When You Witch Upon a Star: An Analysis of the Relationship Between Perceptions of Early Modern Witches and Portrayals of Disney Witches Kelley Northam

When You Witch Upon a Star: An Analysis of the Relationship Between Perceptions of Early Modern Witches and Portrayals of Disney Witches

Kelley Northam

In Disney’s 1992 animated film, Aladdin, the villainous Jafarmanically says; “Trust

me…you’ll get what’s coming to you” (Aladdin). Though set in a thoroughly historically

inaccurate Middle Eastern country, complete with magic carpet rides, talking animals, and a

schizophrenic, all-powerful Genie, Jafar’s dialogue could have been easily taken directly from an

Early Modern witch trial record, for many accused Early Modern witches were burned alive for

uttering those same words. This paper outlines the perceptions, classifications, and intricacies

surrounding accused Early Modern European witches as defined in Brian P. Levack’s book, The

Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe. Then, after identifying and examining the witch or

witchlike characters in the following animated Disney films: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,

Cinderella, Aladdin, and Frozen against these classifications, it is determined that Early Modern

perceptions of witches strongly resemble the portrayals of witches in Disney films, suggesting

that not only are these Early Modern perceptions of witches alive and well in Post-Modern media

but that an innate human enchantment with witchcraft and the occult continues to shape and

influence mainstream society hundreds of years later.

The infamous European witch-craze or witch-hunt, from approximately 1450- 1750,

thousands of Early Modern people, the vast majority of them women, were tried for practicing

witchcraft (Levack 1). Many historians have analyzed this intriguing historical phenomenon

from a variety of lenses to attempt to identify a leading cause of these trials. Historians, such as

Holmes, strongly contend that the rise in witchcraft accusations during this period is due to

women breaking conventional, feminine gender roles and subsequently being tried by a

patriarchal authority (Holmes 140). However, intellectual historians, such as Clark, argue that the

language surrounding the demonic and situations of misrule highly influenced the witch-craze

(Clark 87). While not necessarily arguing for or against the claims of these historians, the focus

ofthis paper is not to attempt to determine a specific causation of the spike in witch trials in

European history. Rather, it aligns itself with Levack’s main methodology of ascertaining what

exactly an Early Modern witch was to gain a more thorough understanding of the Early Modern

society and mind. Furthermore, this paper applies Levack’s research to Disney films as means of

understanding the similarities of Disney witches and Early Modern accused witches and why

Early Modern perceptions of witches continue to titillate the Post-Modern mind.

For Early Modern Europeans, there were two prevailing definitions of witchcraft. The

first definition was the most conventional as it was “the practice of harmful, black or maleficent

magic: the performance of harmful deeds by means of some sort of extraordinary, mysterious,

occult, preternatural or supernatural power,” also known as maleficarum (Levack 3-4). Examples

of this would be any supernatural event that would negatively affect Early Modern society and

values, such as crop failure, miscarriages, or a sudden death. Furthermore, maleficarum would

not have been considered beneficial in any scenario and its intent was always to inflict harm or

misfortune. Nor would it have been fueled by any type of religious catalyst as “religion uses the

art of persuasion in attempting to realize its goals, and since it deals with superior beings, it is

more capable of filling the people who practise it with a sense of awe,” verses maleifcarum

which was always accompanied by a sense of fear or pain (Levack 4).

The second definition of witchcraft, also known as white magic, was the inverse of

maleficarum, as its purpose was to “bring about some benefit to oneself or another” (Levack 5).

White magic would have been classified as inherently productive, therapeutic, or protective and

would have always been beneficial to the norms of Early Modern society, such as spell to

increase a woman’s fertility or provide a bountiful harvest. However, it is important to note that

though the usage of white magic was viewed positively, it is not synonymous with the

occurrence of miracles as those would have been in the religious domain. Nevertheless, the lines

between maleficarum and white magic are easily blurred based on the situations surrounding

their usage. Supernatural powers used in self-defense, love, or sexual relations were highly

subjective in how they were perceived, thus creating a gray area of magic (Levack 7).

A further distinction in the usage of magic in the Early Modern period is that it could

have been considered high or low, regardless if it was harmful or beneficial. High magic would

have been considered to be a “speculative art that requires a certain amount of education”

(Levack 7). A knowledge of alchemy, astrology, necromancy, scapulimancy, or dactylomancy

would often fall under this definition of high magic and, due to the amount of education or

training required of these practices, would often be associated with the higher class. Though not

without exceptions, high magic was often considered to be white magic. Low magic, however,

was the magic most often practiced by accused witches in the Early Modern period because “the

overwhelming majority of witches came from the lower levels of society” (Levack 7).

An undeniable factor in witchcraft classifications and allegations during the witch-craze

is the connection to the demonic. Witches accused of practicing maleficarum were thought to

have made obscene, sexual pacts with the devil, not only giving “the power to perform maleficia

but also initiated them into the Devil’s service” (Levack 27). Furthermore, upon completion of

this rite, the devil was thought to have given them “careful instructions for the performance of

their maleficent work, equipping them if necessary with the potions, unguents and images they

would need to ply their trade” (Levack 27). Often times, these tools of the trade were thought to

be used during the witch’s sabbath where hundreds of witches, along with the devil and his

demons, would “perform a series of blasphemous, obscene and heinous rites… sacrifice children

to the Devil, feast on the bodies of these infants and on other unsavoury dishes, dance naked, and

engage in sexual intercourse” (Levack 27). Finally, Early Modern witches were believed to have

the power of flight (or some means of supernatural transportation) and metamorphosis to change

themselves, or others, into beasts. (Levack 41-45).

Finally, it is paramount to discuss the social dynamics surrounding Early Modern

witches. Though the existence of records that specifically discuss these dynamics are few and far

between, inferences can still be made about the social factors affecting witchcraft accusations.

The most egregious one is that in most regions of Europe accused female witches exceeded 75

percent, demonstrating that the witch stereotype was largely a feminine one (Levack 128).

Nevertheless, this stereotype, though socially pervasive, did not prevent men from being viewed

as having the capacity for maleficarum. Men were often tried for political sorcery as it was a

prevailing belief during the Middle Ages that “men had actually practised ritual magic in order to

advance their political careers” (Levack 130).

The social circumstances that put women on trial, however, appear to be more complex

and varied than male witch trials. A contributor to women being the majority in witch trials was

the fact that women were thought to be more vulnerable to demonic forces than men because

they were considered morally weak and were inherently lustful (Levack 132). Nonetheless, an

arguably more impactful factor was the fact that common women’s social roles made them an

easy target forwitch accusations as they “generally served as the cooks, healers and midwives,

and each of these functions made them vulnerable to the charge that they practised harmful

magic” (Levack 133). Midwives, lying-in maids, and any woman tasked with caring for another

woman’s child were extremely susceptible to witch accusations as they would have been accused

of being “the inverse of both the good wife and the good mother,” if any harm came to the baby

in the woman’s care (Levack 134).

By examining the various facets of what defined witchcraft in the Early Modern period,

one can conclude that accusations of witchcraft were highly complex and dynamic due to social,

religious, and economic norms. How these intricacies surrounding the classifications of

witchcraft have far outlived thousands of Early Modern accused witches, however, remains an

ongoing historical question. From witches being feared, reviled, and scorned in Early Modern

society, people of all ages now pay money to see these witches come alive on their television or

movie screen by watching Disney movies, or they take budget-breaking trips to Disney resorts

where they can wait hours in line just to ride a witch-themed amusement ride that is likely to

break down half-way through. For example, the witchlike character is pivotal in Disney’s

defining 1937 animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, as it still remains Disney’s most

profitable animated film as, when adjusted to inflation, it grossed over 996 million dollars

(Opio). Although Disney films certainly cannot be relied on for historical truth, the historical

likeness that popular Disney witch characters have to Early Modern witches, cannot be ignored.

As previously mentioned, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has had the largest

economic impact on Disney’s success. Though she is not the main character, the film’s witch

character, the Evil Queen, plays a key role in its plot. In a nutshell, the protagonist, Snow White,

is a beautiful, young princess. When Snow White surpasses the Evil Queen in beauty (fairness)

according to her magic mirror, the vain queen orders a huntsman to kill Snow White. However,

the huntsman cannot kill the pure-hearted princess and urges her to flee from the jealous queen.

Once she finds out that Snow White is still alive, the Evil Queen takes matters into her own

hands and transforms herself into an old, ugly peddler and crafts a poisonous apple for Snow

White that would induce a sleep like death. Snow White does, in fact, take a bite of the apple but

is later revived by a prince whose kiss breaks the spell and they ride off into the sunset together,

causing the film’s resolution. Conversely, the Evil Queen meets her demise by falling off a cliff

while being chased by the seven dwarves.

The Evil Queen almost uniformly matches what Early Modern people thought of as

malicious witch. Her name alone is indicative of the fact that she practices maleficarum or evil

magic. Even before her ill intentions are revealed, she has a connection with the supernatural

through her all-knowing magic mirror, which she then uses for the maleficent purpose of

figuring out where Snow White is to kill her so that she can be the most beautiful in the land.

The Evil Queen also breaks female gender roles, as a common duty of a queen was to care,

nurture, and instruct a princess. She does the complete inverse of this as she wants to kill Snow

White; a youthful, beautiful, and virginal princess entrusted to her care. Her maleficarum

continues as she crafts a transformative disguise for herself and the poisonous apple through

alchemy. The maliciousness of this alchemy is extremely obvious, not only because of the

nefariousness of the queen’s intent, but the fact that in her workroom she has a whole shelf of

books that are titled; Astrology, Black Arts, Witch Craft, Black Magic, Disguises, Sorcery, and

Poisons (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). Though it was rare for an Early Modern witch of

higher status to practice high maleficarum, it is interesting to note that the Evil Queen literally

transforms herself to someone of a lower social status, specifically an old, ugly peddler, once she

harnesses this evil magic.

However, the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella who appears on screen 13 years later, is

the inverse of her dark, witchy predecessor. After living a life of miserable servitude to her

stepmother and stepsiblings, Cinderella is visited by her fairy godmother, who uses magic to

provide her with a beautiful gown, glass slippers, and carriage so that Cinderella may go the

Prince’s ball. Cinderella dances the night away with the Prince but abruptly leaves him without

revealing her identity due to the Fairy Godmother’s magic wearing off promptly at midnight. As

she flees, Cinderella loses one of her glass slippers which the Prince then uses to conduct a

search all throughout the kingdom to find the maiden who stole his heart. The plot resolves with

Cinderella and the Prince reuniting, getting married, and living happily ever after despite her

stepfamily’s attempts to keep them apart.

The Fairy Godmother, though she only appears once, is crucial Cinderella’s happy

ending. Like the Evil Queen, her name alone is indicative of that fact that she is a white witch, as

she calls herself a godmother which implies that she has nurturing and feminine qualities. When

the Fairy Godmother appears to Cinderella who is weeping in the garden, she quite literally

materializes while physically and verbally comforting her. The Fairy Godmother then announces

that Cinderella will be going to the ball. Additionally, she remarks that “even miracles take a

little time,” further reinforcing the positive aspects of her magic as she compares her magical

abilities to a Christian miracle (Cinderella). This statement also distances her magical abilities

from any demonic connection that could be assumed. As the Fairy Godmother’s magic is entirely

beneficial as it comforts and provides joy to Cinderella, results in a marriage to nobility, and

reinforces the traditional idea of a good maternal figure, there is no question that she would be

considered a white witch by Early Modern standards as she is the inverse of a witch practicing

maleficarum.

Disney filmmakers have also not ignored the existence of male witches, as the antagonist

Jaffar in the 1991 film, Aladdin, arguably bears the most similarity to a truly evil Early Modern

witch. The action of the movie begins when Jafar, the Royal Vizier, disguises himself as an old

man to get the protagonist, Aladdin (notably also male), a local street rat, to enter the mystical

Cave of Wonders to find the mystical Genie-in-the-lamp. Once Aladdin does retrieve it, Jafar

unsuccessfully attempts to snatch the lamp and trap him in the Cave of Wonders. However,

Aladdin escapes and uses one of his three wishes given to him by the Genie to become a prince

to woo princess Jasmine. Meanwhile, power-hungry Jafar wants to marry Jasmine and uses his

magic scepter to hypnotize the Sultan into giving him permission to marry her. Eventually, Jafar

seizes the Genie and uses his wish to become the most powerful sorcerer in the world. With his

newfound power, he imprisons Jasmine and attempts to kill Aladdin once again. His ambition

gets the best of him, however, as Aladdin convinces him to use his last wish to become an all

powerful genie, eternally confining him to his own lamp. With Jafar gone, the movie ends with

Aladdin freeing the Genie and marrying Jasmine.

The most jarring similarity between Jafar and an Early Modern witch is that his use of

maleficarum serves to entirely benefit his political career as the vast majority of male witches

were thought to do. The more dark magic he harnesses, the more his political ambition grows.

Aladdin is able to exploit Jafar’s hubris and defeat him only by reminding him of his political

inferiority by saying, “face it Jafar, you’re still just second best,” which convinces Jafar to make

the mistake of becoming a genie with “phenomenal cosmic power,” but with “itty bitty living

space” (Aladdin). Jafar also breaks traditional male gender roles as, at times, he is as lusty as

female witches were thought to be, as is shown when Jasmine attempts to seduce him so that

Aladdin can seize the magical lamp fueling Jafar’s power. Not only would Jafar’s harmful use of

the supernatural have Early Modern people fleeing in terror, but his political ambition and

lecherous nature would too.

The most recent Disney witchlike character that would have both intrigued and angered

Early Modern people is Queen Elsa from Frozen. As suggested by the title, Elsa was born with

the supernatural power ofbeing able to freeze things. However, after she accidentally harms her

little sister Anna with her powers, Elsabecomes a recluse until her coronation. Nevertheless, her

coronation goes horribly wrong, as upon Anna’s engagement announcement, Elsa exposes her

powers in anger. She then flees the castle, but freezes the entire kingdom in her wake. Anna

attempts to later reunite with her sister, but again Elsa loses control and strikes Anna in the heart

with an icy blow, causing Anna’s entire body to eventually become frozen. Elsa is eventually

brought back to the castle and is almost killed by the movie’s power-hungry antagonist, Prince

Hans, but Anna attempts to sacrifice herself for her sister, conveniently right before she becomes

frozen. However, as Anna acted out of love, her icy heart is thawed, and the two sisters finally

reconcile. Elsa then realizes that love is key to controlling her powers and unfreezes her

kingdom.

As was previously stated, the lines between maleficarum and white magic were easily

blurred by the situations surrounding them in Early Modern Europe. For Queen Elsa, it is

difficult to place her in either category, as the intent of her supernatural actions is quite varied.

On the one hand, she would have been considered evil as she almost kills Anna, her sister,

multiple times, freezes the entire kingdom causing major geological damage, and is unapproving

of her sister’s marriage. Moreover, she abandons her sister and neglects her duties as a queen and

motherly figure. Elsa also almostkills Prince Hans as well as two other men out of self-defense.

The thing that convinces her to spare their lives is Hans’ urging her not to be “the monster they

fear you are” (Frozen). However, she does eventually realize that love should guide her powers.

Upon this realization, she unfreezes the kingdom and makes peace with her sister. Although

Elsa’s character arch may resolve positively in the film, the changes that occur in regard to her

behavior and use of magic are consistent with the grayness surrounding occult powers in certain

Early Modern situations.

The Early Modern period has long ended, however, its fascination with witchcraft and

the supernatural continues to cast a spell upon Post-Modern minds. By understanding the

characteristics of an Early Modern witch, it can be determined that Disney films like Snow White

and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Aladdin, and Frozen reap the benefits of digitalizing Early

Modern witches almost down to the letter. While some may think that humanity has evolved

from its former suppositious tendencies, the fact that these witchlike characters are still

incredibly popular disproves this theory. In the present day, people still go to see witches. Not to

see them die a fiery death on a stake, however, but to see them come alive on a screen.

Works Cited

Aladdin. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, Disney, 1992.

Clark, Stuart. “Inversion, Misrule and the Meaning of Witchcraft.” Past & Present,vol. 87, 1980, www.jstor.org/stable/650567.

Cinderella. Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wildfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske, Disney, 1950.

Frozen. Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, Disney, 2013.

Holmes, Clive. “Women: Witnesses and Witches.” Past & Present, vol. 140, 1993, https://www.jstor.org/stable/651213.

Levack, Brian P. The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe. 4 th ed., Kindle Edition, New York, Routledge, 2016.

Opio, David. “Which Disney princess made the most at the box office?.” Digital Spy, https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a871265/disney-princesses-box-office-ranked/.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Directed by William Cottrell and David Hand, Disney, 1937.