Toil and trouble: The myth of the witch is no myth at all

  Witches are usually relegated to the realm of fairy tales and sometimes explained as the manifestation of subconscious fears. They populate picture books, appear in fantasy-based films and television series, and their stereotypical features inspire Halloween costumes.

  But history provides numerous accounts of real witches. These were flesh-and-blood women who either seriously practiced magic and believed in its efficacy, identified as witches or, perhaps more fascinating, enacted certain stereotypical behaviors that, whether they liked it or not, aligned them with the frightening witches of fairy tales.