Today’s episode is a journey through a haunting legacy — one that isn’t buried in the past, but echoes into our present and is deeply political and painfully present: the witch hunt.
Not the broomsticks or Halloween/fairy stereotypes — but the historical reality of witch hunts as a gendered tool of violence, of power, of control. The historical witch hunt was not just religious superstition — it was a systematized form of gendered violence. When witches were burnt, we burned women. People, especially women who were too loud, too wise, too sexual, too independent — too dangerous for men. They were independent, childless, outspoken, sexual, or simply old.
The witch hunt was an early and brutal enforcement of gender norms. A way of policing female bodies, knowledge, and community. These were not just random persecutions — they were targeted eliminations of women who defied the roles written for them by the Church, by patriarchy, by capitalism.
Where churches held the most power, most of those executed were women. But in some secular regions — like Estonia — more men were accused, showing just how linked this was to gendered fear, not magic. And the haunting truth is — this didn’t end in the 17th century. It evolved.
However, something powerful is happening. The witch — long used as a slur — is being reclaimed. Feminist and queer communities have taken the witch and transformed her into a symbol of resistance, of spiritual power, of care and community. The midwife. The healer. The intuitive. The organizer. These are roles historically criminalized — and yet, they are the very lifeblood of resilient, radical care.
Additional resources
Chollet, M. (2022). In Defence of Witches – why women are still on trial”. Picador https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250272225/indefenseofwitches/
Lovelace, A. (2018). the witch doesn’t burn in this one. Andrews Mcmeel Publishing. https://amandalovelace.com/witch.html
Fleming, A. (director). (1996). The Craft. [Film]. Columbia Pictures; Red Wagon Entertainment. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115963/?ref_=ttco_ov_bk
Lister-Jones, Z. (director). (2020). The Craft: legacy. [Film]. Columbia Pictures; Blumhouse Productions; Red Wagon Entertainment https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4685762/?ref_=ttco_ov_bk
