Why do witches have brooms?
As epitomized by the Wicked Witch of the West in “The Wizard of Oz,” popular imagery depicts witches flying through the air by riding on broomsticks. This idea has centuries of history, including the infamous witch hunts of Europe, but little actual relation to real-life witchcraft.Early ReferencesEuropean literature such as the “Compendium Maleficarum” (1608) described witches flying to Sabbats on brooms, staves, shovels or other objects greased with an unguent made from murdered children or generally unholy ingredients. This and similar ideas have persisted in Europe since the 1300s, sometimes incorporated in witch hunts.Possible OriginsShamanism scholar Michael J. Harner argues that the stories may stem from fact; typical ‘magic’ unguents made from such ingredients as belladonna or mandrake could have caused hallucinations of flight. ‘Witches’ may have ridden brooms and staves to apply the unguent sexually and augment the illusion of riding a steed.SymbolismAccording to the historia
