The Witch

By Ronald Hutton,

Book cover of The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present

Book description

Why have societies all across the world feared witchcraft? This book delves deeply into its context, beliefs, and origins in Europe's history

"Traces the idea of witches far beyond the Salem witch trials to beliefs and attitudes about witches around the world throughout history."-Los Angeles Times

The witch came to…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Witch as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

As well as the village witch, we have what might be called the ‘folkloric witch’, and other folkloric traditions.

When interrogators asked witchcraft suspects about the Devil, the answers sometimes surprised them. They uncovered beliefs about nature spirits, practices of magical healing and divination, and visionary experience of otherworlds.

Some of this material fed into ideas about the witches’ sabbat, but these beliefs, practices, and visions were not necessarily about ‘witchcraft’ at all. Ronald Hutton’s ambitious book surveys these beliefs, practices, and visions.

He ranges far back into the ancient history of Europe – and adjacent regions, exploring traditions of…

If you love The Witch...

Ad

Book cover of I Am Taurus

I Am Taurus By Stephen Palmer,

The constellation we know as Taurus goes all the way back to cave paintings of aurochs at Lascaux. This book traces the story of the bull in the sky, a journey through the history of what has become known as the sacred bull.

Each of the sections is written from…

Want books like The Witch?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 82 books like The Witch.

Browse books like The Witch

Book cover of Witches and Neighbours: The Social and Cultural Context of European Witchcraft
Book cover of Witch Craze: Terror and Fantasy in Baroque Germany
Book cover of Thinking with Demons: The Idea of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,605

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Witch, you might also like...

Book cover of Conditions are Different After Dark

Conditions are Different After Dark By Owen W. Knight,

In 1662, a man is wrongly executed for signing the death warrant of Charles I. Awaiting execution, he asks to speak with a priest, to whom he declares a curse on the village that betrayed him. The priest responds with a counter-curse, leaving just one option to nullify it.

Four…

Book cover of Coma and Near-Death Experience: The Beautiful, Disturbing, and Dangerous World of the Unconscious

Coma and Near-Death Experience By Alan Pearce, Beverley Pearce,

What happens when a person is placed into a medically-induced coma?

The brain might be flatlining, but the mind is far from inactive: experiencing alternate lives rich in every detail that spans decades, visiting realms of stunning and majestic beauty, or plummeting to the very depths of Hell while defying…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in witches, witchcraft, and Europe?

Witches 146 books
Witchcraft 345 books
Europe 960 books