The Real History of Witches

In this episode, we explore the history of witches and witchcraft, from ancient sorceresses and magic in Mesopotamia and Rome, through medieval ideas about heresy, demons, and folk magic, to the demonology and panic of the 15th-17th centuries that produced the witch as we know it. Music by: Jay Varton Spectacles Wallet and Watch Farell Wooten Ethan Sloan Experia Support Let's Talk Religion on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkreligion Or through a one-time donation: https://paypal.me/talkreligiondonate Also check out the Let's Talk Religion Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ih4sqtWv0wRIhS6HFgerb?si=95b07d83d0254b Sources/Recommended Reading: Abusch, I. Tzvi (2020). "Babylonian witchcraft literature: case studies". Brown Judaic Studies. Scholars Press, Atlanta, Georgia. Abusch, I. Tzvi (2020). "Mesopotamian Religion". In Essays on Babylonian and Biblical Literature and Religion, Vol. 65: 5-23. Brill. Abusch, Tzvi & Daniel Schwemer (ed.) (2011). "Corpus of Mesopotamian Anti-Witchcraft Rituals". Brill. Bottéro, Jean (2004). "Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia". Translated by Teresa Lavender Fagan. University of Chicago Press. Hutton, Ronald (2018). "The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present". Yale University Press. Konstantopoulos, Gina (2020). "Demons and exorcism in ancient Mesopotamia". Article. Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan. Kors, Alan Charles & Edward Peters (ed.) (2000). "Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary History". University of Pennsylvania Press. Levack, Brian P. (2015). "The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe". Routledge. Levack, Brian P. (ed.) (2015). "The Witchcraft Sourcebook". Second Edition. Routledge. Mackay, Christopher S. (transl.) (2009). "The Hammer of Witches: A Complete Translation of the Malleus Maleficarum". Cambridge University Press. Van Buylaere, Greta; Mikko Luukko; Daniel Schwemer & Avigail Mertens-Wagschal (2018). "Sources of Evil: Studies in Mesopotamian Exorcistic Lore". Brill. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Chapters: 0:00 Intro 1:15 Defining terms 4:23 Witches (?) in Ancient Cultures 12:07 The Abrahamic Religions 16:50 Emergence of the early modern witch 34:21 Witch Hunts 40:36 Later history 43:52 Conclusions #witch #halloween #witchcraft