The Story of Witches: Folklore, History and Superstition

by Willow Winsham

The witch – malevolent, magical, multi-faceted - has walked among us for centuries.

Demonic and deviant or liberated and revered, in this enchantingly illustrated book, Willow Winsham explores the many guises of the witch across folklore, history and superstition.

From Hekate to Baba Yaga, from shape-shifting hares to Macbeth, the book starts with a rich dive into the ideas of the witch in myth, legend and fairytale. Next follows an exploration of popular belief and superstition during the witch trials across Europe and the United States, one of the most tumultuous and bloody of our collective history. The last section brings us to more recent times, exploring how how the image and identity of the witch has been reclaimed and reinvented, the significance of the Wheel of the Year, the advent of Wicca and modern Witchcraft and beyond.

Finally and most crucially, we are left with the vital what have we learned from the past and what is the best way to approach our – often terrible – shared history of the witch?

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Witches, Spirituality, Witchcraft

212 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2025

About the author

Willow Winsham brings readers regular tales of witches and witchcraft at her blog, The Witch, the Weird and the Wonderful. Combining a passion for research and history with a love of storytelling, she dedicates her time to investigating some of the most intriguing stories from the history of the British Isles.

Reviews

[Tanja Mavie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I love!!! the illustrations in this book (including the cover), it's become one of the favorites on my shelf. Second, I enjoyed the content, although I would have wished for more depth in almost every chapter. The book offers a nice overview, but the focus on the Northern Hemisphere and the short chapters definitely limit its effectualness. Nevertheless, I liked that it contained information on witchcraft in the past and present (plus some food for thought regarding witchcraft's future). All in all, 4 stars. It was a wonderful read for Samhain⭐️

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book presents its main topics in a way that is engaging and pleasing for general readers. The general subject is straightforward, with examples of multiple tales and superstitions, accompanied by beautiful illustrations. In a way, It's a simple yet effective introduction to the topic of witches that traces its evolution up to modern times.

That being said, the book focuses first and foremost on the USA and multiple areas of Europe such as Ireland, Romania and Germany—a limitation the author notes at the end of the introduction. Therefore additional sources will be needed if you are seeking information on witchcraft in other areas of the world. The book is more about exploring the idea of witches rather than providing a global history on the subject.

[Jules Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

after reading the two books i did today, i have one question- was jesus technically a horned god, reborn at yule?

[Natalie Doig (Salmon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic treasure trove of tales and facts about witches. Taking you from the earliest stories told to modern day beliefs. Beautifully written and illustrated. A must for anyone with an interest in the history of witchcraft, witches and the magical.

[Linus Merchant · Rating 3 out of 5]

An absolutely beautiful book, with lovely artwork throughout. This book is a basic primer in witchcraft folklore, tales and those involved in the development of modem witchcraft. I felt that the author was constrained by the book being a set length with a set amount of artwork. It is more a glossary and lacks any of the tales that go along with some of the characters. It’s a lovely book to add to the shelf, and nice to flip through on a rainy afternoon, but if you want to get more into the stories and people in this book you will need other sources of information. I would have rated it higher if it had more meat and potatoes.

[Joanna Kaczorowska · Rating 3 out of 5]

The witch has had a chequered history, and humankind has committed terrible, unimaginable acts in the name of stamping witchcraft out. But what are we to do with this unwanted legacy and how do we address the terrible deeds of the past?

A short but sweet guide to witches: to the folklore, history, and the present witchcraft believes. The themes are not explored in great detail - it is a book that rather touches the surface and invites the readers to dive deeper in other sources to know more. It was an inspiring read, beautifully illustrated, but at times rather dry and forgettable, and with a few annoying typos in the text and one missing page (?).

Still, the book inspired me to read more about witches and witch folktales soon :)

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received this beautiful book as an ARC and I enjoyed it a lot and actually learned some new things. I love folklore and anything about witches so this book was right up my alley. My only qualm with the book is that it’s mainly focused on witches in America and Europe and I would have loved to have more diversity with it. Overall though this book was a fun read and a great way to introduce people to the history and lore that has followed witchcraft since the beginning.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took a course on the history of witch trials in college, so I was pleasantly surprised when I still learned some things from this book! It's a pretty basic intro, but I like that it covers from folklore through the modern Wicca movements. The art is beautiful.

[Maria LaBrava · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect guidance throughout history of witches!
Highly appealing!
I love the way she writes, her respect and love for all the women who had suffered during ages, intolerance and violence Just for being wiser or simply not men.

[Sybiee Colvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

so pleased I picked this up in a small book shop in York. really really good

[Carly McCracken · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lacks substance, but has pretty pictures

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I totally bought this book for the pictures, but I ended up really learning a lot and I was pleasantly surprised by how much information there was!!!

[Imogen Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful book, cover and illustrations. a lot of information crammed in, a good starter book to prompt further reading on the witches, myths or historical events that stand out to you