Witchy Wednesday, Witches and their familiars

It's Witchy Wednesday again! That flew around as quick as a witch on a broom. 

This week I thought the subject of Witches familiars seemed an interesting one to look into. Especially as even now we as Cat and Dog owners do tend to treat our furry friends as family and rightly so! So why wouldn't Witches do the same! Especially when disowned by family, friends and neighbours their furry friends were even more important for companionship.

So this is in honour of all familiars both big and small fluffy or feathered! 

In European folklore of the medieval and early modern periods, familiars (sometimes referred to as familiar spirits) were believed to be supernatural entities that would assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic.

Here are some links to some interesting articles on Witches and their familiars 

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/stories/familiar-spirits-and-devilish-imps

https://www.britannica.com/topic/familiar

 https://www.museumofcambridge.org.uk/witches-and-their-familiars.

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/journey-into-witchcraft-beliefs/

https://engole.info/witchs-familiar/

Because some folk stories can be quite scary and disturbing I would always advise visiting and reading links before showing or reading to younger children.