Witches

References to witches are found in a variety of historical and cultural accounts. Witches are thought to be involved in witchcraft, an activity that involves the manipulation or deciphering of supernatural forces. Witches do good things, such as defending against evil spirits, bringing prosperity, casting good spells, and healing. Witches also are believed to engage in evil activities, sometimes using their power to achieve questionable and bad goals, such as concocting love potions, casting spells, or contacting the dead. One illustration is the practice of voodoo, wherein a priest or priestess can revive the dead, who may, in turn, evolve into a zombie, that is, a revived corpse without a soul. Lacking a soul and free will, the zombie is thus controlled by the priest or priestess. This belief has apparently impacted modern folklore, found especially in horror movies, which developed this theme and created an image of mindless, flesh-eating monsters.

Within the Western European tradition, the connection between death and witches is identified in two related main themes: necromancy and the pact with the devil. Necromancy is historical and is easily traceable to biblical passages. The most famous biblical account is focused on King Saul and a visitation to the Witch of Endor before the final battle in which the king lost his life (Samuel 1:28). King Saul was an antiwitch activist, and his seeking the help of the Witch of Endor to conjure the result of the next day's battle can be considered a major social infraction. Still, the Witch of Endor managed to animate the spirit of the Prophet Samuel from the dead and, after complaining that his rest was disturbed, he gives King Saul the terrible prophecy. This biblical account highlights an important aspect of the witch: the power to control. Within this context, the Witch of Endor forced the appearance of Samuel against his wish. In this case, a necromancer witch could thus use witchcraft to force the dead to appear before the living and obey their wishes. The fact that the Witch of Endor was portrayed as a woman serves as an important omen. Within ancient Jewish law, the view and attitude toward practicing witches is found in the divine command, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” (Exodus 22:10).

This historical conception attributes a special and powerful position to witches vis-à-vis that of deities. The witches' knowledge of how to cast a spell and to produce charms and potions enables them to force various deities into action that they would not have otherwise undertaken, including a special power to engage dead deities. During the Greco-Roman period, witches were thought to consult with the dead about future events.

The Pact

The Old Testament of the Bible provides an account of the fall of Satan, noting that the angel's leader Semjaza (also known as Azazel) and his followers bound themselves together by oath on Mount Hermon and descended to earth where they took wives and begat giants. The lustful and cruel deeds of these angels wrought such destruction and wickedness that God sent a huge flood (referred to as “the deluge”) to cleanse the earth. And so, Semjaza and his band were sentenced to be buried under mountains until the Day of Judgment, when they were to be forever cast into the abyss of fire.

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