Witch

[Mumteedum]

Just wanted to recommend this podcast on BBC sounds. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m001mc4p?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

I found it really thoughtful with an awful lot of history of how women have been mistreated. Fascinating that there is a movement to fight to pardon women killed in the witch trials and how many countries this featured in.

Thanks, that looks great.listening tonight!

Thanks OP - I'm listening now and it's very interesting

Glad you are enjoying it @BewareTheBeardedDragon . I really love podcasts. Some quality in depth work in them that go much more into nuance than a 90 min film.

Let us know what you think @Moomoola !

I also loved Bible John for how it centred the women.

Had to google that @Mumteedum. I may try to listen but I have got The Five queued up in my audible library and I somehow can't bring myself to listen to it

The Five is very good, although a bit repetitive by the end because of the litany of dreadful experiences and alcohol misuse.

I found it helpful to take a break between each woman’s story to read light fiction. Otherwise I was getting almost inured to the horrors they endured because they were so ubiquitous.

That's a good idea @JulieHoney
I've had in in the list for so many months it may now be over a year 🤦‍♀️

What I find difficult is the fact that the vast majority of people accusing others of witchcraft were apparently female. It seems like a home goal to encourage the persecution of women as a woman yourself.

I will tell DD, she did an A level project on this

Does it say that in the series @EggWind?
If that is true, then I would think there was at least some element of self preservation - in an atmosphere of witch-hunting you can protect yourself by accusing someone else?
What I find fascinating, convincing and terrifying is the extent of the influence of the witch hunts/trials on womanhood and society in general even enduring until today.

Absolutely agree.

I don't remember the series saying women often accused women..They mentioned some specific witchfinders who were men. It was interesting to start with that they were dismissed as cranks and then it caught on like a social contagion. Sounds familiar 🤔

I found the bit about the move from the feudal system to employment and how it disadvantaged and displaced old(er) unmarried women v interesting. So much misogyny mixed up with the concept of a witch or a crone. But I also loved the positivity in the story.... Of the connection with the earth and seasons and cycles. Might listen to it again 😁🤔

No, it doesn't say that in the series. I read it elsewhere.

I listened to the whole series and thought it was brilliant. Brought many strands of history together, and I was also interested in the early-capitalism part. Fascinating.

(Note, one of their producers is a witch and is a man who identifies as a woman; I didn’t love that part so much as I am GC; but the series isn’t about that and covers everything else so well that I just ignored it. Might be slightly jarring at first though considering the feminist background of the research).

@MotherOfCatBoy Glad you enjoyed it too. I must have let that 'identifies as a woman ' bit wash over me. I'm GC too.