By FB page post. So where did the idea that witches ride broomsticks come from? The answer may be surprising.
According to a leading theory, witches in the Middle Ages used the ergot fungus, or plants such as belladonna and mandrake, to create hallucinogenic salves, brews and ointments, which they took as part of their rituals. Shakespeare depicts witches cooking up a batch of the brew in Macbeth. Although the drugs could be taken orally, the effect was better and faster if absorbed through the skin (thus also avoiding the abdominal pain that ingesting it orally could cause). The best way to absorb the concoction through the skin was to apply it a warm moist area such as the underarm or, well, I’m sure you can think of another such place. To apply it they would coat a smooth rounded piece of wood with the brew then place the wood into the warm moist area. A broomstick worked well for this delicate task. It isn’t difficult to imagine why some would refer to this practice as “riding the broomstick,” particularly since the resulting hallucinations often included a sensation of flying.
The images are a drawing by Albrecht Dürer from the 15th century, an etching by Francisco Goya, and the painting "Preparation for the Witches Sabbath" by David Teniers the younger (note the broomstick in the background).
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