A witch's hat is a quintessential symbol of witchcraft and the occult. It is often depicted as a tall, pointed hat with a wide brim. The origin of the witch's hat can be traced back to ancient times. Historically, witches were believed to possess supernatural powers and were often associated with evil spirits and black magic. The hat itself is said to have been influenced by several factors. Firstly, the shape of the hat is believed to have been inspired by the pointed hats worn by religious figures, such as priests and bishops, during the Middle Ages.
H. conica‘s tendency to stain black makes it easy to separate it out from most species.
In his book, Jensen describes how the 1215 Fourth Council of the Lateran required all Jews to identify themselves by wearing the Judenhat Jewish hat or horned skullcap. Medieval representations tying Jews to Satan were nothing new, and by the late 13 th century, Jewish attributes had soaked up enough ugly significance to tar all unbelievers, hypocrites, heretics, pagans, and demons, Jensen writes.
Firstly, the shape of the hat is believed to have been inspired by the pointed hats worn by religious figures, such as priests and bishops, during the Middle Ages. These hats were thought to symbolize divine authority and wisdom. As with many aspects of witchcraft, the witches adapted and twisted these symbols to suit their own purposes.
The Witches Hat
Samhain Greetings to you all! Today we have the second instalment of Nell's wonderful blog series.
The Witches Hat.
Those of you who did not grow up in Blighty, or who were born after the death of Elvis may not recognise this picture.
It is a Witches Hat, one of the scariest, most exciting, and deathly dangerous of all the many forms of playground equipment which were banned in the course of the 1980’s. This was a period during which the realisation slowly dawned that small children, high velocities and concrete surfaces were not such a good mix. Needless to say, you couldn’t get me off the things. I fell off repeatedly, I also threw myself off, as I did with swings, slides, those manic roundabout things, even the tandem rocking horse. This sort of thing was considered as a mark of valour and a character-building challenge to which one could only rise with honour or sink with shame in the playgrounds of the early Thatcher years. I draw attention to the Witches Hat to illustrate just how ingrained this symbolic shape is. The playground equipment was actually patented as ‘The Ocean Wave’ when it was invented in the early Twentieth Century, but even the campaign to have it re-instituted refers to it as ‘The Witches Hat’. The real ‘Witches’ Hat is a bit of a contentious issue. Its important to bear in mind that even the things we think of as iconic and immoveable are innovations, the Green Skinned Wicked Witch of the West was a victim of technological change just as much as Dorothy’s Slippers: changed from Silver to Ruby, which just looked so much better in Glorious Technicolour. The real or imagined antiquity of a tradition has a bizarre moral force. Things aren’t really hallowed by time, if they were then slavery, domestic violence and stoning would all be considered sacred. In fact all three have been supported by arguments of ‘time immemorial’, Biblical Authority and indeed legal precedent. Rather than recycle claims about pointy hats and ancient magical practices, in this post I’d like to briefly examine the how the symbolic importance of the Hat evolved in print.
In discussing the symbolic value of the Witches Hat there is no better place to start than with a quote concerning one of my favourite Witches, Terry Pratchett’s Granny Weatherwax, from her apprentice Esk: ‘It’s a Witches hat because you wear it. But you’re a Witch because you wear the hat’. Granny, whose combination of headology and herbology makes her a woman after my own heart, invests heavily in her costume. Looking the part is essential to the ‘Headology’, which lends efficacy to her Craft. Another of Pratchett’s Witches the ancient Eumenides Treason orders fancy dress accoutrements and interior decor from the Boffo Novelty and Joke Emporium. Her apprentice adopts the name ‘Boffo’ as the term for ‘putting on a show’. Like Granny, Mother Treason employs Boffo to inspire the appropriate respect for herself and her Witchery and to activate the powers of both expectation and suggestion, all essential aspects of Headology. Granny wears her Hat in public, not in the forest. She wears it to be seen, this is real power dressing, albeit without the big hair and shoulder pads.
The point is, if you’ll pardon the pun, Hats are extremely visible, some of them quite literally eyecatching, especially tall pointy ones, which lends a great deal of power to their symbolic use, and their role as easily identified marks of status. In the era of Westerns the Black Hat and White Hat of the Cowboys performed this function, a trope which has now crossed over to differentiate different types of computer Hackers. The status which a Hat marks can vary however. The alleged Heretics prosecuted by the Spanish Inquistion were made to wear paper Capirotes, at the highly public ceremonies, the ‘Auto de Fe’, which sealed their fate. Red hats were worn by those sentenced to death, whereas penitents and other criminals wore Hats of different colours. In an interesting twist, Silk versions of these are still worn by the Penitent Orders in Catholic Countries.
As in this picture, different colour denote different Penitential organizations.
Secondly, the brim of the witch's hat is said to have originated from practical reasons. Witches were often accused of flying on broomsticks and attending gatherings called Sabbaths. The wide brim of the hat was believed to help the witches navigate through the air and shield their faces from the wind during their nocturnal escapades. This notion further added to the mystique and ominous appearance of the witch's hat. Additionally, the color of the hat also holds significance. Black is often associated with magic, darkness, and the occult. It is believed that witches wore black hats to blend in with the night and to symbolize their connection to the supernatural world. Over time, these various influences melded together to form the iconic witch's hat we recognize today. It has become a recognizable symbol of Halloween and witchcraft, often featured in costumes and depictions of witches in popular culture. In conclusion, the appearance of a witch's hat is inspired by ancient religious symbolism, practical considerations, and the association of black with magic and the occult. The pointed shape, wide brim, and black coloration have become iconic representations of witches throughout history and continue to be embraced in contemporary portrayals of witchcraft..
Reviews for "The Role of the Witch's Hat in Rituals and Spellcasting"
1. Sophia - 2/5 stars - I was really disappointed with "How does a witches hat appear". The story seemed very predictable and lacked any originality. The main character had no depth and the plot was too simplistic. Overall, it felt like I was reading a children's book rather than something for adults. I would not recommend this novel to anyone looking for a captivating and thought-provoking read.
2. George - 2/5 stars - I found "How does a witches hat appear" to be quite boring and uninteresting. The writing style was uninspiring and the story just did not engage me. The characters felt one-dimensional and the dialogue was wooden. I struggled to finish this book as it failed to captivate my attention. There are much better options out there for those seeking a thrilling and compelling read.
3. Lily - 1/5 stars - "How does a witches hat appear" was an absolute waste of my time. The plot was nonexistent and the writing was incredibly amateurish. This book was poorly edited, with numerous spelling and grammatical errors throughout. I felt like the author put no effort into developing the story or the characters. I regret picking up this novel and would advise others to steer clear of it.