Wintertime Witch Season!

Art by StarTwo

Perchta, Berchte, Berta among other names. In modern days is a totem for the righteous.
“Rewarder of the generous and punisher of the bad, particularly lying children.”

Very well, “Winter Witch Season” can be overly dramatizing but it is a fact that until the 6th of January, in various parts of the world there were celebrations related to winter witches and goddesses.

While some of these witches were nice others were very admonishing, but most did call to your best behaviour. They protected the weak -and children’s souls who passed away among other traits- and maybe more importantly for the lucky ones, deliverers of good fortune and blessings. Unless you decided to stick to bad deeds and stepping out of your way to forsaken their specific rituals of the season.

Some entities would not be as forgiving, as among the benevolent ones there would be some like Berchta or Perchta – a goddess of Alpine paganism from the upper parts of the Alps- whose punishment could be somewhat absolute, as it involved having your stomach open, your insides pulled out and replaced with straw and pebbles…

Naughty or nice had a whole different kind of pressure. Quite an incentive to do good instead!

Click here to see the linework and more about the goddess Perchta!

★stay inspired★