A Witch's Garden: Apples

Disclaimer

This is NOT a page about Wiccans or neo-pagans, and I do not advocate the belief that Wiccans are Satan-worshippers and/or baby-killers. I am well aware that they are not. This is a starting point for historical research into the great witch craze of 1100-1700 AD. And please, don't ask me for spells.

Apples

Apples have long been associated with witches. As in Snow White, witches were said to have used apples to poison or to bewitch. In some parts of England, strong cider is still known as "witches' brew." When cut crosswise, a pentacle is visible inside the apple.

Although no one type of fruit is specified in Genesis, in Christian folklore, the apple is portrayed as the fruit of knowledge eaten by the disobedient Eve and Adam.

In 1657 Richard Jones, a 12-year-old boy in Shepton Mallet in the county of Somerset in England, was said to be bewitched by a girl who gave him an apple. Jones suffered fits, and neighbors said they saw him fly over his garden wall. The girl, Jane Brooks, was charged with witchcraft, convicted and hanged on March 26, 1658 (Guiley 1989 12).

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A Witch's Garden is copyright 1997-1998 to Shantell Powell.
The preceding botanic illustration is from The Virtual Garden Search Engine, part of the Time Life Electronic Encyclopedia.