Henry, presumably, simply lost interest in their relationship when no heir was produced, but it was a convenient excuse to have. The threat, supposedly, was more subtle and insidious than that.Īccording to the BBC, Anne Boleyn was suspected of witchcraft because she allegedly “charmed” the infamous King Henry VIII using magic. The fact was, those accused of witchcraft didn’t flit around on broomsticks in long, flowing robes. What exactly had the “witches” done wrong? In an age of superstition, fear, and suspicion, surely nothing. Their indeterminate crimes were pardoned and money given to their families in 1711. During the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692, for instance, colonial Massachusetts was rocked by a wave of vitriol, misguided terror, and hatred that saw 19 people condemned and hanged. Historically, witches have been a source of much fear and prosecution. Presuming that magical peoples of legend could enchant other objects and use them to fly, though, why would they select broomsticks in particular? The reason, it seems, is that broomsticks have similar pagan roots to witches themselves! The Prosecution of Witches In the Harry Potter series, witches and wizards even play the now-iconic fictional sport of Quidditch on brooms. Then, of course, there’s the traditional witchy mode of transport: the broomstick.īroom flight has long been associated with witches. The thing about these varied takes on witches, however, is just how much they all have in common: long robes, pointed hats, magic wands, and general malevolence. Witches are common stars of all manner of media, from books to TV shows and from movies to Halloween costumes.
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