What is it about witches that have always captured the human imagination? How come every society and civilisation in the world has its stories about occult female figures? Why have so many women (and it's usually women) attracted so much local fear and been accused of witchcraft over the centuries?
Readers who are interested in these women with supernatural powers from folklore will love ‘The Book of Forgotten Witches'. It is an extraordinary repository of tales and a valuable reference and story book for anyone interested in the identities and histories of witches. From Japan to Egypt and America, there isn't a part of the globe unrepresented by witches here. Writers and researchers in particular will find this title to be useful as an abundance of source material.
‘The Book of Forgotten Witches' can be enjoyed in two ways. Firstly, you meet the individual witches. The bulk of the book collects their names and separates them into categories based on the Tarot cards. Along the way you meet curse-bringers, shape-shifters, survivors, avengers, mesmerizers, well-wishers, alchemists, revenants, nature witches and fate-turners. Each witch's name and details are collated onto a single page, and often there will be an accompanying illustration bringing her to life. Secondly, the sections are bookended with short stories that weave prominent witches into the narrative. This means if you enjoy storytelling as much as the informative aspect of having a long list of entries, then you find the best of both world among these pages.
‘The Book of Forgotten Witches' is a highly engaging and well-researched book. Some of the names of the witches will be familiar. The story of the Salem Witches is well-known thanks to Arthur Miller's celebrated play ‘The Crucible' that breathed life into Tituba and Sarah Osborne. Mathematician Isaac Newton has a mention, on account of his lifelong obsession with resolving the mystery of alchemy. Not all of the entries are based on real historical people, but some are familiar from myths and legends. Merlin, intricately bound up with the Arthurian legends, has an entry under fate-turners. The goddess Hecate from Greek mythology is included for her association with sorcery. Baba Yaga from Slavic folklore is perhaps another familiar name, famed as she was for her repulsive appearance and penchant for eating children – two characteristics of traditional depictions of witches, especially in children's stories.
Many of the names of witches in these pages readers will discover for the first time. Their entries provide biographical details such as the country the originate from, their supernatural powers and a tale from folklore evoke how they are encapsulated in popular imagination. It's intriguing to note the similarities of their superpowers or reputed evil-doing, even across large geographical divides.
The descriptions of the witches are necessarily short. There are, after all, over one hundred presented to readers within these pages. The punchy summaries provide readers with the basic information, enabling them to research more fully for themselves the history of the folk tales behind the name. In that way, the book is an introduction to many witches from all over the world, rather than providing in-depth accounts of each one's activities.
The aspect that undoubtedly lends ‘The Book of Forgotten Witches' a considerable amount of power is the superb illustrations by Balázs Tátrai, whose imagination runs riot in bringing to life these mysterious people with supernatural abilities. Often macabre and sometimes downright terrifying, the illustrations are always powerful and clever. I found myself staring at them for some time. Sensitive readers prone to nightmares would do well to accept a note of caution if reading late at night. The picture accompanying Zhalmauyz Kempir, the witch from Kazakhstan famed for devouring her victims through seven-heads, is not for the faint-hearted. Readers may find the tales or illustrations of particular witches disturbing, depending upon personal psychological fears.
The sections between chapters are written in a personal way, directly addressing you, the reader, and guiding you on a journey of discovery through the world of Wicca. This second-person address is an effective narrative device and keeps the progression through the tarot cards engaging. Some of the short stories are more engrossing than others, and some are a little verbose. But they are a useful way of introducing readers to a fictionalised account of some of the witches you will meet within the pages.
If you would like a journey into mysticism, folklore and Wiccan literature, then ‘The Book of Forgotten Witches' comes strongly recommended. The short biographies of neglected witches preserve their legend and may inspire others to bring them back into popular imagination. The storytelling is accessible for all readers, including younger ones, and the illustrations ably provide visual representations of the many memorable witches you meet within these pages.
Publisher: Watkins Publication date: 3rd September 2024 Buy ‘The Book of Forgotten Witches'
