Whatever happened to witches?

I'm sure you know those little old ladies. You would probably leave a trail of stones when visiting them, but you know it's not polite. As it is, you are grateful for your GPS. A visit is a trial. You wonder if you will make it out of there without any lasting damage. It could be the incessant  wheedling or a bit of venomous nastiness, calculated to harm, but delivered with a deadpan face and unimpeachable intent.

Witches are changing. The little old crones of yesteryear, the cannibalistic biddies or old sweeties with poisonous apples are being replaced by middle-aged, well-dressed creatures who closer resemble a successful business woman or socialite.

Part of it, I think, is political correctness, but there are other reasons.

As populaces have urbanised and spread, the crone is no longer part of the household. Consider that before the industrial revolution, the family lived in close proximity and the family dwelling (or hovel) was never far. Everyone had the opportunity to irritate everyone else, and the weakest member could be easiest to blame.

Some of it may be wrapped up in healthy longevity. The oldest member of the household may be active and might not appear to be a crone with the help of geriatric fitness regimes and plastic surgery.

Another part of the thing might be the diversity of economic activities of the individual. Work life is lengthening and pensions can relieve the tension of a burdensome individual as would probably have been the case in the past.

Another aspect worth thinking about is the evolution of roles in the family unit. Youth are less bound by the conventions of the family and respect for age, so there is less likely to be friction between an elderly member of the family and a younger one.

In Africa, where the family unit is often highly interdependent, where communities are small and tightly-knit and where the local economy is often akin to the economy before the industrial revolution, outbreaks of lynchings of the elderly, on suspicion of witchcraft is quite common.

Whatever the case, the fact that the witch is still regularly seen shows that the trope isn't dead.

The new form of the witch is becoming overused.

Extreme old age can still be frightening as can be the mumbling and vagaries of dementia. There's something to be said for a decently terrifying crone. In a world of sugar-free, gluten-free gingerbread, there are little old ladies out there who may be having a hard time of things, but who should still be worth avoiding.