Universität Koblenz – Landau
Wintersemester 2004/2005
Dozentin: Dr. Isabel Martin
Seminar: Children´s literature and area studies
Referentinnen: Nina Hackbarth, Christina Schmidt,
Dagmar Weber
Datum: 07.01.2005
Reading night about witches
Witches
The belief in witches is very old and existed in nearly every
region oft he world. There`s proof that the concept of a witch
has existed since the days of the ancient Greeks.
A common picture in people's mind is, that a witch is an old
woman. She is able to fly on a broomstick and does magic.
It is believed that the power of witches called witchcraft
includes the ability to transform oneself or others into animals
or other shapes, for example. It is a suprising fact that there is
a legend in Scandinavia about the sorceress Maran who
causes pain by riding at night on people or horses: she flies to
her victim by broomstick.
European Christians in the medieval area, some conservative
Christians today and some more religions (past and present)
believe in the fact that witchcraft is a form of magic which
can have and produce effects that are beyond the natural
power of man.
Before the advent of Christianity, the so-called Wicces served
as spiritual advisors and healers (like a shaman of the
Germanic people).
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This changed with the arrival of Christianity and the priests
who regarded them as competitors. From the Middle ages and
onwards to about the mid-19th century, witches were
universally associated with evil, under the belief that the
witch's magical powers were granted by the devil in
exchange for the witch's soul.
I found out that the ethymological roots are several. On the
one hand, there`s the german word ‘weihen’ ("consecrate") as
well as the English word "victim" in its original meaning for
someone killed in a religious ritual. Thus, a "witch" would
signify nothing else but an ancient type of priestess. On the
other hand, the Old English words wicca (m.) and its
feminine counterpart wicce. Both mean wizard and gave rise
to the adjective "wicked". It is possible, that wizard related to
the modern term "wise". A cautious interpretation gives
us a witch being a person of (presumably occult) knowledge.
A lot of people, who were put to death as witches were
midwives, herbalists, widows, spinters, social outcasts or
even victims of revenge seekers. A few folk tales, however,
refer to kindly witches.
It was extremely dangerous to be accused of being a
"witch", since a common punishment was to be burnt at the
stake. There are several reasons why people were afraid of
witches and their strange powers in former centuries. Five
reasons are mentioned here:
- Inhabitants of smaller villages or cities didn`t understand,
that something like witchcraft existed.
- Social conflicts: for example unemployment or
famine.
- If someone didn`t recover from a bad illness and no help
could be found for the 'victim' a witch, sorcerer, etc. was the
one to blame in a lot of cases.
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- Everything what you can`t understand, is something that
frightens you.
- Because of the fact, that there was the belief that the witch`s
magical power was a gift of the devil in exchance for the
witch`s soul.
Witches in and around Koblenz
Witch hunt was legal:
Witch hunt was legal, because authorities allowed to hunt
witches.
Pope Innosenz VIII supported the witch hunt with ´summis
desiderantes affectibus´ This letter said that the Catholic
Church allowed to hunt witches.
1532 Kaiser Karl V published the `Carolina´ which were
rules for court.
In addition to this Heinrich Institoris and Jakob Sprenger
wrote the ´Hexenhammer´ which were guidelines for witch
trials at:
1. public courts and also
2. religious courts
The `Hexenhammer´ was also a guideline for the Lutheran
Church, not only for the Catholic.
People against witch hunting:
Some people disagreed with witch hunt.
1. Johann Weier
2. Hermann Wilcken published a book against witch
hunt as Augustin Lerchheimer.
3. Friedrich von Spee (Jesuit) also published a book.
(Cautio criminalis) He used a pseudonym, too.
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Witch hunt in and around Koblenz:
There was a religious court in ´Bischofshof´ near
´Florinsmarkt´ in Koblenz and the executions were at the
`Laubach`.
First trial between Mosel and Rhein area was in Trier 1570.
People said that the meeting points had been at:
- `Moselblocksberg´ in Dieblich,
- `Arenberg´ Kaifenheim,
- `Hummerich´ Plaidt
The victims of the witch hunt:
Because of her bad spell a woman from Nassau was burned
in 1494. They burned her at `Schartwiese´. ( camp ground in
Neuendorf)
Because of the witch spells the famous cherry soup had been
forbidden in 1615.
A priest, called Dr. Dietrich Flade, was executed, because of
witchcraft after he had executed a lot of witches in 1589.
15 persons have been executed in Koblenz between 1591
and 1592.
In 1629 over 24 persons were executed in Koblenz. Nine
women of them were burned a life.
1749 was last execution of a witch in this area.
Major victims have been executed in the area of RheinMosel between 1580 and 1600.
Victims: Europe: 60 000 people
Trier: 800 people (between 1487 and 1660)
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Salem witch trials, Massachusetts, 1692
Religion and witchcraft
Church was the cornerstone of 17th century life in New
England. Most people in Massachusetts were Puritans—
colonists who had left England seeking religious tolerance.
But the strict Puritan code was far from tolerant. They also
believed God would punish sinful behaviour.
Puritans also believed the Devil was as real as God.
Everyone had to decide between the powers of good and
evil, but Satan would select the weakest individuals. In
keeping with the Puritan code of conformity, the first
women to be accused of witchcraft in Salem were seen as
different and as social outcasts:
- Tituba, a slave;
- Sarah Good, a homeless beggar;
- Sarah Osborne, a sickly old woman who married her
servant (a person who works in sb else’s household
for wages).
Life in Salem
In 1692, Salem was divided into two parts: Salem Town and
Salem Village.
Residents of Salem Village were mostly poor farmers.
Salem Town, on the other hand, was a prosperous port town
at the centre of trade with London.
Many of the farmers who lived far from this prosperity
believed the worldliness and wealth of Salem Town
threatened their Puritan values.
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People of Salem witch trial
Ann Putnam (jr.), twelve years old, was the leader of the
“circle girls”.
The “circle girls” were Ann (the niece of Reverend Parris),
Betty Parris (the daughter of Reverend Parris) and Abigail
Williams.
During the winter of 1692, the circle girls gathered secretly
at Reverend Parris’s house for evenings of storytelling and
magic with the Parris slave, Tituba. Those games were
strictly forbidden for Puritan children. One of the fortunetelling games was to drop an egg white into a glass of water
and see what shape it took. One evening, Ann saw the shape
of a coffin. Soon afterwards Ann, Betty Parris, and Abigail
Williams started behaving strangely—babbling, convulsing
(to make violent movements that cannot be controlled), or
staring blankly.
The village doctor diagnosed bewitchment and the girls were
asked to identify their tormentors. Ann pointed fingers at
Sarah Good and Sarah Osburne. She was also quick to
testify (to give evidence) against Tituba.
Ann accused many more in the coming months. Even Ann’s
parents, Thomas and Ann, accused dozens of townspeople of
witchcraft—most of whom were enemies of the influential
Putnam family.
By the time the witch hunt was over, Ann had accused 62
people. But she did something none of the other circle girls
would do—publicly acknowledge her role in the trials. In
1706 she stood before the church as the pastor read her
apology (saying sorry for having done something wrong).
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Facts about a Reading night
1.) What’s your opinion about a reading night ?
Definition:
“Reading night is a night when teachers, parents and
students get together to do a variety of activities
involving reading.”
Source: www.kpbsd.k12.ak.uk/bartlett/readingnight.htm
2.) What do you need for a reading night ?
- You need a big room, a gymnasium, for
example.
- Create a warm atmosphere.
- The children have to bring their sleeping bag
and other necessities to school.
- Bathrooms should be available.
- Breakfast should be prepared by parents.
- Choose a Friday evening for a reading night !
- Make sure that the parents fetch their children
on a fixes time the next day / morning.
- Emphasize that walkman, game boys, mobile
phones and sweets are prohibited.
3.) What topics are possible for a reading night ?
A lot of topics can be chosen like:
- jobs
- witches
- animals
- clothes
- feelings
- family and friends
- colours
- fruit
For details have a look at the “Rahmenplan
Grundschule”.
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4.) What are the problems of a reading night in primary
school ?
- Pupils aren’t able to read and write in
English.
- Parents should be involved in the reading
night because the pupils are often afraid to
stay away from home.
5.) What are the aims ?
- Stories are motivating and catch the attention
of pupils.
- Children get in contact with authentic
language.
- The most important aim is to understand the
essential information and to cope with
unknown vocabulary.
- Children are able to develop their imagination
by listening to a fantastic and exciting story.
- Children become aware of rhythm, intonation
and pronunciation of language.
Story: “Room on the broom”
I
IV
The witch had a cat
Over the trees and the
Rivers they flew.
And a cat that was black.
They shot through the sky
To the back of beyond.
The witch grinned,
The witch clutched her bow,
As they sat on their
But lost her wand.
broomstick
“Down!” dried the witch
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II
V
And flew through the wind. and they flew to the ground
They searched for the wand,
As the cat spat,
That a frog found.
And the wind blew so
wildly,
As the witch dried the wand
It blew off the hat.
“I am a frog as clean as can be.
Is there room on the broom for
“Down!” cried the witch,
a frog like me?”
And they flew to the
ground.
“Yes!” cried the witch, so the
They searched for the hat, frog
That a dog found.
bounded on.
The witch tapped the
As the witch pulled the hat broomstick
Firmly down on her hat,
Whoosh! They were gone.
“I am a dog, as keen as can
be.
Over the mountains they flew.
Is there room on the broom The frog jumped for joy and…
For a dog like me?”
THE BROOM SNAPPED IN
TWO!
“Yes!” cried the witch
tapped the broomstick and Down fell the witch, the dog
whoosh! they were gone.
The cat and the frog.
Over the fields an the
Forests they flew
And the stormy wind blew.
And blew on her hat,
But away blew the bow
(Break: What could happen
now?)
Then she filled up her cauldron
And said with a grin,
“Find something everyone,
From her braid- just like
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III
that!
“Down!” cried the witch,
and they flew on the
ground.
They searched for the bow,
That a bird found.
VI
throw something in!”
As the witch
Tied her braid in the bow,
“I am a bird,
as green as can be.
Is there room on the broom
For a bird like me?”
They threw them all in
And the witch cooked them
well,
And while she was cooking,
She whispered a spell.
“Iggety, ziggety, zaggety,
ZOOM!”
“Yes!” cried the witch,
so the bird fluttered on.
The witch tapped the
broomstick and
Whoosh! They were gone.
So the dog found a flower,
The cat found a cone,
The bird found a twig
And the dog found a bone.
THERE WAS A TRULY
MAGNIFICANT BROOM !
With seats for the witch
The cat and the dog,
And a nest for the bird and
A pool for the frog.
“Yes!” cried the witch,
and they clambered on.
The witch tapped the
broomstick and
Whoosh! They were gone.
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The author of “Room on the broom”: Julia Donaldson
•was born 1948 and grew up in North of London.
•wrote songs for children´s television and wrote educational
books
•lives with her husband and her three sons in Glasgow
•occupied full time writing children´s books, songs, and
plays and visiting schools and libraries to hold drama and
storytelling workshops.
The illustrator: Axel Scheffler
•was born in Hamburg
•won his first drawing prize at the age of 8
•came to England in 1982 to study at the Bath Acedamy of
Art
•worked for advertisement and publishing
•received numerous prizes for his artwork
•collaborated with Julia Danaldson on most of her highly
successful children´s books
Other books about witches:
Thomas, Valerie and Korky, Paul:
Winnie the Witch,
Winnie in Winter,
Winnie Flies Again,
Winnie´s new Computer, Oxford University Press
Schötke, Henning and Schöning, Frederike:
Rosie The Little Witch, The Kids´English Club im
Studienkreis
Preußler, Otfried:
The Little Witch, Thienemann Verlag 2001
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Sources
- Storytelling: Niemann, Heide (2002): Mit Bilderbüchern
Englisch lernen. Kallmeyer-Verlag.
Rahmenplan Grundschule (2002) Teilrahmenplan
Fremdsprachen. Ministerium für Bildung, Frauen
und Jugend, Mainz.
Schmid-Schönbein, Gisela (2001): Didaktik:
Grundschulenglisch. Anglistik. Amerikanistik.
Cornelsen Verlag, Berlin.
- Reading night:
www.kpbsd.k12.ak.uk/bartlett/readingnight.htm
- Salem:
http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtri
als/life/children.html
http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/crucible.htm
l
- Witches in and around Koblenz: Home.rheinzeitung.de/werner.schuhmacher/hex.htm_40k 26.12.04
barrierefreies.koblenz.de/touristik_kultur/essgeschich
ten_kirschsuppe.html
- Room on the broom: Donaldson, Julia and Schäffler, Axel:
Room on The Broom, Macmillan Children´s books 2002
(book and song book)
www.friedrichverlagsgruppe.de/static/html/grundschule-englischnr-9-heft-1_84885_677.html
- witchcraft: http://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.rpi.at/wien/MaterialienDateien/Arbeitsblatt%20Hexen.htm
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Recommended Reading
Börner, O. und W. Brusch:
"Die Hamburger Bücherkiste für den
Englischunterricht in der Grundschule".
ENGLISCH 4/2004
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