Isn’t the intersection of science, superstition, and history fascinating?

[KichigaiNeko]

Science Based Life Article

[quote]Why do witches ride broomsticks?
30 Mar 2012 Friday

Posted by Kyle Hill in Medicine, Skepticism

We see it every year at Halloween, the common image of a witch riding a broomstick across the night sky. But why? Where could this odd superstition have come from?



"Hallucinogenic compounds called tropane alkaloids are made by a number of plants including Atropa belladonna (deadly nightshade), Hyoscyamus niger (henbane), Mandragora officinarum (mandrake), and Datura stramonium (jimsonweed).
During the Middle Ages, parts of these plants were used to make “brews,” “oyntments,” or “witches’ salves” for witchcraft, sorcery, and other nefarious activities."

My views are that somewhere in history something happened to promulgate the superstitions and religious practices we see today. This article does seem to give a plausible reason, at least as an origin of the whole "sinfulness & debauchery of Witches"

[Aegrus]

Lol. So wait, witches absorbed hallucinogens through their lady bits via brommsticks? And witches are rumored to be wicked, seductive, and promiscuous? And witches have been fighting Christians for hundreds of years using powerful magic? And their only crimes are. . . hating Christianity and siding with the devil? A devil who, we have previously established, did nothing wrong except go against god- a god who murders non-believers and children.

I honestly don't understand why the fundies hate witches. They seem amazing. Where can I find a real witch? Anyone?

[R-e-n-n-a-t]

Well this is interesting. What's even funnier is that the Christians were on the losing end of intellect even then; they saw or heard of a witch 'riding' a broom and apparently couldn't figure out why, even when simply tasked with 'reverse engineering' the reason instead of trying to discover it on their own. So we end up with even more superstitions now.

[kılıç_mehmet]

This is disguting, man.

[Aegrus]

This is disguting, man.

Only if the witches are old hags.