Why Do Witches Burn? - A blog about witches, magic, and much more

      At the beginning of the semester when I made this blog, I asked Dr. Williams if he understood why my blog's url was "witchesmadeofwood." When he said he didn't, I was a little disappointed because its name comes from one of the most famous witch scenes in all of popular media history. A brief 3-minute clip of a witch trial from Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)  satirizes witch trials that have taken place across human history. Take some time to watch the clip here, and then follow me as we break down what happens, and you find out the answer to the question, "Why do witches burn?"  Monty Python Witch Scene          This scene does a fantastic job capturing the absurdity of claims brought against people who have been accused of practicing witchcraft. When the townspeople want to burn a witch they have found in their village, they are asked, "Well how do you know she is a witch?" Their response summarizes the craze surrounding witches and

      For this blog post, I wanted to review all the witches we have talked about in our popular media presentations and decide which one would come out on top if we locked all of them in a confined space together. A little odd, I know, but I was inspired by talk on social media about which Big 12 mascot would win in a fight, so here we are. Here are the rules. I can only choose witches that were in our popular media presentations. My rankings are based off what powers they have shown in the films or tv shows, which as it turns out, really narrows down who the most powerful witches are. These are my opinions and I haven't seen all the movies or tv shows in their entirety, so these are definitely up for debate. This post will cover who I think are the top 3. Let's get started. 3. Coming in at third on my list is The White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005).  The White Witch, played by Tilda Swinton, from The Chronicles of Narnia: Th

      At the start of the academic year, I moved into my first apartment. Something I promised myself I would do was learn to cook. I don't mean putting mac and cheese in the microwave or putting a frozen pizza in the oven. I mean actually buying ingredients and following recipes to prepare a main course and maybe a few sides from time to time. I would say that about 10 months later, I have been somewhat successful, but not really where I want to be.     I learned that cooking is hard for a variety of reasons. It takes time to plan out a meal, purchase ingredients, cook the courses, and serve them. It is a lot of work for about 15-20 minutes of eating, and when you work nights, it seems like a better option just to hit a drive thru on the way home. Something else I learned is that cooking is like magic. I remember taking a class a few years ago in the history department here called "History of Food in America" with Dr. Rebecca Sharpless (the sweetest woman on the planet).

      Throughout the semester, our class has taken a look at a variety of depictions of witches in popular media. However, our discussions have mostly been limited to television shows and movies. Perhaps one of the most popular digital mediums for my generation is video games. Technology has developed far past the pixelated graphics of pong, and even past the basic geometric character models of the early 2000s. Now, video games tell emotional stories, graphics are more realistic than ever, and gameplay immerses players into an entirely different world separate from reality. There are video games that cover every genre imaginable, and video game characters represent people from all walks of life. This includes witches.     Witches have been in video games for years, and as you might have guessed, they often play the role of the villain. In the Gameboy Advance game  Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga   (2003) , a witch named Cackletta steals Princess Peach's voice and it is up to Mario,