User:LoganOB41/Witch of Berkeley

[From The Witch of Berkeley] The Witch of Berkeley is a medieval English legend describing a woman from Berkeley, Gloucestershire, who sold her soul to the Devil for wealth. After being alerted to her encroaching demise by an omen from her pet jackdaw, she leaves instructions with her children on how to safeguard her spirit after death. In accordance with her wishes, her body is wrapped in elk hide and then placed inside a stone coffin which is then fastened by three chains. For three nights her family stood watch over her grave, but each night a demon came and broke one of the chains. On the third night, when all the chains had been broken, the Devil appeared and set the Witch on ‘a black horse… with iron hooks projecting over the whole of his back.' She was then carried off into Hell leaving nothing but the sound of 'her pitiable cries'.

Gesta Regum Anglorum
The tale of the Witch of Berkeley, written by William of Malmesbury, is within the historical work Gesta Regum Anglorum. Commissioned by Queen Matilda of England around 1118, Gesta Regum was written in Latin with the first edition being finished by 1125 or 1126, and the text would offer critical historical insight into the history of England after English historian Bede's death, the estimated years of the information in the Gesta Regum being dated around the 730s to early 12th century. Additionally, William declared his purpose of the Gesta Regum was to present a concise history of England tracing back to their origins, while specifically focusing on the years after Bede. Although William was commissioned by Matilda, he writes not just for her but for the broader scholarship. That is, William writes texts like Gesta Regum to collect and copy the works of others when writing to perserve knowledge of history as a whole. For instance, when writing the Gesta Regum, William used every source available to him at the time, building up and perserving history through Gesta Regum and the sources he collected.

William of Malmesbury
The author of The Witch of Berkeley is William of Malmesbury, a 12th-century European historian and monk. He was estimated to be born around 1096, with historian Rodney Thomson estimating 1085 to 1090, in or near the town of Bruton. William was a monk at the abbey within Malmesbury since a boy, where he would grow up and write most of his scholarly work.

William of Malmesbury is acclaimed to be the greatest historian since Bede, and is noted to take inspiration from the historian. The praise directed toward William is due to his extensive scholarship on England during the 11th and 12th century, specifically works like Gesta Regum, Gesta Pontificum Anglorum or Historia Novella. Although, William does have tales like the Witch of Berkeley throughout his texts, specifically Gesta Regum, it could be a cause of concern amongst readers who could disregard William as a historian and his texts as history because of this. However, even with fictional stories within William's historical texts, his multiple and extensive works are regarded rightfully as history amongst current scholars. This is attributed to numerous characteristics that can be found in the way William writes and researches. For instance, William's ability to extract information necessary to his research no matter how insignificant is impressive and contributes to his status as a skilled historian. Further, William's contribution to history cannot be ignored as his texts provide valuable bridges to gaps in history after Bede's death. He provides histories of kings and monks that broaden the general scholarship surrounding Britain, making William's works valuable. The way in which William writes history further cements his historian status. William would decide what to write based on what provided the most usefulness to the wider scholarship. William wanted to give readers a thorough, engaging retelling of history while also providing readers a framework of examples throughout history to follow or ignore. Because of these qualities William is seen as a historian throughout scholars today.

Although often praised, William has been criticized for his antisemitism and gullibility. He is noted for describing Jewish people in an exaggerated antagonistic manner. Some of William's negative portrayals of Jewish people are depicting Jews as staunch enemies of Mary, portraying Jewish people as continually terrorizing Christians, and writing that Jewish people cheat their way to political and financial gain. Regardless of these flaws, William is rightfully seen as a historian with his books being considered history as well.

In popular culture[edit]
[From The Witch of Berkeley] In Mike Mignola's comic book Hellboy, the titular character is born from a dead witch who is dragged from her coffin into Hell by a demon. This episode follows the Berkeley legend almost verbatim, right down to the hook-covered horse, but shifts the setting to the fictional village of East Bromwich.