Fantastic Witches and where to find them: Germany edition

STUTTGART, BW, GERMANY

10.26.2023

Story by Balmina Sehra 

U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart

Germany has a long and fascinating history with witches, which can be traced back to the 17th century to the infamous Würzburg witch trials.

This fascination mixed with fear of witchcraft have left a mark on Germany, and you can see these traces in countless fairy tales as well in various different celebrations and festivities people take part in today.

So let's grab our broomsticks and explore where witches are still very much part of German modern life.

In German fairy tales:

Hunchback, crooked nose, and a mischievous smile are typical features of witches depicted in a lot of German fairy tales. Their characters are also often depicted as evil and sinister, only existing to cause harm to others. One of the most famous and well-known witches is featured in the German fairy tale Hansel and Gretel by the infamous Grimm brothers.

You may remember the story of how a witch owned a house made out of candy and lured children into it, fattening them up and then trying to eat them. Legends say that this fear of possible cannibalism stems from the 30-year war in Germany. Poverty and famine were all over Germany and people could hardly afford any food. Since most of the Grimm stories were old folk tales, it is often hard to know how accurate the original stories may be to the ones handed down over generations via oral tradition. However, the moral of this story is an unmistakable one that is still accurate to this day. Don’t trust strangers with candy.

In the German Fasching celebrations:

Another place to seek witches is during the 5th season in Germany, also known as Fasching. Fasching is a celebration, dating back to the 18th century. People believed that winter was a product of evil spirits, and so they tried to scare the bad spirits away by wearing scary costumes and making loud noises. The official beginning for Fasching is November 11, and the celebrations continue through to Ash Wednesday.

There are various different Faschings clubs in Stuttgart, and some are solely witchy clubs and are based on true historical events refering to witches. Some of these are the Birckhe-Bronna Hexa e.V., Narrenzunft Cannstatter Stäffeles Hexa e.V., and the Sudhexen, to name a few.

If you find yourselves at one of the Faschings parades one day, do make sure to stay clear of the witches, as it Fasching tradition to tease the viewers by rubbing black chalk in their faces and taking their hair bands. The witches are known to be a little more crafty and mean so bear that in mind next time you watch a Fasching parade.


In the German Hexen Nacht also known as Walpurigsnacht:

And lastly, you can look for witches at the Walpurigsnacht (Walpurgis Night) on April 30th. Halloween and Walpurigsnacht have a lot in common as they originate from pagan festivities, celebrating the changing seasons.
Its name is derived from a British nun Saint Walpurga, who came to Germany to Christianize the Saxons.
According to legends, it was believed that witches held their Sabbath on April 30th, they would gather around and perform and exercise their witchcraft together and dance. To counteract that, ordinary people would gather together, light bonfires, and make loud noises (similar to Fasching), to ensure that they kept evil spirits away.
The biggest Walpurgisnacht celebration is in Harz, Germany, where you will find most Walpurignacht celebrations.
Although this holiday is still celebrated today the traditions have changed a little and the holiday serves more as a way to get together and have fun, rather than scare away any form of evil spirits. People like to celebrate this holiday by dressing up in costumes, mostly as witches or devils, light bonfires, dancing, and sometimes even playing pranks on each other.

• Date Taken: 10.26.2023
• Date Posted: 12.29.2023 08:07
• Story ID: 460999
• Location: STUTTGART, BW, DE