About That Figure of Nine Million Witches Burned

By Max Dashu of Suppressed Histories First, what Matilda Joslyn Gage wrote: “It is computed from historical records that nine millions of persons were put to death for witchcraft. The greater number of this incredible number were women.” Her figure came from Gottfried Christian Voigt, as Wolfgang Behringer has documented: “Voigt published it in a […]

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Interpreting Matricultural Patterns: Female Icons, Ancestral Mothers

By Max Dashu of Suppressed Histories Archives As women re-examine the entire cultural record, our search reveals recurring patterns, deep continuities, in female iconography across space and time. Among these recurring patterns are the ancient female figurines (in stone, ivory, ceramic, bone and wood); rocks engraved with vulvas; ceremonial vessels in the form of women […]

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