Episode Summary: "The Witch" on Not Just the Tudors

Podcast Information:

• Title: Not Just the Tudors
• Host: Professor Suzannah Lipscomb
• Episode: The Witch
• Release Date: November 7, 2024
• Description: Professor Suzannah Lipscomb delves into the multifaceted history of witches, exploring global parallels and the intense witch trials of 16th and 17th century Europe with expert historian Professor Ronald Hutton.

Introduction

In the episode titled "The Witch," Professor Suzannah Lipscomb engages in a profound discussion with Professor Ronald Hutton, a renowned historian specializing in British folklore, modern paganism, druidry, shamanism, and witchcraft. The conversation seeks to unravel the complex figure of the witch in early modern Europe by examining anthropological insights, historical contexts, and regional variations.

Defining the Witch

The conversation begins with establishing a clear definition of what constitutes a witch:

Professor Ronald Hutton explains, "The problem with that is that there are four different definitions of a witch circulating in the world today and they're all equally valid" (03:48).

He categorizes witches into four definitions:

1. Malevolent Magic Users: Individuals who use magic to harm others.
2. Neutral Magic Users: Those who use magic for any purpose, including healing, often termed as "white witches" or "good witches."
3. Feminist Symbols: Witches represented as feisty women persecuted to suppress women’s roles.
4. Pagan Practitioners: Witches as followers of a surviving pagan religion focused on feminism and nature worship.

The first definition, viewing witches as harmers through magic, is most pertinent to the historical witch trials.

Understanding Magic in Witchcraft

Professor Hutton defines magic to clarify its role in witchcraft narratives:

"Magic is the believed art or craft of particular humans to manipulate arcane, superhuman forces in order to achieve physical change" (05:12).

This definition underscores the perception of magic as an attempt to control unseen forces, which is central to the fear surrounding witches.

Anthropological Insights on Witchcraft

Turning to anthropology, Professor Hutton draws parallels across different cultures to identify universal characteristics of witches:

1. Manipulation of Magic to Harm Others: A consistent trait where witches are seen as malevolent.
2. Community Members: Witches are typically part of the community rather than external antagonists.
3. Secrecy: They operate in secrecy while maintaining a facade of normalcy.
4. Tradition-Based Practices: Witchcraft is often passed down through families or learned traditions.
5. Methods of Resistance: Societies believe witches can be countered by recalling spells, bribing, or physical elimination.

These traits highlight a recurrent theme of fear and distrust within communities towards certain individuals perceived as threats.

Historical Transmission of Witch Beliefs

Professor Hutton discusses the continuous transmission of witchcraft ideas from ancient civilizations to early modern Europe:

"The Egyptians believed that magic is a neutral force through the universe... This basic belief that magic is okay was enshrined in quite elaborate books in ancient Egypt, which then got transmitted through the medieval world" (08:24).

He emphasizes that while ancient Egyptians viewed magic as a positive force, this perception transformed over time under the influence of dominant religions like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, which eventually outlawed such practices.

Christianity's Role and Hostility Towards Magic

Exploring Christianity’s stance on magic, Professor Hutton explains:

"Christianity is always hostile towards magic in the sense they believe that since there's an all-powerful God in charge of it thing, people who try and manipulate magical power are breaking the rules" (10:38).

Initially, Christianity did not aggressively persecute witches, maintaining a level of tolerance. However, around the early 15th century, a shift occurred:

"A new idea begins to get a grip on European intellectuals and leaders. That there is a satanic conspiracy in which God has licensed the devil to grant evil human beings real magical powers" (13:13).

This belief system fueled the intensified witch hunts that spread across Europe in the mid-16th century.

The Rise of Witch Trials in Early Modern Europe

The convergence of religious turmoil and climatic hardships contributed to the peak of witch trials:

"About 80% of the people executed for witchcraft in late medieval, early modern Europe die in that one 80-year period" (27:17).

Factors influencing this surge included:

• The Protestant Reformation's fragmentation of Christianity.
• Climatic changes leading to harsher living conditions.
• Ottoman expansion threatening European borders.
• Apocalyptic fears prompting societal purges.

The Myth of Witches as Pagan Survivors

Addressing the notion that witches were adherents of a surviving pagan religion, Professor Hutton clarifies:

"The idea itself is wrong, but we can glean some good things from it" (13:40).

He traces the origin of this belief to the 18th-century Enlightenment and its subsequent romanticization by figures like Margaret Murray. However, historical research in the 1970s and 1980s debunked this myth, revealing that persecuted witches were not practitioners of paganism but victims of societal fears.

Ancient Traditions Influencing Witchcraft Concepts

Professor Hutton identifies three ancient elements shaping the witch archetype:

1. Evil Spellcasters: Inspired by Near Eastern beliefs where witches make deals with demons (16:55).
2. Conspiratorial Nature: Originating from Roman practices of large-scale witch hunts (16:55).
3. Nighttime Malevolent Activities: German folklore of witches engaging in nocturnal harm, influencing the common image of witches (16:55).

These ancient traditions provided a foundation that evolved into the witchcraft fears of early modern Europe.

Medieval Tolerance and Witch Perception

Contrary to popular belief, Medieval Europe exhibited relative tolerance towards witches until around 1400:

"Relative tolerance up to about 1400 on the whole" (18:45).

The Church often intervened to protect alleged witches, recognizing the injustice and irrationality of witch hunts. For instance, in Germany, monks would honor the remains of wrongly accused women, highlighting the Church's stance against popular bigotry.

Regional Variations in Witch Hunts

Professor Hutton explores diverse regional witchcraft beliefs and practices:

The Belladante in Italy

• Origin: Northeastern Italy, influenced by regional beliefs in dream warriors combating evil.
• Characteristics: Individuals believed their souls fought witches in dreams (29:14).
• Comparison: Similar to Siberian shamanism but distinct in practice and belief.

Finnmark Witch Hunt in Norway

• Factors: Harsh coastal environments where misfortunes like lost fishing boats were blamed on witches.
• Demographics: Predominantly men were accused, contrasting with the Western European stereotype of female witches (32:38).

Russian Witchcraft

• Unique Aspect: Primarily male witches due to Eastern Orthodox Christianity and traditional magic practices.
• Contrast: Less influenced by the Western satanic witch archetype, leading to fewer large-scale hunts (36:33).

The English Witch-Familiar Phenomenon

A distinctive feature of English witchcraft is the belief in familiars—demonic animals associated with witches:

"They take the form mostly of household pets, which enables them to get everywhere unobserved and work evil magic" (41:50).

This phenomenon lacks parallels in continental Europe and remains an area requiring further research to understand its unique development in English folklore.

Witchcraft vs. Magic in 16th-17th Century England

The distinction between magic and witchcraft in England was significant:

"There's a big distinction between learned magicians... and ordinary criminals who make pacts with the devil" (39:54).

• Learned Magicians: Viewed as respectable, attempting to control rather than submit to demonic forces.
• Ordinary Witches: Perceived as individuals who ally directly with the devil to cause harm.

This differentiation influenced the severity and type of persecution each group faced.

Conclusion

The episode "The Witch" provides a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted concept of witchcraft, debunking myths and highlighting the complex interplay of cultural, religious, and societal factors that fueled the witch hunts in early modern Europe. Professor Ronald Hutton’s insights offer a nuanced understanding of witches beyond the simplistic Tudor-era stereotypes, emphasizing the global and historical continuity of witchcraft fears.

Notable Quotes:

• "Magic is the believed art or craft of particular humans to manipulate arcane, superhuman forces in order to achieve physical change." — Professor Ronald Hutton (05:12)

• "The idea itself is wrong, but we can glean some good things from it." — Professor Ronald Hutton (13:40)

• "Relative tolerance up to about 1400 on the whole." — Professor Ronald Hutton (18:45)

For Further Reading: Listeners interested in delving deeper into this subject are encouraged to read Professor Ronald Hutton's book, A History of Fear from Ancient Times to the Present, which provides an extensive analysis of fear mechanisms, including witchcraft, throughout history.