Herstory of Witches for Kids: Re-writing, Re-learning, Re-membering

Who were the real witches? Traditionally witches were ‘wise women’, poor women in the village that knew how to use herbs and other healing practises. So witches were real women who healed real people: they were ‘doctors without degrees’, passing down their knowledge by word-of-mouth from grandmother to mother to daughter. Instead of the ‘Devil worship’ they were accused of, they mostly were Pagans, and had a much more indepth understanding of nature and the human body than we could ever dream of.

If they were so good, then why does everyone think witches are bad? The very idea that, with some knowledge, you could heal your own illnesses with herbs growing wild or in your own garden, annoyed a lot of people. In the middle ages, no money was to be made from witches and their craft, and a new invention called ‘science’ was intended to take over, with professional male doctors charging for new medicines in central hospitals. This made more money for the rich in power, whilst the poor suffered. Witches were demonised as being evil, so they could be gotten rid of, and so that the new scientific medicine could take its place. Whilst the women healers were still around, people wouldn’t want to pay for the new medicines from the professional doctors.

What does ‘witchcraft’ mean? It’s the use of supernatural or magical powers. Witches were blamed for many things: disagreeing with the Government, disobeying the Church, for being sexually-aware women, for organizing amongst themselves, and for using magic powers both to harm and to heal. The Church and the State (those in power) saw their attack as being upon pagan magic: to them herbalism was not medicine, it was magic. Although many of the modern medicines we take today were derived from herbs and their healing uses- probably discovered by witches! The equivalent of the Church’s prayers, were the witches charms, and so the beginnings of modern medicine had more similarity with the witches crafts than with science as we see it today, and many doctors actually learnt about the body parts from witches.

What were the witch-hunts? They were the pre-planned hunting down, torture and murder of people accused of ‘witchcraft’, by those in favour of a new political, medical, and scientific system. Namely, the rich men in power within the Government and The Church. It is thought that, in Europe over 9 million people were killed, often burnt alive at the stake, for ‘witchcraft’. Over 85% of these deaths were of women and even children. They occurred in Europe between 400 and 700 years ago. In the witch trials, Women were accused of practising ‘witchcraft’ (healing the sick, of being ‘witches’, for unexplainable events like the death of cattle) and the professional ‘doctors’ would decide if the action was ‘witchcraft’, or natural body illnesses. The witch-hunts did not totally wipe out the poor women healers, but it labelled them as magical and possibly bad, and they have been demonised ever since.

Is this a Feminist issue? Yes! The main crime that the witches were accused of committing is that of being a woman! And a woman with healing knowledge, at that! Herbalism meant that poorer people could heal themselves for free, and meant that women (who were banned from studying/working as doctors) could also be involved. When learning about the herstory of witches, you are learning about the beginnings of institutional sexism itself. The beginnings of capitalism. The beginnings of the patriarchal system that governs us today. Over 7 million women and children are estimated to have been murdered in Europe alone, in the most horrible way, over a period of hundreds of years! This is an important part of women’s history, and essential to understand how we live today. The witch-hunts were deeply political, religious and- of course- sexist to the core.

Why weren’t we taught this in school? Good question. The History you are taught in school is only a small selection of the major events that have happened. In a nutshell, rich men in charge of popular education narrowed the History that THEY see as important down, and sexism is still affecting History education today. Feminist Herstory should be part of school History lessons. You have a right to question the education you receive in school, and to learn about topics that were essential to our lives then, as they are today. Many topics that are taught do not include enough work, history, thought, on by or about, women- especially poor women This is sexist. Both boys and girls will miss out on the knowledge that women’s herstory could bring. Don’t accept what they tell you- ask the questions they don’t want you to ask! Ask about the witch-hunts.

Anti-copyright: article taken from 'Spratz! a feminist kidzine'. Most of this info was adapted from ‘Witches, Midwives and Nurses’ zine and http://www.suppressedhistories.net/


Which Witch? a herstorical poem for kids

I am a witch.
A which?
A witch! A witch with an itch.
Yes. There’s something bothering me just a titch.

Y’see, I don’t have a black cat.
Or a tall pointy hat.
Or long ginger hair that I wear in a plait.
Fancy that!

I AM a witch…
But I don’t dress in black.
And a steel cauldron I lack.
And legs of a frog?! Well, you can put them RIGHT back!

Yet, I am a witch.
A which?
A witch! Are you thick?!
A witch who’s never even SEEN a broom-stick!

Don’t you understand?
We’re not like Dorothy’s witches in OZ-land!
Real witches aren’t like those for Hallowe’en,
We’re not scary with faces all green.

In fact, we’re not like any good or bad witch in a book.
So forget what you’ve learnt, and take another look!
Put those useless stories back on the shelf,
Learn something new- become a witch yourself!

Witches are wise women,
Wiccans, Pagans, Herbalists too.
Healing the sick and cheering up the blue:
Those old wives tales were true!

So. I am a witch.
Ahh a WITCH? So am I!
I never knew it ‘til now, and now I know why...
I thought witches flew in the sky!

Relearn the history!
Rewrite the books!
Ask teacher about the Witch-hunts,
And the true numbers THEY took.

Millions of women and children,
Killed by Church and State.
For crimes of ‘witchcraft’: burnt at the stake.
Learn about THIS- for goodness sake.

So next Hallowe’en- dress up and have fun.
But understand that real witches aren’t like those ones.
And if you understand that, then ask yourself this:
Whose truth are you believing?
Are the textbooks really teaching…or ARE they deceiving?

I am a WITCH! Shout it out loud.
I’m a witch too! And PROUD!
We both are witches. It’s great and it’s true.
But the big question is…

Which witch are YOU?

Anti-copyright Tumbleweed 2009 (Taken from Spratz! a feminist kidzine)