The concept of magic has existed for as far back as human records stretch, but where once it was a power innate not only in gods and goddesses but in healers and religious leaders, it came to be understood as something sinister and malevolent the work of evil spirits, of malicious people, of the devil himself. At one time magic was an intrinsic part of everyday life, but later it was divided into those looking to heal and those looking to harm. Witchcraft has been used as an excuse to vilify those who do not fit into the status quo, to harass personal enemies, and to further oppress the already marginalised. In many ways, this injustice continues to this day. Yet witchcraft has also become a source of power for those who recognise that injustice. Where “witch” was once a moniker thrust upon you, an excuse to exercise judgement and punishment over you, it is now a mantle you might choose to take up, a seizing of power both personal and collective.

This zine thus aims in part to be a rumination on needless violence both contemporary and historical, and a reminder that we should never think ourselves above the injustices of the past. But it is also a celebration of everything the witch might represent. As the concept of the witch morphs and adapts with each new era, it remains perhaps the enduring archetype – a constant muse, ever the subject of art and storytelling. In the face of tyranny, violence, misogyny, and repression, the witch emerges anew, not only surviving but thriving, a triumph of personal power and unbreakable camaraderie.

FEATURING:

– AN INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST, WRITER & MUSICIAN JOHANNA HEDVA
– THE HEDGE WITCH REIMAGINED THROUGH MORRIS DANCING
– A MOOR-TOP CURSE OF MURDERED WITCHES
– THE RADICAL POTENTIAL OF WITCHCRAFT
– DIRECTOR EMMA SWINTON ON THE WITCH’S DAUGHTER SHORT FILM
– THE MAGGIE WALL MEMORIAL AT WITCHING HOUR
– A MSS ON WITCHCRAFT UNEARTHED IN YORKSHIRE
– THE HISTORY OF WOMEN BEER BREWERS AND WITCHCRAFT
– A MAP OF CUNNING FOLK ACROSS ENGLAND AND WALES
– THE IMAGE OF THE OLD CRONE
– HERBAL BREWS TO TRY AT HOME
– THE ARCHAELOGY OF CUNNING WOMEN