The Evil Witch, Embodiment of Universal Human Fears
Dr. Phillips Stevens, Jr.
Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences
July 16, 2008
UB Reporter Article on Lecture
We have many different images of the witch, from the creatures in Oz and the Hansel and Gretel story who appear at Halloween, to Satan-worshippers, to members of the “magical community” of the Harry Potter stories, to modern Wiccans, and more. In fact, the evil witch of Western folklore who flies on a broomstick and steals and eats children represents a creature found in most of the world’s cultures, and this imaginary creature embodies people’s most terrible fears and some of their most common fantasies. Many of the horrible attributes of the witch seem to be absolutely universal, and are probably rooted in human evolutionary biology. Dr. Stevens will share with us some of his research into the anthropology of this fascinating, terrible, universal concept.
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