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As mentioned in the article ‘Iconography’, it has been said that the stereotypical depiction of a wizard includes a long cloak, a beard and a pointy hat. The latter is a notable feature of a wizard. The use of pointy hats goes back centuries and has been related as far back as the Bronze Age (click link for more information) but also holds an Antisemitic sentiment. In Livia Gershon’s (2023) article ‘The Complicated History of Pointy Hats’, it is been found that in art pieces from 12th century Europe Jews have been depicted as taking hold of Christ and torturing him. This developed further in the 13th century when Christian authorities obliged Jews to wear something recognizable that distinguished them from others. A pointy yellow hat with a little ball of the same colour at the top was made and became known as the ‘Judenhut’. Over time not only Jews were associated with the Judenhut but also people who should not be trusted (criminals, bandits, etc.). A depiction of such a hat is displayed below.
There was even a law in a little German city called ‘Seligenstadt’ where all money lenders, women who were in a relationship with a Jew and of course, Jews themselves had to wear a Judenhut. Unfortunately, from that moment forward people convicted of suspicious behaviour that had to do with satan, magic and theft, had to wear the Judenhut (Gershon, 2023). This development resulted in pointy hats being associated with evil or fairytale magic and being integrated into stories that we are familiar with today.