1016

submitted 11 months ago by BarelyTheramin@lemmy.world to c/witchymemes@lemmy.world

17 comments fedilink hide all child comments

all 18 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[-] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 67 points 11 months ago

Recently learned this. Back in the day, women brewers would make beer in big cauldrons at the market place, wear big pointy hats so the customers could spot them easily, and had cats to chase away the mice that ate the raw materials. When monasteries started brewing beer they suddenly discovered that the women who were their competition were also WITCHES!!!!

[-] Aurora_TheFirstLight@lemmy.blahaj.zone 38 points 11 months ago

I wonder if that's actually true, but I don't want to know it isn't

[-] SlopppyEngineer@discuss.tchncs.de 27 points 11 months ago

A bit searching confirms this. Turns out brewing beer was considered women's work originally, something done between taking care of the kids and making dinner.

Women were in general accused of being a witch because they did most of the child care, sick care and other jobs concerning people. If somebody died, and lots of people died of disease, bad hygiene and so on, they sometime blamed the nanny or nurse and called her a witch that cursed them. Men usually worked with inanimate things or animals where chances of being called a witch were much lower.

[-] unconsciousvoidling@sh.itjust.works 19 points 11 months ago

People are fucking idiots

[-] RootBeerGuy@discuss.tchncs.de 16 points 11 months ago

History of the world condensed in one statement.

[-] eestileib@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 months ago

"Alewife" was the term for a female brewer, a common enough term that there's still a subway stop in metro Boston named Alewife.

[-] SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social 4 points 11 months ago

If I had to guess, I'd say that the name in Boston comes from the fish, given the area's maritime heritage. But the name of the fish probably came from their resemblance to the brewing ale-wives.

[-] eestileib@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 months ago

Did not know that, thanks.

Now do Braintree. 😄

[-] SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social 1 points 11 months ago

If only I knew! 😀 I'm from Wisconsin, and know about alewives (the fish) because they're invasive in the Great Lakes, where they die off seasonally and wash ashore in large, stinky masses.

[-] UnrepententProcrastinator@lemmy.ca 14 points 11 months ago

If it plays into your biases then it's probably true.

[-] edgemaster72@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

Just the confirmation I was looking for.

[-] Sunfoil@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

A cute just-so story, but i'd bet it's more complicated than that.

[-] rtxn@lemmy.world 0 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Sounds about right for every locally dominant organized religion.

(edit) the original comment, I mean. Not the reply.

[-] eestileib@sh.itjust.works 20 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I doubt you'd be boiling the wort at a marketplace, even for small beer you're looking at a week or more of ferment.

Selling it from a tun at the market, having a characteristic dress (and probably call), is very consistent with European retail traditions. "Fishwives" were famous for their shrill, sharp calls for example.

The modern equivalent I guess is the ice cream truck; they pretty much all have the same livery and play the same recorded organ tunes. Just imagine that approach for every product category.

[-] Crul@lemm.ee 8 points 11 months ago

Source: Read Cassandra Comics :: Want to hag out? | Tapas Comics

RSS Feed: https://tapas.io/rss/series/35182

[-] paraphrand@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

That art style is fantastic

[-] RIP_Cheems@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

YES.

this post was submitted on 22 Oct 2023

1016 points (97.9% liked)

Witchy Memes

3660 readers

366 users here now

Be cool to each other. We'll welcome most occult themes, it's okay if you stray from witchcraft a bit.

No advertising. No trolling. No hate. Violaters will be removed unceremoniously.

We love art credits when possible.

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

BarelyTheramin@lemmy.world