Hallowe'en Witch's!

[Tina]

Why do the costume type witch's wear black pointed hats? They also wear those big black dresses! Also whats with them always having a black cat?

[Shanti]

Dont ask me I dont know any witches like that.

[sweet nothings]

its the way hollywood witches dress.....you know hollywood...it changes perspectives.....

[Lady Cerridwen]

I agree.

Hollywood, media, etc. twists the "witch", to look like that and that's what people remember.

There's a nice article I read in Llellwyn's Magical Almanac 2004 about the "Wicked Witch" and why she looks like that when depicted by people. I suggest you pick it up and read it. ^_^

[Antoninus]

I think the pointed hat was something from the colonial days. That was actually standard woman's head gear for, I think it was a specfic religion or branch, maybe the Puritans? And I think the church of England made the pointy hat part of the witches wardrobe to discredit the Puritans. I dont know if thats true or not, it sounds plausible, if its true or not, Im not sure. I DO know that that type of hat was actually women's fasion at some point in history.

[Nighthawk]

Well, the cat can be a familiar.... but, a dog could be also... much like a spirit animal in my teachings... I imagine. Pay no attention to Hollywood.. They will screw you up every time... Take care

[Azure]

The pointy hat was a largely 19th century variation on a tall but flat hat that grew popular during the Puritan Interregnum in England (roughly 1650-60). Most of the popular vision of witch costume came from the same source - late 19th century artists fancifully recreating period costume. However, there are some earlier artists that contributed to it as well like El Greco and Goya - and if you look at those pictures, you'll see hints of the "pointy" hats. The artistic reference may also be to medieval hennins - those tall pointy veiled thingees popular in the late 15th century.

Our version of the Hallowe'en witch is an artistic derivative which waters down historical images and serious artistic creations. In other words, commercial artists took those images and recreated them as something deemed appropriate for late 19th and early 20th century children. It's the same way we got the current images of Santa Claus. More often than not, those images were used commercially - to sell products.

Hollywood reinforced that - the most obvious grounding of the image anyone can think of is probably 1939's Wizard of Oz and Snow White (in both cases, there were also beautiful witches - Glinda and the Queen before her transformation into the hag).

Of note, among the Caucasion mummies found in North Western China a few years back dating back more than 3000 years was found a perfectly preserved tall pointy (very exaggerated, actually) brimless hat which archaeologists postulate may have belonged to a shaman. So perhaps it's all a Jungian archetype :)

[Antoninus]

Well...I was right about the puritan part!! :D