1. Danny Kaiser, Sam Baskin, and Adam Jiang present…

2.  Three main types:  15 th century witch hunt witches ▪ Salem Witch Trials, mass hysteria, accusations of black magic, witch burnings, perversion of paganism.  Classical pop-culture, green-skin/pointy hat witches ▪ Wizard of Oz, Disney witches, Brothers Grimm, Halloween costume.  Contemporary female role-model witches ▪ Hermione from Harry Potter, Sabrina the Teen Witch.

3.  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis  Chronicles of Narnia may have been written as an allegory to the Bible  Tip-offs: Magic, turning people to stone, mystical pagan-esque forest, Christian stone table (cross), Messiah, Messiah’s sacrifice.  It makes use of deeply ingrained cultural stigmas about witches and the contracts with the Devil to demonize the White Witch – drawing very clear parallels to the White Witch and the fallen angel.  In order to fully establish Aslan and his followers, who represent religion, as good, Lewis portrays their antagonist as the oldest enemy of religion: a witch.  The evil witch serves as the temptress to get man to commit sin (Edmund betraying his family), for which the Messiah must sacrifice his life to redeem.

4. Children’s movies and stories – Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Wizard of Oz, Hansel and Gretel (Brothers Grimm), Beliefs – black cat = bad luck, Halloween Literature – Macbeth, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Crucible, Harry Potter Music – Black Magic Woman by Santana, Witchcraft by Frank Sinatra Popular Culture – Monty Python, Sabrina The Teen Witch, Charmed, Wicked Videos of famous witches: Monty Python, Wizard of Oz, Witchcraft by Frank SinatraMonty PythonWizard of OzWitchcraft

5.  Throughout the ages, the idea of witchcraft has had many purposes. Historically, witchcraft has been used to explain natural phenomena, such as eclipses.  Beginning the Late Middle Ages (about 1450) until nearly 1800, many thousands of people were persecuted and killed as witches. This really was a Christian perversion of pagan beliefs as well as a method of reinforcing gender roles and an excuse for an inquisition to flush out the church.

6.  The green skin and the pointy hat that we know today really is a product of popular culture such as the Wizard of Oz. It is a way for making witches seem less real while still providing an explanation for the supernatural.  Today, a new witch archetype is beginning to emerge that celebrates feminine power and mystique.  Stories about witches will continue to be remembered and told because they help explain supernatural events and still instill strong emotions of curiosity and fear.

7. Pointy hats Green skin Warts Toads Woman (usually old/ a crone) “Strange” rituals Hooked nose Black cat Bats Broomsticks Magic/Sorcery Witch’s brew/Cauldron Evil intentions Spirits/Ghosts Cackle Dark hair Black clothing Pagan symbols (forests, animals)