When King Saul decreed that witchcraft was illegal and now punishable by death throughout the land, the Witch of Endor was furious. She loved her work–and she was good at it too. In a time of many impersonators, her skills were praised highly and people would travel weeks just to see her. As much as she did not want to give up her living, she also did not want to die. Luckily, she was always kind to her neighbors so they were kind to her. They gave her food and clothes and household work until she could support herself again. She made a new life for herself, but longed for the day she could return to the work she loved.
One night, a man hidden under layers of robes approached her, asking to connect with a spirit.
"You know Saul forbade all magic, and I don't even know who you are," she said. "How do I know that you aren't one of his servants, tricking me to perform my craft so that you can kill me?"
The man replied, "I admit you have no reason to trust me. All I have to offer is my word. I am desperate and I have heard amazing things about your talents. Please, I promise no harm will come to you."
The witch knew it was dangerous. She couldn't help but see how afraid the man was, and she used this to justify agreeing to his request. But she knew the real reason: it was a chance to commune with the spirits again. She nodded and beckoned him to follow her.
Once alone, she settled into her old routine, preparing and cleansing the space and her mind.
"Who am I summoning?" she asked him.
"Samuel," he said nervously.
She called on Samuel, and he began rising. As he did, she saw the relationship between Samuel and the man. Their past, present, and future. Most importantly, she realized who the robed man truly was, but it was too late.
She screamed.
Saul paid her no attention as she came to this conclusion. Instead, he was completely focused on Samuel, who had begun to speak.
"I know why you have disturbed me. I shall give you the answer you came for, although it is not the one you desire. Your God has left you. Tomorrow, David and the Philistines will prevail against you, for they have won God's favor. As he wins, you and your army will die."
As Samuel spoke, the witch saw in a vision what was to come. She saw every death in the gruesome battle to come. She saw Saul fall on his own sword.
Then Samuel's spirit disappeared back into the earth and Saul collapsed.
The witch knew she should be relieved that tomorrow he would die. It meant Saul wouldn't have time to report her for what she had done–but she could not erase the image of him committing suicide from her mind. For so long she had viewed him as her enemy, but as she looked at him cowering in fear on the ground, now all she saw was a desperate man in need of comfort.
"Come inside with me," she said as she helped Saul to his feet. "I'll have my servants prepare dinner."
"I couldn't ask anything of you," he answered without meeting her eyes. "Not after my deception."
"You promised no harm would come to me," she replied. "As long as that is still true, you are a welcome guest in my home."
Her servants prepared a dinner of a fat calf and unleavened bread for Saul and his servants. They ate together, and drank together, and that night he left without a word of what the next day held for him. The Witch of Endor watched him depart until he was out of sight, uneasily thinking of the change was to come.
Author's note: I used the story of Saul seeking guidance from the Witch of Endor as my inspiration for this week. I didn't change much in the way of the story itself or the characters. However, the original story tells it from Saul's perspective, and I wanted to explore how the witch shifted from her fear of Saul to preparing him dinner the night before his death. There are conflicting interpretations of the original story regarding whether the witch could actually summon spirits. In one version she screams because the ghost of Samuel appears, and in the other she screams because she realizes who Saul is. I decided to go with the latter interpretation of her actually possessing this skill for my retelling.
Bibliography: "The Witch of Endor" from the King James Bible, 1 Samuel 28. Source.
One night, a man hidden under layers of robes approached her, asking to connect with a spirit.
"You know Saul forbade all magic, and I don't even know who you are," she said. "How do I know that you aren't one of his servants, tricking me to perform my craft so that you can kill me?"
The man replied, "I admit you have no reason to trust me. All I have to offer is my word. I am desperate and I have heard amazing things about your talents. Please, I promise no harm will come to you."
The witch knew it was dangerous. She couldn't help but see how afraid the man was, and she used this to justify agreeing to his request. But she knew the real reason: it was a chance to commune with the spirits again. She nodded and beckoned him to follow her.
Once alone, she settled into her old routine, preparing and cleansing the space and her mind.
"Who am I summoning?" she asked him.
"Samuel," he said nervously.
She called on Samuel, and he began rising. As he did, she saw the relationship between Samuel and the man. Their past, present, and future. Most importantly, she realized who the robed man truly was, but it was too late.
She screamed.
Saul paid her no attention as she came to this conclusion. Instead, he was completely focused on Samuel, who had begun to speak.
"I know why you have disturbed me. I shall give you the answer you came for, although it is not the one you desire. Your God has left you. Tomorrow, David and the Philistines will prevail against you, for they have won God's favor. As he wins, you and your army will die."
As Samuel spoke, the witch saw in a vision what was to come. She saw every death in the gruesome battle to come. She saw Saul fall on his own sword.
Then Samuel's spirit disappeared back into the earth and Saul collapsed.
The witch knew she should be relieved that tomorrow he would die. It meant Saul wouldn't have time to report her for what she had done–but she could not erase the image of him committing suicide from her mind. For so long she had viewed him as her enemy, but as she looked at him cowering in fear on the ground, now all she saw was a desperate man in need of comfort.
"Come inside with me," she said as she helped Saul to his feet. "I'll have my servants prepare dinner."
"I couldn't ask anything of you," he answered without meeting her eyes. "Not after my deception."
"You promised no harm would come to me," she replied. "As long as that is still true, you are a welcome guest in my home."
Her servants prepared a dinner of a fat calf and unleavened bread for Saul and his servants. They ate together, and drank together, and that night he left without a word of what the next day held for him. The Witch of Endor watched him depart until he was out of sight, uneasily thinking of the change was to come.
Author's note: I used the story of Saul seeking guidance from the Witch of Endor as my inspiration for this week. I didn't change much in the way of the story itself or the characters. However, the original story tells it from Saul's perspective, and I wanted to explore how the witch shifted from her fear of Saul to preparing him dinner the night before his death. There are conflicting interpretations of the original story regarding whether the witch could actually summon spirits. In one version she screams because the ghost of Samuel appears, and in the other she screams because she realizes who Saul is. I decided to go with the latter interpretation of her actually possessing this skill for my retelling.
Bibliography: "The Witch of Endor" from the King James Bible, 1 Samuel 28. Source.
Hi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading through your story! You gave good descriptions of the characters emotions as well as a good backstory for the reader to follow. I haven't read the Witch of Endor before and I'm happy I was able to read your interpretation of it! What made you want to tell the story from the perspective of the witch? I liked how the writing turned out, but I am curious why the switch. I was a little confused about the witch screaming element until the end where you mentioned it was an important part of the story. I do wish that we could have gotten a little glimpse of what Saul's future actually turned out to be, did he die like the vision showed or did he live? Another thing I would like to know more about is how was the witch kind to her neighbors, did she help them with her gifts or with other things?
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this story from a different perspective; I have read it from the perspective of Saul before, so it was an interesting twist. It is always cool to see stories from a different perspective because it brings to life a whole other side of story telling, sometimes it even makes for a completely different story once you get in the head of another character. Great job!