The Nigh-Hag Visiting Lapland Witches

This article was written by my daughter Elena Maghsoodnia while studying at NYU. It took many centuries for male dominated political institutions (often under the flag of religion) to create and control the narrative around the role of women in society. It will take many generations of strong leaders like Elena to undo the damage.

The concepts of witches and female deities are long entrenched in cultures worldwide, appearing in literature and art time and time again, though the implications often changed. From wise women to evil demons, the perception of women that stood outside of the norms of society rose and fell through history, reaching points of incredible persecution at many times. As polytheistic practices weaned throughout Europe, and religious missionaries spread the churches ideals, acceptance for women who lived independently of others, or practiced old rituals rapidly declined, until there was an international agreement that such women were clearly workers of Satan. Henry Fuseli’s The Night-Hag Visiting Lapland Witches, once renamed to Lapland Orgies by Fuseli, stands as a clear representative of such. Meant to depict a representation of the goddess Hecate amidst a clear act of ritual witchcraft. Unmistakably a work of horror, meant as such by Fuseli, it paints a dark reality for modern audiences. A culmination of anti-witch sentiments of the 1400s and on, the…