was once prophesied.
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The Witching Hour by Anne Rice (2004)
Set in the mysterious and magical New Orleans, Anne Rice shows us her love for the dark and occult powers. Rowan Mayfair, a neurosurgeon, has to travel to this city after her mother’s death. Soon, she’ll discover that she has powers she would’ve never imagined. Together with Michael Curry, she’ll try to find out where she comes from and her family history.
–If you ask, the enticing part of these characters is that they are complex and mysterious. Unlike women in previous centuries, witches represent independence and autonomy; their power isn’t really related to magic, but to their ability to live their lives outside the strict norms that have controlled their gender. So, yes, let’s wish witches stay in our culture forever.
***Sources:
The Guardian
The Feminist Feline
