How To Be A Witch In A Terrifying Age

As a young girl, I was fascinated by anything spooky—witches in particular. Every Halloween, a witch was my outfit of choice; after perfecting my pumpkin-carving skills, I would sit down to watch Hocus Pocus. Witches were exactly as they were advertised: frightening. Fast forward to today—as I browse the Halloween section in TK Maxx, while my phone buzzes with news of yet another piece of legislation against women’s rights—I realise witches mean something entirely different to me now. They represent a challenge to conformity.

A Scar A Day Keeps A Woman At Bay

Between 1300 and 1850, over 6,000 women were tried and executed for witchcraft in Germany. Across the sea in England, an infamous witch hunt took place between 1645 and 1647, during which countless innocent women were tortured. Anybody could face the potentially fatal accusation of witchcraft, but the charges fell most heavily on unmarried women. They were subjected to baseless, absurd claims—where something as harmless as a spot on their face or a scar could be twisted into “evidence” of the devil.

Known for their particularly intense witch trials, Scotland witnessed approximately 3,200 civilians accused of the heinous crime of witchcraft, 84% of whom were women. Of these, around 2,500—more than half—were executed over a period of 170 years, all under the indoctrinated guise of devil worship. The Witches of Scotland campaign, a modern movement, is calling for a formal government apology and legal pardon for the innocent women accused of witchcraft, as well as a national memorial to honour the victims.

Taking Back The Witch

No longer an evil entity, the witch has become a symbol of female-led resistance against the patriarchy. Women are reclaiming the witch as one of their own: a woman persecuted simply for her gender. Instead of villains, witches have become a platform for the birth of feminist icons in film; most recently, Elphaba—the Wicked Witch of the West in Wicked. Instead of a cackling woman with no motive but chaos, Elphaba challenges societal norms by fighting against a regime that silences innocent creatures. Her strength to maintain her individuality in a world of conformity is a crucial lesson for all women: that our individuality is sacred.

In the UK, violence against women has been declared a national emergency; it has never been more vital to have a figure of independence and revolt. Behind the dark cloaks and devil-like depictions in books and television, witches embody female empowerment—something the patriarchy continues to undermine through its propagandist tongue.

Witches are for every woman who has ever been told she is too loud, too assertive, too independent. To resist patriarchy, we too must embrace the role of the witch: to demand equality in a world where centuries of progress are slipping through our fingers.

Stay witchy.

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