Numbers and Witchcraft

A detailed Summary of Numbers and Witchcraft

Numerology, reading between the lines

Communication is what enables two people to share information and ideas. Within a society, each culture may assign different meanings to different words and symbols. Often a simple symbol, such as $, may have different underlying meanings to different cultures. Each culture arbitrarily assigns a sound, definition, and appearance to the given symbol. As mentioned, this process is entirely arbitrary, and a given definition may not be the only way to represent or interpret a given idea or item. Numerology, the study of numbers, delves into the deeper meanings of numbers and their hidden significance (Crystal). In the two tales, "Repunzel" and "Little Snow-White", the author places emphasis on numbers and repetition of words or phrases to convey a deeper message or symbol. Specifically, both tales contain phrases or events occurring in pairs of two and groups of three.

One of the main differences between the two tales can be found in examining who is practicing and demonstrating evil. In the tale "Rapunzel", we find the actual Witch as the character casting evil upon another. However; in the tale "Little Snow-White", there is not a Witch, but rather a Queen. The Queen is describe

agendas and ideologies. When applied to the two tales, one earns a deeper understanding of the characters and the story as a whole. Numerology need not be tied only to the concept "witch". Often we automatically associate certain identities or traits with a name. For example, the term "witch" is frequently linked to evil and darkness. In an effort to broaden ones understanding of the two passages, one must be open to whom and what is linked to witchcraft and its practices.

Queen would look into her mirror and ask, "Oh, mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of us all?" (Grimm 227) The Queen knew that the mirror only spoke the truth, and when the mirror told of Snow-Whites beauty, the Queen became enraged and longed for the beauty which she knowingly lacked. The symbolism of desire portrayed through the distinct use of repetition in words is an example of the play on numbers and their deeper meanings and symbols.

Another display of numerology in the two tales can be found in the use of the number three. The wife, in the tale "Rapunzel", develops a taste for the radishes which grow in the neighboring garden. She tells her husband of these radishes and how she longs to eat them. In an effort to save the fate of his wife, the husband fetches the radishes. It is as if the radishes provide the wife with fulfillment and wholeness. The author tells of the wife's taste for the radishes and how, "they were so nice, and so well-flavored, that the next day she felt the same desire, three tim

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Approximate Word count = 1029
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English