Scan barcode
beytwice's review
4.0
An interesting issue focusing on the nicheties of witchcraft. I especially enjoyed the segments on poisonous plants, Blackness and womanhoods' ties to witchcraft, as well as the evolution of the 'witch wife' so to speak. Some really interesting stuff in here! I felt the Egyptian segment felt a little offbase in comparison to the rest but nonetheless enjoyed the branching out to other cultures.
nica00's review
4.0
Favourite essays in this Malefice issue were The Curse of Dorian Gray by Thérèse Taylor and Conjure Wife and Domestic Charms by Rebecca Baumann
barry_x's review
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Malefice - what a beautiful word it is as it escapes my lips. A noun - a piece of evil sorcery, an evil spell or enchantment. The syllables on my tongue alive in an act of conjuring.
It's another edition of Hellebore, and as soon as I read it, I was sure it was my favourite so far. Hellebore is a zine about the world of folk horror and the occult, with every zine having it's own theme. This one is 'Malefice' and more broadly witchcraft (although the editors put it best on the back as, 'the complex relationships between witchcraft and magic with structures of power').
I've reviewed the first two issues of Hellebore and without repeating myself too much I can confirm that everything I liked about the first two issues is present here. The writing is of a consistently high standard, is engaging and thoughtful without being either sensationalist or alternatively dry and academic. There is a seriousness to the writing, but it is always accessible and each piece cites sources for further research or learning.
'Lucifer over Lancashire' by Catherine Spooner is an excellent piece which reflects on our relationship to the Lancashire witch trials of 1612 and how attitudes have changed in recent history. The article explores how the witch trials have been represented in fiction and (relatively) contemporary accounts in non-fiction and research from the 19th century onwards to the present day. The piece asks to reflect on the notion of Lancashire as a wild place, how it's weather and culture is separate from the south, and how the Pennines, Moors, and Lakes act as a natural barrier for both isolation and identity.
I was struck by being asked to think how our reaction to the witch trials is as much a reaction to injustice in the modern day. These women were not witches - they were poor women, without power who were persecuted and condemned. They still have not been pardoned. The article asks us to consider not just the class and gendered injustice, but also that these witches are symbols of feminine power, of an act of defiance against patriarchy.
Indeed, as was highlighted in a later piece, there is the act of reclamation of the witches for political and allegorical purposes. The Lancashire witch is both a symbol of feminism, queerness, solidarity and power, but I have also seen trans exclusionary radical feminists claim the witches as their own (a claim that is laughable when one considers the transformative nature of magic and also the close intersectionality of gender, spirit and intent in modern witchcraft practices).
The article gets bonus points for referencing the 'Samlesbury witches' who were also on trial at the same time. They were not convicted, but their story is less remembered (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samlesb...) (indeed, their story formed the basis of a story I was writing with a friend a few years ago).
'A Malefice Herbarium' by Catherine Winter is a short piece covering various plants and herbs said to contain properties to harm (or in some cases heal) through enchantments and potions. Reading this over breakfast, I was taken away somewhere else as I daydreamed about carving a blackthorn wand....bad man that I am!
'The Akenham Devil' by Verity Holloway is the standout piece in the zine. The piece investigates a story about a 13th century church in an isolated village, where if one walks around the chuchyard thirteen times the Devil will rise from his grave. I am often fascinated by where folklore originates from and in this case, it appears to come from an incident in the 19th century where to cut a long story short 'nonconformist' Christians such as Quakers (essentially anyone not Roman Catholic or Church of England) would be buried in the churchyard by the local minister. It's a tale worth reading because what starts of as discontent by locals over who presides over services, becomes a tale of local politics, salaciousness and sex, smears and libels, culminating in a very angry (and almost farcical) standoff, which in turn indirectly leads to a change in the law.
It is a sad story too, concerning the death of a child, and once one understands this I don't feel quite so comfortable about the source of this tale. And yet, isn't all folklore based on a warning or a tale of sadness? I guess this feels bad because the 'victim' is relatively recent and not some ancient past.
'The Curse of Dorian Gray' by Therese Taylor continues the Alesteir Crowley theme from an earlier issue and asks if Oscar Wilde was cursed due to his wife, Constance Lloyd's sharing of secrets of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. It's an interesting piece but one that left me wanting a little bit more and I guess it is something I would be interested in reading more about.
'Conjure Wife' by Rebecca Baumann is an interesting piece which in many ways tracks the 'domestication' of the 'witch' from strange and mysterious seductress with dangerous power to bewitch men to essentially the pretty housewife who with a twitch of her nose can do the dishes quickly like Samantha in 'Bewitched'. Much of the piece explores Fritz Lieber's story 'Conjure Wife' - a novel about women who are witches using spells against each other and their husbands and the movie adaptation of it, 'Weird Woman'. The piece suggests that Lieber's own relationship with his own wife informed not just this, but future writing in the area of relationships, witchcraft and femininity.
(As a total aside I have to read Lieber one day - he's the bridge into modern Cthulhu mythos from Lovecraft, he is a progenitor of grimdark from Howard and has influenced so much of science fiction and fantasy culture).
'The Deadly Doll of Coombe' by Thomas Waters is quite a sinister piece about the discovery of effigy dolls in an Oxfordshire village in the 1950's and the research into witchcraft practices in the region at the time and in recent earlier decades. There is a broader tie in to wider 'effigy magic' and belief systems.
'The Museum of Shadows' by Maria J. Pérez Cuervo is a piece about spiritualists and other curious Victorians describing accounts of the British Library being haunted by ghosts from the mummies looted from Egypt. There is a link in the piece that suggests that even from an Imperialist perspective the fear of the other, and the recognition of the removal from a resting place to London is wrong, and if not a ghost, then the visitors were haunted by the fear of their guilt.
'Supernatural Subversion' by Colin J McCracken is a short but fun piece about the power of magic to influence politics and other social concerns covering things like plots to kill Kings, remove slavers in Haiti, to win World War II to stopping Donald Trump. I suspect this could have been a lot longer and not got boring. It is interesting that there is always a need for direct action and campaigning but what is magic if not solidarity, intent and belief? I also consider what a spell is anyway. Is it an incantation with symbols and paraphernalia or is it speaking from the heart with pure intent, and willing something to happen? If it is the later, then there will always be a place for subversive magic.
Hellebore is easy to read, looks beautiful and well worth the time spent exploring.
Recommended
It's another edition of Hellebore, and as soon as I read it, I was sure it was my favourite so far. Hellebore is a zine about the world of folk horror and the occult, with every zine having it's own theme. This one is 'Malefice' and more broadly witchcraft (although the editors put it best on the back as, 'the complex relationships between witchcraft and magic with structures of power').
I've reviewed the first two issues of Hellebore and without repeating myself too much I can confirm that everything I liked about the first two issues is present here. The writing is of a consistently high standard, is engaging and thoughtful without being either sensationalist or alternatively dry and academic. There is a seriousness to the writing, but it is always accessible and each piece cites sources for further research or learning.
'Lucifer over Lancashire' by Catherine Spooner is an excellent piece which reflects on our relationship to the Lancashire witch trials of 1612 and how attitudes have changed in recent history. The article explores how the witch trials have been represented in fiction and (relatively) contemporary accounts in non-fiction and research from the 19th century onwards to the present day. The piece asks to reflect on the notion of Lancashire as a wild place, how it's weather and culture is separate from the south, and how the Pennines, Moors, and Lakes act as a natural barrier for both isolation and identity.
I was struck by being asked to think how our reaction to the witch trials is as much a reaction to injustice in the modern day. These women were not witches - they were poor women, without power who were persecuted and condemned. They still have not been pardoned. The article asks us to consider not just the class and gendered injustice, but also that these witches are symbols of feminine power, of an act of defiance against patriarchy.
Indeed, as was highlighted in a later piece, there is the act of reclamation of the witches for political and allegorical purposes. The Lancashire witch is both a symbol of feminism, queerness, solidarity and power, but I have also seen trans exclusionary radical feminists claim the witches as their own (a claim that is laughable when one considers the transformative nature of magic and also the close intersectionality of gender, spirit and intent in modern witchcraft practices).
The article gets bonus points for referencing the 'Samlesbury witches' who were also on trial at the same time. They were not convicted, but their story is less remembered (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samlesb...) (indeed, their story formed the basis of a story I was writing with a friend a few years ago).
'A Malefice Herbarium' by Catherine Winter is a short piece covering various plants and herbs said to contain properties to harm (or in some cases heal) through enchantments and potions. Reading this over breakfast, I was taken away somewhere else as I daydreamed about carving a blackthorn wand....bad man that I am!
'The Akenham Devil' by Verity Holloway is the standout piece in the zine. The piece investigates a story about a 13th century church in an isolated village, where if one walks around the chuchyard thirteen times the Devil will rise from his grave. I am often fascinated by where folklore originates from and in this case, it appears to come from an incident in the 19th century where to cut a long story short 'nonconformist' Christians such as Quakers (essentially anyone not Roman Catholic or Church of England) would be buried in the churchyard by the local minister. It's a tale worth reading because what starts of as discontent by locals over who presides over services, becomes a tale of local politics, salaciousness and sex, smears and libels, culminating in a very angry (and almost farcical) standoff, which in turn indirectly leads to a change in the law.
It is a sad story too, concerning the death of a child, and once one understands this I don't feel quite so comfortable about the source of this tale. And yet, isn't all folklore based on a warning or a tale of sadness? I guess this feels bad because the 'victim' is relatively recent and not some ancient past.
'The Curse of Dorian Gray' by Therese Taylor continues the Alesteir Crowley theme from an earlier issue and asks if Oscar Wilde was cursed due to his wife, Constance Lloyd's sharing of secrets of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. It's an interesting piece but one that left me wanting a little bit more and I guess it is something I would be interested in reading more about.
'Conjure Wife' by Rebecca Baumann is an interesting piece which in many ways tracks the 'domestication' of the 'witch' from strange and mysterious seductress with dangerous power to bewitch men to essentially the pretty housewife who with a twitch of her nose can do the dishes quickly like Samantha in 'Bewitched'. Much of the piece explores Fritz Lieber's story 'Conjure Wife' - a novel about women who are witches using spells against each other and their husbands and the movie adaptation of it, 'Weird Woman'. The piece suggests that Lieber's own relationship with his own wife informed not just this, but future writing in the area of relationships, witchcraft and femininity.
(As a total aside I have to read Lieber one day - he's the bridge into modern Cthulhu mythos from Lovecraft, he is a progenitor of grimdark from Howard and has influenced so much of science fiction and fantasy culture).
'The Deadly Doll of Coombe' by Thomas Waters is quite a sinister piece about the discovery of effigy dolls in an Oxfordshire village in the 1950's and the research into witchcraft practices in the region at the time and in recent earlier decades. There is a broader tie in to wider 'effigy magic' and belief systems.
'The Museum of Shadows' by Maria J. Pérez Cuervo is a piece about spiritualists and other curious Victorians describing accounts of the British Library being haunted by ghosts from the mummies looted from Egypt. There is a link in the piece that suggests that even from an Imperialist perspective the fear of the other, and the recognition of the removal from a resting place to London is wrong, and if not a ghost, then the visitors were haunted by the fear of their guilt.
'Supernatural Subversion' by Colin J McCracken is a short but fun piece about the power of magic to influence politics and other social concerns covering things like plots to kill Kings, remove slavers in Haiti, to win World War II to stopping Donald Trump. I suspect this could have been a lot longer and not got boring. It is interesting that there is always a need for direct action and campaigning but what is magic if not solidarity, intent and belief? I also consider what a spell is anyway. Is it an incantation with symbols and paraphernalia or is it speaking from the heart with pure intent, and willing something to happen? If it is the later, then there will always be a place for subversive magic.
Hellebore is easy to read, looks beautiful and well worth the time spent exploring.
Recommended
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Colonisation, and Misogyny
becka6131's review
5.0
An excellent issue with some beautiful illustrations and reworkings of traditional art as well as standout articles on Conjure Wife, the Lancashire witches and the Akenham Devil.
hexedmaiden's review
informative
medium-paced
5.0
The Malefice Issue covers witchcraft and magic. This had to be one of my favorite issues so far and that's because I love all things witchcraft related.
arthurbdd's review
4.0
Solid issue of the folk horror periodical. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2020/11/15/folk-horror-harvest-hellebore-on-malefice-and-scarfolks-map/