Witches and Witch Hunts Through the Ages

by Phil Carradice

Witchcraft! Just the mention of the name is enough to cause fear, even terror, in the minds and hearts of many people. But that is not the full story. Yes, there have always been proponents of the 'dark arts,' witches and warlocks willing to use their powers for evil, but the wise men and women of the ancient and medieval world - men and women eager to use their spells and potions for good - have often been overlooked.This book looks at witchcraft from the early days, tracing its development as a pseudo-religious cult, the good and the bad, from the wild plains of Babylon to the present day. It highlights witch scares and individuals, particularly the witch hunts of the medieval period when 100,000 women were accused of witchcraft and nearly 80,000 executed. It examines the concept of witch hunting, detailing the activities of men like Matthew Hopkins, the famous Witchfinder General.The book does not just focus on medieval and ancient witches, it takes in modern witch hunting - with people like Senator Joe McCarthy during his Communist witch hunts of the 1950s - and the continued modern persecution of women and men accused of witchcraft in African, Indian and Caribbean states.This is a detailed account of witches and witchcraft, in many ways a tribute to the thousands of men and women accused and executed without full evidence or proof of evil doing. It is a broad historical sweep that includes fictional characters like Morgan le Fey and Merlin, the magician of King Arthur's court. Thoroughly researched and elegantly written, it is essential reading for anyone who is interested in the social and political history of the past.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

224 pages, Hardcover

Published June 4, 2024

Reviews

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer]

Witches and witch hunts through the ages by Phil Carradice it’s a great book about witches from ancient times to modern day. Although Mr.Carradice hits all the highlights he even had things that’s surprised this amateur historian. Usually books that or well-known subjects to me or just wash rinse and repeat but the author does his due diligence to explain from the things they were blamed for like the plague bad crops to signs your neighbor may be a witch The invention of good witches Hollywoods popular films and shows about them to overall modern day acceptance of the practice he really hits it from all sides and covers every bass in this great expanse of book about witches witchhunts and ultimately how they became an OK thing to be. I love history and Pen and Sword History has become my go to whenever something tickles my fancy, I really find their book so good and rarely give their books less than five stars this one included this is a great read and another awesome book from the publisher. I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my pre-hard copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[Caleb]

I've become a big fan of Pen and Sword Published works, and this book is no exception. I'm an amateur historian and I spend a lot of time doing research of niche topics that I find interesting, one of these being Witchcraft. I thoroughly enjoyed the content of this book, while also being delightfully engaged with the premise of discussing witch hunts in a more figurative sense. This book articulates what so many witchcraft scholars struggle to bring to the public's mind-- witch hunts weren't just about a moral turpitude in conservative societies, but it runs that gamut into some pretty far-flung conspiracies-- highlighting the dangers of groupthink and what it means to be afraid of questioning the loud and obviously wrong or improbable.

Thank you to the author, Phil Carradice, and the Publisher, for granting my wish and allowing me to access this book. I read it all in one sitting and I look forward to buying a physical copy for my collection.

[Laura]

Very insightful and a fascinating read. This book explores witchcraft in many different ways and looks very deep into witchcraft and witch hunts. It's interesting reading all the ways witch stories and hysteria are everywhere in history but treated so differently today. Thank you netgalley and pen and sword for letting me read this early

[Brian Shevory]

Thank you to Pen and Sword and NetGalley for allowing me to read a preview copy of Phil Carradice’s informative history of witches Witches and Witch Hunts Through the Ages. Prior to this, I finished reading The Devil’s Best Trick by Randall Sullivan, another book that looks at both ancient and modern forms of evil, and how societies and those with power often seek to justify violence through labeling differences. Carradice’s book focuses more specifically on the role of witches over time, and how Christianity largely changed our views of witches and witchcraft, specifically in the Medieval Times. Carradice’s book begins with an overall explanation of our modern ideas about witches and witchcraft and how it has shifted. I really appreciated how much he used literature, especially Shakespeare, to identify the kinds of different roles that witches and cunning folk played in literature, and how it often has affected our views of what witches look like and how they behave. He then takes a historical look across different cultures and time periods, examining the role that witches played in societies, starting with the ancient world of Babylon and how witches (and priests) were often facilitators of the rituals that were such a significant part of ancient people’s lives, eventually moving into the world of Ancient Greeks and Romans. This is not the popular image of witches, but it helped to provide a different context and show how they were powerful people with a direct connection to the gods in the ancient world. This also might be why Christianity shifted the perspective to reconsider witches as evil, as those who are often using the black arts to gain power over others. Interestingly, Carradice goes on to show how Morgan LeFey, from Arthurian legends (and Merlin) could be considered witches due to their knowledge and powers in the stories. Although Arthurian legends are not real, Carradice makes effective use of the literature (as he did with Shakespeare) to serve as evidence of perceptions and attitudes towards witches, especially when there are contrasting views about Morgan’s actions and motives as both a healer and a harmer of Arthur. Carradice then gets more historical by analyzing the real witch hunts that started in the late Medieval Times, examining the Inquisition. He explores how witch hunts throughout Europe terrorized those who often were outsiders and did not have the support or power to speak up or defend themselves. Furthermore, I found it interesting to learn how many of the accusations stemmed from rivalries or desires for land ownership. Additionally, Carradice examines the life of the Witchfinder General, a self-appointed title for Matthew Hopkins. I didn’t know about the many trick that he and John Stearne employed to “identify” witches, nor that they were frequently paid by towns they went to. Carradice explains how witch finding was a lucrative business at the time, and we can see how those with power often benefitted from the loss of others. I also liked learning that these witch hunts were not relegated to Spain or England, but happened all over Europe. He uses both more famous examples, like the Loudun possession in 17th century as well as more obscure cases. It was also amazing to learn that royalty were also not exempt from these accusations by examining and detailing the lives of some wealthy landowning individuals (often women) who were accused of being witches. Although primarily focused on England, Carradice examines the case of Salem, MA in Colonial America, and provides some factual rebuttals that challenge the idea of witchcraft, specifically examining the difficult and conformist lives of the Puritans, especially those who experienced violent encounters with the Native Americans. Interestingly, Carradice ends the book with exploring more of the secular “witch hunts” in politics, examining the McCarthy Hearings and some modern uses of the terms, as well as the movement to reclaim witchcraft as a spiritual community connected with nature and knowledge. I really enjoyed this book and the detailed research and history that Carradice supplies to understand the various perspectives and experiences of people from different time periods. I also appreciated his use of both history and literature to examine the attitudes towards witches and those who were different or often did not conform to society’s dominant expectations. I would have liked to learn more about modern witchcraft and how it developed from the 19th into the 20th centuries. The last chapter covered a lot of ground, but also left me wanting to learn more about this shift in perspective and attitudes. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book for anyone interesting in history, religion, and social movements.

[Ink]

"Every old woman with a wrinkled face, a furrowed brow, a hairy lip, a gobber (protuding) tooth, a squint eye, a squeaky voice or scolding tongue...a dog or cat by her side, is not only suspect but pronounced for a witch" John Gaule (1646)

This quote epitomises the sterotype of witches in the last few centuries, but what is a witch really? This was just the opinion of one clergyman in the height of witch-hunting hysteria in the 1600s, but in Phil Carradices fascinating book "Witches and Witch Hunts Through the Ages" we are taken on an extensive exploration through history to the ancient Shamans and the first perceived witch Lillith, and right the way up to the "Witch Hunt mentality" of McCarthyism, a dark time in US history.

Throughout, the writing style is engaging, explorative and intriguing, comparing perception to reality and manipulation of soceital hysteria and the effects it has on individuals. An absolutely fascinationg book and highly recommended

Thank you to Netgalley, Pen & Sword, Pen & Sword History and teh highly knowledgable author Phil Carradice for this very interesting ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

#WitchesandWitchHuntsThroughtheAges #NetGalley

[Claire Reviews]

📖 Book Review

Witches and Witch Hunts Through the Ages
By Phil Carradice
Pen & Sword History, 30th April 2024

This book is a fascinating history dive into witchcraft, from its development as a pseudo-religious cult, right to the present day. It examines the concept of witch hunting, detailing the activities of Matthew Hopkins, the famous Witchfinder General, and highlights the witch hunts of the medieval period when 100,000 women were accused of witchcraft and nearly 80,000 executed.

Including fictional characters Merlin and Morgan le Fey tickled the fantasy fiction reader in me with delight.

Onto modern times, it takes in modern witch hunting, like Senator Joe McCarthy's Communist witch hunts of the 1950s, and the continued modern persecution of women and men accused of witchcraft in African, Indian and Caribbean states.

This book is the result of painstaking research, and is gracefully written. The casual reader may lose interest with lots of facts and figures, but anyone interested in the history of witches should welcome a copy of this comprehensive book to their bookshelf.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Pen & Sword and Phil Carradice for providing an eARC via NetGalley; this is my honest review.

[Rainbow Goth]

Thank you to the Author, publishers and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

A great read and an insightful account of the history of witches and the infamous witch hunts. The author exhibits remarkable knowledge on the subject and presents the content in a highly engaging style, which brings to life the stories of witches and their trials.

However, there were a few instances where the book felt slightly repetitive, and the excessive references to Arthur Miller's The Crucible were not to my liking. It would have been great to have delved deeper into the male attitudes towards women and the societal changes that eventually led to women becoming the primary target of witch hunters.

What truly stood out for me was the author's repeated mentions of Wales throughout the text, which is often overlooked in such historical accounts.

All in all, this book is a thoroughly enjoyable read that provides valuable insights into the history of witchcraft and the witch hunts.

[stephanie cox]

Witches and Witch Hunts Through the Ages by Phil Carradice is an incredibly engaging and insightful read. The author’s deep knowledge of the subject shines through, providing a thorough and fascinating account of the history of witches and the infamous witch hunts that occurred throughout history. What really stands out is Carradice's ability to bring these stories to life, weaving historical facts with compelling narratives that keep you hooked from beginning to end.

The book explores the fear, superstition, and societal forces behind the witch hunts in a way that’s both informative and captivating. Whether you're a history buff or simply curious about the subject, this book provides an eye-opening look into a dark chapter of history. Highly recommend for anyone interested in the history of witches, trials, and the complex social dynamics that shaped those times.

[Andrea Wenger]

This account explores the history of witchcraft, from its ancient origins to modern-day persecutions. Highlighting the often-overlooked wise women and men who used spells and potions for good, it also delves into the horrific witch hunts of the late medieval period and the social factors that fuel these practices.

I found this book to be a satisfying, engaging, and easy-to-read analysis of how human cultures respond to the unexplained, from healing practices to religious beliefs. The book does more than recount the history and the tragedy of past events—it also explores the complexity of human interactions and shows how modern society isn’t immune to these practices.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[TheseHauntedPages]

Witches and Witch Hunts Through the Ages covers quite a broad spectrum of topics from Witches in the Ancient World all the way up to Modern Day interpretations.

There were some interesting topics such as Arthurian legend in regards to Merlin and Morgan La Fey who I had actually never heard of and some very brief mentions of Greek Gods and Goddesses in regards to magic.

I feel in some places the book dragged (especially to do with the Romans) with some information not being very engaging and quite a bit of the book listing people and giving a summary on how they fit into the narrative of the accused, the accuser or the witch hunter.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me and arc.

[Rebecca Hill]

When someone hears witches - most automatically think of the famous trials that happened in Salem Massachussetts. However, there is more to witches and witch hunts than that - and they go further back than one might actually realize. From ancient to more medival and into a modern setting - the author brings to the forefront the different fears which have borne the witchhunt craze.

This was a fantastic read, and full of great information. I had heard of some, but not all of the pieces that were presented within this book. There is a lot of information to unpack, but it also allows those who are looking to delve deeper into some aspects, to do so.

Pretty good and engaging.

[Georgi_Lvs_Books]

4.25 stars.

‘If there is one word that sums up the general view of witchcraft and our relationship with the perpetrators of that art, it has to be terror.’

This started off a little slow for me but after a while my interest really peaked!

It was very interesting to read about witchcraft from different era’s such as the ancient world to the Roman period and the Salem witch trials.

To know that even today in 2024, some places are not safe to practice witchcraft/declare yourself a witch and could therefore lead to death is quite frightening.

Chapter eight was a favourite of mine.

A must read for any history or witch lover.

‘The one constant was the torture that was perpetrated on virtually all of the victims. These ranged from the use of ‘the boot’, a device made from iron or wood that crushed the foot or leg, to flaying the skin off a victim while she as still alive.’

[Belle]

Beginning with the history and spread of witch hunts around the world. And also the methods of torture and execution.

I had a bit of trouble getting through the first half. I enjoyed the second much more.

The second half of the book gives details of specific women and men accused of witchcraft, along with certain witch hunters. Concluding with the ever famous Salem witch trials.

*Free e-copy received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Key Esh]

I really enjoyed learning about the history of witches and witch hunters, as someone who loves reading about the fictional witches it is also nice to learn about the actual people who practice paganism or wicca and those who were accused of witchcraft.
I would recommend this book to those who are interested in history and/or those interested in witches.

[Annarella]

This a good book if you never read anything about witches in history and how different civilization approached it.
Some parts are quite interesting, other are not so much interesting.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[spencer wright]

A broad and sweeping look at how witchcraft and witches themselves have been viewed throughout history. A good starting point from which to dive deeper into a particular era of interest.