Witch gripping hands refer to a characteristic and often iconic attribute of witches in folklore and popular culture. It is often portrayed that witches have long, bony, and claw-like hands that are capable of gripping or clutching objects with great strength. These hands are depicted as an integral part of their supernatural powers and are often used to cast spells, create potions, or perform other acts of magic. The appearance of witch gripping hands typically includes long, thin fingers with sharp nails, and sometimes even an exaggerated joint structure, giving them a skeletal and eerie appearance. These hands are often associated with dark and mysterious magic, and are seen as a tangible manifestation of a witch's power and influence. In folklore, witches were sometimes believed to use their gripping hands to harm or manipulate others.
Witches followed a distinct stereotype although we need to be careful not to limit our understanding of what a witch was by following only the stereotype. Witches were, in general, women. They were generally older women. They were more likely to be women without a particularly strong support network of friends or family. They were often women who seemed strange, created tensions or had personality traits that caused them to rub people the wrong way. Most importantly, they were suspected of doing harmful magic, probably over a period of some years. As the historian Christine Larner argued, women were not accused of being witches because they were women; they were accused because they acted like witches. In this way, witchcraft is a sex-related crime, but not a sex-specific crime.
Another step was the establishment of a link between witchcraft and heresy, a link that had not existed before the end of the 15 th century, which emerged thanks to a new theory of diabolical witchcraft that held that the practice of malefice such as using religious objects to curse one s neighbor in fact involved an active pact with the Devil and was therefore a heretical act and not just a ritual performed by misguided country folk. 9 Once he became King of England, he passed the Act of 1604, which made it a capital offense to kill or harm others through witchcraft, consult with evil spirits for any intent or purpose or dig up graves to use the dead bodies in witchcraft.
In folklore, witches were sometimes believed to use their gripping hands to harm or manipulate others. They were said to have the ability to curse or bewitch people simply by touching them or by weaving spells with their hands. This fueled fears and superstitions surrounding witches, as their hands were seen as a symbol of danger and malevolence.
The Witch Craze in Europe: A Talk by Professor Teofilo F. Ruiz
John Cabot University’s Department of History and Humanities welcomed Professor Teofilo F. Ruiz for a talk called The Witch Craze in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe on November 5, 2019. The talk, moderated by History Professor Fabrizio Conti, traced the origins and nature of the witch craze in Western Europe in the late 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.
Professor Teofilo F. Ruiz – The Witch Craze
Witchcraft in Europe
In the late 15th century in Europe, over 80 thousand people were put to death because they were thought to practice witchcraft. They were predominantly elderly women from small villages, who were targeted, labeled as witches, and killed. The witch craze was not a widely spread phenomenon at the time, and it was mostly characteristic of Northern Europe. Witchcraft was believed to be a mix of malefic acts that aimed at pleasing Satan, and it implied a dualistic separation between God and the devil, and good and evil.
Professor Ruiz explained that the term witchcraft was often used to describe religions or beliefs that were not common, such as pre-Christian agricultural cults. When religious men traveled to rural and isolated areas to spread Christianity, they often encountered various kinds of believers and cults, which were mistaken for devil worshippers. Midwives were among the favorite targets because stillbirths were thought to be their way of sacrificing babies to the devil. Brewers were also often accused of practicing witchcraft, because their product intoxicated men and that was thought to make them more vulnerable to the devil’s work.
Summis Desiderantes, Malleus Maleficarum and Compendium Maleficarum
Numerous works have been written about witchcraft. In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII issued a papal bull called Summis desiderantes affectibus, which recognized the existence of witches, approved their persecution, and threatened those who failed to make the inquisitors’ job easier. This text is considered to have ushered in witch-hunts. In 1486, the Summis desiderantes affectibus was published as part of the preface to Heinrich Kraemer and Jakob Sprenger’s The Malleus Maleficarum, a treatise on witchcraft. An inquisitor and a friar respectively, Kraemer and Sprenger divided the text into 3 main sections that explain how to identify witchcraft, how to protect oneself from it, and how to prosecute the accused.
The witch craze began to spread widely before the Protestant Reformation of the church in the 16th century. Germany was the epicenter of witchcraft because that’s where the Reformation began. In Protestant cities, most of the people accused of witchcraft were Catholic, and in Catholic cities most of the accused were Protestant. The accusers were both male and female, and they were often related to the accused. Among the ways to recognize a witch, according to the beliefs of the time, were physical anomalies such as a third nipple, or marks given by the devil, which usually resembled animals, like bats. These marks were immune to pain and they were mostly found in the accused’s armpits or around their genitals.
In 1608, Italian priest Francesco Maria Guazzo published the Compendium Maleficarum, a witch-hunter’s manual that gives a detailed description of witches’ powers and practices. According to the Compendium Maleficarum, witches had to sign a blood pact with the devil and place it on a crossroads. They had to abjure and cast away their rosaries and religious objects, pay homage to the devil by changing their name, recruit followers and make sacrifices in the devil’s name. They were believed to take part in witch gatherings called Sabbat, where they ate human flesh, murdered children, and had orgies.
The Decline of Witch Hunts
Professor Ruiz concluded that around the 1660s, magic was beginning to be shunned and put to the side. Witch trials gradually diminished and eventually stopped completely. Some still believe in witchcraft, particularly in Africa and Latin America, but people are no longer persecuted and put to death.
Distinguished Professor & Robert and Dorothy Wellman Chair in Medieval History at the University of California, Los Angeles, Teofilo F. Ruiz has been teaching history for almost four decades. Born in Cuba, Professor Ruiz moved to the United States in 1961, and in 1974 he earned a Ph.D. in History from Princeton University. In 1995, Professor Ruiz was named “Outstanding Master’s Universities and Colleges Professor of the Year” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and in 2008 he received UCLA’s Distinguished Teacher Award. In February 2012, President Barack Obama awarded Professor Ruiz a National Humanities Medal. With over thirteen books and numerous articles, Professor Ruiz’s scholarship has been recognized with fellowships from Mellon, Guggenheim, and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
The witch craze began to spread widely before the Protestant Reformation of the church in the 16th century. Germany was the epicenter of witchcraft because that’s where the Reformation began. In Protestant cities, most of the people accused of witchcraft were Catholic, and in Catholic cities most of the accused were Protestant. The accusers were both male and female, and they were often related to the accused. Among the ways to recognize a witch, according to the beliefs of the time, were physical anomalies such as a third nipple, or marks given by the devil, which usually resembled animals, like bats. These marks were immune to pain and they were mostly found in the accused’s armpits or around their genitals.
In popular culture, the image of a witch's gripping hands has been widely adopted and adapted. It has become a recognizable and stereotypical portrayal of witches in various forms of media, including books, movies, and television shows. This image has become so ingrained in popular imagination that a simple silhouette of witch gripping hands can immediately evoke the idea of a witch. Overall, the concept of witch gripping hands is deeply rooted in folklore and has become an iconic symbol of witches in popular culture. It represents their supernatural abilities and their potential to bring harm or create magic. Whether it is a source of fear or fascination, the image of witch gripping hands continues to captivate and intrigue audiences around the world..
Reviews for "The Curious Case of Witch Gripping Hands: An Investigation"
1. John - 1 star
I found "Witch Gripping Hands" to be incredibly dull and unoriginal. The plot was predictable and the characters lacked depth. The writing style was also bland and did not engage me as a reader. Overall, I was highly disappointed with this book and would not recommend it to anyone looking for an exciting and captivating read.
2. Emily - 2 stars
I had high expectations for "Witch Gripping Hands," but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The storyline had potential, but it was poorly executed. The pacing was off, with the book dragging in some parts and rushing through important events in others. The characters were one-dimensional and their actions often felt forced and unrealistic. Overall, I was not impressed with this novel and felt let down by its lackluster execution.
3. Sarah - 2 stars
"Witch Gripping Hands" had an interesting concept, but it failed to deliver on its promise. The world-building was weak, leaving me with more questions than answers. The dialogue felt awkward and unnatural, making it difficult to connect with the characters. Additionally, the romance subplot was underdeveloped and lacked chemistry. Overall, the book had potential but failed to live up to it, leaving me unsatisfied as a reader.
4. Michael - 3 stars
While "Witch Gripping Hands" had its moments, overall, I found it to be a mediocre read. The writing style was average, and at times, the plot felt disjointed and confusing. Some of the characters were interesting, but others lacked depth and development. The ending also felt rushed and left unresolved questions. While it wasn't terrible, it certainly wasn't a standout book for me.