How did witches come to ride brooms?

BlkbrryTheGreat · Post by **BlkbrryTheGreat** » 2003-11-01 01:12am

I found this enormously entertaining, regardless of whether its true or not.

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/WITCHES/witches.html

How Did Witches Come To Ride Brooms?
A Gallery of Historical Illustrations.

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The popular icon of a witch is an ugly old woman riding across the sky on her magic broomstick and wearing a pointed hat. But as with all mythologies there is an element of truth behind the image. Witches did ride brooms, after a fashion, the brooms were magic, in a way, and the pointed hat was the mildest of the punishments inflicted on them for their activities!

During the time leading up to the witchcraft trials in Europe, the staple bread was made with rye. In a small town where the bread was fresh baked this was just fine, but as Europe began to urbanize and the bread took more time to get from bakery to grocer, the rye bread began to host a mold called "ergot.

Ergot, in high doses, can be lethal, a fact that led to the rise in popularity of wheat bread, which is resistant to ergot mold.

In smaller doses, ergot is a powerful hallucinogenic drug. And because the enjoyment of such things is not confined to this age alone, it became quite popular among those who were inclined towards herbalism and folk cures. It's mentioned in Shakespeare's plays, and turns up in virtually every contemporary writing of the witchcraft age. In particular, it is the inevitable central ingredient in the ointment that witches rubbed their broomsticks with.

You see, when eaten, there was the risk of death, but when absorbed through the thin tissues of the female genitals, the hallucinogenic effects were more pronounced with less ill-effects. The modern image of a witch riding a broomstick was inspired by the sight of a woman rubbing herself on the drug coated smooth stick of her broom, writhing in the throes of hallucinations, and no doubt, some intense orgasms as well. To her unsophisticated neighbors, such a sight would have been terrifying. The lack of an equivalent mechanism for men is one reason why "witchcraft" was seen as a predominantly female phenomenon. The addition of clothing to the witch is a modern embellishment to protect 'Family Values'."

In any event, what follows is a brief expansion on witches, brooms, and ergot, illustrated by woodcuts from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-11-01 01:14am

And once again strange human behavior eventually boils down to sex.

BlkbrryTheGreat · Post by **BlkbrryTheGreat** » 2003-11-01 01:18am

Howedar wrote:And once again strange human behavior eventually boils down to sex.

Sex and Drugs actually....

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2003-11-01 01:23am

Play some rockin' Mozart, and the unholy trinity is complete.

BlkbrryTheGreat · Post by **BlkbrryTheGreat** » 2003-11-01 01:24am

If this idea of witch really has its ruits in the medeval era then you would be about 500 years off my friend.

BlkbrryTheGreat · Post by **BlkbrryTheGreat** » 2003-11-01 01:25am

Err I meant Roots.... anyway, I think thats definative evidence that its time for me to get some sleep. Happy Halloween All!

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2003-11-01 01:46am

Because pitchforks and scythes were too uncomfortable?

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-11-01 01:49am

And that, my friends, is why there are no more witches. In the 20th century, the creative engine of human technology has bequeathed the mighty VIBRATOR to the females of the species, thus ending forever the phenomenon of witchcraft through the time-honoured technological mechanism of obsolescence.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-11-01 03:19am

Darth Wong wrote:And that, my friends, is why there are no more witches. In the 20th century, the creative engine of human technology has bequeathed the mighty VIBRATOR to the females of the species, thus ending forever the phenomenon of witchcraft through the time-honoured technological mechanism of obsolescence.

This doesn't keep any New Agers from thinking otherwise.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2003-11-01 05:46am

You know A witch is actually dervied from ancient fertility cults from way way way long ago.

Black used to be the symbol of fertility, hence the black clothing

Green the symbol of Green Crops and growing plants, hence the green skin

And a witch is female because females are the gender that bears children, giving life.

Those old Fertility cults didnt have a God per say as much as the worshipped lie itself, but the Witches were retooled as a symbol of satannic evils and such by people from other, more "respected" cults/(aka religions). Hence why witchcraft as a satannic evil coined by Puritans with broom waving wart infested hags is complete bullshite.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2003-11-01 06:08am

Darth Wong wrote:And that, my friends, is why there are no more witches. In the 20th century, the creative engine of human technology has bequeathed the mighty VIBRATOR to the females of the species, thus ending forever the phenomenon of witchcraft through the time-honoured technological mechanism of obsolescence.

Oh, there are modern-day witches. They've simply traded up from mould-coated broomsticks to special battery-powered "magick wands".

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-11-01 06:09am

Yeah, but modern "Wicca" is equally just a bunch of new age cobbled together post hoc crap, too.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2003-11-01 10:11am

IIRC, the broom is actually a male celtic or druid thing. It symbolises the phallus, and it's actually the bushy part that you have aiming forwards and upwards.

The stuff about ergot is true though.

I've never heard that particular explanation, although it's not difficult or unpleasant to imagine.

Drooling Iguana · Post by **Drooling Iguana** » 2003-11-01 02:37pm

So, basically, instead of witches coming to ride brooms, they rode brooms to come?

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2003-11-01 04:26pm

You see, when eaten, there was the risk of death, but when absorbed through the thin tissues of the female genitals, the hallucinogenic effects were more pronounced with less ill-effects. The modern image of a witch riding a broomstick was inspired by the sight of a woman rubbing herself on the drug coated smooth stick of her broom, writhing in the throes of hallucinations, and no doubt, some intense orgasms as well. To her unsophisticated neighbors, such a sight would have been terrifying. The lack of an equivalent mechanism for men is one reason why "witchcraft" was seen as a predominantly female phenomenon. The addition of clothing to the witch is a modern embellishment to protect 'Family Values'."

I knew it had something to do with self-gratification using the broom.

SyntaxVorlon · Post by **SyntaxVorlon** » 2003-11-01 05:31pm

This makes dressing young girls up as witches with brooms a bit sick then.
Isn't she cute, she's got her little persecution hat and flying dildo.

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2003-11-01 05:57pm

How did the witch come?
On a broomstick.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-11-01 06:14pm

I find that strangely arousing.