A CAULDRON OF CULTURES
History Revealed|April 2022
Professor Ronald Hutton reveals how ancient civilisations helped shape early modern beliefs about witches and witchcraft
Ronald Hutton
A CAULDRON OF CULTURES

Most people will be aware of the notorious traditional superstition that a witch can be detected by throwing her (or more rarely, him) into a body of water. If she floats, then the water has rejected her, and she is guilty. If she sinks, then it has accepted her and, if she can be hauled out before she drowns, she is innocent.

Many fewer will know that the throwing of suspects into water is first recorded in the law code of the Babylonian king Hammurabi, almost 4,000 years ago. This is just one illustration of a broader truth: that the beliefs concerning witchcraft which underpinned the infamous early modern European witch trials, in which tens of thousands of people were executed, have ancient roots. Without understanding those roots, it is impossible to understand the whole history of attitudes to witchcraft in Europe.

It should be recognized at the start of such an understanding that in the modern world, the term 'witchcraft' has various different meanings and associations, some neutral or positive. The sense in which it is employed here is the one most commonly used in English until recent times, which is also the most negative and hostile, and lethal. It defines witchcraft as the use by human beings of uncanny power, of the kind traditionally classed as magic, to harm other people.

ALLIANCES WITH SPIRITS

The ancient Babylonians certainly believed in and feared such a power, and prescribed the death penalty for those thought to use it. They also developed a large number of spells to counteract it and had an associated belief in evil spirits operating in the natural world, who hated humans and wanted to harm them: entities for which Europeans would later adopt the word 'demons'. In Babylon, it was believed that wicked people made alliances with these spirits in order to torment and destroy their fellow humans.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM HISTORY REVEALEDView all
'Dickens's evocation of the fears, excitement and confusion of childhood is peerless'
BBC History Revealed

'Dickens's evocation of the fears, excitement and confusion of childhood is peerless'

DR LEE JACKSON ON WHY CHARLES DICKENS REMAINS RELEVANT TODAY

time-read
2 mins  |
Christmas 2023
THE AUTHOR GOES ABROAD
BBC History Revealed

THE AUTHOR GOES ABROAD

Dickens expanded his horizons and boosted his fan-base by venturing overseas - but global fame came with a cost

time-read
4 mins  |
Christmas 2023
REVIVING THE FESTIVE SPIRIT
BBC History Revealed

REVIVING THE FESTIVE SPIRIT

A Christmas Carol wasn't just a bestseller - it changed the way that Britons chose to mark the festive season

time-read
3 mins  |
Christmas 2023
GIVING THE POOR A VOICE
BBC History Revealed

GIVING THE POOR A VOICE

From Hard Times to Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens used his pen to help illuminate the lives of the less fortunate

time-read
3 mins  |
Christmas 2023
A JOURNEY THROUGH DICKENS'S LONDON
BBC History Revealed

A JOURNEY THROUGH DICKENS'S LONDON

The works of Charles Dickens are synonymous with visions of Victorian London. We talk to Dr Lee Jackson about the author's love of the capital, and the locations that most inspired him

time-read
10+ mins  |
Christmas 2023
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
BBC History Revealed

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

Dr Lee Jackson chronicles Charles Dickens's journey from down-at-luck teenager to titan of Victorian literature

time-read
6 mins  |
Christmas 2023
GIFTS, TREES & FEASTING
BBC History Revealed

GIFTS, TREES & FEASTING

We take a journey through the photo archives to reveal how Christmas and its many traditions have been celebrated over the years - and around the world

time-read
3 mins  |
Christmas 2023
WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY
BBC History Revealed

WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY

We explore the story behind an allegorical painting that celebrates the triumph of love over hate, peace over war

time-read
3 mins  |
Christmas 2023
HELLISH NELL
BBC History Revealed

HELLISH NELL

Malcolm Gaskill delves into the life of Helen Duncan - the fraudulent Scottish medium whose ectoplasm-filled seances saw her ending up on the wrong side of the law

time-read
6 mins  |
Christmas 2023
7 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE
BBC History Revealed

7 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE

Presidential historian Dr Lindsay M Chervinsky reveals some of the most surprising facts about the world-famous US residence

time-read
5 mins  |
Christmas 2023