Ellen Ryan: 'Our draw to the witch reflects our timeless fascination with women of power'

In recent decades, many parts of the world have become more secular. But we still crave spirituality, and this has led to a renewed interest in paganism, writes Ellen Ryan

Ellen Ryan: While researching for my book, They Called Us Witch, I spoke to women of magic from around the world who don’t share the freedoms afforded to women here.

The witch is a cultural phenomenon.

Social media hashtags such as ‘WitchTok’ have been viewed billions of times. The online marketplace Etsy has become a go-to site for hiring witches. And in the last year we’ve seen the blockbuster release of Wicked: For Good and Practical Magic 2. Even Disney is getting in on the act, with its upcoming animation, Hexed.