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A Witches' Ladder

Page history last edited by PBworks 16 years ago

 

 

Colles, Abraham.  "A Witches' Ladder."  The Folk-Lore Journal 5.1 (1887): 1-5.  JSTOR.  Halle Library, Eastern Michigan University.  25 Jan. 2008 <http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.emich.edu/>.

 

 

 A Witches' Ladder by Dr. Abraham Colles (1887)

 

 

 

 

The the western counties of England have been in the past to the full as noted as other parts of the country for the belief in various forms of superstition is a fact too well known to need comment; but many are not aware to what an extent those beliefs still linger in the popular mind.  While many "white" witches [ed. n. 1] are living at the present day and practicing their arts of curing, and among the poor are held in high estimation.  Much of the knowledge of the older, especially of the black, witchcraft [ed. n. 2] is, however, extinct, or becoming so; and therefore the following account of certain articles found which are apparently connected with it, may be of interest as a record of a dying past.

 

In the town of Wellington, in Somersetshire [ed. n. 3], I lit upon them almost accidentally in the following way:  I was calling at a house which has been built within the last few years, and in course of conversation was told that formerly the site of the house in which I then was had been occupied by another building of considerable antiquity, on property belonging to the well-known family of Popham [ed.n. 4] , and which had presumably in olden days been a farm-house.  This house had been built with cob walls of great thickness; was covered with thatching also of some feet in thickness; while its rooms were so low that in some of them a person of ordinary stature was obliged to stoop his head to avoid striking the ceiling.

 

Some eight or nine years ago it was discovered that this building was in so unsafe a condition that its instant demolition was become a necessity, and it was during the progress of its destruction that the articles were discovered to which I wish to call attention.

 

In pulling down the upper storey there was found in a space which separated the roof from the upper room, and to which there was no means of access from below--First: six brooms.  Second: an old arm-chair.  Third: a rope with feathers woven into it.

 

The brooms were ordinary looking heather-brooms, but with handles so decayed that they snapped with the least pressure.  New handles were put to them, and they were used in the garden, so that they are lost irretrievably.  The other two articles, however, were, I found, still supposed to be in existence, but had been stowed away in a warehouse belonging to the establishment.

 

I had them looked up and brought down for inspection.  The chair was old and worm-eaten, square and stiff in shape, and with a rush-bottom which was much decayed.  I am informed by a carpenter who examined it that it is made of two woods--oak and ash.  Whether the combination may have any special significance I know not, and the chair has been coloured black I cannot myself distinguish very clearly the difference in the woods, and give the statement on the authority of this man, who professed to have no doubts on the point.

 

But it is to the last article--the rope--that I wish more especially to refer.  When found the various things were placed thus: In front the brooms (their arrangement uncertain).  Then, spread on the ground, the rope, and beside that the chair.  It is unfortunate that at the time no inquiry or investigation of the significance of these things was made, as year by year the number of those whose age would enable them to throw the light of their personal knowledge of witchcraft on the matter is lessening.  Even since these articles have come into my hands two reputed witches whom I proposed to question have died before they could be interviewed.

 

The worksmen who made the discovery of the articles declared them with confidence to be for the following purposes:--The chair for the witches to rest in: the brooms for them to ride on: the rope to act as a ladder to enable them to cross the roof.  In fact, they regarded them as being all placed there for the accommodation of the witches, presuming to render them propitious to the house.  I have been unable, however, to discover on what grounds they rested their assertions, but they had no hesitation in at first sight designating the rope and feathers "A witches' ladder."  Such a name, I think, they would have been unlikely to invent on the spur of the moment, nor would it have been likely to occur to them had there been no tradition extant, however vaguely, of such a thing having been used.  It is not of such a form as to suggest of itself the notion of a ladder, nor obviously could it have been used in such a capacity.

 

It is composed of a piece of rope about five feet in length, and about half-an-inch in diameter.  It is made with three strands, and has at one end a loop, as if for the purpose of suspending it.  Inserted into the rope cross-ways are a number of feathers--mostly goose, but some crow or rook--not placed in any determinate order or at any regular intervals, but sticking out on all sides of the rope at (or near) right angles to its axis.  Examination makes it evident that these feathers had been twisted into the rope at the time when it was first made, not inserted into it subsequently--an opinion which was confirmed by Mr. Bubear [ed. n. 5],  owner of the house, himself a rope-manufacturer, who declared that on that point there could be no doubt.  The "ladder" then was apparently made for some purpose, just as we now find it.  It was a piece of new rope with feathers woven into it, only that now the feathers are in a very imperfect condition, nothing remaining of several of them save the merest stump of the quill.

 

In all attempts to discover a satisfactory explanation of the original meaning and objects of this so-called "witches' ladder," I have so far been baffled.  Whether it was, as the workmen who found it seemed to think, intended in some sort to render the witches propitious to the house; or whether, like the broom which used to be laid across a door to keep them out, it was intended as a spell to bar their entrance,--no one whom I have been able to find seems now able to say.  In fact its use remains an enigma.  The following, however, seems to definitely connect it witchcraft in some way.

 

Amongst others who in the course of my inquiries were interrogated, was an old woman who was asked whether she knew anything about witches or witchcraft.  She replied that she did, and on being pressed to say what she knew she answered that she knew of the use of "the candle with pins in it, of an onion with pins in it, and of the rope and feathers."  On being further pressed to tell for what purpose they had been used, she either could not or would not say.  The she would not seems most propable, as there has grown up a great reticence in these parts among those who believe in witchcraft, and a great dislike to speak on the subject to unbelievers.  Another old woman who was in like manner questioned, mentioned amongst other things used in magic "the new rope with new feathers," thus confirming the former woman, and adding the fact that the materials were to be new, as was probably the case as I have said in the "ladder" before us.  This woman also professed to be ignorant of its use, though I hope one or other may yet be induced to be more communicative.  These are only instances in which I have hitherto been able to trace any rememberance still existing of the rope and feathers, but, unsatisfactorily as they are in some respects, they seem to me to afford a very definite ground for connecting it with witch-superstition, more especially when considered in conjunction with the opinion so readily expressed by the workmen at the time of its discovery.

 

In the case of neither woman was any leading question put, the mention of the "ladder" being in both instances made first by her and not by her questioner; and mentioned, too, as if it were one of the instruments of magic not less common than those which were spoken of at the same time.

 

Dr. E.B. Tylor [ed. n. 6] has with great kindness taken some trouble in assisting me by looking up the question in various works on witchcraft and kindred subjects, but has, I understand, as yet found nothing definite.  It is, he informs me, unusual for such superstitions to be very local in character, and a wider inquiry may elicit more information.

 

It is with the hope that this may prove so that I write this account, believing as I do that the ladder possesses in itself great interest, and is well worth the attention of those interested in folk-lore.  I have transmitted it to Dr. Tylor, in whose hands it will remain for preservation among other kindred relics.

 

*     *     *     *     *

   

***Words/Phrases commonly associated with myths of witches today***           

 

Definitions of Terms as used in the 19th century (Oxford English Dictionary)

 

superstition

1.)  unreasoning awe or fear of something unknown, mysterious, or imaginary, esp. in connexion with religion; religious belief or practice upon fear or ignorance. 

2.)  an irrational religious system; a false, pagan, or idolatrous religion.

3.)  an irrational or unfounded belief in general; unreasonable or grounless notion.

 

spell:

1.)  a set of words, a formula or verse, supposed to possess occult or magical powers; a charm or incantation; a means of accomplishing enchantment or exorcism.

2.)  an occult or mysterious power or influence; a fascinating or enthralling charm.

 

 

Editor's Notes

 

1.  Although it is more common to ascribe witches as being evil and out to cause harm, a white witch is a witch that is believed to do good.  In other words, a white witch is a healer or curer, and uses white magic for benifecent purposes.  In Victorian England as witchcraft was becoming close to extinct, beliefs in white witches began to emerge and stayed around.

 

2.  Black witchcraft is the sort of witchery that we are most familiar with; the term "black" was not always placed before "witchcraft" because it was previously assumed that all witchcraft was evil and used for wicked reasons.

 

3.  Somersetshire was shortened to its present name of Somerset and is located in the Southwestern part of England.

 

4.  The Popham is a prominent family name in English history, mostly because of John Popham who resided in Somerset during the 16th century. 

 

5.  I could not trace the identity of this Mr. Bubear.  I found a William Bubear that lived in Somerset in 1830; however, the anachronism does not make sense in relation to the date of this article. 

 

6.  Dr. Edward Burnett Tylor (1832-1917) was an anthropoligist and is the author of Primitive Culture (1883) which delves into topics of religion, mythology, and cultural practices.  The fact that Colles gave the artifacts he found to Tylor makes sense in the notion that Tylor was the most popular person in the study of the soul in 19th century England; however, it is a little confusing that he would give Tylor the artifacts since Tylor suggested that belief in evil spirits was a primitive idea.  In other words, it should not be a belief that should be practiced in the civilized nation of England.

 

Witchcraft in Victorian England:  The Editor's Commentary

 

Introduction

 

The witch's ladder found by Abraham Colles was the first recorded finding of such an artifact--a rope with feathers woven into it.  It is believed that such an object is what witches used to put curses on others and/or they were just seen as bad omens.  The curse could be as severe as cursing one to death.  It is not exactly known what each knot and feather signifies, but it is thought that each feather and knot represents one person who the witch placed a curse on.  These ladders are still used today (though it is rare); but they are used as healing mechanisms in spiritual healing and curing.

 

It seems rather odd that there would be such claims involving witchcraft so late in the 19th century.  As Colles recognizes, beliefs in witchcraft--witchcraft that we are familiar with--dwindled heavily throughout the 18th century and nearly became obsolete during the 19th century.  But despite the fact that less accusations occur and that less public attention was given to the belief in witchcraft, it is quite apparent that the topic, in general, still was one of great interest among the population in England.  This interest did locate itself more in rural districts than the heavily urbanized parts of England; but nonetheless, the concept of witchcraft lingered for quite a while.  We can also see direct relations to modern day stereotypes of witches in that it is a common superstition that witches travel on brooms.

 

It should also be noted that although the beliefs in "black" witchcraft were becoming extinct, a "new witchcraft" seemed to be emerging (Moran 123).  Colles, in his article, refers to this as "white" witchcraft; in other words, it is the practice of witchcraft for the use of good--healing, curing, spiritualism, mesmerism, fortune-telling.  So even though the public hysteria and persecutions circling around witchcraft nearly stopped altogether, the belief in the supernatural did not.  Along these lines emerged studies done by Dr. E.B. Tylor regarding mythology and animism in which Tylor argues that such beliefs in spirits and souls is a characteristic of primitive beings.

 

Witches and witchcraft were heavily used symbols in metaphors and motifs found in literature throughout the 19th century.  In most cases, these were utilized by women writers--shedding some light on negative attitudes toward women in a (patriarchal) Victorian society.  Moran suggests that this is because women emerged with more wisdom and a stronger psyche than those of previous periods; which in turn, this caused a patriarchal society to label these women (in literary texts) as witches (123).  I will delve into this in more depth further in the commentary.

 

Ultimately, as society became more educated and were brought together in an urban setting with a broader world view, beliefs in witchcraft did slow down.  Looking into articles that I have listed in the "For Further Reading" section, it is evident that Colles' findings (arm chair, brooms, witch's ladder) received more stricture than praise.  And because of the small number of responses to his article, it is evident that the topic was not one of great interest.

 

Cases of Witchcraft

 

Witchcraft accusations still were present, although much less common, in 19th century England.  In 1818, one Michael Kenlish used witchcraft as a defense when he accused a woman who he threatened to murder of taking part in witchcraft; the charges against him for threatening the woman were dismissed.  In another case, one Sarah McDonald was sentenced to a corrections facility after claiming that she, herself, had supernatural abilities like that of a witch.  This case took place in 1858.  Charles Tilbrook, in 1862, justified his attack on his own grandmother on the rationale that she had supernatural powers that bewitched him; and he did not believe that she should possess such powers (Davies 600-602).  In today's society, these seem like cases that we would lean toward the view of insanity rather than that of witchcraft.  But as you can see, even in 19th century London, charges were dismissed due to a defense of witchcraft.  These results still greatly differ from those persecutions in Salem in 1692.  Those accused of being witches, in these cases, were not strung up and hanged.  In addition, prosecutions against witchcraft were nearly completely null at this time.  A similarity existing between previous persecutions lies in the fact that the female (Sarah McDonald) was still sent away while the male accusers (who were guilty of crimes) were acquitted; the gender boundary compares to those of the past.

 

Still, superstition continued, especially by folklorists who were entertained by anything found that was out of the ordinary; they then went out of their way to show how the atypical may be linked to sorcery or to the supernatural.  Lice outbreaks, burial superstitions, and crazed occasions of attacks on others grabbed the attention from such folklorists (Ankarloo and Clark 255-257).  But such thoughts were mostly confined to rural areas and to the interests of folklorists.  And in comparison to cases of mass hysteria, such as those in Salem in 1692, cases in Victorian England were far less common.

 

Psychological Maladies

 

With the improvement in the studies of the mind, psychiatry put itself in a position to expose the fallacies of witchcraft.  Now that they would not be persecuted as accomplices, psychologists could dig into the mind to find rational reasons for actions that caused people to be labeled as witches (Ankarloo and Clark 267).  Unfortunately, in some cases those sent to asylums due to "moral insanity" were often diagnosed as being possessed because these psychological maladies were not entirely accepted at first; most of these cases restricted themselves to women (Ankarloo and Clark 268).  Still, psychiatry aimed to prove that these were maladies of the brain and not diabolical possessions.  Before these studies, those under the condition of trances, trauma, muteness, and other abnormalities would most likely be linked to witchcraft rather quickly.

 

This brought about, instead of beliefs in witchcraft, the introduction of lunacy and insanity.  And instead of the clergy having responsibility to "diagnose" such anomalies, physicians claimed that they should be the ones to care for patients undergoing these mental illnesses.  One such claim that supports this is that from physician Johan Weir:  "The crimes the witches were accused of were fictitious; that those women were not criminals but patents suffering from mental illness" (Davies 271).  In effect, this led to the development of correctional facilities and lunacy laws revolving around moral insanity--or what we could look at today as legal insanity.

 

Of course, these conditions, much like the witch hunts, still targeted women.  In most cases, females were the ones diagnosed with such mental conditions.  These new judgments of the mind obviously questioned religious beliefs of the time.  Although obvious prejudices and irrational claims did exist, the increase in the educational field of psychology did play its part in the elimination of beliefs in witchcraft.  Neurosis was identified as the surrogate term for witch--which still related to "hysterical" women; Sigmund Freud is one psychologist who took "neurosis" in women to extreme levels in the early 20th century.

 

New Light from Urbanization

 

With shedding light from Enlightenment and new industrialization and urbanization in England, witchcraft lost its popularity in 19th century England.  Discoveries in anthropology, psychology, and science erased previous thoughts in regards to witchcraft which were becoming "cultural fossils, the remains of a primitive stage of human society" (Davies 598).  Naturally, the concern with witchcraft in urban settings was very minute.  Urbanization brings a more diverse population together which, in effect, opens people up to new people, new ideas, and new experiences.  New cultural practices collide together; and because of this, differences in the norms of certain cultures' behaviors seemed less likely to have a relation to witchcraft than to simply be a part of the beliefs and ideals of separate cultures.  Instead of small towns in which everyone knew everyone and gossip was prelavent (Davies 598), urbanization helped shed light on "some" ignorant beliefs of the past.  Disease, malnutrition, and poverty were much more common in urban settings.  Instead of being attributed to be the doing of sorcery, such conditions related to social practices and problems. 

 

Because of this, it became understood that beliefs in witchcraft were identified with primitive rural societies lacking real experience and education.  A magistrate from the 19th century claimed "illiteracy, ignorance, and the failure of educational methods are held responsible for continued witchcraft belief" (Moran 128).  It seems that this became the attitude of urbanized England; advanced education and experience put away such hearsay.  Culture, tolerance, and reason reigned over the ignorant, narrow-minded, and irrational--as far as "witchcraft" was concerned.

 

The "New Witchcraft"

 

As witchcraft in regards to diabolical possession and evil motives approached extinction, the advances in medicine and science brought about a new form of witchcraft in Victorian England.  This is more commonly coined "white witchcraft."  In relation to medicine, white witchcraft was used with the supposed intentions of healing or curing illnesses or disease through benevolent use of magic.  Mesmerism and spiritualism were used in attempts to do good for society (Moran 123).  Although white witchcraft was more prevalent in rural parts of England, urban towns still heavily participated in such magical practices.  These practices included fortune-telling, love magic, and thief magic (Davies 599).  In other words, superstitions still existed; and people remained fascinated by spiritual abilities to predict the future, to give advice on love, and to find thieves.  Colles acknowledges the popularity of white witchcraft in "A Witches' Ladder," admitting to the heavily practiced arts of witchcraft for good purposes. These sorts of practices continue to go on in society today.  In places all over the world, fortune-telling and spiritual healing are used as magical (and religious) practices for the good of society.

 

Witchcraft and Animism

 

In relation to the "new witchcraft," animism became a more popular subject in Victorian England.  Dr. E.B. Tylor (who Colles refers to in his article) partook in many anthropological, religious, and psychological studies emphasizing the popularity.  Of course, most religions could be considered a form of animism; however, Tylor claims that the belief in souls is a primitive idea.  In Primitive Culture, he exploits human sacrifice and beliefs in evil spirits to be those of primitive tribes--mostly in Africa; he goes on to say that these are religious practices of "savages" (418-419, 421).  In other words, such nonsense should not be practiced by those educated people following the Englightenment and following the urbanization in England.  But those that do partake in such behaviors are, according to Tylor, less civilized than the educated English.

 

It is quite evident that witchcraft and animism are connected.  But if we look at Tylor's definition of animism which is essentially simply the belief in souls, it seems that he would be completely against any sort of rubbish dealing with witchcraft since he claims that the belief of souls is a primitive notion.  With urbanized and Englightened England, it seems that he would be an advocate for the disposal of all thoughts in relation to witchcraft--"black" and "white."

 

We can attribute Tylor's work to a collection of studies done to assist in the diminishing beliefs revolving around witchcraft in which reason and scientific and intellectual studies replaced. And if we take Tylor's work seriously, the entire notion of witchcraft would be completely exterminated since everything revolving witchcraft deals with souls, spirits, and possession. 

 

Witches in Victorian Literature

 

The near-extinction of beliefs in witchcraft during the 19th century in England did not keep the symbols of it out of Victorian literature.  Poets such as Tennyson and Rossetti identified witches as beautiful females who were "unnaturally" smart, independent, and emotionally and physically strong--which corroborates with the title of witches being strictly limited to women (Moran 124).  In most cases in Victorian literature, this is how witches are perceived by male writers; typically, the writing attacks or misjudges women, giving "female" a negative connotation. 

 

On the other side of this, women Victorian writers used witchcraft as a tool for a feminist approach to literature.  We see allusions to witchery in such works by Charlotte Bronte and Elizabeth Gaskell.  It seems that the motif of witchcraft was more heavily used by women in a feminist movement to show unfair portrayals of women and to portray the realism that it is natural for women to be smart, independent, and strong.  Depending how Jane Eyre is interpreted, we could (as Moran suggests) see Jane as a "white" witch and Bertha as a "black" witch (124).  Jane is nurturing and can be viewed as a healer and curator.  On the other hand, it is quite evident that Bertha perpetuates harm onto others (though we are not certain of the cause of her madness).  We can see the binary between white and black witchcraft at work in novel; we also notice that both of these characters are female.  But more importantly, we see women finally speaking out against the unfair persecutions of the past and the unfair gender distinctions in existence in English society during the 19th century.  The use of the almost archaic witch symbol acts as a strong metaphor to describe irrational prejudice which directly relates to fictitious and irrational persecutions. 

 

Moran goes on to suggest that the term "witch" still represented "fallen" women of 19th century England (128).  Whether it be madness (such as in Bertha's case), inpropriety, or hysterical behavior, women with such characteristics received the label of being a witch.  Of course, we can see this motif in literature to show the obsurdity in the persecutions of "witches" in previous times.  And since witches mostly are associated with females, we can view the use of the witch motif and symbol as a feminist movement to prove the irrationale that comes with beliefs and persecutions in witchcraft.  Perhaps, it may be interpreted (as in Bertha's case) that the madness was caused by the restraints of a patriarchal society.  As Moran suggests, witch-hunts were "a legalized form of brutality to women" (128).  With the diminishing beliefs in witchcraft, the Victorian period allowed women writers the opportunity to show the brutality related to the persecution of women without the threat of possibly being called out as a witch themselves.  In addition, we can also see how "madness" was being used in Victorian literature (through Jane Eyre).  Because of the development in psychiatry and mental illnesses, lunacy and madness also became a part of Victorian literature.

 

From the male and female Victorian writers, we can come to a conclusion that it is evident that women were becoming a greater part of society in 19th century England than they were prior to this time.  Much more attention was being given to them; furthermore, it is evident that women were educated and seemingly just as strong and independent as males.  Of course, this is not what was accepted during that time, but looking back, we can see the transcending of women into the world of intellect and independence through literature written in the Victorian Era.  The end of witchcraft represents progress in a society with social groups striving toward equality.

 

Conclusion:  Commentary on Colles' "A Witches' Ladder"

 

Ultimately, if we take an educated Victorian view on the claims of artifacts relating to witchcraft, we can see many of the problems with Colles' suggestion.  Although, even today, witches fit particular archetypes which involve using chairs, needles, pots, and brooms, it is not atypical that a person would have a chair and a set of brooms in his or her household.  Taking this directly to extreme connections involving witchcraft, Colles seems to be one of the folklorists desperately searching for anything that may be tied to superstition. 

 

The biggest surprise to me comes from this initial reaction from Colles.  It is evident that witchcraft became less of a belief with the progress of education throughout England; and it is hard to grasp that Colles (a seemingly educated man) would be so drawn into an almost archaic point of view.  Perhaps, he was not as educated as I initially perceived in that he apparently had not actually read Tylor's work, or else he would not have attempted to use Tylor to help prove witchcraft.  (But this could be argued back and forth.)

 

More importantly, this article does give us some insight on some of the stereotypes that came along with the ideas of witchcraft.  It is apparent that witches were believed to ride on brooms, rest in chairs, use needles and onions in stirring up spells, and use ropes and feathers to make ladders apparently used in the mission of bewitching.  Also--we can see the typical view that witches are mostly women.  Both of Colles' inquiries about witches were directed at women.  I must add that these women did not give too much information because they were most likely "connected to witchcraft" themselves.

 

By looking back to the disappearance of witchcraft, it can be directly related to many other persecutions and prejudices placed onto people throughout the world.  And as in most cases, it seems that the uneducated, rural societies are those that get much of the blame for carrying on such ignorant views on life.  Whether that is true or not true, I am not here to dispute; but it is ignorant not to acknowledge the signicant trend that exists: with the progress of technology, medicine, and education, such prejudices against those with different beliefs in others does seem to diminish.  And naturally, urbanized areas possess a greater collection of diversity from cultural, social, and religious aspects.  With that being said, studying the end of beliefs and persecutions dealing with witchcraft, we can gain insight on other social changes that have occurred throughout history.  It is still quite interesting to track the history of witchcraft to the present day.  Today's societies still practice in what could be termed as "white" witchcraft as far as spiritual healing and fortune-telling is concerned.  These practices still fascinate people today.

 

Finally, it is definitely apparent that we can look at witchcraft throughout history and through most of its symbolic (and actual) references in Victorian England to gain an insight on gender boundaries throughout the West.  And although by the 19th century progress was being made, the idea of witchcraft and lunacy are both typically ascribed strictly to females; women were still labeled as "hysterical."  But with new studies and higher education over the years, "progress" towards eliminating these social boundaries has been made; and any witchcraft that still exists today is typically looked down upon as useless or primitive.  But such allusions to witchcraft still exist in literature following the Victorian period.  One such is Arthur Miller's The Crucible in which the witch is symbolically used to represent the obsurdity in the search for communists in America during the 1950s.  Any sort of irrational hysteria has the potential to be labeled as a witch hunt.

 

 

 

 

              Commentary on the Text

 

 

Lindsey R, 18 March 2008

There is only one thing i would change about this article; I wish i could see the picture more clearly.  Jeff does a great job here familiarizing us with the subject of wichcraft in relation to this article.  I thought I had heard about all the things generally associated with witchcraft but with the introduction of the feather rope i was proved wrong.  This article really intrigued me because in the new house i just bought there were also some things left behind.  We got six chairs, a set of encyclopedias, and some wrestling cards; nothing as dramatic as evidence of a witch living in our house though.  The commentary that Jeff gives us about this article really made me realize how many things were and are still associated with the supernatural.  It seems that those beliefs are here to stay.  I hadn't really ever thought about witches being victims of mental illness before and so that opened realms for me personally.  As far as the issue of white witchcraft, it made me wonder if there could possibly be any association to the Native Americans.  It has always been their belif (speaking from a pan-Indian perspective) that black and white witchcraft both exist in the world ( also known as destroyers and creators, reference any of Leslie Marmon Silko's books).  With all of the anthropological and cultural studies work gathering the stories of the Natives that was going on in the Americas, i just wonder if some of binary was a byproduct.  I really enjoyed the different sections of research.  They really prepared me for the next sub-topic and allocated a space for great connections to occur.  One thing i would like to know, are there any cases of witchcraft that involve men? White men?

 

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                Works Cited

 

Ankarloo, Bengt, and Stuart Clark, eds.  Witchcraft and Magic in Europe:  The Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries.

     University of Pennsylvania Press:  Philadelphia, 1999.

 

Barry, Jonathan, and Owen Davies, eds.  Palgrave Advances in Witchcraft Historiography.   Palgrave Macmillian:

     Houndmills, England, 2007.

 

Conway, D.J.  Wicca:  The Complete Craft.  Crossing Press:  Freedom, CA, 2001.  Google Books.  11 Feb. 2008

     <google.books.com>.

 

Davies, Owen.  "Urbanization and the Decline of Witchcraft:  An Examination of London."  Journal of Social History

     30.3 (Spring, 1997):  597-617.  JSTOR.  Halle Library, Eastern Michigan University.  20 Feb. 2008.

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Levack, Brian P., ed.  Witchcraft, Magic and Demonology, Vol. 4.  Garland Publishing:  New York, 1992.

 

Levack, Brian P., ed.  Witchcraft, Magic and Demonology, Vol. 6.  Garland Publishing:  New York, 1992.

 

Moran, Maureen F.  "'Light no Smithfield Fires':  Some Victorian Attitudes to Witchcraft."  The Journal of Popular

     Culture 33.4 (2000):  123-151.  Blackwell-Synergy.  20 Feb. 2008.

     <http://www.blackwell-synergy.com.ezproxy.emich.edu>.

 

Oxford English Dictionary.  2007.  Halle Library, Eastern Michigan University.  24 Feb. 2008.

     <http://dictionary.oed.com.ezproxy.emich.edu>

 

Tylor, E.B.  Primitive Culture.  Henry Holt and Company:  New York, 1883.

 

"Witchcraft."  Wikipedia:  The Free Encyclopedia.  24 Feb. 2008.  24 Feb. 2008. 

     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_witch>

 

"White Witch."  Wikipedia:  The Free Enclyclopedia.  17 Sept. 2007.  24 Feb. 2008. 

     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_witch>

 

"Witch Ladder."  Flickr.  2008.  22 Feb. 2008.  <http://www.flickr.com/photos/velvetdahlia/1115297747>

 

"Witch's ladder."  Wikipedia:  The Free Encyclopedia.  17 Feb. 2008.  22 Feb. 2008. 

     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch's_ladder>

 

 

 

 For Further Reading

 

Frazer, J.G., and W.H. Ashby.  "A Witches' Ladder."  The Folk-Lore Journal  5.2: (1887): 81-84.  JSTOR.

    Halle Library, Eastern Michigan University.  26 Jan. 2008.     

    <http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.emich.edu/>.

 

Leland, Charles G.  "The Witches' Ladder."  The Folk-Lore Journal  5.3: (1887): 257-259.  JSTOR.

    Halle Library, Eastern Michigan University.  26 Jan. 2008.     

    <http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.emich.edu/>.

 

 

 

 

 

                Project Group Members

 

Member Name

University

Course

 Jeffrey Butcher  Eastern Michigan University  LITR 565
     
     
     
     

 

 

             

 

 

     Project Completed: semester and year

 

                Group Chat

 

Use this chat room to facilitate collaboration if you are working on this project from multiple locations. [Please don't delete these directions.]

 

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