Imagine this: a woman in her thirties or older who lives alone — maybe sharing her home with some pets but no other people. She has unconventional interests and cares about things that other people don’t, or at least that other people do not have that level of passion for. She might behave in ways that seem strange. Nowadays, we would look at that woman and say she was quirky, possibly, with the right knowledge, we would see she was likely neurodiverse.
However, this wouldn’t have been the case in 16th or 17th-century Europe – especially within the Holy Roman Empire, Scotland or Norway. No, this woman would have been explained very clearly as a witch. In the past few years, I have seen a rise of the phrase ‘We are the granddaughters of the Witches you couldn’t burn,’ which is paraphrased from The Witches of BlackBrook. This phrase has been used largely in the fight for women’s equality but for many living under the neurodiverse umbrella, there is possibly a lot more connection than first realised.
Neurodiverse is a term which is becoming increasingly used by the general public but it is a modern term. Neurodiversity is attributed to Judy Singer, Tony Langdon and Harvey Blume in the late 1990s – although the reality is that many were involved in its development. Neurodiversity often pertains to a range of disabilities, including intellectual and developmental disabilities, which affect how the brain processes information. Most experts agree that these differences have always existed within humans but were often unrecognized or accepted as part of identity. It wasn’t until 1908 that the first mention of Heller’s Disease or Infantile Dementia was first recognised and following this work, not until the work of Grunya Sukhareva in 1926 that the term ‘autistic’ was first used.
The idea of disability in the early modern period was often contained within the classification of deformity and monstrosity. As a concept, disability was heavily debated among early modern scholars. C. F. Goody in “Foolishness” in Early Modern Medicine highlights that modern views can hinder our understanding of historical perspectives.
In 1486 Heinrich Krammer published Malleus Maleficarum which was followed by other works including Daemonologie, laying the groundwork for the witch craze which would engulf Europe. These writings on witchcraft were surrounded by the religious reformation, breeding only more fear in the shadow of the unknown. In the Words of Jerome Cohen, “Monsters that permeate public imagination usually are embodiments of the fears and anxieties of the time.”
In the light of the witch craze, the religious reformation and the common human behaviour of seeing the unusual as a threat to the community, disability is easily viewed as something which must be destroyed. Furthermore, it was understood that these forms of monstrosity were not only something that could be seen but often invisible. Conditions were often distinctly described as something that ailed women, such as the explanation of Epilepsy being given as ‘suffocation of the uterus.’ These invisible things afflicting women were inherently tied into the views which formed during the witch trials. Women were often used as a mouthpiece of the devil due to their natural weakness, and due to the view that the Devil was more likely to harm the mind than the body.
What connects historical neurodiverse women to signs of witchcraft? When envisioning a witch’s home, you might picture it bustling with items — books, loose papers, glass jars with seeds, feathers, and possibly even a cat or a crow.
However, if we shift our perspective, these elements can take on a different meaning. The feathers and herbs stored carefully may seem like magical ingredients, while the owner’s desire to keep them untouched adds to their mystique. This behaviour aligns with common autistic traits, such as collecting items and knowledge, reflecting a deeper connection to both the environment and one’s interests.
The household being messy, with things possibly placed in dangerous or precarious positions, chores seemingly abandoned and half-completed, could all be signs of ADHD, Bipolar Disorder or autism spectrum disorder and the inability to keep the mind on track. Bad positioning might be a sign of dyspraxia and not just forgetfulness or carelessness.
The pet cat, something which was becoming a more common sight around farms and on boats, along with its crow companion, both show a high empathy for other creatures and a connection to animals. It would have seemed unclean to keep a cat inside the house to many in this period, but a neurodiverse woman living alone might have found it cruel to have the cat forced into the cold. Similarly, the crow, an animal often associated with evil, is an animal who has very high intelligence and loyalty. There is a chance the crow was given kindness and as such has adopted this quirky human woman into its murder, protecting her and exchanging tokens.
Outside of the visual clues presented in the home of an accused witch there are other aspects, including the common ability to see patterns, meaning that there could easily have been predictions made by these women that they were able to base on weather patterns or animal behaviour which to the outsider would be seen as magick.
Another might be the rituals which witches would perform, completing tasks in an identical way each day at the same time no matter the weather or season. Again, routine and ritual are often comforting to many neurodiverse people and can assist in making sure important tasks aren’t forgotten. This could also be seen as an OCD behaviour – the word ritual is actually used within OCD to describe these processes. There is possibly a connection between stimming – a self-stimulatory behaviour, which is something everyone does on some level think about tapping your foot or clicking a pen – and tics – involuntary vocal and physical movements which are a large part of Tourette’s syndrome but also happen in other neurodiverse people – could be seen as part of casting a spell or having the body overtaken by the devil.
Even the idea of witches dancing naked – something which is largely discredited as mostly rumour and slander – could have a connection as many neurodiverse people, especially children, have higher sensory awareness than the typical person and this can make clothing unbearable. It is not unusual for a neurodiverse child to spend as much time as they possibly can wearing nothing.
This is not an exhaustive list. In fact, the majority of these connections are easily made and I know there are many more aspects of neurodiversity and the witchcraft accusations which could easily be pieced together. There are definite connections to be made between the signs laid out for witch-finders in the 16th century without even considering individual cases of witchcraft. Although the era of the witch trials is far in the past, there are still many neurodiverse people being prosecuted and othered today. The major difference between then and now lies in diagnosis and the ability to connect with others, knowing that even though we might be the ‘granddaughters of the witches you couldn’t burn,’ we are also not alone.
By Abigail Wilkie. I earned my BA Hons in History from the University of the Highlands and Islands in 2021. I have a deep passion for making history accessible and engaging for everyone, and I am eager to further my journey in this field through writing and research. As a neurodiverse individual, I would also like to see more exploration of history from this perspective.
Published: 12th December 2024.
