• The Medieval and Modern Witch

  • Jul 22 2024
  • Length: 11 mins
  • Podcast

The Medieval and Modern Witch

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  • Summary

  • Latin terms strix or striga referred to nocturnal travelers. Ancient authors, like Pliny the Elder, described them as flying spiritual beings that fed on human blood. The word "strix" gives us the modern name for the strigidae family, which includes nocturnal birds of prey like owls and tawny owls. More importantly, it's the root of the word we still use for girls persecuted by treacherous inquisitors, a term associated with a specific era in our collective imagination: the Middle Ages. Ironically, the witches burned at the stake during the Inquisition weren't even medieval.The idea of midwives and healers living on the village outskirts, labeled as devil-cooperating witches and seen as innocent victims of an ignorant society, is actually quite modern. This concept first appeared during the dawn of the Renaissance.The most famous treatise on witchcraft is the Malleus Maleficarum, published in 1487 in Germany by two Dominican friars. Despite its popularity, it was never officially endorsed by the Church.
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