The book of witches

A survey examines the figure of the witch from archaic healer and village wise-woman through evolving folk beliefs to the later sorceress and wizard, tracing the social and psychological roots of witchcraft and its rituals. It considers Sabbath lore, halfway worlds, magical attributes, charms, philtres, and popular ointments, and recounts representative cases and regional persecutions in England, Scotland, and elsewhere. The work also reviews classical antecedents in Greece and Rome, the transition from paganism to Christianity, literary portrayals, and contemporary manifestations, offering a selective, impressionistic history rather than an exhaustive scholarly treatise.