The term witch comes from the Latin *sortiarius *, meaning "she who casts spells." But behind this single word lies a mosaic of roles and figures. In Antiquity and the Middle Ages, a "witch" could be a healer, midwife, herbalist, fortune teller, magician … or simply a woman outside the bounds of official knowledge.
This word has long been a mirror of fears and fantasies: both the healer and the one accused of poisoning, the protector and the curser. Far from being a stable category, the witch is a fluid archetype, reflecting the evolution of societies and their relationships to the feminine, the sacred, and nature.
Witches of Antiquity and the Middle Ages
Long before the witch trials, women described as magicians or enchantresses held an important place.
- In ancient Greece, we find Circe and Medea , famous sorceresses capable of transforming men or challenging heroes.
- In medieval European countryside, women were knowledgeable about medicinal plants , lunar cycles, and fertility and healing rituals.
- Some practiced divination , invoked protective or malevolent spirits, and transmitted their knowledge through oral tradition .
These practices, sometimes integrated into community life, could also be suspected of heterodoxy, because they escaped official religious and medical frameworks.
Witch hunts: fear and power
From the late Middle Ages until the 17th century, Europe was swept by the great witch hunts . Tens of thousands of people, mostly women, were accused of witchcraft , often in contexts of crisis: famines, epidemics, religious conflicts.
The trials were rarely based on tangible facts. They mixed superstition, popular fears and political motivations . Accusing a woman of witchcraft was often a way to punish a social, religious or moral deviation: a widow who was too independent, a healer who was too influential, a troublesome outsider.
The burnings at the stake did not condemn broomstick theft, but rather a transgression of the established order . This violence reveals the fear of an autonomous female power, linked to nature, empirical knowledge, and ancestral rites.
An ambivalent figure: between wisdom and threat
The witch never had a single face.
- In pagan and folk traditions, she could be a priestess , a healer , a guardian of ancient knowledge .
- In Christian narratives, she became an accomplice of the devil , a temptress, a symbol of moral danger.
- In fairy tales, she is both an ogress and an initiator , a guardian of trials and a transmitter of knowledge .
This ambivalence is essential: the witch is a guardian of the thresholds , situated between the world of the living and that of spirits, official knowledge and occult secrets.
Mythical and folkloric figures
The witch takes on a thousand faces in myths and tales:
- In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga lives in a house built on chicken legs. She can be cruel or generous, depending on how you approach her.
- Morgana , in Arthurian legend, oscillates between healer, priestess and enchantress. She is sometimes an ally, sometimes an enemy of King Arthur.
- The witch from Hansel and Gretel , the ogress from Germanic tales, embodies the fear of hunger and the danger hidden in the forest.
These figures are not "malevolent" in the modern sense. They are initiatory archetypes : they test, transform, and force the hero to grow. They can sometimes be enemies, but also guides.
Witches and Ancient Knowledge
Behind the frightening tales lie concrete practices. Witches knew the virtues of plants : mugwort for menstrual cycles, mandrake for its hallucinogenic powers, and St. John's wort as a protector. They were often the village folk healers , treating through observation, intuition, and the transmission of knowledge. Their connection to the moon and natural cycles was central.
The modern witch: a symbol of resistance
Today, the figure of the witch is experiencing a revival. She has become a feminist and spiritual symbol . She embodies:
- Resistance to patriarchal oppression .
- The autonomy of bodies and knowledge .
- The reconquest of natural medicines and pagan spiritualities .
Neo-pagan movements like Wicca celebrate her as a priestess of cycles and guardian of the Earth. In contemporary culture, the witch has gone from being seen as an enemy to an inspiring icon .
It invites us to listen to our intuition , respect cycles, question dogmas, and accompanies today's struggles and quests for freedom.
Memory and rebirth
Witches , whether healers, magicians or rebels, are guardians of ancient secrets . They carry the memory of knowledge rooted in nature but also the trace of the fears and violence that persecuted them.
They embody ambivalence: ally and enemy, but in their shadow hides a light: that of a power that defies structures, resists oppression, and is constantly reborn.
Today, the witch is honored as a tutelary, inspiring, and modern figure . She reminds us that behind dogma and fear, there is another path: that of intuition, freedom, and the cycles of the Earth.