More than five hundred years after the first witch poked her skeletal hand out of the shadows, she and her descendants retain full authority as embodiments of female rage and rebellion. This is the first book to fully trace their wild ride across the centuries. Sumptuous paintings, intricate woodcuts, and enchanting drawings portray the witch in all her guises, from the powerful to the horrific to the glamorous and even to the ridiculous. The witch has always been a figure electric with possibility and, sometimes, with menace. A legendary shapeshifter, she has recast her image to fulfil the dreams and nightmares of each passing century. She is the devouring mother, the vengeful wife, the “possessed devil worshipper, the resentful old hag, the high priestess. Yet, throughout her proud and painful history, she has remained shrouded in mystery. In this intelligent, richly layered and witty text, Candace Savage reveals the many faces of the witch and the changes in her image over the centuries.