The Real Witches of New England: History, Lore, and Modern Practice

by Ellen Evert Hopman, Judika Illes (Foreword)

Reveals the origins and history of the New England witch hysteria, its continuing repercussions, and the multilayered practices of today’s modern witches

• Shares the stories of 13 accused witches from the New England colonies through interviews with their living descendants

• Explores the positive role witches played in rural communities until the dawn of the industrial age, despite ongoing persecution

• Includes in-depth interviews with 25 modern witchcraft practitioners, interwoven with practical information on the sacred calendar, herb lore, spells, and magical practices

New England has long been associated with witches. And while the Salem witch trials happened long ago, the prejudices and fears engendered by the witchcraft hysteria still live on in our culture. What forces were at work that brought the witch hysteria quickly from Europe to the new American colony, a place of religious freedom--and what caused these prejudices to linger centuries after the fact?

Weaving together history, sacred lore, modern practice, and the voices of today’s witches, Ellen Evert Hopman offers a new, deeper perspective on American witchcraft and its ancient pagan origins. Beginning with the “witch hysteria” that started in Europe and spread to the New World, Hopman explores the witch hunts, persecutions, mass hysteria, and killings, concluding that between forty and sixty thousand women and men were executed as witches. Combining records of known events with moving interviews with their descendants, she shares the stories of 13 New England witches persecuted during the witch trials, including Tituba and Mary Bliss Parsons, the Witch of Northhampton. Despite the number of false accusations during the witch hysteria in the New England colonies, Hopman reveals how there were practicing witches during that time and describes the positive role witches played in rural communities until the dawn of the industrial age.

Exploring how the perception and practices of witches has evolved and expanded over the centuries, Hopman also includes in-depth interviews with 25 modern-day practitioners from a variety of pagan faiths, including druids, wiccans, Celtic reconstructionists, and practitioners of the fairy faith. Emerging from their insights is a treasure trove of practical information on the sacred calendar, herb lore, spells, and magical practices. Bringing together past and present, Hopman reveals what it really means to be a “witch,” redefining the label with dignity and spiritual strength.

Genres: Nonfiction

400 pages, Paperback

Published September 18, 2018

About the author

Ellen Evert Hopman is a Master Herbalist and lay Homeopath who holds an
M.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling. She is a certified writing instructor
through Amherst Writers and Artists. She is Archdruid of Tribe of the Oak www.tribeoftheoak.com, a Druidic teaching Order, and was a former Co-chief
of the Whiteoak Druid Order (Ord na Darach Gile) and Vice President of
The Henge Of Keltria, an international Druid Fellowship, for nine years. She
is the founder of the Whiteoak internet mailing list, an on-line Druid ethics study
group, and a co-founder of The Order of the Whiteoak (Ord Na Darach Gile)
www.whiteoakdruids.org. She is also a co-founder of the North East Druid
Coalition

She is the author of a trilogy of Iron Age Druid novels; Priestess of the Forest: A Druid Journey, The Druid Isle and Priestess of the Fire Temple - a Druid's Tale.

Her books on trees include a revised and expanded new edition of Tree Medicine Tree Magic (Pendraig Publishing) and
A Druids Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine (Destiny books/Inner Traditions Bear
and Company)

Her other books include;
Secret Medicines from your Garden (Healing Arts Press), Secret Medicines of your Kitchen (mPower Publishing), The Sacred Herbs of Samhain (Destiny Books) The Sacred Herbs of Beltaine (Destiny Books), Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore (Pendraig Publishing), A Legacy of Druids (Moon Books),
A Druid's Herbal For the Sacred Earth Year ( Inner Traditions/Destiny Books ),
Being a Pagan (with Lawrence Bond)(Inner Traditions/Destiny Books), Walking
The World In Wonder - A Children's Herbal (Healing Arts Press), she is a
co-author of Grimoire For The Apprentice Wizard (Newpage Books).

She has released the
video/DVDs Gifts From the Healing Earth and Pagans -the Wheel of the Year ( From
Sawmill River Productions, http://www.sawmillriver.com/ )

She has released three audio tapes The Druid Path: Herbs And Festivals,
Celtic Gods and Goddesses, and The Herbal And Magical Powers Of Trees (from
Creative Seminars, POB 203, West Hurley, New York 12491).

She has been a teacher of Herbalism since 1983 and of Druidism since 1990 . Find her books, workshops and blog at www.elleneverthopman.com

Reviews

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very interested to read this book as I like to learn about different beliefs. There are so many negative stereotypes about Paganism, Witches, and other nature related beliefs out there.
The book started off very well with detailing the rich history which I found fascinating. Unfortunately, I found the collection of interviews a bit hard to get into and I kept losing interest. I think I would have not lost interest had the history been interspaced with the interviews. The book is definitely worth reading especially if you want to know more about Paganism, Witchcraft, Witches, and Druids. I may have had trouble with how the book was arranged but I am only one person. Others might be just fine with the format of the book. The book is well written and it is obvious the author did a lot of reseach preparing for writing this book.

[Jerrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this on NetGalley in exchange for my review. This book is basically a collection of interviews that were conducted via email exchange. The author asked mostly the same questions to all respondents, so there is a lot of redundancy. The first part of the book contains some brief synopses of accused witches in early New England followed by interviews with their modern day descendants. The second part contains interviews with modern day witches. Unfortunately, there is no analysis of any kind, just a copy of what the author collected via the email interviews.

[Rebecca Elson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review originally appeared on The Magical Buffet website on 11/08/2018.

I’m nosey. I’m super interested in people’s lives, particularly spiritual leaders and magic users. So, you can understand why it was impossible to resist Ellen Evert Hopman’s latest book “The Real Witches of New England: History, Lore, and Modern Practice”. It is a big ol’ book of interviews and biographies of modern-day witches and people who were accused of being witches in the still too recent for comfort past.

The first part of the book is dedicated to the history of witch persecutions. It’s a concise round up of who was targeted, why there was witch paranoia, where there was witch hysteria, and what actual witches were doing during this period. This next part is truly inspired. You can find loads of books with biographies of people accused of witchcraft, however what Hopman has done is not only provide you with their biographies, but also includes interviews with their modern-day descendants. She asks them questions such as were they always aware they were descended from an accused witch, how do they define witchcraft, and do they practice themselves.

Lastly, and my favorite part, is a whose who of contemporary witches of New England. There are some big names, such as Raven Grimassi, Christopher Penczak, and Christian Day, and many that were new to me. Hopman conducted email interviews with 25 different people. By asking a relatively consistent set of questions of each person it gives you a unique perspective of the various ways people define and practice witchcraft. I do have one question though, she interviewed Christopher Penczak and Adam Sartwell, two of the three founding members of the Temple of Witchcraft, why not also include Steve Kenson, the third founder and all around magical bad ass? Seriously, his absence totally stuck out to me. (What can I say, I’m a ride or die Kenson girl!)

I can’t imagine who wouldn’t love “The Real Witches of New England”. Hopman has managed to put all New England’s witchcraft history, and its future, into one enjoyable book. I only hope she does more books like this focusing on other geographic areas.

[Anne]

Ok, so first off, as a Pagan, I was super interested in getting my hands on this book. As someone who is married to a history buff, I was even more excited. Now being that I have read a lot on this subject out of curiosity and a craving for how someone like me could have had to live before the 1st amendment, I did still learn some new things from this book.

On top of providing essential information for any practitioner on our history, it also gives some unique looks into the ritual practices of some more famous modern day practitioners of various faiths. While there are a ton of books written by various authors on their own practices, you are usually get only 1 view per book. The Real Witches of New England gives us multiple views, and to me that is very important to include when speaking on a lifestyle that is so diverse.

This book has obviously been well researched, and considering that its a historical text, it reads almost like any other book you could pick up. The interviews and the stories presented inside give it that "novel" feel while still keeping it all very informative.This makes it easy to read and makes it a must have for all practitioners, history buffs, and anyone with a piqued curiosity.

Pages : 400

[Destiny Bridwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got a copy of this for a fair and honest review. As I read through this book I saw names and companies that I have wound while studying and learning about the craft. It is a very delightful collection of information of the past and present. I do believe that the word "witch" does come with its own persecutions and downfalls. That does not make it a bad word to the community. I think it was a lot of jealousy, fear and misunderstanding of others feelings, beliefs, and spirituality that caused a lot of the persecution of spiritual people world-wide for generations and not just in New England. One of my favorite part were the stories of how they found their way in to the witch communities. I would recommend this to those that want to read what others think even the section on the descendants of those from the Salem Witch Trials of the 1690's. I hope the pains of the past do not come back to repeat themselves. That is not something also that needs to be done another time. This just the opinion of one who has see it for themselves and knows the pain that it can cause. 

[Marissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Real Witches of New England can be described as a non-fiction book that starts out providing a brief history of witches encompassing their origins, beliefs, and persecutions and then spends a majority of the time telling the story of infamous witches of New England through interviews with their ancestors. While I appreciated the time and attention it took to research and pull together this information, I found it very repetitive since the interviewer used the same set of questions when surveying the descendants. This lead to me skimming over parts of the interviews after reading the first few. The book did contain some interesting, educational aspects to the witches. The author was able to paint the concept of a witch in a positive light, explaining the benefits of these misunderstood members of history to society. It was also interesting to read how the modern day people interviewed who are descendants of the witches were impacted upon discovery of their ancestral roots.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book as an amazing history of witches from the New England area, covering the infamous Salem witch trials and beyond. It then goes into interviews done questionnaire style with current witches from the area and shares their personal stories on how they found their magic, community and how they practice. I found this section very interesting at first, but the questions do not vary at all with each interview and it does begin to get repetitive. I found myself losing interested as the book went on. If you are curious about how modern witches identify or find their craft and the many variations of covens/groups and practices, then you will definitely get a lot out of the personal interviews. I would have prefered to read this book a little bit at a time and reference back to it, instead of reading it all in one go. I did find it refreshing to get a book on WITCHES instead of ljust ore and witchcraft.

[Ionia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of good information in the first few chapters, about witchcraft belief and persecution. I think the first few chapters were actually my favourite part of the book. The interviews with the descendants of the original witches had their interesting moments as well, but because a large proportion of the book was based on Q&A via email, with formulaic questions, the answers begin to feel a bit repetitive.


If you have an interest in witchcraft and the occult, this book will probably appeal to you. I enjoyed seeing the different takes on what constitutes witchcraft both in history and in more modern times. Overall, I thought this was a decent read but could have been better if the questions from the author had been a little more personalised to those they were asked of.


This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher provided through Netgalley.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and I certainly learned something new from this. Especially during the first part of the book regarding the history of Witchcraft and the hysteria that went through Europe and the New England colonies. The interviews with the witches of today started off interestingly enough but became redundant for a bit because of some of the interviews, in my opinion, seemed similar. However, I was thrilled to read about Sancista Brujo Luis, I am familiar with him through YouTube. And the other person, to stand out was Terry Eiji Nakamura-Meyers. They represented a break from the norm. But all in all, a very compelling read and lots of info provided. I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, well researched and written. Really liked hearing the stories of the descendants of the 13 accused witches from New England. The history should be of interest to anyone who practices or just wants to read about it. I picked up a lot of tips from the modern practitioners. I recommend this book highly. I received this book from Net Galley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy . All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Carrie (The Butterfly Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

The title had me laughing so hard that I had to read this one and if you're anything like me, this is nothing like those awful reality TV shows, this is so well researched and written so well. It kind of reads like a novel.... which I thought made it that much more intriguing. From history of witchcraft to today with interviews from some popular witches of today. This book as a little of everything and I loved it!

[Sue Blanchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thankyou to NetGalley, Inner Traditions, Destiny Books and the author Ellen Evert Holman for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of The Real Witches of New England.
I found the book to be extremely well written and informative. I was hooked right from the start.
Definitely well worth a read .

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book, full of interesting facts. This book is so well written that it can be read like a novel.
Strongly recommended!
Many thanks to Inner Tradition and Netgalley for this ARC

[Marguerite MacLean · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an interesting read. She starts off with the history of witchcraft across the world. Focusing a lot on Europe and the US. Of course no history discussion of witches would be complete without the inclusion of the Salem Witch Trials. After the historic overview the book turns to a more discussion format where the author reached out to modern day witches to as a series of questions about the views on witch craft, their personal practices and how they came into being a witch. As a Unitarian Universalists I found a lot of their descriptions very familiar. From, "We don't have set dogmas" "to the tent is big enough for all beliefs" etc. There were some witches who had very strong set beliefs of what a witch is and isn't. There were others who were still evolving and were open to many ideas. At the end of the day I was introduced to a world I knew very little about and for me that is true magic.

[Georgia Eldridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, simply because of the topic of witches and the modern day view of them. I loved learning so much about the history of persecutions outside of America, and reading stories of specific people and their trials. I did get bored reading so many interviews of “Modern Witches of New England.” The people who are descendants of witches were interesting to read about, but it ended up getting quite repetitive.

[Anabela Costa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uma desilusão e cheio de "delirius poseris egocentris" que se topam a léguas... Safa-se a parte introdutória e histórica, de resto é uma procissão de Egos inflamados.

[Lynn Coulter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who better to write a book about witches--specifically, The Real Witches of New England--than an author who belongs to the Grey Council of Mages and Sages and is an Archdruidess in the Tribe of the Oak? Ellen Evert Hopman says she's also a descendant of Mary Estey, accused of witchcraft in New England.

This is a fascinating book for history buffs. Hopman includes interviews with the descendants of accused witches and modern witchcraft practitioners, herbal lore, spells, and, of course, the history of witchcraft hysteria in New England. The author says she doesn't consider herself a witch, but an empath who can feel and sometimes incorporate the feelings of people, places, and animals around her. She says she's proud to be the descendant of an accused woman who showed courage in the face of imprisonment and death.

The book gave me a lot to think about, considering the hysteria that's sweeping America's political system today.