Witches Can Control the Weather

Supernatural storms and scapegoats during times of environmental crisis.

Details

According to belief systems widespread throughout Europe and other agrarian societies, witches were feared not only for their alleged personal magic but for their supposed ability to manipulate natural forces—particularly the weather. Communities believed that individuals accused of witchcraft could summon hailstorms to destroy crops, conjure lightning to strike buildings, prolong droughts that withered farmland, or generate unseasonable cold snaps that ruined harvests. These destructive acts were thought to be achieved through rituals involving symbolic objects (such as brooms, cauldrons, or animal parts), incantations, or assistance from demonic familiars.

Weather control was among the most serious accusations because it affected entire villages and regions. The belief often specified that witches would hold secret ceremonies at crossroads, mountaintops, or near water bodies to manipulate wind and rain. In some traditions, witches were thought to “tie up” the wind in knots on ropes or “milk” storm clouds like cows.

Historical Context

This superstition flourished under the specific pressures of early agricultural societies:

Weather-dependent livelihoods meant that environmental disasters could result in starvation.
During the Little Ice Age (roughly 1300–1850), colder, wetter, and less predictable weather made agriculture especially vulnerable, leading to surges in witch trials following crop failures.
Before the development of meteorology, natural disasters were often attributed to divine wrath or supernatural interference.
Accusations of weather manipulation disproportionately targeted marginalized individuals, especially older women, healers, and social outcasts.

The idea of weather-working witches was not confined to folklore but featured in legal proceedings and church doctrine. Inquisitors and witch-hunters regularly cited weather magic in confessions, sometimes extracted under torture.

Modern Relevance

Though scientific understanding has eliminated weather-related witchcraft accusations in most societies, echoes remain in rural areas where traditional beliefs persist. Scholars have noted continued suspicions in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, where lightning strikes or sudden storms are sometimes attributed to witchcraft. In popular culture, witches are still often portrayed as controlling the elements—riding storms or calling down lightning.

This weather-control superstition exemplifies how communities without access to scientific explanations sought to understand and manage environmental threats through supernatural reasoning, often resulting in tragic scapegoating during periods of environmental stress.

Sources

Behringer, W. (2004). Witches and Witch-Hunts: A Global History. Polity Press.
Oster, E. (2004). “Witchcraft, Weather and Economic Growth in Renaissance Europe.” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 18(1), 215–228.

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