The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between early 1692 and mid-1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft—the devil’s magic—and 20 were executed. In 1711, ...

See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Holidays that promote and celebrate the bending of cultural norms have ...

It’s Oct. 15, 1674, in Torsåker, Sweden. Fear and panic are in the air as 65 women and six men make their way to the execution block. All accused of witchcraft, they will each be decapitated with an ...

Throughout history, the depiction of the witch has taken on many forms, but the archetype has always been a woman in all black, either wearing a pointy hat and flying around on a broom, or the ...

The history of witchcraft and the centuries of persecution that it has aroused have been explored in a new book focusing on 13 of the most infamous cases from around the world. Witchcraft: A History ...

Notwithstanding the pandemic, witches in pointy black hats appear in the windows of stores and homes across my city this Halloween. Witch costumes are popular with young girls who, in ordinary times, ...

Madonna, incongruously, may be largely responsible for introducing the public to a mystical, magical image of Judaism — one ...

They can conjure, confound, and compel. They can be figures of desire, devilment, celebration and resistance. According to King James I, “They can rayse storms and tempestes in the aire”. Witches are ...

A witch with a black cat is one of those images that barely needs explaining. We’ve seen it on Halloween decorations, in old cartoons, and in almost every cozy-spooky corner of pop culture. While ...

The Salem witch trials took place in a period of New England history when women were accused of being witches. These accusations were deadly in some cases. It wasn’t until 2022 that the last woman ...