folk art woodcut horror salem witch with cauldron feeding her pet demons autumn new-england

"Familiars" in medieval-1700s Europe and European colonies were believed to be demonic spirits helping witches in their supernatural work. These spirits most commonly took the physical form of small animals, such as cats, rats, dogs, ferrets, birds, frogs, toads, and hares, or even wasps and butterflies, as well as pigs, sheep, and horses. Familiar spirits were usually kept in pots or baskets lined with sheep's wool and fed a variety of things including, milk, bread, meat, and blood.