Alexis Prescott’s The First Witches is an illuminating and engaging deep-dive into the origins of one of the most enduring archetypes in Western culture: the witch. Far from being a mere historical catalog, this book offers a rich, literary and cultural exploration of how ancient portrayals of divine and magical women evolved into the monstrous figures that still haunt modern imaginations.

Prescott leads the reader through the Classical canon, beginning with the beguiling Circe and shadowy Hecate in early Greek literature, before tracing their transformation through Roman texts into increasingly demonized figures. These women, once portrayed as goddesses or magical figures associated with wisdom, nature, and power, gradually became symbolic of fear, transgression, and otherness—elements that would fuel the witch stereotypes of the medieval and early modern worlds.

The book is particularly strong in its analysis of literary texts, with careful attention to how historical context shaped changing perceptions of female power. Prescott connects myth to politics with a deft hand, showing how late Republican and Imperial Roman anxieties—especially around civil strife, gender roles, and morality—fed the evolution of the witch figure. The grotesque hag-witch of Roman literature, exemplified by the terrifying Erictho and the Thessalian necromancers, emerges as a prototype for the witches of fairy tales, Gothic horror, and modern media.

One of the book’s greatest achievements is its accessibility. Prescott writes with clarity and enthusiasm, offering both academic insight and narrative flair. Readers without a background in Classics will find the material approachable, while scholars will appreciate the depth of analysis and the careful sourcing.

Ultimately, The First Witches is more than a study of mythological figures—it’s a meditation on how societies react to female power, especially when it challenges established norms. In tracing the arc from divine enchantress to malevolent crone, Prescott uncovers the roots of cultural fears that still shape gendered narratives today.

Verdict:
A captivating and thoughtful study, The First Witches reveals how ancient literature birthed the witch as we know her—dangerous, powerful, and unforgettable. A must-read for anyone interested in mythology, gender studies, or the dark side of cultural memory.

A fascinating overview of notable witches from antiquity. The author offers some nice insight to the history of witches and how our view of them has developed throughout history. It’s short and to the point, almost too short for me at times. That said, there’s an extensive section of footnotes and reference material to help readers get started in delving deeper into the information. The appendix was a nice addition, too. I’d recommend it as a companion read to books like Madeline Miller’s Circe. It also works as a good starting point for anyone who’s just getting into the study of historical witchcraft.

I received an ARC through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The First Witches highlights fascinating details about early accounts of witches in Greek and Roman literature and society and beyond. The activities of witches presented in these sources were among my favorite aspects of the book. The author also presented excerpts from actual laws pertaining to activities associated with witches during this era. The material is well organized in chapters on major figures, Circe, Hecate, and Medea, as well as less familiar figures.

Many illustrations, including photos of paintings, drawings, sculptures, and book illustrations reinforce the text. There are a few I hadn't seen before. The appendices expand on the depictions of witches, and the book contains footnotes and an index.
The author discusses misogyny in many witch depictions, such as Circe revealing male attitudes toward female power and sexuality. She also credits Ovid with including women amid the male-dominated mythology of the time.
I enjoyed the inclusion of Baba Yaga, ‘a forgotten Victorian Witch,' The Wizard of Oz, and mentions of feminist retellings that counter patriarchal distortions of powerful women.

To me, a stilted writing style works against what could be an enthralling narrative. Fortunately, this book is rich in wonderful quoted material.
The First Witches stands as a worthwhile examination of early, influential witch and deity characterizations, their transformations, and social forces that affect Western representations of female power. The excellent cover, extensive research, and appealing premise will no doubt please readers interested in witches in Western culture.

I recommend it for readers interested in witches, mythology, the Classical era, history, gender studies, and literature. Horror readers will find early instances of extreme, disturbing scenes that continue to arouse fear. Writers and anyone intrigued by archetypes, poison, potions, and Emperor/state tactics against women will find an abundance of provocative imagery and signs of resistance.

My thanks to Pen & Sword for the e-ARC for consideration. These opinions are solely my own.
I'll add the TikTok link.

This book was such a cool book to read! I really loved the way the author explored and took the reader through history exploring the evolution of witches as they are portrayed throughout literature. I really liked the way the author brought in not only the portrayals of the characters themselves, but also the way that the political landscape at the time influence those portayals and depictions.
While a short book, this was so engaging, and I basically sped through it finding new things and changing my own views and understanding of how culture was shaped and how it impacted Western literature and culture.

I highly highly highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in culture, history, classical history, or witchcraft in general.

Thanks again to Netgalley, Alexis Prescott, and Pen & Sword for this ARC! 4.5/5

Witchcraft is a topic that has fascinated me for a long time. So much of the media around witches focuses on witches from Medieval times. This book is a brilliant introduction to ancient witches. A captivating and well-researched book rooted in ancient sources, combined with references to modern pop-culture.

This book was very informative and you can tell that the proper research was completed in order to put together this book.

Really fantastic to see a book about witches that focuses on classics - though citation heavy (which is not necessarily a bad thing), this was still digestible and not just a history of witches, but an investigation into what *makes* them witches. Prescott has a wonderful writing style, balanced well between storytelling and academic tone.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

This book was such an interesting read! We rarely encounter a non-fiction solely based on this topic. It has a lot of information that will give the reader more context on famous witches from classic literature.

There were witches from different references - Roman, Greek and many more. This shows diversity of the craft and I really enjoyed the comparison among them. I must say, this is a good reference itself or a guide.

A scholarly work on the oldest literary figures of witches in history, this book covers how witches were portrayed through time from ancient Greece and in the Roman Empie. Using the literature from the time period, she explains how witches were portrayed and how that portrayal changed between Greece and the Roman Empire.

Although I knew from the title that this was a book about early witches, I did not realize just how far back in history the portrayal of witches went. This book is not a light read. In some ways, it reads more like a dissertation than a book for regular readers. That being said, it is informative and uses not just one work of literature or poetry to prove her point, but as many as she can. I believe this would be an excellent book for recommended reading for classes on Greek and Roman literature, or one on views of women in that time period.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

A particularly interesting topic is what drew me to this ARC - I was hoping for a lengthy and detailed examination of all of the classical forms of witches, from religious to folklore, and everything else in between. I do think that this book was a bit short, and there could have been inclusion of a few more 'fleshed out' witches and topics. There were definitely a few gaps in the narrative, and while there was some good context, there was probably a bit more of the concept of witchcraft that I might have anticipated, as well as the eventual reaction to them in society.

It was meticulously researched, however, and it was apparent that the author had more than done her research into the topics. I was heartened to see references to modern interpretations and representations of some of the witches, and I very much enjoyed picking through the notes at the end to find more information on all of the topics covered.

I think this was a really interesting dive into the early days of witches and witchcraft, and while there were a few components missing, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Looking forward to seeing more from this author in future on historical topics!

Witchcraft, power, and mythology—this was absolutely my kind of read.

This book hit all the right notes for me: rich in classical history, sharp in its analysis, and deeply engaging. The First Witches explores how figures like Hecate, Circe, and the infamous Thessalian witches evolved from divine or mystical beings into the terrifying, grotesque hag-witch stereotype we’re still haunted by today. Alexis Prescott does a fantastic job showing how these women were transformed through literature and social anxiety into cautionary tales—and how those archetypes still echo in modern pop culture.

I really appreciated how accessible this was. Prescott clearly knows her classics, but the writing never gets bogged down in academic jargon. She balances deep literary analysis with strong storytelling, making it easy to follow even if you’re not an expert in ancient texts.

The sections on Erictho and the Roman hag-witch trope were especially striking—how quickly divine power gets twisted into monstrosity when it threatens the status quo. It’s both fascinating and infuriating to see how enduring these patterns are.

If you’re interested in mythology, the history of witchcraft, or just powerful women being reinterpreted (and often vilified) across centuries, this is a must-read. Thought-provoking, well-researched, and genuinely compelling.

In *The First Witches*, Alexis Prescott embarks on a bold and eloquent reclamation of ancient womanhood, tracing the earliest archetypes of the witch through the classical traditions of Greece and Rome. Far from sensationalism, this work is a meticulously researched and culturally resonant examination of how women—mystics, healers, sibyls, and seers—became entwined with the language of power, fear, and the supernatural.

Prescott's central argument is both timeless and timely: that the image of the "witch" is rooted not in fantasy, but in a long-standing cultural discomfort with female autonomy, intellect, and spiritual authority. Drawing from classical literature, historical sources, mythology, and early philosophical texts, she excavates the legacies of figures such as Medea, Circe, and Hecate, placing them alongside real women accused of—or revered for—possessing esoteric knowledge.

The writing is clear and evocative, rich in historical detail while also accessible to readers outside of classical studies. Prescott does not merely recount stories; she interprets them, interrogating the cultural forces that shaped the portrayal of these women as dangerous, seductive, or subversive. In doing so, she draws a powerful through-line between ancient suspicions and later witch persecutions, revealing a continuity of patriarchal anxiety surrounding female power.

Of particular merit is the author's sensitivity to ambiguity. She resists reducing her subjects to modern labels or flattening their complexity. These women are neither romanticized as feminist icons nor dismissed as mythic curiosities—they are studied as dynamic agents within their own cultural and religious contexts. Their magic, often tied to herbal knowledge, liminality, or prophecy, becomes a site of both empowerment and marginalization.

**Final Verdict**:
*The First Witches* is an incisive and beautifully argued contribution to the history of women, belief, and authority. Alexis Prescott casts new light on ancient narratives and, in doing so, challenges enduring assumptions about gender and spiritual legitimacy. A must-read for scholars of classical history, mythology, gender studies, and all readers intrigued by the origins of the witch as a cultural figure.

**Rating**: ★★★★★

Exactly what I have been wanting - the history of witches from the Bible and various areas of mythology. Pieced together in a way that begs to be re-read and annotated a few times over. I desperately need a physical copy of this for that reason. Thank you to Netgalley and Pen & Sword for the eARC.

‘Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

The cover alone is just divine!

I was really looking forward to this read but sadly I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would :( I think this is due to it reading more like a reference book. (citations of sources of information)

A must read for any history reader.

We learn about witches from Ancient Greece, to James I and the Witch Hunts, to the forgotten Victorian witch Gahool.

This was extremely digestible even with all the new information I learned from it! You can tell that the author loves what she was writing about and it was very well researched.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for the ARC! As always, all thoughts here are 100% my own.

It’s probably no shock that I love reading about classical history. And witches. So, when I came across The First Witches by Alexis Prescott, I just knew I had to read it. And let me tell you, it absolutely delivered.

This book takes you through history exploring the evolution of witches, who they are and how they were portrayed in literature. From the Illiad and the Odyssey, through Metamorphoses and Macbeth to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the book not only highlights key references but also compares the witches in question to show how socio-political influences shaped their depictions. Then, it dives into how all of this has impacted Western literature, and the Western world in general.

Even though I was familiar with some of the arguments the book presents, the way it lays everything out is both informative and super accessible. It felt like it was organizing my own thoughts, introducing me to more details and making everything click in a whole new way. And all in under 200 pages!

Plus, the footnotes and the references section are extensive and provide with even more resources and books to dig into!

All in all, I adored this book. So much so that I found myself thinking about it while watching several movies recently!

The First Witches is a fascinating look through history and classical literature studying the lineage of witches in history. If you're interested in women's history and the history of witches, I highly recommend this book. It was a fascinating look at some familiar and unfamiliar tales.

If, like me, you are interested in the history of witches then you must give this book a try. I love anything witchcraft related and this detailed piece of non-fiction helped me place many of the famous witches from classical literature. This will give a lot more context to all the retellings I am reading

There are references to witches in classical literature including Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey”, Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”, Vergil’s “Aeneid”, Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and more. As for the witches themselves there are references to Medea, Circe, Hecate, Erichtho, as well as Baba Yaga and so many more.
I enjoyed the comparison of how witches were regarded in classical Greek literature as opposed to classical Roman literature, and the impact they have had on the Western World.
There are even references to witches in modern film.

Because of the richness of information I will probably have to reread it, since I won’t be able to retain all the information on these interesting women’s stories for long. This is why I think this book can be used as a reference guide, something to constantly return to.

Further, I like the presence of foot notes and an extensive sources section in non-fiction, especially anything pertaining to witchcraft because it allows me to look up a lot more information regarding the subject and it shows all the research that went into writing the book.

Thank you to the publisher and author for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I have always been fascinated with witches and so when I saw this I knew it would be a fascinating read. It was very well researched without being too heavy on the facts and was such an interesting read

Absolutely brilliant! A well researched and comprehensive historical representation in a highly readable format that’s brimming with details and overflowing with all manner of witch information and depictions. While this is not a book about Salem, MA, I did grow up in that area and perhaps that’s why I voraciously devour all types of books on witches. This one was refreshingly different and incessantly compelling in an academic and literary way. Fascinating stuff I loved every minute of it!