Where did the Stereotypical Witch Come From?

Journal 1: 

I had always thought of witchcraft and the occult as a counterculture against religions like Islam and Christianity. They seemed to directly contradict and challenge each other with no logical way to exist side-by-side. It was intriguing how the reading shows examples of witchcraft and religion stably existing alongside one another. Village healers continued to practice in the West as Christianity rose and in the East, talismans were still used to protect from fallen angels even though it was condemned in the Quran. This speaks to the power authority has in the lives of others. As higher-ups in religions looked to gain more power and control, witchcraft and those who studied it became more and more marginalized. This is a theme still happening today in many political, social, and economic spheres. I found it helpful to discuss overarching themes of the reading like this one in the classroom because it helped me tie together the main themes across many different belief systems. I struggled with creating connections immediately following the reading because the reading has such stark divides along different cultures, terms, and belief lines. This made the reading feel disjointed to me but by reflecting in class, I could see the bigger picture more clearly. 

When reading A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult, I was surprised by how many common and "stereotypical" depictions of witches were derived from a variety of cultural beliefs. It seemed to me that when popular media creates an image of a witch, they pick and choose the elements they want to include in their adaptation. I had always thought that there was one culture we derived the long-nosed, black hat, and loyal black cat image from, so this surprised me. An instance of cherrypicking would be how Norse myth includes belief in augury, in which animals carry messages. One of the animals the Norse frequently used to guide their battleships was a raven. It was seen as a good omen to see a raven before battle (A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult, pg. 66). In popular media today, many witches are depicted with ravens from Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty (1959) to the horror movie The Witch (2015) which has a raven in the movie poster as well as heavily throughout the film. 

Another example of a connection I made was the mandrake legend featured in the Harry Potter films. I had never truly thought about how some of the magical elements featured in films and television were not just created by the author but derived from legend. Making connections to modern books and television made it easier for me to digest all the details included in the readings and has helped me to better understand where our image of a witch came from. I look forward to discovering more about the molding of the stereotypical witch image as the semester progresses.