The Female Witch: Friend or Foe?

Louise Amarel 24’ 

As Halloween approaches, we will once again encounter the female witch. She has returned, painted on pumpkins with her broomstick, brandished across webbed-decorations, or glaring beneath her tall, pointed hat in spirit halloween stores. Whether it was from fairy tales, movies, TV shows, or costumes, she is a character who we have all become familiar with. When she is not busy howling in laughter or being escorted by flying monkeys, she is hunched inside a candy-built cottage, hair covering all but her crooked nose as she sits in cannibalistic hunger. When she is not repulsive, she is seductive, brewing potions for her lovers and wielding magic at the twitch of a nose. And when she is none of these things, she is threatening, her voice untamed by the patriarchy, her wisdom claimed satanic; she is leading french armies, burned at the stake. The female witch is as metamorphous and mysterious as the black cat that sits atop her broomstick. Which begs the question: who is she really? 

The first is one we may not recognize from Disney movies, but rather, by her words: untethered and free. She is a woman powerful like all others, yet she is regarded as horrific and dangerous for exercising her freedom of speech. This negative image of her is a misogynistic and distorted one, and one that we have been exposed to many times, invariably wrapped in a meticulous bow tie of degradation. This came across in Massachusetts in 1692, during the Salem witch trials. It was at this time that mass hysteria and superstition flooded the town in the form of accusations, convictions, and executions based solely off unproved testimonies. Any strange behavior, seemingly satanic or calculated, gave reason for a single, deathly label; she is a witch, “an abject, psychopathic, demon from hell” who will destroy the planet. These are the words of radio host Alex Jones when he took to his website Infowars to rant on Hillary Clinton in 2016 saying: “she is a demon and she stinks and smells like sulfur.” Jones is just one of many members of today's society who have inherited the superstitions of previous generations; such superstitions have just evolved into more sober and oppressive tools. As a result of these inherited biases, those who merely refuse to conform to the patriarchal standards are condemned with demonization: She has unsettled the status quo, and for that, she is an old hag. She has spoken with intent of being heard as most men are, and for that, she “smells of sulfur.” Hillary Clinton is not alone -- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nancy Pelosi, Julie Gillard, and many more women face similar accusations. The woman who the patriarchy has labeled a witch was never actually wicked or green-skinned to her satanic core. She simply possessed an intellect and voice that, according to the misogynistic society, was seemingly too strong. Whenever a woman breaks from her mold of frailty, it is treated as if the devil is present. It is at this point that though the witch may finally be empowered, others begin dictating her morality, defining her by myth and perception in place of practice and craft. Firstly, it is important to understand that there are many different paths of witchcraft, all of which are  individually constructed and shaped by the witch herself. Paganism is an umbrella term encompassing all non-abrahamic originated ideologies, one of which being Wicca. This branch of craft holds a deep affinity for nature and of oneself. Although it’s differentiated from witchcraft and treated separately, the focus of spirituality instead of religion among Paganist subgenres serves as a consistent similarity. However, this spirituality has created a notion of the “black'' or “white” witch, both figuratively and literally as witches, Wiccans, and certain Neopagans are classified depending on their path of practice. Not only does this establish a binary of good and evil, but it also ignores the racist undertones of this division. What is known or recognized as black magic is often derived either from the Hoodoo practice, a form of African folk magic, or the untrue association with satanism. Even Sabbaths, celebrations Wiccans and Neopagans share, are defined as “supposed annual midnight meeting of witches with the Devil.” From this superstition, others continue trying to pin down the morality of the witch when a dictation of correctness had never been asked for. Her diversity is to be embraced as a symbol of her empowerment, not a tool of segregation. Her strength and magic is not black or white --it’s free. 

The witch has become the villain; she is imagined to have green skin, a pointy hat and a hunched back, all because the patriarchy called itself the hero. So instead, she turns to her tarot deck, to the moon, to her candle to revive her power and liberty that has been set ablaze and extinguished. Yet, the female witch remains unknown and paradoxical she cannot be defined. Her name is reclaimed not by the oppressive prejudices that others harbor toward her, but instead, by her ability to be entirely utterly herself, immersed in her journey of individual deliverance. Her independence in ideology is her divinity. Her absence in definition is her freedom. Because when she is not busy exploring her individualism, she’s leading a revolution -- cloak, crystals and all.