The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present

Ronald Hutton traces beliefs about witchcraft from the ancient world through medieval Europe, the early modern witch trials and modern interpretations. Rather than treating the witch as a fixed figure, he examines how ideas about harmful magic, spirits, religion and social threat developed across different cultures.

The book places Britain’s witchcraft traditions within a wider international context, considering shamanism, ceremonial magic, folk religion and the relationship between witches and fairies. Hutton also investigates the emergence of the demonic witch stereotype, the varied pattern of witch trials, Celtic regions, and the history of animal familiars. Its final emphasis falls on how historians have interpreted witchcraft beliefs and the changing meanings attached to them.