Definition
A broomstick is the handle of a broom: the long wooden or synthetic pole to which the bristles are attached. In its literal sense, it is a tool for sweeping and cleaning. In its cultural sense, the broomstick is one of the most powerful and enduring symbols in Western folklore: the vehicle upon which witches are believed to fly. The image of the witch straddling a broomstick, soaring through the night sky to a sabbath or coven meeting, is an icon of Western culture, appearing in medieval woodcuts, children’s books, Halloween decorations, and blockbuster films. The broomstick is also a piece of sports equipment: in the fictional sport of Quidditch from the Harry Potter series, players fly on enchanted broomsticks; and in real-world Quidditch (now officially called Quadball), players run with broomsticks between their legs, using them as both a handicap and a symbolic element.
Why It Matters
The broomstick matters because it is a symbol that encodes centuries of attitudes toward women, power, and transgression. The association of witches with broomsticks emerged in medieval Europe, but its origins are debated. One theory links it to ancient fertility rituals in which women rode broomsticks, pitchforks, or sticks as symbolic mounts, jumping high to encourage crops to grow. Another theory connects it to the use of psychoactive ointments: witches were believed to anoint themselves (or their broomsticks) with hallucinogenic plant extracts, and the broomstick served as an applicator for these substances, absorbed through the skin. The flying witch on her broomstick is therefore not merely a spooky image; it is a distorted memory of folk practices, a projection of male anxiety about female sexuality, and a tool of religious propaganda. The broomstick also matters because it has been reclaimed: modern witches, Wiccans, and pagans use broomsticks (or “besoms”) in ritual, not for flying but for cleansing sacred space, symbolizing the sweeping away of negative energy. The broomstick is therefore both a symbol of persecution and a tool of empowerment, a weapon used against women in the witch trials and an implement used by women to reclaim their spiritual autonomy.
Example
The witch trials of early modern Europe (roughly 1450–1750) codified the broomstick as a symbol of devil worship. Accused witches were interrogated about their ability to fly, and confessions—often extracted under torture—included detailed accounts of broomstick travel. The Malleus Maleficarum (“Hammer of Witches,” 1487), the most influential witch-hunting manual, included broomstick flight among the powers attributed to witches. For a literary example, the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and the 1939 film adaptation flies on a broomstick, establishing the image for generations of American children. In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series (1997–2007), broomsticks are transformed from symbols of evil into sporting equipment: the Nimbus 2000, Firebolt, and Cleansweep are broom brands that function like racing bikes or sports cars, with the Quidditch World Cup featuring national teams on competing broom models. The series’ treatment of broomsticks—commercialized, collectible, status-symbolic—reflects the consumer culture of the 1990s and 2000s. In real-world Quidditch/Quadball, founded in 2005 at Middlebury College, players run with broomsticks (usually PVC pipes or decorated poles) between their legs, a rule that was originally a joke but became a defining feature of the sport. The broomstick serves no functional purpose in the real-world game—it makes running, throwing, and catching more difficult—but it preserves the connection to the fictional source and adds a layer of absurdity that is central to the sport’s appeal.
Internet Angle
The broomstick is a fixture of internet culture, particularly in fandom, witchcraft, and meme communities. On TikTok, the #broomstick hashtag features a mix of content: Harry Potter fans showing off their replica brooms, Wiccans demonstrating how to cleanse a space with a besom, crafters making decorative broomsticks for Halloween, and Quidditch/Quadball players sharing match highlights. The “broom challenge” of 2020—based on a false claim that NASA had identified a day when brooms could stand upright due to planetary alignment—went viral, with millions of users posting videos of their brooms standing on end. The meme was debunked (brooms can stand upright on any day), but it demonstrated the internet’s ability to turn even the most mundane object into a global phenomenon. On Reddit, r/harrypotter features endless discussions about broom mechanics: debates about the Firebolt’s price-to-performance ratio, analyses of Quidditch strategy, and questions about how broomsticks are manufactured in the wizarding world. On Etsy, handmade broomsticks and besoms are a significant category, with sellers offering everything from functional household brooms to elaborate ritual tools decorated with crystals, ribbons, and dried herbs. The broomstick is also a feminist symbol on the internet: posts about the history of witchcraft, the gendered nature of the witch trials, and the reclamation of the witch as a feminist icon frequently feature the broomstick as a visual motif. The internet has transformed the broomstick from a household tool and a Halloween prop into a multipurpose symbol: of fandom identity, spiritual practice, feminist resistance, and viral absurdity.
Related Terms
- Besom — The traditional round broom made of twigs, used in witchcraft and folk magic for ritual cleansing
- Quidditch / Quadball — The sport inspired by Harry Potter, in which players run with broomsticks between their legs
- Witch’s Sabbath — The supposed gathering of witches, often depicted with participants arriving on broomsticks
- Harry Potter — The book and film series that transformed the broomstick from a symbol of evil into commercialized sports equipment
- Malleus Maleficarum — The 1487 witch-hunting manual that codified the association between witches and broomstick flight
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