9 reasons why I would have died as a witch!

Have you ever wondered how much magic there is inside of you?
Or, if there is something magical in this world, how would it show in you?
What species are you in your favourite fantasy or sci fi setting?
Which Hogwarts house? Which shirt color in star trek?

Belonging to one of those children that half-seriously hoped for their Hogwarts letter, thoughts like that have always made me smile and wonder. If for any chance there was something supernatural in this world, how much magic would I find hidden in myself? Would all the witches I ever felt close to, and I even find those mysterious creatures that know how to cook in my very first picture books, welcome me among them?

And recently, focusing on witching has become a second skin to survive the Dystopia we live in. But if you have read my blog, you already know that!

Now, in this post I want to look at how many features of a real witch do I actually have? I will compare myself to all the things my research for my witching novel (which is still very much in progress, don‘t worry) has taught me about witch trials in 17th century central Europe. And yes, I will give away a lot personal stuff in this one, because I decided to not be embarrassed by anything anymore!
Or, I am emotionally slutty.
I actually like that term.

Let‘s see where that leaves me!

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As for me, my birth was very difficult. I had the umbilical chord wrapped around my neck and was blue when I finally got out. For the first few years of my life, my parents were nervous that some kind of defect had gone unnoticed and I was under constant, skeptical observation.
But, with great luck, I got out of it completely fine.

Still, such a trouble connected to any aspect if procreating could really decide your fate as a suspected witch.
Also, the nurses and especially the midwife taking care of my mother would be in danger. After all, while being the first ones to welcome me in this world, they had a good chance of exposing me to demons.

Childless!

This leads up to my next point.

Childless women were more at risk to be suspected for witchcraft. This also shows in the average age a tried witch usually had. The biggest amount of them was 45 and older, and thus out of the age to give birth.
In a Europe being shaken and threatened by a lot of crisis, any messing with procreating and our means to sustain ourselves, was perceived as a big threat to the whole world.

So, I as a woman of 28 years with no children, on husband and no plans like that, I would automatically be at risk.
… Of course, in older times I would have been married and probably died during childbirth already, but let’s just assume that for some reason I just wasn’t.

As for my skin, I have a big birthmark right to my belly button.
Good luck explaining why a demon touched me in that area and not just arms and neck, right?
Also, I have had eczema all my life. Changes in temperature, bad sleep or anything stressful is being exposed on the skin, especially on my hands, wrinkling and breaking and hurting.

Looks like my skin is a true witching skin!

Emotions!

Emotions are fine, because we all have them and we need them, right?

Well, in the understanding of the late medieval / early modern period, this was not as simple. Emotions were dangerous, because they would lead you into the arms of devils and demons, with them promising you a love potion, or whatever you were secretly yearning for. All the well-trained self-control to stay on the path the angels and god had prepared for you was endangered by too much feelings! And women in general were believed to be more emotional. After all, they had more fluids in their body! (Just in case I have to clarify this, we don‘t, but it was an old assumption based on periods and the mess of giving birth). Since fluids react to the moon and other stars in the sky, women were believed to be much more emotional, and therefor much more at risk to fall for evil forces!

As for me, I was always a little too emotional. As a child, I was in different kinds of therapies because of weird anxiety that no one exactly understood, and also later in my life my extreme emotions caused trouble. So far, that I was even suspected to have Borderline Personality Disorder, although that diagnosis was never fully confirmed in my case.

Now, while I just like to accept that I am a little more extreme than others and try to make the best of it, back in the days of my witch, this would have already put you under suspicion.

My voice!

In „Malleus Maleficarum“, many pages are dedicated to the witch‘s voice. It is believed to be sweeter and nicer as any other human voice. A voice only made to seduce, so beware of any girl you like to listen to too much! She may be evil!

My voice is very high as well. So high and sweet, in German (my native language), I sound weird (while speaking English is actually easier this way).
Also, I can sing and like to do so.
My singing and humming and high pitch when I speak has regularly driven my mother crazy around me!

All very suspicious! A few hundred years ago, I better shut up forever!

And I also like to do stuff with needles! Needle felting is among my favourite hobbies! Look at my work here!

Daydreams!

Witches were believed to fly. Part of the ritual to become a witch was to take any object next to you (not just brooms, but they were often in reach) and fly off into the mountains, to join other witches and devils in their cult. In „Malleus Maleficarum“, it is explained in every detail why the flight can be taken just by the mind and not physically and still count as the same. So, daydreams, dreams at night and any intense thought can be suspicious!

As for me, I was always described as dreaming myself away a bit too much. As a teenager, I used to sneak out of the house at night, to sit on the swings and listen to music to dream myself away.
Very suspicious!

So, my appearance will be the last personal detail I will give away today!

It has always been trouble! I was the curvy daughter of an extremely skinny mother! I still have to justify for my body (although I am healthy and not really overweight) on every family meeting.

Also, I tend to dress extravagant. I always loved long hair and dresses, and have a thing for boots! The things I wear on photos on my blog are the same I wear in daily life!

So, my choice of looks has always meant a lot of trouble as well. I still hear my mothers voice ringing through my head in desperation when there was a family gathering and I once again did not look normal.

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Soooo, this was a long list of things.

Most of them seem very random, or just like things that happen all around us, and that is true. You could have experienced a lot of these, without ever getting into trouble, but if you lived between the 15th and 17th century in central Europe, circumstances could have used them against you.

So, this post goes out to all the odd ones out there! I’m glad you’re still with us!
Feeling witchy yet?
I certainly do.