History has always had a fascination with witches: those mysterious, powerful women who dared to challenge societal norms. Their stories are a patchwork of brutality and resilience, reflecting how patriarchy has demonized women’s autonomy for centuries. Whether historical or fictional, the tales of these witches resonate today in ways that are disturbingly relevant. Because let’s be honest—witch hunts aren’t over. They’ve just changed forms.
Historical Witches and Their Grim Fates
1. Joan of Arc
Joan wasn’t a witch in the traditional sense, but she was burned at the stake for “heresy” and “sorcery.” Why? She heard voices, led armies, and refused to conform to societal expectations of women. A powerful woman was enough to incite fear—and execution.
2. Anne Boleyn
The second wife of Henry VIII, Anne was accused of witchcraft (among other charges) to justify her beheading. Why? She didn’t produce a male heir and dared to wield political influence.
3. The Salem Witches
In 1692, twenty people—mostly women—were executed in Salem, Massachusetts, based on flimsy evidence and mass hysteria. Accusations of witchcraft often targeted independent, outspoken women or those who didn’t fit Puritan norms.
4. The Pendle Witches
In 1612, twelve people in Lancashire, England, were accused of using witchcraft to harm others. Ten were hanged. The accusations often stemmed from local feuds or a woman’s refusal to conform.
5. Catherine Monvoisin (La Voisin)
A French fortune-teller and alleged poisoner, La Voisin was burned alive in 1680. Her crime? Providing “women’s services”—abortions, potions, and remedies that gave women control over their lives.
Fictional Witches and Their Tragic Ends
1. The Wicked Witch of the West (The Wizard of Oz)
She was melted by a bucket of water, a symbol of how society destroys women who don’t conform to “good” standards. Green skin? A literal marker of her “otherness.”
2. The Sanderson Sisters (Hocus Pocus)
Executed by hanging, their crime was being too powerful—and threatening the fragile egos of Puritan men. They were only redeemed in death through their comedic antics.
3. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
Banished, cursed, and ultimately killed, Maleficent’s crime was being too powerful and vengeful after being betrayed. Her story was rewritten in later adaptations, but the original narrative is one of vilification.
4. The Witches (Roald Dahl’s The Witches)
The Grand High Witch is grotesquely transformed and destroyed. Her demise reinforces the stereotype that powerful women are inherently evil and must be eradicated.
Why These Stories Still Matter
Witches weren’t just “magical” figures. Historically, they were often healers, midwives, and pharmacists—women who dared to offer care that patriarchal societies feared and condemned. Fertility issues, contraception, and abortions? These weren’t evil practices; they were life-saving.
The Patriarchy’s Fear of Women’s Autonomy
Witches weren’t just hags stirring cauldrons—they were the only hope for desperate women. They treated fertility issues, provided abortions, and helped with impossible choices. And let’s be clear: giving women any freedom or control (especially over their own bodies!) was scandalous. Helping women take control of their lives was seen as evil, not because it was wrong, but because it disrupted the patriarchy’s carefully curated narrative.
Magic and Medicine: A Blurred Line
People love to talk about witches like they’re a bygone, supernatural relic. Because hey, magic isn’t real… right? But the truth is, what we call “magic” was often just science—herbal remedies, fertility treatments, and early forms of healthcare. Yet these practices were criminalized, demonized, and erased. Why? Because they gave women agency.
Modern Parallels
Let’s not kid ourselves. Witch hunts aren’t ancient history—they’re alive and well. Today, they’ve evolved into laws and policies designed to strip women of autonomy.
- Abortion Bans: The overturning of Roe v. Wade has made abortion illegal or nearly inaccessible in many states. Women’s health and lives are at risk, just like when witches were burned for providing care.
- Biblical Justifications: We have sitting members of Congress who believe in the literal Bible and actively legislate based on it. These are the same people who deny women basic rights, echoing the Puritanical mindset of Salem.
- Healthcare Criminalization: In states like Texas, doctors fear prosecution for providing life-saving abortions. Women have died because doctors were too scared to act. How is this different from the witch trials? It’s not.
Recent Examples
- A Texas woman was denied an abortion despite her fetus being unviable. She nearly died of sepsis because doctors feared prosecution (The Guardian, 2022).
- In Poland, strict abortion laws led to the death of a pregnant woman when doctors delayed care (BBC News, 2022).
Magic Isn’t Real… Right?
People dismiss witches as relics of a superstitious past. But the magic they represented—knowledge, autonomy, resistance—is very real. It’s why witches were hunted then and why their modern equivalents are persecuted now. Witches were (and are) women who refuse to conform, who refuse to be silenced, who refuse to surrender their power.
So when someone says, “Witches are just a myth,” remember this: witch hunts are alive and well. They’re in our laws, our healthcare systems, and our politics. And they’re still rooted in the same fear that drove women to the stake centuries ago.
Final Thoughts: Reclaiming the Witch
Witches symbolize resilience, rebellion, and autonomy. Their stories—both historical and fictional—are reminders of what happens when women dare to take control. So yes, witches were burned, hanged, melted, and vilified. But they’ve also endured, standing as powerful symbols of resistance.
And to those who still fear women’s autonomy? Be very afraid. The witches you fear aren’t gone. They’re here, and they’re not backing down.