Witches and wizards are not a well-known reality outside of the fantasy world of books like “Harry Potter” and “Hocus Pocus.” Even big moments in history, like the Salem Witch Trials, turned out to be nothing as they had been imagined. Instead of exposing witches, they allowed people to be cruel and tortured until they confessed to anything, just to end it all.
Consequently, the question remains as to whether or not witches and wizards actually existed. Were there really Gandalfs and McGonagalls in history? There’s no doubt that they were doing things that few understood, many questioned, and many still identified as magic, even if they weren’t dueling huge, flaming beings, or twirling wands in wrist-snapping combat. The history of magic is not good for them. Due to misinterpretation, math was considered heretical at one point in time. History states that anyone who pushed the boundaries of the church’s teachings was considered magical and punishable by all of the awful things the church used to punish those who threatened their power, including burning at the stake.
Despite the fact that hindsight has placed much of historical “wizards” into the realm of “science,” they were certainly magical in their day and still are today. Here are some historic witches and wizards.
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Himiko
The ancient legends claim that a line of men ruled Japan for centuries, descended from divinity, according to Britannica. It appears that in the early stages of Japanese history, before it became a unified nation, there was a queen called Himiko or Pimiko, who appears in both Korean and Chinese histories, but is not mentioned in Japanese history.
Himiko’s story is also problematic because it occurred before Japan had written, according to UMSL Daily, but there is still a lot known about her, ranging from historical and provable to legend and hearsay. Her practice of sorcery included bewitching her own people, in addition to ruling her domain, according to “In Pursuit of Himiko. Postwar Archaeology and the Location of Yamatai.” According to World History Encyclopedia, she lived in a palace surrounded by 1,000 female attendants and armed guards.
It is clear from all these factoids that she has created a fairly hefty legend, but UMSL Daily calls attention to her known historical achievements: she unified Japan for the first time in history and initiated international diplomacy for the first time.
Michael The Scot
Dante’s Inferno mentions only one Scotsman, Michael Scott, but not by being a Christian. Instead, he is portrayed in hell’s eighth circle undergoing unspeakable torture. There is some speculation about how he came to be there, but it has to do with his extensive travels in Europe, as well as his ability to learn a variety of languages, and his ability to become a skilled translator. It was around this time that he began translating Arabic texts, as well as Aristotle’s teachings, into Latin, as well as wearing Arabic clothing, which to a xenophobic 13th-century Europe was nothing short of proof.
Michael was said to be able to see the future as well as studying alchemy, science, math, and the occult. His vision of the future was so clear that he believed he knew how he was going to die – a pebble would fall on him. It is said he wore an iron cap constantly to prolong his life. Legends say he also was able to cleave the earth into mountains and change the direction of the River Tweed’s flow.
Upon his death, he was buried with his magical books, as all good wizards probably are, after taking off his iron cap and being struck by a pebble during church.
The Count Of St. Germain
Although Voltaire was famous for his satire, he described the count of St. Germain as “a person who knows everything and never dies,” according to “Saint Germain on Alchemy” by Mark and Elizabeth Clare Prophet. Perhaps he was making fun of the man who seemed to be baffled by the fact that he never died, even when he clearly did.
In the beginning, the count was an unknown man whose only claim to fame was to call himself a count. Above all else, he was known for his ability to fight aging with an elixir that, naturally, everyone wanted. Owlcation reported that the count barely looked 40, yet everyone thought he was well over 100 years old. People didn’t believe what the count told them, and he didn’t argue with them.
There was only one explanation for the count’s exceptional abilities — playing music, alchemy, making jewelry, speaking numerous languages, seduction — which caused the perception that he must be immortal. Aside from his ability to disappear, he was also said to have kept himself out of trouble countless times. According to “The Comte de St. Germaine” by Elizabeth Cooper-Oakley, despite his supposed death, people still claimed to have shared his counsel after his supposed death (Francis Rakoczy II, former prince of Transylvania).
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Aleister Crowley
It is a well known fact that Aleister Crowley lived a very real and somewhat scary life. He was multifaceted, having been a chess master, mountaineer, poet, writer, and… occultist. Many people might assume Crowley was also a wizard if they saw him, since he wore a leopard’s skin cloak over a black gown and a headdress with an eye of Horus, according to Crowley’s own “Rites of Eleusis.” The Magicians of the Golden Dawn considered him to be a very high-ranking member, and he had a knack for naming himself, including Lord Boleskine and Count Vladimir Svareff.
According to Britannica, Crowley was most notable for his dabbling in the occult. While he composed poetry, he also claimed to have had speech from a being named Aiwass.
Despite his antics, he died poor and destitute, having a minimal following, according to Britannica during the early 1900s.
William II De Soules
The legend of William II de Soules adds so much more flavor to what otherwise would have been a cut-and-dry case, since he was a wizard of dark and dubious reputation and not well liked by his fellows. History tells of a bitter man holed up in a cold castle, but legend adds such spice to the story. A report by Richard Oram entitled “Hermitage Castle: A Report on its History and Cultural Heritage Significance” details his infamy and his death by boiling in a cauldron.
He reportedly began kidnapping local kids to sacrifice in dark rituals, according to Undiscovered Scotland. But this was not something he could do on his own: He was said to have a goblin familiar by the name of Robin Redcap who assisted him.
In order to protect his castle from invasion, he was allegedly using the dark arts. In the absence of men, Soules had to find help from somewhere, and that somewhere was dark magic, as elaborated in Mysterious Universe. The men who helped with construction never returned, giving rise to kidnapping rumors. As the stories grew darker, the devil or demons were said to be summoned to assist him. The foreboding nature of Hermitage Castle led to it becoming one of the most foreboding castles in Britain.
Tituba
It is hard to conclude from a modern perspective that anyone accused of witchcraft during the Salem trials was actually a witch. It is after all true that the accused were tortured mercilessly until they confessed, leading even the stout hearts to confess to literally anything just to get it done, as described by New England law. The testimony of one individual, Tituba, was remarkable, however.
When Tituba watched two girls as they dabbled in divination, the two girls began to writhe and roar, according to Smithsonian Magazine. After initially accusing the devil of her involvement, Tituba gradually calmed herself down and confessed to everything in detail. She claimed to be visited by numerous beings, including “a hog, a great black dog, a red cat, a black cat, a yellow bird, and a hairy creature that walked on two legs,” and told to hurt the children or die. Her testimony provided more detail than anyone else by a considerable margin, answering upwards of 40 questions. History also reports that she confessed to riding sticks with the two girls, triggering images associated with the Salem trials.
Whether or not this is actually testimony or merely a figment of Tituba’s imagination remains unclear, but it certainly fits her 17th-century profile of a witch. However, she certainly had a talent for story-telling.
Hayyim Samuel Jacob Falk
There was a pretty extensive magical resume for Hayyim Samuel Jacob Falk, as well as a lengthy non-magical resume for him, as reported by the Jewish Telegraph Agency. Although he lived during a time when alchemy was still essentially a form of magic (the 18th century), he was a rabbi and an alchemist.
His tricks were extensive, and they made him known as the Ba’al Shem of London. He was rumored to lose wheels on his carriages, but this did not stop him from traveling. Instead of writing off his cart, he kept moving forward, with the wheel following him close behind. His abilities included keeping candles burning indefinitely, turning simple items into coal, and teleporting stolen items. Falk’s larger tricks were also pretty impressive. Jewish Encyclopedia reports he saved a synagogue from destruction after stopping the spread of a fire.
Falk attracted a lot of attention from notable rulers and nobles across Europe, and not all of it was positive. He was tried for sorcery in Europe, but was able to escape to London, where he gained fame and fortune.
Mother Shipton
There has been a wide range in the morality of witches and wizards throughout history, but history reveals that they have tended to be perceived as nefarious by the masses, regardless of their moral character. Although they practiced sorcery in good faith, the church didn’t view it too highly. As it turned out, Mother Shipton was a very benevolent figure among the magically inclined. As a result, she was nicknamed “mother” because she was just so compassionate and kind.
Her primary skill, according to the website dedicated to her, was to see the future. And not generically: She was precise. During her lifetime, she predicted a variety of naval inventions, the Spanish Armada’s fall, and the Great London Fire of 1666, which occurred over a century after her death. Her upbringing in nature also helped her become an alchemist and heal others.
Although Shipton was filled with good qualities, she looked like the quintessential witch. Her long hooked nose, facial deformities, and living in a cave due to fear of her appearance made people in town frightened of her. Many also viewed her as the daughter of the devil due to the fact that she didn’t have a father, according to Historic UK. When she eventually married, her reputation skyrocketed, and people started to appreciate her for her kind disposition.
Nicolas Flamel
Although Flamel was not primarily interested in “magic,” his wizardly abilities are similar to those of the “Wizarding World” film franchise. According to McGill’s Office for Science and Society, he was a notary and a real estate investor. According to the Wizarding World, he and his wife were extremely generous. They looked after the poor and gave in great quantities.
A stranger brought Flamel an ancient book after he dreamed of an angel, which led to his association with the philosopher’s stone. By using this book, he was able to create the philosopher’s stone, which he then used for extending his own life as well as transforming any other metal into gold. According to the Wizarding World, King Charles VI began investigating him after he became suspicious of the sudden flood of gold he was receiving.
In the 18th century, three centuries after his death, Flamel rumored to have been spotted around Paris, supposedly buried in the Musee de Cluny.sd
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