Supernatural Intervention In Literature

In or throughout literature the definition of a witch changes vastly. It varies from meaning a woman displaying the devils power, with the sole intent to wreak havoc, as outlined in Malleus Maleficarum, to any being who practices magic for any purpose, as Meagan Bolds explains in Witches, Not What You’d Expect. Defining a witch is similar to assembling a mosaic, with pieces from many different sources all coming together to form one bigger picture. A witch is a combination of many different things, both with pre-modern, and modern roots. A witch is any person, male or female, who practices magic in any capacity, whether religious or not, and relies on supernatural intervention.

In Status of Witchcraft in the Modern World, Hutton explains

that magic is “the power to attract or compel the supernatural to respond in a particular way” (Hutton 125) Hutton also argues that religion is separate from magic entirely, however at numerous points in the text, the similarities between religion and magic are made abundantly clear. Both religion and magic rely heavily on supernatural intervention, leading to the conclusion that the belief systems of both witches, and those who were religious were very similar. This ties the two disciplines together by a common thread, the belief in supernatural intervention.
In Witches, Not What You’d Expect, author Meagan Bolds explains that magic is the “manipulation of energies” (Bolds Line 9) rather than casting spells, or directly impacting something and its outcome. This is in direct contrast to the pre-modern belief that any and all magic was conducted via spells. Bolds also explains that witches have several holidays that they observe, drawing similarities to many different types of religion. (Bolds Line 14) Religion and its foundation are mostly rooted with deep belief in the supernatural, making Bolds’ argument less impactful when it comes to her definition of magic.
Supernatural intervention is a common theme in many of the texts I have read.

Supernatural intervention has roots in religion, especially with prayer and the request for help of some kind from a deity. (Hutton 125) Witches on the other hand, differ slightly from the common practice of prayer. A witch is able to actively manipulate and control the supernatural in order to coerce a certain outcome. (Hutton 125) This is achieved by the use of spells and rituals. In Witches, Not What You’d Expect, Bolds explains that rituals can be conducted in many different forms. From robes, to casual clothing, rituals can be conducted in virtually anything. (Bolds Line 12) The reliance on supernatural intervention is a key part of my claim, as it specifies a characteristic that is a part of a broader definition of a

witch.
In Witches, Not What You’d Expect, Bolds also explains that a witch can be both male or female.

(Bolds Line 4) This is especially important when considering the pre-modern definition of a witch. In pre-modern times, a witch was defined as a woman that practiced dark magic in order to advance the agenda of the devil. A man was not ever considered to be a witch, as men were not seen to be easily manipulated by the devil. (Kramer and Sprenger 13) This offers validity to my claim that a male of female can both be witches in some capacity.

While pre-modern texts seem to claim that witches are always evil, modern texts offer a different possibility. Modern texts such as The Status of Witchcraft in the Modern World, and Witches, Not What You’d Expect, claim that witches aren’t always in it for personal gain, or even for the wrong reasons. Some may choose witchcraft to form a deeper connection with the world around them, while others may practice it as a religion such as Wicca. This is important in relation to my definition due to the claim that not all witches are trying to carry out evil at the hands of the

devil.
An analysis of all texts opens up a pathway for comparison between them. In this case, there are many similarities that can be noted between these texts. The relationship between religion and magic is especially important when it comes to my claim. Religion itself is founded off of the belief in the supernatural, as is witchcraft. However in each of these texts, both pre-modern and modern, a witch is defined very differently. Nonetheless, there are still many common threads between these definitions. One is the presence of magic in some capacity. Whether it is dark magic, or just the simple “manipulation of energy” (Bolds Line 9) magic is always a prominent force.
The second common thread is that in all texts, both men and women practice magic. The difference here is that in pre-modern times, men were not prosecuted as “witches” due to their social status. Men learned witchcraft from books and teachers “legally” to escape consequence. (Hutton 124) This reinforces my claim that a man or woman can practice magic in any capacity, as it has been going on since witchcraft gained momentum in the world.
The third and final common thread is the reliance on supernatural intervention. In both pre-modern and modern texts, the belief in some form of intervention from a supernatural force is prevalent. With pre-modern texts, the belief in witchcraft was rooted in religion, and that it was inherently bad, and a tool used by the devil to force his atrocities on the earth. This same religion that relied on prayers to be fulfilled by a supernatural deity. Modern texts offer a viewpoint that witches also believe in supernatural intervention, however they coerce the supernatural to respond in the way they would like. The belief in the supernatural is deeply rooted in both time periods texts.
Defining a witch is a complex recipe of different ideas from different time periods, however when comparing texts, it is clear that there are some similarities in the belief systems of pre-modern people, and modern people. A witch is any person, male or female, who practices magic in any capacity, whether religious or not, and relies on supernatural intervention. This definition includes ideas from both time periods, and yields a collaborative definition that can be supported from all of the texts studied.