19400 - Witches: Wise Women or Satan's Minions
Course Overview
Long before doctors, women with a deep understanding of natural medicine were the traditional healers in the community. Because their knowledge could ease a baby into the world or enable a pain-ridden person to leave it, they became suspect by the Catholic Church. Did Satan give them secret knowledge of life and death? Weren’t women to suffer in childbirth as punishment for Eve’s tempting Adam? In Medieval Europe, the Catholic Church was a male-dominated organization that controlled all aspects of life. To become a doctor - and only males were doctors - a man first had to be a priest. Women who were healers were competition and even more importantly, they had the audacity to consider themselves equal to men. First, the Catholic Church and then Protestant denominations demonized and persecuted these women. You probably think of Joan of Arc and the Salem witch trials as a result, but did you know that between 40,000 and 60,000 European women were burned as witches?
It's almost Halloween. Join us for a class on the history of witches that answers the questions of “Why were cats burned?” and “When did witches become green?”
Additional Information
Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test is no longer required for entry. Masks are recommended.
A current OLLI Membership is required to register for this course, please click here to add to your cart. Please purchase one membership per account.
This class is eligible for UNM Tuition Remission under Personal Enrichment.