Witchcraft in Anglo-Saxon England facts for kids

Witchcraft in Anglo-Saxon England (called wiċċecræft back then) is about how people in Anglo-Saxon England believed in and used magic. This was between the 400s and 1000s AD. Most of what we know comes from later in this time, after England became Christian.

During the Christian period, church leaders often spoke out against witchcraft. They said it was wrong for Christians to practice magic. Laws were also made that said practicing witchcraft was a crime.

Experts today think that magic back then was mostly about healing. People used charms, special objects called amulets, and herbal medicines to help sick people. We still have old writings that describe many of these healing charms. Some old burial sites also suggest that certain women might have been "cunning women." These women might have used magic for both good and bad purposes.

About Anglo-Saxon England

The time of Anglo-Saxon England lasted from about 410 AD to 1066 AD. During this period, people who were called "Anglo-Saxons" were the main group in England. They shaped the country's culture and government.

Early Anglo-Saxons had their own religion, known as Anglo-Saxon paganism. They believed in many gods, like Woden, Thunor, Tiw, and Frige. People would worship these gods with offerings and animal sacrifices.

Starting in the 600s, Christian missionaries came to England. They wanted to teach people about Christianity, which believes in only one God. Some kings accepted Christianity first. Over time, a mix of old pagan beliefs and new Christian ideas developed.

Stories of Witches in Old Books

In 1989, a scholar named Anthony Davies looked at old writings from Anglo-Saxon England. He found five stories that talked about witches. He thought that four of these stories were just made-up tales, like folk stories. But he believed one story might be about a real person who was accused of doing something harmful with magic.

The Witch of Ailsworth

One very short mention of a witch is found in a document from 948. This document talks about a land deal in Anglo-Saxon England.

The Witch of Berkeley in Gesta Regum

The book Gesta Regum was written by William of Malmsbury. It tells a story about a witch who lived in a place called Berkeley. William wrote about her death around the same time that Pope Gregory VI died in 1046.

According to William, this witch was very skilled in magic. She also loved to eat and have fun. One day, her pet jackdaw (a type of bird) made a lot of noise. She thought this was a sign of bad news. Soon after, a messenger arrived. He told her that her whole family had died in a terrible event.

The witch became very sad and got sick. She knew she was dying. She called her two children, who were a monk and a nun. She gave them special instructions for her burial.

She told them to sew her body into a deer's skin. Then, they should place her on her back in a stone coffin. The lid needed to be sealed with lead and iron. On top of the coffin, a heavy stone had to be tied down with three iron chains. She also asked them to hold church services for her for fifty days and sing special songs for fifty nights.

She told her children, "If I stay safe for three nights, bury your mother on the fourth day. But I fear the earth, which my bad actions have often burdened, will not want to accept me."

After she died, her children followed her wishes. But on the first two nights, while priests sang around the coffin, devils broke into the church. They snapped two of the chains on the coffin lid. On the third night, an even stronger and scarier devil burst in. It snapped the last chain and dragged the witch from her tomb. The devil put her on a black horse with hooks on its back. Then, they all disappeared. People said her screams could be heard up to four miles away.

The Witch of Ely in Gesta Herewardi

Another old book, Gesta Herewardi, written before 1131, describes a witch. This story takes place in the spring of 1070. King William I and his Norman government were fighting a rebellion in East Anglia. Anglo-Saxons had joined forces with Sweyn of Denmark.

The rebels were strong on the Isle of Ely. King William thought about making a deal with them. But one of his advisers, Ivo de Taillebois, stopped him. Taillebois claimed he knew an old woman "who by her magic alone could break the rebels' courage and make them flee in fear."

King William agreed to see her. She was brought secretly to the Norman camp. After eight days, the Normans decided to attack. The old witch was placed high up among the attackers to perform her magic. But her magic did not work. The Normans had to retreat quickly. During the retreat, the witch fell and broke her neck.

The writer of Gesta Herewardi said he heard this story from people who survived the rebellion and from monks. However, Anthony Davies, the scholar, thought the story was probably not true. He said it was unlikely that King William, who was a strong Christian, would have used a witch. Davies believed this witch "belongs firmly to the realm of fiction."

The Witch of Ramsey

Another story about an Anglo-Saxon witch is found in the Chronicle of the Abbey of Ramsey. This book was written in the 1100s. The writer used information from old English wills, records, and local stories.

Queen Aelfthryth in Liber Eliensis

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says that King Edward died at Corfe Castle in 978. As King Edward became a very respected figure, many stories grew around his death. These stories began to suggest, and then directly accuse, his step-mother, Queen Aelfthryth, of being involved. The 12th-century book Liber Eliensis even accused her of being a witch. It claimed she was responsible for the king's death and also for the death of Abbot Brihtnoth of Ely.