🐈⬛ EPISODE FOURTEEN — SOUNDS FAMILIAR 🐈⬛
Every witch needs a familiar… or do they?
From black cats perched beside bubbling cauldrons to ravens, toads, owls and creatures that are a little harder to explain, the witch's familiar has become one of the most recognisable symbols of witchcraft on screen.
But where did the idea of the familiar actually come from?
In Episode Fourteen of HEXPOSITION: Witches on Screen, we're following the pawprints of one of witchcraft's most misunderstood companions: the familiar spirit.
We'll explore the fascinating and sometimes disturbing history of familiars, from early modern witch trials and accusations of demonic animal companions to the folklore that transformed ordinary creatures into supposed servants of the Devil.
Then we're heading to film and television, where familiars have become everything from loyal companions and magical protectors to sarcastic sidekicks and scene-stealing stars.
From Salem in Sabrina the Teenage Witch to Binx in Hocus Pocus and the extraordinary animal companions of the wizarding world, we'll explore how popular culture has reinvented the relationship between witches and their animal companions.
But this episode is also a particularly personal one.
As a practising witch and lifelong cat lover, I'll be sharing the stories of the animals who have brought their own kind of magic into my life. From Oscar, my beloved soul cat of eighteen years, whose memory lives on in the HEXPOSITION logo and whose purr still accompanies the podcast's outro, to Tonks, Scott's familiar, and our mischievous silver tabby, Rufio.
We'll explore what the idea of a familiar means to modern practitioners, why black cats have become so closely associated with witches, and how centuries of superstition have shaped the way we treat these wonderful animals.
Because sometimes the greatest magic isn't found in a spellbook or at the bottom of a cauldron.
Sometimes it's curled up beside you, purring.
So were familiars really believed to be demons in disguise? Can any animal be a familiar? And how much of what we recognise today comes from history rather than Hollywood?
✨ It's time for Fact, Fiction or Folklore. ✨
And listen carefully… because this episode's Hidden Hex might be closer than you think. 👀🐾
🎙️ Episode Fourteen: Sounds Familiar
🎧 HEXPOSITION: Witches on Screen
🌙 New episodes every Witchy Wednesday!
🎵 Theme music: "Huldufolk (Hidden People)" by Jamie Sims
🐾 A Familiar Footsteps Production
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🌐 Website: https://www.hexpositionpodcast.co.uk
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✉️ Email: [email protected]
Have a question, a favourite screen witch or a piece of folklore you'd like us to explore? Get in touch! If you'd prefer not to be mentioned on the podcast, just let me know.
🎬 Audio excerpts and copyright acknowledgements:
Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996–2003) — © CBS Studios Inc. and applicable rights holders.
Hocus Pocus (1993) — © Disney Enterprises, Inc. and applicable rights holders.
Audio excerpts are included for the purposes of commentary and critical analysis. All rights to the original recordings and productions remain with their respective copyright holders.
Love and light x
#HEXPOSITION #WitchesOnScreen #WitchyWednesday #BlackCats #Witchcraft
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