Witch" stock character in modern popular culture[edit]
The characterization of the witch in Europe is not derived from a single source. The familiar witch of folklore and popular superstition is a combination of numerous influences.
At the end of the Middle Ages, the recurring beliefs about witches were:
The ride by night
The pact with the Devil
The formal repudiation of Christianity
The secret nocturnal meeting
The desecration of the Eucharist and crucifix
The orgy
Sacrificial infanticide, and
Cannibalism