In this era, people in traditional countries described witches as old women with long tousled hair, mole or mark on the face, and barefooted, that is according to the historical documents from Greece and Rome (Kronzek, and Kronzek 254-255). A. Kronzek and E. Kronzek furthermore added that the ancient Greeks and Romans believed that witches usually come out during full moon at exactly midnight, and can be found in cemeteries, burrowing for human bones and noxious plants, and venerate Diana, the goddess of the moon and hunting, or Hecate, the goddess of fertility and queen of the night (254-255). .
Sorcery is still practiced nowadays. Living in a country like Philippines means that you hold on to the traditional ways, which made me believe in the supernatural. Our home was located near a creek, and its locale was formerly a forest. Every night, at exactly 12AM up to 4AM, our dogs would howl with no apparent reason. First the dogs at the first house will howl, then followed by the second, and so forth. As if someone is walking down the path to the east. Then between the hours of 3 and 4AM, the howling would start again, only this time the yowl goes the other way around, going to the west (from east to west). It sounds creepy and unbelievable, but it is true. Searching for a possible reason for this phenomenon, I am thankful to have read the book of Rosemary Ellen Guiley entitled, The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits. It gave me the answer I longed to find. It is called the witching hour', on which Guiley described as "the time when ghosts, fairies and other supernatural beings are about on earth and are most likely to be encountered especially between the hours of midnight and 3AM- (407). Yet, the real meaning of the witching hour, based on the belief of the ancient Greeks and Romans is that it is the time of the year wherein witches go out at midnight to celebrate the full moon. It is the zenith of their powers as they absorb the energy coming from the moon (Guiley, "Ghosts- 407).
