Herbalist as a Witch: A Historic Overview by Rissa Miller
$25.00
In stock: 50 available
Product Details
Throughout history, the line between herbalist and witch has been blurred by tradition and sharpened by fear. For thousands of years, healers, midwives, cunning folk, and root workers tended their communities with knowledge of plants, seasons, and spirit. Yet the very skills that made them essential also made them suspect. A woman with salves and secrets became a sorceress; a midwife became a menace; a village healer became the subject of whispered accusations when crops failed or storms rolled in.
Join folklorist, storyteller, and herbalist Rissa Miller for a rich journey through the tangled roots of plant healing and persecution. We’ll explore how ancient traditions intertwined with folklore, why certain plants gained reputations as “witches’ herbs,” and how cultural shifts, from the rise of Christianity to the witch trials to 19th-century folk magic, reshaped the identity of the herbal practitioner. You’ll meet real historical healers as well as the mythical witches who haunted the collective imagination, and learn how both shaped the legacy of modern witchcraft and herbalism.
Along the way, we’ll look at how gender, power, and superstition fueled the witch hunts, why folk healers were targeted, and how botanical knowledge survived. This presentation blends social history, folklore, plant lore, and the enduring resilience of those who worked with the green world despite danger.
Whether you identify as a witch, herbalist, gardener, history lover, or simply someone curious about the stories behind plant history, this talk offers a deeper understanding of how the healer became the witch, and how that identity continues to evolve today.
Please note: This event is an indoor lecture held at The Serpent’s Key and does not include hands-on herbal crafting. Parking is available nearby, and the shop is ADA accessible.
Herbalist as a Witch: A Historic Overview by Rissa Miller