Why Witch Hunts are not just a Dark Chapter from the Past

Whether in Macbeth, Harry Potter or Hansel and Gretel – witches have a long tradition in literature and film, often celebrated as strong, independent women, or portrayed as the incarnation of evil. But in a recent global study, over 40 percent of those surveyed said they believe in malevolent witchcraft. So witches are not just the stuff of fantasy nor a phenomenon of some distant medieval past.

As the descendant of a family that lost several members to witch hunts, DW-reporter Karin Helmstaedt goes searching for clues, speaking to experts and digging through archives in southern Germany. From the beginning of the Great European Witch Hunts in the 15th century to witch hunts in present-day Africa and Asia, this episode of Arts Unveiled goes after the truth about why they really happened, and why being singled out as a witch can still be deadly today.

00:00 Intro
01:18 The True Story of a Witch Hunt
03:59 The Origins of the European Witch Hunts
05:17 The "Hammer of Witches" and the History of Witch Hunts
09:11 Debunking Common Witch Myths
13:46 The Fate of Margarethe Kröber
14:53 Witch Hunts in the New World and its End in Europe
15:51 Belief in Witchcraft Today and its Cruel Traces
22:34 Witches in Pop Culture and Political Activism
24:26 Conclusion

Original Art by Barbara Gandys

Special thanks to:

#witches #witchhunts #witchcraft #dwhistoryandculture #witchesofinstagram #witchtok #magic

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[lynnedanieli]

Poor Margarethe. Many women got accused of witchcraft because they tried to help heal people with herbs etc. Your documentary is very professionally done. I really enjoyed it.

[katperson]

Ironically enough, people suffered more at the hands of these religious prosecutors than they ever did from the alleged witches. What a fearful time to live in!

[SRWJ]

My ancestor was in one of the last group of "witches" to be killed in Scotland, in Inverness-shire. From what I know of her through research, she was a healer. Thank you for the mini doco 🙏

[malloryknox]

Its sad in so many ways how people in undereducated and impoverished societies still can actually believe that by singling out an individual and torturing and or killing someone will " solve" some community or personal issue. Sad and scary.

[jelena]

I enjoyed the personalized story of her grandmother. They incorporated it into a larger story and took it through history to modern day. Well done!

[geminisunleomoon]

Elderly widows were often targeted as witches to acquire their land and valuables.

[LaReinaDeMuerte]

My great great grandmother Guadalupe Berlanga Gomez was an indigenous woman of Mexico, descended of the Azteca and spoke Nahuatl, she was a Bruja and a healer and was infamous for removing spells until she passed..her gift runs deep in my blood…it’s an indescribable feeling..

[jodirook]

After 51 years 23 and me helped me find my biological Mother in October of 2022. She is a Wiccan priestess and does readings in new orleans. Learning about witchcraft helps me learn more about my Mother. Thank you for posting ❤

[LilyGazou]

Mass formation psychosis. Still happening today. And still motivated by money. Follow the money, right? Who profits? What fears are being exploited?

This was well worth watching.

[StarlasAiko]

The biblical quote "Thou shall not suffer the witch to live." may well be (and most likely is) a mistranslation. It may just as much mean "Thou shall not suffer the assassin to live" or "Thou shall not suffer the poisoner to live". Most likely, taking in context, the last example is probably the correct translation, as poisoner refers to not merely somebody who uses poison to harm others but also people who use lies and deception, a poisonous tongue, to ruin other people's lives.

[robertprice]

Alice Lake, an ancestor of mine, was hanged for being a witch, around the year 1650 in Massachusetts. Her crime was seeing an apparition of her dead baby.

[kitkate]

I'm a witch myself. My ancestors were shamans (native canadian), and I've learn to use nature and the divine power that we are all granted to navigate through life.

In my journey, I have to learn to forgive the people who propagated this cruelty, and it's the hardest part so far! 😢

[buddhabro.]

Thank you so much Ms. Karin Helmstaedt for making this comprehensive then and now knowledge. In the past being raised evangelical Christian, I judged witches and occult practices as "evil' or "scary" I've met several pagans since then and done a lot of research on pagan festivals and witchcraft online and found that that just isn't true, it's fake news. Now, I consider myself a Buddhist Pagan and embrace my own inner witch. I was shocked to learn from this video that this kind of persecution is still widespread in present times. Thank you so much for spreading awareness!

[Phorquieu]

Thank you for this reporting of a serious and disturbing aspect of human society - the cruelty of people to people - almost as bad as the way people decide they can treat animals. Your story of your persecuted ancestor rings tragic and true - and a family story of my own is in agreement with your story. According to my father, his grandmother (a fiercely independent and religious widow) had a sister who was feared to be an actual witch (sometime in the 1920s or 1930s?). I could never get the full story from my father, but it appears that older people (back then) knew about healing plants and practiced midwifery in order to make a daily living. But neighbors for some reason suspected my father's grandmother's sister of practicing magic - and out of fear someone in the town took matters into their own hands and POISONED the person they thought was a witch - someone (anonymously?) got away with murdering a poor woman because they feared she was practicing magic! All she was doing was helping to deliver babies, and prescribing plants as medicine to earn money and heal people. Just want you to know, Ms. Helmstaedt, that your family history has some elements in common with my family story. Many thanks for having the bravery to put this story out in public - the only way to confront ignorance and fear and backward thinking!

[whatabouttheearth]

They executed a third of their own town, that is INSANE.

[KimSmylie-qvsp]

I learned so much about witches from watching this intriguing documentary. I had no idea the extent to which the persecutions are still happening. Would enjoy learning more! Thanks!

[mdlahey]

My five-greats-grandfather was Rev. George Burroughs, who was hanged for the alleged crime of witchcraft at Salem, during the terrible summer of 1692. Although I'd heard about him from my maternal grandmother ever since I was a kid, I decided I had to visit Salem, and as peculiar synchronicity would have it, I chanced to visit exactly 300 years to the month, from his ghastly death on the gibbet in August of that fateful year. I was deeply moved when I came to the memorial that has been built for the victims, and saw his name carved in the stone, and found myself moved to tears on discovering that no one is certain where the bodies were disposed of, there having been a kind of communal forgetting of the precise circumstances which prevailed in those days. And so it goes...

[anthipaganou]

As a practicing witch, it always gives me chills watching stories of all those poor victims back then, and it's shocking to see that women are still being targeted in parts of the world. It's sickening how our first reaction to something we don't understand is violence and destruction. I'm quite lucky to live in a place where there aren't such extreme measures, but the majority of people still view me and my practice with contempt, and some go as far as calling it demonic. I really hope that one day we'll be accepted

[Donutdove]

As a practicing witch and human being this breaks my heart. To know how prevalent the unjust murder of accused pagan witches today is so alarming and disgusting. Even here in the west u must be careful as people are afraid of what they do not know. Be safe and blessed be to all

[footballfan]

As Nigerian, my mum is a victim of witchcraft. Witch Leads to her early death while i and my siblings were very young and our last born was a 4months old.😢 life was a hell for me and my family 15years ago💔 now I'm currently based in Europe. And planning to return back home soon. So that I con go & seek justice for those who are helpless.😢 the experience was really hell after my mum's death!😭