Witches Between Fear and Feminism: How the Image Changed from the Inquisition to Modern Culture

The figure of the witch has haunted European imagination for centuries. From the whispered fears of medieval villages to the feminist reclaiming of witchcraft in the 21st century, witches have been both scapegoats and symbols of power. In the Middle Ages, to be accused of witchcraft meant persecution, torture, and often death. Yet today, witches are celebrated in literature, film, and even political activism, embodying independence, rebellion, and female empowerment.

This article traces the transformation of the witch — from feared servant of the devil to icon of feminism. It explores the historical context of witch hunts, the cultural myths that shaped them, and the modern reinterpretations that turned a symbol of fear into one of freedom.

Witchcraft and Fear in the Middle Ages

Belief in witches predates Christianity, rooted in pagan rituals, folk healing, and magical traditions across Europe. In early medieval times, local healers, midwives, and wise women often played essential roles in communities. They used herbs, charms, and rituals to heal the sick or protect against misfortune. Yet as Christianity expanded its influence, these practices were increasingly demonized.

By the late Middle Ages, witchcraft was no longer seen as harmless superstition but as a pact with the devil. Theologians and church authorities framed witches as heretics who threatened the very order of Christian society. This transformation set the stage for one of the darkest chapters in European history.

The Inquisition and the Witch Hunts

The period from the 15th to the 17th centuries saw a wave of witch hunts that spread terror across Europe. The publication of the infamous Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches) in 1487 codified the belief that witches were agents of Satan. It offered detailed instructions on how to identify, interrogate, and punish them.

Inquisitors and secular courts alike pursued supposed witches with zeal. Accusations could arise from personal grudges, unexplained illnesses, or natural disasters. Women, particularly widows, the poor, or those who lived on the margins of society, were the most common targets. The numbers are staggering: historians estimate that between 40,000 and 60,000 people were executed for witchcraft in Europe, the vast majority of them women. Torture extracted confessions, while public trials and burnings reinforced fear and conformity. The witch hunt was more than just religious fanaticism. It was also about controlling female power. Women who practiced healing, owned property, or resisted social norms were often branded as witches. In this sense, the fear of witches reflected deeper anxieties about gender, authority, and change.

Witches in Folklore and Popular Imagination

Even as witch trials raged, folklore continued to shape the popular image of the witch. In German tales, witches flew to the Brocken mountain for the Walpurgis Night sabbath, a demonic feast of revelry. In Slavic lore, Baba Yaga appeared as both a fearsome hag and a wise figure of knowledge. In English and Scottish ballads, witches brewed storms, cursed enemies, and foretold destinies.

The visual image of the witch — with a pointed hat, broomstick, and cauldron — crystallized during this period. The broom symbolized both domesticity and transgression, turning an everyday tool into a vehicle of magical flight. The cauldron, used for cooking and healing, became associated with dark potions. By the 17th century, witches were firmly embedded in Europe’s cultural imagination as the embodiment of both fear and fascination.

The Decline of the Witch Hunts

By the 18th century, the Age of Enlightenment began to challenge the hysteria surrounding witchcraft. Scientific explanations for disease and natural disasters reduced the reliance on supernatural blame. Courts grew skeptical of witchcraft accusations, and philosophers condemned the brutality of the hunts.

While witch trials never disappeared entirely, their intensity faded. The witch, once a terrifying neighbor to be feared, began to transform into a figure of fairy tales and fiction. By the 19th century, witches had moved from the courtroom to the pages of children’s stories and Gothic novels.

Witches in Literature and Romanticism

The Romantic era reimagined witches with new nuance. They appeared as both sinister and alluring figures in poetry, opera, and folklore collections. Goethe’s Faust depicted witches’ sabbaths in vivid, grotesque detail, while the Brothers Grimm popularized fairy-tale witches like the cannibalistic hag of Hansel and Gretel.

At the same time, witches began to be sexualized in art and literature. Instead of decrepit hags, they could also appear as beautiful enchantresses, reflecting male fantasies and anxieties about women’s power. This duality — the hag and the seductress — would shape witch imagery for centuries to come.

Witches in Modern Feminist Culture

The 20th century brought a radical shift. As women fought for rights and independence, the witch became a symbol of rebellion and empowerment.

Second-wave feminism in the 1960s and 70s reclaimed the witch as an icon of female strength. Groups like W.I.T.C.H. (Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell) used witch imagery in protests against patriarchy, capitalism, and war. The witch was no longer the outcast burned at the stake but the revolutionary demanding justice.

Meanwhile, spiritual movements such as Wicca and neo-paganism revived witchcraft as a religious practice. Practitioners embraced rituals, nature worship, and ancient symbols, presenting witchcraft not as devil-worship but as a celebration of the feminine divine.

In popular culture, witches took center stage in films and television: from The Wizard of Oz and Bewitched to Harry Potter and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The witch evolved into a complex character — sometimes villainous, sometimes heroic, but always compelling.

Witches Today: From Fear to Feminism

In the 21st century, the witch continues to thrive as both a cultural and political figure. Social media has created communities of self-described witches who practice tarot, astrology, herbal healing, and ritual magic. Witchcraft has become part of lifestyle branding, with hashtags like #WitchTok and #ModernWitch reaching millions.

At the same time, scholars and activists remind us that the historical witch hunts were tragedies that claimed tens of thousands of lives, mostly women. Remembering this past is part of acknowledging the violence of patriarchy and the dangers of fear-driven hysteria.

Today, the witch stands at a crossroads of memory and reinvention. She is still the hag in fairy tales, still the villain in horror films — but she is also the feminist icon, the activist, and the seeker of wisdom. Her power lies in this very duality: feared and admired, persecuted and celebrated, silenced and reclaimed.

The Witch as a Mirror of Society

From the Inquisition’s flames to feminist protests, the witch has always been more than a figure of folklore. She reflects society’s anxieties about gender, power, and change. In one age, she was the scapegoat for misfortune; in another, the heroine of resistance.

The transformation of the witch from object of fear to icon of feminism shows how cultural symbols evolve with time. What was once demonized as dangerous and destructive is now celebrated as powerful and liberating. The witch, in this sense, is a mirror — not just of superstition, but of the shifting balance between repression and freedom.