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Witches: myths obscure the reality

July 21, 2004

Cariline James.jpgPortrayals of witches in popular books, films and television series such as Harry Potter, Charmed and Buffy have little to do with the living religion of Witchcraft.
A University of New England researcher who has analysed these popular
fictions points out that they continue traditional attitudes that label witches as “other”, and as at least potentially dangerous.
“These depictions demonstrate the continuing fascination of popular culture with witches and witchcraft, and the lurking suspicion and fear with which they are still regarded,” said Caroline James, a research student in UNE’s School of Classics, History and Religion.


Ms James presented a paper on the differences between the fiction and the reality of witches at the annual conference of the Australian Association for the Study of Religions last weekend. She told the conference, at the University of Western Sydney, that in fact witches “do not worship Satan, participate in obscene rites with demons, practice human sacrifice, ride broomsticks, or cause destruction, death, and disease in their communities”.
She said the primary purpose of “magic” as practised by contemporary witches was “the transformation of the self”. Real witches focused on deepening self-awareness and human relationships rather than on developing paranormal
powers.
Another fundamental difference was that real witches viewed “nature and the earth as sacred rather than flawed or corrupt, and themselves as part of the sacred earth”. The fictional witches, on the other hand, “do not revere the earth as sacred, and do not seek spiritual growth and transformation”.
Ms James explained that the witch of modern fantasy was partly a descendant of the witches vilified by the Church in medieval and early modern Europe as practitioners of magic that was “harmful, evil, or even demonic”. In her discussion of Willow, the heroine of the Buffy series, she said: “Her powers are supernatural, and although she fights on the side of good she practises ‘dark arts’ that corrupt her. She is both powerful and dangerous.”
Such figures of fantasy had the potential to create misunderstanding and prejudice in multi-faith, multicultural Western societies where Witchcraft was one of the fastest-growing religions, she said. “This is particularly so in the current political climate, when people are actually afraid of certain groups that are defined in terms of religion.”
“I’m aiming to correct misunderstandings about contemporary witches,” Ms James said. “The only way to combat fear is through knowledge. What witches really are and do could be just as fascinating to ordinary people as the paranormal powers and exploits of those fantasy figures.”
Media contact: Caroline James, School of Classics, History and Religion,
UNE, Armidale (02) 6773 3532 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE, Armidale
(02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at July 21, 2004 11:28 AM