For many centuries witchcraft has been treated as a devil's gift, as an evil skill. Yes, indeed, it has many connections with the dark side of the existence, with the unknown powers of nature, which can cause destruction and even death. Not surprising that witch in many cases is depicted wearing a black cloak, may be a black hat, she also has a scary look, concentrated on the magical ritual. The image from the "Snow White and the seven dwarfs" cartoon by Disney is a typical vision of the witch in a popular culture:
By the way, did the witches really look like this ever? If it was so dangerous being a witch, why would they attract more attention with such clothes? So this is I think is a modern delusion about the witch appearance. However whether there was a witch around, everybody knew it and everybody knew how to reach that witch.
Here I would like to stop by telling about the witch in Russian folklore. The main and the best known of them is Baba-Yaga (Russian "Баба-Яга"). When I was a child I used to love (!) Russian fairytales. First, my Mum used to read them for me, then I learned reading and could enjoy books myself.
In the Russian folk tales the character of Baba-Yaga plays an important role for the main hero and his further success.
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| Evil witch as depicted in Snow White fairy tale |
Here I would like to stop by telling about the witch in Russian folklore. The main and the best known of them is Baba-Yaga (Russian "Баба-Яга"). When I was a child I used to love (!) Russian fairytales. First, my Mum used to read them for me, then I learned reading and could enjoy books myself.
In the Russian folk tales the character of Baba-Yaga plays an important role for the main hero and his further success.
