The Season of the Witch - Esther

If - like me - you’re a woman, the chances are you’ve been called all sorts of names at different points in your life. & the chances are other women have been called the same names. I’m not saying men haven’t experienced name-calling of course, but there are some insults that are specific to women. Often this happens because of some slight, perceived or actual but often it happens because said woman has some sort of power over the name-caller. Or even just because she has some agency in her own life. I’m not just talking about men (although often it is men) but a woman with just a little power annoys some people. 

A relatively harmless case in point was when I worked in a shop as a student. Being one of the cheaper areas of town it was also one of the roughest, although mixed in was the rest of the student population, so you’d get a wide assortment of customers coming through the door. Despite being a sort of a mini-supermarket, customers couldn’t lift what they wanted from the shelves; they had to ask the assistants – me – for their shopping from behind a counter. A time-consuming & ultimately doomed way to run a shop. Anyway, one Sunday morning a man came in looking for his breakfast booze & I was obliged to inform him that under Scottish law, I was not allowed to sell it to him at this time. After an impassioned argument, he growled at me what was clearly the worst thing he could think to call me at the time… “You bloody hippy witch!” he hissed.  I recoiled at the insult. I was a punk; I was never a hippy & I was repulsed at the suggestion. Of course he was hoping the “witch” part would sting the most, but in this & his whisky-buying his hopes came to naught. He could no doubt hear my laughter ringing in his ears all the way home.

So, “witch” isn’t really a thing men get called. It’s one of those insults. A witch is presumably intended to sound old & hag-like, ugly & bitter. You’re supposed to be offended at being called a witch, but women have started reclaiming it, owning it. The intention is one thing & the reality is another because today’s witch can be mysterious, secretive & cool.

Even in my lifetime you couldn’t choose to learn certain subjects at school unless you were a boy. In fairness, boys couldn’t do sewing either. God forbid we should feminise them! We couldn’t risk their genitals falling off! & perhaps the thought of power tools even in the hands of mere school-age females was a step too far for 1980s Scotland. They could have had a point of course, but it’s somewhat strange that they didn’t stop to think about what we’d be stirring into the casseroles they made us concoct in the name of “Home Economics” (because obviously your place was in the home). 

It’s one in a long line of rebuffs, snubs & affronts women have had to endure throughout world & personal history. Inequality at that level was bad enough. Appalling tortures not to mention murders occurred in the bid to find & rid the world of so-called witches. Women who were in the way or nothing more or less than people with knowledge, beauty, love of the outdoors or simply had an aggravating way about them were called “witch,” persecuted & put to death. Hell, even the great symbol of social justice Dickens had his wife sent to an asylum when she got to be too much. Today there are still dangerous & sometimes deadly practices, such as female genital mutilation performed against women worldwide.

Whether you refer to or favour Hallowe’en, Simhain or the Day of the Dead, this period of year is said to mark the time when the veil between the living & the dead is at its thinnest & looking out the window, you can see where that derived. It’s darker, colder, windier, the days are shorter, the shadows longer, the trees appear to be dying & all is shutting down for the season of perpetual night as it frankly is in Scotland. & whether or not you believe in the magic of the witch, there is plenty of art to celebrate it. Here are thirteen (naturally!) examples showing the differing attitudes & styles of what others perceive the witch to be.

John William Waterhouse (1849-1917), The Magic Circle, 1886

Here we have the actual hippy witch, haha. Until we look closer & spy those crows…& what exactly is that crow on the left perched on…?

Francisco de Goya (1746–1828), Volaverunt (They have flown) (from 'Los Caprichos'), 1799

Goya has form in the art of magical beings & events. This is pretty tame & illustrative by his standards.

Evelyn De Morgan (1855-1919), The Love Potion, 1903

Is it okay to be a romantic witch? Apparently the cat has doubts.

Nikiforovich Dmitry Martynov (1826–1889), The Witch of Endor (The Shade of Samuel Invoked by Saul), 1857

In the Bible, the witch invokes the ghost of Samuel the prophet. King Saul of Israel has commanded this, in spite of the fact he has forbidden it. & they say women are indecisive.

John Hamilton Mortimer (1740-1779), The Witch Erichtho (?)

Definitely the hag variety, Erichtho appears in many Ancient Roman stories.

Henry Fuseli (1741-1825), Die Hexe (?)

Apparently simple, but very sinister.

William Holbrook Beard (1825-1900), The Witches’ Ride, 1870

Perhaps unsurprising that this has a storybook, fairytale feel to it, since Beard was best known for his anthropomorphised animal paintings.

Artist unknown, Wax Dolls Being Given to the Devil, 1720

Would not be remotely surprised if this image was cursed.

Jean François Portaels (1818-1895), The Witch (?)

Portaels goes for the more earthy, eldritch variety of witch, reminding me of Danielle Dax’s 1988 portrayal of the Wolfgirl in the company of wolves. 

Max Ernst (1832-1883), The Witch, c. 1880

Witch as surrealist dream? Sure, why not. Ernst goes with downright peculiar witch.

Gertrude Abercrombie (1909-1977), The Stroll, 1943

Interestingly, as well as painting women that looked rather mystical or had familiars kicking about, Gertrude would at times deliberately dress as a witch in order to have others leave her alone. I very much like her style (in paint & in life) & really what is she doing but exerting her own false control & power within society? 

Carl Spitzweg (1808-1885), The Witches’ Ride, c. 1875

Another cavort into the deep blue sky & it looks like tremendous fun. Witches have no need for health & safety.

Austin Osman Spare (1888-1956), Austin Spare & Witch, 1947

Enormously influenced by all things esoteric, Spare stands with his witchy pal. Being a huge fan of Austin, I’d expect nothing less.