Lurkenhope is an Old English place-name that means ‘the hidden valley of the wise-woman’. Old English is the language of the Anglo-Saxons. We don’t really know what an Anglo-Saxon wise-woman did, but she was probably very knowledgeable about medicine, especially medical remedies made from plants. Sometimes, women like this were called witches, although it was much later on that witches were thought of as wicked.

​

Helpful story hints: Did the witch live alone in the hidden valley? Why did she choose to live there? What kind of witch was she – helpful, or bad? What was her special wisdom? What was her name? What kind of house did she live in? What did she wear?