Witch Hats: A Symbol of Rebellion and Freedom in History

By admin

Witch hat symbolism: The witch hat is a iconic symbol that is often associated with witches, magic, and the supernatural. Its pointed shape and wide brim make it instantly recognizable and unique. Throughout history, the witch hat has been used to represent various concepts and ideas, both positive and negative. In popular culture and folklore, the witch hat is often seen as a symbol of power and mystique. Witches are often depicted wearing these hats to showcase their magical abilities and knowledge. It is seen as a tool that helps channel their powers and connect them to the spirit world.



Andrea Suarez Is the Lovable Robo-Nerd Behind Team Witch Doctor in 'Battlebots'

Team Witch Doctor, founded by Andrea Suarez, on ‘Battlebots’ has an impressive win to loss ratio. Here’s what we know about the team.

Sep. 6 2019, Updated 2:20 p.m. ET

Source: discovery

Part of what makes BattleBots so interesting is that unlike other combat sports, the outcomes are very much up in the air most of the time. Not to say that upsets in boxing, kickboxing, and MMA don't occur, they do, it's just that in the BattleBots arena, there are other factors that come into play. Environmental hazards, for example, or maybe a particular part in the robot isn't working correctly that day. But for Andrea Suarez's Witch Doctor team, that doesn't seem to be as big of a problem.

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Her win to loss ratio is pretty impressive by BattleBots standards, with a 100% win percentage. With four consecutive wins and zero losses, they're one of the biggest, baddest robot teams to beat.

In the second episode of the new season, we saw Witch Doctor best Shatter via the Judges' decision. Not the most exciting battle ever, but Andrea's team came out with the W.

Their next three matches, however, were a different story.

In Episode 5 when Witch Doctor went up against Captain Shrederator, they must've either had a great strategy on how to beat the very patriotic-themed robo-combatant, or just had a design built to nullify them, because they KOd the bot a minute and 10 seconds into their bout.

In Episode 9, they went up against Whiplash and scored themselves another Judges' decision, and the match was a back-and-forth battle that was super exciting to watch.

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You can check out some of the slick moves that Andrea put on display here. There were impressive counters, intelligent robot control, and overall awesome maneuvering from both teams, but it was Witch Doctor who eventually earned the win.

In Episode 12, Witch Doctor put on an absolute clinic against Gigabyte, launching the colorful opponent into the air several times before finally KO'ing it 2 minutes and 17 seconds into their match.

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It is seen as a tool that helps channel their powers and connect them to the spirit world. The pointed shape of the hat is believed to help focus energy and direct it towards their intended purposes. Additionally, the witch hat is often associated with female empowerment and independence.

Who is Andrea Suarez, founder of Team Witch Doctor, on Battlebots?

Witch Doctor's builder has been in the battle-robotics game for 15 years, and works as a biomedical engineer in Florida. Growing up, her favorite class was art and she always thought that she'd become an artist, but after joining her high school's robotic team she became obsessed with building and fighting robots.

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Andrea was only 14 years old when she built her first bot and even though the initial design was admittedly not that great for competition, they did manage to win some matches. For Andrea, the "destruction process" is actually a huge part of learning what designs will work in a fight and what won't. Which is why working as a biomedical engineer is a perfect vocation for her.

"I design medical devices for a living, and we would never put a device in a human without doing destructive testing. If you don’t learn how something breaks, you can’t learn how to design something that doesn’t break! Learning how to build a good BattleBot means learning how to build something that can survive the harshest environments. Every time Witch Doctor breaks, we learn how to improve the design. That’s exactly how the engineering process works in the real world."

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Andrea also has a couple of medical patents to her; she doesn't just crush competitors in the BattleBots arena for a living. She is 100% about that engineering life, and it shows. She has as much passion for the "9 to 5" as she does for fighting robots on television and I think a lot of it has to do with her favorite quote from Arthur C. Clarke: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

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She's a young woman who believes that she is making magic day in, day out. If that isn't enough to get you out of bed in the morning, then I don't know what is.

BattleBots airs on Discovery, Friday nights at 8 p.m. ET. Will you be checking out the robo-destruction?

‘Witch Doctors’ Flex Skills on BattleBots

Most witch doctors believe in healing, but this Witch Doctor, designed by a team that includes two alumni, will be bent on maiming, scorching, and annihilating other robots.

By Barbara Gutierrez [email protected] 06-23-2016

Folktales tell us that most witch doctors believe in healing. But this Witch Doctor is bent on maiming, scorching, and annihilating anything in its path.

Standing over their robots are, from left, Witch Doctor teammates
Paul Grata, Jennifer Villa, Andrea Suarez, and Michael Gellatly.

Designed by a team that includes two University of Miami alumni, Witch Doctor is a 220-pound robot, which, with its flame-throwing sidekick, Shaman, will try to destroy other robotic competitors in the second season of ABC’s BattleBots.

During the course of the season, which premiered June 23, 48 robots will fight in grueling three-minute matches, but only one will ultimately triumph.

Andrea Suarez, B.S., M.S. ’11, and Michael Gellatly, B.S. ’06, are banking on their robotic duo emerging victorious when they compete during the June 30 show.

“Our strategy is a little unusual because we decided to meet the 250-pound weight limit with two robots instead of one,” said Suarez. “Witch Doctor weighs 220 pounds and has a weapon that spins vertically, while Shaman only weighs 30 pounds and uses a large flamethrower to attack its opponents.”

Witch Doctor participated in the first season of BattleBots and made it to the quarterfinals, where it faced the most-feared robot of all: Tombstone.

Although Witch Doctor and his human handlers lost, they inflicted the most damage to Tombstone in season one.

Suarez and Gellatly met when she was in high school at Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, and he was at UM. At the time, she was competing in high school tournaments with light robots weighing a mere one and two pounds, and he was about to become president of the UM Robotics Team.

When they connected again at UM, they fine-tuned their skills as students in UM’s College of Engineering. Using steel, titanium, and aluminum, they were building electric robots “at a different level,” said Suarez.

“UM gave us the classes and the ability to refine what we knew and then apply it,” she said. “We had resources that we did not have before.”

Working with engineering graduate students and supportive faculty encouraged them to persevere, Gellatly recalls.

“Some people were critical of dueling robots,” said Gellatly. “But we knew that, although we were not saving lives, we were learning valuable engineering lessons.”

The friends continued to compete locally and nationally in college-level robotics competitions, later joining friends Paul Grata and Jennifer Villa to create the Witch Doctor team in 2010. Dressed in top hats and sporting skulls and bones, the team chose its name to appeal to children.

“We wanted to make sure that we drew in kids,” said Suarez. “We wanted children to be attracted to engineering without knowing that they were learning about engineering.”

Their strategy seems to be working. Later this year, the company Hexbug will debut a Witch Doctor toy. And in their day jobs, Suarez and Gellatly are actually enhancing, if not saving, lives. They both work in research and development at Zimmer Biomet, developing implants for traumatic injuries.

B Is for BattleBots

Learn more about your favorite robots with the official BattleBots alphabet book, written by Andrea Gellatly of Team Witch Doctor! "B Is for BattleBots" uses three reading levels on each page for BattleBots fans of all ages. Proceeds benefit the Witch Doctor Jr program, which hosts robotics classes and competitions for young builders.

Об авторе (2019)

Andrea Gellatly is captain of Team Witch Doctor on the TV Show BattleBots. Andrea and her husband and teammate, Mike Gellatly, founded MakeMIA Makerspace in South Florida, where they teach kids how to build their own combat robots. Andrea received her BS and MS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Miami. She currently works as a research and development engineer and has been awarded several utility patents for her work in medical devices. Caleb Kempson illustrated "B is for BattleBots" after his fan art caught Andrea's attention on social media. He spent his childhood designing robots and drawing his favorites from the British robot fighting show Robot Wars. After starting his Mechanical Engineering degree, Caleb realized that he preferred drawing over engineering and decided to go back to what he enjoyed doing, fun cartoon drawings of his favorite robots- this time from Battlebots!

Библиографические данные

Название B Is for BattleBots
Автор Andrea Gellatly
Иллюстрации Caleb Kempson
Издание: иллюстрированное
Издатель Team Witch Doctor, 2019
ISBN 0578583771, 9780578583778
  
Экспорт цитаты BiBTeX EndNote RefMan
Witch hat symbolism

In many societies, women who displayed unconventional behavior or had knowledge in herbal medicine and healing were often labeled as witches and persecuted. The hat became a symbol of defiance and strength for these women, as it represented their refusal to conform to societal norms and their dedication to their craft. On the other hand, the witch hat has also been used as a symbol of fear and evil. In religious and conservative circles, witches are seen as practitioners of dark arts and sorcery, often associated with devil worship and malevolent intentions. The hat, with its sinister connotations and association with magic, is used to create fear and reinforce negative beliefs about witches. In modern times, the witch hat has become a prominent image in popular culture, especially during the Halloween season. It is often worn as a costume accessory, evoking a sense of mystery and enchantment. The hat has been romanticized and transformed into a fashion statement, losing some of its original symbolism, but still retaining its association with witches and magic. Overall, the witch hat is a powerful symbol that carries multiple meanings. It represents power, mystique, independence, fear, and evil, depending on the context in which it is used. Despite being a seemingly simple accessory, the witch hat continues to captivate our imaginations and serve as a reminder of the complex history and symbolism associated with witches and the supernatural..

Reviews for "The Symbolism of Witch Hats in Literature and Art"

1. Jane - 2 stars - I didn't really understand the so-called "witch hat symbolism" in this book. It felt forced and unnecessary. The author seemed to be trying too hard to make a statement, but it just came across as confusing and convoluted. I found myself constantly questioning the relevance of the witch hats throughout the story, and it detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book.
2. Mark - 1 star - I have to say, the supposed symbolism behind the witch hats in this novel was completely lost on me. I couldn't see any deeper meaning or connection to the plot. It felt like a cheap attempt to make the story seem more profound than it actually was. I found myself getting frustrated and annoyed every time the witch hats were mentioned, as they added nothing to the narrative and only served to confuse me further. Overall, I was highly disappointed with this aspect of the book.
3. Sarah - 2 stars - The witch hat symbolism in this book was a major letdown for me. I was hoping for something profound and thought-provoking, but it ended up falling flat. The author's attempt to use the witch hats as a metaphor felt forced and incoherent. It made it difficult for me to immerse myself in the story and understand the supposed deeper meaning behind it all. I wish the author had focused more on crafting a strong plot and character development rather than relying on this weak symbolism.
4. John - 1 star - The witch hat symbolism in this novel was just plain confusing. I found myself constantly scratching my head trying to make sense of it all. It distracted from the actual story and left me feeling frustrated. The author seemed to be trying too hard to be clever and ended up sacrificing clarity and coherence. I would have preferred a straightforward narrative instead of this convoluted attempt at symbolism.
5. Emily - 3 stars - While I didn't hate the witch hat symbolism in this book, I also didn't find it particularly engaging or impactful. It felt like a missed opportunity to explore deeper themes and add depth to the story. The potential was there, but the execution fell short. I would have liked to see the author delve further into the symbolism and make it more integral to the plot, rather than just a superficial addition. Overall, it was a bit underwhelming for me.

Witch Hats: Catalysts for Transformation and Spiritual Awakening

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