Wednesday Addams Voodoo Doll Wednesday Addams, the iconic character from the Addams Family, is known for her dark and mysterious persona. She is often seen with her signature long braids, pale complexion, and fondness for all things spooky. One of her most intriguing possessions is her voodoo doll. The Wednesday Addams voodoo doll is a representation of her mischievous nature and fascination with the supernatural. It is a small doll, typically made of cloth or other materials, designed in her likeness. The doll is often dressed in Wednesday's iconic black dress and has her distinct facial features, including her wide eyes and prominent eyebrows.
Not only does the project help highlight the power of data science but also shows the capability of Wikidata to aid in the making of all of the different visualisations. Emma Carroll Equate Scotland Careerwise intern (or ‘Witchfinder General’)
The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft is the work of academics in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology, notably Julian Goodare and Louise Yeoman, who kindly lent their support and expertise to Emma and Ewan over the summer. At the centre of the story is a hunger from both Lux and Else to be allowed to be more than just one thing, to simply exist without worrying about what word or role will be used to define them.
The doll is often dressed in Wednesday's iconic black dress and has her distinct facial features, including her wide eyes and prominent eyebrows. The purpose of the voodoo doll is to channel Wednesday's skills in witchcraft and dark magic. It is believed that when someone possesses the doll, they have the power to control and manipulate the actions and emotions of its recipient.
Witch lit: how modern writers are reinventing the witch
Lucy Atkinson, a PhD candidate in our Department of English Studies, describes how modern writers are reinventing the witch.
From the fairy tales read to us as children to the costumes every Halloween, the figure of the witch has been with most of us for our entire lives. Unkempt and warty, the witch of our childhood was generally a repulsive creature flying on a broomstick beside her toad or black cat.
Yet recent years have marked a reinvention of this ancient character, giving her a modern twist in a new subgenre of literature that some are calling “witch lit”.
The novels that have been categorised as belonging to this new subgenre often take inspiration from historical events such as the witch trials of the medieval and early modern periods.
A.K. Blakemore’s award-winning novel The Manningtree Witches (2021), for example, is set in the town of Manningtree in 1643 just as Matthew Hopkins begins his hunt against witches. Jenni Fagan’s short novel Hex: Darkland Tales (2022) revolves, in part, around the story of Geillis Duncan, one of the first women to be accused of witchcraft in the North Berwick witch trials.
We can see this resurgence in film and TV too . In Netflix’s Wednesday (2022), the young protagonist learns about her magical heritage through her ancestor Goody Addams, who was accused of witchcraft in the 1600s.
Popular shows like Outlander (2014), The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018) and A Discovery of Witches (2018) also prominently feature historical witchcraft beliefs and practices.
The witches featured in this new media are rarely comparable to the dirty hags that appeared in older stories. The new witch is often beautiful, at once dark and gothic and ethereal and wild.
Even Disney’s sequel to Hocus Pocus (2022) features a more sympathetic version of the Sanderson sisters. Winnie Sanderson, although still a child-killing witch, now becomes a woman who values her coven of sisters above all else.
In all of this, one thing is clear: the story of the witch is being rewritten and a new type of tale is taking its place.
Kirsty Logan’s Now She is Witch
An important addition to the witch lit sub-genre is Kirsty Logan’s Now She is Witch (2023). It perfectly captures the magic of this kind of story. The novel follows Lux, a girl who sells poisons and poppets, and the mysterious Else who is seeking revenge against a lord who kills women for witchcraft.
Many of the elements we have come to expect from witchcraft literature are evident in this tale. Through her protagonist, Logan picks at the hypocrisy of the rhetoric used to condemn witches. As Else puts it: “Men desire women but it is not their fault, it’s because women are wicked”.
Lux is also on a journey of self-discovery. She is trying to understand the place that she occupies in the world and the names that have been given to her, be it maiden, mother, crone or witch. Where this novel really finds its brilliance, is in the moments that it strays from the path that has been set out for it in this genre.
The medieval setting of Logan’s story feels real and textured but there is also an otherworldly, almost carnivalesque feeling to the novel. The journey that Lux takes through woods populated by a colourful cast of characters, is almost reminiscent of the voyage Little Red Riding Hood takes to her grandmother’s house. Though Lux is as much a wolf as she is a lost little girl.
In her novel, Logan is making use of not only historical beliefs around witchcraft but also folklore and fairy tales. Her witch is complicated: powerful and somehow also powerless, woman and sometimes man and sometimes neither and sometimes both, real and made up, dangerous and innocent, girl and wolf.
At the centre of the story is a hunger from both Lux and Else to be allowed to be more than just one thing, to simply exist without worrying about what word or role will be used to define them.
Understanding the witch craze
It is not only in television and literature that the witch has gained popularity in recent years. Feminist activists and writers such as Silvia Federici and Mona Chollet are turning to the witch as a figure of injustice, power or rebellion.
One glance through the section of TikTok that has been affectionately named WitchTok reveals a number of people identifying as witches and calling out for power through the use of healing crystals or tarot cards.
At a time when female bodies are still policed in many parts of the world, the witch retains the power to speak through history and across generations. Perhaps this process of rewriting the witch is actually giving writers a new way to tell the stories of women.
Find out more
- This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
- Lucy Atkinson is a PhD candidate in our Department of English Studies, which is one of the few university English departments in the world who teach and research in literature produced in Britain from the early medieval period to the present day as well as in anglophone literature from across the globe. The department has been ranked Top 50 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022.
- Interested in pursuing Creative Writing? Check out our MA and PhD programs.
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Millennials seem drawn to this ancient pagan tradition. Last year, the New York Times reported that there were 80 covens and pagan organizations operating in greater New York alone, serving some 10,000 witches.
The doll is accompanied by a set of instructions or rituals to perform in order to activate its powers. Despite its mystical connotations, Wednesday's voodoo doll is purely fictional. Voodoo itself is a religion that originated in West Africa and is practiced in various parts of the world. It involves spiritual rituals, ancestor worship, and communication with the divine. While voodoo dolls are a popular culture phenomenon, they are not an accurate representation of the actual practices of Vodou. In popular culture, voodoo dolls are often depicted as instruments of revenge or harm, used to inflict pain on an individual by sticking pins into the doll. However, this concept is a misconception and misrepresentation of voodoo traditions. Voodoo dolls are primarily used for healing, protection, and communication with spirits. In the case of Wednesday Addams, her voodoo doll is more of a symbol of her unique personality and interests rather than a functional item. It serves as a representation of her connection to the strange and macabre, showcasing her unconventional approach to life. The doll embodies her mysterious aura and adds an element of intrigue to her character. In conclusion, the Wednesday Addams voodoo doll is an intriguing and iconic representation of the character's dark and mischievous persona. While it may not accurately depict the true practices of Vodou, it serves as a symbol of Wednesday's unique personality and her fascination with the supernatural..
Reviews for "From Paper to Life: Wednesday Addams' Voodoo Doll's Creation Process"
1. John - 1/5 stars - The "Wednesday Addams voodoo doll" was a complete waste of money. The quality was extremely poor, and it broke within minutes of playing with it. The stitching on the doll was already coming undone when I received it, and the face didn't even resemble Wednesday Addams. Overall, I was extremely disappointed with this purchase and would not recommend it to anyone.
2. Sarah - 2/5 stars - I was really excited to get the "Wednesday Addams voodoo doll" as a fan of both the character and voodoo dolls in general. However, I was let down by the poor craftsmanship and lack of detail on the doll. The limbs were not properly attached, and the fabric used for the doll's dress was fraying at the edges. Additionally, the pins included with the doll were too blunt and couldn't be used effectively. Overall, it didn't live up to my expectations and I wouldn't purchase it again.
3. Emily - 1/5 stars - The "Wednesday Addams voodoo doll" was a complete joke. The doll arrived with multiple defects, such as loose threads and mismatched eyes. The fabric used for the doll's body felt cheap and it overall looked very cheaply made. Even worse, the doll didn't even have any voodoo features or functionality. It was just a poorly made doll with the name "Wednesday Addams" slapped on it. I would advise anyone considering purchasing this doll to save their money and look for a better quality alternative.