The Witches Caldron

Witches have had a long history with Halloween.
Legends tell of witches gathering twice a year when
the seasons changed, on April 30 - the eve of
May Day and the other was on the eve of October
31 - All Hallow's Eve.

The witches would gather on these nights, arriving on
broomsticks, to celebrate a party hosted by the devil.
Superstitions told of witches casting spells on
unsuspecting people, transform themselves into
different forms and causing other magical mischief.

It was said that to meet a witch you had to put your
clothes on wrong side out and you had to walk
backwards on Halloween night. Then at midnight you
would see a witch.

When the early settlers came to America, they
brought along their belief in witches. In American the
legends of witches spread and mixed with the beliefs
of others, the Native Americans - who also believed
in witches, and then later with the black magic beliefs
of the African slaves.

The black cat has long been associated with witches.
Many superstitions have evolved about cats. It was
believed that witches could change into cats. Some
people also believed that cats were the spirits
of the dead.

One of the best known superstitions is that of the
black cat. If a black cat was to cross your path you
would have to turn around and go back because
many people believe if you continued bad luck
would strike you.

Witches and cats became firmly linked together
during the 'Reign of Terror' of religious persecution in
medievil Europe.

Religious bigotry has often utilized the trick of
changing other peoples heroes and gods, into devils
and villains. And so it was that the cat once protected
and worshipped by the ancient Egyptians, became
despised and persecuted from before the 10th until
the 18th century.

A very early record of the linking together of witches
and cats concerns the ceremony of Cat Wednesday
which took place in the city of Metz in Northern
France. This involved hundreds of cats being burnt
alive in the belief that they were witches in disguise.

Papal might was brought down upon witches and
cats in the 13th century when horrible acts of atrocity
were carried out on humans and felines. Black cats in
particular were believed to be agents of the devil,
especially if owned by an elderly woman.

The Celts believed that cats had once been human
and had been changed into felines as punishment for
their wicked ways. Cats were sometimes tied up
with silver ropes because it was believed that these
creatures had the ability to protect hallowed
treasures. Later, Catholic culture mixed with Celtic
beliefs and the cat became thought to be the
witch's familiar.

In the 16th and 17th centuries tens of thousands of
witches and cats were put to death in Germany,
75,000 in France and 30,000 in Great Britain. Cats
were often tortured, along with their unfortunate
humans, before being burnt, or buried alive.

A 17th century English serving wench Joan Flower,
along with her two daughters, was hung for practicing
witchcraft. Joan and her daughters were employed
by the Earl of Rutland and were accused of cursing
his family. His sons had died, and his wife had
become barren, and someone had to take the blame
for it. It was said that the daughters had stolen some
of the Earl's possessions and given them to their
mother who rubbed them on the fur of her cat
uttering curses. Nothing is recorded about the fate of
the cat, but it is unlikely that it escaped with its life.

Witches and cats have had a long association with
Halloween. Because cats are nocturnal creatures and
do their roaming at night, they were seen as the
servants of witches and out to harm those that the
witches had cursed. It was also believed by some
that witches had the supernatural power to change
into cats and so more easily carry out their wicked
deeds and escape detection.