In most North Indian languages, the word for witch — Daayan, Dain, Dainee, Daken, etc. — is derived from the Sanskrit term Dakini. Since the original Sanskrit meaning of Dakini in Hindu and Buddhist texts is rather different, we deal with it in a separate entry; but Dakini, like Daayan, is sometimes also used in modern Hindi to mean an evil witch.

The Daayan is a fixture of Indian superstition and popular culture, from Hindi television serials to Malayalam comic strips. In many of these narratives, the power of the Daayan is contained in her hair braid, and the secret to defeating her is to chop off her plait.

Belief in witches and their magical powers varies from region to region. In some stories, they are undead women who have sacrificed children to obtain immortality. On new moon nights, their illusions lose their power and they show their true age, appearing as ancient hags with decaying flesh. They have the power to turn invisible; only by tucking the flower of a betel-leaf plant behind one’s ear may one see them. In yet other stories, they are jungle-dwelling spirits who waylay and abduct young men. They can keep these hapless youths imprisoned for years or even decades, using them as sex slaves and draining them of their life force. Only when a man is too old and weak to be of service any longer does the Daayan return him to his village and whatever surviving family members may remain.

But none of the nefarious deeds described in these fictional tales are anywhere near so monstrous as daayan pratha, the very real practice of witch hunting.

Witch Hunts