Striga

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.

Striga

Also known as a stria or strix, the plural form is striges (Wedeck 140). Etymologically, the term is associated with "screech-owl." A striga is

a blood-drinking night spirit of classical antiquity, which became known as a witch in folklore. The striges were said to be terrible women who could turn themselves into dreadful birds of prey, with huge talons, misshapen heads and breasts full of poisonous milk. They were asociated with screech owls.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, striges endured in folklore, and the term became low Latin for "witch." As Christianity spread, the striges, along with other pagan spirits, became associated with demonolatry.

By the Middle Ages, the striges were entrenched in Christianity as servants of Satan and his demons. They were defined as women witches who practiced sorcery and flew through the air. The striges' association with screech owls gave rise to the term owl-blasted, which referred to the effects of a wasting-away spell cast upon a man. This expression remained in popular use through the 16^th century (Guiley 1989 331).

Striges were also believed to have sucked the blood of children.

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Striga is copyrighted 1997-1998 to Shantell Powell.