Book Review: Of Toads & Hares - Witches & Wisewomen

The useful part

It's a superb collection of English folktales concerning witches, meticulously researched by Ben Stimpson as part of his 'Wise Ones Series' of books. The book is an enchanting read, which can be dipped into for pleasure or study. I thoroughly recommended it to anyone interested in folklore and historic depictions of women and witchcraft.

How it works

• An old and probably ugly woman with magical powers would take the form of a hare, cat or sometimes a toad to spy on neighbours.
• A man hunted or otherwise injured the animal, and the witch's powers were outed when she was seen to have an identical wound.
• Her fate was determined by the same man or an angry mob because, of course, witches were usually depicted as malefic.
• They stole or curdled the milk, played tricks on people, sometimes caused illness or even...

Details worth keeping

Witches, according to a plethora of folktales, were shape-changers.