Riding the broomstick in China
In the first video below Wendi Wang’s showcases her unique paragliding style, has drawn comparisons to the iconic Quidditch scenes from the beloved Harry Potter series. A daring paragliding stunt by Wendi, also known as ‘Hello Didi’ on Instagram, has left social media users spellbound. Dressed in a spooky witch costume, complete with a broomstick, Wang’s adventure has garnered widespread attention and admiration for her creativity. Wendi fearlessly and confidently soars through the air, broomstick in hand. “Today, I’m going to make all the ski resort pros look up to me. I know skiing I can’t beat them, but I can reduce dimensionality. Hahaha, I will fly down,” she says in the video. One user wrote, “Coolest thing ever.” Another commented, “Witches have taken flight, sowing their protective spells on the grateful people below.” This isn’t the first time Wang has made headlines with a themed paragliding stunt. Recently, she also went paragliding dressed in a Santa Claus costume, spreading Christmas cheer from up high.
Ever wonder why witches have been depicted riding broomsticks throughout history? While the image of a witch flying on a broom may be the most common depiction, the image of a witch standing over a bubbling cauldron as she prepares a potion is also iconic. There is an excellent reason for this. You see, the use of powerful hallucinogens was very popular around this time, this is intimately related to the reason for why witches were portrayed flying on brooms. During the period witch hunts surged in popularity in Europe, people’s diets included large amounts of bread. At the time, bread was made primarily from rye which was commonly infected with a disease known as Ergot, caused by the fungus Claviceps purpurea. As result many people unknowingly consumed ergot, thinking it was part of the plant. Ergot has hallucinogenic properties, giving those who consumed it an LSD-like high. Johann Weyer, a Dutch physician and occultist named all these as ingredients in witches “flying ointment” in his 1563 work Praestigiis Daemonum.
The best way to do this was through the delicate mucous membranes under the armpits or the genitals. “But the vulgar believe, and the witches confess, that on certain days or nights they anoint a staff and ride on it to the appointed place or anoint themselves under the arms or other hairy places.” This led to the following conclusion: For any woman who wished to use these drugs, there was an obvious and convenient way to apply these ointments. Take their readily available broomstick and dip it in the potion and then straddle or ride the broom. According to Johann Weyer, when this flying ointment was applied to the genital areas it produced “a sensation of rising into the air and flying.” Since witches were under the influence of the Devil, most people came to the conclusion that witches were flying broomsticks to meet the Devil.
Witchsome Wit
MacBeth meets the three witches on the marsh.
”Hail MacBeth. For a fee we will predict your future.”
”Really? How much?”
”10 Pence per predicted year.”
”I want a prediction for my whole life.”
”That’ll be 5 pence.”
A witch was flying on her broom when she noticed that all the witches she passed were flying on rechargeable vacuum cleaners.
She thought to herself, “Am I the only one who still drives a stick?”
How many witches does it take to change a light bulb?
Just one, but she can only change it into a newt.
Why don’t witches get sweaty at the gym?
Because they wear moisture-Wiccan shirts.
January 24th Birthdays
1969 – Mary Lou Retton, 1979 – Kristen Schaal, 1980 – Tatyana Ali, 1987 – Mischa Barton
1949 – John Belushi, 1951 – Yakov Smirnoff, 1939 – Ray Stevens, 1942 – Neil Diamond