Random Thoughts on Halloween Witches
In addition to Casper, the Wendy comics frequently feature Wendy’s “aunties”, Thelma, Velma and Zelma, with whom she shares a cottage in a haunted forest. A popular plotline has the aunts becoming frustrated over Wendy’s determination to use her magic powers to do only good. Unlike Wendy, her aunts have green wartish skin of the type associated with Halloween witches; most adult witches seen in Wendy’s stories have similar skin, implying that, in the Harvey Comics universe, it is a trait witches develop after reaching a certain age. One story states that the reason for this is because witches don’t get enough sleep.
Three developments in Christian doctrine have been identified as factors contributing significantly to the witch hunts: a shift from the rejection of belief in witches to an acceptance of their existence and powers, developments in the doctrine of Satan which incorporated witchcraft as part of Satanic influence, the identification of witchcraft as heresy. Belief in witches and praeternatural evil were widespread in medieval Europe, and the secular legal codes of European countries had identified witchcraft as a crime before being reached by Christian missionaries. Scholars have noted that the early influence of the Church in the medieval era resulted in the revocation of these laws in many places, bringing an end to traditional pagan witch hunts.
Remember this bugs bunny cartoon… It is Halloween night, and Witch Hazel is brewing some witch’s brew (“A cup of arsenic, a spider, some glue…”). As she goes about her business, she pauses at her magic mirror and asks it who is the ugliest one of all (similar to the Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves). The genie in the mirror replies that she, Witch Hazel, is the ugliest one of all (“By my troth, I will avow: there’s none that’s uglier than thou”). Hazel explains to the audience that she’s “deathly afraid” of getting prettier as she grows older, a fear that’s fully justified at the end of the short.
Just for fun, take a quick look at this NASA photo of a spot in space… Business Insider – A Witch's Head In Space From NASA – Business Insider 22h ago In honor of Halloween, we bring you this picture of the Witch Head nebula, courtesy of NASA. It looks like a witch screaming out into space. But, as a nebula, it's really a space cloud that's brewing up baby stars. If she scares you, not to worry. She's hundreds of light-years away in the Orion constellation. |
