how the witch became a feminist icon (and how it failed)

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today i have a new video essay for you guys ! this one is a deep dive into witchy characters: evil witches, empowered witches, cozy witches - all of them!
my deep dive playlist: • Deep Dives & Video Essays
00:00: intro
3:46: witch hunts & woman hate
14:58 the empowered witch
19:53: the witch as a victim
30:12 the "witch paradox"
38:27 conclusion
sources:
Witch, BBC Radio 4
Mary E. Corey. Matilda Joslyn Gage: A Nineteenth Century Women’s Rights Historian Looks at Witchcraft. OAH Magazine of History, 2003.
Sempruch, Justyna. Fantasies of Gender and the Witch in Feminist Theory and Literature. Purdue University Press, 2008.
Matilda Joslyn Gage. Woman, Church and State, The Original Exposé of Male Collaboration Against the Female Sex. 1893
www.theguardian.com/society/2...
www.faculty.umb.edu/gary_zabe...
scrippsnews.com/stories/how-w...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2...
www.huffpost.com/entry/witche...
theclassicjournal.uga.edu/ind...
www.english-heritage.org.uk/l...
The Podcast Episode on Midwives: digpodcast.org/2020/09/06/doc...
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Hi! My name is Leonie and I am a 25 year old girl from the Netherlands who loves talking about books! From YA to non-fiction to classics, I read it all (although fantasy will always be my fave).
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Опубликовано:

11 ноя 2023

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Комментарии : 679

@pendragon2012 6 месяцев назад

I remember in grad school teaching a Halloween-time lesson on real life pirates and the witch trials because pirates and witches are two of the most popular costumes. But the real pirates were actually awful human beings, and the real witches were innocent victims....

@mygaaraofthedesert 6 месяцев назад

Are you talking about the witch trials no if you're talking about the Witch Trials of Salem then someone told you wrong because the witch trials is Salem but innocent people that were accused of witchcraft with that information come from

@tigura02 6 месяцев назад

@mygaaraofthedesert not sure exactly what your saying there, but I think you agreed with pendragon... the witches were just innocent people.

@blackk_rose_ 6 месяцев назад

Well, pirates (especially those who weren't privateers) were also often victims of society - outcasts, underpaid sailors, former slaves, etc. But they did murder and pillage while the so-called witches just lived their lives, so I get what you mean.

@tuluppampam 6 месяцев назад

Also witches were men as well, but for some reason the term later became associated with women It was originally just a pejorative term for heretics

@edbotikx 6 месяцев назад

Witches were not innocent victims. Witchcraft was a severe crime, which is why they were forced to hide.

@grybentinas2157 6 месяцев назад

So Malleus Maleficarum is basically a 15th century incel manifesto that caused a shit tone of cruelty on women

@justwonder1404 6 месяцев назад

Can't say I'm surprised.

@zx921 6 месяцев назад

First recorded copypasta

@bpblitz 6 месяцев назад

Very little difference between it and that screed that started gamer gate lol

@Criomorph 6 месяцев назад

@@bpblitz Man I keep forgetting you hoes are still getting ass-blasted about that. GG, stay mad.

@CatSaver7 6 месяцев назад

maleficarum... maleficent

@spinstercatlady 6 месяцев назад

As a little girl, it was always the witch characters that captivated me. I'd sashay around, pretending to cast spells and ordering around the simpering princesses lol. I was subconsciously seizing upon the fact that witches were the female characters with power and mystery - quite alluring to a child (and still as an adult haha). Long live the witch archetype!

@nostradamus1162 6 месяцев назад

hehehe i loved the pointy hats and potion brewing stuff + the fact that they caused fear

@berenicemendivil7217 5 месяцев назад

hahaha. Absolutely. Witches were always so cool. I think I had 6 or 7 different witch costumes throught the years when I was little. I always loved the pretty flowy gown and the hats. Include some kind of "mystic" or "magic" necklace and done I'm sold.

@spinstercatlady 4 месяца назад

@berenicemendivil7217 oh yesss, always had to be a magical necklace haha!!

@gabriellewade2724 6 месяцев назад

I love Terry Pratchett's interpretation of witches. They seem more real and subsequently, more terrifying because I would not want Granny Wetherwax angry at me. 😂

@Milovatsi 6 месяцев назад

Yes! Granny is the best!

@katherinealvarez9216 5 месяцев назад

The Wyrd Sisters was my introduction to Discworld.

@tochterchenfrost4784 5 месяцев назад

Yes! love them so much! just started re-reading 'wyrd sisters' and can't wait to get to the Tiffany Aching stories 🧙‍♀️😊

@MegaCrazyhand 6 месяцев назад

Everyone I've ever known from the Salem area has really hated being asked about the witch trials, even if they worked in the museums. It's telling that there wasn't a memorial until 1992- as I have had it recounted, the people in charge of the town didn't even want to publicly acknowledge that the Trials happened for a long time. Despite this, the town now really seems to lean into the witch imagery for the tourists which gives the impression that the town is celebrating that time they successfully killed everyone of a fictional group. As another aside, a large number of Wiccans I've known are survivors of SA and other violent crimes and turned to Wicca as a way to feel like they could take control back in their lives. I think there is something poetic in that- that the label used by the state to murder woman is now used by woman to provide a sense of control over the world.

@N3gr0bitch 2 месяца назад

Whyy would you have a memorial for witches? Do you have memorials for nazis as well? What kind of world, do you people live in..? Curious.

@user-df5nb8zy7e 6 месяцев назад

I suddenly realized that many other types of magic practices were not considered nearly as bad. For example, occultism in Edwardian Britain. For whatever reason, it is perfectly fine when distinguished gentlemen do basically the same thing.

@Criomorph 6 месяцев назад

No? Absolutely not? Not least of which because by the 20th century nobody in the _civilized_ world was burning witches at the stake. Not only that but some of the most notorious (and consequently influential in those circles) occultists of the day were women! There are several brands of occultism still popular today that were founded by women - Theosophy _and the entire field of Aryan mysticism/Nazi occultism_ are example. Where did you get this deeply stupid take and do they offer refunds?

@williamerickson520 5 месяцев назад

I'd say it was a class thing because that movement was mostly practiced by the wives of these wealthy men. They didn't have much else to do at the time, so why not?

@Criomorph 5 месяцев назад

@@williamerickson520 I mean, occultism in general was typically only practiced by the wealthy - and then usually by spoiled wives and children. Look at Wicca, it was invented by the mid-20th century equivalent of a fuck-boy, dude literally just made that shit up so he could get laid and upper-class white women are _still_ eating it up.

@MatildeVallespinCasas 5 месяцев назад

@@williamerickson520also, in the nineteenth century, with the advancement of science, things have changed considerably since the witch trials. And these guys were considered eccentric rather than dangerous

@MrKoalaburger Месяц назад

There always have been and always will be different rules for the rich than for the rest of us.

@Tatiana_Palii 6 месяцев назад

Oh, thank you so much for mentioning Baba Yaga! She is not completely evil though - in some fairytales she eventually helps the hero on their journey. Like in the Russian folk version of Cinderella she gives Vasilisa (Cinderella) a human scull with burning eyes on a stick, so it can help her to light her way through the woods (and to burn down her house, killing her evil stepmother and stepsisters, hooray!)

@berenicemendivil7217 5 месяцев назад

That either has to be the coolest or the creepiest version I've ever heard of cinderella, and I'm immediately going to look it up because I need to know more.

@Tatiana_Palii 5 месяцев назад

@@berenicemendivil7217 I guess it's both cool and creepy at the same time :)

@justinameans4324 Месяц назад

Baba Yaga is completely misunderstood. I've always liked her, and that crazy house she lives in. If I could live in a house which walked around, I'd be thrilled.

@AtlasPro1 6 месяцев назад

This was really interesting! I've been writing a collection of short horror stories for years now and one of them focuses on a witch. I tried my hardest to make her character relatable, as she's not the monster of some other character's story, she's the focus of the story, and her "witchness" or wickedness only develops as cruel deeds are done to her throughout the story. This video really gave me a new perspective on this, and may force me to rethink some things!

@MoonlitBookworm73 6 месяцев назад

Hey, idk if this is something you would care for, but if you want to make your witch even more realistic, then I thought I would offer. I am a practicing witch and an aspiring author, so I would be happy to help you with making her witchcraft practice realistic if that is something your story entails. 🤍

@mappererich5501 6 месяцев назад

So cool finding you here, love both channels.

@jmsl_910 6 месяцев назад

omg!!! keep writing!!! i want to read them by next halloween!🖤💛🖤

@waffles658 6 месяцев назад

I would love to read this!

@sophiehynds8847 5 месяцев назад

I love villain origin stories (the novel I'm currently writing is one in-fact). I'd be happy to beta-read/edit your witch story if you'd like.

@itowilltube 6 месяцев назад

This video essay was an educational slay! She did thorough research and I'm glad she acknowledged for the idea that this happened. Continues to occur in Asia and Africa as well as Western world.

@gecko9180 6 месяцев назад

“When I was a child, the witch was a-“ Me: Hag? Ugly nasty jealous Hag? Extremely evil envious gossiping female hunchback of notredame? “-n evil villain” Me: Oh yeah, that works too I guess

@Celyn4 19 дней назад

omg I don't know if she's read the hunchback, but if she has I don't know if she's mentioned it yet, otherwise I'd love her to do a review on it!

@ginarocher 6 месяцев назад

As a catalan person i'm so happy to hear you mention Catalunya and our history with witches!!!

@llloonie 6 месяцев назад

The amount of research she does for these videos is great!

@stephanibauduccio1751 6 месяцев назад

I took a course at university called "The History of European and American Witchcraft" for my gender/sexualities studies minor and it was incredible - a lot of what you discussed I learned about in that course. Well done, super interesting stuff!!

@user-zb8qo4oz3s 6 месяцев назад

As a writer I'm so glad I found your channel, I've learned so much about what readers like and don't like. As a woman, I love this video even more. Thank you for your videos 🥰🥰

@rainydaysurvivor 6 месяцев назад

Leonie is the most well-researched BookTuber.

@rachelherway7379 5 месяцев назад

Exactly what I came here to say!

@rainydaysurvivor 5 месяцев назад

@@rachelherway7379 Isn’t she amazing

@mollika22 6 месяцев назад

OMG. How does everytime I'm interested about something The book leo makes a video about that? I'm so happy 💛

@themaskedcat_ 6 месяцев назад

Same 😊

@itowilltube 6 месяцев назад

She a mmmm

@sofiasireno 6 месяцев назад

For anyone interested, I highly reccomend "The Mercies" by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, based on the real events of 1621 witch trials in Finnmark, Norway. After a storm claims all the men of the village, the women of Vardø are left to face not only the harsh Arctic elements but also the looming threat of witch trials. Slowly, the island becomes a battleground of survival and superstition. Evocative and beautifully written - I adored it! Btw, loved this one Leonie! 🔮💜

@katnisseverdeen5466 6 месяцев назад

I loved Hargrave's 'The Deathless Girls' so I'll have to give that one a try, thanks for the recommendation!

@sofiasireno 6 месяцев назад

Oh I have to read that one as well then! Thank you😊

@renee_3364 6 месяцев назад

This was a great video. To me, it’s especially interesting how incredible widespread the demand for these “female empowerment fantasies” is among readers. It’s pretty telling of the underlying cultural feeling.

@killgriffinnow 5 месяцев назад

Stories like "The Lord of The Rings" are literally about how desire for power is the most corrupting and evil force there is. When you have this as an "underlying cultural feeling", then that society will become corrupt and die. It's less "interesting" than it is "insidious".

@DrFranklynAnderson 6 месяцев назад

15:34 I’ve read some of Cotton Mather’s writings on witchcraft. (What can I say? I’m a history nerd who loves The Legend of Sleepy Hollow-which mentions Mather several times-and I enjoy deep dives into the minutia of stories. 😂) The witches were NEVER considered to have their own inherent power. It always came from having some kind of relationship with the Devil, making a deal with evil spirits, being given a familiar, etc. There’s also a surprising amount of “we thought the accusation was crazy and impossible, but after exhausting every other option it seemed the only explanation.” The description of the witch’s victims, usually children, seemed like possession to me, but that might be because the recent Exorcist movie is fresh in my mind… 😅

@nozomisouffle 6 месяцев назад

I'm glad you addressed the "small city problem", I live on a pretty big city (6.7M habitants) and tbh I think it's great because it grants us some degree of freedom and privacy because no one knows us, whenever I visit my extended family on a smaller city (11K habitants) if I sneeze during the sunday mass, "can you believe the big city girl, you know, ____'s granddaughter, sneezed during mass?" will become the talk of the city, I love my grandma but it's a hellish experience

@zhoradaiyu5184 6 месяцев назад

My mom once wrote a paper in school on the topic of witch hunts, which I then used for my own high school history presentation

@meganberk6072 6 месяцев назад

So I remember reading a book in school called “The witch of blackbird lake” which is about a Quaker woman accused of witchcraft. That happened a lot in real life.

@justinameans4324 Месяц назад

OMG I've read that book three times! I've always been bothered by it, because I think she was botanist. I remember my mom planting a lot of herbs I always thought we were cool witches. Maybe we still are : )

@evelynstenberg 6 месяцев назад

Your deep dives are the best. They're like little cozy classes and you're just this amazing teacher. I love these videos.

@loose_sweata 6 месяцев назад

Mona Chollet’s “In Defense of Witches” dives deep into this subject of you want to read more! It’s a great read ☺️ love your videos!

@jasminu4971 6 месяцев назад

I really liked that book too!

@-.EllieW-. 4 месяца назад

I want to do my master's dissertation on the Witch Hunts and this only makes me want to do it even more. I love your videos so much!

@thetinychickenify 6 месяцев назад

A book I really enjoyed this year that hits so many of the story beats you mentioned is Weyward by Emilia Hart. It tells the stories of three ladies across time that share a bloodline and their witchiness. One is straight up in the witch trials, one is a teen during the 1940s dealing with a controlling father, and one is modern day trying to escape an abusive partner. Each story is in part about their victimhood but also how they overcame their hardships. Would definitely recommend!!

@zofiabochenska1240 6 месяцев назад

Oh no, I was supposed to go to sleep! And I can't now 😅 Edited after watching: Each one of your deep dives is soo well made, wow. I love the witchy stories, regardless of the social comentary, or lack thereof. Have you read the Discworld? Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg are two of the coolest witches in all of literature :)

@mamoru1836 6 месяцев назад

I love your essays Leonie !!!

@laural126 6 месяцев назад

The editing is so cool in this! Love it

@reemasq 6 месяцев назад

Love everything you post Leonie! So cozy and informative

@draupadih3980 6 месяцев назад

Your videos are so relaxing and informative!

@elmeelee4109 6 месяцев назад

love ur video essays leonie, so insightful and thought provoking

@flowerw8011 6 месяцев назад

i always look forward to your video essays about (book) tropes & themes, this was amazing as always 💜

@SophieOlgadeJong 6 месяцев назад

Love these little documentaries you make! hope you make more of them!

@ph_read_be 6 месяцев назад

Love how you approached this deep dive! A really interesting video as always 💜

@madhotfry 6 месяцев назад

The editing in this vid is lovely, it’s giving all the dark autumn (but still cozy!) vibes ✨

@MrLeopardgekko 6 месяцев назад

LOVE YOU LEO AAAAAA YOUR VIDEOS ARE ALWAYS SO INSIGHTFULL AND WELL-RESEARCHED

@heatherbocks 6 месяцев назад

Your deep dive videos are fantastic! It’s obvious that you put so much work into them ❤

@karoline323 6 месяцев назад

The amount of research that went into this really shows, absolutely love these types of videos!

@finleyedmonds9582 6 месяцев назад

I love the video essay format, especially diving into aspects of stories like this

@salomekayano7695 6 месяцев назад

I love your videos so much, I clicked on it as soon as I saw it in your story!

@cubitum-eamus 6 месяцев назад

i’m loving these video essays!!

@miri_yeuieja27 6 месяцев назад

Thanks for putting so much time into this video!! Incredibly interesting

@J_R186 6 месяцев назад

You put so much research into these videos 😳😍 I love this!

@wordsofclover 6 месяцев назад

LOVED this Leonie! You put so much thought and effort into these video essays, and I enjoy them so much.

@ekomeo 6 месяцев назад

Love the fact that all sources are given in the caption ❤

@xmv99 6 месяцев назад

I love your video essays ❤

@cayt23 6 месяцев назад

Love this! You go so in depth into the history and folklore. This was so interesting!

@eva-mariahartmann3391 6 месяцев назад

I love your deep dive content soo much. The amount of research is just insane!! ❤

@rewbaccan.1005 6 месяцев назад

I love these deep dives. Thanks for your hard work!

@mia0006 6 месяцев назад

Pleaser never stop making these types of video's!! I love them sm!

@michellemachesney1487 6 месяцев назад

i loved this video so much! i think it was wonderfully edited and so aesthetically pleasing! It is also so fascinating to think about the power structures behind these witchy books (which I also love) but had never thought about critically in the ways that you brought up!

@Emily-hf9ud 6 месяцев назад

This was such a fun video, I really love these deeper dives into a specific topic!

@Luiza-jm5sq 6 месяцев назад

i love these video essays!! this was soooo interesting and mades me want to read a small town witchy romance now

@AARM33 6 месяцев назад

I cannot get enough of these deep divesssss. Always impressed by the amount of research into these videos

@vuvuzela691 6 месяцев назад

As always love the research you do for your videos!

@leeni9489 Месяц назад

Found your channel just a few days ago and cant stop watching! ✨🌱

@macabinelli5612 6 месяцев назад

I honestly love this kind of explanation videos. It's super interesting to hear you go in depth about any topic✨

@margotk4653 6 месяцев назад

this is so true, thank u for sharing this research! would love to see more essay-type videos from u

@laradadic908 6 месяцев назад

I love whenever you post and you finally did a witch video 🧙🏻 love the vibes and these essay type of videos! ❤❤❤

@lrkemariabkgaard9030 6 месяцев назад

Omg I loved this video so much!!! The research, the different perspectives, the aesthetic, the sleeves, the candles, the whole deal! U slayyyyy!!!

@ricardacorsalli 6 месяцев назад

This is soo well made and so well researched. I love it! 🖤

@AryaGilberts 6 месяцев назад

I love how much research and thought you put into this video! This is a proper video essay and the depiction of witches in media is such a wide topic! Thank you for working so hard on making an informative/interesting video that's also fun to watch! I also love your vibes and your make up a lot :)

@atieh410 6 месяцев назад

This was splendid! Thank you, Leonie! Your videos are the best and I always get SO excited when there's a new one 💖

@lelahe6803 6 месяцев назад

beautiful video! love the editing & it's very well researched

@MrJockelus 6 месяцев назад

Loved this deep-dive!

@moose1277 6 месяцев назад

oh I love Leonie's video essays, they're always so interesting and well researched!

@funkydancegirl45 6 месяцев назад

This is such a beautiful and informative video essay! I love the deep dive and I can tell how much passion you have behind this subject. This is great and please keep up the great work Leonie!

@she.is.literal 6 месяцев назад

This has the feeling of a video essay. Loved your insights❤

@podraje 6 месяцев назад

Thank you for this! I love witches, literary archetypes and especially I LOVE deep dives and video essays, so this checks out all of my fav elements 🧙🏻‍♀️🖤

@sophhnavarro 6 месяцев назад

What an excellent deep dive! Thanks for the great quality content Leonie

@wallobyway3055 6 месяцев назад

Fav book content creator again and again!! This was so thought-provoking and felt like chatting with a friend over tea ☺️🖤

@grahamcrack 5 месяцев назад

You look majestic as hell in the dark lighting👏🏻 it matches the vibe of the video! I love your video essays about the history of mythical creatures and beings and how they came to be as we know them today🌸

@AnyaAkhmetshina 6 месяцев назад

I loved everything about this video!! The amount of research is incredible and the atmosphere is just right

@DidiAphra 6 месяцев назад

The research and the editing that went into this video was so impressive! And I love how the lighting slowly dimmed as the video went on, def added to the witchy vibe!

@pauline-1322 6 месяцев назад

I love when you do videos like these. It is super interesting. Thanks for the commitment and the research!

@furroy 6 месяцев назад

enjoyed this deep dive!

@probablyanotherescape7496 6 месяцев назад

Loved this video! The editing is perfect and I gained lot of new perspectives on the topic!🥰

@cleopatraclara8036 6 месяцев назад

one of the most well pur together videos ive seen recently! ive already watched it twice, such an interesting topic as well

@Felisophiena 6 месяцев назад

Thank you for this video! I always enjoy your deep dives and also your bookish content but this is a topic I've also been thinking about a lot lateley and it was really nice to gather more information that I might not have stumbled upon otherwise. Plus as a history student I love that you questioned the connection between actual historical facts and the myths based on them (+ the other way round) and how those myths have changed over time while also maintaining a lot of themes, not necessarily only good ones I'd say. Probably gonna start my own deep dive into witchy topics now haha :)

@Hillary429 6 месяцев назад

Love all the witch art you were able to find and add

@lamyy678 6 месяцев назад

This was such a great video, loved the research and presentation ❤

@ashleyl7794 6 месяцев назад

We appreciate all the hard work you put into these videos

@kcaudill23456 6 месяцев назад

Just started watching, but I already know this video will be a winner just like all of your deep dive videos 💕

@theinkedpath9631 4 месяца назад

Hi Leonie! I know it is very late and that you posted these a long time ago but I am doing a marathon of your content (here and in your secondary channel). I ADORED THIS VIDEO. Thank you for making it.