Familiars
Sabbats
There were many preconceived notions about who the witches were and what they did. Below are some aspects of witchcraft in the 16th Century that characterized witches as witches
Nature of Witchcraft
Practices such as witches’ Sabbaths or Sabbats (parodying the Christian mass and involving the desecration of the Eucharist and crucifix, orgies and sacrificial infanticide) came to be popularly associated with witches
A familiar (or familiar spirit or familiar animal) is an animal-shaped spirit or minor demon believed to serve a witch or magician as domestic servant, spy and companion, in addition to helping to bewitch enemies or to divine information. The animal was often believed to be possessed of magic powers, such as the ability to change its shape.
One of the most commonly attributed characteristics of a witch is the ability to cast a spell, which is basically the means employed to effect some kind of change, to accomplish some magical action, to bewitch someone or something, to influence a particular course of events or to inject magic into healing remedies or objects.
A besom broom is the kind of broom traditionally associated with witches, and is one of the tools commonly used in the practice of modern Wicca. In the Middle Ages, witches would prepare a “flying ointment” (also known as “green ointment”) to aid them in their journey
Magick
Broomstick