You’ve probably heard the story of “real life witches” in the Salem Witch Trials billions of times, but have you ever wondered why that’s so different from what we see on television? Let’s face it, most people don’t. The Salem witch trails took place 1692, in Salem, Massachusetts. It was a trial of hangings and brutal executions of 19 women who were claimed to do types of sorcery and having encounters with Satan. This doesn’t at all compare to what we thought witches were as kids though, does it? Nope.
Witches in television were all fairly associated with brooms, green skin, big hats, and big noses. I mean seriously though, look up cartoon witches right now, and all images will look like one another and share the same characteristics. Where does that idea come from? The thing is, no one REALLY knows. There is a theory from Ann S. Epstein Writer on green skin, that in the Salem witch trials, suspects were given a green hallucinogenic that turned their skin this eerie green color to extract a confession. But the first on screen witch with green skin (1939 Wizard of Oz), has producers who say that the green skin was only used because it’s a vibrant, scary and ugly color.
Why do we all need to see witches as “scary and ugly” and all these negative terms? In the 17th century (the time of the Salem witch trial executions), majority of the women convicted were only suspected because they were single, widows, or above the age of 40 with no children. This meant to other people that this woman was going against God’s wishes and therefore they were a witch who engaged in maleficium (Latin term meaning harmful magic) or negative sorcery.
Another theory from The History Channel that ties back to the Salem witch trials, is that green was heavily associated with the devil and forms of evil. I don’t know about you, but I personally want to know why witches are depicted with green skin, and ugly faces, and I know I’m not the only one who wonders this.
