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GCSE History · key term
An animal or creature believed to be a spirit assisting a witch.
Used by Edexcel and OCR
Paper 1
Revise: Case Studies: Gunpowder Plot and Witch-huntsOrdinary animals or insects, such as cats, mice or flies, could be identified as ‘familiars’. Scars, spots or other bodily marks could be interpreted as the ‘Devil’s mark’, and suspects were pricked to see whether a mark bled.
Paper 1
An animal or spirit believed to assist a witch in carrying out magic or harmful deeds.
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People believed that witches had familiars which helped them carry out harmful deeds. An ordinary pet could therefore be interpreted as something sinister once its owner was already suspected. Belief in witchcraft gave everyday events and possessions a threatening meaning.