The witch's teat is associated with the feeding of witches' imps or familiars the witch's familiar supposedly aided the witch in her magic in exchange for nourishment (blood) from sacrificial animals or from the witch's teat.

The witch's teat is associated with the perversion of maternal power by witches in early modern England. It is often depicted as having a wart-like appearance.īeliefs about the mark on witches The witch's teat was a raised bump somewhere on a witch's body. The Devil was thought to mark the individual at the end of nocturnal initiation rites. He is said to create the mark by raking his claw across their flesh, licking the skin to produce a death skull pattern, or using a hot iron to produce a blue or red brand. The Witch or Devil's mark was believed to be the permanent marking of the Devil on his initiates to seal their obedience and service to him. Evidence of the witch's mark is found earliest in the 16th century, and reached its peak in 1645, then essentially disappeared by 1700. The beliefs about the mark differ depending on the trial location and the accusation made against the witch. Polk is represented by Caitlin McDonald of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.Detail of the oil painting Examination of a witch by Tompkins Harrison Matteson (1853)Ī witch's mark, devil's mark or stigma diabolicum was a bodily mark that witch-hunters believed indicated that an individual was a witch, during the height of the witch trials. You can subscribe to their free newsletter on TinyLetter, or subscribe to their Patreon for content writing nerds like. They drink good coffee because life is too short.

A city person at heart, They menace the streets on rideshare scooters and ride a green bicycle with a basket on the front. They dwell in an apartment the same age as they are with too many books, not enough cats, and a yarn stash that could last a decade. Polk lives In Calgary on Treaty 7 land, among the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, and the Métis Nation (Region 3). Their Subjective Chaos Kind of Award winning novel The Midnight Bargain was a Canada Reads, Nebula, Locus, Ignyte, and World Fantasy Award finalist.Īfter leaving high school early, they have worked as a film extra, sold vegetables on the street, and identified exotic insect species for a vast collection of lepidoptera before settling down to write fantasy novels. Polk (they/them/she/her) wrote the Hugo nominated Kingston Cycle, beginning with the WFA winning novel Witchmark.

Witchmark book