Shape-shifting. Compared to a common witch, the witch less frequently uses her shape-shifting abilities, and her range of metamorphoses is less diverse. Most often, she assumed the form of a night moth, butterfly, or bird (hens, turkeys, geese, black birds), less frequently she transformed into a toad, cat, dog, or wolf; her manifestations could also include sparks, fire, or glowing bodies.

The typical manifestation of the witch as a butterfly, which in folk consciousness is perceived as the embodiment and symbol of the soul (of an evil spirit, or the soul of a deceased ancestor), aligns with widespread notions of dual-souled beings.

Read full article: Witches in Slavic Belief. Part 4: The South Slavic Veshtitsa →