The Sixth Night of Halloween: Witch Myth is Witch?

Welcome to the Ten Nights of Halloween! Each day I'll introduce you to one of the characters in my picture book, Halloween Good Night.

Where did Witches Come From?

Today is the sixth of the Ten Nights of Halloween! From Globsters to wood imps, to werewolves and mummies... We then looked at zombies and now land on witches!  

Witches, like many Halloween creations, long predate Halloween itself. In fact, as long as there have been animistic cultures, there have likely been "witches" of one sort or another - women or men who have a deep connection with the spirit world. Witch myths abound across the globe, from Africa or China to Native Americans.

But these once respected, honored, trusted members of society went from baby-deliverers and advisors of royalty to outlaws, suspected of cavorting with the devil and wielding black magic against everyone in their path. The change happened slowly, and by the 1500s suspected witches were being hunted and executed by the thousands.  

Unlike werewolves, which were also blamed for horrific murders - and many of whom would now be considered serial killers, the vast majority of accused witches were innocent. Except for Agnes Waterhouse. She openly admitted cursing people and sending her cat (named Satan) to kill neighbors' livestock. But can we trust her confession? She also claimed to have prayed often, but always in Latin - because her cat forbid her to pray in English. Personally, I blame the cat.

This Video Explores How We Got the Warty-Nosed Witch so Popular Today:

How fun to see the origins of green skin and pointy hats!

Our favorite witch crafts!

I found out quickly that Googling "Witch Craft" didn't actually take me to crafts about witches. I figured it out, and here you have two of my faves. Enjoy! 

Puppets are ALWAYS a hit, and these are so simple and quick!

I'm not usually a fan of paper plate crafts. I can't escape the "wow, it's a paper plate" factor. But THIS one is so cute, and I'm sure the plate could be replaced with card stock if needed.